Chapter 13:: Maybe You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks...
Hermione arrived at Malfoy Manor with a soft pop. Draco looked up from where he lay on the floor with Skylene who was sprawled across his chest, her light snores rhythmic and regular.
He gave her an unreadable look as she walked in. He knew he shouldn't be enjoying this time while Austin was missing, but it was hard for him to feel so bad when there was a perfect little angel sleeping on him. So, he sort of half-smiled, half-questioningly raised his eyebrow, and somehow managed to frown a little at her frustration.
"Well?" He asked, sitting up and cradling the sleeping girl in his arms.
"Sid doesn't have her."
"You sure about that?"
"Yes. But he did another reading." At Draco's raised eyebrows, she continued. "She needs potions, Draco. She'll get real sick if she doesn't get potions soon."
"Well, does he know who took her?"
"No."
Draco scoffed. "Some helpful reading."
"Draco, please, not helping. He did say that they said something past grief coming again for a final attempt at closure. Said it was a scorned former friend who has lost composure."
"But your only former friend is Weasley; unless you count that Brown girl as a friend, but I never saw you talk to her in school. But even then, the two are married. What would set them off to go and steal your daughter? It's been years since you last even saw them as Hermione."
Hermione sat next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I don't know, but it's a good place to send the aurors."
"You aren't going to go yourself?"
"I should, but Ron is not someone I want to be alone with. You were afraid of me seeing Sid, who has never hurt me in anyway; but this is Ron, I don't even have to begin the things he's done to me." She paused momentarily before a horrified look crossed her features. "Oh Gods, Draco! What if he's doing those things to Austin, too?" She turned her face into his chest, finally letting tears fall freely. Skylene woke up with the shift of Draco's body accommodating her mother.
"Mummy? It wiuh be okay." She patted her mom's shoulder affectionately. "Meestuh Dwayco waz berry nice to us. He wiuh pway wit yuh tuw if yuh wan." She kissed her mom's head affectionately as she climbed out of Draco's arms to go find Morgan.
"Yeah, Hermione. I'll play with you, too. I have plenty of energy." He winked and kissed her neck lightly before getting up. Everyone in the room was startled as about seventeen ministry officials apparated into the room, with legal rights to bypass any safety wards in effect.
About nine aurors stood behind the Ministry Interrogation Unit, poised and ready to begin their investigation. Hermione's heart panged when she saw a young boy in the back of the aurors with messy jet black hair and bright green eyes. He was about the age Harry would have been today, and suddenly Hermione had an overwhelming want to see his burial site.
"Miss Granger?" A short, fat, balding man who appeared to be in his late twenties to early thirties stepped up next to her, a pad of parchment and a quill in his hands. "My name is Thomas Writtenmyers. I need to ask you a few questions about your missing daughter."
"Certainly." Draco put a protective arm around her waist as she clasped her hands together in front of her.
"When and where did she go missing and how did you discover she was gone?"
"She went missing during her nap at our flat this morning. My roommate, Ginny—the girl who came to inform the Ministry—came and told me. She was watching the children for me."
"I see. And if that is the case, where were you?"
"I was here, with my boyfriend. I spent the night after a date."
"Where did you go between the time of your daughter's disappearance and our arrival here at the manor?"
"I went to Hogwarts."
"Why would you have gone there?"
"Austin's father works there as the potions professor. We hadn't worked out visitation so I wanted to know if he had come to take her on his own jurisdiction."
"Did he?"
"No. He hadn't even known she was missing. But he said something rather curious after doing a stone reading."
"That's a bit outdated, Miss."
"I understand, but he was right when I was pregnant, I would not hesitate to believe he could be correct now."
"Go on."
"He got a little insight. Something about a past grief returning and a scorned former friend getting a last chance at a personal gain."
"Do you know anyone who fits the description?"
"One… Ronald Bilius Weasley."
"Do you have any possible motivation?"
"Well we couldn't figure any current motivation out; but we don't have a good history. He's my ex, he's done some… less than desirable things to me… We have some pretty rocky history." The man turned and looked at the Aurors. With a nod, all of the Ministry officials and the Aurors were gone.
"I hope they find her safely." Hermione whispered, praying to any gods above that it not be too late and nothing too serious has happened to her.
"They'll find her." Draco pulled Hermione into his arms and held her close. Ginny looked at the two with a small smile of hope on her face. They may have some problems—okay, a LOT of problems—to work out; but Hermione was going to be just fine as long as she had Draco by her side.
Ginny gave a smirk to herself. She'd never thought she'd have admitted those words, even in her most insane of thoughts. Draco Malfoy being the pillar of strength for Hermione? Draco Malfoy being passive about wrong doings to him? He had truly grown up; he had matured in so many ways that Ginny felt a bit of jealousy at Hermione's luck. A man who would have unyielding love… unconditional love… must be nice, huh?
Ginny turned and looked at Morgan who was playing happily with Zander and Sky. There was a gaping hole in her heart as she watched her son play. Her shoulders weighed her down with the weight of the world as she thought about everything he had missed out on, all the things a growing little boy should have. Someday, someday soon, she would give him the father he's deserved all along; but she wanted to make sure that it was a man who wanted to be there, and a man who wanted her son as much as her.
An owl tapping on the glass brought her from her thoughts, apparently doing the same to the two lovers as Hermione's head jumped from his shoulder in fright. Ginny let the bird in before removing the parchment.
The results of Morgan's paternity test.
