Flight of the Thestrals

by GD-7

Plagued by insomnia, Draco spends his nights soaring through the sky over Hogwarts. What happens when he runs into Ginny one night? R for reason. DMGW, some 'slash' between BZRW (but these chapters are well marked)

68. Chapter 68

A/N - Adult stuff. Just near the beginning. Don't skip the rest of the chapter if you're not the type that likes that kind thing or you will have no frickin clue what's going on. This is the repost of this chapter that I promised. I didn't make near as many corrections as I thought I'd have to, but I did insert one whole scene and bits and pieces here and there. Don't want to give anything away, so if you just want to read that new scene scroll down to the end authors notes and I'll tell you where it is.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Chapter 68

Draco sighed as one of the helpers led away the woman he'd just finished patching up. The latecomers had been among the worst. They were the ones who had been trapped under rubble and such. A number of them hadn't made it until the searchers could find them, or had expired in transit. A couple had even died while being tended to, though luckily not by him. He felt a bit guilty being glad someone else was going to be the one left wondering if they had done something wrong, or if there was more they could have done... but at the same time, he wasn't sure he would have handled it as well as they did. Healer training must include some kind of grief management training, because he didn't think he would have been capable of just getting up and moving on to the next patient like he'd seen a couple of them have to do.

Becka had always been a strictly research and special cases healer. She'd probably never even imagined she would someday lose a patient. Of course she hadn't really. He had to grin as he remembered her reaction when she'd seen Abigail picking her way through the others, looking for her father. The girl was probably still wondering why a full grown woman had latched onto her and started sobbing hysterically. He had given Becka a little smile when she had looked over at him, but she hadn't asked him any questions, for which he was grateful.

There had been a sudden influx of new healers in the past hour or so. He'd seen at least a dozen that he didn't recognize, all of different nationalities. St. Mungo's must have sent for reinforcements. It was certainly a lucky thing since the searchers had recently uncovered a basement were a good thirty people had managed to take refuge. Many of them might not have made it if not for the new healers who had been fresh enough to take up the slack left by St. Mungo's own now exhausted staff.

Draco looked around, feeling a bit dazed. The only wounded nearby were already being tended to. He took a deep breath and sighed it out, moving over to an empty gurney and flopping down on it. He'd never felt so drained from just spellcasting. He doubted he could so much as light the tip of his wand at this point. He just lay there on his back, one leg dangling off the side of the gurney, feeling the slightly chill air cooling his bare chest. He felt like shifting his robe to cover himself a bit more, but he couldn't work up the energy to. The gurney was surprisingly comfortable actually. He felt his head lulling to the side as weariness began to overtake him.

The gurney shifted beneath him.

"I'm fine... just getting up..." He said quickly, though he couldn't quite muster the strength to follow through on it.

His eyes sprang open as he felt a body settle down beside him, an arm slipping around his waist. "Ginny! What are you doing here?" He asked tiredly as she smirked up at him.

"What did you expect me to do? Just sit there waiting patiently, having no idea where you'd run off to? You have any idea how long you've been gone?"

He blinked, thinking about it. "Haven't a clue. A week?" he asked with a little smile. He knew it couldn't really have been more than a couple of hours, but it certainly felt like a week.

She grinned and started to shift closer, then pulled back. "Agh! You're a right mess!" She said, pulling out her wand and casting cleansing and scouring spells on him, and on the few smudges of blood she'd already managed to get on herself as well of course. In moments all that was left was a few vague stains on the previously pristine white healer's robe. She sighed, "I'm going to have to work on my cleaning spells looks like." She shrugged and tucked her wand back away, snuggling up against him. "You look exhausted."

"Funny... that's exactly how I feel too." he said with a little grin, letting his eyes drift shut again.

"You also look a bit odd with that color hair. Don't get me wrong, it looks good on you, just not what I'm used to..."

He reached up, touching his hair as he remembered what the demon had done. "Oh yeah... well I couldn't exactly go around with my hood up. This bloody robe doesn't even have one. It's just a glamour so people wouldn't recognize me, what with that bloody article. Suppose it's a good thing, really. White isn't my color, but hopefully it doesn't look quite as bad with darker hair..." He said with a smirk, then blinked, looking down at her, "In fact... how did you recognize me? I mean I've seen a couple people I know here and they didn't seem able to recognize me... I figured there was a bit more to this little 'glamor' than just hair color..."

She grinned. "It was a bit odd when I first saw you, there was something about you that didn't seem to want to let me recognize you... but I don't think any glamor could hide you from me for long... when I close my eyes and try, I can feel you..." She said with a grin, slipping her hand over to rest on the unicorn horn symbol etched on his belly where it peeked out of the top of his pants.

He grinned and slipped his hand down, entwining his fingers with hers, then met her kiss eagerly as she shifted closer. When she let up, she sighed contentedly, shifting down and laying her head on his chest. "What happened to your shirt anyway?" She asked after a moment.

He let out a little embarrassed laugh. "Um... don't ask."

She grinned, "Ok... for now." She said mischievously. "Your mum was asking after you."

He stirred, opening his eyes again. "Is she alright? Are... they alright?"

She nodded against him. "She's still pretty out of it though. Cullis wandered up a bit ago to check on her. He looked almost as done in as you do, but he said she was doing well. Both of the babies are all settled in and thriving." She lay there thoughtfully for a moment, "Isn't that odd? She conceived the same night that I did. One night and she's going to be a grandmother, and a mother again as well!"

"With any luck, maybe she'll be a wife again soon too, but by choice this time. They were looking a bit cozy, weren't they?"

Ginny grinned. "Ya... I'd say it's a bit soon to be making any kind of assumptions considering it's been like twenty years since their little... whatever it was that happened in school. Still, I hope they do get together. He's a good, gentle and loving man. I think they'd make a good match, and they both certainly deserve some happiness after the lives they've had to endure, and they've already waited more than long enough to be together. It'll almost be like a whole new start for her. A new man in her life... well, different at least... and new children..." She let out a little sigh, "Twins! She's a lot braver than I am. I'm scared silly and I'm only having one baby!"

He pulled her tighter, "Well I'm not going to let anything happen to you and you're going to be the best mother ever, so don't worry." He sighed happily. "I need to have Blaise get you one of those little model houses to design too. We should really have a home ready for when the baby arrives. I know we'll probably be just about back in school, if it doesn't run over into school a bit that is! But..."

"Our own house?" She asked, shifting up and staring at him.

He grinned. "You didn't think we would stay at that wretched Manor, did you? It's no place to raise children. Besides, I've been dying to get out of there for... well pretty much since I could form such thoughts! No idea what I'll do with the Manor, since I doubt anyone would want to buy it, but I certainly have no intention of ever living there again. I'm sure mother would like to get out of there as well. I'd level it, but I don't think that's possible. It's been charmed and warded against damage and attack for centuries."

"A new home would be just fine with me... to tell you the truth, I wasn't exactly comfortable there. Well... except perhaps in your room..." She said, nuzzling up to him. She cracked her eyes open, peeking up at him, "You weren't going to insist we make it some gaudy color like Blaise's, were you?"

He chuckled. "Na. You can pick. Anything but white. Never going to live in a white home again. Just give it some color and I'll be happy.

"Definitely colorful." She murmured. She shifted her hand up, brushing back his sleeve. "How's your arm doing?"

He looked down at his tightly bandaged arm in surprise. "I'd forgotten all about it... it's fine I guess. Don't really feel any pain anymore I don't think... but then again, I might just be too tired to notice."

"You should probably keep the bandage on until morning just in case." She said, absently running her fingers over the St. Mungo's emblem embroidered on his robe.

He noted her attention and blushed. "Not exactly my usual attire." He let out a little chuckle, brushing his own fingers over the symbol. "Father would be livid if he ever saw me in this getup. He's always thought of Healers as servants. He never could understand why some people would choose to serve others... to wear these robes and go about healing people. I wonder if he's ever tried it. Healing others that is. Then again, I'm not sure he'd be able to comprehend it even if he did. Dispensing pain is the only pleasure he seems to know... and for that reason alone, I almost feel sorry for him. He'll never know what it feels like to bring someone back from the brink of death... to know that someone is alive because of you... to take away someone's pain and make them whole again. It's... the most amazing feeling I've ever felt..."

Ginny looked into his eyes. She'd never seen him look so at peace before. She sighed happily, "I wouldn't mind being a Healer's wife..." She said with a grin, leaning over and kissing him deeply. They just lay there for a time, kissing and forgetting all about their surroundings.

When they settled back into just holding eachother he smiled, closing his eyes. "Father must be playing merry Hell right about now. Those house elves I gave your brothers put up a shield that protected nearly a whole block from what I'm told. Only kept out the Death Eaters and their spells. The other people were able to get through it and take refuge there. Probably really cut down on the death toll they were expecting."

Ginny's eyes popped open and stared up at him incredulously. "House elves? How could they cast a spell like that?"

"We taught them to. Father was always completely paranoid, so he assumed there was always a chance his precious 'Dark Lord' and his minions would turn on him one day. He has aspirations of taking over the reins once that bloody snake finishes taking out the competition, hoping either he and Potter will kill eachother, or that the survivor would be weak enough to finish off easily, then boom. He'd be in charge. He knew if that was ever discovered he would be history if he didn't have some kind of protection. He did most of the research on it... but I helped a lot with the specific spellcasting techniques. He'd never bothered to get to know the house elves' capabilities, so he had no idea how to do it wandless. He was probably surprised I would voluntarily help him in one of his endeavors. Hell, a shield that could be cast by any common house elf that could block out Death Eaters and even the Avada Kedavra? It was the only worthwhile project he's ever undertaken. Bet he's doing his nut right about now. What I would have given to see his face when that shield went up! Oh, and to see him trying to explain it to his precious 'Lord'! That would be priceless! That one really came back and bit him in the arse. He never counted on his house elves hating him so completely after lifetimes of nothing but abuse from him that they would accept a simple Ministry decree that he held no legal standing as good enough and sever all ties to him. Hell, right now they'd kick his arse but good if he came after me while they were around, and with great pleasure at that!"

Ginny giggled. "I'd like to see that." She said, kissing him again.

"Beat it before I sic Gladys on you again!" A voice growled nearby.

Draco broke the kiss, glancing over. Harry was shoving a shrouded figure towards the door. It scurried out quickly. When Harry returned his attention to Draco, Draco saw he was once again wearing his old robes and glasses, though his scar was still obscured. "Come on. They have more than enough people here, and you're obviously wiped out. You should head back up." He said wearily, ruffling his fingers through his hair, "Snape's already started looking for Blaise. We'll find him and bring him up."

Draco nodded, then furrowed his brow. "Potter?"

Harry flashed him a little smile and nodded. "Quick on the uptake, aren't you? He is taking a nap now... Conked out about twenty minutes ago. Least he was nice enough to toss me a few spells before he left me all on my own. I'm not exactly as experienced at healing as you obviously are. I've heard the other Healers talking. You've made quite an impression. They won't be able to figure out who you are until we're gone though. Well, Becka was right there when he cast that glamour, so she obviously knows, and he kinda granted a few other ranking Healers 'permission' or whatever in case you needed people to vouch for you, but the rest don't. Snape didn't even recognize you while staring directly at you. Of course he didn't recognize me either until I told him who I was. These are some pretty impressive glamors. I wonder if he'll teach me how to cast them..." He said, rubbing his forehead where his scar lay beneath its concealment. He looked down at Draco again. "Never would have figured you to be the type to go about healing people."

Draco didn't take offense at his words, though Harry usually had a way of getting on his nerves with pretty much every comment he made. "Me either." He replied honestly, "Probably a good thing no one recognized me really. This would hardly be good for my reputation." He said with a grin.

Harry let out a snort of laughter before he was able to clap a hand over his mouth to stifle it. As he got himself under control, he dropped his hand. "Ya. Sure. Real good thing no one noticed." He said with a bit of a knowing smile that made Draco wonder. "Well, you two head up, I'll round up the wraith." He said merrily, moving off before Draco could question him further.

