Hi all! I've tried the short chapter updating and I don't like it. I apologise to those who did though. It just ruins my whole writing flow. So this chapter is the usual-sized chapter. I'm going to be busy in the next several weeks. I'm trying to earn some extra cash for the holidays so I'm pulling 8-hour shifts on Saturday. Sucks for me, but I have to do what I have to do. :o\ Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing. Hope to update again before this months ends. :o) ~Nengski
Chapter Eight: When It's Over
The One Left Behind
Four months ago, if you told her this would happen, Blaise would have believed you. Sure, she'd hex you for predicting such a distasteful thing, but she'd believe you.
Things began to crumble when Sirius Black's dirty mug scowled up at her from the Daily Prophet. Pa skipped his morning coffee and went straight for the liquor cabinet. Mama already had a drink made for him. Seeing the two of them drink in silence, exchanging knowing glances Blaise'd probably never learn to decipher, she knew then …
Black was the Zabini's bane.
They were in Villa Monteverde that summer. Their schedules finally converged so that they could visit Oma on the island. Pa had finished planning his lectures for the new semester, while Ma joined the Hogwarts Board of Governors. Some people nominated her after kicking Lucius Malfoy's sorry arse to the curb. Haha.
No one saw that coming frankly. And they should've been vigilant about such absurdities. But Blaise guessed her family just got caught up in the whole Wow-People-Actually-Respect-Us thing. By this time, she didn't really give a shit if people respected her, so she suspected it was some political ploy.
Call Blaise jaded, so what. What mattered to her was that it seemed the wish came true, you know? That silly wish she used to make at every birthday since she could remember …
Mama was smiling more, and making fat, creamy éclairs instead of a gin and tonic for once. And she was singing, yes, singing in the kitchen! Usually, she'd locked herself in her office and scream into the pyre all day. Why anyone would choose Law as a profession eluded Blaise.
And Pa finally knocked some sense into his head and began paying more attention to his wife. Usually, his responsibilities at Durmstang would bog him down by signing off papers for maintenance, sending letters of acceptance or rejection, ensuring everything was spot on when the students returned. He seemed more a Headmaster there than a Transfiguration Professor. Blaise knew that Karkaroff bugger was a joke.
And goodness knows Oma was on a natural high. Stay locked up in the castle all summer? Forget about it. She volunteered to do tons of dirty work for the Ministry. Oma loved getting her wand up there and stirring things up. She'd always brag and say everything she's doing is top secret. But she'd indulge Blaise a couple of adventures. Lately, she vaguely mentioned something with recording and gathering data. It sounded mundane so Blaise turned to her books for some fun instead.
Reading on the edge of the fence. Dangling her feet over the cliff where the island's beaches spread below. Feeling the ocean air and sunlight on her skin, while she could hear her parents laughing in the distance.
This is what Blaise had that summer …
Yeah … it was too good to be true.
"Blaise, sweetie, wake up!" Oma's cold hands cupped her face. Blaise gasped awake. Oma placed a finger over the girl's lips. "No time for questions. Go to your folks' room and tell them they have to leave immediately. Make sure you don't make a sound. I'll buy you some time."
"Oma, who is-"
"I said no time for questions, sweetie. Don't worry about me."
Blaise jumped off her bed and hastily threw her holster and utility belt over her shoulder. She pulled the red sash off the bedpost and wrapped it around her head. Then she crouched along the floor and made her way to the other side of the castle, making sure the shadows cloaked her presence.
She heard footsteps scurrying around the grounds, neither sounded like it belonged to Oma or Rusty. She dashed down the hall, to the door at the end, and rapped on it quickly. The door sprung open and Mama pulled her inside.
"Oma said we have to leave now." Blaise whispered as her father peeked through the window, armed only with a wand and boxers. Papa cursed and rummaged around for his cloak. "What's going on? She said she'll buy us some time. Time from what?"
Vanessa emptied a jewelry box and tossed it to Zon. "Here, we'll use that for a portkey. Don't look at me like that, Zonarius. You know Blaise can't apparate."
"What about the orbs?" He asked rummaging again for his pouch.
"Absolutely not!" Mama scoffed. "You know we can only have two in each orb. And I refuse to have you stay behind. We'll all leave together."
"Fine," Zon grumbled and tapped the jewelry box. It glowed a second before returning to normal. Suddenly, shouting erupted outside their window. And Blaise distinctly heard Oma's voice roar above the crowd.
"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!" She cackled. All three of them threw the curtains open.
Rhonda Zabini swung her staff over her head and faced a swarm of armed guards.
"Madame Zabini," the officer-in-charge boomed. "We are simply following orders to sequester you in the hopes of shedding light on the recent escape of Sirius Black-"
"Codswallop!" Oma barked. "You're here, because that arsewipe you call Minister would soon put everyone else's life all to cock before he grabs his own balls and takes on the real problem! I've been bloody cleared of all charges by the Wizengamot, gentleman. Black's business in none of my concern. So if you're going to disrupt my beauty sleep, be prepared to suffer!"
