Chapter 13: Unlucky in Love
Many excuses for the long wait for this chapter (end of school, outrageous sickness, etc.). Biggest one though is my uncertainty with this chapter. The way I ended the last chapter actually painted me into a corner in a way I was not expecting. The idea I had seemed very forced when I tried it and so I have this. I'm still not sure how I feel about it but hopefully you can forgive the first half if you hate it. Review and let me know!
When November woke it was pitch black. Her head throbbed violently and when she tried to get up she felt sick. Her arms were covered in blood from hundreds of cuts and scratches and her face was swollen from crashing into the tree.
But where was Remus?
November forced herself up, flooded with panic and saw Remus a small distance away, lying face down in a dark pool.
Unsure who or what was in the dark, November stifled a scream and stumbled over to him. Rolling him over, November was able to see a long gash from jaw to opposite hip. She knew whose spell this was and she felt sick. Wiping furiously, she cleared his face of blood. He was not breathing; her hair that hung in front of his face did not move with his exhaling. Tears began to pour from November's eyes.
If he had not tried to save her he would not be dead. The weight of this crashed down on her and she began to sob loudly, clinging to him. Sounds that were only half human wrenched from her. She had provoked Lucius and lost: she had lost the fight and she had paid the price of her lover.
After a time she pulled some thoughts together and realized that there was the very real possibility that Death Eaters were still out there. Stretching out her hand, November yelled, "Accio Wand!"
Her wand flew out of the bushes and into her hand. "Lumos!"
This time November screamed. There was a crater in the ground before her. Lifting her wand light, what November saw filled her with sickness. Lucius and Dolohov lay in the crater. Lucius' face was half raw skin and nerves and his shoulder was blown away; Remus' obliviate spell had hit him full on. Dolohov had only been knocked out, though his skull showed through the split skin.
"Then what was the explosion?" she murmured.
"Us." In the circle of wand light, a band of kobolds had surrounded her.
November shrieked again and her eyes locked with the speaker. "Why?"
"Tell us truthfully," it spoke clearly, voice like dry crackling leaves, "whose side do you lie on?"
"His." November tightened her grip on Remus, tears raining down on his face and her hands nervously smoothing his hair despite the fact that she was mostly just spreading blood through the brown waves. Though she had every allegiance to the Order, right now it was Remus she cared about.
The kobold nodded gravely. "That is truth. Now, witch, do not lie. The Dark Wizard: you know him well?"
She could only nod, her head pounding with the motion.
The kobold grunted approvingly and they began to speak among themselves. Finally they turned back to her. "You are honest and you have unintentionally spared us from the Death Eaters. They had been sent to destroy not only you, but all of us. We will do what we can for you and your lover. But it must also be done for the Death Eaters as well."
"What is it that you can do?" November voice cracked and she began to shake from crying so hard. "He's dead."
"We can undo what has been done."
November stared openly. "You could bring him back?"
"In a way. But they will be saved as well." It pointed at Malfoy. "That is how our magic works: all or none. You are intertwined."
November cursed inwardly. She would have traded her life for Remus to live again but to heal Malfoy and bring him back into all of this… "I would have killed him."
"As we shall if you refuse."
November ran her hands across the cold, dead skin of the man she loved. "Please…"
There was a sweeping wind. The trees groaned and creaked. November's hair whipped into her vision and spinning light forced her to close her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in the kitchen, twenty minutes before Remus would die for her. She could hear him in another room and three kobolds stood before her.
"We must never be asked to join your war; our debt is repaid."
"You have my word. We owe you our lives."
The kobolds began to leave and stopped, facing November again. "You have saved The Dark Wizard too. Remember this."
November began to ask what on earth that meant but they were gone.
"REMUS!"
When he arrived in the room Lupin expected there to be a flood.
"What is it?"
November grabbed him, nearly faint with relief that he was not dead, and crushed him in a tight hug. When Remus stepped back there were tears in her eyes. He stroked her hair, pushing it out of her face and wondering when it became blonde. "What is it, my love?"
"I have to charm the house. You need to destroy it. Make it look as though we could not possibly be alive."
"But November–"
"You must!" she cried, grabbing his arms. Her eyes were wild. "We can fix it all later; you know that. Please!"
Remus nodded silently and began blowing out the windows as November raced outside. Any and every charm she could think of for protection she threw at the house. She built invisible walls around it. She threw repelling charms around it. She domed it in a thick invisible fog of nightmares. When she finally felt that this was enough she threw flames from her wand, charring the outside of the cottage.
