Chapter Twenty-One: Scared

Regan landed with a dull thud, her knees shaking as the text book and her suitcase dropped from her hands. She glanced around with wide eyes, her feet seemingly stuck in the snow. Her teeth instantly began to chatter and she mentally cursed for not having worn a warmer jacket. They had dumped her in a heavily wooded area, the ground covered in a thick blanket of snow. She was reminded of the forests in England, but she knew that she had to be far away from her native land. They wouldn't be so stupid to put their headquarters so close to their enemy.

"Put up your hands; don't make a sound." Regan instantly stiffened, feeling a large presence behind her. She did as she was told, moving slowly and making sure not to make a sound. As soon as her hands were up high, she was searched and her wand removed from her person. "Regan Westwood?" She nodded, her jaw clenched from the tension. "Oh good, you're a bit early. Sorry about the search; it's just a precaution that we have to take. Here, you can have your wand back." Regan turned to retrieve her wand, but instantly stilled when she saw who was returning it to her.

"Oh my God…" The man, who had encountered this reaction before and had come to expect it, just nodded with a smirk. Despite the gray weather, his hair was still very, very red.

"Ron Weasley, very pleased to meet you." He stuck out his hand to shake, but Regan could only stare. She never could have imagined that she would be standing in front of Ron Weasley. It was the most hopeful thing that she had seen in years.

"I didn't think that you were still alive," Regan quietly admitted as she took her wand and shook his hand.

"Neither did I honestly." He said with a grin. He turned to the thick forest, calling out 'Weasley is our King' before looking back at Regan. When he saw that she was confused, he just shrugged his shoulders with a small chuckle. "It's a long story."

Slowly, others began to emerge from the woods, all with their wands at the ready. Regan didn't recognize any of them, but noted that they were all wearing similar, bulky sweaters.

"Everybody, this is Regan, Astoria and Draco sent her." They all nodded and smiled in greeting, which Regan quickly returned. "Come on, let's get you back to camp, everybody's waiting to meet you."

Tucking her wand away into her sleeve, Regan followed after Ron with his entire group surrounding her. It was like they were protecting her from some unseen source, and that strangely bothered her. She had her wand; she could take care of herself.

"We were surprised when Lucius became so interested in you," Ron said. Down to business; Regan liked it. "That's why Astoria sent you away with Oskar without consulting us. She was desperate and his death was a mistake…I'm so sorry you had to be there." Regan shook her head.

"I wasn't there when he died…I don't even know where they put him."

"He was 'found' last week at his apartment in Paris. The official statement is that he killed himself out of fear of being prosecuted for your kidnapping." Regan's face hardened as she walked, her body radiating frustration.

"That never happened…"

"We know; Astoria's told us everything and we've modified our plan to include you…honestly, you showing up couldn't have come at a better time." Regan inwardly beamed, relishing at the fact that she was proving to be useful.

"What will I do?" Regan had a whimsical hope that she would get the chance to kill Lucius. It would be oh so sweet, but she understood that there were many others that were waiting to kill Lucius.

"Just be his wife…that will involve some effort since I've heard that you can't stand him." Regan nodded. "You're going to have to earn his trust totally and completely; can you do that?" Regan nodded, convincing Ron with pure determination written across his face.

"I'll do whatever you need me to do."

They came upon a snow logged building. It looked like some abandoned logging shack, but Regan could see that it was so much more. This was their headquarters and it was surprisingly well hidden.

"Where are we?" Regan suddenly asked as Ron opened the door for her.

"Canada, specifically Vancouver B.C." Regan glanced back at him, clearly questioning why they had chosen this location. "Nobody ever suspects Canada." Regan shrugged her shoulders.

"How long have you been here?" She asked as Ron opened a hatch through the floor and helped her down into what could only be described as a war room. It was dim with low hanging lights and packed dirt walls and floors. There were rugs placed all over the place and moving portraits hanging on the wall as if to try to create a homey atmosphere, but it did not seem to be working. There were rough tables and chairs spread around the room, some occupied by people either eating or just talking.

"Too long," he muttered, trying to smile through his obvious bitterness. "Everyone, can I have your attention?" Actions stopped and people looked up to watch Ron. "Everybody, this is Regan, she was sent by Astoria and Draco…she's Lucius Malfoy's fiancée."

The air was suddenly thick and Regan tensed under their critical looks.

They had been informed that she hated him too, right?

"She'll be the one to get use close to Malfoy, so she needs to be briefed on what's going to happen."

"I'll do it." A tall woman stepped from the crowd, smiling warmly at Regan. Even though she only wore jeans and a sweater, she looked so regal with her hair pinned up in a soft bun and pearls hanging from her ears. Her face was so pale and beautiful…and very familiar.

