Tulip in the Sand Chapter 24: In the End, a harry potter fanfic

Posted: April 19, 2005

Twenty-four: In the End

"After her!" Voldemort yelled to the Death Eaters behind him as he watched Angelina run around a corner. Voldemort then held his hand out not allowing one Death Eater to leave as the others dashed passed them in pursuit of their target. "Beloved," Voldemort called from down the hall as Draco continued to struggle against Ginny's vise like grip. "I have a present for you."

Ginny whipped Draco off of her, like he nothing at all, and magically pinned him to the floor. Ginny then scrambled off the bed as she ran her hand through her hair before closing her robe. "A present?" She smiled brightly as Voldemort came through the door. His hand was wrapped in long white hair; he was dragging a motionless Lucius behind him. Ginny pouted as she watched the body slide across the floor. "Tom." She whined and then looked into his green eyes. "You promised."

"No fear, love," Voldemort told her. "He's merely unconscious. As you have wished you will watch him be tortured." His eyes then narrowed as they flickered over to Draco. "Hopefully, you will enjoy the matter this time." He then loosen his hand from Lucius' hair and let his head fall onto the ground.

Draco remained silent as he watched his father's head bounce off the stone floor. Ginny cooed softly as she walked over to Voldemort and rubbed his chest. "Don't be jealous, love," she calmed him. "I was just having my fun with him, nothing more."

Voldemort looked down at her and the side of his mouth curled up as he leered at her. "Jealous? Don't be foolish," he titled her chin up, "you know very well who you belong to. Crabbe!" he called not looking up from his wife.

Crabbe had been the Death Eater he had held back. He had not left the hallway when Voldemort entered the room, mostly because he knew he couldn't. So he stood frozen a ways back from his fallen friend, trying not to let through the pain he felt as his lost. "Yes, my Lord?" Despite what he felt, his voice gave nothing away.

"Come, gather my child," Voldemort spoke and Draco's eyes immediately flooded with malice. "Take her to her quarters and don't wake her." Crabbe stood before the doorway and shoot a disgusted look towards Draco. Voldemort seeing this seem to understand. "Love, if you please."

"Of course." Ginny waved her hand and the ward came into view as sprinkles of light and then dissolved. "Enter Crabbe."

Crabbe entered and went about his task at hand. He looked to Draco as he passed and though his face gave nothing away, from years of training, Draco knew his friend's face well and saw the worry behind his deadpan eyes.

After Crabbe left Voldemort walked over to the defenseless Draco on the floor. He squatted beside him and grabbed a handful of Draco's hair, he yanked back his head to almost a breaking point. "So my love, how should we begin?" A cold shiver ran down Draco's spine as Ginny slowly grinned, causing a Cheshire Cat like effect, it was then, for the first time in Draco's life, he knew what the face of evil truly looked like.

OoOoO

Angelina ran as far and as fast as her feet would carry her. She could hear the charge of Death Eaters behind her and they were getting closer with every heartbeat, she knew she had to hide and now. She ran towards the nearest door and prayed that it was not locked, because if it was, she knew she would be caught. She reached for the handle and screamed joyfully in her head as it turned and she rushed inside the pitch black room and closed the door.

A moment later she heard the Death Eaters rush pass her and then the echoes of their footsteps die out. Angelina slowly slide to the floor and covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to stifle her cries. Her shoulders shook violently as tears ran down her face.

Because even though she realized, about a moment later, what Draco was trying to do, she just couldn't get the image out of her mind; the sight of her husband with that woman. That woman she had once called her friend; that woman she had once considered family. And if that wasn't enough to break her heart, she knew the moment she heard the curse and Draco yell out his name that he was gone. Goyle, sweet loyal Goyle, was gone.

But Angelina knew she had no time to mourn as she wiped away her tears and stood. Her hand then went to her stomach, that very familiar feeling was back, but she pushed it aside. Again she had no time, she had to go back for her family, no matter the cost, she would save them somehow.

