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 won't delay this chapter anymore. Enjoy! :D
Chapter 18 – The Two of Us
"I challenge you…To a wizard's duel…Harry Potter."
Harry nearly fell back to the ground in shock at Max's issued challenge, his harshly whispered words echoing repeatedly in her mind. She heard both Natasha and Wickham's furious gasps and protests at Max's suggestion but they remained completely at the back of her mind at this point.
For a long time, she could do nothing else than gape silently at Max's smirking face – her cheeks flushing slowly in a mixture of anger and determination. He glared right back at her, his red-speckled brown eyes narrowing slowly as they peered at her tense, seething frame in amusement.
"Well…? Challenge issued, Potter…Shall we dance…?"
Harry broke out of her trance immediately and managed to let out a furious growl, her face twisting into a mocking sneer at his words. "Oh yeah…? And what makes you think I'm going to partake of this sick little game of yours, Max…? What is this…? Is this some kind of way to 'reassure' yourself of your new stolen magic?! What if I told you I refuse to fight you?!" She snapped back, taking several steps backwards from him when he sniggered and moved towards her form.
Max took one look at Harry's defensive stance and grinned – reaching into the pocket of his robes and pulling out her wand. When her eyes flicked over to it in panic, his grin widened even more.
"Come now, Harry…All I'm asking for is a fair opportunity to fight you…You know you've always been one of my favorite wartime heroes ever since I was a kid…It'd be an absolute honor." He followed this sarcastic remark up by bowing mockingly at her, causing her anger to grow even more.
"You disgusting son of a bitch—"
"I said language, Mistress Malfoy…Must you always be so hostile…? After all…I've always assumed that you were a fair person…Don't you think it'd be rather unfair of you to deny my challenge just because I was born a squib…? That's a bit unjust… Don't you think so?" He pretended to look insulted at that, the expression on his face drawing a sardonic look of disgust from Harry in disbelief.
"How do I even make sure that…Should I accept your challenge…This fight is going to be fair in the first place…?" She countered bluntly and if anything, hearing her words brought another snide smirk to Max's face. He ignored his father's and Natasha's shouting protests again and held Harry's wand back up, whistling cheerfully as he tossed it up into the air towards her.
"You don't." He answered back easily, chuckling to himself as he watched Harry catch her wand in mid-air and hold it out stiffly at him, her green eyes flashing suspiciously in confusion.
"What the fuck do you want from me, Thornton…?"
Max's smile hardened and he took another step toward her again, flicking his dark brown eyes back up to the slowly forming red crystal floating serenely several feet above their heads.
"Let's make a deal, Harry…You entertain my simple request for a fight with you…And…Well…If you win… Why don't I promise you the one thing that you actually came here for?"
His words accomplished his intention immediately as Harry's attention was immediately drawn to him, her green eyes following his gaze up to the partially formed crystal above their heads. "Wh—what do you mean, Max…? C—clarify yourself further…What do I get if I fight you?" She asked carefully, ignoring the twinge of wary concern that was beginning to overwhelm her thoughts.
Max's eyes glinted maliciously and he let his eyes travel back down to rest on her pale face, his expression turning into one of sadistic amusement. "Simple, Harry…You fight me…In a magical duel…Easy as that. If I win…I get to heal my damaged pride from my childhood with the distinction and the very honor of having beaten…One of the most powerful wizards in our generation…" He let his voice trail off dreamily and he gazed back at Natasha's face, winking at his fiancée's worried eyes.
Harry gulped loudly and took a cautious step backwards from him. She tensed and kept her wand pointed directly at his chest. "Oh yeah…? A—and if I win…?" She challenged again, her voice shaking several times as she tried to calm the rapid pounding of her heart in her chest.
Max's smile darkened back into a frown. "If you win…Well…My father and I…Shall stop this ceremony and allow all those purebloods to have their magic – and lives – back."
Harry's eyes suddenly glinted in determination at his words but Max just smirked at her, shaking his head at her reaction. "So…What do you say, Jaimee…? Fair enough? Do we have a deal…?" He flicked his eyes back up to the forming crystal above them, pretending to look worried as he shook his head. "Better hurry up with that decision though, Jaimee…I reckon we don't have much time before that crystal is fully formed and your husband's life is gone forever…" He sniggered when he caught sight of the genuine fear and worry that latched onto Harry's pale, conflicted features.
"Well…? Time's a wasting, Mistress Malfoy…Tick…tick…tick…tick…tick—"
"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT, DAMN IT! I'll fight you! I accept!"
She blanched when she heard her own voice breaking when she blurted out her response, her cautious gaze focused intently on the red crystal that was slowly beginning to take definite form right above their heads. Max gauged her reaction correctly as fear and smiled widely to himself, twirling his wand casually between his fingers as he began to approach her form across the room.
"Well then… Why don't we get started, Harry—"
"MAX! What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?!?" Wickham's irate voice broke right through Max's sentence as the older man tried to walk up to him, holding him back by his arm. Max sighed and pulled himself out of his father's grasp, turning around to give him a reassuring smile.
"Relax yourself, Father…Tasha…" He inclined his head once towards the worried look Natasha was giving him from where she was standing. "I won't lose…" He winked at them and turned back to stare at Harry's pale face, smirking wider when he noticed the hesitancy in her eyes.
"Now…Let's match the magical strength of sixty four of Europe's most powerful pureblood magic…Against the Great Harry Potter…Shall we?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm as he said this and he didn't bother waiting for her to ready herself as he approached her with his wand outstretched.
"EXPELLIARMUS!"
"HARRY! NO! DON'T FIGHT HIM!"
Harry barely got a glimpse of both Hermione and Ron rushing into the entrance behind her before she was forced to duck and stumble away, the force of Max's overwhelmingly powerful disarming spell causing the entire wall of rock behind her to crumble away into sharp, tiny pebbles.
Bloody…Hell… Her eyes widened just as she heard Hermione screaming loudly at her again.
Max sneered and aimed his wand at her– pointing it directly at her face. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" He shot the bright green beam of light right at her with a loud, harsh laugh, watching sadistically as Harry grunted and barely managed to raise her own wand up in an attempt to shield herself.
A bright blue protective barrier quickly wrapped itself around Harry's cowering frame but even as the spell managed to encase her in time, the bright green beam of light that had erupted from Max's wand shot out and crashed against it– instantly causing her barrier to disintegrate into thin air.
FUCK…! Harry flicked wide, panicked green eyes back up just in time to see a slightly bruised and dirt-grimed Hermione trying to rush out to her again – only to be held back moments later by Natasha's sneering figure. Wickham had Ron held down in a similar grasp beside them and her two friends could only watch with fearful looks on their faces as Harry ducked to avoid another killing curse.
Damn it! He's too strong! I can't block him!
Harry evaded another killing curse Max had sent her way, using that same maneuver to twist herself up over him so she could attempt to tackle him from behind. The strategy didn't seem to work, however, as Max just blinked calmly at her and swished his wand once again – effectively transfiguring his wand into a long sharp sword and bringing it slashing down right at her frame.
"HARRY, WATCH OUT!!!!!!!!"
"UGH!"
The rest of Hermione's shout ended up as a choked-up scream and she gasped in shock as she watched Max's sword pierce right through her best friend's left shoulder, eliciting a sharp cry of pain from Harry's lips as she ended up crashing right back down onto the cold floor. She had attempted to block off Max's sword by casting a protective spell around herself but the defensive maneuver had proved entirely useless against him, vanishing instantly at the mere contact with Max's magic.
