Author's Note: The muse has returned! Or at least it got past the block that was this first scene. A block that sent me back to other stories instead of figuring out how I'd written myself into the corner.
As usual, I have a few people to thank for this chapter: Alex, DeeJay, Jim Trigg, Alysson deMerel, and drwho13.
Chapter Thirteen: The Round Tower
Harry had adjourned the Wizengamot for the day at quarter till four, and returned to Pivet Drive. The pain in his scar had peaked around three, and was just a dull ache now. As Voldemort generally worked at night, he figured that the Aurors had found some major hide out, or Voldemort had received some really bad news. He suspected the former was more likely.
At the moment, Harry was putting the finishing touches on the water garden. He'd touched up the angel statues, making them look a lot closer to the pictures he'd found. Getting the particular expression of Dahlia had taken an especially long time. That kind of permanent transfiguration took time to do right. At the moment he was laying a few irregular pieces of slate on their way to the garden bench that had been delivered that morning. Dudley had managed to put the bench in.
As he looked up, he discovered that Mrs. Grundy, the gray-haired widow who lived at number nine, had apparently spotted him and was walking at a rather fast pace, given her cane. Harry had long suspected that the waspish widow didn't really need the ornate ivory headed cane. He knew that the widow was the channel that his Uncle Vernon was spreading the new story behind how Harry had come to Little Whinging. He liked the new story a lot better than the old. It was much closer to the truth.
"Mr. Potter, or should I say Sir Harry," Mrs. Grundy said, coming to a stop, her breath actually wheezing a bit. "When I saw you, I had to come and congratulate you on your knighthood."
"Thank you, Mrs. Grundy," Harry said. He knew better than to use any informal tone with her. As she stood there, Harry noted that she looked a lot older than she had when he'd left for Hogwarts. He had been used to her shaking her cane at him, saying that he had to be up to no good. He knew what the next question was now, though.
"May I ask how you earned it?" Mrs. Grundy looked down at him, over her silver framed spectacles.
"I'm afraid I've been asked not to elaborate on the matter, ma'am," Harry replied, not wishing to add too much to the story. "I can say that it involved a terrorist organization." That was true. The Death Eaters had formally been given that classification.
"Your Uncle says it involved the same group that killed your parents," Mrs. Grundy said. Harry nodded back. "Damn shame the government used that drunk cover story. 'Bout as bad as using all those gas leaks. The pipes can't all be that bad."
"I wouldn't know, ma'am," Harry said. He knew that the Ministry Oblivators favored that cover during the last rise of the Dark Lord. They hadn't used it for the attack on the American Embassy. That had been laid at the foot of a terrorist organization out of the Middle East.
"I see that you're almost done with the water garden," Mrs. Grundy said, after a minute's silence. "I'm not sure I'd have used those angels."
"They're why the garden exists," Harry stated. He pointed to each figure. "That's Aunt Petunia's daughter Dahlia. She was barely a month old when that mad man killed her. The red haired angel on the other side is my mother, and that black haired one that looks like he's sneaking up on her is my father. Aunt Petunia says I found ones that really matched up right."
"It's a memorial garden then?" the widow asked. Harry nodded. "Most appropriate, then, the lilies."
"Yes ma'am," Harry said as his Aunt Petunia opened the front door.
"Harry, I just took a message from your friend Ginny," Aunt Petunia said with a puzzled look. "She says Amesbury can't make it tomorrow. Queen to Rook three."
"Excuse me, Mrs. Grundy," Harry said. "It seems that the friend I was taking to my appointment with Her Majesty won't be able to make it, so I'm going to have to arrange for someone else to make sure I don't trip or something."
Draco Amesbury was quite surprised when he was told to go see the Queen Mother in the Round Tower when he returned to Windsor following his day at the Wizengamot. He'd quite enjoyed his day after the Justice Committee meeting. The Justice Committee meeting had been a bore, as they were discussing shifting judges around following the death of Chief Judge Dingle. As geography was not one of the Slytherin's strong points, he had no idea if a judge from Bristol would be able to cover Essex or Edinburgh.
