"I'll not have it, Narcissa!" Lucius snarled angrily, staring at his wife who sat expressionless in front of him. The blond man began to pace again, wondering how his wife could possibly have snuck their son from the house and marry him to some strange girl without even noticing they were gone.
"You will, Lucius. I've been planning this for a very long time and you have no power to stop it." Narcissa said coolly, taking a small sip of ear tea. She was honestly amazed that her husband didn't notice that she locked herself away with her sister to work over the newest addition to the Black family. Then to smuggle in the most renowned mind healer in the world to rearrange and obliterate her memories, Narcissa would be joining her sister for a celebratory glass of elfin wine after her husband calmed down.
"No! I've been talking to Hyperion Greengrass for three years about an official merger!" Lucius thundered, his pale cheeks turning an unattractive puce when he turned to glare at his wife. "Who is this chit anyhow?! You show up in the middle of the night, practically carrying a bloodied bride into Draco's bed chambers and Bellatrix threatens me in my own home to stay away!"
"She's a Black, pureblood, very clever and beautiful. Some order members attacked the venue, she lost her guardians and her memory." Narcissa said in a frosty tone as she met her husband's glare.
She had been the last Black for far too long, getting swept up in her husband's schemes. It was lonely, having grown up with sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and parents to then only have a husband who's weak will and thirst for power overshadowed all else. The Malfoys had been cursed to only have one male heir for centuries so Lucius could never understand the pain she felt. Losing her sisters, one to a low bred commoner and the other to prison had shattered her. She had been raised believing she would marry her cousin Sirius but he had let the madness overtake him, mentally and magically. He had spent so many years suppressing his instincts that he turned into an impulsive fool.
"A private ceremony with only you and Bella? You didn't think I would like to see my heir claim his bride?" Lucius demanded, his jaw tight while his stubborn wife just gave him that infuriating smile.
"Yes, a private ceremony for two children of the Black family to be joined. He may have been born a Malfoy but I've instilled enough of the Black teachings that he knows what family honor is. This Astoria chit you've been so fixated on is nothing but a half-blood whore, didn't you wonder why Per is offering her so cheap? She was born to his muggle mistress!" Narcissa smiled maliciously when Lucius lost all the color in his face and took a step back from her.
"No! That is not- damnit! Narcissa, you married off my heir without even consulting me!" Lucius sputtered for a moment before draining his glass and squaring his shoulders. "You are my wife, an extension of myself!"
"Cissie is a Black witch!" Bellatrix snarled after she threw the doors to the private study open with a bang. Lucius jumped at the sudden intrusion but Narcissa just smirked, watching her sister stalk across the room, a predator circling her prey. If only her husband had been more malleable or even just faithful, maybe she would protect him.
"Narcissa is a Malfoy!" Lucius snapped irritably, making the grievous mistake of turning his back on the mad witch to pour himself another drink.
"Lucy..." Bellatrix purred in his ear, pressing her body along his back. Her wand trailed up his thigh until she jabbed it harshly into the soft, fleshy area just beneath his balls.
"Bella!" Lucius cried out in alarm and froze, his eyes wide with shock.
"You've forgotten your place, Lucy. While your family was still shoveling pig shit, learning to speak English after your cowardly escape from France, it was our family that owned the stables." Bellatrix hissed in his ear, turning and pressing her wand harshly to emphasize her point.
"Narcissa is a Malfoy, she married me, this is my-" Lucius snapped his mouth shut as Bellatrix applied more pressure to her wand, making his voice raise in octave.
"She wasn't done speaking, dear husband." Narcissa smirked from her chair, nodding to her sister to go on.
"If you wanted an empty headed, pretty little bride you should have convinced your father to accept Olivia Flint." Bellatrix stood on her toes so she could breathe out on the shell of his ear, making him shiver. "You married a Black, she was born a Black and she will die a Black. You should stay out of Black family business."
"Draco is a Malfoy." Lucius said in an unsteady voice, his knuckles white as he held the table in front of him.