She then began to search for the door handle in the dark room. When she found it she began to turn it, but then very unexpectedly there was a hand on her wrist and she was flipped around and pressed up against the door, slamming it loudly. Before she could even reacted she felt a pair of warm firm lips on her own.

She wanted to pull away, but the kiss was alluring if not intoxicating. A warming calmest washed over her body and she realized she knew these lips, she knew this taste. "Percival," she said breathlessly when he broke the kiss.

"Angelina," Percy said just as breathless.

"Percy," she said slowly. "what's going on?" She asked as the candles in the room slowly began to light themselves. Angelina could now make out the surrounding of a very posh room. She then started deducting the facts. I was in a cell in the upper tower, Draco was a mile below ground in the dungeons and Percy, he's. . . her eyes went wide, he turned. "Get off me!" she yelled as she flung her arms wildly, trying to push him away from her.

"Lina! Lina stop!" He grabbed her arms and shoved her back up against the door before covering her mouth with his hand. "Are you trying to get us both killed! Huh?" he asked angrily. "Now settle down. . . please." Angelina was breathing heavily from the running, the crying, and trying to get free from Percy. "I would never hurt you. You know this right?" They only stared into each other's eyes. "Right?" he whispered and she nodded. He then removed his hands. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes," she told him. "What happened to you when we were captured?"

"I woke up here. Ginny wanted me to join her and the Dark Lord. And I said yes," Angelina looked fearful and he explained quickly. "But only because I knew if I refused I would be killed. You got to believe me, Ginny is no longer the sister I knew." He cast his eyes downward. "The Ginny I loved."

Though she wanted to comfort him, there were other things that had to be done. "Come on," he spoke as if he realizing the same thing. "I've done a lot of exploring around this place in the last few days." He grabbed Angelina's hand and led her away from the door towards the fireplace. He slipped his hand around the side of the mantle and pressed in a piece of wood that turned out to be a hidden button.

To Angelina's knowledge nothing seem to happened. Then Percy led her to the other side of the room towards a large tapestry that hung on the wall. He bent over and took a hold on the corner of it and lifted it up. Behind the tapestry a door appeared. "I've learned there are a lot ways to slip out of this place unnoticed. This is an underground passage and within a day's walk we'll come up in a nearby village, we can escape this country and it's chaos."

"What? No." Angelina pulled her hand away from Percy's. "Draco needs me, Rose needs me." She started back towards the door leading out into the hallway.

"You can't possibly be seriously." He seemed upset as he followed her and blocked her way. "Has that man completely addled your brain?"

"That man is my husband," she told him simply. "I have to protect him."

"He's one of them!" Percy yelled at her. "He's the reason we're here! A Death Eater through and through and nothing more! Whatever he gets is what he deserves!"

"Shut up!" she yelled back, but then said softly after a moment. "You may think that of Draco, but what about my Rose? What about my daughter?"

Percy turned away from Angelina as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Tell me Lina, what makes his child-" he held his tongue. "Fine," he said slowly. "Fine." He then replaced his glasses and turned back to her. "I hope you have a plan."

She shook her head. "All I can tell you, is want I know. Have you ever heard of The Attachment of Solum. . ."

OoOoO

Draco watched helplessly as he watched his unconscious father being assaulted by Voldemort. Ginny watched from her bed with her head hanging over the edge and her long red hair brushing the floor. She then rolled over and placed her hands under her chin to rest her head. She then yawned before speaking, "Tom?"

"Yes, beloved?" he asked and then took another shoot at Lucius.

"Just stop," she told him. "It's no fun if he's not awake to scream. I want him to know he's being tortured." Voldemort turned around to face Ginny. She blinked kind of nervously at the intense glare he was giving her. She sat up on the bed and moved back a bit as he strolled over to her. "Tom, why are you looking at me like that?" she asked him.

Voldemort stood at the edge of the bed and then reached out and took Ginny's chin. "What is your true reason?"

"What?" she asked as her hand came up and took Voldemort's hand.

"I've been getting this strange vibe off you for weeks now and I want to know why," he demanded of her.

"Tom, I don't know what you mean," Ginny's voice shook and Draco looked at her quizzically.

