A/N: Most of the real action during Part Two of this fic is happening in the outside world. But I didn't want to ignore D & G whilst we caught up with everyone else. I know that their scenes are fluffy. But I love the fluff; I certainly do.

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The Safe House

Chapter Eighteen

As happy as Draco had been to learn of Ginny's pregnancy the previous year, spending Christmas morning actually holding their beautiful son would be a memory he would cherish for the rest of his life. It also made him miss his family. He knew that his mother would be thrilled to have a grandchild, and as for his father, he wasn't sure what to think about Lucius Malfoy's reaction to learning that the newest Malfoy heir was half Weasley. On the other hand, Thuban Severus Malfoy was the descendant of four of the oldest pureblood families in the wizarding world, and Draco knew that his child's lineage combined with his inheriting the Malfoy looks would probably convince even his father to accept Draco's new family.

Thuban was nearly five months old, and he was becoming more and more interesting to his parents every day. His pale blue eyes were absorbing everything around him. He was now starting to imitate Draco's raspberries all of the time, and occasionally he would babble "dadada", which Ginny would point out was not really his calling for Draco yet.

Ginny was holding the baby up on her lap, letting him use his legs to stand and bounce. She was smiling and speaking sweetly to him as he gurgled and talked to his mummy. She had knitted Thuban's first Weasley jumper for him from one of Draco's nicer jumpers. It was light grey with a small, burgundy "T" on the chest.

Draco crossed the sitting room to join his family on the sofa. He leaned towards Ginny and gently tickled Thuban's belly, earning a loud laugh from the tiny blond. "Do you think my parents were ever like this?"

"Like what?" Ginny rearranged the baby so that he was sitting on her lap and turned to face Draco.

He watched his son happily sucking on his left hand and grabbing at Ginny's hair with his right. "Do you think they were ever this happy? That my father was sitting at home with my mum and me and just enjoying being with us. I look at Thuban, and I cannot imagine wanting to do anything that would bring him harm. It just makes me wonder what Father was thinking when he held me. Was I really just part of his duty to have an heir?"

"Draco, you have some happy memories with him. Maybe that's all he could give you."

"He was a Death Eater before I was born, Ginevra. He was rejoicing the night that the Potters were killed. That monster was trying to kill a baby the same age as me, and my father was glad to be a part of that."

"You're right, he was a Death Eater - he is a Death Eater, and that has affected everything else in his life. He was not in a place that he could afford to feel the way you do about Thuban. You cannot be serving evil and still be capable of real love, Draco. He chose his master, and as unfair as it is, his family came second."

"I wish I understood him, his choices."

"I don't think most of the original Death Eaters really planned on destroying our world. I think they believed in blood purity, and Voldemort was promising to uphold the old traditions and purify the wizarding community. Your father and mother were raised to believe that purebloods were better, and this was an opportunity for your father to make a difference in a cause he believed in. By the time Harry's parents were killed, I'm sure he was in too deep. People have done terrible things under the influence of tyrannical leaders. And as for his rejoicing that night, do you really know that's what he was doing? Or was he at home with you and your mother, wondering about what he had got you all into?"

"I can't believe that you are excusing him; you know firsthand what he is capable of."

"I'm not excusing him, Draco. I'm trying to help you make sense of his choices that have been so different than yours. You are stronger than he is; you are a better man."

"And what if I'm not? It's really easy to be the perfect husband and father whilst I am trapped in this house. I was a Death Eater, and I did terrible things, too. What if I change when we go back to the real world? What if someday my son looks at me in fear? He's going to notice this Mark on my arm; it's not as if I can hide it."

"You are not your father. Do you hear me? You are not your father. Yes, you have a past that will be difficult to explain to Thuban, but you will explain it, just like you have to me, and he will love you more for it. Because as awful as your choices were, in the end you chose to be good. Out there in the real world, you were risking your life to find a way to stop Voldemort. And in here, you had a wand, not me. You could have done anything to me, Draco. You had no reason to be nice to me, but you were."

He had relaxed a little during her speech, and he took Thuban into his arms as he said, "I think Snitch is proof of why I had reason to be nice to you."

"Yes, well, I could say the same thing." Her eyes sparkled, and then her face became more serious again. "This life we have here is unique. Yes, it is easier to be 'perfect' when there are no outside influences or stresses, but this is not Utopia. We have our own problems here, too. When we leave, it will be an adjustment. There will be things that will be much more difficult to deal with, but there will be things that are far easier. We will actually have other people to help us, and as much as I love gardening, we won't be completely reliant on it to provide most of our food." She paused for a moment and held his gaze. "Do you think I will stop loving you when we leave?"

