A/N: First off, I am so, so, so sorry this took so long. I've been swamped in a massive Auditing course. It's finally finished. Well almost. Just studying for the exam now. Anywho, I digress. I'm fully prepared to get all over this story. Without further ado, enjoy and let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 2 – Wash Away My Sins
Percy took a deep, ragged breath and hesitated briefly before following Healer Marshall through the door into uncertainty. Upon learning of his wife's request all of his logic had fled and a wave of searing rage had engulfed him. At the time, he'd craved nothing more than to throttle the ferret to within an inch of his life. Percy hadn't experienced anger and jealousy of that magnitude in a very long time, if ever.
Once he'd been restrained and pacified by his mother and Harry, he'd felt truly shaken by the sheer force of the emotions that had rocketed through him. In hindsight, it felt unnatural and extreme. It was totally unlike him to lose control so completely but he quickly dismissed his volatility, ascribing blame to a sleepless night full of intense stress. He'd almost lost his wife.
Who was he kidding? If he were being entirely honest with himself, he'd acknowledge the probability that he already had lost her. Maybe not physically but if the healer was correct and Pansy's memory really had been wiped, there was no telling how badly things could turn. The notion that this could be permanent made his insides reel and clench viciously but he pushed on through the door.
An almost harsh beam of sunlight streamed in through the large windows to his right, washing half the room with a hazy yet cold glow and illuminating the dust specks that danced slowly in the stagnant air. Suddenly his ears were assaulted by a whiny chatter – he would know the timbre of his wife's voice anywhere, but this sound was foreign to him.
Percy did a slow sweep of the room, searching for the source of the twittering, when his eyes took hold of their target. His Pansy was propped up comfortably on two very plump looking pillows, an expression of absolute adoration smothering her features as she gazed at the man sitting by her bed. His Pansy was playing idly with said man's hands as she kept looking up coyly though her lashes at the wanker. His Pansy reached up and brushed a sole finger along the berk's cheek. Staring daggers at the git's back, Percy could feel himself hurtling headlong into a mad, red kind of rage. That prat was doing nothing to stop her. He was holding her hands and speaking in a low tone with her.
Percy was on the verge of advancing when he felt a hand gently grasp his shoulder, easing him back. He glanced sideways to find Harry just behind him, calm, yet a look of consternation marring his brow. Their eyes met, a look pleading for patience… for silence… passed from one to the other.
--
Sensing the new presence in the room, Draco turned to look over his shoulder. As his eyes fell on the tiny, old healer as well as the two solemn looking men at the door, he shot clear out of his chair, dropping Pansy's hands unceremoniously. A scowl riddled its way over her face and she snatched his right hand back into hers. Shifting her cool gaze to the recent arrivals, she arched a solitary brow and gave them a disgusted sniff.
"Yes? Can we help you?" she snapped.
"Good morning… um… Pansy!" the healer faltered. "How are you feeling?"
Pansy's eyes shifted uncertainly to the men standing just to the woman's right. If she wasn't mistaken, one was definitely Harry Potter and the other looked distinctly like a Weasel, but of course they all looked the same to her. Her mind cycled quickly through the possible reasons for their presence.
"I'm feeling… I'm feeling a bit queasy if you must know. And my head is simply aching. What? What is it?" she barked suddenly, her eyes pinning the red head with derision. "Why do you keep staring at me, you disgusting little mite? Draky, love, why are these men here? I'm not well and I just want us to be alone," she simpered as she pawed her way up his arm.
"I know, my… my love." Draco mumbled, still holding her hand.
At this, Percy's entire frame went rigid and the room was plunged into a scorching silence. A wave of inexplicable anxiety rolled through Pansy's chest. Why had the atmosphere become so charged? She wanted to move… to fly… to flee. She did not want to spend one more second under that man's intense scrutiny, but she felt paralyzed.
After a few excruciatingly long seconds, Percy pulled his eyes away and moved stiffly to the windows. He stopped, crossing his arms tightly over his chest and stared blindly out on the warm day, the searing hurt playing so plainly on him.
"Draco," Harry muttered darkly, interrupting the deafening silence, "may I speak with you in the hallway, please?"
Pansy, whose attention had been drawn to the man at the window by a sick kind of detached curiosity, snapped her eyes back quickly.