Racing indoors she left the door open, freezing cold air trailing after her. Remus had torn things up convincingly, largely by dueling with himself.
"Lie down," November whispered, pulling him down.
"Please, 'Vember, tell me what this is about."
Their eyes met and she nodded. Judging the time they had five minutes until Malfoy and Dolohov appeared. In a low whisper she explained to Remus what had happened, how they had nearly lost.
"And so I won't have you die for me," she finished, her voice cracking as she cried. "Not this time."
He hugged her to him and she curled up against him. "I'm glad though," he murmured. "I'm glad to know I would die for you. I would do it again."
November began to reply but her eye caught what time it was. Quickly she threw a charm at Remus. "Petrificus Totalus."
His cry of protest was cut off by a full body bind. November leaned over and kissed him. "I'm sorry, Remus. But now it's my turn to take the risks."
She crawled quietly to the open door and lay half out of it, awkwardly limp and allowing her hair to cover her face. A murmured charm and her heartbeat slowed and she lay still.
There was a familiar whooshing and the Death Eaters landed.
Lucius surveyed the scene as Dolohov landed next to him. They had come because someone was interfering with their work, someone probably from Dubledore. And yet…
"Someone beat us to it," Dolohov growled, wand out in a moment.
"So it would appear."
They began toward the house and stopped abruptly. No matter how they tried they could not progress further. November's charms held strong.
"This is too strange. The house is clearly destroyed and yet we can't get in. What do we do, Malfoy?"
Lucius nodded absently. If he ran his hand along the edge of the barrier he realized he could circle the house. He followed the invisible wall around to the front door.
A blonde woman, a striking resemblance to himself, hung out of the door and blood dripped down her arm and off her fingertips, pooling on the ground. Surely no one would voluntarily take this position. And yet it was very suspicious. Why would anyone erect charms around a house they had destroyed?
"Maybe it's to keep help out?" Dolohov mused aloud. "Strong charms."
Lucius nodded. Only two options really occurred to him: either this was an elaborate set up as some sort of self-defense, or they had been reached first by another wizard they had crossed and were now isolated from any help. It seemed deeply unlikely that anyone could know the Death Eaters were coming. The orders had only been given in the past hour. And yet there seemed to be something to that…
"It'll take hours to break down these charms and the house isn't on Floo. What do we do?"
As Lucius stood looking at the house a strong sense of destiny and déjà vu seemed to sweep over him. But he knew he had never been to this house before.
"Anyone inside?" Lucius asked Dolohov curtly.
A scanning spell showed one other figure, prone and totally still.
"I don't recognize her," Anton gestured at November, "do you?"
"No…It just seems so very familiar."
"Well, it isn't the first place we've been beaten to."
"I suppose not." Lucius finally shook his head and turned away from the house. "Come on. If they're dead then we've done our job."
"Here here," Dolohov joked with a nasty grin. The pair began to walk away from the house. "When's the next time you're seein' Helena?"
Malfoy gave his companion a dirty look and November's ears pricked.
"She returns to the city Monday. I will have her over then."
"I'm surprised with all the Dark Lord has you doing that you have the time."
Lucius could not help but smile and desire stirred in his gut. "She is a witch you make time for, I assure you."
There was a wooshing of black smoky cloud and the pair was gone.
November lay totally still, the fake blood dripping down her arm, for a full half an hour after they had left. Her mind wandered as she lay there: it was Saturday and Lucius expected her back Monday. What had seemed like such a long time to be alone with Remus was now almost unendurably short.
Finally, she believed that all was clear and hurried over to Remus, unbinding him.
"What did you do?"
His eyes were anxious but she could tell he was not just angry: he was terrified for her.
"If he recognized you…"
"He didn't. I could hear him."
The couple stared at one another for a short time then Remus pulled her to him. They remained that way for some time before November broke the silence.
"I have to be back Monday. He wants to see me that night."
Remus stood and walked away from her, frustrated but not wanting to take it out on her.
"We knew this would happen, Remus," November called after him.
"I know," he spoke to the wall he was facing. "It was just so nice to forget…"
"You have no idea…" November echoed.
Remus faced her feeling guilty. Of course this was much harder on her. She had to actually do all of this. But it was just so frustrating to him to have to sit on the receiving end of it. They had put off being together for so long and now that they were finally together November was even more entangled than before.
He sighed and waved his hand around the room. "Repairo."
The pieces and parts flew back together, the lights coming back on and the furniture becoming useable once again. November moved to the couch, her eyes never leaving Remus, allowing the debris on the floor to correct itself.