"No, of course not, but your family has always shown you love."

"And so has your mother… Are you planning on abandoning us?"

"No! I could never leave you, Ginevra. I just don't want to make the same mistakes my father has made. I know he has been sorry, and I have seen the weight of his guilt. One of the last times I was around him, he almost said as much. He actually embraced me, and I thought that he was going to tell me he loved me, but we were interrupted by Bellatrix and the moment passed."

"Then hold on to that. When this is all said and done, there will be no more interruptions. And you can finally have that moment with him."

"I love you. What a beautiful and wise wife I have. And I hope you're right about him. That would be ..." He smiled tightly, his eyes betraying the sadness he felt. Then he kissed his son's head before leaning forward and kissing Ginny sweetly on the lips.

"Happy Christmas, Draco," she murmured into his lips.

"Happy Christmas, Ginevra."

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oooooOOOooOooOOOooooo

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Harry sat down at the rickety table inside the small flat that Andromeda Tonks was sharing with her grandson and sister. He had been to visit Teddy Lupin several times over the years, but he felt very guilty as he smiled at his godson for the first time in almost a year. Tonks had not made any improvement in the last twenty months, and Harry was the only father figure the boy would have with his father being killed at the Muggle museum and his grandfather, Ted Tonks, dying during the Battle of Hogwarts. He listened closely as Teddy told him a story about dragons and unicorns.

"And then there was four unicorns standing in front of the dragon. And he was so happy cuz he loves them, and they are really good at magic." The six-year-old paused and looked deep in thought for a moment before continuing. "And they climbed on his back -no, they leapted up on his back, and he flew them to their house."

"Wow, Teddy. That was a great story, mate. Thank you for telling it to me." Harry reached down and ruffled the little boy's hair.

"I'm not done, Uncle Harry." He furrowed his brows, and then finished his story. "So they were at his house, and … um, I forgot. Ummm … oh, I know! They ate lots of Chocolate Frogs. The end."

"That was a much better ending, and I'm glad you finished it. I was worried that they wouldn't have anything to eat." He looked up at Andromeda and cleared his throat. "Er, I actually am here to talk with Narcissa. She is here, isn't she?"

"Teddy, go get Auntie Cissy. Tell her that your Uncle Harry needs to speak with her." She looked at Harry for a moment discerning the seriousness of the meeting before adding, "Give Uncle Harry a hug and kiss goodbye. And you can play in your room."

The little boy started to protest, but he knew better than to argue with his grandma so he quickly gave Harry a hug and kiss before running from the kitchen.

Andromeda took the seat across from Harry and narrowed her eyes, "He misses you, Harry. I know that you are busy, but it would be nice if you could make a little more time for him. You missed Christmas again."

"I know. I feel terrible, but it's hard to see him. He reminds me so much of Remus. Also, many things have been happening the last several months. We've been overloaded, and I have just had no time."

Andromeda's mouth pressed into a thin line, but before she could speak, her sister did. "That is an unnecessary lie, Mr. Potter. We know that the Dark Lord has been in hiding for months, and I am assuming that is why you are here."

Harry looked up at the beautiful blond witch and felt a mixture of embarrassment for being caught in a lie and anger at the woman who was, at this moment, reminding him so much of her son. "Yes, that is why I am here. I need your help, Mrs. Malfoy. Voldemort has disappeared, and we have reason to believe that your husband is one of the few Death Eaters that remain with him."

Narcissa sat next to her sister, looking every bit of the aristocratic pureblood that she was born to be. She had lost her son, her money, her home, and her husband for all intents and purposes, yet she still held herself like a queen. It had been a great surprise when she had appeared at the Ministry, requesting to be handed over to the Order, months after her son's disappearance and presumed death. Pansy had accompanied Harry when he went to the Ministry that day. She had looked almost exactly how she looked sitting in the cramped kitchen next to her sister, until Pansy had been allowed to join the interrogation.

~.~

Pansy reached across the table and took Narcissa's hand. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, Narcissa." Pansy held tightly to the older witch's hand as her tears fell from her cheeks onto the table.

Narcissa looked down and squeezed her eyes shut. She looked up at Pansy, and Harry was surprised to see her blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I like to think that Draco was a better man than I had ever let myself hope for him to be, and your friendship was important to him. He knew what he was doing, Pansy. And I am also very sorry about your mother."

