12. Chapter
Plotting And Planning
"How is she?"
Draco sighed, turned his head and looked into his Godfather's eyes. Severus had dark shadows around his eyes and a slightly greyish taint to his skin. It was clear to everyone that the Potions Master hadn't slept well and this for a long time. During Kiara's absence his Godfather had never left Draco's side, had always offered comfort and spread hope where it was needed.
Draco knew his Godfather quite well and he wouldn't have to be an expert to know that the Potions Master had suffered quite a lot during his Goddaughter's kidnapping. He would have never admit it out loud, but he had grown quite fond of the former bane of his existence.
"At the moment she is sleeping. Madam Pomfrey gave her a Sleeping Draught and a Dreamless Sleep Potion so she could recover at its best. She even managed to restore the claiming mark. When we arrived at Hogwart's Hospital Wing she was still crying and wouldn't let loose of my robes."
Draco leaned back in his armchair, closed his eyes and let his head sink slowly against the comfortable backrest of his chair. His hair fell loosely into his face. Fatigue and exhaustion were clearly visible on his face, his whole composure and attitude spoke clearly of them.
"I have never seen her in a state similar to this before. I-I mean, I saw her after the Dark Lord had returned, I saw her after she had been attacked by Dementors and Death Eaters. She always stayed strong and never showed any emotion to what had happened to her. But today...
Sev, she was afraid. She was crying and she was having panic attacks because of what this bastard had done to her. I couldn't leave her side for even just mere moments. Whatever the bastard had done to her, it left quite some marks."
Suddenly a fire appeared in his eyes, burning brightly and dangerously. His hands clenched and opened in a rapid movement. Anger was radiating from his very person and it affected each and everything which crossed its path.
Would he have his wand in his hand and would he be provoked in the right way, Severus was sure that Draco would be able to kill the first person to cross his angry path.
"I hate this bastard! It wasn't even easy before. Kiara had always had problems with interacting with other people. The abuse and neglect of her relatives had left their toll on her. It took her quite some time to overcome her issues and be able to open up and speak more freely to strangers.
Hell, she doesn't even really trust her own housemates and my best friends, who would never hurt her or cause her pain in any way! And now she is too afraid to stay alone in a room!"
Draco sighed again and sunk down deeper into the armchair. With his left hand he absently stroked some strands of his white blond hair away, which constantly fell back into his face again.
The fire which had burned so brightly and dangerously in his eyes before, had vanished completely and only left behind two sky blue holes filled with different emotions, problems and thoughts. Suddenly Severus noticed that his Godson looked frustrated, even devasted. He seemed to have lost all hope and happiness.
"I-It's just that I fear everything will be different, that it won't work out right in the end."
When he looked up, he could see his Godfather didn't understand what he meant so he tried to explain in a low voice.
"Kiara is the best thing which ever happened to me. I have been searching for a girl who truly understands me, loves me for being me and completes me in each and every aspect. I never thought it would work out, but Kiara is all this and even more. She is the first girl to truly make me happy."
He chuckled lowly and shortly closed his eyes, as he leaned further back in his armchair.
"When I first found that out my life mate, the one I would have to spend the rest of my life with, was Harriet Potter, it shocked me beyond belief and for me it was sure that I would never find happiness as Harriet would never love me. I was felt so frustrated and lost when we approached her house.
I mean, we had been enemies since the first time we met and I couldn't imagine our first meeting as transformed veelas to proceed any other way. But as soon as we arrived at her home, it all changed. She had been hurt quite badly and I, as strange as it might seem, was feeling bad for not being there for her, to sooth her pain and to just comfort her. To be honest, I felt guilty."
As he didn't know, where this conversation would be leading them to, Severus leaned back in his chair to gain a more comfortable position. He knew his Godson, quite well to be honest, but at the moment he was at a loss as to where their conversation was leading to.
When he had entered Draco's and Kiara's private chambers, he found his Godson sitting in the comfortable armchair near the brightly burning fire, his head resting in his palms and his robes crumpled. He seemed to be a mess and in a total emotional uproar. Now he had calmed down, but instead of agitation and restlessness, Severus now found his Godson to be hopeless and in absolute worry. To be honest, he liked his Godson in the former of these two ways.
