Chapter 34- Interruption
Ruby woke on Sunday afternoon with what felt suspiciously like a hangover. Unfortunately it was not caused by partying with Alice, it was staying up all night in the Potion department with Penny Shacklebolt.
Groaning, Ruby rolled over and picked up her alarm clock. It was almost one, Pox was nudging her on the head so she picked him up and tickled him like a baby.
After a few minutes she got up and carried the Crup into the living room where Alice was eating a huge pile of pancakes, she had always been a comfort eater.
"Hey, good shift?" She asked, summoning the Golden Syrup.
"Busy, I was down in Potions most of the night, got a bloody headache from it." Ruby mumbled.
"Oh, I used to get those. I've got a Potion in my room, it will clear it up."
"Thanks. How are you?"
"Taking it out on the pancakes. I think I might move into the pub for a bit."
"Why?"
"You're moving in with Vic, which I totally understand, but I don't want to be here on my own. Plus one of Mom's barmaids quit so she could do with a hand."
"You could come with me to Grimmauld Place, I'm sure Vic wouldn't mind."
"Nah, I'll go home for a bit. Are you going to the Burrow today?"
"Yes, Scorpius is going and he's scared, I might fall asleep at the table though…"
"With your family, I don't it, they're too bloody loud!" Alice exclaimed, Ruby snorted.
"True, anyway, I'm going to take Pox for a run and then have a shower. I'll see you in a bit."
Ruby ran only three miles but Pox kept up well, he was growing fast and was less likely to bark at Muggles if they were running past them at high speed.
As soon as they returned to the flat, Pox ran into Ruby's room and slumped on the bed, he was asleep before she even finished her shower.
She apparated to the Burrow and arrived at the same time as Uncle Harry.
"Oh, hey Rubes, wasn't sure you were going to make it." He said, kissing her on the cheek.
"I may fall asleep during lunch, wake me up for the waffles." She replied as they crossed the threshold of the property.
"Where's Ginny?"
"She came this morning, she's only Floo-ing now, she's bloody massive now, I was worried she wouldn't get through the network."
"You didn't tell her that, did you?" Ruby asked, with a smile.
"Yeah, I did, that's why she came this morning, she got a bit shirty."
"She's hormonal Uncle Harry, you're lucky she didn't hex you!"
"Luck had nothing to do with it, I disarmed her." He said, pulling her wand out of his pocket.
They walked into the kitchen and Ruby could hear her Uncle Charlie laughing loudly. Grandma was getting a pie out of the oven, Aunt Ginny was sat at the table with her feet up talking to Charlie.
"Hey beautiful." Said Harry, looking at his wife. Her glare was all the response he got. Ginny turned to Ruby.
"Hello Ruby, good shift?"
"Busy. How are you?" She replied, sitting down.
"Fat apparently, too fat to fit through the Floo network apparently!" Ginny replied.
Before anyone else could reply Ruby's parents arrived and Ruby stood up so her mother could sit down.
"Eliza, you look knackered!" Exclaimed Harry.
"Wafer-thin ice, Harry! Wafer!" Ginny spat, pulling on Charlie to get herself up so she could storm out of the room. When she did Harry turned back to his sister.
"Bad night sleep?" He asked.
"No, I had to pop into work."
"On a Saturday night?"
"Yes, on a Saturday night. Sometimes genius comes at inconvenient times."
"Or daughters do." Fred muttered, his wife shot him a sharp look.
"Didn't show up again drunk did you, Rubes?" Charlie asked.
"That was one time!" She protested.
"You had to go to the Ministry, dear?" Grandma asked Ruby's mother.
"Is Scorpius coming today, Ruby?" Eliza asked.
"I think so, I haven't heard from him today, he's gone to talk to his grandfather." Ruby said, failing to conceal her concern over the issue.
Within a few minutes Rosie and Al arrived together, and then Bill and Fleur.
"Vic can't make it today, she's painting, sorry mom." Bill said, kissing his mother.
"Poor dear, will she eat?"
"I'm moving in later, I'll take her some Grandma." Ruby said, spotting Ron and Hermione out of the kitchen window. With no desire to face her Uncle she walked into the dining area and sat next to Katie who was complaining about swollen ankles.
"…borrow Charlie's shoes, I look ridiculous!"
"I think there are some spells to help, ask Grandma." Ruby suggested, knowing that her Grandmother's knowledge of pregnancy grievances was likely to far outstrip her own.
"Good idea, did you enjoy the match yesterday?" Katie asked.
"She fell asleep, she's just like Eliza." Ginny said, eating a handful of popcorn, Ruby looked at it in confusion.
"Where did you get popcorn from?" She asked.
"I carry it in my pocket, for emergencies." Ginny replied. "I'm going in to see the Healer on Wednesday, are you working?"
"I've got the morning shift, what time's your appointment?"
"Two, we could go for lunch?"
"Great."