"You've been blocking your thoughts from me, cutting me off, and acting as if you fear me when I haven't done you any harm." He looked at her suspiciously. "And I want to know why?"

She avoided eye contact. "That's not what's going on. It's just-" She was unable to finish.

"Sister, my Lord," came the voice of Percy from the doorway.

"Percy!" Ginny's smiled returned to her face as she gently pushed Voldemort's hand down and moved to one side to see her beloved brother.

Draco turned his head and the moment he saw Percy holding on tightly to Angelina with his wand pressed securely to her neck, he regretted not killing him when he had the chance. "Look what I found," Percy said with a smile.

Ginny stepped out of bed and wrapped her arms around Voldemort as if she was trying to reassure him through her actions. "And hello again, Angie. Didn't get very far now did we?"

Voldemort then slipped out of Ginny's arms and approached Percy and Angelina as they entered the room. Voldemort brought his hand up and lowered Percy's wand a bit. He then caressed the soft skin of Angelina's neck with his rough fingers. Angelina took in a shot of air through her nose. He gave a short chuckle at her reaction. "Tom?" Ginny said warily.

Voldemort looked over his shoulder, his eyes on Draco. "Tell me love, will she be fun for you?" He turned fully to face Ginny. "Or do you have some complaint or excuse, to once again try to get out of something, that once gave you great delight?"

"Tom don't start this. It is not the time." Her eyes narrowed at him and the two stared defiantly at each other. Unknown to them at that moment, Percy pointed his wand at Draco and whispered the spell that released the invisible binds that held him.

Draco immediately felt the pressure that once surrounded his body lift. He then took an unrestricted breath. "Don't give me that," Voldemort told Ginny, "when you know we have all eternity. Time is on our side, love," he sounded agitated. "Now answer me."

Ginny then responded just as agitated. "If I have been acting strangely it's only because you have. I haven't been breaking my links with you, you have. Almost as if were a child still learning and can't keep the connection." Ginny then said softly, "And I think you know why?"

"No!" he yelled, making the silent Angelina jump within Percy's hold. "I am the one in control."

"Yes, love, I know." She took a few tender steps towards him. "But there have been moments. . ." she lowered her voice for only him to hear, "when it's the other, I know I'm looking at. And he shows himself more frequently than before." She shook her head. "And Tom he is not pleased with me." She then looked around the room. "But this is something we should discuss later, in private."

He looked at her for a moment more before shaking his head and saying. "Of course."

Ginny then reached out and took a hold of Voldemort's arm. "Come," satisfied with his answer, her concern look faded and was once again replaced with her doll-like smile, "I will prove to you how fun I can be." She turned in the direction of Draco, her hands at her sides started to be surrounded by a yellow glowing light.

"Stop her," Angelina whispered in a panic to Percy as Ginny slowly walked towards Draco.

"What would you have me do?" Percy asked with a sparkle in his eye that Angelina couldn't see. At his words, Angelina started to lift her hand ready to grab Percy's wand, determined to stop Ginny herself when. . .

"STOP!" came the roaring voice from in front of Percy and Angelina. Voldemort had a distressful look on his face as the bottom of his palms pressed up tightly against his temples.

Ginny hands went back to normal as she turned back to Voldemort. "Tom!" She rushed back over to him as he fell on his knees screaming in pain. "Tom, fight it!" she yelled at him. "Fight him!" Ginny dropped to her knees too as she put her arms around him tightly as his body convulse violently.

Angelina pulled away from Percy's arms and ran over to Draco, who was starting to sit up as he watched in disbelief at the scene before him. Then as suddenly as it began it stopped, both Ginny and Voldemort were breathing heavily. "Tom?" she said gently as she stroked his disheveled black hair. "It's okay, love. It's okay."

"Why didn't you just let me die?" came the words, but they were not Voldemort's.

With wide eyes Ginny jumped to her feet as if acid had been poured before them. "Harry!"

