Consanguinity

Chapter 18

"Hold on!" Ron yelled groggily, as he stumbled downstairs. He was ready to give whoever had been stupid enough to wake him a really bad time. The graveyard shift was definitely not fun, and he really needed his beauty sleep.

As he peeked through the window, however, he saw that it was a very worried-looking Harry and his irritation abated somewhat. He opened the door and ushered Harry in. "Bloody hell, I was having an excellent dream, so this had better be good."

"It is! Get dressed, I'll fill you in on the way."

"On the way where?"

Harry frowned, then grinned sheepishly. "Actually, I don't know. Just get dressed, will you?"

Ron nodded and got dressed in a hurry, throwing on his uniform and pulling extra warm socks over his feet before he put on his boots. If there was one thing he hated, it was cold feet, something he had in common with his sister. It was freezing outside, uncommon in Concordia, but not outside the realm of possibility.

"So what's all this fuss about?"

"I need to find Matt. He was very upset earlier, and he left the townhouse without even putting on his cloak."

"Why didn't you call the Citadel? They'd be able to locate him quickly."

"I wanted to be discreet!" Harry said delicately. "Do you know where he could've gone?"

Ron took a deep breath and let it go slowly. He'd have to place himself in Matt's shoes first. "How upset was he, and why?"

"Near tears…woman trouble."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Miss Iceland?"

"Good guess." Harry nodded.

"Not really. I just don't know any other woman he feels that way about. All right, did you check The Barrel?"

"Yeah, and I sort of looked around after that, at the Quidditch Pitches, but I ran out of ideas, so I came to get you."

Ron thought about it. The place Harry had mentioned was the place Harry would go get his mind off things. But Matt was a different person, so different rules applied in that situation. He would go to a crowded place, where he'd just get lost in the crowd.

Matt had once taken him to The Drunken Ogre, allegedly to give him a final taste freedom before Hermione turned him into someone who was…what was that word Matt had used…whipped. It was a tavern on the first level with rather rough patrons, just like Hog's Head in Hogsmeade. "If I know him as well as I think I do, I think I know where he might have gone if he wanted some anonymity. If that doesn't work, there's always a Detection Charm we could use."

"We'd need a personal item of his," Harry pointed out.

"Piece of cake. We'll just head up to the townhouse and get his cloak. Nothing carries a man's aura better than his cloak—" Noticing Harry's odd smile, he asked, "What?"

"It still surprises me how good you've become at this kind of thing."

"I'm glad I have." Ron shrugged indifferently, but felt pleased nonetheless. "If I hadn't, I wouldn't have had any added value for the Order, would I? Portal or scenic route?"

"Portal!" Harry said quickly, pulling his cloak around him tighter.

After looking for the appropriate route to the portal closest to the tavern, they portal-hopped and made their way to The Drunken Ogre. Ron glanced at Harry, who pulled a face at the sight of the tavern. It looked even shabbier than The Barrel, and unlike The Barrel, which had a very neat interior, The Drunken Ogre was as bad on the inside as it was on the outside

Purplish fumes drifted out to meet them as Harry pushed the door open, and the patrons glared at the two arrivals who were obviously out of place.

Harry's response was to run his fingers through his hair, mimicking a casual gesture but sending a clear message to the patrons. It worked, because many of the beady eyes beheld the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead and sent them huddling over their drinks again. Harry's action hadn't been the best way to keep a low profile. Word would get around that they'd been there, and Hermione would probably ask questions…Ron groaned inwardly as that thought crossed his mind. He really was whipped.

Matt obviously wasn't sitting at the bar, so Ron let his gaze sweep over the many shadowy booths deeper in the tavern. One in particular got his attention. Three serving wenches were clustered around the single patron, staring at him with expressions that suggested they were highly taken with the fellow. The golden hair that shrouded his face gave away his identity.

Harry had noticed it as well, and took the lead as they moved towards the booth. "Sorry we're late. Ladies, if you don't mind?"

The women reluctantly got up and made their way back to the bar, where the glaring barman was waiting for them. Ron guessed they hadn't received permission to keep Matt company.

"What're you doin' 'ere?" Matt slurred.

Harry picked up one of the four empty mugs in front Matt and brought it to his nose. He grimaced after taking a sniff. "Spiced Goblin Ale."

