Chapter 29: Lady Poison
Adela Malfoy was everything a good Slytherin blood supremacist was supposed to be since her early years as Lady of the House. She was clever, bad-tempered, conniving, seductive, reckless, self-serving, a bit delusional, and willing to do whatever it took to claw her and her family's way into the highest echelon of magical society. She was ruthless and inflexible. She grew up lost and confused as to the reactions she received when she displayed what –to her– were leadership skills, ambition, and cunning.
Did she slaughter animals? Yes. Did she hurt those younger and weaker? Yes. Did she use surreptitious methods to hurt those older and stronger? Yes. Did she gather dirt on everyone around her and kept a detailed catalog of crimes and scandals she could use for leverage and blackmail? Obviously. To her, there were no absolutes regarding good and evil. Adela liked to believe that she was a true example of Slytherin's representative animal. She worked in silence. When she wanted something done, she would only speak of it on a need-to-know basis. Most of the time, her own handiwork was enough, and as such, no one saw her coming. That was how she had managed to ruin so many lives and reputations. By the time people realized Adela was a snake, her scaly body was already wrapped around them and squeezing the life out of her targets.
In the magical realm, everyone feared Lady Poison. She had researched everything in nature that could disfigure, maim, kill, and sicken people violently. She didn't care if the plant was magical or not. She didn't care if the plant was an endangered species either. She also didn't care if it was illegal. Anything that could paralyze, kill, or make someone suffer so much they prayed for death, but do so discretely, was good in her books, and she would study it extensively. She went through house elves quicker than anyone else in pureblood families because they were her test subjects. By the time she retired from public life and faked her own death, she had amassed a collection of 150 plants that resided in her basement greenhouse still today. She had synthesized, strengthen, and purified plants, mushrooms, roots, leaves, flowers, and bulbs; everything was fair game. Everything she wrote on poisonous agents and her extraction techniques was for her eyes only. For her files to be legible, she would charm the documents to require her blood, saliva, and her voice. Adela thought so far ahead that the requirements were a safeguard in case her corpse was ever stolen. Her bodily fluids could be obtained without her consent, but her voice could not.
The elf she had left was absolutely terrified of her, as he should be. At this point in time, Adela had already surpassed 30 deaths that she had caused by herself. Probably hundreds had been affected by her concoctions. Only people as high up the ladder of the first war as she was, knew about the extent of her abilities. Her name became a legend. She had always worked under Lady Poison, and no one had been able to trace the moniker back down to her real name. Those who could have, and the two who threatened to do so, were six feet under. They had died after horrible symptoms, but no one ever knew what caused them. Oh well. Only her husband knew. He was infinitely proud of her skills, even though he insisted that she could never tell anyone because it was too risky. She tended to agree with him, and in any case, she preferred to work in the dark. If only she could get in touch with her dear Grindelwald, she would finally be able to pass her knowledge to a worthy heir through him.
Adela put on her gloves and began to crush monkshood with her favorite pestle and mortar. Monkshood was such a pretty flower. It was purple and regal. It seemed so innocent and soft. Adela smirked as she worked. As soon as Narcissa delivered, she would give her a tea seasoned with the powder. It was truly one of her favorites. It contained substantial amounts of aconitine, a potent neuro, and cardiotoxin. The person poisoned experiences their first symptoms within one hour, and death usually occurs within two to six hours in cases of fatal poisoning. The initial signs shown are all gastrointestinal such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Then, the person poisoned gets a sensation of burning, tingling, numbness in the mouth and face, and a scorching burn in the abdomen, which may numb their limbs.
The cardiovascular system is affected by hypotension, sinus bradycardia, and ventricular arrhythmias. Other symptoms include sweating, dizziness, difficulty breathing, headache, and confusion. Adela loved that the main cause of death when using monkshood was a paralysis of the heart or respiratory center. As such, the only post-mortem signs in the body are those typical of asphyxia. This helped her kill many and have their families believe their deaths were natural, especially children and elderly people. Narcissa would, of course, go down as murdered, but by the time she was found, Adela would be long gone with her heir, a new identity for both, and a hefty bank account to carry them far away in style. Russia would be perfect. Their culture, their belief system, their weather, it all suited her exceedingly. As she grabbed the vial to fill with the poison, her owl brought her a letter. She had to use her blood to open the seal.
LP,
You are most welcome to our ranks. We have been expecting you. Come to the place we met last. I will be waiting for you.
GG
Narcissa was trying to keep her composure, but pain could do crazy things to a person's mind. When said person's whole body is full of hormones, what amounts to delirium can set in quickly. She thought she was hearing voices outside the bedroom. Some threatened, some mocked. Was her baby even alive? It hadn't moved for a while. Narcissa felt her feet and hands were freezing. However, something told her she had a fever. She wished the elf would come, and after wishing hard for a few minutes, he did.
"Please help me," Narcissa's voice was barely above a whisper.
"I can't-"
"You must... Your mistress... She wants my baby. I think something is wrong. It isn't moving. I don't know if it's alive."
"I know no healing magics," the elf looked sorry as he looked at the runes on her belly. "What is this being for?"
"P-Protection. Can you please get me my coat? I am so cold," Narcissa said. She was shivering and her teeth were clattering.