"Madame, I repeat. We don't want any hostility. Just cooperate-"
"So Fudge'll have a scapegoat for his mistake? Did any of you look at the bloody charts? Your Minister was the last to see Black! Get a clue!" The swarm of men hesitated, but stepped closer. Oma slammed the tip of her staff onto the ground.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" She yelled over her shoulder. Zon cursed and drew back the curtains.
"We can't leave her out there!" Blaise gasped.
"Oma can take care of herself," Van reassured her. She handed the portkey to Blaise. All three of them placed their hands on it. Blaise felt a tug on her bellybutton and felt the portkey pull her. They disappeared just as the side of the wall exploded, sending the troops sprawling on their backs. A 10-foot crater occupied the place where Oma had stood.
The Zabini's were barely in Creer Upon Libby for five minutes when a phoenix flashed right on top of the kitchen table. It left a feather that Vanessa picked up with a trembling hand. She turned to Zonarius.
"You have to go. They're coming for you now."
"What?!" Blaise snarled. "This's not right! They can't do this, Pa!" But her father already drew a bag and filled it with clothes. Mama soberly flattened his cloak's collar. Blaise couldn't read the expression on her face.
"I'll go to Durmstang. Padre has advised that this Ministry has no jurisdiction there." Blaise clung to his arm.
"Dad, no! Don't run! Can't Padre do anything besides tell you where to bloody hide?! You've done nothing wrong. How can they do this to us?"
"Guilty by association," Vanessa sighed. Her eyes were red. Blaise tightened her grip.
"Papa, please don't go."
Zon kissed her on the forehead. "I'm only in Durmstang, dear. I'm not leaving you-"
Footsteps pounded up their yard. Vanessa yelped and hurled a Locking Charm on the door. But the guards had knocked it down.
"We're here to sequester Professor-"
"He's gone," Blaise said evenly staring past the spot where Papa disappeared.
The guard stepped back and assessed the two women. "Err, well then … I have to confer with my superior about this."
"You do that," Vanessa said coolly, "Outside my house."
Once the guard closed the door behind him, Ma flung a goblet at the wall.
"Merde! Merde! Merde!" She sobbed. Blaise guided her to a chair and quickly poured a glass of water for her.
"We'll see him again, Mama," she said quietly, stroking Vanessa's black hair. A light tapping came from the window above the sink. Cedric's face peered beyond the glass …
What Blaise had … she realised wasn't all she had. Suddenly, everything felt lighter when he walked into the room. One look from him conveyed all the comfort and optimism she needed. He held her hand and in his grip, Blaise felt her own strength. Something swelled in her chest as they exchanged looks. But it wasn't the mushy, drop-the-knickers giddiness her friends giggled over. What she felt was fierce and protective and trusting and completely reciprocated …
And when the guard returned with bullcrap orders to take Vanessa for questioning, Blaise heeded her mum's plea and stood aside. Every bone in her body wanted to set all those guards arses on fire, but his presence calmed her. She even found the humour in that he placed his hand on her shoulder as if to protect her from these yes-men. She'll never tire of him treating her like a brat he must always shield.
But left behind in Durmstang … wondering if Oma still breathes, knowing her mum's rotting in a cell, staring at her father's empty bed … there's no Cedric here to calm Blaise from this.
So anyone who gets in her way now is as good as dead.
The Gift
The doors blasted open and she stormed inside with her wand blazing. She pulled off the covers from each bed until she came to the one she wanted. She promptly jumped on the mattress and grabbed the half-awake boy by the collar.
"Blaise, vat are you do-ink?!" Viktor gasped as he watched her tighten her fingers around the boy's neck. Her eyes crackled as she leered at the puzzled expression of the boy under her.
"Spit it out, you shitless, pasty punk! Where's my father?!"
Malfoy sunk his chin into his shirt. "I don't know what you're bloody talking about," came the muffled reply.
"Like hell you don't!" She yanked him off the bed and sent him sprawling to the floor. She aimed her wand directly at his head. "Volunteer the information now, or I'll force it out of you, Malfoy!" Viktor tried to place his hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off angrily.
"Blaise, Draco voodn't know. He's been vit us all this time. Even I don't know vat you are talk-ink about."
"My father didn't come back to his room all night," she said straining to keep her voice from booming. "And last I know, he had a private meeting with your precious Headmaster and this arsehole's father!"
"Will you take it easy on the name-calling?" Draco spat. With a flick of her wand, she sent him flying across the room.
"Blaise, don't! It's not vorth it!" Viktor grabbed her by the waist and tried to still her wand hand. Erick had to pry Draco off the floor. The pale-faced boy stormed towards her, his whole body smoldered of smoke.
"What the bloody fuck is wrong with you?!" He snarled. "I know as little as you do, dammit! There's no need to fry my arse just because my father won't tell me shit!!!"
"Then where the hell is your father?! What arrangement did he make with my dad?!"
"I don't bloody know!"
"How come you don't bloody know, you little shit?!"
"Because I'm too bloody disgusted to ask him! Now shut the hell up!"
Blaise looked at him curiously then. His face grew pink. Viktor cleared his throat.