Ron groaned. Humans weren't biologically equipped to handle even one of these drinks. It was a miracle that Matt was still conscious after four. As it was, they'd have to get some of the stuff out of his system before it killed him.

"C'mon, let's get him to your place!" Harry said. "We'd best make him puke it up out in the alley first." know enough about detoxification spells to get the rest out of his system."

They took Matt outside and forced the near-poisonous drink out of his stomach with a really handy regurgitation charm. Ron wrapped his cloak around Matt and pulled the hood over his head. No need for others to see the state Matt was in. Then he placed a warming charm on himself and he and Harry frog-marched Matt to the closest portal and took him to Ron's house.

Ten minutes later, they were gathered in Ron's kitchen. Matt was shivering under the blanket they'd wrapped around him. Ron muttered the security enchantment, and nodded the all clear after a brief flash of light.

"So, would you care to tell us why you drank so much Goblin Ale?" Harry asked, the concern pouring out in his tone and expression. Ron shared his concern, because they both knew that drinking so much Goblin Ale was as good as suicide by poisoning.

"I've done it before. Stop fussing about it," Matt said tonelessly.

"I know things are looking bleak at the moment," Harry began.

"Bleak…bleak?" Matt snorted. "My whole family has been murdered, and the only woman I could see myself having a future with told me I was imagining things." He shook his head. "I wasn't trying to kill myself, if that's what you were thinking. I've failed everyone in so many ways already, I'm not about to add to it by just handing the family treasure to Malfoy."

"You drank four pints of Goblin Ale, and you're saying you weren't trying to kill yourself?"

Matt's jaw went slack. "Four?"

Harry nodded.

"I had no idea I'd drunk that much. I guess I owe you," Matt grumbled.

Ron still didn't know exactly what had happened earlier. But he reckoned it must have been pretty bad for Matt to try and drink himself to death. "I know you'd rather not, but you have to talk about this."

"What's there to talk about? My family is dead—" Matt swallowed and wiped away the tears that had begun to roll down his face— "You don't understand. It's over! She doesn't love me. I'd give up everything I own if she'd just love me in return."

"I've been down this road before," Harry said warily, looking much older than his twenty-one years all of a sudden. "People say and do crazy things sometimes. I know it hurts, but you shouldn't lose your wits…right away. She didn't mean it! Trust me, she loves you too. She's been there for you more than anyone else."

"Yeah, I thought so too. Turned out we were wrong, didn't we? I bet she did it because she felt guilty for dropping the phoenix tears." Matt sullenly looked at the floor and shook his head. "Why would she lie about something like that. Didn't you see the look on her face? She looked like she was going to be sick…the mere thought of carrying my child disgusted her."

"At times, especially when you're upset, your senses can deceive you," Ron said. "I wasn't there, but I can't imagine Gudrun reacting the way you've just described. I agree with Harry. Gudrun cares about you a lot. Maybe she's unsure of her feelings because it all went so fast, I don't know. But what's this about Malfoy getting your family treasure…and why on earth would Gudrun have to carry your child?" he asked, voicing the things that had been running through his mind ever since they were mentioned. He had to know exactly what was going on if he was to help anybody.

Matt nodded. "Okay. I'm not sure how familiar you are with my family history. It's sort of a long story."

"We've got nothing but time!" Ron said.

Matt took a moment to gather his thoughts before he began. "My family tree on my mum's side can be traced back thousands of years. I'm not going to bother you with the exact details on that. The first Archidiaconus was an alchemist who was very good at attuning of gemstones and metals for various magic purposes, although he focussed on healing."

Ron nodded. He'd learned this when he'd gone to the Caer Sidi museum with Hermione. The first Archidiaconus had been born in Antioch in the year 54 BC, about a decade after Rome had conquered it. He learned the secrets of advanced alchemy from the native Syrian wizards who still dwelt there. He married the youngest daughter of his mentor, whose family had allegedly gained the knowledge from the legendary Draconians.

"He and his wife journeyed to Britain, and arrived in 20 BC, just in time for the First British Archidiaconus to be born. Technically, he should be called the First, but I'm not the one who researched the family tree…

"So my British-born ancestor married a Celtic witch, who also happened to be a healer. Aside from healing, she also practised Blood Magic."

Of course, they had neglected to mention this at the museum, since Blood Magic, while not directly a dark art, was frequently connected with dark arts. People who used their own blood to power their spells were often seen as power-mad and untrustworthy. The reason Blood Magic was regarded as a means to dark arts, was because it was good way to avoid using one's wand while still infusing enough magical energy into one's spell.

