Story: Why Don't You & I

Author: theherblower

Authors Note: Hello my lovelies! Its is one fine January day, chalk full of cold rain, loads of bowls of cabbage and broccoli soup, music in hoards, and new ipods. Cheerio! Hope you do enjoy~ =)

Chapter Six: Through Glass

Disclaimer: I hereby state that I own nothing! Nothing I tell you!

Playlist: Hesitate, Through Glass, Say you'll haunt me ~ Stonesour. Sound off ~ Trapt. Sing ~ MCR. Why Don't You & I ~ Chad Kroger feat Santana. Should have been a cowboy ~ Toby Keith.

The ministry was packed full of workers in emerald green dress robes when Sirius and I arrived though the floo. It was a pain in the ass to walk, all I wanted to do was take a right nice sleeping draught and sleep forever, seriously. Each step I took was agonizing pain, and I wasn't to fond of pain, especially repeating it. But I had to go into the office today, whether I liked it or not. I also had to pretend that everything was all fine and that I was not in pain at all, as ordered to by my uncle and boss. Sirius was holding my right hand in encouragement to keep walking as if there wasn't a thing wrong in the world. And I did. Even though It was killing me. I smiled at people who walked pass us, most of them grinning at the fact that we were holding hands. Although it wasn't what they were thinking, if I was walking all on my own shit, I don't know. I don't think I'd even be walking but doubled over in pain. I sighed visibly as we reached the lift and got inside. To our right was Arthur Weasley who just smiled at us with a little smirk in his eyes. I tried to ignore the staring of the other occupants around us including, Evan Rosier; death eater, Michelle Perkins; a witch in magical communications, Arthur; who was of course head of the misuses of muggle artifacts office, and three other people I did not know.

"Ah love. Grand isn't it?" Michelle smiled at me softly, I knew her to be a year above me while at Hogwarts, and in the house of Hufflepuff. I just smiled back at her, although on the inside I was seething. I did not love Sirius Black! Ok yes I did but he didn't have to know that. "I remember when my husband and I started to date, holding hands all the time. The long looks filled with meaning." she sighed at me. "How long?"

Sirius beside me was chuckling and spoke for me.

"Two whole wonderful weeks." he smiled using his other unoccupied hand to stroke my cheek. "Right pumpkin?"

"Right." I supplied with a blush. "Two whole weeks today."

"How wonderful! I remember the both of you from school, always fought. I knew it would be this in the end, it usually is." Michelle smiled. "This is my stop." so told us as the lift landed on level three, magical communications office. "Have a nice day." and with that she was gone.

The lift was silent after that for a few resonating moments.

"Two weeks eh?" Evan Rosier sneered at us. "Wonderful are they? I'm surprised really, two pure blood Gryffindor both exiled from they're family. Would have never guessed I'd find a Black and an Ackles together on principal. Part of me doesn't believe it."

"Stuff yourself Rosier. What do you know of love?" I spat narrowing my eyes and tightening my grip on Sirius hand. "At least we're united in our belief that the world doest run on power alone."

"So go and do yourself a favor Rosier," Sirius glared at him. "Go get stuffed." he spat as the lift dinged again and the Floo department showed face. Rosier just smiled a very evil smile as two of the wizards in the back left.

"See now I know for a fact that Ackles here as an extreme dislike for you Black. I also happen to know that snoopers spying where they shouldn't be shouldn't show they're injured faces."

"Fuck off Rosier." I spat at him. "What are you suggesting?"

"That Black here is only holding your hand as means to help you walk." he leered in close to me. "You wouldn't date him, you and I both know it."

"Who says you know anything." Arthur piped up from the left hand side. "I happen to know that these two have been dating."

"Your another order member, I expect you to vouch for they're story blood traitor." Rosier spat at Arthur with contempt and malice leaking off of his voice. "Prove to me that you are actually." he paused holding up his hands to gesticulate quotation marks. "Dating."

"Fine." I huffed grabbing Sirius by the front of his robes and dragging him down into a kiss.

Mistake number one, I kissed Sirius. Mistake number two, kiss is now lasting more than the five seconds that I had originally planned. Great. We pulled back after a few moments and stared at each other before Sirius looked up at Rosier and smirking.