"When I first met her, something strange happened. I don't know how to explain it, but the first time I saw her, I felt a strange pull towards her. At this time I was eleven years old and to be frankly honest, I couldn't quite place the feeling. But ever since then I felt the wish, no the need to be in her presence. I didn't know why, but being near her made me happy as well as her absence made me really sad and I felt void.
So, naturally, when Harriet declined my offer of friendship, even when she was already consorting with Weasley and Granger, I was crushed. She didn't want to get to know me, so I decided to do the only other thing reasonable: I tried to get on her nerves as much as possible."
Suddenly Severus had to work very hard to suppress laughter or even a genuine smile. He knew what his Godson was about to say and to be frankly, he would enjoy it greatly. But one thing still disturbed him. Their conversation had begun with Kiara and the condition she was in. Now they were talking about a totally different matter. Why? How were those two topics connected?
"And getting on her nerves and provoking her, suddenly seemed to be a good thing, the best thing which had happened to me in a very long time. I investigated her timetable and found out when she had which subject in which room. Once I had found this out, I memorized it by heart so I would be able to just pop up suddenly when she had to wander around in the castle.
I investigated her hobbies, how she used to spend her free time, her eating habits and the way she normally prepared for classes. I studied her and learned everything that was about her as if she was a school project. But strangely it helped me a lot. Every single time I came across her and provoked her, I felt a tug in my heart and joy float through me as if her mere presence was making me happy.
It might seem strange, but would there have been a pop up quiz about her, I am sure I would have even scored better than the know-it-all Granger. And then, in my fifth year, my feelings changed. I suddenly found out I might fancy her."
Severus snorted. He had been able to keep silence until now and had worked really hard not to roll with his eyes or laugh out right into his Godson's face. But now he couldn't take it anymore.
"In love my ass, Draco. It was more like you stalked her. Harriet became your obsession and to be frankly, sometimes you scared us quite a lot with your obsessive attitude."
A faint pink taint appeared on Draco's cheeks. He shook his head in denial and tried in vain to free his voice of any suspicious emotion.
"I wasn't in love with her, Sev, I merely fancied her."
When he saw his Godfather raised eyebrow in question, Draco huffed.
"Okay, I fancied her quite a lot. But surely I didn't love her. She merely had kept my interest, thoughts and dreams, which I won't share with you as they are of quite a personal nature."
He ignored his Godfather's snigger and paused.
"Well, Draco, that all is really fascinating. But, please, explain what this has to do with our actual situation?"
Draco sighed. Suddenly he seemed to age a lot.
"You know that during our last holidays I spent so much time with her so I would able to get to know her better. Did you know that she was very interested in Herbology and Biology? That she is able to speak different languages nearly perfectly and that she is quite interested in politics, law and economy? But at the same time she knows a lot about literature, music and theatre.
I talked so much with her and one evening, I remember it so well, I suddenly realized that I loved her. But not love in a platonic way as being attracted only by her appearance.
No, I loved her, her whole being. Her character, her knowledge and her morals.
I felt the urge to protect her, to never let her go and to be there for her when she needed me. And suddenly the thought of having to spend the rest of my live with her didn't seem so dull anymore."
Draco paused and let his gaze wander. He could see Isphet lying on the chair which was normally occupied by Kiara. The cat somehow seemed to have noticed that her Mistress had returned and that she was out of actual danger, as she had calmed down two hours ago and had since then been lying on Kiara's favourite armchair, watching over the entrance hall as if she was waiting for her to return. A soft purring escaped the black, little monster and soothed Draco's turbulent feelings.
"The day she was kidnapped, I wanted to propose to her. It had been my Saturday to prepare and plan and I know she took it really bad when Blaise came to collect me for our Quidditch training. I know it was wrong to do so, but I merely attended because I needed time to prepare all that I wanted for her.
When I returned I had everything I would need. I had planned to wait until we had had dinner. Then I wanted to give her the ring and ask her to marry me. But before I could do so, she was kidnapped and now everything has changed."
His voice was thick with emotions, which made it impossible for him to speak. He remembered the feelings which floated through him when he held her crying form and pressed her to his chest. Never ever had he wanted to let her go again. She was everything he had, his lifeline and to loose her would certainly crush him completely. Just to remember those two days of hell seemed already to be too much for him to cope.
The low voice of his Godfather interrupted his musings. Startled Draco realized that it was soft and full of understanding.