"O—oh god…Wh—what…I—I can't…" Harry's features were creased into a grimace of pain as she forced herself back up onto her feet, raising her right hand and clutching it tightly onto the openly bleeding wound at her left shoulder. "Wh—what is this…?" She looked back up and glared weakly at Max's widely grinning face, watching helplessly as he transfigured the sword back into his wand.
Behind him, both Natasha and Wickham were smirking calmly to themselves, watching the developing scene with a hint of satisfaction etched onto their languid features. Ignoring their taunting expressions directed at her, Harry winced again and used her uninjured hand to raise her wand back up – pointing it shakily at Max's approaching figure. He stopped just as he reached the center of the TIET symbol on the floor and smiled calmly at her, arching a single eyebrow in calm query.
"Tsktsk…Are you tired out already, Harry…? The fight's just started…Surely this wasn't what all that training with the other Unspeakables has taught you…I expected more of a challenge from you." He mocked loudly, sniggering louder to himself when he was answered by Ron's furious shouts.
"YOU CHEATING SON OF A BITCH! I'M GOING TO DESTROY YOU—"
Harry shook her head and winced as she straightened herself back up, taking several more steps forward towards Max's form so that she was also standing right on top of the TIET symbol. "Tired out…? What are you talking about, Thornton…? I've had worse from the bite of a flobberworm." She taunted back harshly, raising her wand and slowly letting herself assume a perfect battle stance.
Max smiled at her, mirroring her actions perfectly by assuming a battle stance of his own. "Well then…Come on, Potter! Have at me…You're almost out of time." He gestured briefly to the crystal floating above their heads again and just as Harry's eyes followed his gaze, he used her momentary distraction to slash his wand forward, aiming another killing curse right at her chest.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Harry flicked her eyes back down and slashed her wand up just in time to initiate a counter spell right at him – effectively shooting a red defensive beam out of her own wand to clash against his in mid-air. To her surprise, however, the spell didn't exactly work the way she expected and instead of extinguishing his killing curse, it ended up linking both their wands together instead with entangled magical beams of red and green – the sight of which elicited a sharp disbelieving gasp from her lips.
"NO……! NO! ARGH!" She winced and held on tightly to her wand with two hands when it began to shake violently as it tried to elude her tight grasp. She watched with wide, helpless eyes as the red beam radiating from the tip of her wand was slowly being pushed back at her by the more powerful green beam of magic that was shooting out from Max's wand, eventually forcing Harry backwards several steps as she struggled to keep her trembling wand firmly within her hands.
"GAAARGH! NO! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"
Her foot fell back another step and she was forced to kneel down onto the floor in an effort to keep still, her wide eyes going back up to stare in horror at Max's figure several yards away. Her opponent hadn't moved a single inch from where he had been standing before their wands had linked and was now watching her with an eerie smile on his face, his wand held up gingerly – almost effortlessly – by a single hand. As he watched Harry continue to struggle just to keep up with the mere strength of his magic, Max's eyes gleamed maliciously and he began to laugh in triumph.
"What's the matter, Harry…? Am I too strong for you…? Can't you keep up with me?" He watched with a sadistic sneer as Harry could only grunt in reply, her features twisted into a grimace of exertion as she fought to keep herself up against the force of his magic. By now, she was already kneeling onto the floor on both her knees and was trying desperately to break her wand free from his.
"U—ugh…Th—Thornton…Y—you ch—cheating…Bastard…Th—this magic…i—is…NOT…yours! Ugh!" She grimaced again and was practically shoved back on her knees several yards along the hard ground when Max just sneered and raised his wand up higher to point it right at her cowering form.
"CRUCIO!"
As soon as the curse had left Max's lips, Harry could no longer hold herself up against him.
The force of the green beam of magic emanating from his wand began surging right back against her wand at full force – eventually eating up her magic altogether and forcing the red beam back into her wand. The moment it had done this, his green beam of magic managed to fuse itself against the tip of her wand before it suddenly exploded right at her face, enveloping her entire frame within a bright green cloud of light that circled her and eventually lifted her right off the ground.
"HARRY! NO! STOP IT! LEAVE HER ALONE! YOU'VE MADE YOUR POINT! STOP!!!!!"
Somewhere in the back of Harry's mind, she heard Ron and Hermione's screams at her but neither one of their words seemed to make sense. Instead, all the former Gryffindor could think about in that moment was the fact each and every muscle in her body was screaming in excruciating pain and agony and that she could hear nothing else except the sound of her own screams in her ears.
Oh god…It hurts…It hurts…Make it stop…MAKE IT STOP!
Harry clenched her eyes shut and felt her lungs beginning to dry up from her screams but she couldn't stop. She had experienced countless Cruciatus curses before but in her opinion, nothing had ever hurt as much as Max's Cruciatus curse right now and if anything, she couldn't even fathom anything else in that moment except for the pain…And how much she just wanted for it all to end.
S—stop…H—he's…too…Strong…I—I…C—can't…Harry squelched down the screams that threatened to escape her again and forced her eyes back open, furiously blinking away the tears in her eyes as she stared at Max's laughing face below. Her opponent had his wand pointed at her from where he was still standing calmly on the ground and was watching her with a lazy grin on his face.
"It's amazing isn't it, Harry…? How powerful my magic is…? Even you…One of the greatest wizards of all time…Are powerless against the potency of 64 of the purest magical blood in all of Europe…Imagine all that magical history…All the pure, authentic historicity this magic must contain." He paused briefly and twirled his wand once between his fingers – causing Harry to bite back another scream as she was flipped upside down and slammed violently against the stone wall behind her.
She winced again when she felt the bleeding wound on her shoulder collide with a particularly sharp piece of rock behind her but held her pained cry back, forcing her eyes back open and glaring at Max's smirking face below. "B—blood…M—magic…Th—that…I—ISN'T YOURS…Thornton—"
Max growled loudly and flicked his wand to the side, cutting off the rest of her weak response as he slammed her body against the wall behind her again. This time, Harry could no longer keep quiet as a harsh cry of pain involuntarily escaped her lips – the skin on her arms and legs already beginning to bleed and bruise profusely as the Cruciatus curse continued to plague her entire body.
"And so what…? Since when does something have to be mine for me to take it, Harry…? Huh? Since when has that ever been a problem?" He sneered after he said this and flicked his wand again – this time transfiguring the pebbles on the ground by his feet into sharp tiny daggers and sending them flying right at her dangling figure. As soon as she felt the tiny blades piercing right through the skin of her arms, legs, and midsection, Jaimee felt her eyes beginning to blur again with tears of pain.
Ugh…Merlin…Help me… She clenched her eyes shut and coughed out the blood that had risen up her throat, shaking her head and looking back up to stare at the blood crystal floating just above her head. More than half of the blood had been infused at this point and in growing desperation, she tried to struggle against the green magical barrier enveloping her frame again – only to end up wincing in pain once more when her struggles only seemed to make the Cruciatus worse.
Her feet were dangling helplessly several feet above the stone ground now and just below her, Harry could barely make out the sound of Ron's furious shouts and Hermione's worried sobs. Just behind them, Natasha and Wickham were watching the scene with wide, proud smiles on their faces, their expressions positively beaming as they rewarded Max with several encouraging cheers.
