Title: The Perfect Wife
Author: slytherin-nette
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters you recognize from the HP books in this story. All I own is the plot. Everything else belongs to JK Rowling. She rocks.
Pairings: DM/femHP, RW/LrM, BZ/HG, SB/RV, BM/??, AM/?? and many others.
Warnings: This is a Post-Hogwarts story so it will be slightly more mature than TPG but equally insane. Wahaha. Also, this story contains PREGNANCY, RATED scenes and SLASH relationships.
A/N: I was listening to the radio just a couple of days ago and I heard Hate that I Love you by Rihanna.I just realized how much it reminded me of this story. :D I suggest you all listen to it if you have the time…It's a really cute song that I think fits Draco and Harry's relationship in this series. :D
As of now…I'm CONSIDERING writing a FICLET after TPW about the twins in Hogwarts but no promises yet. I plan to work on Phoenix Tears once this story finished first. If ever, would you guys be interested in a ficlet about the Garrett and Gabriel? Tell me if you think I should! :D
Chapter 17 – Blood Ties
Where…Where am I…?
Forcing his heavy eyelids open and squinting against the bright white lights that greeted him, Draco blinked up blearily at the ceiling in confusion. Wha…Where's…everyone…? What am I doing here? What the hell— He turned his head slightly to the side and took a quick glance around the room – noting the floating health instruments and the tubes of vitality potion injected into his wrists.
Forcing his eyes to open even wider, he turned his head again and strained to see through the window. Harry…? Where's…Harry…? Where's… Draco's face creased into a small scowl and he began thrashing weakly against the instruments all around him, fighting desperately to free himself.
What the fuck…Stupid…Bloody…Instruments…Get…these…things…OFF! Draco's thoughts were barely coherent even to himself but he ignored this and began struggling more persistently against the instruments attached to him, eventually drawing the attention of the only visitor in the room.
"Draco! What are you doing?! Stay still, you're going to hurt yourself!" Anton protested angrily as he snapped awake from his nap and rushed over to his irritated cousin, grabbing the older Malfoy son's hands. Draco growled weakly and tried to push him away but Anton grunted and forced his hands back down, shaking his head and tucking the other man back underneath the blankets.
"Draco, STOP struggling, you stupid prick! You're only able to move NOW because of all those tubes attached to you and because of that potion being fed into your body! You take those things off, you'll just collapse like a useless sack!" Anton snapped pointedly at him, sighing as he sat back down onto the seat beside Draco's bed and grabbed another magazine off the nearby table.
Draco took one look at him from the bed and snarled, his silver eyes narrowing impatiently at the blonde half-veela in ire. "Who do you think you are, a bloody Healer?! Where's my wife?! Where are my parents – where the hell is EVERYONE?! Why only YOU?!" He would have struggled again had Anton not raised his wand and pointed it lazily at him, strapping the other Malfoy down onto the bed.
"It's just about past ten, Draco… The family just went home to take a quick rest and a shower. They've been here for nearly five hours while you were sleeping. They'll be back after about two more hours so just sit tight…I'll be here with you till then." He looked up and threw his disgruntled cousin a sardonic smirk, muffling a soft chuckle when Draco answered him with an irritated grimace.
"Wonderful…That's just bloody brilliant. Why did they leave YOU behind…? We're not exactly the best of friends, you know…Why not Harry…Or Byron…Or…Wait…Where IS Harry, anyway? Did she leave?" He winced and forced himself up into a seating position to look around the room again. His face immediately scowled in disappointment when he realized that his wife was not in the room.
Anton took one look at the miffed expression on Draco's face and shifted uncomfortably in his seat, inwardly considering to himself his next words. "Uhm…Well…Truth is, Draco…We haven't seen Harry at all since she left with Ron and Hermione about three hours ago…And Byron…Well…He left just before they did too. Said something about convening at the Ministry…" He let his sentence trail off but at the worried look on his face, Draco knew Anton was hiding something else from him.
Fortunately enough, it didn't take much effort to coax it out of the half-veela. Draco gave him a single death glare and a vicious snarl until eventually, Anton winced again and continued – his voice falling into a hesitant whisper. "I…I don't know exactly where they went, Drac…Really I don't. But when Byron left, he was muttering all this nonsensical rubbish about Infusions and Egypt and that—"
"EGYPT?! IS THAT WHERE THEY WENT, ANTON?! TELL ME—" The last part of Draco's shout was cut off abruptly when he fell into another violent, coughing fit, causing Anton to wince and shift uneasily in his seat again. He watched as Draco wiped weakly at the blood that had issued from his lips and looked up at him, his face a lot paler than it had been when he had first woken up.
"Anton—"
"I don't know, Draco! I really don't know what's going on here! All I have is this!" The half-veela reached into the pocket of his blue robes and gave his older cousin another helpless grimace. He stood up and placed what appeared to be a ripped-out page from an old book onto the foot of Draco's hospital bed, watching as Draco's eyes widened in dread when he saw the symbols written on it.
He sat back down and watched as Draco picked up the piece of parchment in growing suspicion, waiting until his cousin's silver orbs flicked back up questioningly at him. "Harry gave it to me just before she and the others left…She said it would explain everything to you and that she'd explain more about it when she got back—" Anton hesitated before continuing the last part of his sentence, watching as Draco's gray orbs slowly began to widen in fear and realization.
"Oh good god…It c—can't…I—it can't be—"
"—Harry also told me specifically to tell you not to worry…that she'd get your magic back for you…" Anton finished this up by letting out a shaky exhale of breath, leaning back against his seat to watch Draco's frightened expression slowly beginning to crease into an angry, disbelieving scowl.
"…Th—that…That…STUPID…RECKLESS…ASININE PRICK! What in Merlin's name does she thinks she's doing?!" He cut himself off and tried to rise up out of his bed again – only to end up cringing in pain the moment his body had attempted to straighten up "U—ugh…H—help me get up, Anton! I'm going after that stupid bitch! I—I can't believe sh—she would do that—where's Byron—"
Anton winced and hurriedly rushed back over to him, pushing him back down onto his back. "Stay in bed, you moron! You can't go after her now, you'll do more harm than good in your condition! You can't even sit your arse up without help!" He snapped impatiently, earning himself another glare.
"WHERE'S BYRON—"
"I don't know where he is! I think he's in the Ministry with the others! SERIOUSLY, Draco! You HAVE to stay still! You don't even have any MAGIC in you right now! You're helpless—" Anton stopped right in the middle of his sentence when Draco growled again and shoved him right off, causing the half-veela to wince and stumble backwards a couple of steps at the strength of Draco's shove.
The action seemed to take much more precious energy out of the Malfoy Head than he realized, however, and he ended up coughing and wincing again – pausing for a few minutes to take in several breaths of air. Once he managed to breathe again, he looked back up and directed his younger cousin with a firm glare – his fingers wrapping tightly around the sheet of paper in his hands.
"Take me to Egypt, Anton…Take me there NOW."
Anton gaped and stared at him as though he was insane, his blue eyes nearly bulging out its sockets. After having blinked at him speechlessly for several minutes, he finally gathered enough of himself and managed to shake his head hastily in refusal at him, his voice cracking as he spoke.
"Are you MAD, Draco…?! You're in CONFINEMENT for Merlin's sake! You're not allowed to leave the Hospital and the rest of the family will be returning soon to check up on you! We can't just up and go to Egypt now! No way!" He blurted out, attempting to walk away and sit back down onto his seat but Draco reached out and grabbed a fistful of his robes, holding the other Malfoy in place.
At the strange mixture of maniacal determination and helplessness in his older cousin's normally composed gray eyes, Anton blinked and took a step back – flinching when he heard the desperation dripping from Draco's voice. "PLEASE…Take me to Egypt! I—I have to get there…I d—don't know why but I j—just do…I can't get there alone! PLEASE…You've got to help me, Anton!"