"Are you sure?" Ron asked, but she quickly nodded.

"Of course, who could help her more than me?" She asked with a small laugh. Regan peered at her curiously, the back of her mind nagging and insisting that she had seen this woman before.

"Take her to the back, then." Ron said, giving Regan a small pat on the shoulder. "You can trust Narcissa, she's the one that gathered us all together in the first place." Regan's eyes widened in shock as Narcissa gently took her hand.

"Come on, let's get you some tea." Regan weakly nodded as she was lead away, eyes still looking her over. She was almost certain that they were memorizing every detail about her, just in case.

"Narcissa, take Charlie with you to watch her." Ron suddenly called out, making Regan grimace. She understood that they had to be careful, but did she really look so threatening?

A tall man suddenly came to walk beside Regan, earning a curious glance. He looked a great deal like Ron, but his face was much slimmer and his hair was much shorter. He towered over Regan, but she had trouble focusing solely on his face. Emerging from the stretched neck of his pale sweater was a horrendous burn mark that almost consumed his neck. It was a recent burn, probably in the last few years. She knew that it must have been from the final battle, or perhaps the ensuing small rebellions that had consumed the countryside. Regan knew that the burn scar was much larger, but she couldn't see it because of his sweater. She couldn't imagine what had happened to him to give him that scar, but she didn't dare ask. He looked so firm and focused, the expression on his face telling Regan that he was determined to complete whatever task was at hand.

Narcissa led them down a long corridor, dark green doors spaced out with low hanging lights barely lighting the way. Narcissa opened a door and showed Regan in, smiling at her as she walked inside and found that the room resembled something that would have been found in Regan's grandmother's house. The furniture was heavily worn down and there were lace doilies on tables and across the backs of couches and chairs. Regan sat down and Charlie sat across from her while Narcissa prepared tea for them. Regan and Charlie stared at one another, both clearly on edge.

"Charlie, make polite conversation." Narcissa insisted. "Regan, how do you take your tea?"

"Milk, two lumps." Regan quickly answered.

"And you take your tea black, right Charlie?"

"Yes." Charlie ground out, his eyes focused on Regan. Regan stared right back at him, half expecting him to say something to her. But he just continued to stare as Narcissa served them tea and sat beside Regan.

"Charlie, please try not to scare the poor girl."

"I'm not scared." Regan insisted with her eyes locked on Charlie as she took a slow sip of her tea. Surprisingly, Charlie actually cracked a smile and took his eyes away from Regan.

"You're very brave to come here," Narcissa told her. "And I know his is a unique situation, but I am so glad that you're here." Regan gently set down her tea cup.

"I will do whatever I can to help you all." Narcissa nodded with a small chuckle.

"We know dear, there's no need to continue to repeat yourself." She told her. "How are Draco and Astoria?"

"Draco is well, but we never really speak so I can't say for sure. Astoria is still upset about Oskar's death, but I think she's distracted by the wedding plans." Narcissa nodded.

"Poor Oskar, he seemed like such a kind man."

"He was," Regan quickly said as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She was tempted to tell Narcissa about the child that Oskar had given her and how Lucius had so cruelly purged it from her body, but she figured that it would just be too much for Narcissa to know.

"Yes, Astoria mentioned that you two had grown quite close. I'm so sorry that things happened the way that they did." She said. "Honestly, I'm not really surprised that Lucius is so set on marrying you…you look so much like her." Regan didn't need to ask who because she knew exactly who Narcissa was talking about. Lily Evans, mother of Harry Potter, had always held Lucius's eye and he chased Regan so avidly because apparently she looked so much like the woman. He was driven by lust and the desire of something that he had never been able to have.

"So you know about her?" Regan asked. Narcissa shrugged.

"He never told me, but during school he did little to hide his desire for her…I'm sure that if she would have offered him the smallest glance, he would have done anything to be with her…and things would be much different."

"Things are the way they are, no point in wishing for something different." Charlie commented. His voice was deep and very masculine, reminding Regan briefly of Oskar. She liked his voice, even if it was so deep and slightly fearful.

"Regan, would you like anything to eat before we start? This may take a while." Regan shook her head, perking up and forcing herself to pay attention to every word she said. "Good, we have much to discuss."

...

A/N: I have a feeling that people are going to enjoy this chapter; I missed you, you bloody brilliant red head you :)

GhostWriter84: I'm surprised that Lucius is your favorite, but I'm glad that you're enjoying the story. Please keep reading :)

Dragoon Dave: Oh dear Lord...you and your long paragraphs :P Lucius doesn't really see Regan as a person; he sees her as a possession to be had. Don't be bummed about Lily; I don't really think it comes up again...and I'm too tired to argue with you right now, so you win, huzzah.