The origin of Blood Magic stemmed from ancient times, when spells were difficult to cast because of their unrefined nature, and wands and other magical foci had not yet been invented. But as magic became more refined, the skills of blood mages became obsolete. Even early in the first century AD, the period in which Matt's ancestor practised Blood Magic, that type of magic had already been obsolete for four hundred years.

"My family quickly gained status among the local wizardry, and was already well established before the real Roman invasion brought over a wave of wizards. And as the centuries went by, my ancestors kept intermarrying with affluent families who could provide them with gemstones. They even intermarried with the Muggle noble houses of small Germanic kingdoms in the seventh century. Now everyone with a little knowledge of history knows how turbulent these states were, and how the Anglo-Saxon society was characterised by strong kinship groups and feuds. It was these feuds that made my ancestors take certain precautions, like the Consanguinity Charm. This Charm made sure that the eldest son, or in case there were no boys, child of the last heir, inherited the wealth and responsibility for the family treasure.

"Later, in the fifteenth century, after the Dane and Norman invasions, their precautions paid off. About a hundred years earlier, my direct ancestor and a younger brother married two sisters who were the only children of the Otherworld Gatekeeper. The younger brother married the elder sister and the elder brother married the younger sister. The elder brother and the youngest sister remained on the island as the new Gatekeepers, and Caer Sidi then became the location where the collection of magic gems and other priceless family heirlooms were kept.

"Then, in 1465, descendants of the elder sister, who believed they had more right to the Caer Sidi estate, attacked the island and did a lot of damage, sealing the Caer Sidi gate to Otherworld, or the Mirror Realm. But the Consanguinity Charm kept them out of the vault, and the family used the power of the treasure to subdue the invaders." Matt sighed. "Sorry, but I had to explain the reasoning behind the charm."

"That's all right." Ron smiled. "Go on."

"Okay, the Charm only works by reinforcing it every generation. When an Archidiaconus got married, the continuation ritual was performed on him and his wife, so that their children would be linked to the charm as well. This was done to prevent bastard children from causing trouble. Only the offspring of the couple, not individual, who underwent the continuation ritual would be linked."

"The plan wasn't waterproof though, was it? All the pretenders would have to do is kill off the family branches whose claim superseded their own," Ron pointed out.

"It nearly happened," Matt groaned. "Earlier you asked about the reason why Malfoy would get my family treasure. The answer to your question is that he also has Archidiaconus blood, and he's next in line. Only the heir and the next in line have access to the vault. And since Nathan and my mum are dead, I'm first and he's next. He can already get in."

Ron went numb with shock. "M-Malfoy is y-your c-cousin?"

Matt shook his head. "No…but my great-grandfather, his father and grandfather were only children. That made my branch pretty thin already…" he explained, and went on to tell Ron how Voldemort had nearly wiped them all out, leaving the Malfoys with a much better chance of succession.

"So before you and Matt were born, they even had brief access to the vault!"

"Actually, no." Matt smiled. "My dad arranged for Damian Malfoy's abduction. He was next in line after my mum. Not his son, Lucius. I don't know what my dad did with him after Voldemort was gone. For all we know, he could still be alive in the hole my father hid him in. That would mean that I've been panicking for nothing. But he's probably dead."

Ron took a moment to process the information. Now he knew what was going on. Matt had asked Gudrun to have children with him so he could keep Malfoy out of the Caer Sidi treasure vault. He cleared his throat to get Matt's attention. "You're not willing to consider having children with anyone else, then?"

"I haven't really thought about it," Matt said sadly. "I thought Gudrun felt the same way about me as I felt about her. I thought she'd say yes. I guess I'll have to find another person."

"I still think you should try and work it out with Gudrun," Harry said.

Suddenly, Ron was struck with an idea. It was risky and downright stupid, but as he ran the scenarios through his head, it seemed crazy enough to work. "You'll just have to make her aware of what she's missing."

Harry immediately caught on and began to protest. "The jealousy trap? You've got to be joking!"

"Harry…I'm desperate, Matt pleaded. He looked at Ron. "What do you have in mind?"

"We find someone who's willing to pretend that she's agreed to have Matt's children."