The last half of his evening, Draco got to enjoy the pleasure of watching Harry Potter squirm. It was simply amazing how much a simple compliment could make the Gryffindor as scarlet as his Quidditch uniform. Okay, he would have never ever thought that pointing out his Gryffindor's class rivals good points would make Potter squirm, but ...
Draco had arrived at the end of Longbottom's speech. He'd asked the scribe for a copy to read while the member from Dumfries went on about floo powder taxation. It had been a gem to read. He especially liked when Longbottom brought up Potter's animated heart patterned boxers.
He didn't think that Potter was expecting for another speech like Longbottom's when he called on "Miss Susan Bones, sitting in substitution for the member from Kent." In fact, Draco hadn't expected Bones to open up with "I rejoice in addressing this body, for the first time presided over by Hogwart's Heartthrob, Harry James 'I can catch anything' Potter."
During that speech, he'd received a note from Longbottom, asking if he was in, and immediately he'd put his marble in the request hole on his desk. He was sure that Potter was going to be dreading any future open speech sessions when he was presiding. As he awaited his turn, he'd even received textual advice deposited on his desk from Granger, of all people. He had no idea where she had come up with those lines, but when he'd been recognized and began to speak.
"Friends, Britons, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to embarrass Surrey, yes to praise him..."
By the time he'd finished poetic speech that Granger had given him, Potter had buried his face in his hands.
It was the image of Harry Potter blushing with embarrassment, that was still on Draco's mind when he entered the magical chamber at the top of the Round Tower of Windsor Castle.
It was wiped completely away the moment the Queen Mother looked up from the large map table at the center of the room and said, "Findlater Castle has disappeared off the face of Britain."
"That's where the Baddocks live, I think," Draco replied. "I bet Voldermot has moved there."
"According to intelligence received this afternoon, yes," the Queen Mother replied. "As of an hour ago, it was also where Pansy and the Snowdon were. Thirty Minutes ago a port-key attempting to go there to provide additional back up from the Auror Office failed to activate due to coordinate dislocation."
Draco stared at the Queen Mother, trying to comprehend what she was saying. He was expecting to meet Pansy after his time at the Wizengamot. She had told him that she was going to go to Diagon Ally to get a comic. How had she ended up with the Snowdon in Findlater castle, where ever that might be ... or have been. His mind sought out clues to how it had happened, latching on to the fact that the Snowdon had made Pansy one of her owls. Apparently that had turned the future mother of his children into a Gryffindor. But still ... "Coordinate dislocation?"
"A particular condition of failure of a port-key caused by the arithmetic dislocation of coordinate knowledge upon the sequestering of location knowledge through the use of various concealment and memory charms, either on the location, or to the caster of the port-key," another woman in the room said. She appeared to be younger than the Queen Mother, and at first Draco didn't recognize her, until she went to sip her tea, which reminded him of when she presided over the Wizengamot.
"Your Majesty, will pardon me if I didn't understand a word of that," Draco said after bowing towards the Queen.
"The castle is probably under a Fidelius Charm," the Queen said. "I can have them broken, but it takes a lot of effort and man power. I think this is justified. Is Edward still at the gathering point?"
"No, they had to retreat," the Queen Mother replied. "He's on his way to the DMLE."
"Divert him to Windsor," the Queen ordered. "I want plans to take down that ..."
"Incoming port-key," the Queen Mother suddenly announced, interrupting her daughter. "Diverting to the upper ward. We don't have anyone to meet them."
"Go, Baron Amesbury can guard us," the Queen said.
The Queen Mother nodded, drew her wand, and disappeared.
"Sometimes I wish I'd been blessed with magic," the Queen murmured. Then standing and moving over to the map, she continued in a more normal tone. "Well, Baron Amesbury, let's see what we have here. The Royal Wizard's on his way back to Windsor. Judging from the map, it looks like the Snowdon is fighting someone across the entire southern coast of the Moray Firth."
Draco noticed the moving position of a deep blue snowflake across the coast line of Scotland. He tried to follow the moves from a place marked fort George all the way over to Rattray Head. It seemed that every couple of minutes, the snowflake would move, and several black circles would follow. Usually, right before the jump, there would be a flash of green lightning on the map. It did not take long for him to figure out what that signified. He hoped that one of those flashes was not targeting Pansy.