"Hey, get my elf while you're at it!" He called after Harry's retreating back. Harry just waved in acknowledgment, not even turning or pausing. Draco looked down at Ginny. "What do you suppose that was about?"

"No idea." She replied, just as puzzled. "We probably should get going though. We've done everything we came for and then some, and Mum must be beside herself with worry by now."

Draco nodded and wedged himself up into a sitting position as Ginny slid off the other side of the gurney. She came around and helped him up with a smirk, then slipped an arm around his waist under his robe. He draped his arm around her shoulders and made his way wearily towards the door. When they were out in the main reception area, it was blissfully empty and silent. He sighed in relief and led her over towards the closet where Becka had stashed his robe. Blaise probably wouldn't care if he left it, but he could hardly wear the healer's robe out. When he had the door open he tapped the panel just inside and a pale globe of light sprang to life against the back wall. He looked around. They had obviously had to grab a lot of supplies hastily from the small storage space. It was about half empty. That should have made it all the easier to spot his robe, but what supplies were left were in great disarray and he didn't see it anywhere. Ginny closed the door behind them as he started to pull off his healer's robe.

He stopped in surprise as Ginny put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't take it off yet..." She said in a soft voice. He looked around at her in surprise. There was something in her eyes... and the way she was smirking at him. She sidled up to him, straightening his robe back into place, then slipped her arms around him, pulling him up against her. She looked up at him. "Just how tired are you?" She asked suggestively.

His eyes widened as a smirk flitted across his lips. "What did you have in mind?"

She chuckled, running her hands down his back, then letting them come to rest on his bum, "Hmm... I've got a cute young Healer in a supply closet... too tired from a long day of saving lives to muster much resistance... I can't help but wonder if he'll give in and let me have my way with him..." She purred, pressing up against him and nibbling on his neck.

He let out a little groan. He loved it when she got assertive. His answer wasn't too difficult for her to discern. He may be tired, but he wasn't dead! She grinned, easing back and undoing his pants, pushing them and his boxers down. She kissed him deeply, scootching him back, then guided him to sit on an open spot on the bench that held the towels and bedding.

He watched with a grin as she stripped off her pants and knickers. "I should have worn a skirt!" She said with a rueful smirk. She left her robe and the rest of her clothes where they were, not waiting any longer. She tossed aside her knickers and pushed him back so he was leaning back against the wall. She then deftly straddled him, placing a knee on the bench on either side of him, just as she had out in the garden. He found he greatly preferred it while in a warm closet and half naked. She let out a groan and started kissing him fervently as their bodies joined together. Their unicorn horn marks rubbed together, sending sparks of pleasure through them. He shifted forward a bit on the bench, pulling her hips closer to try to bury himself deeper.

She broke the kiss with a little inarticulate sound of pleasure, quickly starting to move. In moments she was having to grasp handfuls of his robe to keep from falling off as fiercely as she was riding him. The crackling energy caused by the friction between their marks settled into a continuous flow of pleasure radiating throughout their entire bodies. He kept his hands on her hips, but it was more for extra support... she appeared to require very little effort on his part.

Despite not doing much of the work himself, he was soon gasping for breath. He just watched her, amazed by her fervor. When she looked at him again her eyes were half lidded and filled with more raw lust than he'd ever seen there before. It took all of his will not to finish right then and there. He let out a deep moan, shutting his eyes as his hands trembled slightly with the effort to hold out.

Suddenly she wrapped her arms around him, thrusting up against him as she let out a strangled cry. He let himself crash over the edge with a groan of blissful release as she trembled and shuddered against him. It was several long moments before her body very slowly started to relax. They just sat there, holding eachother and panting for breath between light, tender kisses.

Once they had both settled down a bit, he let out a contented sigh. "Ok, ok... you've convinced me. I'll have Diamond whip up a healer's robe as soon as we get home." He said with a smirk, "Shall we add a supply cabinet to our new home, or would you settle for house calls?"

She just giggled, kissing him again.

> > > > >

As they approached the door of Gray Feather's room, Draco spotted Cullis standing there talking with Becka and Harry. They looked over as he came to a stop a couple of feet from them, making him feel a bit uneasy with the avid way they were watching him. Much to his surprise, Cullis held out a neatly folded shirt to him. He took it, looking at it questioningly.

Cullis grinned. "I saw you lose yours and I always keep a couple of spares around."

Draco's cheeks tinged pink. "Thanks. I was afraid I was going to have to swipe this robe. Couldn't seem to locate mine."

"Oh, I brought it up. Sorry." Becka said, "It's in the room. Didn't want you to have to go searching through that mess for it, and then I got caught up in something for a bit, and by the time I went to find you to tell you, you were already gone. I was surprised when I found I'd beaten you up here."

Draco studiously kept his eyes from glancing over at Ginny, very thankful Becka hadn't found where he'd been 'hiding'. He quickly covered by doffing the Healer's robe and pulling on the spare shirt. It was somewhat big on him, and the cut was a bit more 'business' than he usually went for outside his school uniforms, but it was comfortable enough. He looked up hesitantly as he buttoned it up. He wasn't looking forward to the endless explanations he knew were probably going to be requested at any moment.

"Chill, master." Pax said with a smirk. "I've been filling them in already."

Draco blinked in surprise. "I thought you were taking a nap?"

"Yes, well we recuperate quickly. Not near back to snuff yet, and I'll be fit for a serious nap when we get back, but for now I'm good enough." Pax said with a shrug. "Snape has Blaise in the room. We found him conked out on the floor behind one of the gurneys. He woke up by the time we got up here, but Snape was carrying him and he apparently felt Snape needed a little work done. He's passed out again."

Draco's eyes widened with worry, "Is he going to be ok?"

"No. Not if we don't get him out of here. He hasn't got near the energy to fix everyone in this hospital... but he's going to keep trying until either we get him out of here or it kills him."

"I checked him," Becka said somewhat grimly. "The essence that was in his blood... he's gone through it already."

"Gone through it?" Ginny asked worriedly.

Becka nodded. "Burned it up like fuel to let him keep doing... whatever it is he's doing to people. It's no wonder his body accepted the Re'em blood and then adapted it to create the substance so readily. I doubt he'd have survived more than a couple of 'sessions' in a single day without it. His body is replenishing his strength as we speak, but even with it producing the substance with impressive speed he can't keep up with constant use like this. What I've distilled from the blood I took from him earlier is amazing. The strength you could get out of that one pint of his blood was equal to at least a dozen pints of Re'em blood. It was even more concentrated than I estimated. Narcissa won't need more than two drops a week, perhaps moving up to three in her final trimester." She pulled out a dark, cobalt blue glass bottle that looked capable of holding about seven ounces of fluid. "This is far more than she could possibly need for the pregnancy, and I even had some left over. I kept a small sample for myself of course, but even after that I had some left over for Blaise." She said, pulling out a little one ounce bottle of the same dark glass. "Just in case he decides to dose anyone for safety reasons..." She said with a smirk, obviously insinuating pre-intercourse administration.

"Well I'm sure he'll appreciate that." Draco said, taking the bottle and holding it up to the light curiously. The glass was too dark to see more than a vague indication there was even anything in it.

"The dropper is clear." Becka said with a smirk.

Draco carefully unscrewed the lid and lifted it out, looking at the liquid in the dropper built into the lid. It was fascinating. It appeared to be perfectly clear... but then if he turned it and caught the light just right he could see little wisps and swirls of brilliant color shimmering through it.

"It's lovely..." Ginny breathed, resting her head on his shoulder and watching the play of color in the dropper.

"Isn't it?" Becka asked with a smile, watching the dropper as Draco slipped it back in the bottle and carefully sealed it. "You should see it in sunlight! I always knew there was something beautiful inside that boy. Just never imagined that beauty would be tangible one day!"

Draco looked up at Cullis hesitantly, "So mother and the babies... they're going to be ok?"

Cullis smiled, "I think they are going to do just fine. She's still worn out of course. The procedure isn't exactly an easy one, but I believe she'll be ready to go home within the hour. In fact, I'll probably have one of the helpers take her to get changed. I'm sure she'd like to get back into her own clothes. You might want to go ahead and precede her so you can be waiting at the gate for her. I believe that's the closest she'll be able to Apparate if his grounds are anything like yours, and someone should really be there with some kind of conveyance. I certainly don't want her walking great distances any time soon. Don't worry, she's not going to be delicate for the whole pregnancy, but for the first twenty four hours it's best to take it easy. After that I'd say she shouldn't have any more restrictions than any other woman carrying twins."

"Well..." Pax said, clapping his hands together. "I say let's finish this so we can go then. The sooner we get Blaise out of here the better."

"Finish what?" Ginny asked, perplexed.

"The family of course. Can't just run off only having done a half-arsed job. Three down, two to go." He said, flexing his fingers, his shadowy talons flicking out. Becka started in surprise, while Cullis just eyed the talons with interest. He'd felt them before of course, but he'd never had a chance to actually look at them. Pax then retracted his talons, slipping a hand into his robe and retrieving Harry's wand. He flicked it at Draco and it felt like a light, tingling breeze washing over him. Pax tucked the wand back away. "There. Wouldn't want your own mother unable to recognize you. Blaise's been out for about ten or fifteen minutes..." Pax said thoughtfully, then gave a nod. "Adult trauma doesn't usually go as deep as it does in children, so he should be strong enough for them by now."

"Ok then. If you're sure he can handle it..." Draco said with an edge of worry.

> > > > >

Gray Feather woke slowly. She could hear soft murmuring across the room. She clenched her eyes shut harder, fighting off the instinctual fear that instantly blossomed in her. She was in the hospital. The Death Eaters weren't going to show up and attack her and her family again. It wasn't them. She had to keep telling herself that. It was probably just some Healers checking on them. She shifted slightly. There was a deep, dull ache in her stomach. She tried not to think about why it was there. She prayed she had made the right decision. The idea of taking a life, even one spawned from such evil, had tortured her ever since she had made the decision, but she had felt it was the right one at the time. She just hoped her sympathies and trust had not been misplaced in this woman. She didn't know what she'd do if the child grew up to be even half the monster its father was.

She felt the reassuring warmth of Tobias curled up beside her and slipped her arm around him, pulling him closer. She had to head off her train of thought as it tried to move to what would become of her son. She cracked her eyes open, looking over towards the voices to try to distract her overwrought mind.

There were two young men standing on either side of her husband's bed. They looked much too young to be Healers. She watched silently as they talked too quietly for her to hear, then the one on the far side wearing white reached out, slipping his arms around her husband and getting ahold of him. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. The boy seemed to be slightly blurred around the edges, as if he had an ever so slight whitish halo around him. It reminded her of when she'd spent too much time in a pool treated with Muggle chlorine and it had made her see auras around lights for a time afterwards. She let out a gasp as she caught sight of his eyes.

The other boy heard her and turned. She stared, frozen in horror for a moment as she stared at his glowing red eyes. It clicked instantly in her mind. The demon. The one from the paper. Draco's demon. In a rush thoughts flooded her mind. Draco had what he'd wanted. Was he now done with her family? Was he going to have this creature finish them off so they could cause no further problems? A quick glance revealed that the bed they'd brought for Narcissa was now empty and she was completely alone with the two boys... this more than anything seemed to confirm the hypothesis. She instinctively snatched her wand off the bedside table, springing off the bed.

"Let my husband go! Get away from him!" She demanded angrily. Blaise didn't seem to hear her at all.

"He can't." Pax replied softly, "Not until he's done. Now just calm down..."

"Help! Someone!" She called out, looking anxiously towards the door, not taking her wand off him for a moment.

"They can't hear you. It's a hospital. All of the rooms are soundproofed..." Pax said, reaching up and taking ahold of the blue pull cord over the man's bed and pulling it.

