Chapter 29

The last week of Daphne's life had been something of a whirlwind. On Monday she handed in her resignation at Saint Mungos, much to the chagrin of Head Healer Smethwyck. At first he had been astonished to the point of silence, but when Daphne took that as her dismissal and tried to leave he came to his senses and demanded to know why the most talented healer in the last several decades was quitting so early into her career. Her answer had left him shocked, and his nod of respect to the young woman when she departed was all she needed.

The young healer had received correspondence from the man just a few days later, assuring her that if she ever desired to have her position back it would be hers in a heartbeat. She could only wish her family had taken it as well.

Starting with Tracey, who could only shake her head at the girl, but nod in understanding. It could not be missed that the girl was displeased, yet Daphne knew she was doing the right thing, and that helped when she informed her mother of her decision. The woman had gone ashy pale when Daphne had shown her the acceptance letter into a modified Auror Academy directed by Harry Potter himself. Aurora Greengrass was silent for a long time as she had begun preparing tea for her daughter, but in the end words seemed to fail her. She had left Daphne in tears, and made the woman feel downtrodden, but it did not weaken her resolve to do what she felt had to be done.

The next hard sale was to her sister, who took the angry approach she had been expecting from the rest of her family. She swore that Harry Potter was turning out to be a bad influence on her, and that he was going to get her and all their friends killed. Daphne knew Astoria didn't mean those things, and that she was just worried for her health. Still the words stuck with her throughout the week as she trained hard in the Auror Academy. She knew she needed to get back in her sister's good graces soon, and not just because it was necessary for her mental health, but also because she needed to ensure Malfoy was innocent in the attack on the World Cup.

Using her status as the Lady of House Greengrass she had begun reaching out to some of her family's shadier contacts that her father had used for odd jobs over the years. She had found a whole list of names and addresses in the family grimoire that led her to begin making inquiries about massive amounts of money that had been funneled out of the country. The lead contact, a man named Adolphus Pucey who was a relative of an old fellow Slytherin, informed her in correspondence that they would need time to get her the most accurate information. She granted it to them easily, promising 10% above their usual asking price for something that could be incriminating. Of course, her number one suspect was Gretchen Bulstrode. The woman had not contacted her in any way, nor had Daphne seen her on her way out of Saint Mungos, but she knew it was only a matter of time before their paths crossed again one way or another.

Friday night came and went when Daphne had returned to her flat after a very exhausting day in the Auror Academy. Harry had been relentless in his pursuit to bring the four recruits up to speed, and obviously some of them were former members of Dumbledore's Army, so that meant they were used to Harry being a slave driver. Even then this was different. The Head of Magical Law Enforcement was on a mission to make his newest batch of aurors as good as any on his original team, and he was pulling no punches to do so. Somehow though they were rising to the challenge. Each of them had lost something along the way, whether that was friends, family, or colleagues. They all had a reason to train their hardest. All of them desperate to get ahold of this before another incident like the Quidditch World Cup happened.

Their training was just over eight hours a day right now, and Harry was going to be pushing them six days a week until October 1st. At that point he would be pulling the gloves off, and giving them their badges and making them ready for active duty. Outside of that, Harry was pushing himself as hard as ever, running the rest of the auror department as well as helping his original team of Aurors plan covert ops. Daphne had not been privy to the kind of information that was circling through the group, but she knew it was some serious stuff by the looks on all their faces when she saw them. She longed for the days where Friday night would be girls night, and the group would just gather and have a good time. It was oftentimes though she pondered whether those nights would ever come again, especially without their bright burning light in Susan. Life had been a little emptier without her, and every time she thought of her the anger would return, as well as a reminder for why they were all working so hard.

Another week would pass before anything of note would happen. The end of week two in the auror academy was coming to a close when Daphne reached out to her sister in hopes of getting back on her good side and begin inquiring about how the Malfoy wealth was doing. She knew that her sister was a rather astute Slytherin woman though, and she would have to be careful in her inquiries, or she would tip her off and possibly upset her sister greatly. She had sent her sister an owl in the middle of the week after getting no answers from her via floo call, and it wasn't until one Friday night she finally received the go ahead to come by Malfoy Manor.

She had not told Harry of her plans to learn about the Malfoy money, though she was sure he at least had an idea about what she was going to do. The man had been incredibly busy the last two weeks, and all their time together was spent avoiding the topics of the coming conflicts or what was going on in the auror department. They tried to leave their time together dedicated to them being a couple. It was one of the few good things that was currently coming out of her weeks, and she hated to disrupt their flow.

Daphne had arrived outside the wards of Malfoy Manor feeling slightly nervous to see her sister. She had been so upset when they last spoke that part of her wondered if there was going to be bad blood between them. Especially now that her husband was a suspect in the case that made her pick up the auror badge. She tried not to think too much into that as she walked down the long drive leading up to the manor. She had to avoid thinking about the last time she had been in the Malfoy's home when Tracey had been abducted. That had been one of the worst nights of her life, and she immediately dropped the line of thought before the misery consumed her.

The front door opened at her arrival, and a house elf was there to greet her, "Lady Greengrass, the Lady Malfoy awaits you in the foyer. Do you require an escort?"