Ugh…I c—can't…Do this…He's…Too…Strong…I can't…Harry felt another tear slipping down her cheek just before she closed her eyes again. She was still holding her wand tightly in her right hand but even as she tried to initiate any form of spell, the barrier Max had trapped her in was so powerful that his magic diluted any form of hers altogether – making all her efforts at fighting back useless.
H—help me…S—someone…P—please… Her pleading thoughts were beginning to drown out the harsh, mocking sound of Max's laughter coming from the ground below. Just when she thought that he was finally going to finish her off, Max surprised her when he slowly raised his wand and guided her form back down – setting her feet down gently right on top of the TIET symbol on the ground.
As soon as he removed the green magical barrier that wrapped around her frame, Harry let out a weak exhale of breath and collapsed onto the ground on her knees – her green eyes clenching shut and her entire body convulsing as she fought to take in shallow inhales of oxygen. Her face, robes and pretty much most of her entire body, was covered in soot and blood and she could barely stand up as she did this but still Max had his wand pointed at her, his eyes narrowed in contempt.
"Up…Get up…On your feet, Potter! Come on! The crystal's almost finished!"
Harry winced again as she clutched at the deep wound on her shoulder but forced herself to do exactly as he said, struggling weakly to keep herself upright as she turned to face him. Then, holding her wand out feebly in front of her, she scowled and attempted to lash out a series of spells.
"I—I'm not dead yet, Thornton!"
She clenched her teeth and flushed in exertion as, for the life of her, she began hurling out as many spells as she could positively think of at Max's still form across the room – pausing only in between each one so she could take a single breath and think of the next spell to send his way next.
It all seemed to be in vain at this point, however, as she glanced back up and watched helplessly as Max blocked every single one with effortless ease – using only a mere lazy flick of his wand to construct a powerful barrier around himself that seemed completely impenetrable by magic.
Once the last one of her spells had shattered hopelessly into thin air upon contact with Max's magical barrier, he tore it down immediately and raised his wand back up at her, pausing only to give her cowering form a calm, teasing smile. "Bravo… But… I'm afraid it's MY turn now, Harry…"
He sneered and didn't bother waiting for her to make a move to defend herself as he stepped forward and slashed his wand through the air again, sending a powerful, monstrous gust of wind rushing right at her bloodied form. As soon as she anticipated his spell, Harry attempted another – much stronger – defensive barrier around herself again and hoped in vain that it would hold up.
Her defensive barrier collapsed instantly upon contact from the wind by his magic.
Biting back another scream, she cringed in anticipation and wrapped her arms around herself. Max sneered wider at her reaction and sent her entire body flying backwards several feet away from him until she crashed violently against the horde of glass statues situated at the far end of the room.
"HARRY! HARRY, NO!!!!!!!! GET UP!!! GET UP!!!!!"
Hermione's bloodcurdling scream registered vaguely in Harry's ears from several feet away. She felt the glass of the statues shattering into a thousand tiny shards against her – several of which latching itself deeply into her skin and burying themselves deep into her open wounds and bruises.
N—no…I—I c—can't…Die…like this…I…I c—can't…Harry felt any remaining strength she had left in her body give out entirely. Her eyes rolled up to the back of her head and she collapsed backwards – her back falling down painfully against the shards of sharp glass scattered all over the ground.
She heard several more indistinct screams and laughter coming from the room around her but none of them seemed to process into her mind – her thoughts focused entirely on the fact that she could no longer feel anything throughout her entire body. Her eyes squinted back open but only to stare up blankly at the nearly fully formed blood crystal hovering directly above her head, a flurry of tears and a sudden wave of thoughts and emotions suddenly running through her dazed mind.
M—must…G—get b—back up…G—get up…Harry…G—get up… Th—the…Crystal…C—can't…
She tried to blink away the tears flooding her eyes and halfheartedly attempted to reach the broken fingers of her right hand towards her wand several inches away – only to wince and bite back a cry a second later when she felt the hard soles of Max's heavy boots pressing down onto her palm.
"I don't think so, Harry…I'm afraid it's the end of the line for you for now…" He chuckled as he knelt down beside her lifeless, bloodied form and inspected her face – reaching a single hand out and using it to wipe at the drops of blood that stained her pale cheeks. Cringing, she shut her eyes again and attempted to turn her face away from him but this only served to irritate Max even more as he snarled and slapped her cheek – eliciting another violent reaction from Ron across the room.
"YOU BASTARD! DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! I SWEAR!" Ron growled louder and struggled in vain against Wickham's hold on him, watching helplessly as Max just smirked at him and rolled his eyes at his threat. Hermione was reduced to a sobbing pile of tears by now and Natasha rolled her eyes at her, shoving her backwards so she was standing behind her.
"Finish her off darling…The crystal's just about done…We have to leave soon!" Natasha called over to him with an impatient sigh, earning herself a lazy acknowledging grin from her fiancé. He nodded and turned back around to glance at Harry's lifeless figure on the floor again. He raised his wand and pointed it at the blank, motionless expression that was etched onto her pale, bloody face.
"I've actually defeated the great Harry Potter…Dreams can come true…Huh…Harry…?
Unable to say or do anything else, Harry just stared back lifelessly at him – her bright, glistening green eyes slowly beginning to fill up again with helpless tears of defeat and exhaustion.
I…I…Deserve…This… I'm…So…Sorry…
"Avada—"
Max's red-speckled brown eyes suddenly flicked over to the sparkling necklace just below her neck and he froze mid-sentence, kneeling back down to inspect the object in mild curiosity. Raising a single eyebrow, he reached over and used his wand to lift up the necklace – chuckling silently as he peered closer towards her to gaze in amazement at the diamond that dangled from the silver chain.
"Hmm…What's this, Harry…? Is this a present from Malfoy…?" He scoffed derisively at his own question and reached out to clasp the diamond charm in his hand, raising it up to inspect it in the light. Harry bit her lip and weakly turned her face away from the painful sight of his sneering face.
Max ignored her reaction and inspected the diamond charm in mild, amused curiosity using his wand to trace its peculiar shape. "Hmm… What is it supposed to be shaped like…? Is that a…a rollercoaster? Is that supposed to mean something to either of you? Heh…What foolish sentiments."
Harry winced and felt a sharp ache shooting right through her chest when Max reached out and yanked the diamond necklace right off her neck, snapping the silver chain right off and hurling the necklace back onto the ground several feet above her head. Then, as though in disgust, he scoffed again and jumped back up to his feet – directing his wand back down and pointing it at her chest.
"Time to die, Harry…"
To his immense surprise, instead of cowering away from him again as she had done before, Harry's eyes seemed to have flared to life and were now darting furiously up at the direction where Max had hurled the diamond necklace to the floor. He watched and took a small step backwards in disbelief as Harry's features began creasing into another pained grimace again. She began twisting her body towards the side, reaching her bruised and broken hand out weakly in a feeble attempt to reach for the sparkling diamond necklace that now lay several inches away from her body.
"What…The hell?" Max cocked a single eyebrow in mild annoyance and met both his father's and Natasha's equally disbelieving gazes across the room. The look they shot him mirrored the amazement on his own face. When they shrugged at him and indicated to the crystal above their heads again, Max rolled his eyes and turned back one last time to Harry's frame on the ground.