Ginny looked at Hermione with fearful amber eyes. "Mione… I'm not sure I can…" Ginny looked down at the letter with her fingers trembling nimbly.
Draco stepped over next to her as Hermione encased her long-time friend in her arms. "Would you like me to open it?" Draco's voice was indifferent, calm and collected. He was offering to be helpful. He may not like the stupid bint, but she was his love's best friend and he vowed right then that he would make an honest effort to be more cordial to the red head.
"Would you mind?" Ginny's hands were shaking so violently she couldn't even hold the missive still enough to read her name scrawled in large script on the front.
"Not at all." Draco took the letter gingerly and opened it, reading to himself silently for a moment before raising his eyes to hers. "What outcome are you hoping for?"
"Oh, Merlin… It's awful isn't it…"
"That depends on what answer you were wanting."
"Draco." Hermione's warning tone came in quiet but it spoke volumes.
"Potter is the father with a point eight percent margin of error. Err… Congratulations?" Draco seemed unsure of how he should react for her. He knew she'd be happy that Blaise couldn't leech any money off her son—not that Draco would have honestly paid him with this child… he knew damn well Blaise had all but abandoned the child—but part of him knew that with Potter being dead, having his child would be nothing but a torturing reminder for the girls.
Ginny slumped to her knees, her eyes wide as her mind raced to comprehend all this information.
"Ronald! I ran into that tramp of a former toy of yours in the village this morning." Lavender called out cheerfully evil as she walked into the small house.
Several hours had passed since she had had the run in with Hermione, and she was eager to get home and tell her hubby all about it.
"Hey, Lav? I don't think this kid looks too good. She's really thin and lethargic."
"She's just missing her mom."
"Is there any reason particularly you wanted to keep the kid here?"
"Well, keeping her at Hogwarts with me isn't an option."
"But here, our children could see her. They go to daycare together! This is crazy! How did I let you talk me into this?"
"Think of the money that Malfoy will be willing to pay to get his precious lover's daughter back."
"But this one isn't his daughter."
"How can you be so certain?"
"Lav, are you really that brainless? This child looks nothing like the ferret. How do you know he'll care enough about this child to pay a ransom?"
"He cares enough about Hermione."
"How can you just assume these things?"
"He's still in love with her; it doesn't take a genius to figure things out!"
"Perhaps you need to pay more attention to the papers…" Ron pointed to a copy of Which Witches' Picks, a full cover shot of Malfoy draping his arms over…
Alyssa Myrick? The day-care owner? Hooking up with Draco? He's given up on Hermione?
"Still… He wouldn't…"
"You didn't think anything through and this child is sick!"
"Well, then do something about it!"
"Yeah, I see that going over well. 'Hi, this child—who I kidnapped from my exlover—is terribly ill and I need to get treatment for her so I can hold her for ransom.' I don't see the Ministry taking lightly to that kind of admission!" Rom crossed his arms. He was fucking sick and tired of this bird. Hermione happened years ago. Everyone was STILL mad at him for raping her all those years ago, and he hadn't had anything to do with her since… this was ludicrous!
"Ron… we can still take advantage of the situation."
"No. Lavender, listen. Take her back now! I don't want to deal with kidnapping on top of all this. There's already enough on my plate. Just take her back… abandon her at the daycare or something. I don't want anything more to do with this plot of yours to get more money."
"You went along with it in the beginning."
"You were filling my head with all sorts of angering memories. I've had time to calm down since. Lav, we have a family. We can't be sitting here stealing other people's kids like we're back in school. You need to put this behind you. I want nothing more than to move on. I hadn't even seen Hermione in nearly five years. You find out from some gossip in the halls of Hogwarts that she had a fling with Sid back in school and just did a paternity test. Tell me, what do you really want out of this?"
"I want her fucking miserable!" Lavender lost her cool, throwing a vase across the living room effectively shattering to dozens of shards. "The bitch doesn't deserve happiness!"
"Lavender Weasley! Ronald Weasley! You're coming with us down to the ministry!" The team of aurors burst in through the room and rushed to the sick child's side as the interrogation unit came in and placed the two in wrist binding spells. The Aurors collected Ron and Lavender's four children as well, not exactly sure how long they were going to be going downtown.
"Where should the children go?"
"Take them to Molly and Author Weasley at The Burrow." Ron muttered as he gave his children sympathetic looks.
"Draco… Ginny and I… We want to see where Harry is buried…" Hermione's voice came out soft as she gave Ginny a cup of tea to sip on.
"I'm sorry, Hermione… It's not really possible. There's a memorial erected in his honor where he fell, but no one was able to locate and retrieve the body. There was nothing found to bury."
A soft crack resonated through the empty halls of Malfoy Manor. Draco and the two women drew their wands, preparing for their guest(s), but were surprised to see the lead Auror come in with Austin.
"Oh, Austin!" Hermione grabbed the weak child up into her embrace and held her tightly. "Mummy has missed you so much! Are you okay? Are you safe? Did the bad man hurt you?"
"I'm so tired mummy…" The little girl's eyes started drifting closed and Hermione shook her forcefully.
"Stay awake baby! Mummy is going to get you some help." Hermione turned to Draco with a pleading look in her eye. "I'm going to Sidney. He has a potion ready for her. Take care of things here for me."
A/N::
Well? A bit anti-climactic with the rescue… but there's going to be more. Sorry it's been a while… school's back in session with a vengeance and my time is very occupied right now… sorry I'll try to get more updates out faster, but of course academics before miscellaneous hobbies, ne? ;D thanks for all the support you guys! You're epic awesome!