Disclaimer - ok, we all know that I don't own this, right? Good….so let's get on with me telling this convoluted tale while the muse is on my back. J
I apologize ahead of time for any stiff writing. It's been a LONG time since I worked on this story (or really any story, really.) I'll try to get better at this as I move along.
Now, for an easier understanding of this, the main narrators in this chapter are (in this order) Draco the Good, Ron, Ginny, then Draco the bad. I'll try to start writing the next part of this fic this week, but I have no idea when the next chapter will be out. The plot is this massive dark blob in the middle of my head, and I have to unravel it enough to be able to type it out.

Compulsion - Chapter 9
By Caliko

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The tap room was silent after the woman shouted out. I didn't know whether 'Malfoy' was my name or not, but after witnessing the hostile looks that where directed at me, I hoped to heaven that it was not. I blushed, my eyes darting over the glares and back to the barmaid.

"Um.. were you talking to me?" I asked for want of anything better to say.

She rolled her eyes, then nodded. "You're the only Malfoy here. Who else would I be talking to?"

"Am I?"

"Are you what?" She sounded like she was beginning to get a bit annoyed with me, and I began to wonder If I should just explain my predicament. After all, I doubted if I was just going to stumble across all my answers.

"Am I Malfoy."

"What? Look, I don't have time -" She didn't seem to understand, and I could tell that this women had no idea what the word 'patience' meant. I decided to cut her off before I ended up thrown out.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. I had an accident, and I don't remember anything. Please, If you know who I am, can you help me?"

The woman closed her mouth, staring. Shortly, she motioned me to a seat and put a mug of something brown on the bar in front of me. "Are you serious?" She asked, distrust shining from her eyes. "If this is just another one of your tricks, Draco Malfoy, You'll have me to hear from!"

"My first name is Draco?" It sounded right. Or, at least, it sounded familiar.

"Merlin's beard! You're serious!" She arched her head up to shout across the room. "Hey, Tom! Go get me some paper and a quill! I think I need to write a letter!"

"A letter?" I asked, watching as Tom handed the barmaid a piece of paper and a quill before sitting down next to me. "To who?"

She sighed, then began to write, explaining at the same time. "To Dumbledore at the school. You used to attend Hogwarts, so he should be able to get in touch with your family. Lord knows, the rest of us don't want to."

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I apparated back home only long enough to tell Mum and Dad where I was going. Then, grabbing a slice of cake from the plate on the table, I ducked under Mum's wooden spoon and popped out again grinning. Nothing like a sugar boost when your battling your evil soon to be brother in law.

Harry was home, of course. The department had been keeping him running around for months after illegal electric knives turned magically deadly and talking poker cards that cheated for you when the stakes where high enough. Knowing this, of course, I apparated directly into his room, knowing exactly where to find him. He was right where I knew he would be, in his bed with his feet on the pillow and his head under the blanket. Poor guy. He really needed a break from investigations. Too bad I had to give him more work. evil grin

I jumped onto his bed, watching as his feet rose three feet in the air only to fall back to his pillow with a thump. "Oi, Harry! Wake up!"

"G'way." his voice mumbled from under the blanket.

"C'mon! It's about Ginny!"

"I know, I know.. You found 'er. Now go way."

"HARRY! This is important! Wake up!" Ok, this might be harder than I thought it would be. "C'mon, Mate! There's some pretty dark magic going on!"

"She's having Malfoy's baby.. Of course there's dark magic going on." He sat up, awake despite himself. Coherent, too.

:::Guess dark magic is the key to waking him up. The ministry must of brainwashed him.::: Ron smirked, then moved to open the heavy shade to let some light in.

"I need sleep, Ron." Harry muttered, reaching to the floor to pick up his glasses. "This had better be good."

I filled him in quickly, leaving out nothing. I was only three sentences past 'weird evil crystal' before he was out of bed and reaching for the pair of trousers that he had left on the floor. By the time I told him about Draco being split, his shirt was buttoned and he had a bag packed, ready to go.