"If you vant to know verr he is … ve can ask the scrying pool."
"Viktor!" Erick hissed, but the taller boy held up his hand.
"This is the profezzor, Erick. If he is in trouble only ve can help him." Blaise tucked her wand back in her holster.
"Let's go then."
"I'm coming too," Draco said pulling on his cloak. Erick glanced warily at Viktor.
"He is as much involved." He drew out his wand. "Ve must hurry before everyone is out of bed. If ve are caught, I don't know how to spare you from them."
"We can handle ourselves," Blaise assured him as Draco's face paled again.
The four of them stealthily made their way up the castle. The clocks read half past five, but daylight hadn't surfaced and Blaise didn't expect it to for a long while. Viktor led the group while Erick stayed in the back, covering up their footprints with his wand.
They reached the spiral stairs when a door suddenly opened and a tall wizard stepped in front of them. He peered at the students on the staircase, spotting Blaise and Draco immediately.
"Intruders! Intruders invading the scrying pool!" Viktor waved his arms in front of him.
"No, Profezzor Divac, these are guests!"
"Intruders!" The professor bellowed louder. Light began to fill the halls as Viktor stumbled aside as the wizard tried to grab Blaise.
She flung out a bead that filled the hall with a blinding light. She charged forward, pulling Draco with her. She hopped the remaining stairs and pushed Draco across the fourth level and through the narrow opening that led into the scrying pool.
"You've gone mad, Zabini!" He sputtered as she sealed up the opening with thorny vines made of diamond stone. She turned to him.
"This's your father's fault, Malfoy! If anything has happened to my dad, anything, your days in this world are numbered. Now step aside so I can work this thing."
Blaise stood at the rippling pool's edge. Draco sounded worried when he said, "Hurry up then. Those thorns won't hold up forever."
She swiped her hand over the pool like she saw Viktor do. Nothing happened. Blaise closed her eyes and concentrated … I want to see my dad, she thought as she swung her hand over the pool again.
"What're you trying to do? Fly over the damned thing?" Draco scoffed. Blaise sneered at him.
"Let's see you try it if you're so damn clever!" He bit his lip.
"Try shedding some blood on it."
"What?!"
"Blood, Zabini, blood!" He snapped testily as the commotion beyond the thorns grew louder. "You've seen the interior decorating here, haven't you? What else would be barbaric enough for that blasted contraption than to spill some of your DNA into it?!"
For once, the bugger had a point. Blaise scratched her wrist against one of the thorns and pumped her fist over the water. Several drops fell into the water, making it sizzle a brilliant red. It glowed brightly as Blaise struggled to peer into the pool.
Visions flashed sporadically across the waters. She saw Oma lift a staff high over her head and charged into a sea of black hoods, her mum slammed against a wall, McGee screamed grabbing at someone's robes, Cedric stood beside someone as a flash of green light bolted in front of them. Blaise saw herself running across a field with tears in her eyes.
"What's happening, Zabini?" She heard Malfoy asked her quietly. Blaise shook her head and focused on the waters.
"It's confused," she mumbled. She let more blood fall into the pool. "I command you to show me where Zonarius Zabini is!"
More pictures flashed. Pansy covering her face with bloodstained hands, Morag coughing up blood, Susan falling from her grasp. And Draco's face flashed before her with tears cascading down his expressionless face. Blaise staggered backwards as she suddenly saw the face of Harry Potter flash across the waters. His wand aimed right at her.
Undaunted, she bellowed, "SHOW ME ZONARIUS ZABINI!" and dove her hand into the water. The pool crackled.
The fuming waters suddenly spouted above them and spread itself in a thin sheet of brimming liquid. The blood-red watery film turned black, and the steam cleared away to give Blaise the vision of her father.
Zonarius Zabini stood in front of a stone-faced court. Shackled in chains, he struggled and growled at the guards.
"You said you'd release my wife! I've agreed to this only if you released her!"
"We have reason to believe your whole family presents a threat to this community, Mr. Zabini. Your flight out of the country has only cemented our suspicions."
"I object to this!" Someone said rising out of the court. Blaise recognised Padre in his dark indigo robes. "I have given the Wizengamot the statement of Sirius Black being spotted in Hogwarts. It has no link to the Zabini family-"
"I'm the Minister here and I say I may throw out any ruling of this court!" The man sputtered.
"This's not a dictatorship, Cornelius!" Padre roared. But the guards continued to pull her father away. Someone wept as he passed. Vanessa knelt there, shackled. Zon reached to stroke the side of her cheek. She faintly mumbled as the guards dragged Zon away.
Blaise pulled her hand out of the scrying pool.
"I know where that is," Malfoy said quietly. "It's in the Ministry of Magic. It's in the heart of London. Underground." Blaise turned to him. He shook his head. "I don't know what to say, Zabini. I don't know if my father was innocent in all this or not." Blaise stared up at the sky.
"How can we get there?" She palmed her belt. "I don't have any orbs linking me to the Ministry." She squinted up at the sky. She suddenly whistled.
Savier cawed in the distance as he swooped downed and bowed before Blaise. Draco stepped back.