Anton bit his lip and stared hesitantly at the other Malfoy son in silence, noting the genuine fear in Draco's eyes and the way he was practically trembling in his agitation. The fingers Draco had wrapped around Anton's robes loosened and the Malfoy Head pulled back, turned to his side and began to cough blood up violently again – the sight of which elicited a sigh from Anton's lips.
Shaking his head, the blonde half-veela gave Draco one last reluctant grimace and slowly took the paper from his older cousin's hands. "B—but…It's against hospital policy, Draco! I—I can't take you out of here unless you're cleared! Plus, Uncle Lucius and Grandfather specifically told me to watch over you until they get back! What do you think they'll do to me when they come back and find out that we're both not here and that I took you to EGYPT in your current condition—"
Draco silenced the rest of Anton's rants with a firm shake of his head, letting out a weak laugh and looking up to give his younger cousin a small smirk. "A—are you telling me y—you're actually a—afraid of going against what Grandfather said…? I—I thought you were the rebel in this family…?" He managed to tease weakly, coughing several times again as he waited for Anton's response.
To his amusement, Anton took one look at Draco's pointed smirk and gave him an indignant glare, his blue eyes narrowing slowly at the implication of the other Malfoy's words. "I wasn't afraid of going against Grandfather, you prick! I was merely…WATCHING out for your welfare! You can't even stand! If they come back and find out that their most precious and most perfect Malfoy son is gone…They'll end up blaming ME like they ALWAYS do and then who'll end up the bad guy again—"
In spite of himself and the weakness that was slowly beginning to seep into his body again, Draco managed a weak laugh at Anton's snide comment and gave him a wry grin. "Aw…I didn't know you cared so much about my WELFARE, dear cousin…You don't have to hide that concern you know."
Anton's eyes narrowed even more and he glared at Draco as though he was trying to burn a hole through the other Malfoy son's head. "Why you conceited, self-righteous bastard…I ought to—"
"Please, Anton…"
He stopped when he heard the unusual softness in Draco's voice, the sound of which caused him to blink and stare disbelievingly into the Malfoy Head's face. The smirk on Draco's face had disappeared and had been replaced with a fearful, agitated grimace while his eyebrows had fused together in deep concern – the sight of caused Anton's eyes to widen in reluctant understanding.
"Wow, Draco…You're really serious about this aren't you—"
Draco remained silent and shook his head firmly again. He forced himself back up and reached his other hand over to his wrist, yanking off the tubes connecting the vitality potion to his body. He was still wincing when he looked back up at Anton and rubbed his sore wrists in pain as he spoke.
"My wife…is in…Serious…Danger… I—I have to go after her…I don't know how I know that…But I just do. Sh—she needs me…Please…You have to help me, Anton…Take me to Egypt. Please…"
Anton stared blankly and silently at him for a long series of tense moments, both of his eyebrows arched up in genuine surprise. Then, as though in helpless, amused defeat, the half-veela finally gave him one weak shrug and shook his head, smirking to himself in sheepish agreement.
"Ugh…I hate familial obligations."
"There…Right there!"
Both Harry and Ron followed the direction of Hermione's pointed finger and squinted through the dim glow of their wands, eventually making out the crumbled-up remains of what appeared to be the magical entrance doors to the Ancient Ceremonial site. It took a couple more minutes for all three of them to actually reach the entrance. They made their way through the dark, sand-stormed desert winds surrounding them, their robed forms shivering slightly under the cold atmosphere.
"Ugh…And to think I thought this would be just like that time I visited Egypt with my family back then…Remind me never to visit Egypt at night." Ron muttered under his breath, pulling his cloak closer around his shivering figure as he followed Harry and Hermione's footsteps through the sand.
Harry could only nod weakly in reply as she wrapped her own cloak tighter around her shivering form, her fingers like ice as they wrapped around her shoulders. She blinked and looked up at the familiar entrance in front them, her mind immediately drawn to the time just a couple of weeks ago when she, Byron, Vincent and Nicholas had visited this very site in the course of their missions.
I can't believe I'm back here…This place gave me the creeps… She thought silently to herself, remaining completely silent as she followed Ron and Hermione through the entrance. Both stopped just as they reached the small, narrow corridor that Harry had once explored and turned around to shoot her a look of concern when they saw that she had stopped just a couple of steps behind them.
"Harry…?"
Rousing herself out of her own deep thoughts, Harry blinked rapidly for a couple of times before forcing herself to meet their worried gazes. "H—huh? I—I'm sorry…? You guys said something?" She asked distractedly, bending down slightly to remove her wand from the inside of her boots.
Hermione's eyebrows fused closer together and she took several steps towards the other girl. "Harry…" She began uncertainly, reaching a hand out and placing it firmly onto Harry's shoulder. "Are you okay…? We need you on this…You know Ron and I are useless without you. Stay in focus…"
At the reminder in her words, Harry felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment and she nodded hastily at them in reassurance. "I—I'm sorry…I—I was just…I was just worried about Draco…A—and about how this could have all been avoided had I just…I don't know…BEEN THERE…I—I just don't know—" She stopped when Ron walked over to join them and gave her a light punch to her shoulder.
"Mate, come on…Lighten up, already! I thought we already discussed this…Give yourself a break! No one could have predicted all this would happen and that's exactly why WE'RE here right now! We're going to put an end to it…Just like we always do. Right…?" He offered her a cajoling grin, which Harry could only return with a weak smile and nod, her eyes expressing her silent gratitude.
"Thanks, Ron—"
aHar "You're not the only one who feels that way, Harry…" Hermione suddenly interjected, cutting off Harry's response as she drew both their attention to her pale, guilty features. The Zabini Mistress looked as though she was trying to hold in tears as she looked at them, biting her lip in uncertainty.
"Th—this was my fault too, Harry…I—if only CISO had told the other departments from the very start what we knew…This could all have been avoided. I—I'm so sorry…N—now e—even Blaise, Draco, Neville, Vincent…And the others…Are all in danger. I c—can't believe I—" Hermione's stuttering voice broke abruptly in the middle of her sentence and ended up as a sob – to which Harry responded to by sighing softly and reaching over to pull the crying woman into a tight, hug.
"Stop it, 'Mione…Ron's right. Now's not the time to start pointing fingers…We have to get that creep and bring him to Azkaban…Okay? It's…nobody's…fault…But it's our responsibility now to set things right…" She spoke the last sentence of her words more to herself than to anyone else and if anything, hearing her say the words out loud seemed to make the realization all the more clear to her.
Now's the time to make things right again…I'll make things right…I swear to it.
Hermione smiled tearfully at Harry's words, reaching up to wipe the tears issuing from her eyes. "Y—you're right, Harry…W—we can do this! Come on…Let's go and get this over and done with." She nodded firmly again and met both their eyes, her brown orbs gleaming in determination.
Ron grinned at her and took out his own wand while Harry just nodded back in affirmation, stepping around her so that she stood in front.
"Both of you…Just stay close behind me…I've been here before. I know my way around…Keep a lookout in case you see anything suspicious." She told them firmly and after waiting for them to nod at her words, she turned around again and began walking carefully down the long corridor.
As they walked further into the ceremonial site, their surroundings seemed to become even darker such that they had to light the tip of their wands – holding them up to illuminate their way through the corridor with an eerie, yellow glow. The light from their wands cast several shadows on the ancient paintings drawn all around them, the strange effect making it seem as though the drawings of all the ancient blood sacrifices Harry had seen before become even more vivid in detail.
