Of Stitches and Stalking

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Any characters, places, names, and things you recognize are not mine. The plot and characters unknown are mine.

-Chapter Five-

Her house was small, but Draco found he much preferred it from the dark halls of Malfoy Manor. She had decorated it rather tastefully in hues of blue for the living room and greens for the kitchen. The furnishing looked like well taken care of antiques that his mother would have adored with a passion. There were photos of her muggle life strewn across the mantle of her fireplace that depicted stages of the last ten years. University, her friends, partying, graduation, and one of her and the nurse he vaguely remembered claiming to be a squib from the first visit to Ginny's hospital so many weeks ago.

His silvery orbs took it all in as he made the woman sit on her dark blue sofa. She smiled weakly at him, her hands trembling.

"I thought I'd left it all behind, you know," She said, sighing heavily, "I'm so tired of it all, Draco."

The way she spoke made him want to pull her into his arms and make sure she stayed put. She sounded defeated and almost like she was ready to flee at a moment's notice. He rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Let me make you some tea," He murmured quietly before moving into the kitchen.

She listened to him quietly as he rummaged around the kitchen cupboards and a few minutes later, he walked out carrying a cup of tea fixed to how she liked it.

"Why is it that I'm not surprised you know how I like my tea?" She asked, laughing faintly although she did not sound amused at all.

Draco smiled faintly, "Drink that. It'll help calm you and then take a shower. Are you hungry?"

"Not really," She replied and raised the cup to her mouth for a swallow before saying, "You have to go, don't you?" He nodded slowly and she continued, "Parkinson is your case. You should be there, not with me."

"You were my first priority, Ginevra," Draco drawled, crossing his arms over his chest, "You're my other case. And out of the two, you are more important."

She rolled her eyes and sipped at her tea.

"I'm fine, Draco. Slightly shaken, but I'm hardly in shock. Just… go."

"I'll come and check on you once I finish up with the case. You better still be here," He said in a tone that let her know that if she fled, he'd find her again and then she would have no choice but to return with him.

"I'll still be here," She promised with a faint tremble to her hands.

"You better."

Then he apparated to the apparition sight nearest to the Manor. Potter and Weasley were standing outside the front door with annoyed expressions on their faces.

"We can't find him," Harry said and Draco scowled.

"Stay here," He said before opening the door and storming into the manor, "I am the lord of this manor. You will reveal the intruder or you will burn!"

Dust swirled around his feet as he stopped in the center of the grand entrance hall. The Manor seemed to come alive at his voice, becoming almost brighter in nature, as he made his first demand of the house. It felt more inviting and Draco shivered at the magic that began to stir.

"Where is he?" The blonde Heir demanded, "You will listen to your Master, Manor."

Hisssss – He was certain his ears were playing tricks. He'd never believed his parents when they told him the house responded to the Master and Mistress. Surely, they had been lying to him, as Lucius always had. Draco listened closer. Just in case.

Hissssss study, Masssster.

He shuddered and swallowed thickly, thinking back almost sixteen years ago to their only dueling class when Potter had spoken parseltongue. It was with a grimace that he mounted the stairs and stalked the west wing hall, robes billowing behind him as he drew his wand.

The last door at the end of the west wing was his father's former study and his destination. The door creaked open as Draco approached as though commanded by the wizard's mere presence. The door slammed shut as the Malfoy Heir stopped in the middle of the study.

"I see you found me, Draco," Parkinson's voice was silky as ever, "I have your little pet."

Draco curled his lip into a sneer.

"Parkinson."

"Is that anyway to greet your cousin?"

"Why did you take her," Draco asked, "For what purpose would she, a muggle, serve you?"

"You're in love with her, you fool. She besmirches the Malfoy name."

"You're not a Malfoy!" Draco roared, "This is my Manor. I am the master. I will oust you from this house as the filth you are."

"You are wrong!" Parkinson shouted back, "I am the master of the manor. It obeys me!"

Draco curled his lips. A feral expression graced his face.

"Fool. You have a quarter of the blood needed. I am the rightful heir."

"You abandoned the house!"

Draco laughed mockingly at the desperate man.

"Are you so desperate for your once prestigious rank and title, that you would kidnap a defenseless Muggle? That you would try to take it from me? The house does not beget you your rank, you imbecile. We live in a new world!"

"What do you know you traitor?" Was the retort, "You were Marked. You are a traitor!"

Anger coursed through Draco as the house creaked ominously.

"I am the Lord of this Manor. I am the Malfoy Heir," Draco snarled, "You have one chance, Edward Parkinson, surrender."