"A-a Peruvian V-viper-" He stuttered.
"I know, isn't it wicked?" Blaise smiled weakly. "Are you coming?" He glanced behind him. They both heard Lucius' voice ring threw the wall.
"Draco? You come out here this instant! We are guests here! I must say …" Draco's lip curled as he turned back to Blaise.
"No … I mean to have a word with my father," he said evenly. "Besides, if your dad was double-crossed, I'm the last person he'd want to see." He took out his wand and aimed at the thorns. "I won't tell them where you're going."
Blaise stared at him trying to gauge him with her Bullocks meter. "Why do you always flip over from being a pain in my arse to an actual ally?" Draco smirked at her.
"Merry Christmas. Consider it a gift."
"And consider being in your debt? Fat chance." She suddenly closed the space between them and grabbed his collar. She narrowed her eyes. Filled with a desire to smash his face in, yet torn with his unpredictable bouts of decency, she really had no idea how to treat this vile creature.
"God, you annoy the piss out of me, Malfoy!" She growled.
And then planted a crushing kiss on his lips.
She pushed him away, hopped on Savier and grabbed the reins.
"W-what the hell was that for?" He asked swaying on his feet.
"Mistletoe. We're even now and you know it." She spat on the ground and kicked up her heels. Savier gave a mighty roar and flew off the platform just as the barricade of thorns blasted away.
"Verr is she?" The guard demanded. Draco pretended to look down the waterfall. Everyone mimicked his actions. As Viktor, the guard, the professors, and Lucius quarreled amongst themselves pointing at the pool, Draco snuck a peek into the sky.
"What a wildcat," he mused as the clouds swallowed up the fleeting image of the witch and her beast.
Unglued
"Find my father, Savier," Blaise whispered as she rested her head on the dragon's neck. Savier crowed. He flexed his wings and tore through the sky leaving everything they passed in a blur. The wind tore at her skin and her cloak. But she held fast and willed Savier to go faster. Every minute, every second mattered.
Blaise knew they had reached England when she felt the sun on her skin. She dusted the frost off her hair and peered below her. She could make out several buildings below. Muggles and wizards everywhere. She simply couldn't enter the place from the front portal, but Malfoy's word gave her a solution.
Savier dropped her on a building close to the entrance of the Ministry. She emerged out of the building and found the nearest vent that lead to the sewers. She had just reattached the lid when Padre emerged from the entrance.
He whispered hurriedly to a tall man in blue robes.
"I've spoken with Madame Bones and the others. They have agreed to release Vanessa. But I'm afraid they can't look into Zon's sentence yet. They'll have to develop a decree that can override this hogwash Fudge has pulled." The usual brightness in his gaze was gone. "That could take weeks, months. And I'm afraid Zon would rather die than suffer in that place long." The tall man nodded curtly.
"And where is my granddaughter? Have you heard word from Karkaroff yet? I can't believe my son would leave her there. How can he think she'd be safe?"
"Easy now," he sighed, placing a bracing hand on the man. "You have to get back. I will arrange to speak with Zon tonight. Maybe if he knew Vanessa is okay, he'll be patient. And I haven't heard word from anyone concerning Blaise."
"I should go there. I should've told her something, anything to ease her mind. To ease Zon's mind."
"Take it easy, Armando," Padre said loudly just as several wizards approached them. The tall man disappeared into the crowd of muggles, leaving Padre to talk with the group.
Meanwhile, Blaise held an orb in her hand. It glowed as she dabbed a drop of blood on its surface. It hummed as it floated in front of her. Its faint light brushed against the mildew and mold on the pipes' walls. Blaise hiked her boots higher as she waded in stagnant water halfway up her calf. Water streamed through vents above her, while rats scurried away from the light and her determined strides.
"Seek those that carry that blood," she whispered pushing the orb forward. It buzzed and zipped through the damp tunnels. Blaise ran after it feeling her hopes rise. It meant her folks were still here. They hadn't been shipped to Azkaban yet.
Every time the orb bumped into the end of a tunnel or against a wall, Blaise would blast it open and find another maze of tunnels. She thought they would never end. And she surely lost her way after several turns.
The stench wore her down. She didn't have any nourishment before this, so she felt weaker with each step. But the thought of food in this shithole made her retch. She followed the orb until it ended at a granite wall. Blaise kicked at it in frustration. She felt too weak to try to break this open. She leaned against the tunnel and cursed under her breath.
A faint rumble boomed beyond the wall. Blaise stirred from her daze as another rumble thundered. She placed her hand against the granite and felt it shake. Something stirred beyond it. She backed away as she heard a muffled voice boom, "REDUCTOR!"
The dust settled and Blaise found herself staring at her dusty, grimy father. He staggered through the hole he just made and sent several shots of his wandgun behind him.
"Pa!" She called. He swung around in surprise. She grabbed his cloak before he could question her presence. "Hurry! I blasted through the rest of the walls. Savier is waiting for us in the clouds. Hurry, Pa!"
They raced through the tunnels with Zon's pursuers close behind them. Blaise didn't know if she made the right turn several times. When she saw light, seeping through the tunnel from above, she dashed forward. Gripping the ladder, she pulled her dad in front of her.