"If she is knowing I helps, she wills kill me," the elf shook his head.
"Please! P-Powerful people are looking for me. I c-can take you with me. You w-would live in a strong elven community with your own n-nesting community and an elven g-greenhouse. No one would ever h-hurt you again. You would recover and be healthy again. My family will take you in and bound you. I can swear that on my life and magic," Narcissa whispered with desperation.
"She is never releasings me. I be knowing too much," the elf replied in a terrified whisper. "She is being hiding her secrets about poison."
The elf bit his own bony arm to punish himself.
"P-Poison? You can tell me... I am probably going to die anyway," Narcissa grimaced.
"My mistress... she's Lady Poison..."
Narcissa went paler than she had been up to this point.
"F-From the first w-war?" she felt dizzy. Could it be true? Her former mother-in-law had been the famous Lady Poison? Books were written about her crimes and how she got away with everything and vanished, never to be heard from again. Her methods to synthesize and purify were researched, but no one had ever managed to reach the same finesse. Narcissa's mind rushed as she started to remember bits and pieces of her years with Lucius and all her instances with his mother. All the plants, the secretive meetings, the forbidden basement, the separate grimoire for her eyes only... it all made sense now. Lady Malfoy was Lady Poison: a serial killer that supported Grindelwald during the first war.
The elf looked terrified, but before he punished himself more harshly, Narcissa spoke to him, "When they come... and they will, they will kill her. Don't try to help her. Please. I don't want you to get hurt," Narcissa begged. She closed her eyes tightly, and with the little strength that she had left, she wandlessly summoned her coat. It fell over her feet.
The elf helped her reach toward it. If he touched it, his signature would be on it. As Narcissa got into an upright seating position, she felt a sharp stab of pain in her lower belly and wetness in between her legs. The elf gasped. He could smell it.
"Don't tell her anything. I will scream for her in a few minutes," Narcissa whispered, holding back tears.
"But-"
"Please! I beg you! Do it for my baby!" she groaned through gritted teeth.
The elf looked conflicted but vanished as soon as he was sure she had a hold of her coat. She managed to pull her left hand out of the bindings. She felt around the fabric in the dark, rushing to take the amulet and shaking it violently three times, praying that it could help her family find her. With her teeth, she broke the clasp open. Lily had devised a way to minimize and keep in stasis tiny vials of vital potions inside the amulet, so it had more than a location function.
Narcissa tapped the back of the amulet, the tiny vials fell out on her lap. Everything was quite dark, but she uncapped the three vials and downed them together: a grand pepper up, a blood replenishing potion, and a calming draught. She felt the growing puddle with one finger, she smelled it only to confirm it was blood. She grimaced but sucked her finger clean. Adela couldn't know she had freed her hand. Narcissa placed the tiny vials back inside the amulet. She closed it and drew three circles with her middle finger. There was a tiny 'puff' sound within, which meant the vials were gone, and the amulet couldn't be open again. This also deactivated all the enchantments on it. Narcissa prayed with a faith she didn't even believe she had. This attempt was a Hail Mary if there ever was one.
With the strength she got from the grand pepper up, she moved the coat back. All the magic given to her by the vial was spent on that one move, and she could almost feel her core flickering as it died down. Could she ever practice magic again? It didn't matter, as long as her baby survived. The baby was all that mattered. With great difficulty and pain, she pushed her raw hand and wrist back in the binding and pulled her other hand away to tighten them further. She took a deep breath. She would need to look and sound like she had no calming draught.
"ADELAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Narcissa yelled, trying not to put any pressure on her belly.
Nothing.
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!" Narcissa growled.
Nothing.
"THE BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
She could hear the rushed steps of the woman and her cane. Adela threw the door open, "You better be dying!"
Narcissa looked at the woman with hatred, "WE MAY B-BOTH BE D-DYING, YOU BITCH!"
Adela pulled a lever and a fireplace appeared in the wall in front of the bed. She sent an incendio to the thick logs and fire erupted lighting up the place.
"You have h-had me f-freezing when there was a f-fireplace here all along?" Narcissa asked in a whisper as she felt a calm fury settling into her soul.
"What did you do to my baby? You stupid, useless whore! All you had to do was lie down calmly for a couple of months!"
Narcissa tried to hold on to consciousness, but it had a stronghold on her. "You have killed us both. I know you don't give a fuck about me, but my baby will die if I die Adela! It's too soon for the baby to come and you know it!"
Adela pulled out a necklace from inside her dress. The charm looked like a small ornate tube. She unscrewed it open and blew its powdery contents into Narcissa's face. Narcissa inhaled because she hadn't been expecting anything like that. She fell unconscious. Her last thoughts urging her family to find them... or to at least find the baby.
"Stupid bint!" Adela growled. She summoned her elf. "Go get me Armand and tell him to bring a healer immediately, you useless piece of trash! Can't even watch a woman who is tied to a bed! You will get your punishment later!"
Tonks, Dugard, and Snape walked a few feet from each other, disillusioned. They were following a map. Sirius and Remus ran in all fours until they reached an invisible barrier. According to the townspeople, they should be right there. Lord and Lady Potter appeared as they were about to move in a different direction.