The former Gryffindor was now lying on her stomach and was crawling helplessly through the shards of broken glass on the floor towards the diamond necklace several more feet away and if anything, the pitiful sight did nothing but aggravate Max even more. He walked towards her again, raising his left foot and bringing it crashing down onto the hand she was reaching out for the necklace.
As soon as her fingers had wrapped around the diamond necklace, Max transfigured his wand into another sharp sword and sneered once before sending it plunging down onto the same open wound on her left shoulder – instantly drawing another excruciating scream of pain from her lips.
N—no…I…I can't…I can't…Die like this…I—I can't—I won't!
Her eyes fluttered open when Max laughed again and yanked the sword right back out of her body, taking a couple of steps back and watching as her blood began to flow out onto the ground below. As his harsh laughs plagued her ears, Jaimee blinked up rapidly at the ceiling and felt herself beginning to lose consciousness – her fingers tightening very slowly against the necklace in her palm.
I…I c—can't…Die…N—not like this…I…I s—still have so much to live for…S—so m—many r—regrets…S—so many d—dreams…I c—can't…Not yet…Not yet…Please…Not yet…
As those words reverberated softly in her head and her body eventually began to numb itself to the excruciating pain overwhelming her, she felt her eyes beginning to close again. Before she knew what was happening, everything around her began to fade into blackness and her thoughts began to drift away – swirling back to those few tender moments she had treasured in her memories…
"Alright…I'll count to three then I'll remain completely silent. Try to hit me with everything you have, Potter." Draco instructed, taking a couple of steps away from her and watching as she held her hands back up to feel her surroundings.
"One…" He grinned and shoved his hands into his pocket as she turned in the direction of his voice, taking a few cautious steps towards him.
"Two…" A cute smile was on her face as she took another step near him, stopping briefly in confusion when her hands came across the figure of the large tree they had been leaning against on the ground.
"Thr—" Draco never finished as she suddenly launched herself at him and tackled him back to the ground, causing him to wince in pain when she collapsed on top of him and pinned him to the grass with her body.
Giggling playfully to herself, she used both her hands and held his down, leaning forward to bury her face into the crook of his neck. When Draco answered her with a low groan of pain and annoyance, she laughed harder rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek.
Seeing the expression on her face, however, he couldn't stay angry for long and he began to laugh with her – freeing one of his hands and using it to unclasp his necktie from her eyes. Once he had managed to take it off, he found himself staring up at her beautiful green eyes. She smiled at him, her hand releasing his to lovingly caress his cheek.
"Found you…" She whispered softly, her voice teasing and gentle. Her eyes rested adoringly on his face, memorizing and inspecting ever feature with unhidden admiration. Blushing under her gaze, Draco felt his breath hitch when their eyes eventually met – both pairs of orbs filled with a unique mixture of mirth and tenderness unseen by anybody else except them.
His heart bursting happily in his chest, he mimicked her actions and raised his own hand to cup her cheek as well, pulling her face down until her lips were inches away from his.
Meeting her smile, he forced himself to speak – his voice coming out in a shaky, reverent whisper.
"No…I think I found you…"
As Draco walked back over to the crib in the corner of the room to their sleeping younger son, Harry took that opportunity to lean down and peer into Garrett's squirming figure – her eyes softening with affection when she took in her son's beautiful features. As though sensing his mother's attention, Garrett gave a soft gurgle and opened his eyes, allowing Harry to see a pair of bright green orbs.
"He's beautiful isn't he..?" Draco asked with a small smile, carrying their sleeping younger son as he walked back over to the other side of her bed. He deposited the baby gently into his wife's arms before picking Garrett up again and sitting himself down on the bed beside her.
Harry could only nod back silently, her throat too constricted to speak as she stared up close at the sleeping, angelic face of her baby. Cradling him gently against her chest, she peered down into the bundle of blankets and gently reached out to stroke the wisps of silver blonde strands on his head.
The baby turned slightly in his sleep, allowing Harry to smile at the sight of his pale skin, his perfect, asymmetrical baby nose and the unmistakable Malfoy chin. His eyes were closed but since he and Garrett were identical, she knew he had green eyes as well. She leaned down and dropped a soft, loving kiss onto her son's tiny baby hands, her eyes growing slightly misty with tears of emotions.
"Potter, what in MERLIN'S name are you doing?!"
Draco arched a single eyebrow and desperately tried to hold back the smirk that was threatening to come out as he strode into the kitchen of their Godric Hollow estate that morning. The scene that greeted him was the rather hilarious sight of a beautiful, cringing Jaimee decked out completely in a cooking apron and a chef's hat – her entire form covered completely in flour and icing.
The moment she heard his voice, Jaimee winced again and hastily turned around – accidentally knocking her forehead against one of the nearby cooking pans hanging by the ceiling. When Draco's eyebrow arched up even higher at this and he looked as though he was having difficulty holding in his laughter at the strange sight, Jaimee finally managed a weak grin at him – holding up in her hands what was probably supposed to be the semblance of a birthday cake on a large plate.
"U—uhm…H—Happy Birthday…? Uh…Ehehe… I thought I could bake you a cake but unfortunately…Well… I kind of suck at all this domestic stuff so it didn't turn out the way I expected."
She offered another sheepish grin at him and cringed when the glob on the plate in her hands promptly ended up exploding right in front of her, splashing her face and the rest of the kitchen around her with bits of icing, flour and little bits of what appeared to be chocolate chip cookie bits.
"You are the worst wife ever, Potter."
Right after he had said this, Draco's lips began to twitch in amusement as he reached out and pulled his cake-covered wife into his arms, his shoulders shaking with heartfelt fondness as he leaned forward and began eating off the icing and cookie-bits off her face with teasing, laughing kisses.
"Can you say it…? Come on, you two! Say 'FA-THER'! FATHER!"
Draco scowled to himself in frustration when both Garrett and Gabriel just stared back blankly at him from where the two blonde toddlers were sitting on top of their expensive wooden high chairs in the Malfoy Dining room. Garrett took one look at his father's imploring gaze before shaking his head stubbornly and answering Draco instead with one of his angelic baby smiles.
"DO—WANNA!"
Jaimee laughed loudly just as she walked into the dining room to the sound of her husband banging his head repeatedly against the table. When he looked up and glared darkly at her in annoyance, she raised an eyebrow at him and offered the Malfoy Head a half-hearted shrug and smile.
"Why don't you try making them say 'DADDY' instead, of 'FATHER', Draco? I highly doubt 'father' is something they can pronounce at this age." She told him pointedly but at her suggestion, the former Slytherin just scowled further to himself and answered her with another icy glare.
"I refused to be called 'DADDY', Harry! What an utterly plebian sounding form of address!"
Harry rolled her eyes and began to slink back out of the dining room, pausing just for a moment to plant a kiss onto the top of Garrett and Gabriel's tossled mane of silver blonde hair.
"Your father is an arrogant...pompous…Slytherin prick."
"Bite me, Scar-head."
"In your dreams, Ferret-face."
Gabriel blinked in the middle of his parent's familiar banter and smiled innocently at his father.
"…Fe—wet…Face?"
"………"
Harry realized her mistake and cringed, looking back up and offering Draco a sheepish smile.
"Uhm…Whoops? Sorry that just slipped out—"
"…………Come here, Potter!"