During the last of the Final Battle Harry Potter was not killed as everyone had come to believe when the side of Voldemort won. Before the battle began Ginny had not been pleased with the form Voldemort had taken during her third year. His pale gray scale like skin and his burning red eyes, literally made Ginny sick to her stomach, but she refused to tell him. Thinking if she did voice her concern, that he would become angry at her and think that she didn't actually love him.

When Voldemort did learn that his current state made his future queen uneasy, he asked what would please her. She told him that she wished he looked the way he used to when he was sixteen years old. She wanted him to look like the Tom Riddle she met back during her first year at Hogwarts through the diary. He told her that was impossible, but if she was disappointed, she didn't show it.

When the battle was over, Voldemort took over the castle that he now occupied and bought with him an unconscious and dying Harry Potter. When he had everything to his liking, he sent word to Ginny and told her to prepare for the day she had been longing for, the day to permanently be by his side.

She was bought to him mere moments after giving the order to have George, her own brother killed. An order she would regret for the rest of her life and swore she would never make again. Moon, the Death Eater who had took her to the castle, left her within her new bedchamber. After he left she broke down, sobbing loudly with her face in her hands. A moment later she felt arms around her and she rested her fragile form within its comforts. It was only a moment later that she realized that this hold around her was foreign to her.

She pulled away slightly and immediately her hazel eyes locked with a pair of green one. She was bit surprised at first until the person spoke. "So tell me, love, will this form do?" Ginny then gave him a pure, genuine smile as she nodded her head.

Later on that day, they preformed The Ritual of Solum, which was the act of binding their souls, but something went wrong, because it was not two souls, but three. Harry's soul had not complete left his body and because of his weaken state during the battle, Voldemort became the dominant personality.

It was only recently though, that strange things started to happen to Voldemort. There were moments he couldn't recall and times he couldn't control what he was doing. At first he thought he was starting to go crazy because of T.A.S, but somehow he knew it was more. In the dead of night, while he tried to sleep in his bed, he could feel the battle going on within him and it was in that moment he realized, that the Final Battle had never truly ended, but still raged on a battleground only known to two.

"You!" Harry growled at Ginny as he got to his feet, completely ignoring everyone else in the room. "You just couldn't let me have my peace, could you?" Harry had once been so close to death that he could taste it. It was a relief he had secretly longed for. To escape the hand that the universe had dealt him; to not have people rely on him, to not see him as their only hope in a dying world.

He had been fighting for so long; fighting for the love of the only family he knew, fighting for his life year after year since he learned he was a wizard, fighting for the friends he desperately tired to keep so close, but no matter how close he pulled them, he still felt so alone, and then one day, after fighting for so long and so hard, he just broke.

He broke during the most crucial moment, during the day that would be the last day of the Final Battle. All of sudden something within Harry snapped and he asked himself, Why? Because he had no one to live for. The only people who had ever truly loved him, were gone. Sure there were Ron and Hermione, but they had each other. And though Harry was in his own relationship, if you could call it that, it was with someone he knew he could never have in the long run.

So making his decision, Harry lowered his wand and walked in the direction of Voldemort, who was coming towards him, and as they came into full view of each other, Harry purposely dropped his wand, his face read of defeat. Because in the end, he had just given up, he just couldn't live this life anymore.

But his peace was short lived after being attacked by Voldemort, because as his soul was leaving his body and a feeling of warmth surround him in the darkness, everything all of sudden went a blinding white. Harry could hear the words of an ancient chant as he was pulled back into his body, but his soul was no longer alone within it.

It had taken him years, to climb out of the whiteness, to climb back into the dominant soul within the body, but each time it was short lived. But now he had been able to do it more often, for longer periods of time. At first it didn't seem that Voldemort had notice, but soon he had learned and started trying to hold Harry at bay. Ginny had immediately noticed the change and what Harry wanted.

Harry wanted to let go of this world and he knew the only way to do it was to kill Ginny, which would in turn, kill him and Voldemort. And so Harry lunged at her, bring her down to the cold, hard floor, trying to chock the life out of her.