Hermione gasped loudly in horror as they passed by a particularly gruesome painting of a wizard being drained of all his blood. Her voice echoed along the silent corridor and caused Ron to turn around and silence her with a pointed glare. She bit her lip to silence her horrified gasps again and nodded meekly at him, latching herself tightly onto his arm as she trailed off behind them again.
When Harry finally reached the end of the corridor – just by the ancient entrance doors she and the other Unspeakables had already opened once before – she stopped and turned around to look at them. "This entrance is already open…Byron and I already opened it once before. It leads to a shrine or some sort…But I'm afraid that's it…" She gestured for them to follow her inside, stopping just as they reached the middle of the room and stood on top of the large symbol of the TIET on the floor.
Ron looked quizzically at her while Hermione kneeled down and inspected the symbol on the floor, her eyebrows fused in thought. Harry watched them uncertainly, holding her wand up higher to illuminate the small, empty room.
"There's got to be some kind of entrance somewhere here that leads to the inner part of this ceremonial site…I'm sure of it. I read from the CISO archives that the actual ceremonial altar to perform magical infusions is so much larger than this…I just don't know where it is yet." She admitted dejectedly, watching as Ron grunted and squatted down impatiently on his knees.
"You mean we aren't even in the actual site yet…? Blimey, Harry…And here I was all geared up thinking that this was it. What does this bloody symbol stand for anyway? Is it Ancient Runes—" He stopped when Hermione promptly jumped up and seized his hand, her eyes wide with excitement.
"Ron, quick! Give me your hand! NOW!"
Harry turned around and watched them curiously as Ron gave Hermione a nonplussed look but did exactly as she said – only to yelp loudly and angrily yank his hand back a second later when Hermione had pricked his finger and squeezed out several droplets of his blood onto her hand.
"HERMIONE, ARE YOU NUTTERS?! That bloody HURT! What are you trying to do—"
He stopped and watched in utter dismay as Hermione ignored him, bent down and touched the droplets of his blood right onto the very center of the TIET symbol on the floor. Although the symbol seemed to glow red brightly for several seconds, nothing else happened soon after. In spite of herself, Harry sighed and slowly walked back over to stand on the TIET, bending down to inspect it carefully.
"That's it…? Then what…? Are we supposed to say some kind of incantation or something after that—" The rest of Harry's words quickly ended up as a choked-up scream as the symbol below their feet promptly vanished altogether. They were soon standing over mid-air – of course, eventually causing all three former Gryffindors to end up screaming as they began plunging down into darkness.
In the midst of their rapid descent through the damp, musky air, a crazy-eyed Ron turned his glare to Hermione's screaming figure and let out an angry tirade of curses.
"BLOODY MERLIN'S BEARD, HERMIONE! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?! WHERE DOES THIS LEAD TO?! ARE WE DOING TO DIE ALREADY?!" He screeched at her but Hermione just shook her head frantically and screamed louder, burying her face into her hands in sheer panic.
"I DON'T KNOW WHERE, RONALD! IN CASE YOU'VE FORGOTTEN, I HAVEN'T GONE ON A DEATH-DEFYING ADVENTURE WITH HARRY FOR YEARS! I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON!" She shrieked back angrily at him, all but reaching out and strangling Ron as they continued plunging through the cold air towards the very bottom of the large pit they had seemingly fallen into.
Ron let out another choked up growl and narrowed his eyes at her. "AND YOU THINK 'I' HAVE?! I'VE DONE NOTHING THESE LAST FIVE YEARS EXCEPT SIT MY ARSE BEHIND A DESK! YOU—"
Harry couldn't help it.
She buried her face into her hands and burst out into genuine, helpless laughter, her black hair flying up all over her face as she fell through the air beside them. Ron and Hermione froze in the middle of their argument and turned wide, disbelieving eyes toward her, watching as Harry struggled to contain her laughter and looked up, reaching into her pocket and holding out her wand.
"Solidus Descensio!"
All three former Gryffindors suddenly froze in the middle of their fall and after a moment's pause, continued their descent more slowly – allowing both Ron and Hermione to sigh in relief. Flushing in embarrassment, they both looked up and glanced sheepishly at Harry's teasing smile.
The Malfoy Mistress shook her head at them, twirling her wand pointedly along her fingers. "We're wizards, you guys…Or have you both forgotten? Has it really been so long since we've done this together that you're both so rusty…?" She teased again, her words causing their flush to darken.
Ron merely grinned at her and shrugged in embarrassment while Hermione grumbled in response, her facial features creased into a frown on horrified embarrassment. It was only a couple more seconds after that the soles of their shoes finally touched the floor. The minute they had all straightened back up, Ron blinked upwards at the hole they had fallen from in utter disbelief.
"Blimey…That sure was one LONG fall…"
Harry rolled her eyes at him and ignored his antics, drawing her wand back out of her pocket. She turned to Hermione again and gave the other girl a cautious glance. "Keep a lookout, you two…Everything else from here on out… I don't know what to expect." She told them, not bothering to wait for their response as she walked on ahead – her eyes inspecting their surroundings.
They had fallen right in the middle of a large, empty dome-like field – the middle of which was illuminated by the small beam of light from the open entrance they had fallen from. Around them, the sides of the dome was littered with dozens of tunnels as entrances, each of which seemed to be leading off towards a separate direction altogether. Taking one look around the large area, Harry placed her wand on the palm of her hand and leaned down to whisper something under her breath.
"Point me."
Ron and Hermione both held their breath and watched as Harry's wand stopped and automatically pointed itself towards the northern most tunnel just up ahead – causing all three pairs of eyes to flick up to the indicated direction. Just as they were about to walk off, Ron suddenly flinched in panic beside Harry and reached a hand out to stop both girls dead in their tracks.
"What was that?! Did you hear that?!" Harry winced at the sound of Ron's loud squeak and slapped her palm against her forehead in frustration. Reaching over Hermione to grab at his collar, she pulled him forward and ignored his protests as she dragged his struggling form along after them.
"N—no, I'm SERIOUS, Harry! I heard something! It sounded like a hissing noise, slithering noise! I swear!" Ron stopped them again just as they reached the northern-most tunnel, his antics eventually causing Hermione to let out an irritated grumble and whack him lightly on the shoulder.
"Ronald, will you KEEP QUIET?! We don't know WHAT could be waiting for us in there and if you keep struggling, someone might find us!" She hissed back irritably, attempting to shove both Ron and Harry forward again but Harry seemed to have frozen completely in place, her eyes wide as saucers. Her face was pale and she stood staring cautiously at something over Hermione's shoulder.
"O—or…Some…THING…"
Hermione frowned and turned to stare at her in puzzlement.
"What are you talking about, Harry? Come on, we're wasting time! The full moon might be gone soon and we have to hurry—" She stopped right in the middle of her sentence and paled instantly, her words ending up into a weak, choked-up squeak that sounded suspiciously like fear.
Fortunately enough, Ron seemed more than happy to finish the rest of Hermione's sentence.
"I—is that a…Is that a…BASILISK?!" His voice cracked and he had taken several steps backwards in fear, bumping unknowingly into Harry behind him. Sighing in exasperation and promptly twirling her wand once around her fingers, Harry nodded and stepped forward – placing herself right between her friends and the gigantic basilisk making its way toward their forms from across the dome.
"This could take a while… You two go on ahead and try to figure out where the actual ceremonial site is…I'll catch up. Just…Please try to get there as soon as you can. I don't think we have any more time left." She told them worriedly. Just as it looked as though she was going to run right at the angrily-hissing basilisk in front of them, Ron suddenly reached a hand out and grabbed her arm.
"Wait!"
Harry froze and whirled around in slight surprise, her eyes wide as they stared up at Ron's determined – otherwise slightly nervous expression. Her redheaded best friend had seized his wand right out of his pocket and walked resolutely over to shield her figure from the approaching snake.