She shook her head taking in the little creature having a faint memory of Harry telling her just how poorly the house elves used to be treated in this particular family, "No thank you. I know the way."

The house elf disappeared in a soft crack, and Daphne led her way down to the area where her sister usually waited for her if she did not come to greet her at the door. Her stomach was in butterflies by the time she made it to the foyer, and found her sister reading a book. The young woman was looking thinner than she had just a few weeks before causing the older sister to feel a flitting feeling of concern. The soft green eyes of Astoria Malfoy met her sisters when she entered the room, and a small smile was offered, "Hello sister. You are looking very well."

It was likely true. Daphne's training with Harry and the other aurors was a serious physical beat down, and she had undoubtedly lost a little weight when she already was fairly thin. She had put on a small amount of muscle from all the exercise as well, so she didn't doubt her sister's words. She could only wish that she could say the same for the Lady Malfoy, "I am happy you responded to my letter. I missed you."

Astoria sighed and stood to her feet a little shakily, "You are lucky I missed you too. Despite the foolishness you have been sucked into."

Attempting to avoid the fight Daphne sidestepping that comment, and stepping towards her sister for a hug, "You are looking a little tired Tori. Been a rough few weeks?"

"Worrying about you day and night does have its predictable side effects." The girl said bitterly, but shook her head, "But you aren't completely to blame. You know I have my good and bad weeks, and you have just so happened to catch me on a bad one. I will be fine."

Daphne had winced at the shot her sister had taken at her, but didn't doubt it wasn't at least partly valid, "You don't need to worry about me. I have some of the best magical teachers in the world right now, and despite the difficulty, I can tell you I am learning a lot. Besides, I am only attempting to become a combat medic. All the training is just a precaution. Heaven knows I am leagues ahead of even the most experienced medic as far as healing practices go."

Astoria sighed and shook her head, "The Lady of House Greengrass becoming a battle medic for the auror department is not the direction I expected my family's house to take I have to admit."

"It isn't forever." Daphne said gently.

Astoria could only nod stiffly at that, and looking to change the subject the older girl asked, "So how is Draco? Is he around?"

The younger Slytherin graduate frowned at the question, "He is in a meeting in Paris this week. He will be back Sunday."

Daphne had to clamp down the grip on her heart at her sister's answer. What was Malfoy doing across the channel? Was it related to what was happening? She hoped her countenance didn't give away her intentions to her sister when she asked, "Really? That's a long set of meetings. What's that all about?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Something about Malfoy assets needing to be addressed. I don't ask much into his family's businesses to be honest with you."

Daphne quickly began grasping for straws to stay on topic to see if she could learn more, "Does Draco spend a lot of time on the continent?"

This question made Astoria's eyes narrow slightly, "Not really. He goes across for business from time to time, but maybe a few times a year. Though this year he has been gone more…"

She said the last part as more of an afterthought, but Daphne felt her insides clench. Did they dismiss him as a suspect too quickly? If it was true that family heirlooms to the Malfoy were hitting the market then it was possible the man was trying to build up the right amount of capital to hire the private army that attacked the World Cup. Knowing that her friends were counting on her to learn if Malfoy was truly a threat she tried to think how she could inquire further without arousing suspicion from her sister. After all she had to keep her safe, and as far removed from this as possible in case it all went sideways.

Before she could ask the next question though Astoria sighed, "I know what you are thinking."

Daphne clamped down on the reflex to act like a deer in the headlights, and shook her head, "What do you mean?"

"He isn't cheating on me." She said with a very matter of fact tone, "I know I may look weaker right now, but Draco loves me. I have never had any reason to doubt that."

A wave of relief passed over Daphne as she realized her sister had totally misinterpreted her interest, "It just seems suspicious Tori. His sudden trips overseas, and the length of time he is gone is rather odd."

With a deep exhale Astoria shook her head, "I challenged him on it a few months ago as well. There was a time back in April and May where he seemingly disappeared almost every weekend, and I suspected there was a woman involved, especially when I found an owl addressed to him. A woman's hand writing and a very prompt response to whatever his inquiry was. It was just a number though. At first I thought it might be like a muggle phone number, and I was beside myself for a few weeks. I didn't want to confront him, or tell you and mother about my suspicions. So I looked the woman up, did some research and got my answer."

Daphne's eyebrows raised at this. It was impossible that her sister was aware of her husband being in contact with foreign mercenaries. There was no way she would stay with him even if she loved him. Not after he caused so much death and destruction at the world cup. Needless to say Astoria's answer was a shock, "The woman's name was Amelia Blanc, and she dabbles in enchanted jewelry, and art work. Draco has been selling some of his family heirlooms to bring doctors from abroad to check up on my condition."

This stopped Daphne short, "What?"

The young woman could only nod though, "I always imagined the Malfoy money was endless, but I suppose the level of treatment I am provided is considerable. I never thought much into the amount of doctors Draco had me see, but now I think I am beginning to understand that he is burning through his family's fortune trying to cure me."