"Need anymore proof there Rosier? Need us to start full on snogging?" he asked with a deathly amused voice. "Now scram." he snapped as the lift dinged again and another level of the ministry appeared. Rosier just sneered at the three of us as he stepped out of the lift and disappeared around the side of the hall with a swish of his robes. Instantly I grabbed my side that was searing with pain once more and closed my eyes to fight it off. I felt Arthur rest his hand on my shoulder comfortingly as Sirius's grip on my hand tightened. I opened my eyes and glowered at the door to the lift.

"I fucking hate that bastard." I spat with venom. "One of these days I'm going to get the sick son of a bitch."

"Now now Gwendolyn. Calm your pretty little head down." Sirius smirked at me. "Its our level." he indicated to the Auror offices appearing as the lift dinged again. "Good to see you Arthur, see you tonight." he waved at our red haired friend and helped me step out of the lift.

We were walking again, this time through a crowd of Auror's all going different ways to do many of the different things we all do, mainly paper work. The secretary at the lobby smiled at us as we passed her and upon doing so, she turned to her fellow secretary and started what I'm guessing to be gossip. Eat your heart out Jilly (the really stupid and rather childish nickname everyone gave Lily and James when they were in they're prime as a couple. I loved to tease them about it, and do quite a lot from time to time. Lily hates it.) I clung to Sirius's arm as we walked, for fear that if I didn't hold onto him, I would sink into the floor never to return again. I rested my head on his shoulder, not to look cute and give people more ammunition to gossip about, but because I was exhausted from the morning, and the whole barely healed stab wound on my right leg. I closed my eyes trusting him to guide me as we walked. How did everything get so mixed up? How can Peter be a death eater? How can my father be such a prick? Why did Voldemort have to even exist? Why couldn't everyone just live in peace and harmony with justice? I will never understand the reasons why we poor simple humans have to leave this life, day to day, do our daily rituals. I hate it, really I do. I just want everything to go back, to be safe again. To go back to a time where there were no constant death threats or violence. A time where people that I loved didn't die.

I sighed as I opened my eyes when we stepped into the main Auror office. My uncle was barking orders at some first year Auror's while Marlene McKinnon and Alice Longbottom were going around checking our death eater map, well not that it was precise or anything. The ministry was controlling everything, and we've reason to believe that the death eaters were controlling the ministry. Everything was so fucked up. Everything had been fucked up. It started when Voldemort declared war on the muggles, muggle borns, half bloods, and blood traitors. Or so in his opinion. I'll never forget the morning that I woke up, it was summer holiday, and went downstairs into the kitchen of the Ackles estate to find a large headline in the daily prophet declaring that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had come into power, and the ministry was persecuting him and all those who were in accordance with him. I was sixteen. And my world ended. It was just after that my father poisoned my mother so that he could marry his young new bride by the name of Melinda Hart. I fled the house at the first chance I got and ran to my Uncle Alastor Moody's home. He accepted me with open arms. I stayed there from that day until now. And I doubt that I'll be leaving anytime soon. I loved my uncle, he was the only family that I've left. My uncle, seemingly knowing that I was thinking about him, turned and looked at me with a smile on his old hardened face that was well worn from years on the battlefield.

"Black! Ackles!" he called out to us. "My office now!"

We followed my uncle into his office and he slammed the door behind him. I quickly took the seat in the desk in front of him and closed my eyes to push back the pain.

"Are you ok Gwen?" Sirius asked crouching down next to me. "The wound hasn't opened up has it?"

"I don't know." I growled out. "Its still the same searing pain its been since I got the damned thing."

"Come on," he prodded softly. "Lemme see."

"Fine." I managed out before standing so that the stab wound on the top of my leg near my hip could be checked. I just kept my eyes clamped shut tightly, I almost couldn't breathe. "How is it?" I asked after I felt air brush over my skin.

"Its not good." Sirius told me softly with a worried edge to his voice. "Its starting to bleed again, and not nicely." he told me before I felt something cloth like in structure cover the spot where the searing pain was emanating from. "I'm just going to apply a little pressure." he told me pressing the cloth to me. I flipped my eyes open and looked down. He had used a handkerchief to staunch the bleeding, and it must have been bad because the pure white of the cloth started to have a little scarlet drop in the middle, and it started to spread.

"Cover her up." My uncle barked looking out his office window. "He's coming, with Rosier and Redland."