"Go, Pa, go!" He tried to object but Blaise already swung her wand and blasted the ceiling of the tunnel. Cement fell in huge chunks blocking the guards chasing them. She pushed her dad up the ladder and out the sewer.
He circled his wand around them and covered the alley with a dense fog. They ran across the street to the tallest building as tires screeched on the pavement. No one saw them slip into the apartment. They blasted through the doors heading into the roof, just as Savier swooped before them.
Blaise hopped on the dragon. Suddenly, Savier whined and bucked. Blaise tumbled to the ground as the dragon howled painfully. She looked up and saw several hooded figures hovering around the roof. Blaise cradled her head in her hands as her mind filled with memories she longed to forget. She cried out.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Bellowed her father. A massive silvery figure ran rampant knocking away the Dementors surrounding them. He lifted Blaise on Savier's saddle and jumped on the reins. Savier regained focus and soared into the clouds just as the fog lifted, forcing the Dementors to return to their catacombs in the Ministry.
They flew back to Durmstang at breakneck speed. They landed at the foot of the bridge where they were greeted by a site for sorry eyes.
"Zonarius!" Oma cried. She had on a rather large brown beard and some dingy robes, but Blaise recognised the violet eyes and mop of unruly blonde hair. Oma paused mid-step when she saw Blaise standing warily beside her father. Oma turned to Zon. "I thought I said to keep her in Hogwarts! Do you know what you've done, Zon? The whole Ministry is searching for you now. With a female accomplice. Now you've gone and made your own daughter a fugitive!"
"He didn't do anything!" Blaise snapped before her Pa could answer. "I followed him. I searched for him in the sewers. I used that bloody scrying pool. I broke all the rules myself. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat!"
Mother and son exchanged glances. "Well, I can't say I have no fault in her being like this," Oma muttered. Blaise threw up her hands.
"Stop talking about me as if I'm not capable of 'adult-speak!' I want to know when we're going back for mum!" Zon nodded but Oma shook her head.
"Your mum has been released, Blaise. Yes, released, Zon. But not under the conditions you wanted. I'm … I'm very sorry."
Pa sighed. "So … they sent her to St. Mungo's." Blaise looked at each of them.
"Why? What's wrong with her?"
"She couldn't handle it. I knew the Dementors would break down the little reserve she had left. Damn Fudge. DAMN YOU, FUDGE!" Zon hurled his hat into the canyon. Blaise stepped back. She had never seen her father this upset before.
"So how do we fix this?" Oma asked quietly. "I will not suffer having this whole family hunted down like rats. And Blaise … she's young, but … I know you can take care of yourself, sweetie."
A lump caught in her throat. "What are you trying to say, Oma?"
The former Auror sighed. "I am already in hiding. And your father is safe in Durmstang. The Bulgarian Minister of Magic is a good friend of mine. He trusts our family. And Vanessa will be safe. The Wizengamot had made certain-"
"The Wizengamot has done nothing for us!" Pa hissed. "If the bloody Wizengamot really wanted to help us, they would've laid the law down before Fudge sent the guards for you! And you think I will trust this people?! Blaise will stay here with me. In Durmstang. She is safe where I am."
"Zon, you're letting your emotions get in the way," Oma said. "She's safe only in Hogwarts. And it's not just because of Dumbledore! Trust me, Zon. Blaise belongs there. Not in this icebox of a castle."
"I lost my wife to her madness, Ma. I refuse to lose my daughter!"
"You're not losing her! Don't you see, Zon? If Blaise stays with you, she'll be targeted as well. She can never return to England. And if they caught her and she returned to England, the Ministry would declare her orphaned. Fudge would appoint a guardian for her. At least now, if Blaise remains in Hogwarts, you still can have your say. You can choose the guardian for her. And she will be free to go where she pleases. We all can't be fugitives here. And … she can visit Vanessa." Oma turned to her. "I know how much you hate this, Blaise. But this's what will happen."
Pa sighed and closed his eyes. "I … I can't decide this. Blaise dear … y-you have to decide. I've already made my path. You must choose yours."
Blaise turned her back to them and wrapped her cloak tightly around her. She walked to the edge of the canyon and stared into it as the artic wind lifted the hair off her shoulders.
Papa was right. Durmstang was his path, not hers. But it meant leaving him. And it wasn't just him she'd be leaving. Blaise would have to say good-bye to the chance of ever having her family together again.
Unless … she suddenly imagined herself sitting at the head of the Wizengamot, exonerating the family from all the shit Fudge materialized against them. But this seemed mundane for her taste. She wanted real vengeance.
She might as well give Fudge what he suspected of the family. He thought the Zabini's were criminals, capable of heinous things … Blaise would give him a real reason to believe it.
Then she remembered one minor detail.
She's only thirteen bloody years old.
"Blaise?" Oma called softly. She turned back to them.
"I'll go back to Hogwarts."