She caught the movement from the corner of her eye. Her eyes darted back over to him, a spell springing from her mouth instinctively, "Telum!" she cried. She didn't see the other movement until it was too late. Tobias stepped between her and Pax, holding up his hand in a placating gesture, but by the time she saw him, the spell was already bursting forth in a flash of brilliant golden light from the tip of her wand.

With supernatural speed, Pax snatched up the boy, spinning around and blocking him with his body. The spell hit him squarely in the back and he crumpled to the ground with a sound half way between pain and surprise.

The next thing Pax knew, he could feel someone holding him. He shifted his head around awkwardly, trying to see who it was.

"Can't you keep yourself in one piece for five minutes?" Blaise asked him with a smirk.

Pax looked around dazedly. Draco was standing behind Blaise, staring down at him worriedly, and he could see the others standing around as well. He could feel something like a focused blast of cool mist against his back and the aching pain there began to ease. He sighed, resting his head against Blaise as fingers gently probed his back. "The boy?" He asked tiredly.

"He's just fine." Cullis said from behind him as he used a patching spell on the hole burnt into the back of his clothes.

Blaise eased his grasp on him, letting him shift more onto his back as Cullis rose and moved over to check on Gray Feather. She was crouched on the floor, sobbing hysterically and hugging her son to her in a death grip.

"Mum! Can't breath!" Tobias' muffled voice said as he struggled to prize himself away from her.

Cullis muttered softly, touching the tip of his wand to the side of her neck. The tension slowly flowed out of her as her sobs eased, her eyes losing focus slightly. Tobias stopped struggling once her hold on him loosened. Cullis knelt down beside her. "I'm terribly sorry. The sedative spell I cast on you earlier wore off sooner than anticipated. You should have slept right through it."

"Slept through what? What were they doing to my husband?"

"Young Mr. Zabini has been touched by the White Wraith curse, and acquired the wraith ability to heal souls. That's what he was doing to your husband. He has already tended to your children, as you may have noticed..." He said, indicating Tobias.

She looked down at her son, her eyes tearing up again as Tobias grinned up at her. "But... I don't understand... you said there was nothing you could do..."

"And there wasn't. They are not members of our staff. They are merely Draco's friends. We are obviously thrilled that they have chosen to help, but it was entirely their own choice to do so."

"They?" She asked, her eyes darting over to Pax warily.

"I can only heal the soul." Blaise said softly, "For full recovery, the memories must be removed as well. That's where he comes in."

"Oh..." She said softly. "I... I'm sorry..."

Pax waved it off. "I'm used to it. If it's got red eyes, shoot it. Pretty common rule of thumb. Can't say as it's off too often either..." He said, sitting up with some help from Blaise. He looked over at her curiously, "What the bloody Hell did you hit me with anyway? That hurt worse than Avada Kedavra!"

She blushed slightly beneath her olive complexion. "Telum. Weapon of light. A very powerful spell that is devastating to anyone it hits, but especially effective on demons. It should have knocked you out of your host and destroyed you with light."

"Well, I guess I have yet another reason to appreciate this little bauble..." He said, pushing down his collar and running his fingers over the thin filigree encircling his neck. "Still, that was wicked strong. I can't believe it's not banned."

"Actually..." She said a bit abashed, "It is banned in America except in self defense against demons. I guess not many people here know it, otherwise it would probably be on their 'Unforgivable' list as well. I don't know of anyone who has ever survived a direct hit from it. Well, except for one now I guess..."

"Really? Hmm... very interesting. I really must remember that one. Was that a clockwise twirl, then flick?"

She blushed darker. "The last part is a thrust forward about two inches. There is a variation for a moving target with the twirl followed by a left to right sweeping gesture, but it weakens the force of the spell and has a much greater chance of hurting innocent bystanders."

Pax grinned at her, "Now why would a nice girl like you know a nasty little spell like that in the first place?"

"My family moved to Hollywood California for a while there. You have to know those kinds of spells if you're magically endowed and live there! The demons there don't have much truck with witches and wizards."

"Demons?" Pax asked curiously, "I didn't think there were many of those left...?"

Gray Feather gave a little snort, wiping her damp cheek with a bit of her hospital gown, seeming a bit out of it. "Please! They've learned a great deal about the art of subtlety, but there are a great number of them left. Some of those Muggle American cities are simply crawling with them! If you guys are running short on them here, I can certainly tell you where they went! Ever heard of the Salem Witch Trials? Demons. Possessed good people and set them against witches and wizards... well and whomever else they didn't like. Apparently the magical community in Europe had gotten too good at exterminating them and they were doing their part to keep down our population in their newly adopted homeland. They've calmed down a bit since, but it's still not a good idea to get them riled."

"Wicked! Sounds like I found my next vacation spot!" Pax said with a grin. Draco held out his hand and Pax took it, getting gingerly to his feet. "Well, let's get this over with before someone else takes a potshot at me." He said grimly, going over to the unconscious man, taking his head between his hands and sinking his talons in without preamble.

Blaise got back to his feet, dusting off his robe. "That'll just take him a minute. Weeding out and sorting and the like." He said, going over and plunking down heavily in a chair. "Hope you don't mind if I take a breather."

Tobias slipped out of his mother's relaxed hold and hurried over to him. "You ok?" he asked worriedly.

Blaise grinned at him. "I'll be just fine." He said, reaching up and ruffling the boy's hair affectionately, "I'm just a bit worn out. There are so many damaged souls here... I can hear them calling to me..." He said softly, dropping his arm and letting his eyes drift shut as he appeared to be listening to something.

"You need to go take a nap!" Tobias said firmly.

Blaise let out a little laugh. "Probably."

Gray Feather rose a bit unsteadily and made her way over towards her son. Blaise drew back suddenly, shoving the chair he was sitting on back, making the back of it hit the wall as his eyes sprang open. "Stay back!"

Gray Feather stopped in her tracks, looking at him in wide eyed surprise. "I was just going to..."

"Just stay away!" Blaise said urgently, pulling his legs up and drawing himself as far away from her as he could get, "I said I need to rest first! I don't know what would happen if I conked out in the middle of fixing someone, and I'd rather not find out!"

"I... I wasn't trying to..."

"Doesn't matter. You already call to me so loudly it echoes in my head. You touch me and I'll have no choice in the matter. I can't stop it once it's started."

"Oh... sorry..." She said, quickly moving back to sit on her bed.

Draco narrowed his eyes slightly, something the demon had said earlier clicking in his head. He looked over towards him... but he was gone. He hurried over to where he'd been, looking around. As he came to a stop, he heard something. He listened harder, then followed the soft sound, getting onto his knees and peering under the bed. It wasn't too difficult to make out Pax's dark form huddle in the shadows, sobbing softly.

"You ok, demon?" he asked gently.

Glowing red eyes opened, peering at him. "Just leave me for a minute." He said in a low, aching voice.

"Where you able to erase his memory?"

"I can't erase memories. I wish I could." he said with a slightly bitter tone.

"But I thought you said..." Draco started.

Pax gave a little snort, cutting him off. "I said I could remove them. I can only steal memories. They aren't gone, they're just relocated."

Draco's eyes went wide. He had thought he merely preserved the memories from the abused little girl to help bring her abuser to justice... he had never imagined the demon was taking all of the violent and traumatic memories upon himself. How much horror and anguish had he voluntarily taken into his heart to ease the pain of others in this one day alone? He felt his eyes stinging angrily. "Take your time. We'll wait just as long as you need." He said, reaching out and stroking his hand down his cheek, wiping away some of the tears. "You have no idea how much I appreciate what you've done today... what it means to me. Thank you. I mean it."

"Not that it was all for you... but you're welcome anyway, master."

Draco get him a little smile. "Call me Draco. Circumstances may technically make you my servant... but I'd rather consider you my friend."

Pax's eyes teared up again, and he could muster no reply.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Arthur had a very hard time keeping his pace normal, his expression pleasant as they made their way from the Apparition arrival area in the Ministry of Magic. The usual wait and checking in process had been annoying ever since they had implemented it the summer before... but today it was excruciating. The man who had been checking them was an old friend of the family and hadn't seen Charlie since he had been about ten, so he'd naturally wanted an update. Charlie had been as quick about it as possible without seeming rushed, but it had still taken much longer than they liked to get out into the Ministry building proper. There were surprisingly few people there, despite it being a holiday. There were usually quite a number of people who chose to work through the holiday, having no family (or having families they preferred avoiding!).

Arthur nodded cordially to a Ministry official from the Foreign Affairs Department that he worked with on occasion. "Anders."

The man stopped in his tracks. "Sweet Merlin, they haven't gone after Muggles now, have they?" He asked in alarm.

Arthur came to a stop. "Pardon?"

"Did you get called in?"

"No... I was just... taking my son to see my new office. He's in town for the holidays." Arthur said, trying to make it sound convincing. Charlie smiled and nodded, looking around and staring casually at the new sculpture they had erected in the great fountain. They had obviously tried to duplicate the former sculptures, though the wizard in the middle now bore a striking resemblance to a young Cornelius Fudge.

The man's eyes shifted over to Tonks and she grinned, "I'm shagging his son. Just thought I'd tag along." She said without missing a beat, slipping her arm around Charlie. Charlie looked over at her, then grinned at the man, giving her rump a playful swat.

"What's going on?" Arthur asked, quickly diverting Anders' attention from Tonks.

"Death Eaters. They attacked Diagon Alley. How they got there in numbers like that with the anti-Apparition shielding and no floo network is beyond me. They said there were over fifty of them."

"Fifty?" Arthur asked, shocked. He hadn't known there even were that many Death Eaters. Voldemort had obviously been doing some heavy recruiting.

The man nodded. "They say it's horrible. Nineteen confirmed dead at last count, probably a couple hundred injured. Diagon Alley has been a traditional place for families to visit during Yule for generations. The shops stay open and it's all lit up... usually a very festive event. We really should have spotted the possible target and taken better precautions. I know that's what the paper will be saying." He shook his head. "I just can't believe even his minions would do such a thing... If I hadn't had that report to finish, I would have been there with my own family... We changed our plans at the last minute... were going to go this evening instead..."

Arthur's heart ached in his chest, knowing the man was imagining his wife and three adorable little girls running for their lives in terror. It was hard to comprehend such evil. He clapped him on the shoulder comfortingly. "I had best get up to my office and see if there's anything I can do."

Anders nodded, the haunted look still in his eyes. "I'm heading out to Diagon Alley. They're still looking for survivors."

Arthur nodded quickly, "Good luck then." Anders nodded and headed off. "No wonder the place is abandoned." Arthur muttered softly once he was gone, feeling cold inside. Nineteen dead. He quickly shook it off. "We had best get moving." He said briskly, leading them on.

They took the elevator to the proper floor. He was still relatively near where he had been before, but now he had much roomier accommodations. He literally now had more room in the closet they had given him for his files than he had had before for his entire office (which he'd had to share!).

Tonks paused as they exited the elevator. "I had best get my Auror robes. I'll meet you there." She said hurrying off around the corner.

Arthur nodded, letting his pace hasten as he headed in the opposite direction towards his office. He'd barely gotten a dozen paces when he nearly collided with a shrouded figure moving quickly around the corner he was approaching. It jerked back with a squeak of surprise, then reached up and flipped back the hood.

Arthur stared down into the startled eyes of the young woman before him. Before he knew what was happening, she had flung herself against him, wrapping her arms around him and letting out a sob of relief. "You came!"

"Penelope?" Arthur asked uncertainly, his heart plunging. He was glad she was alright, but that meant he knew what had befallen Percy.

Charlie eased up closer. He looked her over and nodded. "That's her. I... um... kinda saw her with Percy once..." He said delicately.

Penelope looked over at him, blushing brightly, then looked quickly back to Arthur. "I thought maybe they had held you up and I was getting worried. I left him in your office along with a note. Please take care of him." She said pleadingly.

"Of course, but why were you leaving? We have to get you to where it's safe." Arthur said, looking her over. From what he could see she looked pretty battered, her face smudged with blood and dirt, her jaw darkening with bruising.