"She activated her amulet," Charlus announced. "Sirius, the ritual, now!"
Sirius leapt toward them in one motion. He grabbed a ceremonial Black dagger and turned to Andromeda and Nymph who had their arms already exposed.
"Andy, we will need Nymph in there. Sorry."
"Take it, please" Andromeda nodded. Her wand pointed at her heart. "Sanguis vocat familia!" She said clearly as Sirius cut her arm. [Blood calls family]
"Sanguis Black iubet aperire," Sirius drew identical runes to the ones they believed to be on Narcissa's belly over the Malfoy ward stones. [Black Blood commands you to open]
"Sanguis Black non habet potestatem Malfoy sanguinis," [Black blood has no power over Malfoy blood] appeared on the ward.
Remus took a deep breath as they waited. Nothing happened. "Sanguis Black haeredem petit" [Black blood demands their heiress back]
Sirius frowned, "Sanguis Black exterminabit quemlibet haeredem suam retinens" [Black blood will exterminate anyone keeping their heiress away]
Still, nothing.
"Sirius... She's not the heiress. Draco is to be Lord Black," Charlus whispered.
"Fuck," Remus looked pensive. Wording mattered a lot to these rituals. Then she turned toward Sirius and pushed a sentence to his mind.
Together they said, "Sanguis Black exterminabit quis filiam suam auferat," the runes lit up and a passageway opened. [Black blood will exterminate whoever takes away their daughter].
Over the passageway, in blood it could be read, "Sanguis Black, tolle filiam tuam" [Black blood, take your daughter]
"Only Blacks can come in!" Sirius exclaimed as he ran in.
"I need to-" Severus began.
"We know Snape! But we can't waste time!" Remus ran after his husband.
"We know they are your everything!"
"We will do our best to tear the protections and get the wards down. Aurors stand ready for action!" Tonks ran inside, followed by Remus, Sirius, and Andromeda. "
Severus pulled his hair back in exasperation. "Charlus-"
"I know, son," Charlus tried to calm Severus. Athena was wrapped around his arm, and she seemed to be pulling him toward the opening.
"No! I mean, aren't you related to the Blacks?" Severus asked, pale.
"Distantly. I don't think-"
"TRY!" her wife pushed him toward the opening. Emma held on to Severus to physically keep him in place.
Charlus pushed his foot past the barrier grimacing from fear of losing his limb, but the magic accepted him. "YES!" He went in. He bypassed Sirius and ran crouching toward the looming gothic house. Tonks and Andromeda were casting anti apparition wards, so he joined in their effort. Athena let go of his arm and slithered toward the house. With her adult body, she could actually help in the missions they did. She moved a lot faster now and she could help Narcissa.
Inside, Nymph handed the belt of muggle grenades to Remus who distributed them in the way he knew was more likely to weaken the wards. His demolition experience came handy at the most harrowing of times. He sent a patronus out to have everyone stay away from the barrier. Sirius ran with him to keep a safe distance between them and the grenades. They raised a shield to protect themselves from the fragments. True, they were iron, not silver, but it would still hurt like a bitch. Outside, everyone did what they were told and raised their own shields.
"Accio grenade clips," Remus whispered. All ten clips flew toward him, and all the grenades blew up almost instantly, making the wards falter.
Sirius threw a gush of fyendfire at the weakened wards, and they fell, allowing for everyone outside to run into the property. They were all aware that this could be considered an act of war. However, they were okay with that because it was retaliation.
In the house, Adela screamed in pain as she felt as if her core was stabbed. Someone had somehow broken the property wards. She had barely been able to stop Narcissa's bleeding, but she hadn't been able to fix anything. Armand wasn't back yet. She needed this baby, but the harlot was right. It was too soon to get it out. If I am going down, you are dying with me. It's the least you deserve. Adela puled another lever that made the fireplace disappear and, in its stead, a door appeared. Behind the door were stairs going down to her basement greenhouse. If they were going to die, she would make sure she would take as many people as she could, with her. Now that Grindelwald wanted her and her talents, she would do her best to escape as she had before. She could be very creative and slippery.
Adela summoned her grimoire and her poison files. The grimoire had a small nub that when pressed would make all the ink inside bleed. Armand wasn't worthy of the secrets of House of Malfoy. If he wasn't coming to help her on her hour of need, he didn't deserve the distinction of Malfoy. She waved her hands, and the books flew back to their original position. Adela took out of her pocket one of Armand's blood vials that she had demanded of him and broke it, coating her wand with his blood. This was a very old school method, but it worked.
"As matriarch of House Malfoy, I hereby cast Armand Malfoy out as a family member and presumptive heir. He is not to inherit. He is a traitor and a weakling. He is not to claim any properties or titles. As I have said it, so mote it be," Adela pushed her magic into the wand and the blood evaporated. The decision was forwarded to Armand in the worst possible moment. He had just landed on the garden of the manor and the pain was so much that he couldn't keep standing. Before he could recover, someone kicked his face, and he lost consciousness. The last thing he saw with horror was how the hair covering some of his face turned mousy brown and fell.