"Draco has followed the Black traditions since he was blessed with a name from the heavens. He may look like you but I can assure you, Lucius...now that Draco is of age and married, you are wholly unnecessary." Bellatrix laughed softly as Lucius bristled, she stepped back gracefully twirling her wand in her fingers when Lucius finished pouring his drink and downed it all in one painful swallow.
"I'm unnecessary?" Lucius whispered, arching a brow at his wife who was still smiling as she held her cup in her dainty hand.
"Lucius, you will not win, not on this. Draco is married and when Maia wakes up, they will consummate their bond. They will have powerful children, children that carry the Malfoy name...unless you wish your line to die out." Narcissa said calmly while her husband suddenly choked on air. Both sisters watched avidly as the blond wizard struggled to breathe while they did nothing to help him. After a couple of helpless moments, the pressure was suddenly gone allowing him to take great greedy gulps of air.
"You think that Draco would take his children's name from them?" Lucius demanded quietly, looking between the sisters incredulously.
"He could bestow his dollies with a much stronger name. Bad Faith!" Bellatrix giggled as she glided to her sister and sat gracefully on the arm of her chair. Narcissa smiled up at her sister while Bellatrix took an errant curl and twirled it in her fingers.
"The Dark Lord could annul the bond." Lucius sneered, gaining confidence now that Bellatrix put some distance between them.
"Lucius, if you would like to retain the illusion of power, fucking anything with a hole, and, well, breathing. You will let this issue rest because I can assure you...we can do much worse than we did Roddy. The only reason we haven't turned you into a eunuch is because you're discreet when you bed filth." Narcissa smiled brightly while her husband blanched at her crude language. He hated when women were anything but feminine and demure.
"Mione, would you like some breakfast?" Harry smiled gently as Maia looked up from her book in the library with a warm smile. It wasn't perfect, her eyes were too brown, her hair too neatly curled and dull, a million other little things like she would hesitate before answering him but Harry beamed as his best friend stood before him.
"Thank you, Harry!" Maia grinned happily, mechanically she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. She stiffened when he wrapped his arms around her waist in response, his large hands eager to explore the bare skin where her shirt had risen. Closing her eyes, she had a pained expression on her face, the demanding little voice grew louder along when the heavy haze that descended on her mind.
He loves you...
He's supposed to hold you...
Relax...
Harry would never hurt you...
"You love me, I'm Harry and you're my 'Mione, my muggleborn best friend who is always at my side. My favorite bookworm who's going to help me defeat Riddle." Harry said sternly into her hair as he tightened his arms around her waist to hold her in place. He hated reaffirming his orders yet again since he cast the unforgivable the night before. Really, he thought she was getting better, she didn't jerk violently away from his touch anymore.
"Of course, Harry! Who else would I be?" Maia asked absently, smoothing down Harry's quidditch jersey with a bland smile, coincidently making sure that the hem was neatly tucked in.
Harry's heart skipped a beat when she looked up at him with an arched brow, he couldn't remember feeling this way around his best friend in school. He was conflicted watching her fight against the curse. She didn't struggle against him at all the night before as they lay side by side in the large bed, after a quick somnus. It also was the first night that he could remember that he didn't suffer from night terrors. Waking up beside her he felt more content than ever, it scared him but also filled him with a new emotion. Satisfaction.
"We have to find a way to save Ron." Harry said slowly, wrapping a supportive arm around her waist and leading her to the kitchens. Maia only looked at him blankly and his heart constricted, reminding him once again it wasn't really his 'Mione. "He's our best friend, 'Mione. You should be very adamant that we go rescue him from, he cares about you."
"Oh!" Maia's muddy brown eyes widened slightly and she stiffened, her brow furrowing. It was as if she were a robot, recalculating her expressions. Suddenly, there was panic and deep fear etched on her face. "We have to get him, Harry! There's no telling what Vol-"
"We can't say his name, 'Mione. I'm not sure how strong the taboo is outside of Britain but it has a chance of breaking down the wards. This is the last stop for us, there is no other safe house. They burned down the burrow." Harry said patiently, his face falling as he lamented the loss of the burrow.