"So…" I smirked, "Does this mean you want to help?" Harry only arched his brow in a really scary imitation of Malfoy on a bad day. "Don't do that!" I really couldn't help the shuddering, "You LOOK like Malfoy, and two of them are already two too many!" He just rolled his eyes.

"Tell me again about the door. Did the shocks come harder for everyone, or only for the person who originally touched it?"

"Ginny and I were the only one's to touch it. It was hot for her, but the minute I got near the door, fire started to spark out of the knob." I stopped kidding around, now that I had him thinking. Harry had the most experience with dark magic and I was hoping that he would think of something.

"But it was only hot for Ginny?" He had a weird expression on his face. "I wonder if the protection spell is triggered by blood…"

"Huh? But I'm Ginny's brother! It should have had the same reaction for both of us!"

"You are not pregnant with a Malfoy." Yes, there was a definite gleam in his eye.

"Thank God for that! So what are you saying?" I really hoped it wasn't what I think he was saying.

"Ginny may be able to open the door. At least, until she gives birth, that is."

:::Damn.. he was saying what I thought he was saying.:::: "No! I absolutely forbid it! She can get hurt!"

"I think not. Blood spells have been known to recognize a fetus as a family member. As a matter of fact, during the Roman period, Celtic chiefs were known to give their daughters in marriage to end blood feuds. In reality, however, it was so that one of his own clan would be readily available to break dark spells if the truce should ever sour."

"So you think this protection spell is like that?"

"Hmmm.. I want to talk to Hermione about it, see if she knows more. But, yeah. I think it's like that."

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We tracked Percy down at his job in Scotland. He had quit the Ministry after Voldemort came back, too ashamed of having been pigheaded and blindly following Fudge into the realm of stupidity. Now, he worked in a private museum for a rich, absentee muggle boss. His job was not top secret, not involved with magic, and he worked alone acquiring and cataloguing rare books and museum-quality weapons from the medieval period. In other words, he was hiding from the world. Getting him to help us on this was not going to be easy.

We watched him as he examined a battered looking shield, frowning as he turned it over and angled it this way and that. Every once in a while he scribbled something down in a notebook, then went back to hating the object in his hands.

"Hey, Perce…" I called out, breaking his concentration. "Got a minute?" He looked up, surprised to see us.

"When did you get here?" He avoided Harry's eyes, still unable to meet them after over two years.

"A couple minutes ago." Harry pretended that nothing was wrong. "We were waiting for you to fling that shield into a wall."

Percy blushed. "It's not the best piece, and Mr. Manten paid too much for it." He explained. "Did you two need something, or is this a social call?"

"Well.." I stalled, a little embarrassed. The last time I saw my brother was when I had to borrow money to pay a wager I lost on a quidditch game. "Um, actually, Percy… we need your mind."

For the next half hour I answered questions fired in rapid precision, only to be told almost the exact same thing that Harry figured. Then, he announced that his lunch was over and that we had to go.

"But, aren't you going with us?" I blinked. After his interest in the situation, I was sure that I had his curiosity up.

"Can't." He said shortly, "I have work to do, and you two are more than capable of handling this… better than I am, anyway."

"She's your sister, too!" I was suddenly pissed, but he ignored my outrage.

"Yes, she is. I'll come to the ball, I'll come to the wedding, and I'll even give her a place to hide if she needs it. But, I'm not very good dealing with this stuff, Ron. I thought you might have figured that out already. You and Harry are the aurors. You two have been fighting evil and dark magic since you were eleven, while I was hiding my head from the truth. Neither of you need me with this… not when you have your own experiences to fall back on. Besides, Hermione will be there, and she's much better at research than I am."

"But, damn it, Percy! We need you!" I couldn't believe that he wasn't going to help.

"Ron, leave him alone. He already confirmed what I thought, and we know where he is if we need advice. Just leave it be." Harry stood up and pushed his chair in.

"Harry!" Him, too?

"Ron.. He's not ready for this. Leave him alone."

I glanced at Harry, then looked, really looked at Percy. He was thinner than ever, if you could believe it. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his hands shook as he reached for his tea. For the first time in my life, I really saw him. Percy had lowered his gaze, not looking at me, his face flushed with embarrassment. Where had my cocky, know-it-all brother gone, and who was this insecure wraith that stood in front of me? Nodding, I swallowed. Then, reaching across the narrow worktable, I pulled him into the first hug I could remember ever volunteering for this brother.