Harry shook his head vehemently. "Ron, I'm telling you, this can blow up in our faces. What if it drives Gudrun away even further?"

"It'll work fine! It worked for the girls when they used it to bring Wolfe and Galatea back together."

"That was different. Gudrun isn't Galatea. You can't possibly predict how she'll react. Anyway, who were you planning to use for this anyway? D'you think she'll just turn up on our doorstep?"

The doorbell rang as Ron was about to answer, and a familiar female voice called out Ron and Harry's names. It was Heidi.

"Jackpot!" Ron grinned.

*

"So there was a side benefit to Yamato's parting gift," Anastasiou mused. "You are next in line to inherit the Caer Sidi treasure now. Are you sure?"

"My family has always kept a close watch on all the births in the Archidiaconus family."

"Perhaps…but seven generations is a lot. Any children born out of wedlock…and their descendants would also supersede you. How can you be sure that your great-great-great grandmother's nephew, and his son and grandson, were indeed only children? Was it not common for such men to have a mistress or two?"

"That's the beauty of the charm," Draco said. "Any children born out of such a union would not be identified by the Family Charm. No doubt you've heard the stories of bastard half-siblings waging war on their recognised noble kin to get a piece of the family fortune. The Archidiaconus' refreshed their blood from time to time to avoid becoming a squib family, by intermarrying with these Muggle noble houses. Thus, they were often confronted with these power struggles, and to prevent that from ever happening to them, they invented this Bloodline Charm.

"The wedding ceremonies always entailed a ritual that would link the Archidiaconus to the wife…or husband. This linked the magic bond from one generation to the next, and it could only be done once, so only the children of these unions would become carriers of the charm.

"Besides, my ancestor cast a curse upon the family that decreased their fertility drastically. It was a miracle that her brother and his descendants managed to have one child each, anyway, before the curse wore off after three generations. I think they must have resorted to dark magic, to make that possible."

"It sounds a bit like the curse that was cast on the Japanese Imperial family." Anastasiou frowned. "That was Blood Magic too."

Draco nodded impatiently. "Anyway, all the other Malfoy-Archidiaconus descendants lost faith in their chances of inheriting the treasure, so after a while they didn't bother with the ritual. Some even forgot they were related to the ancient Archidiaconus. But my father and his ancestors always performed the ritual, keeping their claim, however distant it had become.

"Then the Dark Lord came, and my father promised him half of the Archidiaconus treasure if he eradicated all the family branches whose claim superseded his," Draco finished.

Anastasiou planted his elbows on his desk and brought his hands together. "So the charm barred illegitimate children from claiming the treasure…hmmm? Of course, that would have done nothing to prevent full-siblings or recognised relatives from trying to improve their chances of inheriting the treasure."

"True, but that individual would have to fight off the whole family. They weren't very fond of…ambitious... people, who would do anything to secure what they had a claim to, by birthright," Draco sneered.

Anastasiou leaned back into his chair and clasped his hands together. "So you can open the Caer Sidi vault?"

"We have to find it first…but yes!" Draco smirked.

Now, it was time to get to the point. He was a fugitive, and there was no way he'd safely be able to open the vault with all the Ministry people still running around. And given the fact that his only rival was a Ranger of Illumination, it was logical to assume that they had also taken a personal interest the protection of the Estate. He'd need some serious backing if he were to pull this off without too much danger to himself.

"I know why you've come to me, Mr Malfoy, and you were right to do so. Time is against us. All that Ranger has to do is marry and reproduce. He could also move the treasure away from Caer Sidi, into the Citadel of Illumination's vaults, where it would be out of reach. This leaves us with two options. Either we kill the Ranger, which will be difficult if he doesn't put himself in harm's way. It would be easier to stage a brief assault on Caer Sidi to relieve it of its treasure. And that's what you were thinking, wasn't it, Malfoy!"

"Your insight served you well. So, will you do it?"

"I want half of the total value of everything we find, and I want first pick."

"You need me more than I need you," Draco drawled. "I could risk getting into the castle on my own, but you can't get into the vault without me. Ten percent!"

"Twenty," Anastasiou said firmly.

"Fifteen."

"I'm not dropping below twenty," Anastasiou warned.

"I know you've heard about the fabled magical weapons!" Draco smirked. "You want that treasure badly. Fifteen! It'll be worth your while."

Anastasiou glowered, but relented. "Done. We'll work out the specifics after I get back from the Amazonian compound."