"We could ask Vic, try and get her out of the house." Ginny suggested, Ruby nodded but didn't comment, she hated secrets.
"Ruby, could I talk to you, please?" Ruby turned at the sound of Uncle Ron's voice.
"Depends, are you just going to be a prat?" She asked, she saw Ginny try to conceal a smile. Before Ron could answer his mother walked in carrying a pie and the moment was lost.
"Ruby, should we wait for Scorpius?"
"No, he said he might be late, he wouldn't want to disrupt things," Ruby replied, eyeing a potato salad with great interest.
They started eating and Ruby dipped into various conversations but was too tired to contribute fully. When the first course was finished she stood up to carry through some dishes but Ron stood up as well.
"Come on Rubes, walk with me." Everyone else at the table was watching them so Ruby nodded and followed her Uncle to the outskirts of the property, neither spoke until they reached an old Oak tree, Ron turned to her.
"I care about you Ruby." He said simply, Ruby knew that Ron struggled to voice his emotions.
"I know you do but… I'm not a little girl any more…"
"Then that only makes things more dangerous."
"I can protect myself." She said, trying to sound firm.
"So could your mom, so could Ginny, so could Hermione. Sometimes it doesn't matter Ruby, things just happen."
"But…"
"No listen, Ruby. You…you…you nearly died."
"That wasn't Scorpius' fault, it was nothing to do…"
"I'm not saying it was but…I don't want you to get hurt…"
"It's a bit late for that, this hurts." She indicated between herself and Ron. Ron opened his mouth to reply but before he could make a sound there was a crack of Apparation and they turned to the source of the sound.
All the breath seemed to leave Ruby's body and she froze, looking down at him. Paler than she had ever seen him, ever seen anyone. Blood pouring from his nose and patches of blood on his shirt that must be from other wounds. His eyes were closed and his wand fell from his hand as he dropped to the floor.
"Fuck, Ruby…" Ron walked towards Scorpius and knelt down before looking back at Ruby, she could tell that he was speaking to her but she couldn't figure out the words, it was like the world had just imploded around her.
She felt the rush of a terrier Patronus fly past her and then Ron stood up and grabbed her by the arms.
"Ruby, snap out of it, you have to help him!" Ruby nodded and knelt down next to him. There was so much blood.
"Scorpius…Scorpius, talk to me." She said, holding her wand over him and casting diagnostic spells. She heard her family running over and Uncle Harry knelt down on Scorpius' other side.
"Can we move him into the house, Ruby? We're outside the protection spells." Ruby nodded and conjured a stretcher. Ron and Harry shuffled Scorpius onto it and started carrying him into the house, Ruby walked alongside, still casting spells.
She turned to her mother.
"Mom, get Penny, she's having lunch with Aunt Minnie, at the Manor." Her mother nodded and ran ahead to use the Floo.
"I've got my bumps bag, Ruby, it's got some Potions in. Put him in Percy's room." Ruby accepted the medical kit (always referred to as the bumps bag by the Weasley family, apparently James had said it first) and followed her Uncle's and Scorpius up the stairs.
Before she followed them into Percy's room Ruby took a deep breath, she need to be strong, she needed to be a Healer, not Scorpius' girlfriend.
She entered the room and walked straight over to him.
"Uncle Harry, get some warm water. Ron, get my Dad." Both of her Uncle's followed her orders and she was left alone with Scorpius.
His nose was clearly broken but that wasn't important. Ruby cut away his clothes, leaving him with just Chudley Cannon underpants on. He had splinched himself, a large piece of flesh from his left calf was missing. He had what looked like a stab wound on his side, his torso and face was covered in hex marks.
Harry returned with the water.
"I need you to drop dittany on his calf, here." She passed him the bottle and he sat on the end of the bed.
The door opened again and Ruby's father came in.
"What do you need, Rubes?" He asked, standing behind her.
"I just…I just need you here, Dad." She muttered, he nodded and put his hand on her shoulder.
She started working her way through the most serious of his injuries, by the time she had finished treating his side the door opened and Penny came in.
"How is he?" She asked, pulling out her healing bag. Ruby went through his injuries and the treatment she had done so far, almost mechanically. Penny nodded and conjured a drip stand.
"Right, we'll give him some blood replenishment and pain potion in a drip. Let's look at this stab wound." Ruby lifted the bandage and Penny hissed.
"It looks bad but I don't think it's done any major damage, probably only just missed his liver."
The two witches worked in silence and when they had finished treating Scorpius, Penny stood back.
"Right, he's stable enough. Clean him up and put some pyjamas on him, Fred could you ask your dad for some?"
"Sure, I'll grab an old pair of mine."
Ruby picked up the bowl of water, heated it gently with her wand, and started to wipe away the blood. Harry stood up and put the dittany back on the table.
"Ruby, I'm going to head to Malfoy's place, he's probably worried."
"He was at the Manor earlier, he was trying to stop his grandfather interfering with our…" Ruby let out a sob but stifled it quickly.
