Chapter 7: The Saving Grace of a Little Girl
Between the three of them, Draco, Uriel, and Ginny, there were very few speechless moments, but with Narcissa standing there not one of them could think of a word to say.
"Excuse me ma'am," Emily said sliding out of Uriel's arms. "Who are you?"
Narcissa looked down at the girl. "I'm Narcissa Malfoy, I'm Draco and Uriel's mother."
Emily walked right up to her and held her hand out. "My name is Emily Weasley."
Narcissa sunk to one knee next to the little girl. "Your last name isn't Potter?"
"Well," Emily said looking thoughtful. "Mommy went back to using Weasley as her last name so I thought I should too."
Narcissa once again looked up at her children and… Ms. Weasley. "Emily, would you mind if we talked alone for a little while. Can you go up to your room and play until dinner?"
"What a good idea mother, I'll take Emily up to her room, just send Patches up to get me when you're done." She took Emily by the hand and made to make a break for it.
"Not so fast Uriel Allegra Van Alan Malfoy. Don't you move you're in this too."
Uri stopped knowing that to make another move at this moment could get her a visit from the business end of her mother's wand and at thirty years old that thought still made her shiver.
The Malfoy matriarch snapped her fingers and Patches appeared. "Take Ms. Emily to her room until dinner, I need to have a talk with my children and her mother, but take her to the kitchen first and get her a snack."
Patch took Emily by the hand and led her up to her room, but before she left Emily said. "Don't be too mad at them Mrs. Malfoy. I love them and don't want anyone to be in trouble."
"What a precocious child," Narcissa said as Emily left with the house elf. "Now all three of you in the main study, I am going to get the story if it kills me." She said before leaving.
Draco, Ginny, and Uriel all filed out one by one behind her as if they were ducklings following their mother, but Draco felt more like a lamb going to slaughter. As they sat in the study, Narcissa pacing back and forth in front of them, the fire roared to life in green flames and Blaise walked out.
He saw the scene before him, "Well I'll just be going home, I'll talk to you three later."
He made to turn around and exit the way he had come but before he could reach the hearth Narcissa spoke.
"Sit down Zabini!" Narcissa stared daggers at him. "I swear how you and my own children could keep this from me is a feat indeed."
Blaise sat down next to Uriel and waited to see what the most formidable women he had ever met was going to say to them.
"I don't know what to say," Narcissa finally admitted. "Two of you are my children, my own flesh and blood. One of you is like a second child to me, has been friends with my own son for most of their life. The last I admit I do not know much about, only that the last time I saw anything of her she was married to the most famous man in the Wizarding world. I beg you, any of you, explain what is going on here."
The study was so silent a pin could have dropped, and then finally Ginny found her courage and her voice.
"Mrs. Malfoy, Harry Potter is not the man he once was. For quite a few years now he has been abusing me, and a few weeks ago it got out of hand. He was going to hit Emily, and I couldn't let that happen. Draco and I have been friends since my 5th year at Hogwarts. We had a relationship at one point but when the war ended I thought it would be best to try and see where my relationship with Harry went."
Narcissa's eyes narrowed. "So you are the girl my son has been broken hearted over all these years."
"Mother," Draco stepped up for Ginny. "I told her to see where things would go with Potter. I was trying not to be selfish. It is because of Ginny and because of my sister that I didn't become like my father. Ginny has been here since Potter tried to hurt Emily. I asked Uriel to come and stay because, well Ginny doesn't have many friends besides me and I wanted her to feel at ease. I love Ginny and Emily and I want them to be part of my family, our family. What you saw earlier, was me promising to Ginny that one day we will be a family, all of us. Blaise got into all of this because Ginny wants to leave Potter for good, we also want to see if we can get him behind bars so he pays for what he has done."
Narcissa continued to look at them all. "Do you have proof of this? The abuse that is?"
"I have my pensive memory of when Ginny first came here. She was broken, bruised, and battered."
"We've also worked out a plan to try and get a confession our of Potter so that when we go to court we will have him between a rock and a hard place." Uriel took over for her brother.
"Uriel what does this have to do with you?" her mother asked.
"It has everything to do with me Mum; Draco is my brother, my little brother, and I want to see him happy more then anything else in my life. I missed so much because of our father that now the only thing I want is to catch up on our lives and to watch him have the life he was meant to. Ginny is amazing Mum; she is everything Draco deserves, she loves him and he loves her and at the end of the day that's all that matters. I will fight for them, I will do all I can to see them together and happy. So Mum I am begging you to please be supportive and then we can all be happy."
Draco slipped an arm around his sister knowing how much she wanted him to be happy. He only wanted the same thing for her. Ginny took the older women's hand, feeling so grateful to have the sister she had wanted for so long, someone who would stand up for her no matter what.