The Good Daughter
Before she went back to Hogwarts, Blaise spent her New Year at Vanessa's bedside. They moved Mama from St. Mungo's to a wizard friendly muggle institute. It had been her parents' wishes. Well, her father's at least. Vanessa wasn't in any condition to speak for herself.
Blaise tucked another pillow under her mum's head as Vanessa stared up at the ceiling. She didn't respond much to conversation, so Blaise just rested her head close to Van's arm quietly. The woman didn't recognise Blaise at first, she still didn't. When the nurse said her daughter came to visit, Van's reply was, "I have no daughter. I never had a child."
And when Blaise called her Mama, Vanessa shrank away from her and insisted Blaise call her "Vanessa. Or Van. That's what my husband calls me. I call him Zon. He's really cute and smart and funny. Where is he? Can you get him for me?"
Van slept now. Frankly, Blaise preferred it this way. It gave her time to think about her situation.
Most of her friends would often wish their parents gave them some room. They complained about the rules. Dealing with their siblings. She had those complaints as well. But they were few and far between. She complained more about her school, the people in her school, the lack of recognition she got at her school -- She focused more on herself frankly. She took her folks for granted. Sure they had problems, but she never thought she'd lose them.
Blaise brushed the hair from Van's face. She envied her mum's wavy, raven black hair. Blaise often wondered why she wasn't born with dark hair. She had read somewhere that the genes for dark-haired people were stronger. But she was the carbon copy of her blonde, blue/violet-eyed dad. Thinking of them like this only made her insides feel heavier.
She didn't notice that Vanessa had opened her eyes.
"Blaise?" She whispered. Blaise nearly fell off her chair.
"You know me? That's right. I'm Blaise. I'm your daughter, Blaise." Vanessa shook her head.
"Listen to me, child," she whispered, pulling Blaise to her. "I'm not myself. Whatever I say … whatever I do from this point, it's not me. I … I wish I could tell you everything."
Blaise sighed in relief. "But you can, Ma! You can just tell the doctors that you're okay. And we can go back home. You shouldn't pretend you're crazy if you're not. I'll get the nurse …"
"Wait! Where are we? Are we in St. Mungo's?" Van swished her hand as if she held a wand.
"No … we moved you to an institute. It's run by an all muggle staff. It's quieter here. And the Ministry can't bother you."
"Why? Why am I with muggles?"
"The Head Mediwizard in St. Mungo's declared your condition wasn't magically invoked. He said it's all in your head." Blaise bit her lip. "But you don't have to stay here, Ma. We don't have to go back to Creer Upon Libby. We don't even have to live in Oma's castle. Pa's in Durmstang. We can go there. It doesn't matter to me." She said anything that came to her mind.
"Yes … yes. We have to get out of here." Van smiled. Blaise stood from her chair.
"We're going to be just fine. You're okay. Once you see Pa, you'll feel much better. It's just been a long … half a dozen of months," she snorted. It was brilliant. Ma feigned insanity to have the Ministry go easy on her. Now they can find Oma …
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!"
"Huh?" She spun around. Van pulled the bed sheets to her chin. "I-I was just going to tell the nurse."
"AND LEAVE ME HERE WITH HIM?! YOU'LL LEAVE ME WITH HIM?!"
Blaise looked around the 8x8 cube of a room. "There's no one else here, Ma. Just me and you."
"No … no. I see him standing there. He's waiting for you to leave so he can have his way with me again. You see? THERE! THERE! He's mocking me! MAKE HIM STOP! MAKE IT STOP!!!"
Vanessa thrashed on the bed and pulled at her hair. Blaise dove for the woman's hands to prevent her from gouging her own eyes.
"I HATE YOU!!!" Vanessa screamed at the wall. "YOU RUINED MY LIFE!"
"Ma! Stop it! It's okay! No one's here, Mama! I promise-"
"GET OFF ME! I'm not your mum! I have no daughter!" She pushed Blaise away. Blaise slammed against the padded wall just as the nurse opened the door. Soon, a whole swarm of them circled around her mum and Blaise was ushered to the hall.
"Where's Zon? Where's my husband?" She heard Van cry. "He'll understand. I told him everything and he promised me it won't happen again. Where is he? He said it'll be different. Zon! ZON! Please come back … I'm sorry … I'll try, Zon. I'll try …"
"I'm sorry you had to see that," a nurse said guiding Blaise down the hall. "We'll take good care of her and let you know her progress. We can't let you stay longer, I'm afraid. Visiting hours are over. We can reschedule another visit if you'd like?"
"No, thank you," Blaise sighed. "I've seen enough."
She wrapped her cloak tightly around her as she stepped out of the asylum's gates. She pulled out a bead and let it hover over her fingertips. A shadow loomed to her side.
"You shouldn't linger here too long. Someone might notice."
"You're one to talk," Blaze snorted glancing warily at the bearded man in front of her. "Your disguise will only take you so far, Armando." She stared gloomily at the orb. "She said she's not my mum. She said she never had a daughter. I'm starting to believe it."
"I … Why would you say that …"
"Oma, I'm not stupid. You don't think I'd notice? I used to think Vanessa was like this because of something I did. When I got over that, I began to notice the strain in my folks' relationship. I noticed there's something else troubling her. Something bigger than work, her family, her health."