"Stay strong Rubes, I'll be back soon." Ruby nodded and Harry left.
Her father brought some pyjamas and then left the room with Penny, whispering quietly to each other.
She slowly washed away the blood and then used magic to put the clothes on him, he was still pale as a ghost but all his vital signs were stable. She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead and then left the room to wash all the blood off her.
In the corridor she found her parents waiting for her.
"Can you sit with him for a minute?" She asked, her father nodded and went into the room. Ruby walked into the bathroom and started to wash the blood from her hands, there was so much of it. It seemed to be caked under her fingernails, she grabbed the nailbrush and scrubbed so hard that she could feel her own skin breaking.
"Enough Ruby, you've got it." Her mother said, leaning over and taking the nailbrush off her.
Ruby felt herself start to shake but her mother pulled her into a hug and the shaking gave way to sobs.
They broke apart after a few minutes when Ruby heard hurried footsteps, she rushed out of the bathroom and saw Mr and Mrs Malfoy running up the stairs.
"Which room?" Mr Malfoy asked, Ruby pointed and then followed them in.
Ruby's father moved aside and Mrs Malfoy sat down and grabbed her son's hand and held it tightly.
"Oh…Oh Scorpius! What…" She wept loudly and Mr Malfoy stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders.
"Will he be okay?" He asked, turning to look at Ruby.
"I think so, we'll know more when he wakes up." She said, sounding much stronger than she felt.
"What happened, Malfoy?" Fred asked from near the dresser.
"I don't know. We went to the Manor this morning, my father was his usual uncooperative self, we went back home, Scorpius said he was coming straight here."
"It was about three when he…"
"He left before one, he must have gone back there. I can't fucking believe this!" Malfoy exclaimed, his hands balling into fists. He stepped away from his wife.
"I'm going back…"
"Draco, no, please stay." Mrs Malfoy said, in between sobs.
"She's right, I don't think it's a good idea." Said Ruby's mother, Mr Malfoy looked at her for a moment but then turned back to his son.
"He's never going to change, I've got to stop him."
"Malfoy, you know I pretty much think you father is the lowest of the low, but even I think you shouldn't go there alone." Fred said, reaching out for his wife's hand, she went to him and he put his arm around her waist.
"He won't be alone." Came a voice from the doorway, Ruby turned and saw Harry standing there, with James just behind him. Both had put on their Auror robes.
"You seriously want to go back there, Potter." Mr Malfoy said, sounding tired.
"Not in a million years, but this has to stop and that's my job."
"Fine, come on then." As Malfoy passed Ruby she was sure she heard him mutter "Bloody hero!"
Ruby walked over to Scorpius and checked his vitals again, still stable.
"Have you eaten, Astoria?" Fred asked, she nodded but did not reply.
"I'll make some tea." Said Ruby, needing to get out of the room, even if it was only for a few minutes. Her mother looked like she was going to offer but the look on Ruby's face clearly spoke volumes.
When she arrived in the kitchen only Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry, James and Mr Malfoy were present,
"…think about doing anything stupid, I will hex you into next year, Malfoy!"
"Ginny, leave off…" Started Harry but his wife cut across him.
"And if you or James come back to me with even a single stupid black hair out of place then I will get Eliza to hex you!" She hissed.
"Be careful." Said Ruby quietly, Mr Malfoy nodded at her and then left the kitchen with the Aurors, this time muttering about hormones.
Ruby moved to the kettle and started making a tray of tea.
"Hello dear." Ruby turned and saw her Aunt Minnie standing next to her.
"Aunt Minnie!" She cried, forgetting all about trying to be strong she flung her arms around her godmother who held her and let her cry for a few minutes.
"It will be alright, you'll see. Is Eliza upstairs?"
"Yes, with Dad and Mrs Malfoy. I came to make some tea." Ruby replied, noticing that Ginny had fallen asleep at the table.
"Tea will help, come on." They assembled the tea tray together and then her godmother levitated it upstairs. Tea and waiting. Tea and waiting. Tea and waiting. The afternoon seemed endless.
A/N So Lucius is back, sort of! What do you guys think? I'm still working on the Courage to Words rewrite, hopefully it will be up this week.
The Deal has been planned out but I'm currently dealing with a bout of writer's block, please be patient!
**Can anyone recommend any good book series'? I'm currently reading the Gone series by Michael Grant (which is awesome), and Uglies by Scott Westerfield (which is a bit too girly-Twilight love sick-like for me but still an interesting concept), anyone reading any good series at the moment?**
Reading Dorkk- Thanks, more on the Longbottoms soon.
xXMizz Alec VolturiXx- Thanks, I'll send you a message when I update Courage to Words.
Scorubes4life- Thanks.
LUG-14- All shall be revealed, I love writing scenes with Harry, Eliza and Draco, they're so loaded with history! I'll send you a PM about the translations.