She shook her head and he could see her hair had been hacked off in a clean-cut, but obviously unintentional bob. She saw his gaze and reached up, feeling her short cropped hair as her eyes teared up. "One of them got ahold of my braid. Percy hit it with a severing charm a split second before the man Apparated away. He saved me... but he left himself open to do it. One of the others got in a cheap shot and... it was all down hill from there. He made me make a run for it..." She said, tears coursing down her cheeks as she slipped her hand in her cloak unconsciously.

Charlie reached over, pulling it aside. He ran his hand over her swollen belly in stunned silence. "How far along are you?" he finally managed after a moment.

"About five months." She said softly, putting her hands on her belly protectively. The tears were streaming from her eyes now. "They aren't going to care. They've already killed so many people... My parents..." She said, her voice catching in her throat. "Percy sent me off to stay with them but he wouldn't tell me why... yesterday I ran a present to a friend of mine who lived nearby. When I got back there was nothing left of my family home. There was just a pile of rubble with this big ghastly glowing skull floating over it..." She said with an anguished sob.

Arthur's eyes teared up and he stepped forward, gently taking her into his arms

When her sobs had calmed a bit she went on softly, "I tried to go back to our flat... but that was gone too. I went to the little abandoned cabin we found out in some back woods last summer. I knew if he had escaped that was where he'd go. He was there. Unfortunately, the Death Eaters are a lot smarter than the Ministry. They simply gave a letter addressed to Percy to an owl and followed it on brooms. He'd made the cabin unplottable, but somehow that doesn't stop the owls. He knew what they'd done the minute the owl arrived. Luckily the owl was a fast one and the trees are particularly thick there or we'd never have been able to escape. We Apparated out just before they could block us." She sighed, holding onto him, "When they catch me I'll have no hope of protecting this baby." She said achingly.

"They aren't going to find you. We'll take you back to Zabini Manor. There's no way anyone's getting in there any time soon." Arthur said soothingly.

"It's too late." She said softly, then pulled away. She reached into the pocket of her robe and pulled out an envelope, handing it to him while wiping the tears from her eyes with the other hand.

He looked at it. It was addressed simply to Mrs. Penelope Weasley. He flipped it open, but it was empty. He looked up at her questioningly.

"It arrived just a few minutes ago. That's why I wrote the note and started to leave. They know I'm in the building. They couldn't exactly run in here in hot pursuit of an owl and expect to go unnoticed, but if they don't find me soon they'll just send another. They put up a ward, blocking the building off to Apparition. I've checked."

"Well this is the Ministry of Magic! Even with so few people here a group of Death Eaters can't just come marching in unnoticed!"

She looked at him in stunned silence for a moment, then said softly, "You haven't a clue, have you?"

"A clue about what?"

"All they have to do is change robes." She said sadly, "You think Death Eater is their day job? There were Aurors there when we were attacked in that alley. It certainly wasn't us they were helping!"

Arthur's eyes had gone round. "Aurors attacked you? Alongside Death Eaters? In broad daylight? In uniform?"

"Several. They had us pinned down in an alley with an anti-Apparition spell firmly in place. They probably didn't think we'd have much of a chance to tell anyone." Penelope said darkly. She looked over worriedly as she heard one of the elevators start to rattle its way slowly down. When she looked back she gasped and turned to run.

Charlie caught ahold of her, keeping her from escaping. "Calm down! It's just Tonks. She's on our side." He said soothingly.

"Tonks?" She asked tentatively, looking Tonks over as she approached, adjusting her Auror robes. "I thought she was younger... and had purple hair..." she said, eyeing Tonks' hair, which was currently a somber black. She was already taking on a more 'dignified' appearance, as she often did in tense situations when she might be called upon to put on a good public face in her position of Auror. Florescent hair and the appearance of a teenager didn't exactly inspire confidence. Right now she looked more like Madam Hooch with tamed hair than anything.

"She's a Metamorphmagi."

As they watched, Tonks stumbled slightly as the hem of her robe caught under her shoe, but caught herself, starting to grow slowly taller to take up the slack in her uniform. A little smile flitted over Penelope's lips. "I see the resemblance now..."

Tonks looked up and came to a stop beside Charlie. "Wotcher! You must be Penelope."

Arthur cut in, wasting no time. "She says there were Aurors amongst the men who attacked her and Percy. They've discovered she's in the building and have blocked it off to Apparition, so they are probably already searching it. We need to get her out of here. I doubt they won't think to check her Father-in-law's office! Are there any back ways to smuggle her out?"

Tonks looked at him wide-eyed. "We've suspected a couple of the higher ranking Aurors for a time now, but only this morning had at least one confirmed in his ranks. If it's the ones we suspect, it's bad. Very bad. They put together all the newfangled wards and protections around the Ministry."

"So it's hopeless!" Penelope said in a pained voice, "You might as well just let me draw them off so they don't get you as well!"

"I didn't say that. We've just got to go old school on them." Tonks said with a grin.

Penelope blinked, obviously confused. "What?"

"This building has defenses and escape routes that have been here since it was built, and I've studied all of the ones that are still on record. Most of those men think of them as obsolete, so they haven't bothered. If we can get you to the lobby, just go to the fountain. Use your wand to tap the four corners of the dedication plaque in a clockwise direction starting in the upper right hand corner and say 'help'. It will open a trap door that leads to a tunnel. There... may be a bit of a drop," She said with a smirk, "But don't worry, there are spells to catch you at the bottom. Once you're in, hit the panel at the bottom with your wand and say 'block pursuit'. That will seal the passage for precisely two hours so they can't follow you even on the off chance one of them actually knows how to work it. Follow the tunnel and it will take you about a kilometer to the South, but you don't need to go that far. Their shield can't extend much further than these walls, so once you get past them you can Apparate out. We'll met you at the gates of Zabini Manor."

"But I don't have one of those ward things Percy told me about..." Penelope said anxiously.

"You're a Weasley. The house elves at the gate will guard you even before they get confirmation from their master. If you can get on those grounds, you'll be safe."

Penelope bit her lip uncertainly, but nodded. "But how do I get to the lobby in the first place? They're bound to check any elevators that are moving about..."

They all looked over as one of the elevators came to life with its usual clinks and clanks. They hurried over to the shaft and peered down. Penelope clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a little cry of fear. She backed away quickly before the four men slowly rising in the elevator could spot her.

"It's some of them." She whispered hoarsely.

Tonks took ahold of her and all but dragged her over to the elevator that they had taken up, which still sat there, waiting patiently. "Ok, listen to me carefully." She said in an urgent whisper. "These elevators will remain on the floor unless called by another, but no two elevators will wait on the same floor for more than thirty seconds. This one is already here, so if they get off on this floor, theirs will move off to a different floor once they have disembarked. You must wait for theirs to leave first, that's very important." She paused to make sure Penelope was following her. Penelope quickly nodded, though she couldn't seem to take her eyes off of the place where the men would stand in just a moment.

"Ok, I want you to get in the elevator and crouch down in the bottom so no one can see you unless they look straight in through the door. Don't do anything unless they spot you. If they do, I want you to say, 'Merlin code blue, lobby direct'. Have you got that?"

Penelope nodded quickly, "Merlin code blue, lobby direct." She repeated in confirmation.

"Exactly." Tonks said, then nudged her into the waiting elevator, where she crouched quickly down on the floor. "Oh... and one last thing... when you say it... hold on!" She said with a smirk, then hurried off to stand beside Arthur again.

They stood there, trying to look casual as the elevator continued to clank its way slowly closer to them. "Where's that other gargoyle?" Tonks asked softly.

"She said it was in the office." Arthur replied, glancing worriedly at Penelope. She was crouching there looking completely terrified.

"Well then we definitely stay out here. Wouldn't want them catching sight of that. They'd recognize it for certain. They aren't exactly common these days. Charlie, you stay with the gargoyle if we have to give chase to make sure she makes it."

"She's carrying Percy's baby!" Charlie whispered hoarsely, "I'm going to go help her!"

"There's nothing you could do but get yourself thrown into Azkaban, and someone needs to be in that office to make sure that gargoyle doesn't come after Penelope. We've seen how loyal they are, and if that thing goes after an Auror in public view it has signed its death warrant. Any magical creature that poses a threat to the wizarding public at large can be killed on sight. Don't fool yourself into thinking they won't! It already deprived them of their quarry once!"

They tried not to tense as the elevator came to a stop on their floor.

"So I should probably head down to Diagon Alley and see if they still need help." Tonks said in a normal voice, "Sorry. I know I said I'd make Christmas dinner this year, but..."

"I'm sure Molly will understand." Arthur replied, waving it off. "This is much more important."

Tonks nodded. "Well, tell her I'll stop back by to see her later if I can."

"That'd be great. And I'm sure we'll all be eager for an update. I just can't believe they would do such a thing..." Arthur said, shaking his head.

"Ya, well they're sick bastards. There's no accounting for them." Tonks said grimly.

"What are you three doing here?" A suspicious voice called from behind them.

They turned, feigning surprise. The Aurors came to a halt, their leader's arrogant sneer losing a bit of it's superiority upon seeing Tonks' robes. She vaguely recognized him. She couldn't remember his last name, but she was pretty sure his first name was Adrian.

"I was just going to show my son my new office. He's in from out of country for the holiday." Arthur said quickly, trying hard not to look over at Penelope.

"Well this isn't exactly the time for sight seeing tours." One of the others snorted derisively.

"Yes, well I had no idea about that when I brought him. There hasn't been any official notice that I know of. I'm surprised they haven't put out a special edition of the Daily Prophet yet..."

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Probably just gathering all the shite against the Ministry they can and hoping they can get permission to print the more graphic pictures. Fat chance, that!"

"So, what are you four doing here then?" Tonks asked curiously, "Surely you don't think those cowardly troll shaggers would be here of all places. Those sick headfucks are probably off diddling eachother or bending over for that demented snake lord of theirs."

They grinned, but she was pleased to see the little, barely perceptible flashes of anger in their eyes.

"Probably." Adrian said with a little laugh.

Tonks felt a wave of relief when the elevator they had used finally started making its way back down. The Auror in the back turned at the sound, spotting the elevator descending. As he was turning back, his eyes strayed into the other elevator. Tonks saw his eyes catch on Penelope, who was clearly visible from this angle.

"Who's that?" Tonks asked curiously even as the Auror's mouth opened to tell the others. The others followed her gaze, catching sight of Penelope as well.

"Hey you!" Adrian called out as they all started for the elevator.

"Mer... Merlin code blue..." Penelope stumbled in a terrified voice, "Lobby direct."

The doors to the elevator instantly snapped shut and the elevator zipped away so fast it almost seemed to simply disappear.

"Bloody Hell!" Tonks said, going over to the edge and looking to see if she could spot the elevator, "How'd she know that?"

Adrian glared at her suspiciously.

Tonks looked over at him, "Did she do something?"

"She's wanted for questioning." He answered shortly, hitting the elevator button angrily. The elevator had already fixed on a floor to rest on however, and wouldn't respond to the call until it reached it. "Let's go!" He snapped angrily and he and his men sprinted over, disappearing through the door to the stairwell.

Once they were gone, Tonks hurried over, lowering her voice just in case, "Charlie, get in that office. Arthur, you coming?"

"There's no way we can keep up with those men!" Arthur said worriedly, looking towards the door they'd gone through.

"Those men have no patience." She said, strolling over to the elevator call button. She took out her wand, touching the tip to the panel just above the button, circling it clockwise, then poked the button itself. "Now." She said softly.

The elevator arrived within seconds, the doors whipping open. Tonks grinned back at Arthur, tucking away her wand. "I've built my own trick or two into the building as well..."

She entered the elevator and he followed. "Assume the position!" She said with a smirk, crouching down and taking a firm grasp on the handrail. He took her word for it, doing the same.

The doors opened into the lobby barely ten seconds later. Arthur quickly disembarked, feeling slightly queasy. He was grateful to be on solid ground again, but it didn't feel quite as solid as it should at the moment. He kept feeling the residual sensation of rising and falling suddenly in his stomach.