Athena slithered all the way up to a room where she found Adela levitating Narcissa toward a door that looked like a tunnel. The snake went up the bed and using its baby wings, it lunged toward Adela wrapping itself around the old woman's neck and biting her without releasing her poison. Rushed steps approached the bedroom
"Adela Malfoy! DMLE! Don't move!" Tonks ran inside, her wand trained on the woman. Elloise was next to her and immediately levitated Narcissa out of the previously hidden door and onto the arms of her husband who had just reached the room. Severus, Emma, and Andromeda ran with Narcissa to the nearest empty room.
"You are trespassing!" Adela growled. She knew the snake hadn't pushed her venom yet.
"And you are under arrest for kidnapping!" Elloise said with a frown.
"Is this creature with you?" Adela side-eyed the snake currently on her neck which protested at being called a creature by adding more pressure to the bite, but she didn't release any venom.
Charlus reached them after handing Severus their additional emergency potion kit. "Athena!"
The snake looked at him smugly. She had caught the bad guy... gal, literally.
"Dorea!"
Dorea got to the room and tried to catch her breath when she saw the scene. She started calming her familiar. In parsel, she said, "Athena, keep biting her but do not use your venom. She has valuable information that we need."
"But mistress..." the snake thought back.
"How about you let go, Athena?" Adela said in a condescending tone in parsel. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to"
Dorea's eyes widened. Very few people alive were parseltongues.
Athena didn't move or loosened her hold even after Tonks unarmed the woman. Every wand and even a gun were pointed at Adela. Turning to the Potters, Adela sneered, "If one of you doesn't control this little beast, I will collapse this house down with everyone in it."
"You have no wand!"
"I don't need one," Adela smirked.
Charlus frowned, but before he could speak, or Adela could do anything, Tonks petrified the witch, and Elloise added magic-cancelling cuffs to her wrists and ankles for good measure. Athena hissed at the Aurors. She had hurt herself on the ground as the old woman fell. Both Tonks and Elloise said sorry, and Athena ignored Dorea and Charlus when she slithered out of the room. Other Aurors were around the house gathering evidence, and the snake felt trouble was coming, so it rushed out.
Narcissa kept trying to talk through her pain, only to have either Severus or Andromeda shush her. She saw an Auror move to go downstairs. She had to stop him.
"P-P-"
"Narcissa, no. Keep your strength," Severus begged.
"P-P-Poison," Narcissa finally managed to finish a word. Whatever that woman had blown on her face had a strong muscle relaxant component because the muscles on her face felt useless.
"Poison? Merlin, did she poison you?!"
"What did she give you?" Andromeda asked as she ran the diagnosis.
Narcissa shook her head as Emma listened for a heartbeat. She couldn't hear any. Oh God, no! All the noise around her wasn't helping either.
"Sh-Sh-Sh..." Narcissa tried to speak, but her throat was parched.
"She?"
"I-I-Is," Narcissa took a deep breath as she felt a stab of pain.
"What, love?" Severus asked, holding her close to him.
"L-L-Lady-"
"Lady Malfoy, we know Cissa-" Andi stopped as her sister shook her head. Fear was evident in her eyes.
"L-L-Lady P-P-Poison," she said softly and fell back unconscious.
Severus blanched. He shared a look with Andromeda, who looked terrified. "EVERYONE, STOP MOVING!"
All movement ceased, but Aurors looked ready to tell him off.
"Severus, this is a crime scene. They need to gather evidence," Tonks frowned from her position, crouching by Adela's head, one hand on her necklace.
"Let go of that immediately!" Severus rushed to her. "Order the Aurors to stop. Adela Malfoy is Lady Poison!"
"Lady who?" Tonks blinked, letting go of the necklace.
"Lady Poison... A terrorist that killed countless people during the first war! Anything in this house could be poisonous! I am talking spores, powder, liquids, drinks, food, anything and everything could be deadly," Severus exclaimed.
All the Aurors who had gone back to what they were doing froze. They took out gloves and put them on as a precaution.
"Athena!" Dorea exclaimed and left the room, closely followed by her husband.
The snake went downstairs as quickly as she could, she could sense poison nearby, but she found a dead Auror with his hand still on the door handle. Athena thought to her mistress, "A human is dead by the basement."
Dorea and Charlus ran down hand in hand, making sure not to touch anything.
"Merlin!" Dorea exclaimed.
Apparently, the handle had a retractable small dagger that had injected the Auror with something nefarious. His skin was covered in blisters and a red rash. There was a yellowish foam on his mouth, and his eyes were bloodshot. Charlus pulled her back and stretched his arm so Athena would climb up his leg. Once she was back in her spot, she mind spoke to them "Behind that door there is a lot of poison, Master and Mistress. It is not safe for you. Maybe the book can help."
"What book?" Charlus spoke out loud.
The snake pointed with its tail toward a semi-receded wall that had a thick tome that read House of Malfoy Grimoire and another thicker tome that only had the text LP emblazoned in white gold. It even looked evil.
"I don't understand. I thought Narcissa requested the Grimoire in the divorce," Dorea frowned.
"Maybe they had more than one? That is unheard of, but it is the Malfoys, so anything that can help with their crimes sounds entirely possible."
"Tonks! You need to see this!" Charlus exclaimed.