"All clear in Upper Ward," the Queen Mother's voice suddenly crackled from what appeared to Draco to be a wizarding wireless set. "We do have injuries. Recall the Snowdon, we're not getting anymore out of Findlater."
"Oracle to Snowdon, return to Windsor," the Queen said, touching a small snowflake on the edge of the map table.
"I'm on my way," the Snowdon's voice replied. "Snowdon out."
Draco found himself moving from foot to foot, wondering if he could go see if his Pansy was among those who returned, but not willing to see if she might be among the injured.
"I'm sending Pansy and young Mister Baddock on up," the Queen Mother's voice cracked again from the wireless.
Draco found himself letting out a breath that he'd not been aware that he had been holding.
"Edward's helping me with clean up of what Margaret sent us."
Draco found himself dropping into a chair, his legs unwilling to continue to support him for the moment. His Pansy had to be okay, but he wasn't going to let her out of his sight again until she gave birth if he could help it.
Pansy Parkinson knew she was in trouble with Draco before she even stepped into the Round Tower. It didn't help that just a few hours ago she had pointed out to Draco that her pregnancy was starting to show. It was slight, and only if you were looking and knew her body intimately, but it was what it was. Now though, it was also amunition that she was afraid that Draco would rightfully use to chastise her.
She spotted Draco first. He was dressed in his new Wizengamot robes, pattered after the style that the Weasley's had introduced while standing guard. He still wore his golden sash with the coat of arms of Wiltshire emblazoned on it, as befitted a member of the Wizengamot. She'd helped him chose the robes, when he decided that the black formal robes of his father were something he could not follow if he was stepping out of his father's path. They were immaculate, the white shirt practically gleaming.
Pansy looked down at her own outfit. It wasn't in the best of condition. The feathered pattern brown and grey robes were meant to blend in, but her escape from the wards of Findlater Castle with Malcolm, his mother, and his sisters had not been one with out incident. There was a rip on her left thigh, and a black streak of soot on her shoulders and down her right side.
"Pansy!" Draco cried out, rushing over to embrace her.
To Pansy's great surprise she found herself held passionately by her fiancé, his hands sliding under her cloak to bring her tight against him. His lips found hers, and her breath was captured by him. She let herself go soft, as the passion rose. Their lips parted, as they both needed to breath.
"Don't do that again," Draco admonished, somehow conveying the extent of his prohibition even as their bodies pressed together revealed to Pansy the extent that their kiss had aroused him.
"Baron Amesbury, Miss Parkinson," the Queen interrupted. "You will pardon our interruption, but We require a briefing as to your actions this day in service of the Crown."
Pansy reluctantly pulled out of her embrace with Draco, but remained at his side. His arm snaked around her shoulders as she began her report. "Your Majesty, where should I begin?"
"Begin with your entry into Findlater," the Queen commanded.
"As you wish, your majesty," Pansy began. "It was originally the intention that I would enter alone and retrieve the younger Baddocks, thus clearing Findlater Castle of potential non-combatants. Unfortunately, though Malcolm's port-key would allow multiple people to use it to transport to the family quarters, it did require a Baddock to activate it, and thus travel with it.
"It was a good thing that he did. When we arrived in the study on the second floor of the family quarters, Mary Baddock nee Umbridge, Malcolm's mother was there. He was able to convince his mother that I was there to make sure his siblings were safe and would be safe under your protection. Unfortunately the collection of Malcolm's three brothers and three sisters could not be done quietly, and the resident followers of Tom Riddle were alerted to our actions.
"Myself and Mary Baddock ended up engaged in several running battles with at least six Death Eaters during our retreat. At one point in time we were pinned behind a column by Dolores Umbridge, the member from Stirling, unable to move forward or back. We spent ten minutes or so pinned down there, worried that she's be re-enforced. That's when Malcolm managed to sneak behind her and behead her with a sword from a nearby suit of armor."
Pansy looked over at Malcolm. He was still carrying the sword, which the Snowdon had cleaned for him. There was still some blood on his robes, though.