"Leave the outside until…Monday. It might deter Dolohov if he comes back."
"What about Lucius?"
"He won't. He would never come back to check. His dead stay dead." She stared at her hair before dropping the spell, the blonde leaking out of her hair and leaving the rich brown.
With a sigh that made him sound a million years old, Remus stretched out on the couch, curling November around him. "We still have a few days. And you're mine."
She could hear the smile in his voice and leaned up to kiss him. His hands worked through her hair and soon enough their clothes began to pile up on the floor next to the couch.
November's heels clicked loudly down the cold halls of Malfoy Manor. Lucius had, of course, invited her to join him for dinner (not unusual) but the invitation was given for his home (very unusual). Remus had not reacted well to this news and their conversation played in her mind as she searched the enormous house.
"There's only one reason he would invite you to his house!" Remus had exclaimed in frustration.
"And what would that be?"
"His bed. What do you think?"
November's arms had crossed across her chest and her voice had taken on a dangerous edge. "I think I have managed this long and can manage still."
"It's not that, November!" He had crossed to her, banging a cabinet door shut in anger. "What's to stop him from taking what he wants? He's much bigger than you and would it be so hard…?" Remus had trailed off, not wanting to stress how easy rape could be or downplay how strong November could be.
November had taken his face in her hands. "He's too proud. What would it be to him to rape me? But to win me, that's something. To have me asking him to take me, that's what he's waiting for."
"But have you forgotten about–"
"Fenrir?" she interjected. "I couldn't even if I tried. And that's why I must go."
It hadn't sat well and November knew there was something to what Remus was saying but it was too late to get afraid. She had no time for panic. She only had time for cold, hard Death Eater persona.
Finally, she found the long dining room, bedecked in mahogany and silver. But her stomach nearly hit the floor when she saw why Malfoy had invited her to the Manor. Two blonde heads turned for face her and one smiled. The other kept a straight, unemotional face.
"Helena! I am so very sorry I did not meet you at the door but Draco only arrived an hour ago. You will forgive me I'm sure?" He walked over to her quickly and greeted her with a kiss. Thinking fast November returned the kiss but not too amorously.
She had never thought of how to behave for his son. She was the "other woman" in many ways and Draco was as unpredictable as his father. Would Lucius prefer she treat his son with respect or distantly? If Draco bit at her would it offend Lucius if she bit back?
"Might I have a quick word, darling?" she cooed at him as pleasantly as she could manage.
"Of course. Draco, do have a seat; we'll just be a moment."
Once in the hall November decided to pull a rare move: she let down a wall and showed a peek of her real emotions.
"Lucius, you know I adore you–"
Malfoy's eyebrows went up. "I actually had been kept in the dark on this count, in case you have forgotten. I thought bringing Draco around might–"
"Well, that's just it. Are you sure this is the best idea? I am not his mother and he has no reason to like me. I'm not even old enough to be his mother."
A smile broke generously across Lucius' face. "You're nervous, aren't you? Now, Helena, the two of you should know one another. You have taken a large place in my life and Draco knows this. This must happen eventually."
In the back of her mind, November was screaming "Why?" but she did not ask because she did not want to know. Lucius was speaking as though there was some inevitability to them and this alarmed her more than the presence of his volatile teenage son.
"Now, I've asked the house elves to prepare paprikash, which I know you are partial to. Do relax and don't let my son intimidate you. He's a child yet and he knows his place."
The meal had been cleared away and Draco was ushered through with November into a plush side room.
"Do make yourselves comfortable. I'll only be a moment," Lucius prompted them before leaving the room.
The ticking of a small but very loud clock seemed to fill the room and with a wave of her hand November played out the sound of a cricket chirping. Draco laughed a little and, making eye contact with her, sat forward suddenly, looking at the door.
"Listen. We need to get something straight."
November could not resist the instinct to lean back, even from a meter away.
"My father likes you much more than he lets on."
November's eyes widened just a bit, but Draco noticed all the same.
"I mean it. So I'm warning you. You had best not be leading him on or using him or anything like that. It's not a game you'll win."
"I had never once believed it was." It was November's turn to watch Draco react. She had given him a rare dose of her true feelings and he had felt this in her tone.
The younger wizard leaned forward even more. "There's more going on here, isn't there? What–"
But November would never learn what it was he intended to ask. The door opened and the evening resumed. But before she left that evening, November caught Draco's eye and something, even she was not sure what, passed between them.