Tonks came downstairs on her tip toes. Venom and poison creeped her out and she was so clumsy that she felt she was the most likely one to die. Any self-preservation thought came to a halt when she saw the dead Auror, "Johnson! Fuck!"
"He is gone, Nymph. We are very sorry."
Upstairs, Elloise gasped as she felt Adela's cuffed hand wrapped around her ankle. She was supposedly unconscious. Elloise had cast the spell herself. But now the Auror couldn't move or speak. The old witch had disillusioned her claw rings and now two had pierced her skin and she felt herself grow hard as stone, except her hands went lax and her wand fell close to the woman. Another Auror jumped toward her with a stunning spell, but he hit her elf, who had been summoned to sacrifice himself for her. And the woman hit his neck with a diffindo, effectively separating his head from his neck.
Sirius and Remus yelled, "Protego maximas now!" Their wolves could feel how the house was shaking before it could be perceived by anyone else. They were back-to-back encased by an orb of protective energy. Before they could lunge toward her, Adela scrambled up with pure adrenaline and she jumped into the open door. She pulled a lever and the fireplace reappeared, hiding the door. Sirius and Remus picked up a frozen Elloise and ran.
Aurors huddled together in pairs and did protego maximas back-to-back, and a second later, the house began to shake so hard that none of them remained standing. Sirius and Remus jumped toward Narcissa, joining their spells to those of Snape and Andromeda. They needed to protect Narcissa and her baby. They motioned to levitate the woman out before the house collapsed. The husband and husband could perhaps survive poisoning with their enhanced werewolf genes, but humans were too fleshy and easy to poison. Heaven forbid some jars broke and engulfed them all in heaven knew which spores and other nightmarish toxins or poisons that were very likely around them. They ran, holding the spell until they got outside.
Downstairs, Athena mind spoke to her humans, "OUT NOW! This house is coming down!"
Charlus and Dorea took advantage of their strong hold on Tonks and physically dragged her out of the house that wouldn't stop shaking. It was difficult to walk on a ground that moves like that, but they managed.
In Hogwarts, Harry and Hermione felt a deep dread in their bond. Their family was in trouble.
"Aunt Minnie!" both exclaimed. "They need backup!"
"Are you positive? There were five Aurors with them!" McGonagall frowned.
"Yes! Call the DMLE, please!"
Minerva floo called Madam Bones.
"Amelia, Harry and Hermione think that they need help."
Amelia yelled at someone in her office, "Hodges! Send the second unit, NOW!"
"Thank you, Madam Bones!" the kids said.
Draco grabbed one of each of their shoulders. "How bad is it? Luna? Have you seen or felt anything?"
Luna was so pale her hue was a bit gray, "Auntie... Only two words come to my mind..."
"Tell me quickly, my dear!"
"Lady Poison? I d-don't understand," Luna stammered.
After a couple of seconds, Minerva's eyes widened. It can't be. She felt cold horror go down her spine as if a drop of icy water traveled down her warm body, "Merlin and Morgana!"
Luna frowned and blinked, trying to focus on her present reality and not in the mess inside their Eye, "Does that mean anything to you?"
"Do you feel she's there?" Minerva asked.
"Auntie... I think Lady Poison is... Adela Malfoy," Luna looked in physical pain from saying that.
"Oh, this is bad. This is really bad. Draco, go to Poppy and ask her to get all the antidotes and poison healing draughts and potions available," Minerva ordered the kid, who took off running.
"We could have floo called her," Neville whispered.
"Yes, but he needs to do something before he goes insane, Neville."
Neville nodded. He understood.
"Athena is with them," Luna said. "She will know if something is dangerous and will try to keep them safe."
"But they are all there... If something bad happens... They could all die!" Hermione started struggling to breathe. Luna opened her necklace and applied some oil to her hands. She rubbed them together and began waving them around Hermione and Harry.
Harry placed his hands on her cheeks, "Mione, stop. You are freaking out, and rightfully so, but we can't do anything but pray right now."
Hermione nodded and focused on smelling the lavender. It helped her breathe and calmed her down slowly. "Thank you, Luna."
Severus looked at Emma. She was trying very hard to keep her face impassive, but her eyes were full of pain and unshed tears. She was barely able to find a faint fetal heartbeat, but it was troublesome.
"Is there anything we can do?"
"That depends. May I take the baby out?"
"Will that save the baby?"
"I don't know, but it could save Cissa."
"Emma, surgery in these conditions-" Andi began.
"You can't make medical decisions, Andromeda. He's the husband. This baby is physically more developed than a non-magical one would be at this point. We can place the baby in the NICU. Severus, I need a decision now," Emma emphasized.
"Do it," Severus nodded.
Charlus, Dorea, and Tonks ran out, followed by the Aurors, and together they got the fainting couch where Narcissa had been placed out of the Malfoy blood protections on the house and property. As soon as they crossed the property border, Neesy and three more elves apparated them to the Granger's Operating Room.
Draco paced as Harry, Hermione, and Luna merely tried to stay receptive to any messaging or sensation, intentional or otherwise. Suddenly Luna jumped.
"They are out of the property!"
"YES!" Draco jumped up after her. "Is my mom okay?"
"Emma is worried about surgery," Harry replied with a frown.