The reply was a bright orange spell being shot at Draco. He dodged it, rolling under his father's desk.

The thing about families as old as the Malfoys, who have Manors in the wild moors where civilization cannot see and the Ministry cannot truly control what they do to their home, is that they can do anything to it. The ancient Malfoy Manor was a sentient home. There was a consciousness to it that spooked many, but never Draco. It was promised to obey him when he became Lord. Even if he had never truly believed those stories.

He had never really abandoned it, but he never really inhabited it either. He had never claimed ownership until that day, but another had, also, claimed it.

The Manor fought with itself. With the ties of the Heir and the first claim, it did the only thing it could do.

It exploded.

-Break-

She paced her office anxiously. It had been a week since Malfoy had tucked her into bed. She hadn't seen or heard from him since. She was anxious. Had something happened to him? She wasn't sure when it had happened, but she had certainly begun caring for him. Despite what she said, she enjoyed it when he randomly appeared in her hospital sporting various injuries or at the café waiting with that infuriating smirk of his.

"Doctor Bennett?" She spun around and found a pretty dark haired woman standing in her doorway.

She held a sleeping infant in her arms and had a tentative smile on her face.

"Yes? Who are you?" She asked, chewing her lip.

"I – sorry – I'm here on behalf of Draco Malfoy," She said as she adjusted the bundle in her arms, "My name is Eliza Potter."

"Is he okay?" She asked, wringing her hands.

"He asked be to check on you and deliver a message. He said to tell you that there was an accident while he was in the field, but that he's okay. He also says that he's sorry he got you caught up in the whole ordeal, but they caught the bad guy so you're safe," The woman said and laughed, "Hell, if that man had had his way, we wouldn't be meeting. You look an awful lot like her."

Ginny's heart pounded in her chest, "Her… who?"

"Someone who's been missing for a long time," The woman replied, observing the redhead carefully, "Ginny – Ginevra Weasley."

"Uncanny," Ginny replied, hands trembling, "Draco is well, though?"

"Mostly. He's recovering. He's being forced to rest by Molly."

Ginny inhaled sharply at the thought of her mother.

"Will – will you give him something for me?" She asked as she walked around her desk, "Please? A letter – expressing my thanks."

"Sure," Eliza said and took a seat in front of her desk.

"Your daughter is rather cute," Ginny said as she pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

"Thank you. Her name is Lily Ginevra Potter," Eliza told the red head as she stroked the face of the sleeping child.

"Didn't you say that Ginevra was the name of that missing girl?" Ginny asked as she began her letter.

"Harry – my husband – is very close with her family. Her brother is his best friend, actually, along with Draco. Ginny was his first love. It took me a while to convince him to date me and I first had to get the approval of her family. Molly – her mom – was the first to bless it. She'd been missing five years at that point," Eliza told her with a faint smile.

"I see," Ginny replied softly.

Malfoy,

I'd say thank you for saving me, but quite honestly it was your fault I was caught up in it anyways. In fact, if you hadn't ever started stalking me, I would never have been involved.

As for the matter of my family, they've already replaced me. Why should I go back? They have Hermione and Eliza now.

Quite frankly, I never want to see your pointed face again. This is the last time I ever want to have contact with you. Leave. Me. Alone.

Sincerely,

Doctor Molly Bennett

P.S. This is my life now. I gave up my wand. I gave up my family because I lost sight of my hope. I built a new life and I'm happy here.

The folded the paper and dug around the desk for an envelope. After sealing the envelope, she addressed it to Mister Draco Malfoy and handed it to Eliza with a faint smile.

"Thank you for coming by," She said sweetly and watched the auburn haired woman leave.

She held back the distraught tears, unsure why she was exactly distraught, until she crumpled into her bed. They were plenty happy without her. They had Eliza to take her place. She wasn't needed. She wouldn't go back.

And if she let herself continue to feel as she did for Draco… she would eventually go back.

-Break-

Silvery eyes scanned the paper a second time before he looked up at the auburn haired woman shifting embarrassed in the doorway. She anxiously danced from one foot to the other.

"She honestly gave you this?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, Draco. Merlin's knickers. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone to see her. I just wanted to see what she was like, y'know?" Eliza said and pouted, "Please don't be angry with me."

"What did you tell her?" His eyes darkened with anger and she swallowed.

"Well – I – I told her that you were sorry you got her caught up in the ordeal and that you'd been injured. And then she asked to give you a letter to express her thanks," Eliza trailed off hesitantly before her hazel eyes flashed with realization, "She didn't say thanks, did she?"