"Draco, love," she whinged, "don't leave me."
"I'll just be a few minutes, Panse," he assured her as he moved over and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Sparing Percy a brief glance, Draco followed Harry out of the room. With a calculating glare, Pansy glanced back at the redhead by the window, intrigued by the possible reason for his presence.
"Mrs. We… Pansy," came the healer's voice.
Pansy pulled her eyes away and pinned them on the little old witch now standing at the end of her bed. "Yes?" she quipped, folding her now free hands in her lap and sticking her chin up and out slightly.
"You mentioned you felt nauseous and that you had a head ache. How are you feeling now?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course I still…" Pansy's words petered out as she realized that the dizziness and dull throbbing in her temples had disappeared. "I… Actually, I think I'm feeling a little better. Thank you."
The healer quickly shot the man standing across the room a glance and then murmured, "Good. That's very good," as she looked back down to the open file in her hands.
The man merely turned his head slightly toward the room in miniscule acknowledgement. The looks did not go unnoticed by Pansy, however.
"Can I ask you something, healer…" she paused, grasping for the woman's name.
"Marshall."
"Healer Marshall. Yes. Sorry. What is he doing here? Is he my lawyer or something?"
Percy's shoulders sagged ever so slightly, and his chin dropped in defeat as he turned back toward the windows.
"Mr. Weasley, you mean?" the healer asked, needing clarification.
"Yes. What is… Mr. Weasley doing here?" Pansy managed, spitting his name out in distaste.
"He… He's your husband… Mrs. Weasley."
Percy finally turned to face the room to find Pansy staring at the little healer in wide-eyed horror. This was going to be a lot worse than he'd initially imagined.
--
Draco felt himself grabbed by the arm and turned abruptly around. He came face to face with his very angry lover.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Harry whispered hoarsely.
"What are you talking about?" Draco offered lightly as he looked down and drove his hands into his trouser pockets, the picture of nonchalance.
"You know exactly what I mean. What was all that 'love' crap about? Why were you holding her hand?"
"Harry, she's been through a lot. I was just comforting her."
"Draco…" Harry growled low in warning.
"You know the healer said we had to keep her calm until Percy arrived. I was just going along with it to keep her happy."
"That's a load of utter bollocks, and you know it."
"Harry…" Draco murmured pleadingly as he stepped forward, trying to slip his hands around Harry's waist.
"No," Harry barked in response, shaking Draco's hands off him. "There was no need to be that… that…"
"Harry, you know it meant nothing to me," he cajoled as he attempted to move into his lover's personal space again.
"It meant something to Pansy though and you know it. Draco, she's not herself. You're lucky I was there to hold Percy back. He was damn well ready to kill you."
"Oh please, we're talking about Percy Weasley here."
"Draco, we're talking about a man's wife here. You're fortunate to still have all your limbs."
"I'll be more careful next time," Draco managed through a barely concealed smirk.
"Next time?" Harry's eyebrows climbed.
Draco shifted uncomfortably with the unintentional admission. "I was just teasing."
Harry stiffened, sensing the lie. "There will not be a next time, Draco. Pansy is a strong woman. She can handle the truth."
"She's one of my closest friends, Harry. I can't abandon her."
"I didn't say you should. But you also shouldn't make her think she has a chance with you."
"That's not what I was doing." Draco defended.
"Really? Well, it certainly looked that way from where I was standing."
"Harry, you're being ridiculous."
"Am I?" Harry shot back.
"Yes, you are." Draco countered.
Suddenly, a loud peel of laughter erupted from Pansy's room. The two men regarded each other with shock for a brief moment then made quickly for her door.
--
Harry and Draco stumbled into the room to find Percy staring motionless out the window, a dead expression blanketing his features and Pansy yammering incessantly at the helpless mediwitch.
"You've got to be kidding me. I'm married to… to that? What, in Merlin's name, happened to my sense of decorum… my sense of style and taste? Did my pride and self esteem simply fly out the window?"
"Pansy…" Draco tried to interrupt her rant.
"Draky, this is your worst prank yet. You're trying to tell me I married a Weasel? Why in the world would I so debase myself? Next thing you'll be trying to convince me that we have a litter of little weasels running around."