"You and Hermione go on ahead…Somehow, I think it's more important for you to be there, Harry. I'll take care of this little sucker…It's been awhile since I've worked these muscles out anyway." Although he had tried to sound laidback as he said this, Harry heard him gulping loudly and blanched.
"Ron…In case you haven't noticed…That basilisk is hardly 'little' and I doubt—"
Ron snapped his head back and glared pointedly at her. "Just GO, you two! I can handle this by myself! Go on, I'll catch up to you in a bit after I skin this snake alive!" He managed to give both gaping girls a wink after this, turning around just in time to block the basilisk as it swung its tail.
"Ron don't—YARGH!"
Both Jaimee and Hermione screeched and ducked their heads down just as the basilisk took another swing at them again – this time followed by it rearing its ugly snake head and hissing at them, his big yellow eyes attempting to glare them right to death. Ron grunted and pointed his wand at it, initiating a spell that forced the snake backwards a couple of meters enough for the girls to get away.
Once he had done this, he turned around one last time and shot both girl a pointed glare. "I said GO NOW! Go before I change my mind!" He shot a brief immobulus spell at the basilisk just as Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her away, stopping just as they reached tunnel.
"Go kick some, Weasley!"
Ron answered Harry with a dismissive wave and grin and just as the basilisk broke out of his immobulus spell, Jaimee and Hermione were both already running off down the tunnel, their light footsteps thudding softly along the ground. They turned a sharp corner and stopped just as they reached another series of tunnels – to which Jaimee had to lay her wand down onto her palm again.
"Point me."
"Harry!"
Harry heard the warning tone of Hermione's hissed shout but before she could even turn around to answer, the other girl had already jumped at her and forced her to duck down. Grunting in pain, Harry heard the distinct 'woosh' of a spell zooming several inches past her ear, causing her to stiffen and turn around abruptly once Hermione had helped her straighten back up.
"Aw…I missed…And I was so hoping to scratch that pretty little face up…Mistress Malfoy…"
They both heard a dramatic sigh and giggle, eventually causing both women to stiffen in anticipation when they realized the series of footsteps making its way slowly toward them.
"Well, well, well…You figured it all out after all, did you…? It took you long enough…I was beginning to wonder if anybody would show up…" The familiar drawling voice that said this finally caused Jaimee's green eyes to flash and narrow slowly in growing anger when she realized who it was.
"You! Conniving, evil little…bitch…I should have figured you out from the start. You're lucky I still don't hit women!" She snarled, her glare intensifying even more when Natasha's elegant, attractive features finally came into full view. The blonde metamorph smiled innocently at her and stepped towards them, raising her wand and pointing it directly at Jaimee's chest in warning.
"Yes…You should have…But unfortunately…You were never really there now, were you…? Dear…Sweet…Perfect little Jaimee…Always away while her utterly gorgeous…and completely irresistible husband stayed at work…with me…Hmm…How convenient…" Natasha giggled when she noticed Harry stiffen even more in raging fury, the Malfoy Mistress' hands clenching slowly into tight, angry fists.
"Why…you—"
Hermione reached out and clasped a hand over Jaimee's arm, keeping the other woman firmly in place. "Don't do it, Harry…That's just what she wants you to do. You're better than that…Come on. You know she's lying…" She told her pointedly, watching as Jaimee struggled to control her rage.
After several tense seconds of taking deep breaths of air to calm herself down, Jaimee finally blinked and looked back up to meet the metamorph's taunting smile with a very Malfoy-like sneer.
"So… Tell me, Richardson…How insulting was it for your pride as both a woman and a metamorph that you were repeatedly shoved away by my husband…? You do know that Draco would never touch a filthy, disgusting little whore like you right? He has certain…standards when it comes to women." Her sneer widened at the flush of indignation that suddenly stained Natasha's pale cheeks.
For a couple of moments, she seemed incapable of doing anything else except sputter incoherently at Jaimee, her violet orbs flashing in annoyance. "I—I…H—he hardly…I don't think…NO MAN has ever t—turned me down! Y—you…I c—can't believe you would s—say that y—you—"
Hermione stifled her own smirk at Natasha's stuttering and watched as she continued to struggled for a retort, her eyes narrowing in outrage. "Oh yeah…? And what…standards are those…? Women who act like men…? Or women who used to BE men?!" She tried to taunt right back with a similar sneer of her ownbut this faltered instantly when Harry just smiled back cheerfully in response.
"…Something like that…Don't take it personally."
Natasha let out a vicious snarl and swung her wand at her, aiming a particularly nasty jinx directly at Harry's face. Gaping and ducking expertly to avoid getting blasted, Harry raised her own wand and pointed it at Natasha in retaliation – a dozen counter spells already formulating in her mind.
"Nostra—"
Hermione reached out and silenced the rest of Harry's spell by yanking the other girl's wand out of her hand. "Harry, STOP! You haven't got the time for this!" She ignored Harry's angry protests at her and whipped her own wand out, using her other hand to shove Harry backwards behind her.
Harry took one look at her and gaped at her as though she had grown an extra head.
"Hermione, are you MAD?! Give me back my wand and let me finish this annoying bitch once and for all!" She raged but again, Hermione just shook her head at her in stubborn refusal, turning around and leveling Natasha's heavily amused smirk with a dangerous, warning glare.
"No, Harry…This bitch is the same woman who attacked my husband as well…I have a score to settle with her. You go on ahead and stop whoever's performing that ceremony…We barely have any time left. I'll catch up to you soon, I promise…" At Hermione's words, Harry's eyebrows fused together and she stared uncertainly at her, grabbing her wand back out of the brunette's offered hand.
"B—but Hermione—"
"I said GO NOW, HARRY! I'll catch up to you as soon as I can, I promise! Just go! Leave this bitch to me!" She snapped back impatiently, cutting off the rest of Harry's sharp protests. When it looked as though Harry was going to say something else, Hermione sighed and shoved her forward.
"Go on, Harry! We don't have much time left!"
Natasha didn't seem too pleased at Hermione's suggestion and scowled darkly to herself, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh brilliant…The Head Unspeakable goes on ahead and I'm left to fight with the useless librarian…I feel so special now." She drawled sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
She followed this up by flicking her eyes back at Harry and giving the other woman a threatening leer. "Don't worry, Mistress Malfoy…I'll be coming after you in…Maybe less than five minutes…Perhaps even less depending on how pathetic this mudblood is going to be fighting against me." She laughed loudly to herself at the highly embarrassed glare Hermione shot at her.
Just as the Zabini Mistress flushed and looked as though she was about to offer a similar sarcastic retort, Jaimee stepped forward and surprised both Natasha and Hermione when she raised her hand and brought it down hard as a painful bitch slap against the metamorph's pale cheek.
SMACK!
As the distinct sound echoed clearly in the dark dome-like area around them, Hermione didn't bother hiding the laugh that escaped her lips as Harry smirked and pulled away – rubbing her sore fingers contentedly. Natasha gasped and gaped up at the Malfoy Mistress in utter disbelief, her violet eyes dilated to the size of saucers and her pale cheek now sporting a very distinct hand-shaped bruise.
"Wh—what—I—thought you said you didn't hit women! Y—you said so!" She shrieked back loudly, cowering backwards a few more steps when Harry raised a hand and attempted to slap her again. The sharp shrill nature of Natasha's screech caused Harry's sneer to widen even more and she shook her head at her, grabbing her wand from Hermione and placing it back in her pocket.
"In your case, I think I can make an exception…" She looked up and leveled the gaping blonde metamorph one last…surprisingly perfected…Malfoy glare. "I will only say this ONCE so listen closely you sick, morphing bitch… If you EVER…and I mean EVER…Go near MY husband again…I promise you…You'll be morphing just to fix your broken face." Natasha paled at her words but she continued.