My jeans were zipped back up and my robe was in its proper order once more. I pulled a cheerful smile to my face to mask the pain that was sure to etched into my features. Sirius stood behind me with his hands on my shoulder comfortingly when the office door banged open and my father, Rolf J. Ackles and two of his lackeys stalking in with haughty expressions adorned on they're sneering faces. My father was in the front, holding a thickly rolled up piece of parchment while Rosier stood behind him with a clipboard and the most nasty expression towards me. I just rolled my eyes at the stupid goon, as if he scared me a 'tall. Redland, my fathers second little protégé stood in the back with a glower fixed on Sirius who was trying and failing to stop his laughing at the sight before us. They looked very stupid, and dramatic. I could almost hear girly chick music in my head to coincide with the fools trying and failing to be daunting in front of me. I sighed and rolled my eyes as my uncle unleashed and angry tirade on them.

"What is the meaning of this?" My Uncle snarled at them. "How dare you just storm in here without knocking? Did your parents teach you nothing of manners?"

"Moody if I were you I would shut up." Rolf Ackles snapped at him. "I am here to speak with my daughter."

"Who is busy giving a damned report to me at the moment. Leave my office and wait your damn turn."

"I think not." he drawled leveling his eyes on me. "Gwendolyn, where were you yesterday?"

I sneered at the stupid bastard in front of me. I hated him with everything in me, how dare he talk to me in such a manner, and how dare he consider me his daughter.

"You have a daughter in here?" I asked with a glare boring strait into him. "I had no idea."

"Stop being melodramatic Gwendolyn, and tell me where you were yesterday? I came to call upon you only to find you missing from work. Anywhere specific?"

"Where I go and what I do in my life is of no concern of yours." I spat. "I disowned you years ago Ackles, and it would do you good to not forget that."

"I am still your father, like it or not. Now answer the question or need I remind you that you are employed under the minister of magic who can be very persuaded by me."

"You shagging the Minister?" I gasped in mock shock. "Why Ackles I had no idea you played on that side of the pool."

He stepped forward and smacked me across the face. Sirius jumped up and got in his face.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Sirius demanded with a dangerous look on his face. "You have no right to come in here and ask anything of anyone."

"Step down Black." he said spitting in Sirius's face. My Uncle stepped in between the pair and held Sirius off for fear that he would do something rash. "Answer the question Gwendolyn."

"I had the day off. I was baby shopping with a friend." I growled with a narrow of my eyes. "What is it to you?"

"Well then if that is what you were doing no doubt." He sneered at me. "Stand up and walk over to me."

"And why would I do that?" I asked rolling my eyes. "What do you even want?"

"I want you to stand up and walk over here, retrieve these papers and sign them." My father snarled. "Otherwise I just might have to report a break in upon my Estate two nights before."

"Fine." I snapped standing up. I quickly stalked over to him and snatched the papers out of his hands without so much as a waver in my step. I walked back over to my chair and sat down with the rock hard mask of steely anger that I had on my face to cover up the fact that I was in more pain that I'd ever known before, and I had to ignore it. I unrolled the parchment to find a legal document stating that I disclaim my inheritance upon Rolf J. Ackles's death. I would forfeit any and all money, real estate, and personal estate of his that should be legitimately passed down to his heir apparent, which was I. Everything from the threads on the lamp shades to ever last knut in gringotts would go to my stepmother. I smiled at the document, after this I would no longer have any ties to the slime ball.

"Sign it Gwendolyn." he spat handing me a quill. "And I will leave you alone."

"Good." I snapped at him signing my name on the undersign. "Now leave me be."

"I have just one more thing to address." he smirked at me before turning to Sirius. "I am told that you and my daughter or seeing each other in a romantic capacity."

"And if we were what would you be able to do about it?" Sirius snapped at him like a vicious dog.

"Well it would seem prudent for my blessing don't you think?"

"No." I told him acidly. "If you forgot that you were disowned by me, maybe I should remind you. I can date whomever I wish too, and there is not one single thing that you can do to stop me Ackles."

"Perhaps not." he sneered. "But I am surprised with you Gwendolyn, dating a fellow pureblood? I thought that was below you're your standards."

"What does it matter what fucking blood he has?" I glowered at him. "He could be a muggle for all I care and nothing would change the way a feel. Blood means nothing to me."