"It goes away in a few minutes." Tonks said, clapping him on the shoulder, appearing completely unperturbed by the terrifying ride as she glanced around, trying to spot Penelope. "Oh bloody Hell!" She said in dismay, spotting her.

Penelope hadn't made it to the dedication plaque. There were a number of other Aurors encircling her and slowly closing, wands drawn. One was standing directly between her and the plaque, effectively blocking her escape whether he knew it or not.

Tonks' eyes darted around for a way to get her out, then caught on something. "I'm going to go do what I can. You..." She said, taking ahold of his arm and turning him slightly, "Do what you have to, but keep your name out of it!"

Tonks then sprinted over towards the impending confrontation. Arthur spotted what she had been indicating and gave a groan of dismay. Then he took a deep breath and sighed it out. Desperate times called for desperate measures. He tensed, trying not to cry out as one of the Aurors hit Penelope with a stunning spell from behind.

He hurried over as the Aurors closed in around Penelope's unconscious form, grabbing the arm of the woman who was just walking towards the fountain, having spotted the odd movement of the Aurors. "I thought you'd been asked not to come here anymore." He said crisply.

Rita Skeeter, her usual garish attire covered by more subdued colors today, looked over at him sharply. "It is a public place, and as such I cannot be banned from it!" She said pointedly.

"Well, you should just turn around and go back to that wretched paper of yours right now." He said, dropping his voice. "There is nothing for you to see here. No atrocities of justice are being committed right this moment over by that fountain. Those most certainly are not Ministry Aurors, and they are not attacking an innocent, very pregnant woman who happens to be the wife of the man who may have, at any point, submitted articles to your paper containing highly confidential and scandalous information that cast a very bad light on this Ministry. Furthermore, said man has not since disappeared just this morning under very suspicious circumstances involving one or more Aurors, so I suggest you realize that no one wants you here and go home!"

With that, he released her arm and left.

A wicked grin spread over Rita's face. "I'm getting to like that redheaded lot!" She said with a chuckle, grabbing ahold of her cameraman's arm and bustling over towards the fountain.

It took all of Arthur's will to force himself back into the elevator and take it back to his floor. He knew he couldn't get directly involved or the rest of his family would be in great danger, but it was killing him inside to leave the fate of his grandchild in the hands of others. He blinked back tears of worry and frustration as the elevator doors opened. Well, now he was faced with the dilemma of how to get a large, conspicuous animal out of the building with everyone stirred up.

When he got into his office, he saw Charlie over behind the desk and he could see a bit of the gargoyle as well. "They got her." He said grimly, "Took her down before she could get to the fountain. Tonks is going to do what she can, but I don't know how far that will go. Why did she have to come here if she knew Aurors were involved?"

"She needed shelter. Someplace safe. Besides, would you have gone out to some dodgy alley or something just because an unsigned letter asked you to?" Charlie asked, keeping his tone soft.

"Well if she was so keen on getting my help, why was she leaving when we got here?" Arthur asked in frustration.

"She was drawing them off so they wouldn't search your office."

"The gargoyle saved her, but I hardly think it was worth her getting caught to keep it from being discovered. They probably would have just taken it into custody as long as it didn't..."

"That wasn't what she was protecting." Charlie replied softly.

Arthur came around the desk, wondering what in the world his son was talking about. The gargoyle lay there, curled up and looking a bit worse for wear. As Arthur watched, Charlie shifted its wing aside. There, nestled safely against the gargoyle's side and fast asleep, was a small child. The shock of red hair peeking out of the blanket it was wrapped in made it unmistakably a Weasley.

Arthur felt like he couldn't breath. He moved closer, dropping down to his knees and reaching out, gently brushing the sleeping child's cheek. It snuffled softly in its sleep, but didn't wake. "Is... is this...?" He asked tentatively.

"According to this letter, this is Justin Arthur Weasley. Percy's first born. She must have gotten pregnant right around or a little before the... parting of ways."

The child's name deepened the pain in Arthur's heart immeasurably. Percy had named his first born after him, even thought they weren't even talking at the time. And the child looked to be around nine months old... which meant he must have been born right around the time Percy had started writing to him. Percy must have been telling him about the birth of his child. How much had he already missed because of his stubborn pride?

He gingerly gathered the little boy up in his arms, cradling the sleeping child to him and staring down at him in wonder, tears streaming from his eyes. This was his grandson. His very first grandchild. The boy seemed so big... nearly a toddler already, and yet this was the first he had set eyes on him. He just sat there and held him, feeling the unreasoning fear that if he let go the child would vanish and be gone forever... just like his parents... He clenched his eyes shut, cutting off the morbid train of thought. He would get his son back, and he would get Penelope back, along with the child she carried. He couldn't let himself even entertain any thoughts to the contrary.

"She placed a sleeping spell on him so he wouldn't wake and cry when he found himself alone. We had best get him back to Zabini Manor before it wears off. We're strangers to him, and he's bound to cry and attract attention."

That hurt as well, but Arthur knew it was no more than simple fact. The child didn't know them and they were likely to frighten it. He nodded, then rose, taking the little boy over and taking a seat in his chair, just holding him and staring at him in silent contemplation while Charlie went to work fixing up the gargoyle.

> > > > >

"For the last time, this is none of your affair, it is a confidential Ministry matter, and that is all you need to know!" The Auror said in exasperation, trying to look intimidating.

Unfortunately for him, intimidation only works if the person you are trying to intimidate has enough common sense and self-preservation to know what's good for her and when to back off. This was not such a woman. "Is this some kind of Ministry plot to cover up the abduction of that woman's husband?" Rita asked with a look of a ravenous carnivore set loose amidst a flock of unsuspecting prey.

"This is entirely unrelated!" He growled angrily. They had been going round and round for the better part of ten minutes and the woman just refused to accept any of his answers.

Rita grinned brilliantly, "Then you admit that her husband was indeed abducted and you, a Ministry Auror, has full knowledge of the incident."

"I... I said no such thing!" He said, stammering and looking back at the other Aurors, several of which rolled their eyes at him in irritation.

"You didn't refute that he was abducted or claim no knowledge of the incident, which is an admission in and of itself!" She said with a wolfish grin.

"If I may." A voice said softly from beside the flustered Auror. He looked over in surprise. He didn't recognize her, but she was wearing Auror robes and seemed willing to take over the little 'interview', so he didn't even object, quickly stepping aside.

Tonks stepped up, folding her hands calmly before her, her eyes the blue-gray of the sky over the sea in the wake of a storm. She smiled, seeming to exude serenity. "I'm afraid there has been some kind of misunderstanding here." She said calmly. "The report of Percy Weasley's abduction has not yet been confirmed, but due to the destruction of their home, which you reported on yesterday I believe, it was surmised that he and his wife had become targets of He Who Must Not Be Named. As such, we were under orders to take them into protective custody. We were unable to locate Mr. Weasley, but Mrs. Weasley obviously came here seeking asylum. A couple of our somewhat overzealous new recruits appear to have misunderstood their orders. It is probably merely a result of all the tension and anxiety caused by today's deplorable attack upon Diagon Alley. They will of course be reprimanded for their rash actions. Mrs. Weasley is, as I have stated, merely under protective custody, and we will use the full resources of this Ministry to insure her safety as well as that of the unborn child she carries."

"Is it standard practice to stun pregnant women when they are being put under 'protective custody'?" Rita asked shrewdly.

"As I said, that was the actions of a few unruly recruits and not our intention whatsoever. The way they approached her in number obviously frightened her and caused her to attempt to flee. I can personally assure you that Mrs. Weasley will be kept as safe and comfortable as the Ministry can possibly make her." She had spotted the four Aurors from before approaching warily. Adrian was eyeing her with a calculating look. He seemed to come to some kind of decision, walking briskly over to stand beside her.

"Absolutely." He said, putting on a winning smile. "She is absolutely correct. This poor woman has been through a great deal and we at the Ministry only wish to see her to safety. The Auror who stunned her was obviously unaware of her current condition or he would never have cast the spell in the first place. Even still, his only desire was to restrain her so she didn't injure herself or flee, putting herself into danger. We will, of course, open a floo link and take her directly to St. Mungo's to be looked over immediately. I'm sure she is fine, but we at the Ministry are not willing to take that chance in such a delicate matter. You are of course free to accompany her entourage to St. Mungo's, where you will see that we have only her and her child's best interests in mind." He then turned to Tonks. "I see you have everything well in hand, so why don't you head up the security detail that accompanies her?"

Tonks looked into his eyes. There was just something indefinably sneaky and loathsome about him. St. Mungo's was a low security location. No Auror in their right mind would take a high risk target into such an unpredictable and strategically dangerous establishment. There were just too many people... and most likely even more than usual right now with the attack. He was planning something, of that she was sure. It would be the best chance to take out Penelope before she could talk to anyone, and they could blame it on the hospital's lax security. Anyone with half a brain would simply move her to a safe location and bring a healer to her. Still, St. Mungo's might be the best place for Death Eater's to get a chance at Penelope, but it was also her best chance of getting Penelope away from them!

"If that is your decision, Adrian, I would be honored to lead up the security team."

"Excellent!" He said with a grin, though she saw a flash of something in his eyes. He obviously hadn't expected her to know who he was. She had noticed that he had carefully not introduced himself and kept 'conveniently' turning away whenever the photographer snapped a shot in his direction. He probably hoped to get out of being mentioned or remembered at all. "She is really one of our very best, and I'm sure Mrs. Weasley is in very good hands. I, unfortunately, still have duties to attend to in relation with the tragic Diagon Alley incident, so I will have to leave this matter in her more than capable hands."

She carefully restrained the laugh that so desperately wanted to escape her. He had no clue who she was, that much was obvious. She hadn't worked with him much, but she had noticed that he was one of the types that always made a point of using your name frequently when talking to you as if to assure you that he remembered you and 'cared'. Maybe it was this smooth, obviously premeditated and emotionally manipulative habit more than anything that had always struck her as somehow slimy, even before she had so much as suspected him of being on the other side. "Why thank you. Your confidence in me is well placed, I assure you. I will guard her with my life."

He grinned, and she could easily tell that that is exactly what he expected her to do. She could almost see him planning his statement on the tragic incident at St. Mungo's that had taken the life of their ward, as well as most, if not all of her entourage. She watched him curiously as he selected Aurors to accompany her from the growing group of Aurors clustered around where Penelope lay. She noticed most of the ones he selected were ones who had filtered in from various parts of the building, attracted by the disturbance. A number of them she knew to be fresh from training, a couple with no more than three months on the job.

One of the others he selected she had worked with and knew well. He was an old timer (being quite nearly a century old, which was getting along for an Auror, though he still looked to be no more than in his early fifties), and quite a lovable one at that. He was a Muggleborn who went simply by Christian. He had never asked her first name, and she had returned the favor. Truth be told, she had had more than a passing interest in getting to know him a bit better off duty, but unfortunately he had suffered a number of injuries, as was rather common in their line of work, and was consequently unable to 'pursue the interest'. It was absolutely tragic in her opinion, as she felt sure he would have been amazing in the sack.

Despite the fact that he was just as strong, spry and magically powerful as any other wizard she'd ever met this side of Dumbledore, the Ministry had already started shunting him into the little useless duties that invariable preceded retirement, whether voluntary or not. There wasn't a single doubt in her mind that he was firmly on her side, especially after seeing the surprise in his eyes when he was selected. He looked over at her, having no trouble by this point recognizing her in whatever form she chose, and a look of understanding passed between them. It had not passed his notice either that such a trip was ridiculously foolish, and all of the members of this detail were very much expendable.

"Right this way." Tonks said cordially to Rita, heading towards the nearest Floo link. Rita and her photographer followed eagerly.

Christian quickly scooped up Penelope as one of the green recruits tried to gather her awkwardly into his arms. "I got her, just get that link open." He said shortly.