"I've defeated Voldemort countless times before… Finishing off a useless woman like you is going to be a piece of cake. I doubt the Ministry would even punish their precious wizarding savior should I end up 'accidentally' killing you…Don't you dare test me." She hissed darkly, some of her words unknowingly coming out as parseltongue but Natasha seemed to understand her anyway.
"Wh—why you…You bitch! How dare you talk to me like that—"
"I'm the Mistress of the Malfoy family…I'll talk to you however I want." Jaimee retorted with a derisive scoff, rolling her eyes as she began to walk away from the metamorph's enraged form.
Hermione cut off the rest of Natasha's growling response by giving her best friend a wide grin of amusement. "Good luck, Harry…I'll see you in a bit. I'll take care of this little bitch for you for now." She winked at her for effect and soon enough, Harry grinned back and nodded in affirmation.
"Knock her lights out for me, Hermione."
Natasha looked as though she was going to snap back something equally sarcastic back at Jaimee but the former Gryffindor had already turned and stormed off towards the tunnel to their right – her loud, heavy footsteps drowning out the rest of Natasha and Hermione's continued dialogue.
As she turned the corner to right and found herself striding right into yet another large dome-like area circled by a series of different tunnels and passageways, Jaimee slapped a hand to her forehead and resisted the urge to scream out loud. GODDAMN IT…! These bloody tunnels are endless! How do I even know if I'm going the right way?! I'm wasting too much time with this!
Scowling and fighting to keep a firm hold over her anger, Jaimee laid her wand out flat on her palm. She was just about to whisper the navigation spell once more when her trained Unspeakable senses detected the distinct, although still very soft, sound of a footstep somewhere nearby. Forcing herself to still to hear the sound, Jaimee's eyes narrowed even further in growing suspicions when she heard not one but a series of footsteps making their way towards her from many different directions.
Now what…? She twirled her wand back in place into her hand and set a calm smirk on her face, her muscles tense with anticipation. Taking several steps backward towards the very center of the area, she tightened her fingers around the handle of her wand and arched a single eyebrow.
"…And who might you all be…? Useless…Goons…I presume?" She had directed her snide, taunting comment to the nearest set of footsteps approaching her, smirking wider when the man the footsteps belonged to seemed to stop right in his place at her jeer. She heard him growling in annoyance just before his footsteps quickened even more towards her in unmistakable anger.
"A pretty…delicate little woman like you…All alone in the dark…Shouldn't act so cocky…Mistress Malfoy…We're been given strict orders not to let anybody through here." He answered back in a gruff voice. More huge, hulking men suddenly began to visualize themselves all around her – drawing Jaimee's attention to the fact that they all seemed to be closing in on her form in one tight circle.
Feeling a wave of adrenaline rushing into her, Harry finally allowed herself to look up and meet all their faces – rolling her eyes when she was met with practically identical faces of bearded, sneering, half-drunken thugs. Taking one look at them and the way they were drawing in closer with their wands outstretched towards her, Jaimee let out a single dramatic sigh of exasperation.
"Uhm…Just so we're clear about something….You all…do know that I'm Harry Potter right? That I've fought hundreds of men like you before for warm-up practice…?" She asked sweetly, looking up and pretending to flutter her eyelashes at them in an exaggeratingly demure, feminine manner.
They took one look at her small frame as though she was crazy and ended up bursting into simultaneous, boisterous laughter – the sight of which bringing another knowing smile to Harry's face. She twirled her wand along her fingers and reached up, tying her long hair up primly into a ponytail.
"Hold on a tick…Let me just fix my hair—"
"Is she serious?! Go get her, you idiots! Boss' orders!" One of the men behind her snapped impatiently, his droning voice breaking through the other men's laughter. As soon as he had said this, all the other men stopped laughing and snapped into action, raising their wands and practically surging forward simultaneously towards her in one hulking mess of limbs and amateur jinxes.
Just before the men had all closed around her in a tight circle and blocked out any remaining light from her vision, she finally let out an impish grin and held her wand up at them in anticipation.
"Now we're talking…"
"Draco, wait! Stop!"
Anton winced and watched helplessly as Draco stubbornly pulled himself away from his helping grip again and tried to walk off further down the long narrow corridor ahead of them on his own – only to grimace in pain and stumble forward onto the floor moments later. Wincing and forcing himself to stand back up, a couple more droplets of blood escaped the former Slytherin's lips as he coughed violently and struggled to keep himself upright while latching weakly onto the nearby wall.
"U—ugh…N—no time to stop, Anton! C—come on! L—let's go further in there…Th—they probably w—went in through there, I—I'm sure of it!" Draco coughed out, latching onto Anton's offered arm again as the half-veela sighed and helped him up by slinging his arm around his shoulders.
"I don't know what we're doing here and I think you're absolutely crazy, Draco! I don't even know where this tunnel leads to!" Anton protested loudly as he supported Draco through the long narrow tunnel, wincing every now and then when he saw the gruesome pictures along the walls.
"Ugh…Look at this place! This gives me the creeps! All these torture relics and symbols…Do you even have any idea where we're going?!" Anton looked back at his cousin and watched as Draco winced and held back more coughs, his gray eyes searching frantically around the area.
"N—no…B—but th—there has to be a clue around here s—somewhere…Th—there! H—help me get over there!" He winced again and supported himself up by latching onto his cousin's shoulder again, coughing a couple more times as Anton brought them both to the end of the corridor.
Once they had reached the end of the tunnel, Draco let go of Anton's shoulder and pushed through the entrance. He immediately regretted this reckless decision about a second later when his strength gave out again and he ended up stumbling onto the ground with another series of coughs.
"U—ugh…A—Anton…Help me up!"
Anton rolled his eyes once at his cousin's stubbornness and sighed, walking back over to where Draco had collapsed right on top of the strange symbol on the ground. "Drac…I really don't understand what we're doing here. For all we know, Harry could be back at the hospital by now and—"
"Just shut up and h—help me stand, you veela jerk—" Draco's poorly formed insult ended up into another series of violent coughs and gasps again, eventually causing the former Slytherin to crouch down low onto the floor and attempt to cover up the blood that was issuing from his lips.
Anton's eyes widened at this and he rushed forward to help the other Malfoy son up. "Alright Draco, I am seriously taking you back to the hospital now before you hurt yourself even more—"
He was just about to help his cousin back up to his feet when several droplets of Draco's blood ended up spilling onto the symbol on the floor –causing the ground beneath them to glow bright red.
At this, both Anton and Draco's eyebrows shot up and they stared at the symbol beneath them in confusion. "What the…Drac, what did you do?" Anton asked warily as he bent down to touch it.
Draco shook his head, reaching a pale hand out to trace the symbol in thought.
"I—I d—didn't do anything…B—but th—this is the s—symbol of the T—TIET…I—it r—represents—ARGH!"The ground beneath their feet suddenly vanished into thin air – causing Anton's eyes to widen in alarm and turn to Draco for a split second in question before both men started falling listlessly down the pit below – their shouts and curses echoing loudly in the dark silence.
"Urgh…Ugh…S—s—stupid…B—bitch…"
Harry whistled cheerfully to herself as she knelt down on one knee, frowning when she saw the heavily stained smudges of mud on her black boots. "Hmm…That's irritating…" She stood back up and looked around the large dome-like area again, her bright green eyes scourging through the scene of bruised, battered and groaning men scattered messily all around the ground by her feet.