Pansy quickly stood, walked around the table, and embraced Narcissa when she also arose. The two witches held on to each other for a few minutes before Harry began speaking. "Pansy, you can sit with Mrs. Malfoy. We have some questions that need to be answered." He sat in Pansy's vacated seat, opened the file in his hand, and took a quill from his pocket. "Mrs. Malfoy, we need to know why you are now willing to join our side. We also need to know what information you can give us regarding the whereabouts of Voldemort and any of his supporters." He looked over at Pansy and took a deep breath. "And we need to know anything you know about the Horcruxes."

"I am here because we have heard rumours that Draco was killed. I keep waiting for him to return, but we haven't heard anything from him. I have thought for a long time that he was still alive, but Lucius is convinced that he is …gone. I have no reason to stay. I have never wanted to be part of the Dark Lord's inner circle, and it was becoming more and more apparent that he did not trust me. I would have been tested, and I would have failed."

"And your husband?"

"My husband will not leave. The Dark Lord has been working on a way to better control his followers, a curse of some sort, and Lucius believes that he would be killed if he left. Otherwise, I probably do not know anything that you do not already know. Since Dumbledore's death, our family has not been considered worthy of inside information. I know that the Weasley girl is being targeted, but I do not know what he plans for her. He believes that she is a Horcrux because he knows about her experience with the diary."

Harry recalled Draco's revelation of this same information only a few months earlier, but Draco had also told him that it had been years since Lucius Malfoy had informed Voldemort of Ginny's possession of the diary. He also had not known any more about what was planned for the Weasleys' daughter. Harry scribbled a few notes on the paper and looked back up at Narcissa. "As far as I know, she has not had any problems. How serious is this threat?"

"He is a lunatic who is losing control. He is desperate to hold on to anything that will keep him in power. He cannot kill her, if that is what you are asking. He needs her to stay alive as far as I know. Then again, I really don't know what he is doing."

"You will need to be questioned under Veritaserum, and you may be required to make an Unbreakable Vow. If that goes well, we will place you in a safe location."

"Is it a possibility that I may stay with my sister, if she will have me?"

"Of course, we will contact her after you are released. Mrs. Malfoy, one more thing, what exactly do you know about your son's role in the war?"

"He … was a Death Eater, but I know it was not his choice. He stayed to keep us, his father and me, from being punished. Severus Snape did much to keep him safe, but the last few years, he had to start joining the others in missions. I wish I had made him leave; I will never forgive myself for not forcing him out."

~.~

Remembering his first conversation with Narcissa Malfoy reminded Harry that it had only been weeks later that Snape would schedule his last meeting with him. It had been near the end of February, just days before Ron's birthday, when the worn-down Potions master would reveal the terrible fate awaiting Ginny Weasley. Harry had questioned him about the unknown curse on which Voldemort was working. Snape became very agitated during that part of the conversation, claiming that it was a secret and that Voldemort was waiting for the perfect opportunity to reveal it. Snape had clearly believed it was another example of Voldemort's meaningless threats or plans. He had quickly changed the subject back to Ginny, and Harry had been repulsed to learn what was in store for her. Snape had been assigned to create the spell and potion that Voldemort would use on the child she was to bear. He had reassured her former lover that there was no possible way for Voldemort to succeed, but that his attempts to carry out his plan would most likely destroy the young woman in body, mind, and spirit. Harry had been desperate to see her at the Burrow just days later. Even now, looking back, he regretted every second and every wasted syllable of his last conversation with her.

Harry surveyed the two Black sisters, noticing that their hands had joined under the table. Even knowing that they had shared a childhood, it was still hard for him to reconcile the united front they presented with the two witches they had become during their time apart.

He cleared his throat and levelled his gaze at Narcissa. "I need to know if there is any possible way for you to reach your husband. If there is a way, are you willing to do it? It may involve you risking your own safety as well as his."

"I do not have any means to contact him directly, but I have thought about a way to leave him a message. I have some questions for you first, though. Was my son working for you? And is he really dead?"

"Why do you think he could have worked for us?" He noticed her sag slightly at his use of the past tense.

"Because Pansy cannot speak about how he saved her. He was wanted by Voldemort for helping her escape, which someone must have done, but she has been bound to silence. Tell me about my son… please."

Harry rubbed his temples, and gave himself a moment to deliberate telling this mother the truth about her son. "We have learned that Voldemort has succeeded in creating a curse to kill his Death Eaters. He is using their Dark Marks, and it has been called the Curse of the Mark. We have no reason to believe that anything different has happened to your son. As for his playing a role in Pansy's joining the Order … I have no other information to give you different than what she has told you."

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A/N: Thanks for reading! Thanks to SometimeSelkie for being a great beta.

Please review! I need to feel some love. :)

Also, please check out my other fic, Marry Me. It's completed!