"You fear that everything has changed. You fear that she won't marry you or that she won't be able to cope with what has happened to her, for her to sink deeper and deeper into depression without any possibility for you to reach her, to help her out. You fear that you will loose the one thing good for you for good. You fear to never be loved by your mate and to die alone and unhappy."
As he wasn't able to speak, Draco slowly nodded his head. His sky blue eyes were moist and he seemed to be at the verge of tears. Severus sighed and cursed the Headmaster for changing his once so self-assured and happy Godson into an overly emotional teenager with major struggles to overcome. He didn't know what to do, but Severus tried his best to comfort him.
"But don't you think that Kiara loves you? I have seen her when you were talking to her. There is a fire burning in her eyes and passion and understanding radiate so strong around her that one might sometimes think one would be able to touch it.
She loves you, Draco, don't ever start to doubt it. She is your life mate, the one to spend her life with you, the one to make you happy and to complete you. Nothing in this world will change this. Furthermore, Draco, Kiara is strong. She won't allow some low obstacle like our former Headmaster to stand in her, in your, path of happiness. Just be there for her and help and you will see, everything will turn out perfectly."
Draco's eyes suddenly changed.
Where moments ago had been sorrow, pain and fear, there now was anger and the slightest beginning of what one could call hate. His light blue eyes became like steal, hard and unbreakable. A light twinkle appeared in his eyes and a frown furrowed his brows.
He looked dangerous and the way he let his arms sink down on the armchairs, fists steadily clenching and unclenching, he suddenly appeared to be dangerous. With a dry mouth and the tiny hairs of his back standing up, Severus thought that only a strong breeze of wind was missing, otherwise the image of the angel of death was perfect.
"I hate him. There is no other way to say it, I really hate him. Kiara was happy, for the first time in her life truly happy with how things went and progressed. She made friends, became more confident of herself and improved drastically in her classes.
She was even able to forget how her relatives had treated her and how her former friends had betrayed her as soon as she had gone missing. Hell, she was even able to oversee the parts you and father played and still play in the Dark Lord's games. She doesn't like it, but she doesn't seem to be disturbed or disgusted by it. Everything was just perfect and then this bastard thinks it's up to him to make everything worse.
To just destroy what we had built up so carefully."
With a sudden movement Draco stood up from his chair and began to pace up and down in front of the fireplace with anxiety and agitation. His silver blond hair waved in the breeze his pacing and turning caused and hid his angry and cold eyes behind its waving bangs.
Severus sat still in his chair and watched his Godson with increasing worry. His hands rested stiffly in his lap, as he didn't know what to do or to say to calm his Godson down.
A low and unhumorous chuckle escaped the young man's lips. Draco didn't halt in his pacing as he continued.
"You know, I just wish for him to suffer. To suffer those endless feelings of pain, betrayal, desperation and absolute panic, which Kiara had felt. He doesn't know what he did to her and probably he will never understand the graveness of the consequences, which his actions had caused.
But I so wish for him to suffer, to feel all those feelings and to be exposed to all those tormenting thoughts that had crossed Kiara's mind over the years of his manipulations. Oh, what would I do for him to suffer more than a simple stay in Azkaban.
But sadly it isn't possible."
As he was still pacing, Draco missed the look of sudden understanding and surprise on his Godfather's face. The dark haired man kept silent for a few more moments and thought over the consequences of what he was about to tell his Godson. One could clearly see he was measuring the benefits and losses those actions would cause.
"Why, Draco, there is a way for you to make him suffer.", he offered silently.
Draco stopped in his pacing and spun around to face his Potions Professor. The dark haired man sat in his chair completely at ease, his legs were crossed and his arms still resting on the chair. A look of utter contentment and happiness was brightly visible on his face.
It was absolutely obvious that the man had found a solution and that he was quite pleased with himself.
"What?"
Draco slowly walked towards his chair and let himself sink down on it powerlessly. All his anger and hate had suddenly vanished and were now replaced by a strong determination and a glimpse of cool thinking. He was back to his old self, Severus observed with relief, and now he wanted answers.
"I said, Draco, there is a way for you to get what you wish for."
"Ah, here you are."
A young, dark haired woman turned in her chair to see who was talking to her. Silver grey eyes met worried and soft chocolate brown ones.