The Malfoy Mistress paled, winced and scrambled out of the dining room just as Draco growled and chased right after her form, his shout s and her laughter echoing throughout the entire Manor.
"Harry, do you mind? I kind of need some time to think to myself." He drawled, trying his best to keep the irritation from his voice.
Harry ignored him and walked right up to him from behind, grinning mischievously as she wrapped her slender arms affectionately around his waist and pressed herself against his back. Draco stiffened and was just about to disentangle her arms around him when something green and white distracted him out of the corner of his eye.
Fusing his eyebrows together, he turned his head slightly to the side – his eyes immediately widening in incredulity when he was met with the face of a very poorly made green-and-white sock puppet with black markings for eyes and a mouth. It took him about five more seconds to realize that the sock puppet was attached to Harry's left hand and that she was using it to move the puppet's mouth.
"Hello, Father! I'm your firstborn son! I reckon you'll be proud of me! I want to be in Slytherin when I grow up and I want to be exactly like you!" Harry had spoken up in a ridiculously high-pitched, falsetto voice as she moved the puppet's mouth that Draco couldn't prevent a surprised laugh.
"Potter, what the bloody hell—"
"I'm going to be Head Boy and Quidditch Captain and I'm going to be a POMPOUS ARSE. Just like YOU, Father! You're going to be so proud of me!" She continued, holding back a laugh when Draco's eyes twitched at the words 'pompous arse'.
"Excuse me—"
Harry cut him off by holding up another sock puppet with her other hand along the right side of Draco's head – this time the sock was red and gold – and distracted him by making it speak up again in another falsetto voice.
"I want to be in Gryffindor, Father! I'm going to be exactly like my mother – she was so much better than you at everything! I'm going to be good in Quidditch; I'm going to be an incredible duelist! I'm going to beat my twin brother every single time like Mother beat you!"
Draco was trying – and failing – to glare at her in the middle of all his mirthful laughing.
"So let me make sure I understand this activity correctly. You want me to pick up that quill, as if I were pregnant, exactly the way my wife would? As in…If I were her?" Draco drawled slowly, his eyes gleaming mischievously that Jaimee felt her own eyes narrowing in suspicion when she recognized the Slytherin smirk on her husband's handsome face.
Dorothy nodded and smiled cheerfully again, looking up and giving the other watching couples a nod of encouragement. "Yes, Master Malfoy… Exactly the way your wife would. That way…All of the men in this room can learn to appreciate the hardships your wives go through." She explained, much to the disgruntled grumbling of most of the other husbands around the room.
When she turned back to look at Draco however, she was surprised to find that instead of bending down as she expected, the Malfoy Head was smirking smugly at his wife's glaring face. To Harry's utter disbelief – and the amusement of many men in the room – Draco arched an eyebrow, lifted a single hand and pointed in an exaggeratingly demure manner to the quill on the floor.
He feigned a ridiculously whiny version of what he meant to be Jaimee's high-pitched, feminine voice and shot her a smile while pretending to flutter his eyelids at her.
"Oh Draaaaaaaco….My breasts are starting to hurt again! Can you pick up that quill for me…PLEEEEEEEEEEASE?"
A gasp of insult escaped Harry's lips and she felt her eyes narrowing slowly into very tiny slits, her entire vision swarming with RED.
"I DO NOT SOUND LIKE THAT, MALFOY!"
Deaf to the amused laughter of all the other couples in the room – including Dorothy, Neville and Luna's – Harry clenched her hands angrily into tight fists, bared her teeth and let out a snarl of anger. She launched herself at her husband's form – immediately causing Draco's eyes to widen as he stopped laughing, let out a high-pitched, nervous yelp and ducked as she jumped at him.
"MALFOY, YOU POMPOUS, ARROGANT, INSENSITIVE, FERRET-FACED BRAT! I'M GOING TO SKIN YOU ALIVE AND FEED YOU TO A HIPPOGRIFF!"
"I love you…"
And just like that, Harry foot froze in half-step.
Slowly, she set it back down and stood with her back to him in long, agonizing silence. Draco watched her carefully, ignoring the weird stares and laughs he knew he was already receiving from the people passing him.
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally turned around and forced herself to look at him, her beautiful green eyes slowly widening in shock when they came to rest upon his face.
He was wearing a pair of thick, horn-framed square glasses but that wasn't what had caused her to react that way. His sleek blonde hair had been charmed into bright neon orange curls and numerous freckles had been plastered onto his pale cheeks. He offered her a hesitant smile, showing her his two, huge front teeth.
"Please forgive me, Harry."
She stared at him with a blank, unblinking expression on her face, one of her eyebrows raised up higher than the other in stunned confusion. For a minute, she glared at him as though he was crazy and Draco had almost thought his last ploy failed when she shook her head and buried her face into her hands.
As though snapping out of a trance-like state, he watched as she looked back up at him – the corners of her lips finally twitching upwards with a hint of helpless, yielding mirth.
"Malfoy…You stupid…silly…git…"
"NO!!!!!!!"
Just as Max had turned away from what he had already assumed to be the dead, bleeding body of Jaimee on the ground, he froze mid-stride when he heard her loud, furious voice shouting at him from behind. Whirling around in shock, his eyes widened in disbelief as he was met with the sight of Jaimee crawling back up onto her feet, her movements shaky and weak but nevertheless filled with an odd sense of conviction and determination that he had never seen in her before.
"Potter…Just what do you think you're doing now? Haven't you had enough…?"
Hermione and Ron both looked on in anxiety and watched with bated breath from across the room as Harry winced again but somehow managed to pick herself up off the ground – her arms and legs barely able to support her upright as she had to stumble a couple of times to remain standing.
The diamond necklace still clutched tightly within the palm of her hand, Jaimee managed to straighten herself up and raised her free hand to her face – using the simple maneuver to smirk weakly at Max's shocked expression before wiping the remaining droplets of blood from her lips.
When he seemed unable to do anything else to her in those next few moments except blink repeatedly and gape at her, her smirk widened and raised her free hand again, wiping at the droplets of blood that were dripping all over her pale face. "Well…?" She raised an eyebrow and sneered at his stunned expression, using his momentary shock to take several steps towards him.
"I'm not dead yet, Thornton…Far from it. Is that the best you can do…? Frankly…I've gotten worse from fighting with those pathetic suitors during my hunting season…These wounds are nothing." As though to emphasize her point, she smirked and took another step toward him, her eyes going up over Max's flushed face to stare briefly at the nearly completed blood crystal hovering above them.
She blinked and glanced back calmly at him, sparing one look at his speechless expression before she scoffed at him, trailing her mocking green eyes up and down his frame in disdain.
"Eh…What more could I have expected from a SQUIB anyway…? You know…Draco was right all along about you… You're nothing but a sad…pathetic…wannabe wizard anyway who probably spent his entire LIFE moping constantly about his sad existence and how much everyone always picks on him…"
When she noticed the definite way in which Max's hands were beginning to fist themselves in growing anger at her mocking words, Harry's eyes brightened even more and she began to speak in a much louder voice – purposely curling her lips into a perfect form of the patented Malfoy smirk.
