Chapter Thirty –eight
- Countdown
Twenty-four hours before the Final Battle,
Ministry of Defense, Muggle London.
"Draco, I realize how important this is to you, but we both know that in the event, that the 'Dark Lord' does 'win' our world will be no more safe than yours, less safe even…Miss. Weasley is a pure-blood, as you said, besides which your other child, will still be a Malfoy, and I'm sure your father, would never…"
Draco raked an unsteady hand through his perfect blonde strands, leaving them desperately ruffled. He stopped his even pacing, and came across the heavily furnished room, he grasped the back of the chair he had vacated hours ago, his finger's digging into the ornamental wood work, welcoming the pain, as the finely patterned wood splintered under his grasp, from magic or actual bodily strength he didn't know. Neither did he care to.
"Morgan, I understand that I'm asking a lot of you, you are the Duke of Claymore, you have certain obligation's I can relate…"
"Damn my obligations!" The Duke, exclaimed, exasperation filing his voice, as he crossed across his desk, to face the darkly cloaked blonde. "You saved my life back in France when we were kids, I'm a damn muggle I would never have known what they were plotting, you saved my son not 6 months ago, I told you then if there was anything I could do I'd do it. That still stands. I'm just trying to find a way to make sure this damn ridiculous back up doesn't backfire."
Draco sucked in a breath, it was bloody difficult to trust the future of your child and the person you…and Ginny's in another persons hands.
Even if he did owe you a life debt.
Still He didn't have any other choice, he'd already moved all the hard cash in his personal account to Muggle London, had it converted and deposited under an account by the name of a Mrs. Joyce Kensington. All he needed Morgan to do was provide Ginny and his child…children hopefully, with the alternate identities.
It was the only way they stood a chance, if the plan didn't go as planned.
Not the ideal choice, but better, much better than the alternative.
Death, or worse.
His voice was harsh, when he spoke again, "Just do as I asked Morgan. Please."
Deep blue eyes the color of rich velvet clashed with his own eyes, before the dark haired man nodded curtly.
The fire burned green as Draco tossed in the handful of Floo powder.
The Duke's deep voice came from behind him, just as he tossed the magical powder, "If there's anything else I can do…"
Draco hesitated, for the briefest moment, as all the doubts and insecurities of the coming day riled him once more. His lips turned up in a mockery of a smile as he asked, "Do you pray, Claymore?"
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Twenty-Two hours before the Final Battle
Gorgon Street, Wizarding London.
"….come on darling," cooed Hermione, as she pressed the spoonful of sleeping potion to the resisting baby. "…c'mon one spoon, love."
The child, oblivious to its mother's desperation to make haste, murmured, grabbing at the spoon playfully.
"Give him to me." came a voice from behind her, Hermione smiled helplessly, as Ron scooped the child out of her arms, they were such and oddly matched pair.
Ron, huge, both in height and brawn, cradling ever so gently her dark-haired, wide-eyed baby.
Dark eyes gazed innocently into conflicted blue ones, a toothless smile grabbing at her heart.
So this was what it was to be a woman, a mother….perhaps a wife someday.
Her eyes lingered on Ron, as she watched his easy handling of Sebastian, so gentle, yet firm…he had become more of a man than she had ever dreamed…Merlin let him come through this battle unscathed, he deserved to. He would make a remarkable father, husband even. He deserved to come out and start his own family.
After all he'd faced and lost he deserved that much.
"He's asleep." murmured Ron carefully stepping toward her to hand him over.
He brushed tenderly at a lock of his hair, with one long finger.
"I wonder what it's like…" he whispered.
"What?"
"Being a kid, you know oblivious to the danger, thinking you're invincible, idealism, utter blind faith…I can't for the life of me remember."
"Not knowing you mean?...isn't it always better to be prepared?"
"Ignorance is bliss, Herm."
"You're a strategist, Ron, for you ignorance means people die."
"People die if I'm right, as well as if I'm wrong, only difference is the statistics tend to vary somewhat."
"What's wrong with you? Are you okay?"
Blue eyes blazed with cynical amusement as they followed Hermione across the room to the cradle she was settling Sebastian in. Was he okay? Sure. He had all his major body parts intact didn't he, that was good. Hell in the middle of a war that constitutes bloody excellent.
"Is there anything you want to talk about? I'm going to go train with the recruits otherwise."
I have to take in a troop of 16 and 17 year old kids to war tomorrow, I have to give them a pep talk in about half an hour and not one of them is trained well enough to survive this ordeal, not physically and not mentally.