Sighing and shaking her head at herself, she stepped over several unconscious men in front of her and bent down towards one hulking figure near one of the southern tunnels. "Do you mind…?" She smiled sweetly and didn't bother waiting for an answer as she ripped a piece of small cloth right out of the man's torn robes, smiling apologetically when the man just gave her a blank look of disbelief.
"H—how…D—did…Y—you…"
Harry turned around to give the gaping man one last sheepish smile before bending down on one knee again and using the cloth in her hand to wipe at the stain on her boots. Ignoring the shocked, wheezing stares she knew she was receiving from the remaining conscious men around her, she stood back up, tossed the now dirtied cloth to the floor and hastily shoved her wand back into her boots.
"Oh…One of you guys wouldn't happen to know which tunnel is the right one to take, would you?" At the dangerous gleam in her eye as she said this, they all winced to themselves and pointed meekly at the tunnel to the far right of the area, their fingers shaking in slight fear and nervousness.
Harry nodded gratefully at them and began to walk towards the tunnel. "Thank you, gentlemen…" As she made her way through the throng of bruised bodies scattered all around her, she heard several more of their groans of pain – causing her to hide a smirk to herself in amusement.
Well…That went well…She thought to herself with a chuckle, making her way silently through the dark narrow path ahead. As she reached the very end of the tunnel, just where a dim glow of light was emanating from, she heard a series of soft, whispered voices and stiffened in anticipation.
Slowing her footsteps, Harry reached down and carefully clasped her wand firmly in her fingers once again, tightening her grip anxiously around the handle. She took a couple more steps forward and listened carefully to the distinct voice speaking a couple of meters away from her – stopping just inches away to make sure she was still standing within the tunnel's dark shadows.
Unfortunately, as she bent down on one knee and tried to hide deeper behind the shadows to avoid being seen, she heard an amused, laughing drawl up ahead calling out to her.
"Hello Jaimee…"
"Gargh!"
Harry blanched in surprise at having been addressed and accidentally lost her footing, wincing in pain as she ended up stumbling in a rather ungraceful heap of limbs onto the damp, tunnel floor. She heard the approaching sound of a man chuckling to himself several feet away and she scrambled back up to her feet, holding her wand out protectively in front of her in immediate alertness.
"Wh—who are you? Show yourself!"
She heard the man chuckle again but this time; Harry was able to make out his form as he finally stepped into the light – allowing her to see the strange glinting of a familiar pair of red-speckled brown eyes. As soon as she saw his leering
face, Harry felt all the blood drain out of her cheeks.
"Y—YOU…?!"
The handsome, dangerously sneering face of Maximillian Thornton stared back calmly at Harry's pale, disbelieving expression – his eyes narrowing slowly as he approached her with slow, confident strides. "Me…" He drawled back arrogantly, grinning wider when Harry began to back away.
"Wh—wha…How…Why…I—I can't believe—"
"Couldn't you…?" Max cut her off lazily, looking down at her and arching a single eyebrow in challenge. "The signs were all there, I'm afraid…I'm actually quite surprised that someone didn't figure it out sooner. But then again…You always were too trusting for your own good, were you…Jaimee?"
Harry colored in humiliation at his words but managed to compose herself, reaching out and pointing her wand directly at his sneering face. "I should have known all along then…I can't believe I've been trying to defend you all this time!" She scoffed derisively and took a step backwards from him when he just grinned at her words and made to walk closer towards her tense frame.
"Yes and to be quite honest, I've never really thanked you for your efforts—"
"STAY BACK!" She shot a flurry of red sparks from her wand in warning, causing the man to stop in his tracks and lean back to watch her with a languid smirk. "Aren't you going to ask me how I did it all? I mean…It's a pretty interesting concept if you think about it huh…The squib who was tortured by all those pureblooded scumbags…Eventually amassing their magic for himself?" His grin widened at the look of mortified disgust on Harry's face – her eyes flashing angrily at his words.
"S—so what is this…?! Some sick kind of personal vendetta…? You're trying to get some form of revenge against all those who bullied you before for being a squib…Is that it?!" Her voice shook several times as she said this and she tried in vain to steady the wand she pointed at his face.
Max' eyes twinkled mischievously and he raised his eyebrow higher at her, his heated gaze suddenly trailing up and down her body. "You know…I've always thought you were a very attractive woman, Jaimee…Perhaps all that defense of me in front of your husband…Meant something?" He drawled in a mockingly flirtatious tone of voice, laughing when Harry's eyes hardened in disgust.
"Don't bet your life, you sick bastard! Now answer my question before I blow your head off!"
He laughed again and leaned casually against the side walls of the tunnel, reaching into the pocket of his robes and pulling out a cigarette. "Well…How do I put this…Yes…And No…Jaimee…" He ignored the confused look on Harry's face and placed the cigarette gingerly between his teeth, reaching out into the pocket of his robes once more just before he continued. "You see…All this wasn't actually MY idea, you know…In fact…It's not even me who's going to be performing the ritual."
He paused when he caught the look of frustration on her face and smiled at her again, holding up the wand he held in his free hand so that Harry could stare at it in dismay. Biting back another wave of questions that were threatening to erupt from her, Harry watched in shock as Max's smile widened and he raised the wand he held up to his cigarette, igniting the tip easily with a simple spell.
Wh—what the…I thought he was a squib! H—how d—did he—
Max smirked at her expression and winked, holding his wand up and leveling it with hers. "I wouldn't really call it a personal vendetta, Jaimee…But more of…Using the past to try and make myself a better person for the future…" He grinned widely and gestured to the person coming up behind her.
"Oh…Jaimee…Forgive me…But I don't think I've actually properly introduced you yet—"
Harry barely heard his words as she stiffened and tried to evade the spell she had sensed coming up behind her. Unfortunately, this seemed to have only been a distraction maneuver as Max took that opportunity of her back being turned to him to lash out his own powerful hex at her form.
"SECTUM SEMPRA!"
As Harry grimaced and her entire frame was hurled violently against the far wall at the very end of the tunnel, she squinted and managed to look up once just before she lost consciousness – her green eyes dawning in stunned realization when she met the familiar face smirking back at her.
R—Richard…W—Wickham…?
This was her last coherent thought before Harry finally felt the searing pain of the spell on her wounded body. Her eyes rolled up to the back of her head and she finally lost consciousness, the wand in her hand slipping from her fingers and falling limply down onto the cold damp floor.
"Move, move, move! Hurry up! We don't have much time!"
Byron growled impatiently as he, Spencer, and the rest of the other Unspeakable Agents practically tore through the Ministry corridors towards the apparition areas. About a dozen more Aurors and CISO officers followed right after them – the entire Ministry's hallways filled with loud shouts, issued orders and panicked movements from all the other occupants in the different offices.
Once he had gotten to one of the transport sites, Byron was just about ready to apparate off when a loud voice disrupted him out of nowhere and forced him to turn his attention to another group of Ministry officials making their way across the cramped lobby towards him. Resisting the urge to explode and roll his eyes, Byron clenched his jaw and forced himself to wait for them.
"What?! What does the Minister want NOW, Weasley?!" He snapped irritably at the redheaded man who had stopped directly in front of him. Percy Weasley took one look at the annoyed growl on Byron's face and glared right back, holding up the small piece of parchment in his hands.
"The Minister wants to talk to you one last time before you and the others leave, Malfoy…It will only take a couple more minutes. He just wants a full explanation of the mission parameters. You need to come with me right now." He ignored the frustrated look on Byron's face and turned away, leaving the metamorphagus scowling and cursing darkly under his breath as he grudgingly followed.
Sighing, he took one last look at his wristwatch and winced again – glancing up to shoot Nicholas a pointed glare. "I'll be back in exactly THREE minutes! Make sure everyone's in proper formation and well-prepared by then! We leave as SOON as I get back!" At that, he turned around and stalked off angrily after Percy Weasley's form – cursing the Minister repeatedly in his head.