The emotional temperature in the room dropped suddenly as the existence of three very innocent souls came back to the front of everyone's mind. Percy turned quickly, and with a terrified gleam piercing his blue eyes, he silently pleaded with the other two men to remain quiet. Stunned for a moment by the revelation, both Harry and Draco gave a slight nod, agreeing to keep that piece of vital information concealed. Pansy, however, watched the minute exchange with keen interest.
"No," she breathed out low and heavy, "you're not serious."
In the next instant, a deep, full laugh rumbled through her chest and she clapped her hands together in a malicious glee. "Oh Draky, you have really gone above and beyond this time. This I simply have to see."
"What are you on about?" Harry tried to question but Pansy was not to be deterred.
"Bring them in," she announced pompously.
"Who?" Percy offered, attempting lamely to lead her off.
"Oh you know who 'husband of mine'," she sneered viciously. "I want to see my children. Bring me my children," she shouted in a loud royal proclamation of sorts.
"Mrs. Weasley, I really don't think that is a very good idea at this time," Healer Marshall piped in, finally entering the fray.
Pansy shuddered at the mediwitch's manner of address, but straightened her shoulders and found her resolve. "Are you going to deny me access to my babies? I want to see my little rodents." She had tried to remain formal, but she couldn't quite manage to keep the playful smirk off her face, or the giggle from her voice.
Seemingly from nowhere, Percy flew forward from his haven by the windows to her bedside.
"Listen you … you little…" he snarled in a low, dangerous growl. "You really want to see them? Fine, you'll see them. But you so much as say one hurtful word in front them… to them… and I swear to Merlin… No matter how much I love you, I'll… I swear I'll…" Percy was visibly trembling with his barely suppressed anger. Without warning, he spun on his heels, stormed over to the chairs at the other end of the room, and promptly collapsed in a heap.
Pansy's eyes had gone wide at his admission. She'd never had a man profess his love for her so passionately even if it was in the course of leveling a threat. Either this Weasel was quite the actor or… No, she did not want to consider the "or" of this situation. It was far too devastating a prospect.
She squared her shoulders and sat up a little straighter. "I promise to behave. Honest."
No one moved. It seemed even breathing would cause too much of a disturbance in the tense atmosphere and encourage the bed ridden tyrant.
"I promise," Pansy simpered playfully, trying to infuse some light sincerity into her plea.
Harry looked to Percy and found him hunched over with his face buried deeply in his palms. He had apparently given up on being a participating member of the conversation.
"I'll be back in a moment with your children, Mrs. Wea… Pansy," Healer Marshall offered quietly. "Before I go, I would like to impress upon you how traumatic this event has been for them. Please try to maintain a…" the small woman stopped, searching for the right words. "Just… be nice."
With that, the tiny witch turned brusquely toward the door. Pansy scowled at the healer's receding back. How dare the old hag lecture her!
An oppressive weight of silence took hold of the room. Fiddling idly with the edge of her bed sheet, Pansy tried for an air of boredom but her obvious tension gave her away. Harry and Draco slowly paced about the room careful to avoid eye contact with each other. Percy, however, did not move a muscle in his huddled state.
The door slowly began to push open and Pansy's eyes darted to the entrance, training themselves hungrily on the sudden movement. Without warning, Percy jumped out of his chair almost as if he'd been shaken awake, and moved to meet the new arrival. A lone girl of about ten edged her way cautiously into the room, the fear playing openly on her face suggesting that she had received the full details of her mother's predicament.
Pansy gawked in wonder at the child, blind to the way her "husband" hovered protectively at the peripheral. Her recent derision forgotten, Pansy swept her eyes appraisingly over the girl. She had long, thick, curly black hair - it was a presence almost unto itself. Her eyes were an icy blue, her skin alabaster, and her cherub lips looked as if she'd just been gorging on raspberries. Pansy felt an incredible swell of pride and something else she couldn't quite place. The child was absolutely beautiful. Everything Pansy had always dreamed for in a daughter. It was almost too good to be true.
Pansy narrowed her eyes in calculation and shifted her sights to Draco. "Lovely little thing, wouldn't you say, Draky? Good choice."
Percy tensed but before he could respond, Pansy continued on. "What's your name child?"
Edging toward her father and clasping his hand for support, the child responded meekly, "Miranda."