"Well…? It's true isn't it…? How SAD is it really that you have to resort to STEALING magic in order to gain some form of self-respect for yourself…?! You're a sad, poor excuse of a man, Max…I only hope your fiancée over there doesn't complain about the fact that you're probably a poor excuse of a man in the bedroom as well…Even as a woman…I'm so much more of a man than you'll ever be."
At Natasha's scandalized gasp of horror and both Wickham and Max's furious faces, Harry's eyes gleamed in triumph and she stopped to stand a couple of feet away from Max's red, seething frame – smirking wider to herself when he looked up and shot her a dangerously hissing snarl.
"WHY YOU…ARROGANT…POMPOUS… HUSSY LITTLE BITCH! EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU MALFOYS ARE ALL THE SAME… I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THOSE INSULTS!"
Overcome with maniacal anger at her words, Max raised his wand again and pointed it shakily towards Harry's frame, ignoring the way Natasha was shouting furiously behind him in shrill protests.
"MAX! NO—"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Just as the brief, familiar flash of bright green magic began to emanate from the tip of Max's outstretched wand, Harry held up the diamond necklace she held in her hand used its charm to deflect his spell – holding it up at an angle away from her face such that the bright green bream of the killing curse shot up quickly away from her and began zooming up towards the red blood crystal above them.
"Gotcha."
Harry followed the spell up toward the crystal with her eyes and her grin widened in triumph.
As soon as he realized her plan and his terrible mistake, Max let out an angry, hair-rising growl and frantically shook his head, flicking helpless brown eyes up to watch as the bright green beam of the killing curse finally crashed itself perfectly into the blood red crystal above – successfully causing the artifact to shatter instantly into a thousand tiny shards right at the moment of impact.
"POTTER! NO!!! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BREAK THE CRYSTAL IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INFUSION! YOU'LL BRING THE WHOLE SITE CRASHING DOWN ON US, YOU FOOL!!!!!!!"
It was Richard Wickham who had screamed this time and just as Harry had turned around to look at him, the Head Healer was already rushing forward to gather his distraught son into his arms – pulling Max's form away from the altar when the entire room began to rumble and quake all around.
In his frustration, Max growled and tried desperately to struggle back against his father's arms – his crazed eyes going back up to stare at the shattered crystal pieces falling back down onto the ground. "NO! FATHER, WAIT! B—BUT WHAT ABOUT MY MAGIC?! I—IT'S GONE! I—I WANT IT BACK, FATHER! I WANT IT BACK!" He grunted and tried to push his father away again but Wickham took one look at the shattered crystal pieces on the floor and shook his head at him in growing panic.
"MAX! THIS PLACE IS GOING TO COME CRASHING DOWN! FORGET THE CRYSTAL! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW! COME WITH ME RIGHT NOW!" He ignored his son's further screams and dragged him off along behind him just as the altar and the other relics around the ceremonial room all began to crumble away and disintegrate into shards of rocks and pebbles.
"MAX! WE HAVE TO GET OUT NOW! COME ON, BABY! PLEASE!" Natasha joined Wickham in trying to coerce Max to run out with them but he growled and shoved them both aside, falling back down onto his knees on the floor and attempting to gather the broken crystal shards into his arms.
"I WANT MY MAGIC BACK…I'M NOT LEAVING HERE WITHOUT IT! NO! LET GO OF ME! FATHER!" The rest of Max's shrill screams were eventually drowned out as Richard grabbed hold of his hand – Natasha grabbed hold of his other hand – and the two of them began dragging him off towards the exit of the room, all the while evading the rocks and boulders that were beginning to fall around them.
"HARRY!"
Still standing right in the middle of the altar, Harry had just managed to glance briefly at Hermione and Ron's forms beckoning frantically to her from the other side of the room. Just as she was about to run over to them, however, the large TIET symbol below her feet suddenly began to glow a bright eerie red. Before she knew what was happening, the ground suddenly gave out beneath her feet and she screamed in horror as she nearly plunged down onto the rocky pit below.
Closing her eyes tightly, Harry clenched her fingers onto the rocky edge of the pit around her and held on desperately for her life – wincing as she tried to pull herself back over ledge enough so she could make out Ron and Hermione's forms as they tried to run their way over to her.
"HARRY! HOLD ON! WE'RE COMING!"
Ron grunted as he somehow managed to evade one last boulder coming down on him from the ceiling. As he twisted his way around the falling rocks all around them and managed to reach the outer circular rim around the pit, he stopped when he was met with a bright red magical barrier.
"RON! STOP! DON'T GO THROUGH THERE! STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"
Hermione heard the frantic worry in Harry's shouts as she stopped right behind Ron's form and stared at her in confusion, raising her wand and wincing as she blasted the rocks and boulders that continued to come crashing down on them from the very ceiling of the large ceremonial room.
"HARRY! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS BARRIER TO GET TO YOU! ARE YOU MAD?!" She watched in horror as Harry latched on tighter onto the ledge of the pit again, blinking back up at them and giving both her best friends a fierce, warning glare.
"STAY RIGHT THERE! TH—THAT BARRIER IS ONE SIDED! I—IF YOU GO THROUGH…YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO GET BACK OUT!" She winced as her fingers nearly slipped again, causing both Ron and Hermione to cringe in dismay as they were forced to watch Harry struggling to keep herself up.
"WH—WHAT ABOUT YOU?! THIS PLACE IS FALLING APART!! WE CAN'T LEAVE YOU—"
Harry cut off the rest of Ron's protests with a weak but firmly reassuring look, indicating to the nearby exit with her eyes. "I—I'LL BE FINE…GO AND GET HELP BOTH OF YOU! B—BYRON AND THE OTHERS SH—SHOULD BE HERE BY NOW, THEY MIGHT KNOW A WAY TO BREAK THE BARRIER! GO! GO NOW, I DON'T THINK I CAN HOLD ON MUCH LONGER!" She winced again and at her words, Ron nodded frantically and grabbed Hermione's hand when she looked as though she was about to protest.
"NO!!! NO, HARRY!!! WE'RE NOT LEAVING YOU!!!!!! NO—"
"HERMIONE, I PROMISE I'LL BE FINE! GO!!! PLEASE HURRY!!!!!!"
Ron literally had to drag a sobbing Hermione away towards the exit as the brunette continued to struggle hysterically against him, her wide brown eyes focused intently onto Harry's small, frail hands barely able to clutch onto the ledge of the large, circular pit right in the middle of the barrier.
"HARRY!!!!!! PLEASE HOLD ON!!!!!!!"
"Draco! DRACO! Wake up, damn it! WAKE UP! You're scaring me, WAKE UP! WAKE—YARGH!"
A thoroughly pale and distraught Anton nearly yelped out loud in shock when his older cousin's lifeless figure suddenly jerked awake from the ground – followed by Draco's eyes snapping wide open in immediate alertness and his flashing silver orbs darting furiously around them in realization.
Harry…Where's Harry…Where is she?!
Ignoring Anton's relieved exclamations and the fact that their surroundings were beginning to quake very violently as rocks and boulders began falling down around them, Draco shot up effortlessly back up to his feet and yanked his younger cousin up by the front of his robes.
"Anton…WHAT'S HAPPENED?! WHERE'S HARRY?!"