DAMN IT…WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!
"Oh…Look Max…Our little guest is awake…Just in time too."
Harry held back a groan of pain when she heard this and forced her eyes open; blinking rapidly up at the blinding light that suddenly began to flood her vision. It took her several more seconds of squinting before her sight finally began to focus and she managed to look around – her eyes immediately growing to the size of saucers when she finally remembered where she was.
Oh good god…What time is it… Am I too late…What's happened— She winced and got up into a sitting position on the damp ground – inspecting her surroundings with a hint of fear laced into her wide green orbs. Bloody hell…They're starting the ceremony…I'm too late… Her face began to pale in realization when she caught sight of Max and Richard's forms several feet away from her – right at the very center of the eerie-looking altar that was positioned at the very front of the large room.
As soon as he saw her looking at them, Max met her eyes and rewarded her with a cheerful smile. "Hello Jaimee…Did you have a nice rest? Father and I were just about to start the ceremony. We figured you might want to watch so we decided to give you a front row seat…" He gestured idly to her bound position on the floor, smirking when Harry began to struggle against her magical binds.
"You son of a bitch! When I break free of this spell, I'm going to cut you in half! Let me go—"
Max shook his head at her cursing and feigned an insulted look, sighing as he walked over to stand right in front of her bound form on the ground. "Tsktsk…Such nasty language, Mistress Malfoy…You haven't properly addressed my father yet…I know you have already met several times before but you still have to mind your manners. It's only fair." He sneered when Harry finally seemed to realize the meaning of his words and froze, her eyes flicking up to stare at Wickham in shock.
"F—father…? W—Wickham…YOU?! You were in on this whole thing all along?! I don't understand—" Wickham raised a single hand and cut off the rest of Harry's sharp protests with a silencing spell, shaking his head at her when she began to struggle more wildly against her binds.
"Silence, young Jaimee…I'm in the middle of something here…I shall address you in awhile. In the meantime… Why don't you look around you and enjoy the pure historicity of this altar…? Isn't it quite a sight to behold…?" He gestured to the dimly lit room around them and smiled at her, raising his wand again and using it to point around the room with an expression of awe on his face.
Harry stiffened at his words but grudgingly followed his eyes around the dark circular room, feeling an unexplainable surge of fear plaguing her chest when she noted the different symbols and drawings adorning the walls. Just like the smaller altar, the symbol of the TIET was etched right at the center of the room onto the floor and directly above it stood a beautiful chandelier made entirely of red rubies – each one sparkling beautifully amidst the glow of the room's floating candles all around.
The ceremonial room was huge – almost about half the size of the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch – and as she peered closer, Harry could make out what appeared to be the remains of ancient Egyptian magical barriers that heavily lined the circular walls. Just by the front of the room – exactly where Richard was standing behind the large stone altar – stood a small golden chalice filled with the bright red, flowing liquid. Harry could only assume this was the blood of all the pureblooded victims and fortunately enough, her suspicions were proven correct when Richard saw her expression and smirked, nodding at her as he reached out, picked up the chalice in his hands and held it up for her to see.
"Yes, Jaimee…This is what you're looking for…" He chuckled and held the chalice up closer to the light. "It's a beautiful sight, isn't it? The combined blood of sixty four powerful pureblooded males…Ready to be infused and transformed into a magical source for my son." He raised an eyebrow at the look of confusion on her face, watching as Harry shook her head frantically at his words.
When she looked as though she wanted to say something else again, Richard finally rolled his eyes and flicked his wand to remove the silencing charm off her. As soon as he did this, Harry's raspy, cracking voice began blaring at him full force. "B—but…I don't understand…H—how did…It was YOU?! Why…?" Her voice shook slightly and she began to struggle more wildly against her magical binds.
"I understand why MAX would do all this b—but…You? You're his…Father? How?! I don't understand how—" She stopped when Max seemed to have lost his patience at her queries and leaned down to grip her roughly by her chin, forcing the rest of her rushed questions into a muffled gasp.
"Jaimee…Jaimee…Jaimee…Sweet…Beautiful little Jaimee…You still don't get it do you…? Who ELSE had direct access to gather enough blood from all those pureblooded males…Who ELSE was the only one who had unmonitored interaction with all those pompous bastards…It certainly wasn't me…" He grinned at her and trailed his eyes back up at his father, giving the older man a cheerful wink.
"My father…Richard Wickham…Is the preferred… most trusted…personal family healer of nearly ALL the most prestigious pureblooded families in Europe…He had countless…Perfect opportunities to gather all the needed blood samples from those pureblooded victims to perform the ceremony…How else could we have obtained that much blood without anybody noticing…? It was the perfect plan…"
Harry's eyes flashed and she tore her face away from him when Max had reached out to caress her cheek. "So all those supposed attacks on the purebloods…? None of that was actually real…? Is that what you're saying?! What about all those symptoms and seizures a—and—Natasha…?"
Max sighed dramatically and pulled himself back up, ignoring his father's disapproving glare as he walked back over to the far end of the room. "Merely a show, actually…I just said the right incantations to 'mark' the intended sacrifice. Once that was done, it was up to my father to gather enough samples of their blood while they were unconscious in the hospital…Why do you think they always went into comatose exactly two or three days after…?" He laughed after he had said this, watching gleefully as Harry's flashing green eyes finally began to widen in belated realization.
"S—so…A—all this time…I—it was…You?! I t—trusted you…M—my whole FAMILY trusted you! I t—trusted you with my SONS…My pregnancy…So many families trusted you! You sick bastard! WHY?!"
Harry directed her question to Wickham this time and narrowed her eyes angrily as she watched him turning back around to face her, his blank elderly face meeting hers for a long time. Then, when he noticed the look of disgust on her face, his eyes narrowed and he sneered at her – causing Harry to blanch inwardly to herself when she caught the genuine hatred in his older features.
"Why…? WHY?!! Miss Jaimee…?! Do you think I…CARE?!"
She flinched when he had exploded at her in raging fury, his normally warm blue eyes now dilating violently with a maniacal gleam in their depths. When Wickham looked as though he was going to rush right at her, she grimaced and tried to move backwards from him again in panic.
"Maximillian…is my ONLY son, Jaimee! My only…illegitimate…son!" He reached a hand out and placed it firmly on Max's shoulder, turning his gaze back to glare angrily at Harry's pale face.
"How do you think it all feels…Jaimee? Devoting every single GODDAMN day of my life…Serving and taking care of all those perfect…pureblooded families…Helping give birth to those perfect little children… Seeing them living their selfish little lives and watching helplessly as they have EVERYTHING going for them." He stopped and curled his lips into a derisive sneer as he said this, shaking his head at Harry's bound, cowering form on the ground in angry disgust.
"How do you think it hurts ME to watch and take care of these PERFECT little families with their selfish little lives…How do think it hurts ME to watch these young, reckless parents neglect their children when I – a devoted father – was unable to give my own son the simple gift of magic?! Do you know how that FEELS, Jaimee?!" He let go of Max's shoulder and bent down so he could peer directly into Harry's wincing expression, sneering wider when she was unable to say anything in response.
"I—I'm…I'm sorry…Th—that's not my fault—"
"Do you think I LIKE this job of mine…? Pretending to care about other people's lives?! Taking care of families like the Malfoys…the Winchesters…The Zabinis…All those annoyingly perfect families with their annoyingly perfect children…Do you think I enjoy doing what I do, Mistress Jaimee?!"
Harry tried to speak up again, looking up over Wickham's shoulder into Max's grim expression. "But what about YOUR own family, then? Why did you bother doing all this just to help your son—
Wickham shook his head at her words and sneered at her, his eyes darkening in contempt. "I don't HAVE a family, Mistress Malfoy…My familial blood has a history of squibs…Try getting women to marry you with THAT kind of blood legacy…Why do you think I took up this job in the first place?"