Rhonda said nothing from the guise of her beard. Blaise kicked a pebble away from her boot.
"You're not the only who has kept secrets, Oma. I have memories I'd rather forget … but I can't. And I've been forced to think about them. More so now. And things that flew over my radar when I was younger, well now they make sense."
… Leave her alone, frère. Please, don't touch her. DON'T HURT HER! … Frère. She called him frère. Antonin Dolohov. Why was Vanessa D. Zabini calling him frère?
"What are you saying, Blaise?"
Frère is French for brother.
"Exactly how did she become a Death-Eater?"
"Blaise … this really is something you should talk about with your parents."
"But neither of them can talk to me at the moment, can they? I'm sure you have some part in this. It's a bit unusual that I look nothing like my mother when physiologically she has the stronger DNA. And Vanessa has been rambling on and on about her life. Either she must really hate me, or she really never had a child, because that's the only way I believe she'd forget she gave birth to one."
"Don't feel guilty, sweetie. Vanessa's condition is not because of you. You can't count the many times the woman has told me what a blessing you are to her life. She was adopted by the worst sort of wizards. They treated her like a muggle. Made her their servant. It wasn't until she got her acceptance letter to Beauxbatons that the family realised she was of wizard descent. No, Blaise. Vanessa is haunted by the demons in her past … I'm afraid the exposure she had to the Dementors triggered some memories she long tried to forget."
"She was getting better!" Blaise snapped. "She wasn't worrying so much anymore. She actually baked some cookies. She was almost over it. She was so close. Then that bastard Sirius Black has to break out of Azkaban. Why ARE you still trying to protect him? Why doin't you just tell the Ministry that you know nothing? Why don't you just cooperate with Fudge and help the idiot find Black?!"
"Blaise, I have a sense of duty to the boy. I'm his godmother! Better I find him first before the Ministry does. You don't know Sirius the way I do. Even your father will agree
"Why did you still believe in him?!" Blaise cried. "My god, you make him out to be some freaking saint when he's not! He tried to stab Ron Weasley, did you know that?! He stabbed a portrait, so why not a kid, right? A mass murderer just naturally digresses to that. Oh wait. YOU THINK HE'S BLOODY INNOCENT!"
"I can see why you'd be upset. But keep your voice down." She glanced along the empty road. Blaise threw up her hands.
"Are you aware that none of this would've happened if you hadn't acted the way you did 13 years ago?" Oma bit her lip.
"Had I known what my actions would do to this family, I would've never moved a muscle. Looking back, I see I acted very selfishly. I was just trying to make sense of the whole situation, but failing. No matter how much I knew Sirius or believed in him … I shouldn't have taken matters in my own hands."
"But look at you now, Oma! You're on the run. Not only that, you sucked my folks into this. And you still don't think this crusade of yours hasn't affected us?"
"Blaise, look. You're angry. I knew you would feel like we abandoned you and left you in the Diggory's care. If you want to give up the family name and take on theirs, I wouldn't blame you." Blaise rolled her eyes.
"Oh forget this. I'm not going to disown my family name just because you're convinced Black's a good guy. I know how a misunderstood person feels like." Blaise wasn't really in the mood to talk about the fugitive. Something else gnawed at her mind.
She closed her eyes, struggling to calm her temper down. When she regained composure, she said evenly, "Did you know that before this asylum admitted Vanessa, they gave her a complete physical? It's standard procedure. It helps in case the patient was traumatized by any physical violence done to them."
Rhonda said nothing. Blaise frowned.
"I saw the chart, Oma … She's barren."
Oma cursed under her breath and whistled. A carriage pulled in front of the asylum's gates. Blaise flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked down the sidewalk, ignoring the carriage.
"You're not leaving this conversation at that, Blaise," Oma snapped. Blaise narrowed her eyes and spun around.
"Then tell me something, dammit!" She snarled. "This family's torn apart! But should I even bloody care? Is this my family at all?!"
Blaise didn't wait for an answer. She stomped inside the carriage. Rhonda followed. She closed the door and sat opposite the young witch who scowled venomously at her. The carriage lurched forward. Rhonda knocked on the roof and Rusty kicked up the reins and sent the carriage speeding into the sky.
"I swore to your father that I wouldn't tell," the old woman sighed, pulling off her beard. "But you have to know, sweetie. Ignorance is not always bliss." Her gaze seemed far as she turned to the window.
"First thing you must know, Blaise. There is no such thing as perfect. Everything needs work. Things like wisdom, friends, success, love … they all need a little work to meet your particular satisfaction. Are you with me so far?"
"Either way I see it, Oma … my father had an affair with another woman. And who is that witch? Did she back out when she found out he was a Zabini? Went for greener pastures? Or was she some good-for-nothing mistress who just wanted to ruin my parents' marriage?!"
"Blaise, it's not what you think. They wanted you more than anything, even if it meant turning their lives upside down. Before you curse the poor woman any further, let me tell who she is: Gwenyth Diggory." Blaise flinched.