I have to watch them execute a plan tomorrow that has a 75% chance of causing the death of my sister's child, my niece or nephew.
A plan, that I came up with.
I have to watch you go to battle tomorrow, knowing that you might never come back.
And on top of that I have to live every moment of my life, wondering why there is no us, why Sebastian is someone else's son.
"I'm fine, you go ahead, I'll stay here, I have some paperwork that needs to be rechecked anyway."
Hermione smiled, "You're an angel Ron," She murmured pecking him on his cheek, as she made her way to the fireplace. She was completely unaware of the despair in the blue eyes that followed her there.
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18 hours till delegation of forces.
12 Grimmauld Place
"….we want the attacks to start on all the major Death-Eater strong-holds within less than 30 seconds of each other, I don't want any time for warnings to be issued, platoon leaders, remember we are working assuming there are informers in our midst, so no information regarding any plans leaves this room. Not to you're strongest, and not to you're weakest trainee, they leave for the battle-fields, under the missive of a training op. Am I clear?"
"Remus, don't you think that's just a tiny bit ruthless, there are kids fighting here." hissed Mrs. Weasley.
"And you know what Molly, you just lost your unborn grandchildren and daughter-in-law to a damn snitch…one would expect…"
"Shut up, Lupin." came an icy cold voice from across the table, soulless eyes raging with all the fires of hell.
"If you ever, ever, refer to my wife and children in a manner half as degrading as that and I'll put your head on a stake.
As for you mom, grow up, there is no ideal world, these kids knew what they were in for the day they signed up…
…..besides if we lose this battle there won't be a damn world for them to grow up in, they can go out fighting or trapped in Azkaban under
Death-Eater rule.
Personally I think they'll prefer the first choice."
"Perhaps we should turn the conversation to the strategic analysts, so that we can go over the actual plan, strategies have already been
discussed and voted upon, Molly," warned McGonagall her voice harsh with exhaustion.
"I still think it's inhumane, we are turning into them. What difference is there between them and us if we are doing …"
"Mrs. Weasley," Interrupted Harry, his voice curiously heavy, " Sometimes in order to do the right thing we have to take tough decisions," his eyes drifted briefly over to the silent blonde amidst them, silver eyes clashing with his own, "Sometimes we have to do something's we shouldn't have to do. This is a war, and if we can pull this off, we will try to fix our mistakes later and there in lies the difference. We know its wrong, and we will try to fix it, we just can't afford to right now."
Blonde brows arched mockingly. Fix his bloody mistakes will he?... He could try… Bloody Potter.
"Anyway getting down to business," said Hermione, drawing everyone's attention, "There is one more last minute issue that should be discussed….an additional plan if you will…."
"Did you find a way to penetrate the manor walls before the ceremony?" Asked Ron, he was well aware that she'd been working tirelessly on that particular issue, day and night, for the past weeks.
Hermione frowned, "Nothing other than the one-man scheme Draco came up with. Nothing without being detected, that is….but there is this one thing that we could do…..well actually Zabini came up with the idea…."
Hermione proceeded to outline the proposal, amidst cries of outrage and shock.
By the end of the meeting, the Order had outlined a theoretically flawless plan, well not morally, but in most other aspects.
Oddly enough, it was at the end of this meeting that Draco finally realized that when push came to shove, even the good guys fought dirty.
It was a big, big world, with big, big issues….but in the end it all came down to saving yourself and the guy fighting beside you.
"The plan is inhumane! You can't ask him to do that!" screeched Molly. Her eyes blazing as she looked wildly from Minerva to Lavair, who was
sitting quietly across from Draco, dressed ironically, or symbolically rather in black.
"Mrs. Weasley, Lavair was told about the plan before we decided to propose it, he agreed…."
Molly completely ignored Hermione's halting explanation instead turning to her eldest son, "He's her brother Bill! You can't possibly agree to
this!"
"As a matter of fact I don't, unfortunately I'm quite sure if we call it to a vote, the issue will side in his favor."
"'His favor?' You think he wants to die….out there….at the mercy of those horrid people…."
It was Lavair's own curiously calm voice that broke into the Molly's outraged tirade,
"I agreed to it Molly.
It was my choice.
And I'd make it again, please, just let it go, there are larger issue's at hand."
A brittle silence encased the entire room.
It was hours later and many a long debates later that this hopefully final meeting of the Elite Order came to an end.
And only then tired, annoyed, and frustrated as most of the members was Draco finally able to head back to Malfoy Manor, and the one
non-Malfoy, who had finally made the antique pile of bricks and mortar home.