Draco crumpled the paper into a ball and pushed himself off the bed.

"You are going to distract Molly Weasley and I am going to go and see Molly Bennett," Draco said with a scowl, "And you are not going to tell anyone about this."

"Fine. But answer me one question," Eliza said slowly and Draco nodded as he stood with a grimace.

The potions were still working to heal the last of the burns and the wounds from his former childhood home exploding. Everything was gone. He was just grateful that Parkinson was the last of the Death Eaters that had still been on the run. Even more so, he was glad he'd removed all of his mother's belongings from that place.

He decided that he would rebuild it. He had enough money from his own personal vault, which was a combined inheritance from his father's parents, his mother, his mother's parents, Bellatrix, and the two Lestrange vaults. The latter two and the main Malfoy vault had already been donated to various charities and to rebuilding the Wizarding World, but his personal inheritances had been invested properly.

"What is this question?" He asked as she cast muffliato around them.

"Why do you have such a fixation on this muggle woman?" She folded her arms across her chest, "No one can interrupt this conversation this time, Draco Abraxas Malfoy. Spill."

He sighed, "She's not a muggle."

As the pieces fell together before her eyes, Eliza grinned, "Its Ginny, isn't it?"

"But there's a problem," Draco said with a scowl, "She won't come home."

"What? Why?"

"Read the letter. I'm about to go find the real reason."

"Draco, I think I might have made another problem for you," The auburn haired witch admitted with a grimace.

"What? You said something else, didn't you?"

She nodded weakly, "We talked about Lily. I – I brought her with me and, well, Ginny commented on her. And then I got talking and told her we'd named her after her."

Draco blinked, "She knows. I told her."

"I might have admitted that I wanted Molly's blessing on me and Harry before we married and… she gave it."

Draco frowned, "I don't think that has much to do with it. Ginny is very much over Potter."

"Did she tell you?" Draco's cheeks burned slightly.

"Not in so many words, but if anyone is good at reading her, it's me. I think I know her better than any of her brothers."

"What? You've never even showed any interest in her besides finding her!"

Draco shot her a dirty look as he snapped, "We were friends, okay? At Hogwarts. She's – damn it – she's the reason why I switch sides, Elizabeth. Now stop pestering me. I have to talk to her!"

He grabbed his wallet and slipped his – as Eliza referred to them – old man slippers on and struggled out of the room. Eliza frowned.

"Why don't I apparate you?" She asked and he shook his head.

"The healers said that any non-muggle transportation will mess something up again. I have to wait for the burns to finish healing and then they can heal the bones and the giant hole in my side. Thank Salazar that my flat is in London. I can take a taxi to her house. She should be home now."

"Just be careful, okay?" She said warily, "I really shouldn't be letting you do this."

"I have to talk to her," Draco said anxiously before threatening, "And if you don't, I'll jinx you and go on my own. At least this way, someone knows where I've gone."

He stumbled out of his flat while Eliza entertained Molly with her three kids.

-End of Chapter-

It took me thirty minutes before I decided I was content with this chapter. So, the reference in this chapter is the Malfoy Manor being semi-sentient. It comes from a wonderful series called The Dark Forgotten by Sharon Ashwood and starts with Ravenous. In Ravenous, the main female is a witch and witch houses are imbued with magic so they become sentient. Normally, they're good guys, but there's a rare case where, if a house has been abandoned for a long time (especially if it was owned by a dark family) then they decide they'd rather each your magic than be friendly. Pretty much.

Another chapter with very little in common with the one shot. Originally, Draco got into a fight with Charlie after asking what he'd do if Gin was just hiding and was afraid to come home. Then he ended up in the ER, with Ginny, who gets pissed at him (as always) when he asks her to come home with him and tells him she never wants to see him again and then they make up. I think this was a little funner to write. Especially since I got to write Eliza in a bit and expand on her character. (I'll give a shout out to anyone who can find the 2nd book reference hidden in my fic. Hint: It's classic British novel written by a female author and published in 1813)

Thanks for the feedback! I very much appreciate it. I'm glad you guys are enjoying the fic! Especially the Draco/Harry friendship dynamic. I don't normally like the Draco/Harry friendship fics because, well, Draco and Harry are supposed to antagonize each other. Harry and Ron are more or less forced into being nice to Draco at first (by Hermione and Mrs. Weasley) before they all start to quit pretending and slide into a more antagonistic friendship. Please leave a review! And let me know if you think I should tag on an epilogue! One chapter (minus the possible epilogue) left! And I leave in a week. :D