The young man nodded quickly and ran ahead as Christian fell in behind Tonks.

Adrian watched them go, then turned to two of his men who stood nearby. They quickly closed ranks as he dropped his voice. "That woman had a baby. I can't imagine it's wandered far. Send that other newbie to search for it." He said, nodding covertly towards a young Auror who looked no more than twenty who was standing by, looking uncertain as to what he should do now that the excitement appeared to be over. "I'll wager it's somewhere on that floor where we saw her. Have him check Weasley's office. If he finds it, have him bring it himself, and make sure it disappears in route in another 'tragic little incident'. We can pass it off as a fatal rookie mistake."

One of the men nodded and eased casually over towards the young Auror.

Adrian then turned to the other man, "You will have to drop the barrier and go rally the troops. Small incursion, no more than eight men. More than that and they won't go unnoticed, and St. Mungo's is too dodgy a place to risk that many. A swift, unexpected attack should be sufficient. Either take the woman or kill her. She can't be allowed to regain consciousness and talk. She saw a number of us, and with that wretched Skeeter woman about you know they will be more than willing to print her accusations whether they are provable or not." He grabbed ahold of the man's shoulder as he turned to go. "As a matter of fact..." He said with a slow smile. "It wouldn't break my heart to see something tragic befall her as well..."

The other man grinned and headed off.

Neither of them noticed the tall, dark haired woman who was leaning casually against the column nearby, watching them contemplatively. Once they were gone, she pushed off from the column, plucking up her briefcase from where it rested. She reached up and pulled the clip out of her hair, making it fall halfway down her back in a waterfall of rich chestnut. She tucked the clip away, then started casually towards the elevators as the young Auror hurried off on his task.

> > > > >

Charlie shifted back in surprise as the gargoyle got a bit unsteadily to its feet. It went over, nuzzling the sleeping baby briefly, then went to the door. Charlie rose and went over, opening it and peering cautiously out. The gargoyle slipped out into the hallway. Charlie looked back at his father, but Arthur just shrugged. When Charlie looked back, the gargoyle had vanished.

"I... guess he'll meet us back at the manor." Charlie said, slipping his wand away. He'd only had a chance to mend some of the most grievous wounds, but it should hold the gargoyle for a while as long as it didn't get into any more fights.

"Right." Arthur said, rising, "We should get going as well."

Charlie stepped in front of him and held out his hands for the baby. Arthur looked at him in surprise. Charlie sighed, "If anyone sees us here they are probably going to recognize you. Everyone would know if you'd had another child, wouldn't they? I've been out of country for years. If push comes to shove we can say he's mine. Who's to refute it?"

Arthur sighed and nodded, reluctantly handing the baby over. He sealed his office while Charlie carefully arranged his cloak to cover Justin. As they made their way out towards the elevators, they could see one of them just coming to a stop on their floor.

"Just keep it casual." Arthur whispered as they saw the Auror in it.

The Auror looked up as he heard their footsteps and hurried out of the elevator. "Hey, you there. You Arthur Weasley?"

They came to a stop, "Yes. May I help you?" Arthur said, unconsciously sizing the boy up and trying to think of all the available escape routes.

"They said I should be checkin with you first. That woman that was up here earlier, did she happen to leave a tike with you?"

Arthur blinked and looked at Charlie, carefully covering his nervousness. "A tike? As in a child? Why would some woman leave a child with me?"

"Well, seein as how she's married to your son a'course." He said, frowning.

Arthur's eyes widened in feigned surprise. "Is she? Must be Percy she's married to then. I'm afraid we've been on the outs for quite a while now. Don't believe we've so much as spoken two words to eachother in well over a year and a half. You say they have a child?"

"Ya. And seein as the father's missin and the mother's in custody, it's my job to find the child and see that he's taken to the proper authorities to be cared for until such a time as its parents can."

"Percy's missing? Well... that's... I don't know what to say. Listen, if you do find the child, I would very much appreciate it if you could bring it to me and my wife. We may have issues with my son, but we'd be its closest blood relations, and we're not going to hold its fathers transgressions against it. I assure you we'd take very good care of it until my son is able to once again."

"Well that's not exactly my call, mate. I'll put in a word for you though if you like."

"That would be very much appreciated. We should really get going now. My wife will be expecting us."

"Hold up." The Auror said, putting a hand on Arthur's arm as he turned to go.

Arthur and Charlie paused, looking over at him and trying to keep the anxiety off their faces.

The Auror moved a bit closer and sniffed. He moved over to Charlie, sniffing some more, then reached out and pulled open Charlie's robe, revealing Justin. "What's this then?" The Auror asked, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at them.

"Um... this.. no he's actually..." Arthur started quickly.

"There you are!" A cheerful voice called out. They all looked over and spotted a very attractive young woman with long brown hair waving at them from the elevator that was just arriving. She rushed over as the elevator doors opened. "Sorry it took me so long. You know the paperwork around here! You ready to go?"

Charlie and Arthur looked at eachother, "Um..." Arthur started uncertainly.

"Come on. Molly will be beside herself with worry." She said, slipping her arm around Charlie's neck and pulling him into a deep, sensuous kiss. He certainly made no objection. When she finally broke the kiss, he looked slightly stunned.

Arthur took her briefcase instinctively as she held it out to him, then she slipped Justin out of Charlie's arms before he could even think to object. "There's my little precious." She cooed softly, cradling the little boy. "Oh you finally got him to sleep." She said, smiling over at Charlie. "I thought he'd never stop crying. We really need some more teething tonic. Could you pick some up tomorrow, dear?"

Charlie blinked. "Sure." He said quickly.

She grinned at him, leaning over and giving him another little peck. "Come on, let's get him home before he wakes up."

"That's your baby, is it?" The Auror asked skeptically.

She grinned. "Takes after his father mostly, I know. Hopefully the next one will look a bit more like me. Not that this one isn't absolutely adorable just the way he is, but I'd like people to be able to at least tell who its mother is!" She shifted back a little, pressing up against Charlie. "We'll have to work on that..." She said mischievously.

He grinned, slipping his arms around her and entwining his fingers over her flat stomach, pressing up against her and nibbling on her neck. "Definitely." He said in a low, husky voice.

She giggled, then sniffed. "Oh dear. Smells like someone has a pooey nappy! Do you have any diapers on you? I forgot the bag..."

"No. Sorry." Charlie replied.

She looked over at Arthur, but he just shook his head. She sighed. "Well let's get him home before he gets a rash." She said, nuzzling the boy's bright copper curls affectionately.

"You're expecting me to believe that you just happen to have an entirely different grandchild of just about exactly the same age with you when one goes missing here abouts?" The Auror asked suspiciously.

The woman looked over at him and a slow smile slid over her lips. "Aww..." She said softly, batting her eyelashes, "Don't you believe me?"

The Auror had a slightly dazed look on his face as a little grin tugged at the side of his mouth. "Um... I... uh... I didn't say that..." He cleared his throat and beamed at her.

She smiled, "I didn't think so..." She said, reaching over and patting his cheek. "You're so sweet to be looking in on us, but we'll be fine. See you later!"

"Any time..." He replied, a silly grin now firmly in place.

Arthur and Charlie quickly followed as she got into the waiting elevator. She grinned and waved as it started towards the lobby. The Auror just waved back with that same dazed, silly look on his face until they disappeared from sight.

She shifted around, making sure they were completely out of sight, then dropped her smile. "Ugh! Someone take this thing!" She said, holding out the baby. Charlie quickly took it. "This stink better come out, I happen to like this blouse. What in Merlin's name are you feeding that thing?"

"How did you do that?" Charlie asked in surprise.

She glanced over at him, "What? Throw Gomer up there for a loop? Oh please! Men are putty!" She said dismissingly, pulling her hair back and twisting it up expertly into a tight bun. clipping it into place. "Stop at the next floor." She said to the elevator.

"Why did you do that?" Arthur asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Like I want to have to deal with that kind of paperwork! Honestly!" She said, holding out her hand and snapping her fingers impatiently. Arthur handed her briefcase over. "I'll take the stairs, thanks. It's getting a bit ripe in here!"

The door to the elevator opened and she stepped out, then turned, holding the door. "Now get the rug rat out of here, get back to your little hidey hole and STAY THERE!" She said in an exasperated tone, releasing the door and turning, "I don't have time for this shite!" She muttered to herself as she walked away, "Playing bloody nanny! What next? Completely bloody unprofessional."

They just watched her disappear in stunned silence as the elevator continued along its way.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Draco watched silently as Blaise took Gray Feather into his arms. The woman was surprisingly docile. He supposed it was either from the calming spell Cullis had placed on her or the fact that Pax had already finished with her. He'd gone first to give Blaise more time to rest. Draco tried not to look at where Pax lay crying softly under the portable gurney they had brought for Narcissa. Pax had tried to hold it together after he finished with Gray Feather, but he'd broken down and crawled under the gurney when Draco asked him if he was ok.

Tobias had crawled under the gurney after him, slipping his arms around him and letting Pax hold him. Pax held on to him with a slight air of desperation much as Gray Feather had before, as if Tobias was the only thing keeping him sane. Pax now had the memories of both of Tobias' parents from what was probably the most emotionally ravaging experience of their lives. Draco didn't even want to venture a guess as to what he must be going through trying to sort through those memories and push them back to the back of his mind.

Draco heard the door open and close behind him and assumed it must be his mother and Lupin returning. Lupin had taken her to get back into her own clothing and get a few more tests done. He looked over as he heard a soft gasp. Grimsby was standing there, staring at Blaise through the odd, square spectacles that he had worn when working on binding Draco and Darien together. They made his eyes look very strange, seeming to shift around slowly, warping his eyes this way and that like mirrors in a carnival fun-house.

"Oh... I don't think we'll be requiring your services after all." Draco said, keeping his voice down. "The problem has been seen to..." He furrowed his brow. Grimsby didn't seem to be paying any attention to him.

"What is that?" Grimsby asked in an awed voice.

"That's Blaise. He's my best friend. He's not hurting her."

"I see that." Grimsby said shortly, "But what is he?"

Draco looked over at Blaise again. It was a bit hard to focus on him, his outline looking a bit smudged and out of focus when he was doing whatever he did to people, but it was hardly noticeable. He couldn't figure out what this man found so shocking. "He's human if that's what you're asking. Got hit with the White Wraith curse by a shadow demon and it had some... well... lasting effects I guess you could say."

"A wraith with a soul?" Grimsby said, obviously stunned by the very idea.

Draco got up. "He's not a wraith! He's just got some of their powers. He's..." He trailed off, having caught a glimmer of something through the edge of Grimsby's glasses. He plucked them off the man's face and put them on before he could even object.

Draco's jaw dropped. The world looked radically different through these bizarre glasses. He could see little of the room, no more than the faintest outlines in otherwise pitch blackness in fact. All he could really see was its occupants... but even those looked otherworldly. Gray Feather was no more than a flow of soft shades of turquoise and shell pink. What drew his attention, though, was what stood at her side.

Blaise was a nearly blindingly white stream of light with lightning-like flashes of brilliant color streaking across at random. It was as if the coloring of his eyes had spread out, engulfing him. He remained vaguely human shaped, but the whole surface of his body seemed in a constant state of flux both in color and shape. Tendrils like wisps of smoke curled out from him lazily, flowing around Gray Feather as he held her. This strange visage was both breathtakingly beautiful and at the same time inexplicably frightening.

"May I have my spectacles back now?" Grimsby asked a bit testily.

"What are these made of?" Draco asked, ignoring the man's request.

"They are made of what is called Spectral glass, and they are extremely rare, and I can't do my job without them, so I'd appreciate it if you would return them."

Draco looked over at the man. He was a sort of dark blue-green, but he also had pale, barely visible wisps flowing around him. Draco reached for the glasses to return them, but then thought of something, "Just a minute..." He said, turning and looking under the gurney behind him.