With a start she realized that her chef was looking slightly pale, as if hadn't had a good night's sleep for some time. His hair was unmade and he hadn't shaved this morning. Otherwise he looked as always. His long, night black business robes were fine and perfectly ironed.
With a small sigh and an even smaller smile on her lips, Anastasia turned around in her chair and motioned for the other man to sit down next to her.
"Please, Jonathan, have a seat."
Without any hesitation the dark haired man stepped forward and conjured a nice, comfortable chair with a swift movement of his wand. He placed it neatly next to his partner's chair, before he sat down on it in a smooth motion. He had been searching for her everywhere, but when he hadn't found her, he had decided to let it be for the moment. Anastasia had worked none stop for the last two days, never once pausing to eat or sleep.
All she had cared for was to bring back the young Malfoy Mistress. Sincerely Jonathan had thought about stunning her and then fill her up with Sleeping Potions and Calming Draughts. Otherwise he had feared she might collapse because of the lack of food and sleep.
Thankfully he wouldn't have to do it now.
"To be honest, I expected to find young Mr. Malfoy here or at least one of his parents. There are some things I wish to talk about with them, mainly concerning the way we are going to proceed with the Headmaster."
Anastasia didn't look up from the prone figure on the hospital bed and kept on stroking her hand lovingly. There was love and caring so visible in her eyes that it startled him for a moment.
"Mr. Malfoy had to be forced to take a Calming Draught. Madam Pomfrey was fearing dearly for his health and thought it best to send him to his personal chambers with some Sleeping Potions and Dreamless Sleep Draughts. Professor Snape was sent to watch over him."
When her gaze fell on her chef's ununderstanding one, Anastasia smiled lightly and explained.
"Mr. Malfoy was very upset about what happened to his fiancée. He was sitting next to her, never left her side and never stopped to worry about her.
Furthermore, he expressed some quite interesting wishes concerning the Headmaster's health and wellbeing. So, Madam Pomfrey forcefully calmed him down. It wouldn't neither do him nor his fiancée any good would he be acting rash and impulsively."
Jonathan nodded.
It was understandable. The Malfoys were a very prestigious and well known family. For one to dare to kidnap the Malfoy heir's fiancée was quite bad. For one to even dare to try and harm her, to attack her with a dagger and to mishandle and abuse her was the worst thing one could do.
It was understandable that young Mr. Malfoy was thinking about different ways to make the culprit's life as miserable as possible. That was what he had come for. He needed to know which way the Malfoy family wished to proceed, so he would be able to help them as best as he could.
A soft murmuring interrupted his train of thought. Anastasia had taken the young girl's hand into her left, while her right hand lovingly stroked the sleeping girl's cheeks. He could hear her murmur that everything would come to a good end, that the Headmaster would be punished accordingly, that no one would ever be able to harm her in this way again and that there were people who loved her unconditionally with all their heart.
Jonathan let his eyes wander over the sleeping form of the girl and took in the paleness of her skin. Her nearly night black hair contrasted greatly with the milky white of it. There were dark shadows around her closed eyes and bruises on her face, arms and legs were she had been bound. On her left shoulder there was a big bandage.
There, where the Headmaster had tried to cut out a dark tattoo. The blood had been washed away and only left behind the fine, dark lines the old man had tried to destroy.
A soft smile appeared on his face when a strange, yet comforting thought passed his mind. His young trainee, who had never cared for participating in any social activities, who had never wished for others to be near her or to help her, who had always appeared with her cold and uncaring attitude towards others was now sitting next to a girl, stroking her cheeks, holding her hands and comforting her with soothing words. If one didn't know better, one would think those two were sisters by blood.
"You care deeply for Ms. Balgakow, don't you, Ana?"
His voice was so soft, he nearly thought she might not have heard it. Nevertheless his trainee raised her head and looked at him with a light sparkle in her eyes. The moment was short, as soon after she had looked at him her gaze fell back on the sleeping girl. Still he had been able to read quite a lot in her face. There had been happiness, sorrow and love. Other emotions had been running through her eyes, though the moment had been too short to be able to deceiver more of them.
A soft look appeared on her face and a light chuckle escaped her lips.
"You are right, Jonathan, I care deeply for her. To be honest, she is like a sister to me, my little sister. I met her at elementary school in Russia. She was small, shy and seemed to be weak. The other kids picked on her and never left her alone. It made me quiet mad.