"It should mean everything to you. I don't know where I went wrong with you girl, I thought I'd taught you the perfections of our noble race as Wizard kind. I am ashamed to call you my own."

"Then don't!" I snapped acidly at him. "Because I don't call you my own, and I'm ashamed of you. You'd rather care about money, politics, and blood status than love! I hate you more than you could possibly ever understand!"

"How dare you! You will show my some respect!" he said before slapping me again. "Your petty little fight for peace and love with fail Gwendolyn, yet I fear it is too late for you. I thought I had taught you that power, power is more than anything, more than love and more than life itself. To have complete and total domination is what we shall have, and there is nothing that you insignificant ants can do or say about it!"

"I signed your stupid document Ackles, now leave. Leave me alone and never show your stupid ugly face to me again."

"I'm afraid my dear daughter, that that particular wish will go unfulfilled." he told me with an evil look gushing from his eyes. "Good day." and with that they were gone.

"I hate him." I muttered clutching my side. "I want to throw in into the biggest cell of Azkaban for him never to see light of day again."

"We know." Uncle Al smiled sadly at me. "And one day he will be, I'll see to it."

I sighed at him feeling the world go foggy in my mind. My eyelids fell shut and I tried again to shove the pain that was reeling through me away. Uncle Al's office seemed to take on a dark red tinge to it as I opened my eyes once more to look around me. My breathing was coming out in heavy intervals as the dark red room got all of a sudden bright, something was wrong. The pain in my hip almost was faded away and numb. Come to think of it everything went numb in that split moment. I couldn't feel my legs or my feet. Even my toes were gone to the numbness that was quickly swallowing me whole. I tried to talk, but couldn't muster the faintest sound. Sirius was in front of me talking to me with a frantic look on his barely visible face. I knew that I was crying, but I couldn't hear. Everything was silent and moving as if I were in some weird trance of slow motion. My vision cleared suddenly but a dark anchor of blackness was pulling my down to drown within its inky black depths. I could see him, but I couldn't feel him. And in that instant that I realized that I needed him, everything else around me slipped away and I was thrust into darkness.

..scene…change..

"Get her on to the bed Sirius." Dorcas commanded him as the group came bursting through the door. I was in the back following Sirius, who had Gwen unconscious in his arms, Dorcas Meadows, a healer from St. Mungo's and dedicated Order Member, Remus Lupin, one of my best friends as well as Sirius, and Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody. They had her propped up on the bed in a matter of split seconds. Dorcas was running around the room gathering things while Padfoot was brushing Gwen's hair from her face. Moony was busy getting a bowl of cool water and a rag to calm her fever while Mad-Eye just stood there in the door way with a look of terror written on his face. Gwen herself was awake, or at the very least conscious. Her eyes were in slits and her hair was matted back with sweat from the fever. She kept whimpering as the bleeding on her leg kept spreading, it didn't look good for her. Sirius kept telling her that everything would be alright, but I faintly guess that he barely meant it himself. Poor sod.

"Alright. The only thing to do is give her this potion and close off the wound." Dorcas told Sirius with a stony face. "The only way that we can close the wound off is to cauterize it."

"How do we do that?" Sirius asked with worry. "You don't mean to actually burn her right?"

"Unfortunately that is the only way to stop the wound which will stop the spread of the poison. I did my research dear, and the poison the dagger was dipped in was that the venom of a werewolf." she spoke quietly. Remus's face went bone white upon hearing these words. "All we can do is to cut the spread of the venom off."

"Alright." Sirius sighed shaking his head. He climbed up on the bed behind Gwen and let her fall back into his chest. "How are we going to do this?"

"Well first," Dorcas moved over to the edge of the bed and picked up something leather looking in nature. "We need to give her something to bite down on." she instructed Sirius handing him the dark leather piece. "James could you be a dear and hold her feet down?" Dorcas asked me with a apprehensive look on her features. I moved forward and locked my arms onto Gwen's legs to keep them down. "Good." Dorcas sighed. "Sirius you'll want to put that in her mouth and hold onto her hands while we do this."

Padfoot, who had tears leaking from his eyes held the leather out and placed it between Gwen's teeth. Then he grabbed her hands and started to whisper soothingly into her ear which she responded quickly to.