"Miranda. That's a lovely name," Pansy responded tersely. "Is this the only one?"
"You have two more, Pansy," Draco answered.
"Two more?" she burst out loudly, laughing all the while. "What? Are we rabbits now?" she asked Percy jovially. It was clear she still believed this was all a ruse. "Well, show the little critters in."
Percy stepped forward threateningly, but as if on cue the door swung open and a toddler came barreling into the room.
"Mummy… mummy… mummy…" the boy gurgled jubilantly as he lumbered onto the bed and began an ungainly crawl toward Pansy.
Everyone's eyes went wide in disbelief and horror as Pansy began to frantically pull away, pressing herself desperately into the headboard to escape the onslaught.
"Get him off! Get him off me!" she wailed as she began to wave her arms blindly in front of her to ward off the gregarious child's advances.
As the child shakily began to stand to engulf his mother in a hug, Pansy's hand lightly connected with his chest sending him further off balance.
Everything from that point on happened in slow motion. The little boy began to flail his arms desperately for something to stop his imminent tumble, but it was to no avail. He began to topple backwards off the bed, head first into a nasty landing on the hard tiled floor.
A collective gasp resounded through the room, and Percy leapt forward to stop the impact but could not make it across the room in time. Everyone waited for the sickening thud of the child's body making contact with the floor but it did not come.
As the chaos of the moment settled and focus returned, the room fell deathly quiet by what had and was still transpiring. There at the side of the bed, the toddler was suspended mere inches off the ground, hovering in mid air. The three men looked to each other and the healer quickly, searching for who was levitating the boy but found only wide-eyed confusion all around.
All four looked to the only other person in the room capable of that level of magic. Pansy, her tense arms shaking and extended out reaching for the boy, had a look of sheer terror glazing her eyes. The moment held for a few seconds, giving the chance for the image to burn itself into everyone's memory. Then in a flurry of action, the toddler flew upward and directly into Pansy outstretched arms.
When he landed safely in her embrace, the small boy began to wail inconsolably. Clutching him tightly to her, Pansy began to rock back and forth and murmur softly into the mop of brown hair adorning the child's head.
Regaining his presence of mind, Percy slowly inched forward to take the baby from her when the sense of her whispered words reached his ears and stopped him cold.
"Silly bobbett… silly, silly bobbett. Shush now."
He blinked back the sudden tears stinging his eyes and tried to ease the boy from Pansy's arms, but the child was unwilling to release her. As if shaken from the spell by Percy's close proximity, Pansy went rigid and pried the child's tight grip off her. She regarded them coolly as Percy stood up, holding the boy closely to him.
"And what's this one's name?" she asked with as much snark as she could muster.
"Robert… Bobby."
"Well, isn't that touching? After my father," responded Pansy flatly.
She then gave a sharp nod and chose a spot to her left to focus on. Percy studied her for a few seconds, always drawn in by her beauty, but shook himself free of the vision. This version of her was too cold… too distant. Percy turned swiftly and exited the room unable to bear the sight, his youngest tucked securely in his arms and his oldest following close behind him.
After a drawn out silence, Pansy finally quipped shortly, "You know Draky, this little game of yours has been fun, but it's getting rather tiresome. The kiddies were a nice touch, but I thought you said there were three?"
"There are three," Harry snapped, "I'll go see where Penny's gotten to."
Harry left without a word or look to either, Draco watching his departure devoutly. Once he was gone, Pansy began to sputter with laughter.
"Penny? Now I know you're joking. I would never name a child of mine Penny."
Draco smirked at her half-heartedly. "Her name's actually Penelope."
"Ugh. Even worse. And why, pray tell, would I name my child that?"
Draco scoped about for an answer that wouldn't be too difficult for Pansy to grasp. "You named her after someone important."
"Apparently," Pansy snorted unconvinced. "Did someone save my life?"
Suddenly, growing uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, Draco huffed a big sigh and started for the door. "Well, I should probably be leaving."
"Stay. Please," Pansy pouted coyly.
"I… I can't."
He came forward a few steps then paused, as if debating with himself. Finally making up his mind, he quickly closed the gap between them, leaned in, and pressed a gentle, tender kiss to the corner of her mouth.
