Chapter Thirty Six: Sweltering

One week later, as the west coast finally joined the rest of the northern hemisphere in the summer festivities, the letter that Ron had been waiting for finally arrived.

Party on July 10, costume 1920's. Starts at 7, dinner at 8. All of Ministry will be present; come heavily armed.

Ron had been grinning like a small child when he finished the letter, which was more of a note. It had come with over a hundred printed invitations, ensuring that everybody in the Canadian Compound would get into the party without question. The time had finally come and they were more than ready. Hours had been spent training and practicing spells, hidden in this underground fortress and allowing the world to pass them by while they waited.

But that would end.

Ron marched into the common room, where people had gathered to spend their time eating or going over the Malfoy Manor floor plan in case they needed to go inside. When Ron burst into the room, it didn't take a genius to figure out why he was smiling.

"Well, it appears that we've all been invited to a very exclusive party." He said, holding up the note and the invitations. An excited buzz instantly passed through the crowd, eyes lighting up as nerves rose in anticipation. "We're going to need 1920's costumes, it's a themed party." Ron said, earning a few groans. "We have to blend in; this is the only shot we have at taking down the Ministry." He reminded them. "Neville, what's the news on Sweden?"

"They've received their invitations as well and they're ready to move." He called out.

"We'll need somebody to contact the Americans and the Canadians, Dean?"

"On it." The stocky male rushed from the room, disappearing down the corridor.

"And has there been any word from Italy or France?"

"It all looks good," George called out. "They've been stringing Malfoy along for months. He has no idea that they're aligned with us." He said with a small smirk. Ron inwardly smiled.

Everything was in place; now the waiting would be absolutely unbearable.

Ron quickly assigned tasks, watching everybody rush away to prepare for their departure back to England. They were all eager to return home with hopeful thoughts that they would get to remain there for the rest of their lives, no matter how long that might be. When the room had cleared, Charlie and Ron were the only two left. Charlie appeared to be unaware that he was alone with Ron, his eyes glazed over in thought. He finally perked up when Ron sat next to him, offering him a forced smile.

"It's like you're a million miles away." Ron commented with a chuckle.

"That's how I feel." Charlie admitted. "It's just difficult to grasp that we're finally doing this…ten years later, and this is the last shot we've got." Ron solemnly nodded, leaning back in his seat.

"This wouldn't be possible without Regan." He commented, seeing light return to Charlie's eyes for a brief moment. "I really like her…she makes you happy." Charlie nodded.

"I feel guilty sometimes, you know?" He quietly admitted. "I feel like…it's too soon to be happy."

"It doesn't do well to dwell on the past." Ron said quietly. "Angie wouldn't want you to keep yourself miserable just for her sake. You need to live and be content…and when this is over you need to put a ring on her finger as quickly as possible." Charlie quirked an eyebrow.

"Isn't it a little too soon to be thinking about marriage?" He asked.

"Well who else is gonna put up with your bullshit?" Charlie laughed, punching his brother in the arm.

"Cheeky prick," he muttered with a grin.

"I'm just being honest." Ron said with a sly grin. "Seriously though, don't let her go." He insisted.

"You know, she actually reminds me a lot of Angie…"

"Right, because she doesn't put up with your bullshit." Ron added seriously. Charlie laughed.

"Well I guess you're lucky to have found Hermione then, because you're worse than me." Ron took a playful swing that Charlie easily dodged. As the two brothers laughed and began to wrestle with each other as boys do, Molly watched quietly from around the corner, a warm smile on her face. It had been a long time since she had seen her boys so happy and carefree, even if it was only for a moment. Their lives had been consumed with darkness and pain for far too long. But in a brief moment of hope, Molly was convinced that the perpetual darkness would soon give way to light.

…

As summer became a sweltering pressure on the English countryside, the Malfoy Manor was buzzing with preparations for Regan's party. The garden had been completely redone to accommodate the large number of people that would be coming. Large rose bushes had been planted, sporting large red blossoms. Hedges were reshaped to create symmetrical designs, gold designs enchanted into the dark green leaves. At night, the entire garden was dully illuminated. Regan was impressed, though she would never actually admit it.

The woman who Lucius had hired to plan the party was annoyingly perfect at her job. Regan hadn't taken the time to learn her name, but that didn't seem to matter much. Astoria slipped into the role that she had become accustomed to. She made plans without ever consulting Regan, a move she assumed was meant to upset her, but Regan didn't really care. She could feel the resentment from Astoria, a result of not getting her way Regan thought. Either way, it bothered Regan very little what Astoria did or didn't do. Like Draco, Regan was more concerned with the battle that would likely ensue.

As Regan was fitted for a custom made gown of white silk with heavy beaded fringe, she practiced spells in her head. Her mind often drifted to her time spent with Charlie, the memory of his textured scar forever embedded into her fingertips. She wondered if she would be able to see him before anything started, though she did have serious doubts that Draco would let that happen. They would all be in disguise, and it was unlikely that they would reveal themselves before the battle. Death was certain for a few in their resistance, but they were all aware of the danger, something that they had willingly accepted.