"Our exit was then reached, through the use of an emergency slide out the exterior of the castle. I then proceeded to the secondary extraction point, where I met up with Prince Edward. With the aid of a new port-key, I then returned to Windsor with Malcolm, his mother, and his siblings. Unfortunately, injuries incurred during the escape required both his mother and Edmee Baddock to go for further medical attention."
"We see that you have done a commendable job in service with the Snowdon," the Queen said. "Mister Baddock, please come forward."
Pansy watched Malcolm move forward slowly. He was trembling. Pansy had to wonder if he'd been hit by any of the Death Eater's curses. She hadn't seen any.
"Is that the sword that you defended your family with?" the Queen asked Malcolm as he came to a stop in front of her.
"Yes, your majesty," Malcolm said, hesitantly.
"May we see it?" the Queen asked. Malcolm handed it over, hilt first, his hands shaking as he surrendered the sword to the Queen. "Good Damascus steel, and a quite sharp blade. Baron Amesbury, are we correct that with the loss of the unlamented Madam Umbridge, Malcolm's mother would be the new holder of the Stirling Wizengamot seat, and that Malcolm would be the new heir to that seat?"
"You are correct, ma'am," Draco replied.
"You shall see to it that he is prepared for that role," the Queen ordered, before turning to look at Malcolm again. "Our royal sister has recently pointed out that Sir Harry was the first magical we have knighted since our ascension. We believe this indicates that we have been most neglectful in knighting our worthy magical subjects, given our recent discovery that in the wizarding world it is solely our prerogative." The Queen reached into her ever present hand bag to pull out a pillow. "Malcolm Baddock, please kneel before us."
Malcolm sank down on the pillow, his knees probably not able to keep himself standing anyway.
"Malcolm Baddock, I dub thee Sir Malcolm of Stirling," the Queen said, using the sword Malcolm had handed him to tap each shoulder.
Pansy watched as Draco moved to help Malcolm stand again. He seemed to be weak on his legs. It was as if all of his energy had been used up in the escape. Draco bent down a bit and whispered something in Malcolm's ear, and suddenly Malcolm sported the biggest smile that Pansy had ever seen on the boy.
"Pansy Parkinson, please kneel before us," the Queen ordered.
It took three steps for Pansy to find herself kneeling on the same pillow as Malcolm had.
"Pansy Parkinson, I dub thee Dame Pansy of Hethersgill," the Queen said, as she tapped each shoulder with Malcolm's sword.
It took a bit for Pansy to recall that female knights were dames, but after that another question hit her. How had the Queen found out about Hethersgill Hall? Even her grandfather had not know that the hall still existed until Pansy had accidentally stumbled upon the port-key. For ages she hadn't told anyone about the place. Only her late personal house elf, Ruffey knew until shortly before she entered Hogwarts.
It wasn't a big hall. In fact it was quite small. There was a good size great hall, a kitchen, and three small bedroom suites perched on a wall around the great hall. Of course for Pansy, those were not the real attraction. No, her favorite part of Hethersgill Hall was the tall tower that ascended to half again the height of everything else. A tower with a magical slide that emptied out into a pool in what had become last summer her private garden.
Her grandfather had promised the hall to her as part of her dowery. Pansy wondered if Draco knew that. With Malfoy Manor being destroyed by the Crown, which Pansy wouldn't have wanted to live in anyway, not after discovering what all had went on in the place, Draco, no they, needed a new home. They couldn't live at Windsor forever.
Draco helped her stand as the Queen handed the sword back to Malcolm.
"Take care of this sword, Sir Malcolm, it shall serve you well," the Queen said. As Malcolm raised the sword, it seemed to briefly glow. "Quite well. Baron Amesbury, see to it that Sir Malcolm gets the copy of Magic of Swords after you're done reading. We think he shall benefit from the knowledge."
And with that, the Queen returned to watching the map diligently, awaiting the return of her mother.
"Pansy, we've got to talk," Draco said, whispering in her ear. "You should not be risking our baby."
"Tonight, Draco, tonight," Pansy whispered back with trepidation.
"Tonight," Draco replied firmly, before turning her into a kiss that melted all her fears and thoughts away.