Back then I was a loner, I hadn't friends and I didn't care for anyone else than me. But when I saw this poor little girl being treated so badly, I decided to do something against it. Every time someone was picking on her, I came and chased them away.
At first, Kiara was doubtful, as she didn't believe someone would stand up just for her. But soon she trusted me and even sooner we became friends. We spend every free time together to play, talk and study. Everything was perfect, but then all changed."
Jonathan was surprised, positively surprised. He had known Anastasia for five years now and never had she opened up to him. All he knew was that she came from Russia and that she had some problems making friends with others. She had always kept to herself and never spoke about her personal life, her wishes or thoughts. Her work had always been perfect and never had she been distracted by emotions or unnecessary thoughts. But he had never seen her smile or be truly happy.
Not until now.
While she had been talking about her childhood together with the young Malfoy Mistress, there had been a smile in her face, a true, sincere smile and her voice radiated with happiness. That was until now.
"One day my parents came to me and told me we would be moving the next week. To be honest, I was crushed. For the first time I had had a friend and now I had to leave her behind. Because of my parents' job, we had to the other side of Russia. I didn't know what to do.
I told Kiara and she immediately started to cry. She loved me like a sister and didn't want me to move away. She even asked if it was okay if she moved with us or if I could stay with her, but sadly it wasn't possible. The week flew by and then came the day of my departure. Kiara had accompanied me to the train station, as she wanted to spend as much time with me as possible. When we had to separate and I had to board the train we both started to cry.
As we didn't know what else to do, I promised that her we would meet again and then we would never have to separate again. I could that see she didn't believe me, though she held onto this hope as if it was her lifeline."
A short pause erupted during which Anastasia tried to collect her thoughts. When she continued, her long, black bangs hid her eyes.
"The years flew by and I wasn't able to contact her. Every time I wrote her, the owls would come back with the letters untouched. It crushed my heart to know there was no possibility to reach her. I went on with my live and tried not to always think about her.
I distracted my mind by studying; it was the only thing to distract my mind completely. I finished school early with flying colours and then I got a scholarship for Great Britain. I agreed to take it and moved away from Russia to England. Still I was searching for Kiara, though I wasn't able to find her. It was as if she had left the face of earth.
So when I got the chance to go to Hogwarts, I agreed, as I didn't have anything better to do and as I was at my wits' end as to where else I could search for her."
A sudden chuckle escaped her mouth. She wasn't able to suppress it and it brightened the mood considerably.
"Imagine my surprise when I arrived at Hogwarts and a young woman with black hair and emerald green eyes ran after me and wished to speak with me. At first I thought about just ignoring her. I had had a bad day and I wished to go to bed early.
But something in her voice made me comply and I turned around to look at her. She seemed familiar, yet I couldn't place her. And then, then she opened her mouth and spoke Russian. I was baffled. It wasn't the Russian which surprised me, it was the fact that she called me maja bolsche ßißtra, my big sister. There was only one person who ever called me this and this had been Kiara. I had finally found my little sister."
Jonathan smiled. He could see the happiness radiating from his young trainees and to be honest, I just made him happy. He had come to love the young woman like his own daughter, seeing as he had none and to see her so content and relaxed was something he had never expected to do. But he could understand her.
Those two must have been like sisters in everything but blood. They loved each other dearly and relied on each other's presence. To be ripped away and then to be unable to contact each other must have caused them severe pain. Now that they had found each other again, their world must have taken an upside down turn for the better.
But when he looked closer, Jonathan could see more than happiness and contentedness. There, perfectly hidden under several layers of positive feelings and good training by some Ex-Aurors, Jonathan detected some other feelings. They weren't as bright and strong as the others, nor were they of the same good nature. He could see sorrow, pain, hurt and quite a lot fear. She hid them well, though he could slowly detect them one after one. It wasn't only for the state the young girl was in, no, there was something else.
Suddenly Jonathan smiled sadly and laid a comforting had on his trainees' shoulder, which caused to spin around and look at him with wide eyes.
"You fear to leave her. You have just found her after years of searching and investigating and now you don't want to leave her."
Tears appeared in Anastasia's silver orbs. She tried to suppress them, but she wasn't able to. A lonely tear ran down her slightly flushed cheeks. Her lips started to tremble and her fingers slightly to shake. A moment later a silent, badly suppressed sob escaped her trembling lips. She tried to hide her face and the fact that she was crying, so Anastasia turned her head and watched her little sister intently.