"Ginny!" Percy yelled as Harry attacked his sister. His instant reaction was to grab Harry and pull him off his sister. Draco made the action to jump in and help, but Angelina forcefully held him down with her on the floor.

When Percy couldn't pull Harry off of Ginny, he frantically reached back for his wand and pointed it towards Harry. "Crucio!" he yelled out and the curse struck Harry in the back. Harry fell over and once again started shaking wildly as he screamed, but he was not the only one screaming, for the pain was so intense that Ginny felt it to.

Percy pulled his wand away as he realized what he was doing to his sister. After a moment Harry got to his feet, easily healing from the benefits of T.A.S. He was able to grab Percy's wand before Percy could blink. Percy's own wand was now an inch from his chest as it was being held firmly in Harry's hand.

Harry's angry face grew sad as he spoke. "I just wanted peace," he began. "And I'll kill anyone I have to got get it," he told him. Percy was in a state of frozen fear as his blood ran cold as we watched Harry's mouth slowly start to say the killing curse. "Avada Ke-" All of sudden Harry gasped loudly and his head went back as he did, dropping Percy's wand.

"I- I will not watch, another one of my brothers die," came the shaky voice of Ginny as she held Draco's missing dagger within her small hands. Blood then began to spurt out of Harry's wound, Ginny had pierced his heart from behind. The blood sprayed all over Ginny's pale freckled face as she cried. Harry, with the dagger still sticking out of his back, crumbled to the floor. Ginny looked up as tears mixed with blood ran down her face. "Are you okay?" she asked Percy.

"Yes," he whispered, the look of shock still very well on his face.

He then saw Ginny smile, not the doll like smile she had grown to adopt, but the smile she used to give him when she was a little girl. Percy looked at her and saw the little girl he once knew, the sister he once loved, the Ginny he remembered. Then suddenly both of Ginny's hands came up to her chest and she then took a pained breath as she fell to her knees. "Ginny!" Percy yelled as he went to his sister and took her in his arms. "Ginny," he said softly, for he knew he was losing his baby sister all over again.

"Percy?" she said weakly and he looked at her. "Tell mum, 'I'm sorry'," they were the last words she would ever say as she died a moment later in the comfort of her brother's arms.

"I will, sister, " Percy spoke to her lifeless body as he held her closer and rocked her in his arms. "I will."

A tear ran down Angelina's face as she witness what had just happen in front of her. "Are you okay Tulip?" Draco asked her softly.

"No," She told him and he took her in his arms and once again happily thanked no one in particular as he realized it was over.

About an hour later, word came from Lawson about how the status of the battle outside was going. When the word spread about the death of the Dark Lord and his Queen it was easy for Draco's side to claim victory.

OoOoO

Two months later, after sorting out and grieving the dead, Draco had claimed the magnificent castle for his own. Angelina hated the idea of living in the place where they were once imprison, but after a few clever redecorating ideas, one would swear it was a completely different place. The once cold and dank castle was now filled with warm and inviting colors.

Draco finally had his thrown, but much to his own surprise, he did not follow in the steps of Voldemort as he always thought he would. But he told himself, there was no reason for people to fear him, not when he had love. The kind of love that kept him calm, the kind of love that made him human.

Angelina and Draco were walking hand in hand, swing them wildly back and forth, in their formal wear as they walked down the hall of their new home towards the ballroom, behind the huge wooden doors, to celebrate their long overdue victory.

All of a sudden Draco stopped before they reached the doors, making Angelina too come to an abrupt stop. She turned to Draco. "My Lord," she smiled as she asked, "what's the matter?" There was an intense look in Draco's eyes that worried his wife. Her smile soon faded and she took her husband's face with her free hand. "Draco?" she said softly.

"There's something I've been putting off for a long time," he began slowly and sadly. "Something I've had plenty of opportunity to say, but never have." He went silent as his eyes became distant and he looked towards the floor.

"Draco, what have you not told me?" Angelina's heart began to beat rapidly, not knowing, after everything, if she would be able to handle was Draco was about to tell her.

"Angelina. . ." he whispered.