Anton gaped at him and blinked rapidly at the other Malfoy son in stunned disbelief, his eyes filling with confusion as he took in his older cousin's strangely regenerated state. "D—Draco?! I—I thought you were sick?! What the hell happened, are you okay? What's going on—"
Draco's eyes flashed in panic and he shook his head frantically at all of Anton's questions, glancing around their surroundings again and paling in horror when he remembered where they were. "Harry…Where's Harry, Anton?! Where's my wife, where is she?! I have to get to her NOW!"
He couldn't explain the painful and thoroughly suffocating squeezing of heart against his chest as he said this. Caught up in his worries, he didn't even realize he had regained full strength until several seconds later – when Anton blinked stupidly up at him again and gestured to his standing form.
"D—Draco…? Y—you're…Better?! I—I don't understand…D—do you have your magic back now? C—can you stand—" Draco didn't bother waiting for the rest of his sentence as he reached out and grabbed Anton's wand out of his pocket, raising it up and holding it at one of the falling rocks nearby.
He flicked it once and almost instantly, the rock disintegrated into a cloud of dust.
Oh god…I have my magic back…That means…Harry…Harry is… Draco's hands shook as he turned back around and met Anton's confused expression again, his bright mercury eyes beginning to widen in horrified realization. "Oh god…That git…That stupid git…I can't believe her…Where is she—"
"DRACO! DRACO, OH THANK MERLIN! IS BYRON WITH YOU?! ARE THE OTHER UNSPEAKABLES HERE YET?! HARRY'S STILL BACK THERE! WE HAVE TO HURRY BEFORE—"
Draco blanched and looked up just in time see both Ron and Hermione racing down the other end of the corridor towards them – both former Gryffindors' faces flushed with a mixture of panic and immense fear. When they saw the furious expression on the Malfoy Head's face, neither of them barely had any chance to react before Draco had growled and surged forward, seizing Ron right by the front of his robes and slamming the other man violently against the nearby wall in a heated fury.
"WEASLEY, YOU'D BETTER TELL ME WHERE THE FUCK MY WIFE IS RIGHT NOW! WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE'S HARRY AND WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU TWO WITH HER?!"
Ron opened his mouth to answer him but ended up choking and coughing instead when Draco's grip inadvertently tightened around his throat. Raising her wand again to block off a couple more rocks that came crashing towards them, it was Hermione who answered his question for him.
"Draco…Sh—she's…She's right back there in the ceremonial room… B—but…She's s—still trapped in some kind of…magical barrier of some sort…We—we don't know how to g—get her out…She's b—barely holding on! We—we have to d—do something before she f—falls—and—"
Draco paled and drowned out the rest of Hermione's broken words.
Completely deaf to Anton's quelling glares at him at this point, he seized his younger cousin's wand again, turned right around sharply and tore right through the corridor from which Ron and Hermione had come from. Their sharp, loud screams echoed loudly through the long dark tunnel after him but Draco barely heard them, his ears filled with nothing but the loud pounding of his heart.
HARRY!
I…I can't hold on much longer…I…I th—think…I'm going to…F—Fall…
Harry closed her eyes and desperately tried to prevent the tears that were threatening to fall down her cheek. Looking back up at the large shards of rocks and boulders that continued to fall all around her, she grimaced in exhaustion and tightened her fingers around the pit's ledge again.
The excruciating pain from the bleeding wound on her left shoulder certainly did nothing to ease her efforts and without meaning to, the fingers of her left hand suddenly gave out on her – causing Jaimee to scream again as she soon found herself dangling from the ledge with only one hand.
She blinked another batch of terrified tears away and flicked her blurry gaze down to the pit below – her eyes widening in fear when she caught sight of the pointed rocks that threatened to meet her when she fell. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tore her eyes away from the horrifying sight and flicked them back up, her attention drawn to the chandelier of red rubies directly above her head.
Most of the entire ceremonial room had practically crumbled away at this point and even now, as she clutched on desperately for dear life onto the pit's ledge, she winced as more and more rocks and boulders continue to deteriorate around her – shattering into tiny pebbles along the stone ground.
I…I can't…Hold on…Anymore…
Biting her lip, she tried desperately to tighten her remaining fingers onto the ledge again. Taking a deep breath, she flicked her gaze back up just in time to see the chandelier dangling above her head teetering dangerously away as though it was just about to come crashing down right on top of her – the sight of which finally bringing a look of helpless, surrendering defeat to her pale features.
Oh god…I…I'm…Going…To…Die…I'm…Scared…Draco…
"If it helps…I'm scared too."
Blinking in surprise, Harry turned wide eyes to her husband's calm features and watched as Draco simply met her gaze with a weak, helpless smirk. He sighed heavily before lifting her hand towards his lips, giving the shaking limbs a brief kiss before he continued.
"I've been a man all my life and I don't know anything about being a father…I'm bloody terrified." He told her and he followed this up with another wry comment. "Remember, I'm a Slytherin too so I'm probably thrice as terrified as you'll ever be, Potter…" He quipped lightly, successfully eliciting a weak laugh from Harry when she heard his words.
"That's true…You were terrified of a Hippogriff."
"Shut up, scar-head."
They both chuckled at this little exchange before Draco soon sobered again and tightened his fingers around hers. He looked down at her so that he was staring directly into her eyes. "Harry…I don't think anyone knows how to be a 'good mother' or 'good father'. I'm just as scared and nervous about this entire thing as you are…" He tucked another strand of her long hair behind her ear again, feeling a wonderful ache of tenderness in his chest as he stared into her beautiful face.
"But everything is going to be okay… You know why…? Because I'm going to be right here with you through all this…And we're going to go through this together. The two of us. I promise…"
I'm going to be right here…With you…Through all this…
Harry felt a small, weak smile curling onto her lips as the batch of helpless tears finally began to fall from her eyes, strolling gently down her pale, blood-stained cheeks.
And we're going to go through this… Together…The two us… I promise…
She closed her eyes and allowed his beautiful words to echo softly in her head over and over again until she finally felt a sense of calm enveloping her – drowning out the painful, fearful pounding of her heart in her chest and the sound of the rocks and boulders crashing down all around her.
The two of us…Just…The two of us…Together…I promise…Draco…
As she heard the unmistakable sound of the large ruby chandelier finally falling apart and beginning to crash down onto her frail form, Jaimee clenched her eyes shut and held back a choked-up scream and sob – her fingers tightening desperately around the ledge in mere helpless defeat.
"…REDUCTO!!!!!!!"
Blinking away the mistiness in her eyes, Jaimee managed to flick her glassy green eyes up in a mixture of shock and stunned disbelief. She stared tearfully at the sight of Draco storming into the ceremonial room towards her, his wand outstretched and a glint of fierce determination in his eyes.
He had pointed his wand at the chandelier hovering above her and jumped back for a split second as the chandelier shattered at the force of his spell – shards of rubies and glass spraying all over the room. Once the chandelier had shattered completely onto the ground, he raised his wand over himself in protection from the falling rocks and rushed right through the barrier towards her form.
Ignoring her tearful protests, he knelt down by the pit's ledge and reached out to clasp his hand tightly over her wrist – peering down at her and managing to give her a halfhearted smirk.
"I—I had a feeling you would get your arse kicked, Potter…"
Jaimee could only stare back at him in a mixture of fear, worry and heartbroken relief.