His breath caught in his throat. The demon was quite easy to spot... and strangely beautiful. He was obviously seeing both Harry and Pax at the same time, but it was hard to tell which was which. He was a wild blending of starkly contrasting shades of brilliant orange and royal blue. He didn't know why, but when he looked at him, he could almost feel the emotional pain radiating from him. The boy... he would never have expected what met his gaze when he looked upon him. He was a brilliant inferno of crimson with flickers of yellow, blue and tiny glimpses of white. As he watched, the boy turned his head towards him. Draco was shocked to see his eyes... he couldn't see the eyes of the others, but Tobias' were solidly visible... though they didn't look 'normal' by any means, being no more than eye-shaped spots of glowing turquoise.

The boy watched him for a moment, then got up, making his way over to his mother. Blaise had released her and lost much of his brilliance, now a more normal shade of white with only tiny wisps of color, though the ghostly, smoke-like tendrils still clung to him. Blaise backed away, letting Tobias crawl up on the bed beside his mother. Draco just watched the boy mutely. The colors that were his mother seemed to strengthen as he held her.

"They told me, but I didn't believe them..." Grimsby said as he stared at Tobias. "Beautiful, isn't he? That boy has amazing potential. You have no idea how relieved I am that he'll have the chance to live up to it." He glanced over, reaching up and gingerly removing the glasses from Draco's face, taking them and slipping them back into their protective case. "I don't know how it was accomplished, but I can't thank you enough for it. I've never been so saddened by failure as I was when I couldn't bring him back. Still... I have to ask... how?"

Draco looked over at him, still blinking his eyes to try to readjust them to normal vision. "That took a cooperative effort. Blaise took care of the soul, the demon stole the memories."

"A demon?" Grimsby asked, alarmed.

Draco nodded, looking back under the gurney. Pax had turned over, facing the wall. "Shadow demon. Same one that cursed him in the first place actually, but that was when he was my father's. He's mine now. He's taken on a lot today... couldn't have done it without him."

Grimsby took out the glasses again, slipping them on and looking at Pax. "Well would you look at that! Always wondered what one of those would look like." He said, lowering the glasses. "You sure it's safe?"

Draco smiled. "Depends on who you are. As far as we're concerned, yes, he's safe."

"Who is that it's inhabiting?"

"Harry Potter. That moronic git Fudge trapped him in there, so he really has no choice in the matter."

Grimsby nodded. "That would explain it. Raw coloring that strong isn't exactly common."

"So blue is strong?"

Grimsby gave a snort. "The color doesn't necessarily indicate the level of strength when in the cooler end of the spectrum. The warmer colors do tend to be the strongest magical talents leading up to white, which is pure light... but this is often wild and untamed magic. In this case, the color mostly indicates the level of control. It's hard to explain, but after a while you can recognize what is weaker and what is merely better controlled. There is more to it than just the glasses. I, myself, was touched by the White Wraith curse as a child... though it was merely cast by an older boy who was meddling in the dark arts, not a shadow demon. My father was a healer with a great number of antidotes at his disposal, including the one for that curse, so I was only under it's influence for a few minutes before being cured... but the memory of it stayed with me. Combined with the Spectral glass I've been able to be of some modest help at least. It is woefully incomplete compared to what I experienced under the curse, but it is at least a vague glimpse. Now your friend... Blaise? His talent is untamed as well really, but will most likely remain white no matter what level of control he gains over it due to the purity of its nature. As for the demon... you've made the assumption most probably would. They all immediately associate demons with the blazing inferno of Hell and would therefore assume he was the orange. These are merely silly notions spawned by Muggle religions. With the exception of a few rare sub-species, demons have very little to do with fire. In my experience, demons, unless very young, tend to be shades of blue at the spiritual level, as this one is. Harry is the orange. I admit I haven't seen many demons, but this one's particular shading is... unusual. Perhaps it's just the type it is... but most of the demons I've seen tend to be very dark shades... almost black." He shifted back slightly and took off the glasses as Pax turned back over, glaring at him, obviously not caring for being talked about as if he wasn't even there.

"Yes... well since you don't appear to need my services, I should probably run along. I may not have your friend's skill, but I'm still rather busy..." He said, tucking away the glasses and starting for the door. He paused half way there, turning back. "Oh... and Blaise?"

Blaise turned and looked at him, looking a bit dazed. "Hmm?"

"If you ever consider making this your profession, I would be honored to take you on for your apprenticeship. I believe we could learn a great deal from eachother."

Blaise scratched his side groggily, then wandered over, plopping down in a chair. "I'll bear that in mind should I get the urge." He said, settling in and closing his eyes.

Grimsby gave a little nod, then left.

> > > > >

"Everything's done then? We all ready to go?" Draco asked gently.

Pax took a deep breath and sighed it out, then nodded. He had finally come out from under the gurney and settled down in a chair. "Everything from before the hospital is gone from her mind." He said softly.

"Just before the hospital? Shouldn't you have wiped it all the way up to the present?"

Pax shook his head. "No. She asked to keep those memories."

"Why?"

Pax looked over at him. "There was a newspaper article. It didn't give names, but it can't be too hard to figure out. The outskirts of Hogsmeade aren't exactly teeming with people, and this family has been gone since the incident. Other's will figure it out. They will figure it out. They had to know what happened in at least a vague way, otherwise it would just traumatize them all over again to find out a second time. Besides, she wanted to make sure she remembered why she did what she did. She wanted to remember your mother. She wanted to remember you. Admittedly, I nipped and tucked her memory of her little attack on me. Made her forget the whole nearly killing her own child thing. That's a trauma all on its own. I... I'm sorry it's taking me so long to bounce back. It's been a very long day..."

Draco gave him a little smile. "Like I said, take all the time you need."

Pax sighed. "Let's go. Blaise's had a good rest, so if we don't leave soon he's libel to go wandering off."

Draco looked over. Blaise had indeed perked up again and was already eyeing the door. "Right. Time to leave then." He got up and went over, kissing his mother on the forehead. "I'll make sure they have the nicest, most comfortable coach available waiting for you when you get there. Take your time and don't rush it."

"I'll see that she makes it back." Lupin said with a little nod.

Draco smiled, "I thought you might." He said, clapping him on the shoulder as he passed by. "Alright then, gather up and let's head out."

Snape came over, his eyes on Narcissa as he came to a stop next to Draco. "I believe I'll accompany her as well. He's too weak right now to carry her if she should require it."

Draco smirked as he nodded. He knew Snape wasn't fond of Lupin. He was probably the only one who didn't appear too attached to the idea of Lupin and Narcissa together, but what he said was true. As much as he liked Lupin, and he really was getting to be quite fond of him, he wanted his mother and new siblings to be protected. He accepted the belt as Snape pulled it off, handing it to him.

They all looked over as there was a tentative knock on the door. Nancy was standing there, and Draco could see a number of Healers he didn't know standing behind her. They appeared to be some of the foreign Healers he'd seen helping out before.

Seeing she had their attention, she hurried over while the others peered in curiously. She came to a stop in front of the chair Pax was sitting in, "Um..." She blinked and he smirked. It was obvious she had been about to say his name, but only belatedly realized she hadn't a clue what to call him.

"Try 'Harry'. For simplicity's sake."

She grinned gratefully, "Harry... I was wondering... we were hoping you could do us a favor..." She said, indicating the waiting Healers.

"You want a favor from me?" He asked, surprised.

"The spell you... gave me. Do you think you can give it to them as well? I would simply teach them myself, but these fourteen have patients that need it immediately, and so there really is no time to learn it the old fashioned way... I can teach the others myself of course. I wouldn't even ask this much if it weren't urgent."

"Others?" He asked, rising.

She nodded. "There's about fifty more so far. They came from all over. Werewolves are not limited to a single region. It's a blessing really. They pitched in and helped us with the wounded when we needed it the most. New discoveries are broadcast over the interhospital link. I had no idea there would be this kind of response."

"Interhospital link?" He asked, looking at her, obviously bewildered.

"For new cures and treatments. We write it up and slip it in the outgoing box and a copy of it instantly appears in the incoming boxes of every other major hospital in the world."

Pax grinned over at Draco. "Guess you're not the only person who pays attention to the Muggles. Mind if I pop out for a moment?"

"Be my guest." Draco said with a smirk. He went over and took a seat in the far corner. Ginny was over talking to his mother and Lupin as Snape watched over them, Blaise was curled up in a chair resting, and Gray Feather and her husband were both fast asleep. He settled back, enjoying the calm respite. It had been quite a day.

Tobias slipped off the bed where he'd been lying next to his mother comfortingly. He looked around, then made his way over Draco.

Draco smiled up at him as the boy just stood there looking hesitant. "Hey there. Something on your mind?"

Tobias glanced over to make sure no one else was close enough to hear, then said in a quiet voice, "Can I come see her?"

Draco blinked. "Come see who?"

Tobias stuck his hands in his pockets uneasily, then gave a little nod towards Narcissa.

"My mum?" Draco asked in confusion.

Tobias rolled his eyes. "Not her, silly. My sister."

Draco blinked again, stunned and unable to think of any reply.

Tobias sighed. "I'm eight. That doesn't make me daft. It also doesn't make me deaf."

Draco let out a pained breath. They had apparently been a bit too loose lipped around the boy. "Listen... there's something you have to understand about that..." He began sadly.

Tobias scuffed his toe against the rug under his feet. "I know it's your dad's. I know he's a bad man and he did awful stuff to us. I don't remember it, but I know it happened. I won't tell my sisters or my parents or anything... I just wanted to see her sometimes..."

Draco felt a lump catching in his throat. He nodded. "Sure." He finally managed. "Anytime you want."

Tobias grinned happily, then he looked Draco over thoughtfully. "So... if my sister is your sister too... does that make us brothers?"

A grin slipped over Draco's lips. "I'm not sure if it does... I'm not great shakes at the whole technical familial ties... but I wouldn't mind having a little brother..."

Tobias' grin lit up again. "So is the white-eyed spirit's boy going to be another brother?"

That took him a second to unravel. "If his is a boy it would be my brother... it wouldn't have any more direct blood relation than you and I, but I guess you could consider him yours as well if you like."

Tobias looked positively jubilant. "Two brothers..." He said in soft spoken awe. "Been askin mum my whole life for brothers instead of poxy sisters! Not that the new one will be poxy, but older ones are. You two'll be enough for me. I can stop buggin her now."

Draco grinned, then furrowed his brow. "What makes you so certain your mother's will be a girl and Blaise's will be a boy? In fact, how did you even know it was Blaise's?"

Tobias' grin became a bit mischievous. "They just are." He said with a little knowing shrug.

> > > > >

Christian sidled up beside Tonks as Tonks waited at the reception area of the emergency room for the receptionist to return. The other Aurors were milling about, several of them peering through the doors into the triage rooms. Rita Skeeter and her cameraman were interviewing one of them, and seemed to be watching warily for something... or someone. Christian glanced around, then spoke in a low voice, moving his lips very little. "This is a setup, isn't it?"

"Mmhmm." Tonks replied softly.

"And yet you agreed to it?"

"Mmhmm."

"That bastard's gone over to the other side, hasn't he?"

"Mmhmm."

"Sweet Lord, you had best have a plan little missy! These kids couldn't take on a single Death Eater if they joined together! They're still practically in diapers! Except for Conners. He's been watching us like a hawk the whole time. Whatever this is, he's in on it."

"Mmhmm."

Tonks caught sight of a Healer and hurried over. "Excuse me!"

The blonde smiled, coming over. "How badly are you hurt? The triage is set up by severity."

"Oh no... we didn't come from in Diagon Alley. I am Auror Tonks, this is Senior Auror Christian..."

The woman blinked, "Tonks? Nymphadora Tonks?"

Tonks grimaced and the woman smirked. "I'm Healer Becka Sanders. Draco's told me a bit about you. Have you come to see him? He's just about to leave..."

"He's still here?" Tonks asked in surprise. She thought sure they would have concluded their business and been gone long ago.