"Yes?" she responded.

"Tulip. . ." he was barely audible.

"Draco, what is it?" She was starting to get scared.

Draco then looked back up into her brown eyes. He then lifted her hand he was holding and placed it over his chest, above his heart and said gently, for the first time. "I love you." A smile slowly spread across Angelina's face and she did the last thing Draco thought she would ever do, she laughed at him. "What?" he said a bit angrily.

Angelina's laugh lighten into a giggle. "Oh, Draco really," she shook her head, "there's no need in stating the obvious."

Draco smiled at her words. "Woman, just shut up and kiss me," he told her as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer as she happily complied. After a moment they broke the kiss. "So what do you think about skipping the celebration and going to have a private one of our own?" He suggested as he waggled his eyebrows.

"Oh, Draco, you're terrible," she said as she rolled her eyes and she pulled away taking his hand and leading him down the hall. "Besides, we have a very important announcement to make tonight. And you been bugging me about it for days, so we're going to make it."

"Well, okay, I guess you're right," he gave in easily, but then stopped again, after a moment, and gently yanked Angelina back towards him. She gasped a bit loudly in surprise. "But no drinking tonight, you understand?" he said all joking aside.

"Do you think I'm a fool, Draco?" she asked a bit angry, still not believing Draco thought she had drinking problem as she put her hand on her stomach. "You know I wouldn't do anything to harm our child."

"No, not child," he shook his head as he placed his hand on top of hers and corrected her. "Son. That's Damien Uriah Malfoy you're carrying. That's my boy," he said proudly. "My heir."

"Uh-huh," she said unaffected. "That's what you said about the last one," she teased.

"Well, if we have another girl, we can always try again." He smiled. "I have no problem with that."

Angelina shook her head. "You're impossible. How many children do you want to have?"

"Hmm," he pretended to think it over. "We'll stop when you start getting fat." She smacked him across the arm. "Ow!"

"You're a moron!" she spat lovingly.

"Yet, you still love me. It's incredible really."

"Yeah, that's what you think," she said as she started walking down the hall again, leaving Draco where he stood.

"Alright," he said taking a harsh tone. "You know I don't like it when you joke like that."

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely, turning around, walking backwards as a smile came to her face. "I forget how sensitive you are."

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "Sensitive?" He ran over to her and picked her up in his arms and spun her around. "You drive me mad woman," he said looking up at her. "But by Merlin, I love you."

"I love you too, Draco," she said as he gently put her down.

"Always?" he asked.

"Till the end of time," she said as she kissed his lips tenderly. "Now come on, we have a victory to celebrate."

And so the couple walked through the huge wooden doors and were announced as Lord and Lady Malfoy as they walked down the stairs. At the bottom they greeted a few people and then made their to way to the head table to sit with a few distinguish people, such as Crabbe and his fiancée, Faith Himsworth.

"Faith," Angelina said indifferently.

"Angelina," Faith said in the same tone. The two women still didn't like each other much, but they figure they had to at least pretend to tolerate the other.

"Oi," Crabbe said as he dropped his head. He then looked back up at Draco. "We'll catch up later okay, Dray?" Draco nodded his head and Crabbe lead Faith to the dance floor as he jokingly stated, "I can't take you anywhere." Faith lovingly smiled at him as she took his arm and he kissed her forehead.

"I'll admit I don't like her," Angelina began. "But she's good for him."

"Yes, that's all good and well," Draco told her, "but I rather be talking about something else."

"Oh," she looked to him curiously, "like what?"

"Like what it's going to take to get you out on that dance floor?"

She shook her head. "Nothing much, just tell me you love me."

"Now?" he asked seriously.

Angelina then realized that saying it in public, where he could be heard, was completely different than saying it in private. "No, not now, but later."

"Then you've got yourself a deal." And the couple headed towards the dance floor, where they swayed to the music of the instruments playing on their own accord. The ballroom was lit with a warm glowing light; there was a cool breeze sweeping in from the opened stained-glass doors, and the night sky was so clear and crisp that you could make out every star in the sky.