"I'll come back to check on you," he whispered against her cheek.
Pansy flushed happily but failed to notice the guilt riddling its way over his fine features as he stood.
"Until then, my love," she called out to him as he made his way to the door.
Unconvinced of his decision, Draco could only afford a slight turn of his head and a curt nod to acknowledge her, before escaping into the brightly lit hall.
After her door had softly slid shut, Pansy looked about the room finally aware of her solitude, but something niggled at her. She wasn't alone. She could feel it.
"Hello?" she waited for a response but none came. "I know you're there," she added as if to draw out the intruder.
A small waif of a girl slipped from behind the dividing screen tucked up in the corner. She had poker straight red hair that was entirely too unkempt for Pansy's liking and an inordinate amount of freckles covering her face. Beside the fact that the girl was very obviously a Weasley, there was something eerily familiar about her. The child's eyes were haunting. Pansy felt as if she should know them, but couldn't quite place where.
"Penny, I presume," Pansy quipped smartly, trying desperately to regain her composure.
Instead of responding with apprehension or fear, as would be the normal reaction of a child at such abruptness, this little person merely afforded Pansy a look of sympathy and compassion.
"Hello mummy," the child offered with a quiet confidence.
Pansy shifted awkwardly, this whole encounter was becoming more and more unsettling.
"Well, come here then and let's have a look at you." The child approached her bed with slow measured steps as Pansy continued. "Would you look at your hair? It's a rat's nest."
As the child climbed up on the bed, and situated herself primly at Pansy's feet, she replied evenly. "You always comb it for me."
The child handed her a small ornate brush and it was then that her appearance had its full impact on Pansy. She was looking down into the exact replica of her mother. Granted, the girl's colouring was completely different, but without a doubt it was her mother's face… her mother's eyes... her mother's spirit. Pansy hadn't seen it reflected back at her since her mother's death when she was seven.
Barely able to process what she was witnessing, Pansy blindly took the proffered brush as the little nymph turned her back to her. In silence, she began to draw the brush through the child's fine hair.
In those quiet minutes, the full weight of Pansy's situation came pressing down on her. This was not a joke… or a ruse… or a prank. This child before her with her mother's eyes was the proof. There was no doubt in her mind now that the Weasel was in fact her husband. That all three of these rodents… children were hers. How had she come to this? What reason could she possibly have had for marrying so beneath her? Marrying a Weasley at that.
The tears started to stream unchecked down her face as she continued to comb the child's long strawberry blond hair.
Suddenly, the girl turned to face her. Raising her hand up to cup Pansy's cheek, she whispered, "Don't cry, mummy. It will be all right."
"What if I don't remember?" Pansy began to pant with pent up emotion, reverting back to the relationship she had with her own mother. It seemed natural to do with this child.
"You will. I'll wait," was the child's simple response.
It was too much for Pansy. She collapsed forward onto the child's lap and began to sob uncontrollably. She felt the small figure lean over her protectively and encompass her in a tiny, big hug as the fatigue and dizziness began to encroach on her senses again.
Whether it was minutes or hours later, Pansy woke with a start. The child was gone, and she hardly knew whether the meeting had been real or just a very lucid dream.
--
I am Green: Sorry for the wait. Life got in the way.
QueenoftheClumsyDorks: She's going to get a lot worse before she gets better.
X5-494: Thank you. I love this pairing. They are so easy to write for.
kalira: It's going to get very complicated. Something I know you love. hahahahaha!! I promise to shoot updates your way. I just wanted to get this one out to get things kicked off.
Grande.Vanilla.Skim.Latte: Thank you. It's going to get very twisty and turny. But that's me isn't it.
autumnlover: lol. Yeah, I know it's queue. I was just so anxious to get it up that I posted too quickly.
Mistymist: Thank you so much. And there will be more Drarry for you ;)
Miss Anthrope: Hello Lady!! Sorry for the wait. Life sucks when it takes precedent.
Sullen Shadowhawk: Thank you so much. It's a complicated tale, but it should be fun.
cinroc: Thank you. Sorry I made you wait so long. It won't be so long now between chapters. Promise.
ClumsyTonks: They're my favourite too :D
qt4good: Thank you :)
stoneofpurity: Sorry for the wait. I'll be better about that from now on.