"Are you ready?" Dorcas asked him softly, something of a tear slipped down her cheek. "Gwen honey just hold on." she instructed the agonizing Gwen who was sobbing into Padfoot's chest. "Just hold on." she repeated as Padfoot picked up Gwen's hands and crossed them across her chest to hold onto her. "Fevervete." Dorcas spoke with her wand raised high. A dark red stream of light shot from her wand to Gwen's now exposed hip. If she could have screamed, she would have sent the windows into broken shards. You could see the pain pass across her face as the sobs wracked though her body in tandem, almost like a dancing melody. Padfoot held onto her as the pain took her up and over and into the land of semi unconsciousness. She thrashed against us, and it took all that I possessed to keep her legs secured to the bed as Dorcas provided her magic. Then as soon as it began, it ended and she went slack. I looked up to see an exhausted tear stained face, her eyes reduced from slits to little if nothing of seeing at all. Her whole body was a dead weight on the bed and Padfoot.

"Gwen?" Padfoot asked with a worried breath to the girl in his arms. "Are you ok?"

"No." she croaked out. "I feel like shit."

Padfoot started to laugh at this and hug her tightly.

"That means that your ok." he told her with a cheerful air to him. "Now you just have to insult me."

"No." she grumbled trying audibly to calm her ragged and erratic breathing. "No." she repeated.

"Ok. Gwen sweetheart this is a sleeping draught that I've prepared for you. It will help you rest easy for the day."

"No." she repeated again. "Sirius I don't want to go to sleep. I need to finish that report for Auror Scrimgeor."

"You need not worry about the report Gwendolyn, I'll take care of it. You need to sleep." he told her softly brushing the hair back from her face. "Just sleep."

"No! I need to stay awake. Just give me a painkiller." she told Dorcas with a bark. "I cant sleep. Not now."

"I'm sorry Gwen dear, but I think it best for you to sleep." Dorcas replied back to her with a motherly huff. "Considering the amount of pain you were just induced to, sleep is the best medicine."

"Just give me a painkiller." she repeated harshly. "I cant sleep."

"Yes you can." Padfoot told her softly looking up at Dorcas and holding his hand out to take the potion from her. "Now open your mouth."

"Make me Black." Gwen spat somewhere between harsh and weak. "I'm not going to sleep right now, and there is nothing you can do to make me."

"Oh yeah?" he countered with a grin. "There is nothing that I could possibly do to make you sleep is there?"

'No." she growled at him. "Nothing."

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you. A marauder can always outsmart you sweetheart, remember that for future reference will you?"

"What are you going on about Black?" she snapped turning around to face him directly. "I'm not getting any younger here."

"Alright." Padfoot chuckled evilly. "But don't say I didn't warn you." he told her softly before quickly leaning forward and planting his lips on hers. For a second she didn't move at all, not a muscle. Now personally, I thought that she would have a heart attack and kill him but I guess I was wrong on that note. Lily was always telling me that they had feelings for each other, though I knew Padfoot had feelings her, I didn't expect her to have feelings back. I was wrong, but I am glad to be able to admit it. The people around me all shared the same smirk watching them, Padfoot with his hands moving behind her back uncorked the flagon of sleeping draught and held it close. Part of me still couldn't believe what I was seeing, Gwen and Padfoot kissing? And not just kissing, they were full out snogging. Then Padfoot pulled back and smirked at her face that turned an instant shade of prune, tilted her head back and dumped the potion down her throat. Of course Gwen sputtered and spewed and looked ready to murder him when the potion, in its instant form, took effect and like something hit her upside the head, she was out like a light.

"Am I good? Or am I not?" he asked smirking carefully holding her up so that he could stand. Then he gently laid her back into the bed and covered her up with the blanket at the foot of the bed and smiled. "Cant say that I didn't warn her." he smirked. "Now I do have to get on that report for Scrimgeor." he nodded at us all and ducked out of the room leaving three o shaped faces in his wake.

..scene…change..

Authors Note: BWHAHAHAHA! YOU CANNOT STOP MY LOVE MY A MERE PAYCUT! WHAHAHAHA! Jk, good old Maes Hughes. *sobs in dramatic intervals* I miss that sod, best character ever! And he had to die! Suck. Oh and I don't care what the hell you people say, Maes Hughes will live on through this fan fiction, even if its an hp one. Cheerio!

-thf