"We think they are deli- performing a c-section," Hermione corrected herself as she heard her mom's concerns about the baby's heartbeat. Oh, God. Please let the baby be okay! She grabbed Harry's hand tightly, and he held it just as tight. He had also heard that. Neither said a word. Draco would jump off the Astronomy tower if another ounce of stress was added to his plate.
While they talked, Neville had somehow convinced their Aunt Minnie to bring Draco to London with her. Draco didn't have much of a reaction other than running to the floo powder.
"We will pray for you!" Hermione reminded him.
"Children. Wait for us here. If you are hungry, call an elf," the Headmistress transfigured the chairs into beds. She took the three potion kits Poppy prepared and stepped into the fireplace. "I will update you as soon as I can."
"Thank you!"
Minerva vanished into the green flames.
Sirius and Remus went straight to the Healer station in the DMLE to see if they could determine what had happened to Elloise. Meanwhile, a Tonks that was terrified for Elloise reported back to Amelia, who was livid. If Adela Malfoy was indeed Lady Poison, she had a very long list of crimes to answer for; among them: faking her death and several counts of murder, disfigurement, and loss of livelihood from injuries and even loss of limbs. She had blinded people and given them poisons that made them go mad. Some of her victims had even committed suicide to stop the horrors. Adela's vanishing act was troublesome because Amelia knew that she would rejoin Grindelwald as she did in the first war. How had she been able to exist for years undetected while faking her death? Who was she doing business with? She needed a livelihood, a way to keep herself alive and allow all the plentiful expensive ingredients.
Daniel and Martin were ready when their people arrived with Narcissa. She was wheeled to the OR immediately, and a stern Mr. Tonks and Ianthe kept both Severus and Andromeda out. "Let the doctors work."
"She's my wife!" Severus complained.
"And you are not a doctor!" Ianthe countered.
"TED!" Andromeda groaned as she tried to push past her husband.
"She's your sister. You can't treat her," Ianthe reminded Andi.
"But-"
"No, love," Edward insisted. "Let them work. They will call you if they need you. Severus."
The man paced and pulled his hair, but he didn't turn to Edward.
"SEVERUS!"
"What?!"
"Go to the nearest hospital and get a complete incubator set. It looks like this," Edward handed him a picture Daniel had given him. "Make sure it is empty. Andi, go with him." His wife stared daggers at him.
"Fine!" Severus snapped. He left with Andromeda right away.
Edward knew he would be sleeping on the couch, but he didn't care. Narcissa's well-being and that of her baby were above everything else today. He started pacing. Martin sat at the receptionist's desk, and Ianthe approached him.
"Hey. We haven't had any chance to speak," Ianthe began.
"I know. I apologize for leaving so suddenly," Martin whispered. "But I really think now is not the time, Ianthe."
"Then when?"
"Please, Ianthe, not now-" Martin began only to be interrupted when he froze the moment Ianthe's hand landed on his shoulder. He had been avoiding her eyes, but when she touched him, he couldn't stop himself. She leaned closer to him.
"Am I supposed to act like nothing happened? Because I already tried, but I can't do that. And based on your reaction to my touch," Ianthe stared at his arm where goose bumps were evident. "You can't do that either."
"Ianthe, please don't touch me," Martin whispered. "It's not fair for you to do that."
"It's not fair for you to send me mixed signals. Do you have any clue how horrible it is that I am not fighting another woman but an entire institution? A god?"
Martin pulled away from her immediately and stood up, "Ianthe. There is a woman fighting for her life in there. The only thing I can do is pray. Not to a lowercase god, but to the capital G God. I will set up a time to talk to you soon, but don't pressure me. The decision I need to make is life-changing, and it is not something I can take back or change my mind about. I will decide in my own time."
"Fine. Just don't expect me to put my life on hold because of you. You are free to decide what you want, but so am I, and I will not wait forever," Ianthe replied, walking to the seating area.
Martin sat back down and rested his head on his hands. He stared at the door leading to the OR, crossed himself, and began to pray. He couldn't even think about his personal situation. Narcissa and the baby had to pull through this.
Hours later, Draco was fighting sleep. It was almost four in the morning. Luna was snuggled against his shoulder, and Neville was snuggled against his other side. Harry and Hermione were sleeping side by side, holding hands. Minerva came in as quietly as she could. She didn't want to scare the children.
"Auntie?" Draco whispered. His eyes were red-rimmed.
His whisper and his movement to sit up awoke the rest of the kids.
"Hello, children," Minerva smiled slightly.
"Are they okay?" Draco asked.
"They are out of surgery. Your mother is in a very delicate state right now, as is the baby. The baby will have to be in a special machine that will help the baby's development to be completed. Emma and Daniel are hopeful that both will make a full recovery," Minerva replied.
"Thank God!"
"Do I have a baby brother or a baby sister?" Draco asked excitedly.
"That is not for me to say," Minerva patted the boy on the head. "Now you go take a shower and change. Severus will come by in an hour to pick you up so you can meet the baby and see your mother. I am giving you permission to spend the whole day outside the school with them, so make the most of it."
"Yes, Auntie! Thank you!" Draco dashed away.