The night passed by as Draco knew it would; the dinner was superb, the music enchanting, and his wife a vision of loveliness as they announced the coming of their second child.

It was down to the last hour of the celebration and Angelina and Draco were back on the dance floor entangled in each other's arm. "Mind if I cut in?" Draco felt a tap on his shoulder and turned his head to see Percy.

Draco smiled at him, he had grown to tolerate Percy since the downfall of the Dark Lord. "Only if Tulip doesn't mind." He turned to her to get her response.

"I'd be happy to dance with you, Percival," she told him as she put her hand to her stomach and then said to Draco. "You should go look for Vincent. You haven't spoken to him since we greeted him earlier."

"You're right," he said as he released her.

"Love you," Angelina told him and she kissed him on the cheek. Draco noticed the look in her eyes that half hope that he would say it in return, but they both knew he wouldn't and so she turned back to Percy before Draco went to go look for Crabbe.

Before Draco reached Crabbe he looked over his shoulder and saw Percy and Angelina discussing something quite intensely as they danced with Angelina shaking her head back and forth. Draco found Crabbe back at the head table sitting as he was eating a slice of cake. "Where's Faith?" he asked him as he sat down.

"She just left for the ladies' room," he informed him and then said as he put down his fork and turned towards Draco. "Congratulation," he told him with a huge smile on his face. "It appears that are children will be growing up together."

Draco smiled at his friend. "You and Faith are expecting? How come you didn't tell me sooner?"

"I only just found out myself." Crabbe leaned back in seat and sighed contently. "We have all gone through so much, it's nice to have things going in our direction for once." He then said sadly, "Even if it is without Greg." The two then took a silent moment as they remembered a friend who would always be with them in sprit.

"Vincent?" Faith called as she approached and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Is everything alright?"

Crabbe tilted his head back and looked up at her as he rested his hand on top of hers. "Now that you're back love, everything's fine." He smiled and Faith smiled too.

She then looked up from Crabbe and had an expression on her face as if just now noticing Draco's presence. She smiled at him. "Has Angelina retired for the night?"

"No, not at all. She's still on the floor with-" he cut himself off as he looked over the dance floor. His forehead creased as he had a hard time picking her out among the people. He thought it should have been easy since she was dancing with someone who had hair that was noticeable where ever he went.

He then stood up casually, but his eyes frantically searched the ballroom. Angelina was no where to be seen and neither was Percy. Even the most trusted ally, may take an ominous form. "No," Draco whispered to himself.

"Dray, what is it?" Crabbe asked as he saw the expression on his friend's face.

"I don't see Angelina," he told him.

"Well then, she probably just sitting on the other side or headed towards the lady's room," Crabbe rationalized.

"No, I don't think so. I would have seen her on my way back," Faith commented.

"I'll be back." Draco walked around the table and walked across the dance floor to the other side of the room, hoping to find Angelina sitting down. He scanned the area once again, but still saw no trace of her or Percy.

"Crabbe!" He practically shouted once he stood before him. "Around up Lough and Lawson and few others. I want my wife found, tonight," he ordered.

Crabbe got to his feet as he realized this situation had turned serious. "Of course." He then turned to Faith. "I'll meet you at home," he told her and she nodded her head before picking up her purse and heading out.

As Crabbe did as he was told, something flashed into Draco's mind and to Crabbe surprise, he saw Draco break into a run and go up the stairs skipping two at a time. Draco ran out of the ballroom and down the hall. He then traveled up another set of stairs before busting into an unlock room. The candles gradually started to light as Draco slowly approached Rosalina's crib holding his breath.

As he stood before the crib he lowered his head and silently let out the breath he was holding. His daughter was still fast asleep. Draco then picked up his sleeping child and held her tight, so tightly that Rosalina woke up and started crying, upset at being disturbed.

It took Draco over half an hour before he was able to settle Rosalina back down. During that time, he heard several footsteps outside the door. He knew someone peeked their head in, but said nothing when they saw Draco with his daughter.