Jonathan still smiled sadly and acted as if he didn't saw her cry. He knew she would be absolutely embarrassed about it later, but personally he thought it better to let one's emotions free reign than bottle them up deep down in one's soul.
"I can understand your fears. The last time you had to leave her, you were unable to write her later. It was if she had vanished from earth, this was what you said. But this time it would be different. You know where she lives at the moment and you know the family she is going to marry into. I wouldn't be surprised if they invited you to stay with them over the holidays."
A dry chuckle filled the room.
"It's not only about leaving her behind. It was bad enough the first time, but you are right, Jonathan. This time it would be different. I would know where she lives and would be able to visit her as often as I want to. No, leaving her behind is not the only problem. It's- it's, I feel guilty."
Her voice became hollow and low and made it extremely difficult for Jonathan to understand her.
"I feel responsible for her. She is my little sister, the only one left I care for as my family. I was supposed to protect her, to shield her of everything bad and dangerous. And I failed her. I was at the same school as she was, mere class rooms away from her and still some madman was able to kidnap her. I failed her. My little sister."
She suddenly looked up from the sleeping girl and locked her gaze with Jonathan's. What he saw, startled him. Her gaze was intense, like silver burning, hard like steel and full of determination. She had failed her, though here she was, standing next to her and protecting her against the evils of this world. She had made up her mind and no force on earth would be able to change it.
"I failed her once and it will never happen again. My little sister is hurting and it's my fault that she is now in pain. I will stay here with her, at her side and will never leave her. I will protect her and there will be nothing to change it. It was a promise I made, I promised her to come back and once I was, I was to never leave her again. We might have been children, when I promised her this, but this doesn't matter. A promise is a promise and I will honour it."
A soft and painful smile appeared on her still lightly trembling lips. With a slow and caring movement, she brought her hand to the dark haired girl's face and loving stroked a strand of night black hair away, which threatened to fall back into her face and tickle her nose. Now her face was soft, the anger and pain, which she had felt before, were gone as if they had never been there before.
"I just wish I could keep my job. I worked so hard to get it, but staying here will make this impossible."
Had she looked up to him, she would have seen her chef and friend smile. It was a huge and genuine smile, which seemed to lighten the mood and aura around them drastically. Jonathan had an idea and he liked it absolutely. And perfect as it was, it worked without any problems with the plan he was about to propose to the Malfoy family.
"But, why, Ana, there is a way for you to get what you wish for."
"What a day."
Lucius Malfoy was sitting on the couch in front of the big fireplace in their living room. Outside it was dark, night had begun and the first small lights at the night black sky appeared. The only light came from the brightly burning fire in the fireplace, which radiated warmth and peace in huge waves. On the couch table in front of him stood two elegant wine glasses, an expensive bottle of exquisite red wine and a small bowl filled with different chocolate sweets.
A small noise on the other side of the room let his head spin to his left. There, in the door way stood his wife Narcissa, who wore comfortable yet beautiful looking robes. Her hair fell down her back looking wild. Her face was relaxed, though one could clearly see the stress and the sorrow which had been written on it until mere hours ago. She was tired, though her happiness made it impossible for her to relax completely.
With light steps she approached her husband, took one of his hands in hers and let herself sink down on the couch next to him in a fluent motion. Without noticing it, Lucius sneaked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to himself. A small, happy smile blossomed on Narcissa's face as she snuggled deeper into her husband's shoulder and breathed in his unique scent.
"Thank God, we found her.", Lucius whispered.
A light movement at his shoulders indicated that his mate had heard him and agreed with what he had said.
"I don't even want to think about what would have happened if we hadn't found her on time. I still can't believe it. The Headmaster had not only kidnapped her, but he also had planned to destroy the bond between her and Draco. No wonder that they needed several Auror to restrain Draco from murdering the old fool right then and there. He sure would have earned it."
Lucius his head in approval, leaned forward and carefully grabbed the bottle of wine. With slow movements he opened the bottle and filled the two glasses to the half with the blood-red liquid. He took one glass and reached for Narcissa to take it, who took it with a smile of thanks.