The other kids rubbed sleep off their eyes. "Is everyone else alright?" Harry asked.
"Yes, fortunately. Now the rest of you, go to your dorms. Luna, dear, come with me. I will take you to your father."
Emma and Daniel rested against each other as they stared at the baby's vitals. They were exhausted. The whole thing had been pretty touch and go for a while. In the sixth month of a magical pregnancy, the baby had the development of a non-magical baby at 30 weeks. Their main concern was underdeveloped lungs. Additionally, the baby doesn't have the sucking reflex at that stage. This meant that the baby would have to be fed through other means until that reflex is developed, and it could nurse directly. First, they would have to feed the baby intravenously, and once the lungs had matured enough, they would move on to feed the baby via a nasogastric tube.
Narcissa was still under. She had been too distraught about the baby because of the power that had been blown to her face. They ran a full toxin panel, and there were no results. No non-magical results, and it hadn't affected the baby as much as it could have. What had done the most harm was the stress that Narcissa was under, the cold, and the rough treatment, which resulted in placental abruption. Severus had to be dragged to the fireplace to go get Draco. They had asked Minerva not to reveal the gender of the baby. Soon enough, the Potion Master was back with Draco, who ran to his mother as soon as Emma helped him wash his hands and put on a mask. They were being extra cautious.
Narcissa was very pale and had several bruises all over her body as well as a few scrapes. Draco felt his eyes water. Severus helped him onto the bed. Draco carefully kissed his mother's forehead and cheek. He was so glad his mom was now safe.
"Where's the baby?" Draco asked.
"In the next room," Severus stopped Draco and lifted his chin. "Son, I don't want you to be ill-prepared."
"What? Why?"
"The baby is premature, meaning it has to be in a special machine," Severus explained.
"Okay," Draco replied and went in after sterilizing his hands again.
He greeted Auntie Em and Uncle Dan and went straight to the incubator.
"It's a girl?" Draco asked.
"Yes, son. Meet your sister."
"What's her name?"
"We haven't chosen one yet."
"Oh... okay. I will call her princess until you do. Hi princess," Draco placed his hands flat on the glass.
Severus placed one arm around Draco and a hand on the glass as well.
"Dan, can you explain everything to them? I will go stay with Cissa. Make sure everything is the same," Emma kissed her husband, who nodded and left.
"Severus, Draco, there are some things you need to know about the little princess and how things will proceed from now on to give her all the best outcomes," Daniel began.
Severus pulled Draco away from the incubator so he would pay attention to Daniel. "We are all ears."
"How is she?" Amelia asked.
"She's paralyzed. Apparently, there's no more damage to her body other than the paralysis, and they are trying to figure out which dastardly thing caused it so they can find an antidote," Remus replied.
"I have no intention of coming back to the force," Sirius said with a frown.
"Me neither," Remus placed his hand atop his husband's.
Amelia blew her fringe out of the way as she huffed in frustration. "But why?"
"Amelia, respectfully, we aren't fully human. We are still figuring out our changes and what they entail. You cannot in good conscience put us in the field," Sirius replied.
Remus sighed, "What if something goes wrong?"
"What if we bite someone?" Sirius frowned.
"Can the DMLE afford the litigation that could come from that?" Remus added.
"I have been talking with the Minister. We want to create a special force of... talents such as yours to help with top secret investigations," Amelia blushed slightly.
"You were going to say freaks, weren't you?" Sirius lifted an eyebrow.
"No, I-" Amelia couldn't finish.
"But you think we are freaks."
"I think you are an ace up our sleeves when push comes to shove," Amelia replied diplomatically.
"Please, Amelia. We have known you since we were all teens. You do think we are freaks," Sirius insisted.
"It doesn't matter what I think. What matters is that you have skills that no humans have, not to mention endurance and strength that the rest of us cannot even dream about having. All that makes you an asset to the DMLE," Amelia replied.
"We will not do it. Our allegiance is to the Alliance and our family," Remus said sternly.
"Isn't there anything that could persuade you?" Amelia tried the last time.
"No."
"Fine. But then, you cannot expect any protections from us either. You will be charged with any crimes committed during your unauthorized intel trips," Amelia smirked.
"We have a good lawyer," Remus quipped as they stood to leave.
"Good. At the rate you are going, you are going to need it."
Sirius stopped and looked over his shoulder, "Is that a threat?"
"No, Sirius. It's a reminder. The DMLE cooperates with other agencies, and when you act abroad, we get briefed on that. As a friend and member of your alliance, please be careful with your trips. If things go wrong in another country, I will not be able to help you," Amelia reminded her.
"Understood."
O'Brian walked around the storage room where Shaw had asked him to meet. Shaw knelt to get a dossier out of a suitcase. He offered it to O'Brian but didn't let go.
"This list has all the names that have participated in the coverup all around the world. You will see that some of the people you trust are playing a long two-faced game. They will end you the first chance they get," Martin warned. "You are a loose end. They hate loose ends."
"I know that. They came for me. I had to run out of the place I was staying at. They sent the Gendarmerie to catch me! I was sold out by someone. I just don't know by whom!"
"They will kill you the first chance they get," Martin sighed as the severity of the statement downed on him.
"I know that. We need to go to the press."