After Rosalina fell back to sleep, Draco lowered her back into her crib. He then went to the windows and locked them. He also locked the door before he left and made his way back to the ballroom, to get a status report from Crabbe.

When Draco arrived back at the ballroom. It was almost bare except for those who stayed to look for Angelina. He then saw Crabbe approach him. "Draco," he said slowly. "We should go back out into the hall."

Draco just looked at him. "Why?" But Crabbe said nothing as he had Draco follow him back up the stairs into the long hallway outside the ballroom. "Vincent, what did you find?" he asked as the two of them were now alone.

"We were able to search the entire castle. I also had the grounds outside of them searched as well." Crabbe then pursed his lips together.

"Vincent, what is it?" he asked solemnly and it was the first time, in all the years Crabbe had known Draco, that he saw fear in his eyes.

"This is all that was found." Something very familiar appeared on the side of Crabbe. Draco took the floating object within his hands. It was Angelina's holster, she had worn it everyday, even tonight, since she had received it from Lucius, who was still recovering for his wounds. Draco put his hand around the handle of the light blade. "Draco, don't," Crabbe warned.

But Draco didn't listen as he pulled out the blade and let the holster fall to the floor. He didn't drop it on purpose, but out of surprise, as the blade, Angelina had yet to use, was covered in blood.

Draco felt light headed, for the first time in over a month. He turned away from Crabbe as he braced his hand on the nearby wall and clung the dagger close to his chest and lowered his head. There then came the sound of shattering glass. Crabbe noticeably jumped at the sound. He turned away for Draco and headed towards the sound which came from behind the huge wooden doors.

The doors opened and Crabbe was immediately hit with gust of strong wind. The once beautiful night sky had grown ugly as the winds picked up and dark rain clouds filled the sky. Lighting struck and hit a tree and it was set on fire.

Crabbe then heard the most horrifying, heart wrenching sound he had ever heard. It sounded like some wounded animal fighting for its life. He then turned around when he realized it was no animal, but Draco as he slowly slid to his knees, crying so loudly, Crabbe would have sworn it could be heard for miles around.

"ANGELINA!" Uncontrollable tears ran down Draco's face as he felt his whole body ache as he screamed her name. It was as if someone had reached inside of his chest and wrapped their fingers around his still beating heart and ripped it out with no mercy. For she was his heart and she was now gone; he could feel it in the air he breathed, he could feel it in the tears he shed, he could feel it in the depths of his soul which were once complete.

How could he go back? He wondered. How could he go back to a life in the cold? How could he go back to being the mirror image of his father? How could he go back to a life without her love? But he knew he had to, at least for his daughter's sake.

Draco told himself once he stood up, that would be it, he would not let her or the child they would of had plague his thoughts. If he was ever going to get through this, he had to put it out of his mind, because he knew if he didn't. . . he didn't want to think about what he would do.

If there was anything that Angelina was never able to get through it was Draco's pride. He refused to let anyone know how much his wife's sudden and strange disappearance hurt him. And so he slowly began to rise back to his feet, but he stopped midway through and opened his mouth to let out a silent cry as he fell back to his knees. How could he. . . how could he go back?

Draco still had his back to Crabbe as he cautiously drew near him. "Draco?" he said as he saw Draco gradually start to rise again. "Are you going to be alright?"

Draco then slowly turned towards Crabbe. His face was surprisingly dry and inexpressive. "Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be?" he asked calmly. Crabbe shivered at the unrecognizable dark empty eyes that looked through him. "Now if you'll excuse me. I must make sure that the house elves know of the mess in the ballroom. And please inform the others that their presence is no longer required." He turned on his heels and as he walked down the hall the lit troches extinguished themselves, covering Draco in darkness. Crabbe watched as his friend disappeared down the hall and sighed heavily as he realized that not one, but two souls died this night.

Their arranged marriage was a tug-of-war: a war-of-wits, a war-of-pride, a war-of-dominance. But if both ever succumb to each other, will either survive the other's trials or the real war brewing around them?

Sadly, no.

To Be Continued. . .

Preview of Next Chapter:

None. . .