"D—Draco…I—I—c—can't h—hold on m—much longer—J—just…Go…B—before—"
At her words, Draco took one look at her defeated expression and shook his head stubbornly at her, his eyes flashing angrily as he tightened his fingers around her wrist. "What the bloody hell are you talking about now, you stupid Gryffindork?! Don't you DARE give up on me now, Harry! Don't you DARE…Stop being such a goddamn hero for once in your life! Come on…Get up out of there!"
He tightened his hand around her frail arm once more and slowly began to pull her back up the ledge, wrapping his arms tightly around her bruised and battered body for support once she had managed to get back up onto her feet. Wincing and holding back the wave of emotions that were flooding into her chest, Harry cringed in excruciating pain as Draco scooped her up into his arms and held her tightly against him – his arms going to wrap protectively around her broken, bloodied form.
"Oh god, Harry…C—come on…I'm getting you out of here…"
He tried to keep his voice from shaking when he caught sight of the wounds and bruises all over her body and tightened his arms around her small frame, darting his eyes around furiously for the nearest exit. When he found none – and that he could no longer step back through the magical barrier circled around them – Draco's eyes suddenly widened in belated realization.
Oh god…No…We're trapped…I can't save her…I c—can't do anything…No…Draco swallowed the dry lump forming in his throat and tightened his arms around Jaimee in complete helplessness, darting his gray eyes around the room again and again as he tried to search for a possible way out.
There has to be a way out…There just has to be!
Draco tried in vain to flick his wand several times against the magical barrier around them in desperation but sensing his efforts, Jaimee just shook her head weakly at him.
"Th—the…b—barrier…C—can only b—be broken from the o—outside, Draco…Th—there's…No way out…W—we're…Stuck here…A—and this place is already falling apart…" Her voice broke off as she said this and if anything, her shaky whisper made Draco's arms tighten even more around her.
"I—I'm sorry…Draco…I'm sorry…For…Everything…"
Again, he shook his head firmly at her words and forced out a weak grin – all the while trying to ignore the terrified pounding of his heart as more and more rocks and boulders began to crash down around them. Backing them both away into the very center of the room just inches away from the ledge, Draco raised his wand and held it up to protect them both from the falling rocks all around.
"Why are you saying that NOW, Harry…? You can apologize and grovel at my feet later!"
He tried to hide his growing nervousness with a weak, teasing laugh but Harry heard it in his voice anyway. She reached up and wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, burying her tearful face into his chest. When he felt her trembling in his arms, Draco felt his own eyes beginning to glisten in fear and he could do nothing else but lean down and press a shaky kiss onto the top of her head.
Merlin…Help us…Please…
"DRACO! HARRY! OVER HERE! QUICK!"
Tensing up and letting out a shaky breath of exasperation, Draco snapped his wide gray eyes open and looked up, watching with immediate relief as Byron, Spencer, Nicholas and about a dozen more Unspeakable Agents and Ministry Aurors all began rushing into the site towards them.
One look at the mixture of immense gratitude and irritated exasperation on his older cousin's face was all it took for Byron to offer the Malfoy Head a sheepish smile and grimace.
"Sorry I'm late, Draco…I got a little held up at the Ministry…Hang on both of you! This place is falling apart! We'll need to take this magical barrier down first! Is Harry okay?!"
Draco didn't bother answering Byron's question as he lowered his gaze back down to the trembling bundle cradled in his arms. His eyebrows creased in concern when he realized that Jaimee seemed to have already lost consciousness and had already collapsed in a dead, exhausted faint.
"Master Malfoy! Over here! May we have a word please?! Do you have any comment?! What happened in there and who was responsible for all the pureblood attacks?!"
Ignoring the furiously flashing cameras and the dozens of news reporters rushing in and out of the premises around them, Draco's hands shook as he very gently knelt down and laid out Jaimee's bruised and battered body onto one of the nearby stretchers outside the Ceremonial site that night.
About a dozen more Ministry Officials and Healers had gathered around the small area in a state of bustling panic but Draco remained completely oblivious to them all – his attention focused completely on his wife's pale, unmoving form laid out before him in such a strange lifeless state.
It took a couple more minutes of him staring desperately at her motionless face as he waited for her to wake up but eventually, to his immense relief, Harry's eyes slowly began to flutter open – revealing to him those beautiful, bright emerald green orbs that he loved so much to stare into.
The minute she saw Draco's worried gaze resting intently on her blood-stained face, Harry blinked once before managing a weak, teasing smile at him, her eyes softening gently when she noted the fear and the mild anger that was slowly beginning to seep into those intense, mercury gray orbs.
Even before she could ask him what he wanted to say, Draco spoke up for her – his voice shaking slightly with anger as he leaned down and wiped gently at the blood on the side of her face.
"Y—you…Stupid git…Wh—what in Merlin's name did you think you were doing in there alone, Potter…? D—do you have any idea – y—you could have gotten yourself killed! You stupid prick—" He cut himself off abruptly and clenched his hands into tight fists, his fingernails digging into his palm.
"D—Draco…I…I'm…I'm sorry…F—for everything…I…I've m—made…so many mistakes…I—I don't know how I could possible m—make up for them all…I'm…so…so…Sorry…" She paused in the middle of her sentence and took a deep breath to calm the rapid and painful beating of her heart.
"…I—I've been so incredibly horrible at all this…I've b—been such a h—horrible wife to you…A horrible mother to the twins…I—I've been selfish…I don't know what else to say…" She stopped and winced slightly when the wound on her shoulder shot another sudden twinge of pain through her body.
When she managed to open her eyes and raise her uncertain gaze back up at Draco's face again, she was surprised to see her husband peering right back down at her with a helpless smirk on his face – his eyes alight with a faint glow of amusement intermingled with gentle admonishment.
"Eh…What the hell, Potter…I didn't expect you to get it right the first time anyway…You were bound to make a few mistakes along the way…You're not that perfect…Idiot." He drawled back slowly with a soft, halfhearted chuckle, leaning down so he could place a chaste kiss onto her soft cheek.
Harry blinked and stared up at him in uncertainty, her bright green eyes watching hesitantly as Draco leaned down again and used a single hand to brush back the lock of hair that had fallen into her eyes. Once her gaze had locked intently with his again, the former Slytherin arched an eyebrow and tapped her gently on the nose, smirking pointedly at the look of confusion on her beautiful face.
"But then again…Wasn't that what this was all about…?" Again, he leaned down but this time he pressed his forehead against hers, reaching a strong hand down to intertwine their fingers together.
"You make your mistakes…I make mine…Wasn't that what you taught me all along…?"
Unable to say anything else from the painful dryness of her throat, Harry's eyes began to glisten with tears again and she nodded slowly at his words, reaching both her arms up and wrapping them tightly around his neck. When neither of them said anything else for those next few tender moments, she closed her eyes again and finally allowed one last tear to slip down her pale cheeks.
"Malfoy… You… Silly…Slytherin…Git…"
A/N: *Leans back against the backrest of her seat and takes a long, steady breath* Phew…At last! :D
It won't be long now…There are exactly THREE chapters left in this story! One of them is the epilogue so I hope you all tune in for those last few moments! The plot's just about resolved now so what's left is just to tie up the few remaining loose strings… If you know what I mean. *wink-wink*
Next Chapter: Some sweet, touching moments and resolutions in the hospital. This includes a little bit of Anton/Ginny…A little bit of Vincent/Byron…a LOT of Draco/Jaimee with the twins. :D
Hope you all stay with me until the end! DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW MMKAY? Cheers!