"McGee?! …"
"Then … Cedric's my brother?"
Suddenly, she saw it. The blond hair and heart-shaped face, something she just thought she inherited from her father. But she also saw similarities in their complexion, their noses, to the way their eyes crinkled when they smiled. And even if his eyes were grey and hers were blue, they both had the same shape, with the upward tilt at the corner of their eyes. They even had the unusual joints in their wrists, where the bone didn't show and the arm just smoothly joined to the hand, almost like a caricature. They also laughed the same tune and made the same gestures when excited. Most of all, now she understood the connection she had with Cedric that bordered on something almost psychic.
Oma smiled weakly at Blaise's dawning expression. "You see it once the truth is told. I placed a secret-keeping charm on the two of you, so no one would see the obvious. Not even Cedric knows, not even Amos. It's kept within these walls, Blaise. And it has to stay within these walls."
"Believe me, I thought keeping the truth from you was a mistake. But … times were different when you were born. The Order was losing their top spies. A mole was in the Order itself. Any information that could be used against anyone on our side was taken very seriously."
Then Rhonda told her how they covered the pregnancy. How Gwenyth made up an excuse to leave for the last three months of it to deliver Blaise. How Zon pleaded with Gwenyth to give Blaise the Zabini name. How she only agreed when he promised she could see Blaise grow up beside Cedric, even if neither knew their true relation.
"Gwenyth initially wanted to keep you in her family. She believed Amos wouldn't doubt you were his daughter. But Zon … he really wanted to raise you. He offered to marry Gwen if she divorced Amos. They'd raise you and Cedric together. But Zon realised he couldn't leave Vanessa. Her identity compromised, she had fled the Death-Eaters. And he still loved her. It meant breaking Van's heart with the truth, but Van had surprised him when she agreed to pretend she gave birth to you. They both knew she couldn't have children. Van's way of coping with the affair convinced Gwenyth to let you go."
Oma sighed tiredly and replaced the beard on her face.
"Your parents will always be Van and Zon, Blaise. But Gwenyth has always been a part of your life. Now you know the truth. But the truth won't always set you free. The Ministry assumes the Diggory's have no relation to you and have to agreed to be your guardians simply because they are concerned neighbors. If they found a much closer connection existed between our two families, well … you know what could happen."
Blaise leaned back in her seat. "Which only gives me more reason to live by myself. Rusty's in the castle there. He counts as supervision."
"He's not considered a wizard being. I think his race is still classified as beasts. Besides, thirteen isn't the legal age to live on your own, Blaise."
"What's the point in arguing?" She groaned. "You're taking my arse to Creer Upon Libby. Fine. I'm too young to live on my own, yet old enough to know all the skeletons in my family's closet. I won't be surprised if I go mad myself from all this bullshit."
"Blaise …"
"No … I know what I'm supposed to do, Oma. And I will. Like a good daughter I will." She hissed the last several words.
If Oma didn't believe her, she didn't say it aloud. "We're still in your life, Blaise. Family's family. Blood is blood. We'll be in touch soon just …"
"Don't hold my breath," Blaise muttered. Rhonda smiled faintly then with a pop! she disapparated from the carriage.
She stared out the window until she caught the trees in the orchard, and the great hulking Oak. She told Rusty to drop her off in the orchard. And announce her arrival to the Diggory's. Blaise didn't want to endure any questions. She didn't know how she should react around McGee anymore.
"Knew I'd find you here," Cedric called climbing up a few branches in the Oak to find Blaise sprawled over the thickest branch like a lazy jaguar. "Mum says it's a bit too cold for you to stay out so late. There's some stew in the kitchen. And hot chocolate if you like."
"So, you're talking to me now?" She said stiffly. He stared at his hands.
"I'm sorry, Blaise. A thousand times sorry. I knew what I said was wrong the second it left my mouth. I know you're in a trying time right now and …"
"I don't need your pity," she scoffed. She turned her back to him. "You're only talking to me now, because that squinty-eyed witch isn't hanging off your arm at the moment."
"Her name's Cho."
"Cho, Ho, Blow. I don't fucking care."
"Why do I bother?! Honestly!" He sighed.
"Ask your mother!" She spat back. He jumped down the tree and stared up at her.
"Well, are you coming down or what? You're going to freeze out here. And don't expect me to pry your icicled arse off this tree in the morning. We have to be back on the train bright and early tomorrow."
"Really? Better start primping now for your bitch then."
"She's not my bitch, Blaise."
"Oh, that's right. You're the bitch."
Cedric crossed his arms. "Are you done with the name-calling?" Blaise sat up from her branch.
"Are you mad yet?"
"A little put off … but no … not yet."
"Is McGee putting you up to this?"
Cedric rolled his eyes. "Blaise, please. I put myself through this. Now get your arse down here now. I'm cold and hungry. And I got your present waiting under the tree."
She climbed down and scowled up at him. Cedric smiled goofily at her.
"Race you back to the house!" He sped away kicking up the snow in a flurry mist. Blaise laughed and threw a snowball at him to slow him down. She quickly wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye and chased after him.
She was home.