Draco blinked. He forgot all about that. Yamato had been trying to make a stronger parasitic personality…one that should be able to overcome the exceptionally strong mind of Maximilian Wolfe. "It's happening today? So soon?"

"However insane he might be, Yamato's a miracle worker," Anastasiou said, as he rose from behind his desk and strode out of his chambers.

"Will the Mistress be there?" Draco asked, feeling queasy at the mere memory of the fascination She had displayed towards the Ranger. He had a feeling that he no longer had Her favour like he used to. In that respect, the Kellys' deaths had come at a critical time, giving him more weight in Anastasiou's organisation.

"She'll probably be there. In fact, if things go wrong, She might be the only one who can stop him."

Draco forced his worry to the back of his mind. He was still trying to figure out the significance of Wolfe's words. So he'd seen into Her soul, had he? And he thought She wasn't evil? It didn't make sense…

But come to think of it, it did raise some interesting questions. Why hadn't the Mistress shown any ambition whatsoever to prove Her desire to gain enough power to last Her a lifetime? Indeed, She seemed almost passive, and content with the status quo.

He shook his head. His worries could be unfounded. Maybe the Mistress had somehow used the Veela powers She'd absorbed, and charmed Wolfe into letting his guard down. That was also a possibility. But it didn't explain away that blush She had got when Wolfe had confronted Her.

He ran the doomsday scenarios through his head as he quietly followed Anastasiou to the Portkey departure point. If the procedure somehow failed, the quickest way out of the base would be to take a left, and another left, walk along the wall on the right side of the long corridor that followed to avoid triggering the traps… Draco shook his head. It was simply too much information to memorise in so little time. He was glad he'd written some key words down to help him remember.

They took a Portkey to the Amazon compound, where Paula Rheinhart was already waiting for them.

"Any news?" Anastasiou asked.

"Just some curious results of the blood analysis from the Ranger. As expected, we've found traces of Draconian blood. Not much compared to past Draconian descendants, but still an exceptional amount for this day and age."

"And the curious part?"

"He also has some incubus blood. Greater incubus, to be precise."

Draco mulled over the information. Greater Incubi shared some traits with female Selkies and Veela, in the sense that they could charm people of the opposite sex, unlike the Lesser Incubus subspecies, who merely ravaged women in their sleep.

"Well, that explains it. I've always suspected it after he managed to escape that time!" Anastasiou chuckled. "Remember, forty years ago, Paula?"

"What happened forty years ago?" Draco asked keenly, noticing the blush of embarrassment on Rheinhart's face.

"I captured Ironheart. However, I made the mistake of letting a witch guard him." He glanced at Rheinhart. "What did he promise you again, if you let him go? Oh yes, to divorce his wife and run away with you!"

Draco eyed the vampire overlord curiously. If a Death Eater had let a prisoner escape like that, Voldemort would have had him killed immediately. But that had been one of his major flaws. At critical times, he blamed his own error in judgement on others. And when he did acknowledge that it was his own mistake, he still vented his frustration on his underlings. Draco knew that wasn't the way to go, and vowed to keep that in mind during his own inevitable ascension to power.

They arrived at the dungeon where Wolfe was kept, and Draco was forced to admit inwardly that the necromancer certainly seemed to know what he was doing. The whole dungeon had been designed as a death trap as much as a holding area. He was sure that quite a few of those gaps in the wall held some very nasty surprises.

"You're just in time," Yamato called from behind a large console. "I was about to start without you. Here we go…get drone number twelve to place the parasite container behind the subject…"

Draco looked on as a very simple golem, designed for manual labour, brought a container with a swirling smoky essence bottled up inside. This one looked slightly different from the others he'd used. It seemed darker, with a noxious greenish aura. It had to be the new and improved parasitic personality.

"Send in drone number seven with the broadcaster…stop nine feet in front of the subject." He touched a few runes on the console, which lit up after he touched them. "Mr Wolfe…I know you can hear me."

Draco looked into the dungeon and saw Wolfe stir. Slowly, the Ranger's head came up, and he stared at the golem defiantly.

"I know you'll never give in. As a matter of fact, I expect you not to give in. It will be most interesting to see how much you can take before you finally snap," Yamato continued gleefully. "Oh, before I forget, our spy has seen news about your girlfriend. If she remains in good health, however, is entirely up to you."