"And say what? Cheerio mates! Guess what? There are real witches and wizards living among us. And guess what? Some of them want to rule over all of us. Some of them want us to live together in peace. But that's not all. Amongst wizards and witches, there are two factions that are at war. If one of them wins, it will be genocide for all non-magical beings. If the other wins, the non-magical extremists will probably want to end all magical beings instead!" Martin whisper shouted.
"Frankly, at this point, I don't care what we said. All I know is that there is a price for my head and most assuredly a price for yours. You just managed to find more resourceful patrons," Charles replied with a huff.
"Patrons?! Those people have cared for me, protected me, nursed me back to health-" Martin was interrupted.
"You wouldn't have needed them nursing you if they hadn't got you hurt to begin with, Martin! Wake up!"
"Me? How about you? Doing dirty work for people that now want you dead! My people would fight for me!" Martin exclaimed.
"Are you sure about that?" O'Brian frowned and stared him down.
Martin raised his chin in defiance, "Positive. Can you say the same?"
O'Brian pulled the dossier harshly and began to read.
"I didn't think so," Martin crossed his arms over his chest.
Martin took a deep breath as O'Brian read. He feared that the prizard was right and the only way to prevent him from getting killed would be to go to the press. However, this could also backfire spectacularly. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like they couldn't stay in the church and live to tell the tale. It wasn't just his feelings for Ianthe he was conflicted about. The cover-up was such that Martin felt the only chance he would have at a normal life would be with a new identity and outside of the church. But he didn't want to leave his flock. He missed being an active priest. He missed his community and working for good causes.
"This bastard! I will kill him!"
"What? Who?"
Charles handed Martin back the folder. "Gellert Grindelwald needs to die!"
Martin blinked slowly, "Not that I disagree, as he is a terrorist, but why do you want him dead?"
"He betrayed me. He set the archbishop on me!" O'Brian replied.
"And you are surprised that he's a traitor, why?"
"I kept him alive! I fed him! I healed him! I taught him all he needed to know to pass as a priest and to amass followers and countless muggles to do his bidding! And he sold me out! The very sanctuary he's staying at now was one that I got from him!"
Martin gasped, "Wait a minute! You know where he is?! And you haven't told anyone?!"
O'Brian rolled his eyes.
"What the hell do you mean he had muggles doing his bidding? What did he do? What did you allow him to do?" Martin asked.
"I don't owe you an explanation, but I will tell you in case I am killed before I can tell anyone else. He has imperiused hundreds if not thousands of people. He had them sign over his lands and money to him. How do you think he's funding his plans?"
Martin gasped. Grindelwald had been using magic to force people to do everything he wanted, "Why didn't you tell anyone where he was? We have been looking for them for years!"
"I literally can't tell anyone. I took a vow... and not a religious one. If I tell you, I will die!" Charles whisper shouted.
"Don't be so dramatic. We can protect you. Keep you safe in magical territories," Martin offered, hoping he was right to offer something like this without asking the alliance first.
"I am not being dramatic! I will literally drop dead because I took a magical vow that is unbreakable."
Martin went over his knowledge of magical vows and promises and gaped, "You entered into an Unbreakable Vow with that psychopath?"
Charles frowned, "The circumstances merited it."
"Things were so dire that you colluded with a terrorist? Do you know how many crimes you are an accomplice to by mere virtue of helping him? He has killed people and beings, many of them," Martin whisper shouted.
"I don't know how many... And why are we talking about me? How about you, huh? Are you keeping score? Do you know how many religious vows you have broken? How many precepts? How many commandments? You should have been excommunicated years ago!"
"So should you! Let's not make this a fight of who is the bigger sinner here because there's plenty of blame to go around," Martin replied with a frown.
"Fine... Then what are we supposed to do now?" Charles asked.
"Find a way to circumvent that vow and work together, of course."
Charles laughed sardonically. "Together? You and me?"
"Yes," Martin nodded with a serious expression. He looked certain.
"You are telling me that we... the two of us are going to take on the Church, the press, Grindelwald, and the rest of Magical Folk at the same time?!"
"Yes."
"How on Earth do you think we can do that? Who will support us?"
"His Holiness and The Family," Martin smiled. "We don't need anyone else."
Charles rubbed his hands over his face, "You should be in Bedlam."
"We will see about that," Martin replied with a smirk.
A/N: Thank you for reading. Hello, everyone. I am sorry for being MIA, but I have the most horrible news to share. My beloved Luna crossed the rainbow bridge on August 20th. She wasn't ill or anything. It was all very sudden and horrible. I am heartbroken. She was my baby, the love of my life, my best friend, my company. She was my rock. I owe her my life. I wouldn't be here if she hadn't been there for me when I mourned my mother. Not hearing her paws after me nor having her near me feels like a nightmare I can't wake up from. I chose to finish this chapter because I already had 5k words written. However, I don't have a clue how to even exist without her, and I have even less of an idea when I will be able to write again or even feel like writing. I feel like my inspiration is gone. My angel left me, and I think my muses packed up and left with her. I don't blame them. I hope I will come back at some point. But at the moment, this is beyond my abilities. I can't deal with much right now. I hope you are all well, and once again, I am sorry. -Lux-