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Nine hours till delegation of forces.
Malfoy Manor, England.
Ginny Weasley was having an awful day, she had no idea where she was or how she had got here.
All she knew was that she was in a forest running desperately.
Death-Eater's were running after her and the children, and every time one of the children would stop for air, spell's would rain down on them
and they would almost get hit…
……..She ran on and on………
…….and then just as she was too exhausted to move …..just as she was about to give up and stop running, she saw someone ………
….someone, standing just a few feet from her, beckoning her on …
…………..it was as if all the sound and all the spells had been blocked out…………
………..the children wiggling out of her hold, ran towards the person…..
…………..the closer he came the clearer she could see………
…………..alabaster skin contrasting wildly with the dark black of his cloak, silvery blonde hair carefully smoothed back from his brow.
Draco…
And then everything came crashing back.
Twin shots of eerie green light hit him simultaneously. He dropped abruptly to the floor of the forest.
His eyes still open, the corners of his lips tipped up on a side as if about to smile.
The children were screaming.
……. it was a while before Ginny realized that she was too.
'No!'
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"Hey! Hey…come on, I'm right here, come on wake up…Ginny……Ginny…."
It was the worry in the familiar voice that finally penetrated.
Huge cinnamon colored eyes, framed with wet lashes, opened, seeking the comfort of silver eyes she so badly needed to see.
She was breathless when she finally could make herself speak, "…….Hey…."
The corner of his lips lifted into the self assured smile she had grown so attached to.
"Hey." He replied still bent over her, his face inches from hers.
Ginny frowned, rattled by her dream, his proximity and the almost caressing way he repeated the greeting. "I had a bad dream."
Amusement crept into the pools of silver, at her statement of the obvious.
"I know."
"Did you just get back from the meeting?" she asked deliberately pushing away and trying to sit up. Not an easy task when your middle was the
size of the Sahara desert.
Draco, pulled back removing his hands from either side of her face, he helped her sit up, and had put two pillows behind her to help her get
comfortable before answering with a nod.
"And?" she prodded.
"And, we have a lot to talk about….and we will but there's something that we need to do first."
Ginny looked back at him, the obvious question in her eyes.
Draco returned the silent stare, with the most unusual look in his silver eyes.
"Well?" she urged, curiosity tinting her voice as the nightmare lay forgotten in light of the present mystery.
Draco however was maintaining his curious look as he slowly leaned forward, closer, and closer, nose to nose, his eyes still locked on hers, till Ginny could almost feel her breath catch.
A smug smile teased the corners of his mouth, while his eyes all but screamed that they knew exactly what was happening to her.
She could feel his breath on her lips. The lightest of caresses.
She nearly closed his eyes when he reached out, thinking he was about to kiss her, instead the lean fingers, she had watched tousle his perfect strands of platinum, fingered a lock of her fiery hair, before carefully tucking it behind her ear.
"Well what?" he asked his voice, smoother than butter as he pulled away from her.
Ginny was left staring at him, half convinced she was imagining the whole thing. Reading to much into it… or whatever it was called.
She drew in a calm breath before she looked steadily down at her fingers and repeated her question, "What do we need to do?"
Merlin, was it any wonder he was so drawn to her?
She looked so uncertain so unsure, twiddling her thumbs like a four year old, yet the look in her eyes when she looked at him……
……Circe, she made him feel, like a giant, a dragon-slayer and the bloody savior of the world all in one……
…..and when they touched……
Merlin
But it was more than that……it was as if she was made for him.
She completed him …
"Ginny…Ginny, look at me…"
She didn't, her eyes stayed fixed on her fingers.
Draco firmly tipped her chin up with his hand, while his other hand covered her fingers in her lap.
He leaned in, playfully biting her ear, as he said, his voice deep with a caressing desire, five words that would forever, take her breath away.
To Be Continued......
Author's Note:
Hey….i'm totally sorry for the long wait but my HSC's are this April and I really am totally out of time….plus I want these last few chapters to be perfect…I'll be fixing and putting up revised versions of the older chapters as soon as I'm done….
A shout out to my reviewer's, it's fear of one of you taking a contract out in my name and handing it out to random death-eaters…:P….that has me updating when I really should be studying.
So thank you, to snow-fire81, padfootedmooney, Canuka, Bel-dumbledore, Aeriliegh, Laney Tate, Slytherinluver, Expecto Magic, Loving Emerald, and Zoti21!!
Hope you liked the chappie and read and review!!!