Wolfe glowered, but seemed unimpressed with Yamato's words.

"Ah, you don't believe me! You think she's too well protected in Concordia? Perhaps you're right. But her family isn't that well protected, am I correct? Her younger sisters, Calypso and Thetis, attend the girls' school, Southern Cross, don't they? And her other sister, Perse, just finished school, and is now working. And then there's young Jason, who is quite the Quidditch player, according to our sources."

Draco knew what Yamato was trying to do. He was attempting to convince Wolfe that he had the means and knowledge to harm these people.

"And then there is Tiresias…the blind prophet who attends Ogygia," Yamato said smugly. "They'll all be going home for Christmas…I wonder how your girl will react when we send her his useless eyes in a jar? How would she react if she found out that her family is no more?" —Yamato pressed another rune, and drone twelve released the smoky essence out of its container— "I hear such stress can cause women to miscarry! Think that will happen? Will her body eject your spawn prematurely? I wonder? Is she far enough along for the child to have a chance of survival?"

The look of dismay that appeared on Wolfe's face told Draco that Yamato had scored a hit, and less than a heartbeat later, the smoky essence rounded Wolfe's head and forced its way into his nose! The Ranger went rigid, before he slumped unconsciously in his shackles.

"Now what?" Von Brandenburg asked.

"We wait," Yamato said simply.

And so they did for about fifty tense minutes, before Wolfe began moving again. He opened his eyes and looked up at the chamber where they were standing. An eerie light briefly glowed in his eyes.

"The parasite has possession!" Yamato crowed triumphantly. "Wolfe may yet struggle for a while, but the parasite cannot be removed."

Draco glanced at the Mistress, who looked surprisingly cool about the proceedings. Why wasn't She pleased?

"Malfoy!" Anastasiou barked. "Time to work on the details of the plan."

Draco forgot about the Mistress's odd behaviour, as the prospect of possessing the riches of Caer Sidi loomed closer. The Rangers had taken away the small fortune he'd worked so hard to acquire by freezing his account in Petra. Now, he'd be taking something from a Ranger!

*

"I don't know," Heidi said doubtfully as she considered Ron's plan. "Gudrun might hex me."

"Galatea didn't hex you," Matt pointed out, desperate to get the show on the road.

"Galatea isn't Gudrun."

"She's got a point," Ron admitted grudgingly. Galatea was one of the nicest and gentlest souls in the world. Gudrun was another matter entirely.

Heidi bit her lip and looked at Matt uncertainly. "I also told her about us, so she might get really jealous if we drop this on her."

Matt's eyes widened. "You told her?"

"Well, I had no idea this was going to happen. Besides, I told her months ago, before you two got close."

"What are you two talking about?" Harry frowned

Heidi blushed deeply, reminding Ron of his sister. Their resemblance was indeed — there was no other word for it — spooky.

"I, ah, sort of knew Heidi already before we came to the Order…although I asked her not to tell anyone," Matt added, with a hint of irritation.

"If that's your attitude you can find someone else to play this little charade with you!" Heidi snapped, her face reddening as her anger rose. She definitely reminded Ron of Ginny.

"You two were involved?" Harry asked incredulously.

"I thought so," Heidi said coolly. "But that bastard never wrote back to me. How could you do that to me? I was twelve!"

"What the hell did you expect anyway? I was thirteen!" Matt countered. "Besides, I never promised to write to you…my dad did. I never make any promises I don't intend to keep. You just weren't my type, but my dad was delighted. He wanted to set us up so he could do some political networking in Austria. I couldn't help it that he was an idiot who still lived in the dark ages."

"Hold on!" Ron jumped in to defuse the argument. "Where did you two meet?"

"At a wedding in Switzerland, during the Christmas holiday," Matt said. "A cousin of mine…on my dad's side, was marrying a relative of hers…" He turned to Heidi. "Really, pashing it out in a ski storage shack can hardly be called a relationship! You shouldn't have let it go to your head!"

"You were my first kiss!" Heidi said shrilly. "How else would a lovestruck twelve-year-old react?"

"I didn't know that," Matt said apologetically.

Heidi shrugged. "It's all in the past. Let it be."

Harry stared from Matt to Heidi, and back. He shook his head. "Life is just full of surprises."

"And I don't want to get a nasty surprise from Gudrun," Heidi said. "You guys have to protect me in case she vents her inevitable anger on me."