An immediate wave of guilt began to overtake Daphne. She had begun to think it was nearly certain Draco was involved in all this mess, just to find out the man was sacrificing the fortune of his family to ensure his sister was given the best healthcare in the world. The realization made her nearly sick as she had been going through ways of contacting her group, and letting them know of what she learned. Astoria seemed to notice something was wrong and asked, "Daphne are you okay? You look a little pale all of a sudden."

Daphne could only take a deep breath and say, "You are my sister, and I love you, so I want to be honest with you. I've known about the Malfoy family heirlooms hitting the market for a while now."

Astoria frowned at the revelation, "You have? How? Why?"

Shaking her head she could hardly even put it into words, "Whoever funded the mercenaries at the World Cup put some serious money behind those wands. Money and influence that few in the world could've had. There aren't many suspects, but I have to admit that Draco could have been one of them."

Astoria's mouth opened and closed several times as she pondered the bombshell her sister just dropped on her, "Draco would not have let me go to the cup if he was behind this, had a hand in it, or even had an inkling of an idea something could happen. Even if the man's love for me was in question he would not risk the amount of money, and the future of house Malfoy by allowing me to go to the event."

A long moment passed as her words began to sink in. The future of House Malfoy? That didn't make much sense to Daphne, until the small smile on her sister's face clued her in, "You're pregnant?"

Astoria offered her sister a sad smile, "Yes. We found out just after the World Cup, but we knew it was a possibility before then. We had been trying for a while despite my stubborn husband trying to avoid it. He is worried the pregnancy will be a serious degenerate to my health."

Daphne, in a dumbfounded state of mind could only nod her head, "It very well could be."

The younger Malfoy woman could only shrug, "I don't care. It's all I have wanted since my sickness escalated. To give Draco a part of his family back."

The words congratulations were on the tip of her tongue, but the thoughts going through her head were too aggressive to form the word. She hadn't thought much into the possibility of her sister getting pregnant even though she had known for quite some time the girl desperately desired to be a mother. From the research the blood curse had brought she figured that it was impossible, and never had the heart to tell her. It almost cemented in Daphne's mind however that Draco indeed could have nothing to do with what happened at the World Cup. If a Malfoy baby had even the smallest percent chance of being in Astoria during the World Cup, Draco would have refused to allow her to go. The pieces of the smaller puzzle in the side of her mind were coming together, and it portrayed a picture of a loving husband who would do anything for his wife. Something that she had completely believed Draco was.

"Congratulations Astoria. I am really happy for you." Daphne said at last.

The young woman gave a short nod of acknowledgement, clearly happy to have told her sister the news even though it wasn't in the way she was expecting, "Thank you. I expect you to be the godmother you know. Something I will need you to take very seriously considering my condition."

There was no hesitation or reluctance in the admission of her possible death. That was something Daphne could admire about her sister. She would undoubtedly die for the child that has yet to be born, and there was also no doubt in Daphne's mind that she would be a fantastic mother. One that would live to see her child grow into an old age if she had anything to say about it, "Does mother, and Tracey know?"

"They will by the end of the day." Astoria confessed, "You were always meant to be first to know, but then we had our...disagreement, and I decided to hold off telling anyone."

Daphne stood from her seat, and took a new one directly next to her sister. They were both looking at the glass table in front of them with so much on the other's mind. Daphne put an arm around the girl's shoulder after a moment and pulled her close, "You are going to be a great mother Tori."

Nothing was said for a moment when a sniffle came out from the younger woman, "Well you could be too one day, and I have no doubt you will be the best godmother/aunt ever, so please, don't put yourself in so much danger that we don't ever get to see that day."

Daphne felt like she had been punched in the gut after hearing those words, but she nodded in understanding, "I will be careful Tori I promise. I have the most powerful team of witches and wizards in the world looking after me. We are going to bring an end to this, and then your baby can be born in a true time of peace. No more monsters in the closet."

The girl sniffled and turned to fully embrace her sister. The pregnant woman cried softly for several long minutes when she finally whispered, "I will have Draco look into the massacre at the World Cup. I once told you he isn't welcomed in those circles anymore, but maybe he can learn something through his family's contacts."

"I have put ours to work." Daphne said honestly.

"Father would be proud." Astoria said with a watery smile at her sister.

"We are going to make him proud." Daphne said with some finality, and then shifted the subject, "So have you thought about names? Do we know the gender yet?"

Astoria smiled at her sister and launched into the extensive list of names and ideas Draco and she had come up with for a future baby, and for the first time in weeks Daphne actually felt a genuine smile creep across her face.

(A/N) Update day! I really need to turn my focus back to this story as I have almost caught up with myself. I will be bringing advanced content to this story on my discord, but that will be with the next update. Sorry if that disappoints a few people, but I want to make sure I can keep bringing you updates in a timely manner. You can expect the next update on Wednesday January 26th, and if you haven't given my new HarryXFleur story a read please give it a try.

That's all for this update! Follow me on discord. The easiest way to do this is look up my username, OrionB15, and then I can share a link with you. Fanfiction breaks my links, and no one seems to be able to find it. You don't have to talk to me if you don't want too. Just say discord, and I will get you your invite. Cheers everyone!

This chapter was beta approved by Bobby Key. Thanks for your efforts sir.