Narcissa sat down in a chair across from the four conspirators. She interlaced her fingers and rested her chin on them looking at each of them in turn.
"So Blaise, you are willing to fight in court to help Ms. Weasley be free of her horrible marriage no matter what that entails?"
"Yes Mrs. Malfoy," Blaise finally spoke. "Draco is my best friend and I would do anything for him, I have been helping him fight his battles since we were kids and if I didn't help now I wouldn't be much of a friend. I feel like a part of your family and I want everyone to be happy."
"Uriel, you are ready to stand behind them, even if I object, even if all of the Wizarding World is against you four?"
"Yes Mum," Uri nodded. "I have been an outcast my whole life, if I have to become one again I will. You know that I'm a fighter, I fight for what I believe in and love is something I will always believe in."
"Draco are you ready to fight Harry Potter for this? He will not go down easily, I know he doesn't want anyone to see him as anything except the perfect husband and father. Are you ready? Are you ready to be a father to that darling little girl I met? You have been alone for so long are you ready to just automatically have a family."
Draco took Ginny's hand. "For Ginny and Emily Mum I will do whatever it takes. I never thought I would have the chance to be with her so I will put myself to the hazard. As for being a father and a husband, it's all I ever wanted, I just only wanted it with Ginny and didn't want to marry anyone because no one was her. I want this more then anything."
Narcissa looked at the redhead and seemed to think a moment or two. "Ginny," she finally asked. "Is this what you want? To get out of one marriage and have another already lined up? To have fingers pointed at you accusing you during the trail of having an affair with my son? Because I promise you those things will happen. They will sling mud and make you look so dirty, can you do it?"
"I made a mistake all those years ago Mrs. Malfoy. When Draco told me to give Harry another chance I should have said 'no, you're the one that I love' and let nothing come between us but I didn't. I had to learn that Harry wasn't who I always fantasized he was and yes it was the hard way that no women should ever have to face, but I made my mistake. Now I just want to be happy with the man I always should have been with. I know he loves me, I know he loves my daughter and those two details are all I need. The fact that his sister loves me and Emily is a huge plus because then I feel like I really have been accepted back into a family again. I am ready for anything as long as this family is supporting me."
Narcissa looked at everyone one more time, as if she was trying to decide on something, or maybe she didn't believe them. After a few painfully silent minutes the elder witch finally spoke.
"All four of you have a hard road, none of this is going to be easy for anyone. Uriel if this is something you want, eventually you are going to have to tell the world who you really are. Draco you are going to accept the fact that you are going to be looked at as the bad guy again. Blaise you will have to dig and snoop until you are so sore you won't want to move, but none of you by far will have the hardest job. Ginny, you will have to protect Emily from all of this."
"She already thinks her father is a monster," Ginny assured her.
"Even so," Narcissa countered. "She can't be brought into any of this. It is going to get ugly; when someone like Harry Potter faces charges such as these ugly is the least of what will happen. She needs to live in a bubble until all of this is over, that way no reporter can get to her, no one can try to influence her and most importantly Potter can't get to her. I suggest that she stay with me in our home in France whenever the four of you are busy, or if there is ever a risk of someone finding her. Our home in France can be our safe house. Lucius was the only one who knew where it was outside of the people in this room so there cannot be any danger of word reaching her there."
Ginny didn't know if she wanted Emily far from her right now, but she knew that Narcissa was right. Emily didn't deserve to be brought into the middle of her parents fight. The poor little girl had seen enough already, she didn't need to be part of the blood bath that would surely insue when Harry Potter got served. Ginny knew that Emily was her saving grace, that if it hadn't been for her daughter Ginny would have given up a long time ago and wouldn't have had the strength to leave in the first place. Keeping her daughter safe was the most important thing.
"Yes," Ginny agreed. "I'm sure once this all happens the media will watch the manor like hawks, we can work and have somewhere for peace. There Emily can be safe, I think we all can agree that is the most important thing."
Everyone in the room nodded their approval.
"Then it's settled, we can put this mess behind us and start moving forward so I can call that sweet little girl my grandchild before I die."
The four on the couch laughed and relaxed knowing that storm Narcissa would not hit today.
"But if you ever try to hide something like this from me again, no amount of cute little child will save any of you from a swift and sure tempest of my rage."
Draco, Ginny, Uri, and Blaise all looked at each other, fear in their eyes knowing that Narcissa Black Malfoy was scarier then anyone they would ever face in their lives. Thank god she was on their side.
Okay so I know it's short, but I had this little chunk finished and I wanted to get it up to satisfy a few people's curiosity. Keep those reviews coming and the chapters might be a little shorter, but they will come faster. I love you all, thank you so much for all of the feedback and the love. My followers and reviewers are the best! Oh and if I did well…ring the bell (metaphorically speaking of course.)