"Personally, I don't fear so much for the old fool's health as for our son's and his mate's. You saw her in the Hospital Wing. She was very pale and bruises were all over her small, fragile body. Madam Pomfrey said that she would need at least a week until she would be back to her former health. But those would only be the physical wounds. Severus said that her psychological wounds might take weeks, even months until they are going to be healed. And there is no guarantee that they will heal at all."
Narcissa sighed silently and took a sip of her wine, before she leaned her head back at her husband's shoulder.
"Poor Draco. You saw him in the Hospital Wing and when we found Kiara. He was so scared, so afraid that he might have already have lost her.
The way he gathered her in his arms and brought her nearer to his chest, while he stroked her hair and comforted her with those quiet whispers of his, he looked as if he never wanted to let loose of her again. I feel so sorry for him. Nobody should have to experience this. His mate is his lifeline and kidnapping her is like stabbing him into his heart and twisting the dagger around. He feels so guilty."
An angry hiss escaped her husband's mouth.
"He doesn't have to. There is nothing he could have done to prevent it from happening. He had kept his eyes open and had not left her side. Who could have known that the old fool would be crazy enough to kidnap her through a portkey disguised as a formal letter? There is nothing to feel guilty about. He did his best to help us track her and her kidnapper down and to be honest, he did a marvellous job. Hadn't he been there, we wouldn't have found her."
Narcissa sighed and sneaked one of her hands into his to squeeze it.
"I know that. But tell this Draco. He always seems to feel responsible for what happens around him. And since he found his mate and she is living with us, everything concerning her automatically concerns him as well. I think it is really cute how he wishes to protect her and let no harm be done to her.
It shows me that he will be a wonderful mate, husband and father. But sadly he also thinks that everything bad happening to Kiara is his fault."
Lucius let several moments pass, before he squeezed the hand of his mate reassuringly and answered in a low voice.
"I know, love, I know. And there is nothing we can do to convince him that he is wrong. He won't believe us and he won't believe anyone else who tells him. There is only one thing left we can do for him, to ease his guilt and worry."
Big, sky blue looked unbelievingly at him. A soft hand appeared at his cheeks and stroked them lovingly, before a loving kiss was planted on his lips. He could see Narcissa's worry and sorrow for their son and their daughter-in-law to be. But his last sentence had picked her interest.
She only wished the best for their son and Kiara, who she had come to love as if she was their own daughter. Whatever he was going to tell her, if it would help the two of them, she would do all in her might to help him accomplish it.
"We just have to keep her safe, absolutely safe."
Narcissa sighed, slumped back down into the couch, rested her head at her mate's shoulder and closed her eyes. Unconsciously her long, thin fingers played with glass in her hand and nearly spilled the expensive red wine over the elegant white couch.
It wouldn't be a problem as the couch wasn't theirs but merely one of the guestrooms at Hogwarts. But to see Narcissa so far gone in her thoughts and fears to allow something like this to happen was a bad sign indeed.
"It's impossible, love, impossible. We can't keep her absolutely safe, no matter what we do."
A loving smile slowly crept over Lucius' features. With slightly twinkling eyes he bend down, brought his face in front of hers and kissed her passionately. Narcissa was surprised at first, but soon melted into his touch and kissed him back just as fiercely.
Just when they were in danger of suffocating, Lucius brought his face back. Both were breathing heavily, their faces flushed and both were more than slightly aroused. A teasing smirk crossed Lucius' flushed cheeks.
"Ah, love, but that is where you are wrong. There is indeed a way for us to keep Kiara safe."
And with that he bent down again and kissed her just as passionately as before. He slowly sneaked his arms around her small figure, before he lifted her up and carried her into their bedroom.
"I can't believe he did this."
In the former Headmaster's office were standing three people, only slightly illuminated by the weak burning of the fireplace and the several candles placed around them. They were speaking in hushed voices, as the portraits of the other Headmistresses and Headmasters were sleeping soundly. In the background there was a huge window, which showed the dark lake under them and the night black sky without notice of the horizon.
Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick were sitting in the armchairs of the sitting and waiting area of the office. Three tea sets and a pot of steaming hot, black tea were placed between them and a plate with warm chocolate cookies next to it. The three Professors were sitting with their tea services in their hands and mindlessly sipped from them. Nevertheless, neither of them spoke as all three of them were too engrossed in their trains of thought.
The small Charms Professor was the first to ask a question.