"Sorry, Perce. I didn't mean to hound you. I'll keep you filled in, alright?"

He was stiff as a board in my arms, his hands slowly hesitating as he hugged me back. "That would be good." Percy said, his voice a little gruff. "If I come across anything that might help, I'll call you by floo."

Nodding again, I gave him a quick smile. "Alright, then Mate. Let's go hound Hermione, then torture Draco the Bad some more."

We apparated directly into Hermione's flat, unprepared for the screams that met our ears. Then, realizing what we were seeing, I threw my hand over Harry's wide, staring eyes and spun him around.

"Um.. Sorry, Love." I apologized to my girlfriend. "Didn't realize that you were just getting dressed."

"Turn around, Weasley!" She screeched, grabbing the sheet from the pull out couch. "And don't you have the manners to call ahead?"

I just shrugged, not even daring to touch that one. It would have only taken a minute to have called from Percy's. The truth was…

"I didn't even think of it." I gave her a sheepish smile, then turned around to face the door. Hermione and I had decided to wait till we got married, and I really didn't need the temptation to change my mind right now… at least, not until we were alone.

"You can turn around now." I could tell that she was still bugged, but she'd get over it. (A.N. - Why do men think like this? ) "Now, what can I do for you boys? Ron, get your mind out of the gutter."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Harry cut me off. :::::::Good Mate… keeps me from having to buy flowers to make up with her later.:::::

Hermione, we need your help to research a problem. Can you take a couple weeks off?"

Of course, my Girl got excited as we explained everything. She loved to sink her teeth into a good puzzle, and this one was a doozy!

"Alright! Count me in!"

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I walked carefully past the bathroom on my way to the bedroom, not wanting to talk to him right now. I couldn't quite trust myself with a naked, wet Draco - evil or not. He still looked the same, still had that cocky attitude, and that dark aura that lured me to him in the first place was in full force. God help me, but I have always loved a bad boy. The way my hormone laced body was reacting lately, I wouldn't care that the normal tenderness I saw in his eyes was absent. He had just to touch me, and I would melt. Thinking about him, I could almost feel his hands on my body, the fingers tracing the curve of my hip, his lips breathing hotly in my ear as his hardness pressed into thighs.

::::Shit! What is wrong with me? This ISN'T the man I love, this is just his bad attitude!::: I told myself, swallowing hard as I finally made it past the bathroom door. Reluctantly, I moved on, creeping near silently into the bedroom. :::I'll have dinner sent up… tell him I'm too tired to come down.::: Yes, it was the cowards way out. Just give me a chicken suit and leave me alone.

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Draco came into the bedroom an hour later, rubbing the terry cloth towel over his wet hair. He noticed Ginny sleeping on the bed, cradling a pillow under her swollen belly. Her hair strewn over the pillow, copper and scarlet entwined in a garish display of silk, contrasting sharply with the white of the sheets under her. One hand lay in front of her turned face, resting mere inches from her lips and grasping at something that only she saw in her dreams. The other rested on her stomach, curved lightly over the life that lay inside.

He walked over to her, trying to think about the emotions his other self had felt for her. He knew that it was love, but couldn't quite remember what it felt like. He knew that it existed. After all, he had felt those feelings just a few short days ago.

Now? Now he felt the pride of possession, for the woman and the child. He gloated, knowing that his having Virginia pissed the hell out of her brothers. He felt ambition. Someday, the baby would be a man - one that he could prepare to rule the world beside him. This was true immortality - offspring who would remember your name, your face, what you taught them. His father never recognized that fact, hence his father would never be immortal. Yet, he, Draco Malfoy would be.

He reached down and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, hesitating as Virginia frowned in her sleep. His hand hovered over her pale cheeks, then drew back. Without another thought, he left her, going into his dressing room to prepare for dinner.

:::::Fuck it. I'll leave this sentimental crap to the other me. Let him be the weak one.::::

TBC