Harry blushed. "It'll have to be Ron and Matt. Sorry, but if I stand up for you, Ginny might give me a hard time."

"I can't defend you either," Matt said helplessly. "It might make Gudrun think that I have feelings for you, and I'll lose her for good."

"Nice to know you're so concerned with my well-being," Heidi huffed. "And I can't believe Ginny still sees me as a threat, Harry. Doesn't she know she has you already?"

"Maybe she's changed her mind since, err, you know…" Harry blushed. "But I don't want to risk damaging our relationship."

Ron knew his sister was hard to fathom when it came to her insecurities about Heidi. Harry was right to be cautious. "I think Hermione might actually see through this charade." He frowned. "We'll have to involve Ginny and Hermione. They'll appreciate having been included, and they can stop Gudrun from hexing you better than we can. Problems solved."

"I'll go tell Ginny," Harry said, rising from the chair and summoning his cloak without his wand.

"Show-off." Ron grinned.

"Damn, I don't have my cloak," Matt said.

"You can borrow one of mine," Ron said.

Heidi patted a bag she'd been carrying. "No need. I brought your cloak from the townhouse." She pulled out the cloak and handed it to Matt, while Harry walked towards the door.

"I'll go on ahead and fill Ginny and Hermione in."

"All right, we'll meet you there." Ron nodded.

"Heidi, why did you come here anyway?" Matt asked suddenly.

"To check on you," Heidi said earnestly. "Lieutenant Cliff told me how you reacted to Gudrun's answer, and I had some time on my hands, so I asked C&C to locate you. I came to see if you were all right. Oh…and guess what, Commander Ironheart is back! He wants to talk to you… nothing urgent. I think he just wants to extend his personal condolences. He asked me to tell you as I was leaving to find you anyway."

"Ah." Matt nodded for a moment, and looked at Heidi uncertainly. "Heidi…if we're all wrong about Gudrun, and she really doesn't love me…" Matt took a deep breath and seemed to gather his resolve. "Would you, err…"

Ron's eyes widened. It was a good thing that Gudrun wasn't there to see this.

Heidi gently touched his cheek. "Oh, Matt! I'm honoured that you think me good enough to have your child. But I think you'll always love Gudrun, and I'd always be second place if I agreed to this." She sighed. "I learned the hard way, that some people are just meant to be, and that nothing can come between them…no matter how much you'd want to."

*

"Poor Heidi," Hermione chuckled. "Always a pawn in someone's scheme to bring a couple back together…always playing the interloper."

Harry had told them about Ron's plan to give Gudrun and Matt a nudge in the right direction. The major flaw Hermione saw in the plan was that Gudrun could jump both ways, whereas with Galatea, they'd been fairly certain that she'd make amends with Max.

So she'd suggested a slight adjustment to the plan. Heidi and Matt would go to Gudrun and tell her that he'd asked Heidi to have his children, but that she wouldn't agree unless it was okay with Gudrun. They'd give her a couple of days to think about it, if she wasn't sure.

It would improve the situation in two ways. Heidi would look less like the interloper, and Gudrun wouldn't be driven into the proverbial corner even further. She'd have a chance to reassess her thoughts and fears before changing her mind. Hermione could only hope that Gudrun would come around in a few days' time.

The plan still wasn't fireproof, though. Gudrun could still interpret it in the sense of having been replaced. Hermione knew that she and Ginny would have to subtly talk Gudrun into changing her outlook, if that were to happen. She shuddered, unable to suppress the feeling that maybe they shouldn't be meddling in this at all.

"I'm just glad you told me in advance," Ginny said, throwing her arms around Harry and kissing him lightly on the lips. "We should do everything together…even scheme!" she added with a smile.

"I'm glad too. Ron's scheming leaves a lot to be desired. He needs to learn to double-check things too," Hermione added, tugging at parts of the brassiere through her shirt as discreetly as possible. It was the fancy one she'd been unable to pick up herself due to her unexpected double shift. He must have left as soon as the shop-attendant had handed him the lingerie, without checking if it was the right size. Granted, it wasn't like he could have tried it on to see if it was the right size…

"Too small, eh?" Ginny smirked. "I told you not to entrust Ronniekins with such a task. You should've sent Crookshanks instead."

"That's my fiancé you're insulting!" Hermione mock-growled. Then she heaved a sigh. She had planned to surprise Ron after visiting Matt.