A few days before the party, Draco had neglected to sit with Regan. She was slightly disappointed, but it dawned on her that he was absent for a good reason. Today was likely the day that everybody from the Canadian Compound would be moving to some hidden location close to the Manor. Regan wished that she could have helped, but her sudden absence would raise too many eyebrows, so Draco obviously could not take her with him. When he returned in the early afternoon, he appeared flustered, yet satisfied. Things had gone well as far as Regan could tell, though she was disappointed when he returned with a note from Charlie. She figured that they just hadn't had the time, but she was visibly upset about it.

On the morning of July 10th, a breeze had blown in from the coast and had cooled the countryside considerably. Regan awoke that morning alone in bed, though her solitude did not last long. Lucius came striding into the room carrying a present neatly wrapped all in white. He sat beside her, gently kissing her despite her harsh morning breath.

"Happy birthday," he said as he presented the box to her. She tucked back her hair before accepting the gift, nimble fingers peeling back the paper to reveal a deep blue velvet box. It was jewelry, that much was obvious, and it was something big judging by the weight of it.

When she opened it, she didn't have to feign surprise. In her hands was possibly the largest piece of jewelry that she had ever seen. It was a wide, diamond necklace that would cover her collar bone. The diamonds appeared darker, set off by the vintage setting. The pattern of diamonds was very art deco, something that gave a nod to the Chrysler Building in New York. There were matching earrings in the center, but the main focus was on the necklace.

"I had it specially made for you," Lucius said as he carefully removed the necklace from the box and arranged himself to fasten it around her neck. It was incredibly heavy and made it difficult for Regan to breathe, but she just forced herself to smile.

"It is far too generous," she said, earning a chuckle from Lucius.

"This is a special occasion." He insisted. "You only turn twenty-six once, so it should be celebrated to the fullest." Regan deftly nodded, running her fingers across the diamonds.

"Thank you, it's beautiful." Lucius sat smugly beaming as Regan's eyes traced across the diamond earrings.

"You will look so lovely tonight." He murmured. Regan nodded, though she could have argued the idea of her being beautiful all day long. She didn't see beauty whenever she looked in the mirror. She always frowned when she met those green eyes. She was disappointed and disgusted by somebody who would do the things that she had done. It frustrated her and she always prayed that nobody would ever mention her actions ever again. There was nothing heroic about her actions; it was nothing worth talking about. Lucius leaned forward to kiss her again before quickly rising. "I'll have breakfast brought up and then Astoria will be in so that you two can get ready." Regan nodded again, wanting him to leave so that she could remove the necklace to allow herself to breathe. He disappeared from the room, his absence greeted by a thankful sigh. Regan wanted to be alone, but Astoria was there within minutes of Lucius's departure with Regan's breakfast. Today was an especially fatty day with bacon, sunny eggs, and buttered wedges of toast. Astoria's eyes widened when she caught site of the diamond gift that still hung around Regan's neck.

"My God that thing is gigantic." She commented as she set Regan's tray across her lap.

"I can't breathe with this stupid thing on." Regan grumbled, fighting the urge to just rip it off. She began to eat despite the necklace, savoring the fatty strips of bacon.

God the cook knew her well.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" Astoria asked, a question that puzzled Regan. She had never asked before, so why would she ask now? Regan shrugged her shoulders and Astoria remained awkwardly beside her. After a long pause, Regan suddenly realized why Astoria wanted to stay. She was afraid of what might happen tonight; she feared the possibility of her own death. Regan felt a pang of sympathy for her, though it was a very small pang.

"Draco shipped the invitations to…you know." She muttered quietly. "They've all been moved to a safe location until tonight…so no need for you to worry."

"I wasn't worried." Regan quickly said, the words thankfully coming out calmly. Astoria remained beside her, looking as awkward as ever. Regan finally stopped eating, letting out a small sigh and glancing up at her. "Is there something on your mind?" The words were forced from her lips, but it didn't seem to matter to Astoria; guilt was hanging in her dull eyes and would not go away until she said whatever she needed to say.

"Regan…I just…I wanted to apologize for…speaking to you so harshly. I didn't mean to say what I said and…there's just been a lot of stress on everybody." Regan shook her head.

"Please, there's no need to mention it." Regan said, though her words did little to ease the guilt that Astoria still felt. "Everything's almost over, you can apologize to me afterwards if you really feel that badly." She said, finishing off her breakfast and leaning back against the headboard just as their stylists and makeup artists came into the room with bright smiles on their faces. "We'll talk about this later." She said calmly, sinking down into her bed. Astoria slowly nodded, putting on a broad smile so as not to raise any suspicions. The primping began in relative silence, but Regan's mind was buzzing with the possibilities of what would happen in just a few short hours.

...

A/N: It's sad; we're so close to the end.

Dragoon Dave: How could you ever forget that Lucius is a total d-bag? Honestly, what's wrong with you? lol jk. Yes, we've had long conversations about how dark your mind can get sometimes.