Harry swallowed the dry lump in her throat and shook her head. "S—so Max…Is…?
Wickham blinked once and arched an eyebrow at her. "Max is my illegitimate son, yes…Needless to say…His mother didn't exactly want to marry me when she found out my blood history." He scoffed after he said this and finally turned away, walking back towards the large altar.
"You see, Jaimee…? When it all comes down to it…It's always just a matter of pure blood, anyway…It's the only reason we have all these stupid 'Hunting Seasons'…Well…I believe Max and I have found our way around that little obstacle now, haven't we?" He looked over his shoulder and shot his smirking son a conspiratorial wink– the sight of which caused Harry to begin struggling again.
"Y—you can't do this! There are so many lives involved here! I know you love your son and you want to give him the gift of magic but this is certainly NOT the way to help him—"
"Shut up, Potter." Max cut her off rather bluntly, walking around her struggling form as though she was nothing more than a mere inanimate object and making his way across the large room. "Don't talk about things as if you know…You have NO idea how it feels to be a squib raised in a traditional pureblood setting…I had a horrible childhood. My father is only trying to set things right."
Harry paled further at his words and shook her head again, her eyes flashing in growing fear when she saw Wickham already beginning to initiate the ceremony at the front of the room. "No, STOP! You can't do this, Wickham! You're going to take so many lives! Don't do this, PLEASE!"
"Ugh…All this unnecessary shouting…What's all this noise about now, love…?"
Blinking and momentarily forgetting her frantic struggles, Harry's eyes widened in horror when she caught sight of Natasha's slender figure slinking back calmly into the room – the heels of her shoes clicking dramatically along the stone ground. When she noticed Harry's mortified staring at her, she smirked wider and walked right up to stand beside Max's frame – chuckling under her breath as she reaching both her arms up and wrapped them securely around his neck.
"If you're wondering about what happened to your muggleborn little friend back there…Don't worry. She isn't dead…yet. I spared her life and left her to fend for herself alone amidst a pit of Egyptian asps back there…Although I doubt she'd survive long either way. Oh well…" She giggled at the pure look of hatred Harry shot at her and pulled herself closer against Max's lean figure.
"Bitch—"
Max grinned at both women's interaction and turned his face back towards Harry, looking over Natasha's shoulder to give her a saucy wink. "Ah…Jaimee…Now that you've met my father, I want you to meet my fiancée as well…But I think you two are already well acquainted enough…?" He chuckled when Natasha merely cocked an eyebrow at Harry and rolled her eyes at her in exasperated boredom.
For the life of her, Harry couldn't remember ever hating anybody else so much in her life before until now. Her hands and feet were beginning to hurt from all her struggles against the magical binds around her but still she continued her efforts, flicking her panicked eyes back over to where Wickham was already beginning to administer the infusion ceremony at the very front of the room.
"WICKHAM, DON'T DO IT—"
Max cut her off again and tried to distract her efforts once more by looking up over Natasha's left shoulder and giving her a suggestive grin. "I'm glad you girls finally got to meet each other properly…You know, Jaimee…My beautiful Natasha here is actually quite the perfect wife to have…Quite frankly, I don't think I'll ever grow tired of her beauty…If you know what I mean."
Harry gasped loudly and tore her gaze away from the pair in front of her when she was greeted with the rather disturbing image of an exact carbon copy of herself locked in a heated, very passionate embrace with Max – the sight of which made her want to hurl in absolute disgust.
"STOP IT!"
Both Natasha and Max ended up laughing to themselves when they heard the revulsion in her voice, eventually separating themselves from each other long enough for Natasha to morph herself back into her original appearance. When she looked as though she was going to taunt Harry again, the Malfoy Mistress snapped her attention back to Wickham and began shouting loudly at him again.
"WICKHAM, I SAID STOP IT—"
She watched helplessly as Wickham issued the last of the ceremonial incantations from his lips and raised the chalice up into the air again – releasing it a moment later once it had lit up and had begun floating up from his outstretched hands to the center of the room directly above the large altar.
Harry's eyes followed the chalice all the way up as it just about reached the ceiling, her bright green orbs filling rapidly with helpless tears of defeat. She watched in dismay as the chalice's contents began glistening under the dim light just before the blood droplets floated up into the air, eventually and very slowly amassing itself into what appeared to be a fist-shaped, sparkling red crystal.
Oh Merlin…No…No…Please no…Draco…
"Draco?! Draco, wake up! Draco!"
Anton tucked his veela wings back into his frame and deposited his older cousin's limp form onto the ground below, landing his feet onto the ground nearby a couple of seconds after. When Draco still wouldn't get up or open his eyes after several more minutes of Anton trying to jostle him awake, the younger Malfoy son's voice suddenly began to crack and he looked around the area nervously.
They had fallen right into the middle of a large dome like area with several tunnels scattered all around them in a circle, the sight of which causing Anton's blue eyes to widen in disbelief. Flicking his gaze back at his watch, he noted briefly that it had been already been a full hour since he had taken Draco out of the hospital and turned back to his unconscious cousin again in growing panic.
"Drac?! Draco, wake up! Come on you prick, you're starting to scare me! Wake up—" Anton broke himself off in the middle of his sentence and took a shaky step backwards as Draco's frame began to convulse violently on the ground – his silver eyes snapping open and staring lifelessly at him in a blank trance as though the Malfoy Head had lost all sense of what was happening around them.
"Draco? Drac, snap out of it! DRACO! WAKE UP! DRACO!!!!!!!!!"
Jaimee felt several tears beginning to roll down her cheeks but she furiously blinked them away, glancing back down to watch the rest of Wickham, Max and Natasha's actions across the room.
Wickham was smirking as he handed Max his wand again, gesturing briefly to the set of glass artifacts and statues situated at the other end of the room. "The ceremony has already started, my son…It won't be long now until all that power is yours. While we're waiting for the infusion to finish…Why don't you start testing your new powers out already…? I'm sure Mistress Malfoy over here would like to see to it that you're putting her husband's and her friends' powers to good use."
Both men smirked briefly at each other when Jaimee lashed out in maniacal anger and began to struggle hysterically against her binds "YOU BASTARDS! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! LET ME GO!"
Natasha giggled to herself and crossed her arms over her chest, watching contentedly as Max took the wand from his father's offered hand and held it up into the dim light. Then – to both Natasha and Wickham's surprise – Max reached out and flicked his wand over at Jaimee's violently struggling figure, chuckling briefly to himself when the Malfoy Mistress immediately darted to her feet in anger.
"WHAT—"
Wickham reached a hand out and placed it firmly on son's shoulder, both of his eyebrows fusing together in an expression of wary disbelief. "Son…? What are you doing…? If we let her go now, there's no telling what she's capable of doing—" Max silenced the rest of his father's worries by shaking his head, reaching up and patting the older man's hand comfortingly in reassurance.
"Don't worry father…As you said… I just want to put my new powers to good use…" He leered contentedly to himself and turned his attention to Harry's crazed green eyes again, walking over to her so that he was standing directly in front of her stiff, seething frame. "…And of course…What better way is there to do that than to test my new magic against none other than the great…Harry Potter…"
He smiled as he said this and inclined his head once at her in a gesture of a mocking bow.
"I challenge you…To a wizard's duel…Harry Potter."
A/N: I apologize if the chapter was devoted entirely to action and plot revelation. The next chapter should be a little bit more to your liking…Which is why I uploaded it the same time as I did this one. :D Go on ahead and skip to the next chapter, I know you're all probably aching to already. ;)