"By the way, where is Severus? This is a Heads of Houses meeting, shouldn't he be here, too?"
His eyes were shining with interest and curiosity, like the ones of children, as if nothing bad or grave had had happened.
Minerva sighed and put her tea service down to look at her two colleagues gravely. Her features were old and stern, she had been under great stress and problems the last few days.
"Severus won't come. He is at young Mr. Malfoy's private chambers to help the boy to calm down. He is his Head of House and his Godfather. It is only understandable that he feels the need to help his Godson in this grave situation."
A few moments passed, during which only the soft snores of the phoenix could be heard, before Pomona broke the silence.
"So it's true? The Headmaster did all this? He not only attacked, abused and molested a student of ours at her first day of school, he also kidnapped and hurt her badly? I can't believe it. Please, Minerva, tell me all those were lies!"
With a sad smile, Minerva shook her head.
"I am sorry, my friend, but it is true. You witnessed part of it. You saw, how he was striking the poor girl, how he accused her of being young Harriet Potter, how he had grabbed her hair and had yanked her head forcefully. All of you saw this and nobody would be able to deny that you, too, were shocked by Albus' composure and attitude.
As to the kidnapping of Ms. Balgakow. You know the Headmaster went missing during the same time as she did. But not only that. Severus told me that he and the Aurors found him trying to cut poor Ms. Balgakow with a silver dagger, while she was bound and gagged. There is no way he couldn't have been the culprit. So, yes, the Headmaster did all of this he is currently accused of having done."
Filius chuckled lowly, raised his head and looked at his colleagues.
"And here I was thinking that he had been kidnapped by the same one who had kidnapped Ms. Balgakow. I thought that it was a perfectly thought through plot to cause mayhem and fear in the wizarding world. He is the Leader of the Light Side. How are we to fight against the evil if even our own leader isn't better than the Dark Lord? We look like a farce!"
A dry laugh escaped Minerva's lips, as she regarded her friend.
"It's not only that, Filius. I know, this is a grave problem for us and for all of those who are members or supporters of the light side. You are right, we will look like a farce. But we have an even more pressing matter at hand. What is going to happen with Hogwarts?
We just lost our Headmaster, as I am utmost sure that he won't be allowed to come back and fulfil his position. So, what are we going to do? We need a new Headmaster!"
"And not only that. But what are we going to do with the Board of Governors? Mr. Malfoy is one of them and they hold great influence and respect for him. His daughter-in-law to be had been kidnapped, his son's fiancée.
A kidnapping would already have been an unpleasant thing to happen. But the kidnapping of his daughter-in-law who had been attacked by said Headmaster a mere week before? That's a catastrophe!
It's our ruin!"
Pomona was hyperventilating.
All the stress and the chaos of the last days had had their toll on her. She was looking pale, her hair was unmade and her robes twisted. She was trembling lightly and her hands never seemed to be able to rest.
Minerva sighed. Yes, their situation was bad and her colleagues, just like she, had every right to panic and to be afraid. Such things weren't supposed to happen. Students weren't supposed to go missing and Headmasters weren't supposed to be abusive and aggressive. No, things weren't supposed to be like they were now.
"There are only few things that we can do to minimize the damage. As much as it hurts me to say this, but we will have to dissociate ourselves from Albus. We should have a general teacher meeting tomorrow morning. A press statement would have to be in order, to declare that we didn't know what Albus had planned, that we don't approve of his course of actions and that we would have tried to prevent anything like this to happen.
Also, we will have to tell the student-body. It will do us no good if the students get to know of this only due to the press and the newspapers. So, we will have to plan a speech."
When only nodding ensued, Minerva continued with her thoughts.
"Furthermore, we will have to apologise by Ms. Balgakow, her fiancé Mr. Malfoy and the Malfoy family in general. I don't know whether a personal apology or an apology through an excuse note would be better. We should vote about this in tomorrow's meeting.
And then we finally will have to try to placate the Board of Governors, which probably will be the most difficult part. All events, which will happen later, won't be influenced by us. We will only be able to hope that the Governors will accept our apologises and that they will search for an adequate new Headmaster or Headmistress soon."
When Filius chuckled unhumorously, the two other professors looked at him critically.
"You know, I don't like being forced to apologise for something I didn't even do.
But you are right, Minerva. It's the only way to get what we need."