But lately, things never went according to plan. She thought she'd taken her temperature properly a few weeks ago, but it looked like she'd made a mistake, because the Big O had eluded her yet again. It was ridiculous, really. Her cycles varied from fourteen to forty days. She had to find a way to regulate her cycle. Maybe it would work with the help of the appropriate healing gems.

Captain Sharif had already recommended a few fertility specialists in the city. Magic had deprived her of much of her fertility. She'd been reluctant to use magic to help her, afraid that any conception with the aid of magic would influence the child. But now she was ready to try anything.

"There's Heidi and Matt," Ginny said, pointing towards a parked Cruiser on the far side of the bay. Ron was with them too, and they were quickly coming over, glancing anxiously at the Cruiser she'd just passed. Gudrun's legs could be seen, dangling out of an open hatch as she worked on some inner components.

"There's been a slight change in the plan," Harry said.

"Find kinks in the plan, did you?" Ron laughed nervously.

"I just adapted it to lessen Heidi's risk. They'll both ask Gudrun," Hermione explained. "But you have to be very careful about how you're going to phrase—"

"Potter!" a voice rang over the sounds of the maintenance bay. Commander Ironheart was taking large steps as he crossed the maintenance bay. He was looking very grave indeed. "I need to see you in my office. There's something we need to discuss."

"Hey…stop!" someone screamed. They all turned to look at the source of commotion. Khan was chasing a young, barefoot woman wearing a simple green dress woven of a crude material. Her coal black eyes shone with happiness and her unruly black mane swayed back and forth as she darted across the bay.

"Sorry sir, there was no stopping her…she's as strong as a troll!" Khan said apologetically, as he gave up the chase.

The girl came to a sliding halt a few feet in front of Harry and looked at him nervously and longingly, like a happy puppy wanting to tackle its master.

Harry's expression was an odd mix of happiness and distress. He was deathly pale and gasped for air. "You…f-followed?"

The girl blushed fiercely. "I'm sorry…Daddy!"

***

Gogirl: Okay, so you were right about everything. You were on to me at a very early stage. Denying was my only choice, though. I couldn't give away the story. That's why I wanted you to send me an email. So I could reply by sending you chapter 18 as a reward of sorts for being so observant.

Author's Note: starwest45, Ginny1946, The Millennium One, Lamina Court, Casual Reader, Punkin, crazyfriendsfan; So you guys added up all the clues about Matt and Mary I've placed throughout the previous chapters, have you? Maybe you're right about that, Maybe you're not. Haven't I been a little too obvious, though? Have I ever been that obvious before? How do you know I didn't drop those hints to keep you busy and distracted, so I could drop this bomb on you instead? *evil cackle*

Foxfur: Thanks for the review. And what can I say about Matt…I guess he and Gudrun are in an emotional stare down, each waiting for the other to declare eternal love first.

jadesfire: Thanks for the lovely review. I'm glad you enjoyed Existence after Life so much. I'll do my best to make Mind War just as good.

LadySiri: No longer the dragon lady? ;-) I agree, if Matt and Gudrun ever got together they would make for an interesting family, wouldn't they?

Petals: John Smith…might as well have been John Doe eh? And what did you think of Wolfe's appearance? *maniacal laughter*

the.grey.lady: Don't worry about the other plot points. I'll be picking them up in the next chapter. Oh, but Matt's childhood may have been affluent, but that doesn't mean it had been easy.

nycgal: As you can see, Galatea and Max will have some problems, to say the least.

Bane: Thanks. I'm happy with the review count for this chapter. But not everyone reviews every chapter, so unless there's some sort of miracle, I'll probably get less for the next chapter.

Jake: Unfortunately, coffee has no effect on my hangovers. The only way I can make a hangover go away is to drink more alcohol. Of course, I only do that if I need to be somewhere important the morning after. If one makes a habit out of doing this, the consequences are dire. After all, that's how alcoholics are made.

bob: I might go further with the twin flames thing.

jona: It would be rather tragic if Matt or Gudrun were to die, wouldn't it? And keep up your writing efforts.

Sugar Quill: I can't believe you reviewed a second time. After I left a rather critical review of my own. I appreciate it.

Meli: I never experienced the twin flame and soul mate-ish feelings. I just did some research on the net. I'm trying to step up the romance in the story a little, but only to serve the drama later on.