"Yes, well he played healer and helped us out quite a bit. He has quite a natural talent for the field actually. Last I heard he was finishing up his business with the Rayne family and was scheduled to leave soon.

A plan started forming in Tonks' mind. "We have his sister-in-law here. She is under our protective custody. We can't mix her in with the general populous for safety reasons. I'm sure the family would prefer to have someone they know look after her... do you think you could ask Draco to do the honors?"

Becka's eyes flicked to the other Aurors and took in the way the short blond haired man was watching them. "But of course. In fact, he's in the best area of the hospital for high profile patients. The whole half of that floor has been secured. Let me just get someone to lead you there..." She looked around, spotting one of the helpers and hurrying over to him. She whispered softly to him, indicating the woman Christian still held. Tonks looked over at Christian. Penelope's weight didn't even seem to phase him. Tonks smirked as she looked him over.

Christian caught the look and smirked back. "Eye on the ball, kitten." He whispered softly. She just grinned at him mischievously.

The helper hurried up with a gurney and Christian carefully deposited Penelope on it, then took up position on one side while Tonks took the other. The other Aurors trailed behind them. Their disorganization irritated Tonks, but not as much as realizing that it was Mad-Eye Moody's influence that made her even pay attention to such things. She silently promised herself she wouldn't turn into a little Moody.

> > > > >

"Ready to go?" Becka asked briskly as she bustled into the room.

"Hmm? Oh..." He looked over, spotting Pax making his way back into the room. "I guess so."

"Good. Let's get you ready." She said, pulling off the robe he'd just put on and snatching up the Healer's robes he had worn earlier.

"What are you doing?" He asked her warily as she tugged the robe onto him hurriedly, transferring his wand to the new robe.

"You have one more patient to see on the way out. I'm pretty sure it's urgent."

"Another patient... I'm not really a Healer if you've forgotten. Wouldn't you be better qualified?"

"Personal request. It was Tonks. She is bringing a woman she says is your sister-in-law and she has a whole bevy of Aurors with her. She says the woman is under protective custody."

"The Aurors have Penelope?"

"Oh bloody Hell." Pax breathed. "We have to spring her."

"From the Ministry? That would be just slightly illegal..."

"In this case, legal equals dead. Am I gonna have to try to hint at you incessantly to no avail again?" Pax growled irritably.

"I think that's what Tonks had in mind as well. The springing part that is. She was very specific about wanting you to see to the woman, who is quite pregnant by the way..."

"What?" Ginny asked in shock.

"Approaching her third trimester from what I could tell. I have one of the helpers leading them here. I cut through the back passages and such to beat them. So get out there... but do that thing with your hair against first..."

Pax whipped out his wand and quickly waved it at Draco. Then at Ginny, Blaise and himself.

"Would it even be safe for a pregnant woman that far along?" Draco asked, keeping his voice low.

"A damn sight safer than her current situation I'd say." Becka replied, folding her arms across her chest.

Draco sighed and nodded. "See you in a bit." He called over to his mother, thankful the 'grownups' had been out of earshot. His mother would probably hyperventilate if she knew he was even contemplating what he was about to do.

He looked down as he felt a tug on his pant leg. Thyra was looking up at him uncertainly.

"You stay with my mother." Draco said, noting how weary she still looked. Apparating would be much easier on her than Blaise's portkey.

Thyra nodded demurely, obviously thinking she was being dismissed. He sighed and went down on one knee before her. "I need you to watch over her." He said softly. "She's got two more little masters in that belly and I want them as well protected as possible. I'd feel much better knowing you were with her."

Thyra's eyes were big and watery as she quickly nodded her head. "Thyra is not letting you down master." She squeaked.

He grinned and patted her head, getting up and hurrying after the others out into the corridor. He took the lead, spotting Tonks and Christian approaching with the gurney followed by the before mentioned group of Aurors and none other than Rita Skeeter and her photographer. They came to a stop as the two groups met. "I trust you'll take care of her properly." Tonks said solemnly.

"I'll do my best..." Draco said as Ginny and Pax came up on the other side of the gurney, Blaise beside him. They all had to try hard not to glare hatefully at Rita, who was coming up behind them, looking smug and pleased with herself at having gotten into the hall that had been secured largely to keep her out.

Blaise leaned over closer, whispering softly to Draco. "I'll activate the key to send you all back, but I need to stay here."

Draco looked over at him sharply. "Not bloody likely!"

"There are people here who need my help! I can't just leave!"

Draco sighed, then saw something past Rita and the Aurors. There was a group of men moving up the hallway. They were wearing St. Mungo's Healer's robes, but what he could see of their clothes underneath didn't look consistent at all and Draco knew he'd never seen any of them on the staff before. He unbuckled the belt from where he had fastened it around his waist and slipped it out while pretending to check Penelope's pulse. He looked up sharply as Pax eased away, sidling back to lean against the wall.

Draco tried to catch his eye to get him to return so they could all get ahold of the belt at once, but Pax wasn't paying attention to him. His focus was down the hall on those approaching men. He saw his lips moving ever so slightly and felt a tickle of nausea in the pit of his stomach. The men came to a stop as the first of the Aurors spotted them.

"Get over here!" Draco hissed urgently. He couldn't leave Pax there. He would have no way back to the Manor.

"Wait for it." Pax said softly, not taking his eyes off of the men.

Draco tensed as the fake Healers pulled out their wands. Pax just watched, grinning as they all started blasting away at once. Blinding flashes illuminated the outline of an invisible hemisphere completely surrounding the disguised Death Eaters. They all watched in shock as the Death Eaters' own spells ricocheted around wildly in the confined space until they found targets. In moments the light died away. Through the smoke they could see that every last Death Eater lay on the ground, undeniably dead.

Pax let out a little giggle. "That was bloody brilliant!" He said, looking over at Draco, "Can we wait to see if they have backup?"

"No!"

Pax sighed. "Killjoy." He muttered, shifting away from the wall. As he did, they could see him pulling his wand tip away from the stone. A yellowish tendril clang to it for a moment, attaching it to the wall, but then it snapped and they heard a soft pop as the shield surrounding the Death Eaters dissipated.

Pax wrinkled his nose and hurried over, latching on to the belt. "On second thought let's get out of here. This place reeks."

"Everyone grab on and I'll send you back." Blaise said softly, looking over to make sure the Aurors were preoccupied.

Pax rolled his eyes. "Draco... time to dangle the bait."

Draco grinned. He figured that would be the demon's plan. He reached over and touched Blaise's hands. Blaise's eyes darted over to him, instantly back to their full wraith glory. He reached for Draco, but Pax seized his wrist. "Not here. You want to patch up that little jigsaw puzzle you have to come with us."

Blaise strained against Pax's grasp, but the demon was stronger at the moment. He gave up in frustration, grabbing up the belt end. They all took ahold of Penelope and Blaise pressed his finger to the buckle.

Rita Skeeter turned as there was a sharp clap behind her. All that met her gaze was an empty gurney.

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - Ok, for those of you only reading the major change to this chapter, the scene is right after you meet the brown haired woman at the Ministry, before Draco & Co. leave the hospital. I've removed the part about me not postin for a while cause it feels silly reposting that, but I left the rest of the author's note intact cause I'm too lazy to weed through it ;P

Hey, just a note for those of you who are interested: they finally closed the Draco/Ginny awards contest for entries and are now judging. They say it will probably be about the beginning of June when we find out the results. I said I'd tell you when I heard more about the "reader's choice" part of the contest. Well, they just put up a link on the site (www dot magicaltheory dot com) where you can go and vote. Go ahead and look over the other entries, and if you chose to vote, they ask that you only vote once. They can track where you're voting from, so I doubt double entries would be counted anyway. I'm going to try to finish this whether I win or not, but I'm really gonna do my best to wrap this up before the final results (though this bloody inspection will make that a pretty small amount of time) just in case I lose and wind up in a manic depressive funk or something. I know, promises promises, I've been saying I was going to end it since like before chapter 50, but I really am gonna try. Just having a hard time staying motivated lately. It's nice not having to deal with people leaving disheartening reviews on anonymous mode, but I must admit I miss the numbers. I'm still getting reviews of course, they just seem to have dropped off quite a bit. Yes, I got a decent rush of reviews in the first two days, and I wrote nearly half this chapter in that amount of time, but since then the reviews dropped off drastically. I didn't get a single review for like three days, and only a handful of really short ones in the couple of days before that. Since then I've gotten a couple short ones for previous chapters, but little feedback to help the current portion of this endeavor. Not unexpected I suppose, but still. Oh well, moving on.

I've had a couple of people asking me lately if they can use some of my ideas in their own fictions, such as Draco flying with the Thestrals and such... I must admit, when I was first asked, I had an undeniable wave of possessive angst. I know it's silly to feel proprietary when I'm using someone else's universe in the first place (namely J.K.'s), but I felt it never the less. I wonder if J.K. feels this way when she hears about fanfics? It's an unsettling thought. (sighs) This is, as I've said, really not mine in foundation, but I can't seem to stop thinking of it as fundamentally mine somehow. Still, that said, Thestrals don't belong to me. Draco doesn't belong to me (I wish!). Very few of these characters do. Well... hmm... actually a number of them do. Most of them not in the original core group actually. Thinking about it, even this incarnation of Blaise is mine. The vague physical description comes from... well whomever started it (I saw it in a number of fanfics, so am unsure of its true origin), and the name of course is J.K.'s , but I very much doubt she had this Blaise in mind at the time. Anyway... to my point. I suppose I can't rightfully tell you no, but I do ask that any similarities be vague at best, and if it shares any even vaguely recognizable aspects of my story (and especially characters I've created!), please reference me and my story in the first chapter of your story. I ask this for two reasons: One, if some of my other fans see you 'borrowing ideas' without citing the source, they may turn you in for plagiarism and get you or at least your story booted otherwise... and the second reason is a bit selfish. Plagiarism is one thing I absolutely cannot abide in writing. I know, this universe isn't mine, but I have thoroughly credited my sources. I ask you to cite me because I don't want anyone to think I'm copying off of you! I plan on posting this on another site or two after I'm done, and so the start date may be after your own, and if I get people saying "hey, you stole that idea from such and such" I'm gonna get pissed off. If it really is that similar and you don't have a reference to my story I can point out to that person, we are going to have issues. Guaranteed. A reference is such a simple thing, I don't see as it's too much to ask. Common courtesy really. I'd also appreciate an email telling me about the story (with a link if possible). I can't guarantee I will read it, especially if I'm writing something else (I'm a bit of a purist, not reading anything else while I'm writing, otherwise I can lose my muse) but I'd like to have the option. Just say like "Flight of the Thestrals" in the subject line so I don't pitch it thinking it's spam (which I get tons of). If you've got time when you email me, I'd appreciate it if you could also tell me what bits of mine you used. It might make reading it more enticing ;P I'm the curious type if you couldn't tell.

ShiningSilverSerpent - As Kulia explained in the beginning of chapter 45, she used a spell so that both the twins could fertilize the same egg, making it almost certain it would split. Any snow elf woman could have fraternal twins by simply using a fertility spell and shagging two guys (as Pansy found out!), but those aren't the kind that hold the special power. So, yes, they are both the fathers and Kulia's twins are identical.

Potions Goddess - Kulia and the twins getting married... well, I'm not sure it would be legal for even one of them to marry her. She is technically a magical creature, and I doubt the archaic Ministry would authorize a wizard marrying a magical creature, let alone two (let alone BROTHERS!). And at any rate, so far their relationship is still officially 'casual'. Falling in love isn't something snow elves let themselves do lightly. As we've seen with Balthys, once they fall in love, they never stop loving them, no matter what. He had only been able to remarry in the past after his wives had passed on. You never heard him say anything about ever getting divorced! And I think the number of relationships he's had is only due to his dual nature. He loves them forever, as any snow elf would, but the incubus in him makes him seek someone else to love after they have passed on. Of course then the snow elf kicks in again, making it hard for him to keep his relationships 'casual' and he winds up back in love again. It's a vicious cycle.