'Mione would be upset...
Be 'Mione...
"So, what are we going to do?" Maia asked with obvious distress, her vacant muddy brown eyes sending more daggers into the pit of his stomach.
"Tonks sent a message that the Weasleys were captured, they were either at Riddle's headquarters or Malfoy Manor." Harry said hurriedly, pulling large maps from the beaded bag he always kept at his side. He didn't even notice Maia stiffening beside him when he said the latter option, he traced his fingers along the suspected ward lines as she stood silently beside him.
Malfoy...
Harry LOVES you...
Draco...
"Malfoy?" Maia pondered aloud, her body jerking slightly making Harry snap to attention.
"You're my 'Mione, you love me." Harry said firmly, roughly holding her face in his calloused hands so she stood straight, eye level with him. She tightened her jaw, obviously fighting the curse once more and Harry frowned. "You love me, you would never leave me side. You want to help me rescue our best friend because you love me."
"I love you." Maia said absently, her body relaxing. Harry's heart fluttered at her words and he pulled her close to him, she melted into his embrace and he buried his face in her curls taking deep breaths.
"Yes, you're my 'Mione, you're going to help me." Harry repeated like a mantra, his hands making soothing circles on her lower back.
"I'm yours..." Maia said softly as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you and I'll always help you."
Harry's arms unconsciously tightened around her and he felt tears in his eyes, he missed her so much. Even if this was only a pale imitation of what he used to have, he would take it with both hands. His 'Mione had never shown any kind of romantic feelings towards him but he wondered if maybe he had been blind before. Why else would a talented and brilliant witch invest so much into him if she wasn't in love with him? Why would he choose her above all others if he didn't love her in return?
"That's right, I love you and we are going to get our friend back." Harry whispered tearfully, he took a deep fortifying breath before he pulled back to look into her vacant eyes. Muddy brown, not the deep rich amber of his nightmares or the brilliant silver of his dreams as of late. "But first, we are going to make breakfast."
"It would be easier if I had the ring." Maia said slowly, her face pinched in confusion while she looked through the suspected ward scheme. Bill never got close enough to analyze the Malfoy wards, not that they didn't try but the curse breaker would need hours they could never spare.
"Ring?" Harry sat back and gently put down his quill, his heart rate accelerated and he watched the conflicting emotions on her face. He wasn't exactly experienced in casting unforgivables, he only ever cast them twice before, both times were absolute failures. The first was against Bellatrix in the ministry, the second was on a ministry worker he used imperious but he was too absent in his routine and was quickly apprehended.
"The bespoken ring..." Maia's breath hitched as she envisioned the beautiful ring that should be on her finger. Looking down, a tear escaped her eye seeing as it was gone and it was all wrong. The fog in her mind was stifling as she tried to focus on where she should be. That demanding little voice constantly whispering through the haze, trying to guide her away from thoughts of her husband, family, and friends.
You love Harry...
Help Harry...
You're 'Mione…
muggleborn bookworm...
"'Mione! You love me!" Harry demanded, putting his hands on her shoulders to force her to face him. "You love me and you're my 'Mione' who would always help me."
Love...
Marriage...
Draco...
"I love Draco." Maia whispered tearfully as she continued staring down at her bare finger. Harry made a strangled sound in the back of his throat as he gripped her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.
"You are my 'Mione. You love me." Harry said forcefully, willing his magic to make her submit. "You will help me rescue our best friend, stop thinking of him!"
Him...
It upsets Harry when you think of him...
Harry loves you...
Isn't it so peaceful when people love you like Harry...
"I love you, Harry." Maia said dully, her hand fell limply to her lap and Harry's shoulder relaxed. When she picked her book up, Harry sat back to think about the ring. Moody was the one that hid it after suppressing the tracking charms but Tonks knew how to remove it from her finger. They needed the ring to get into Malfoy Manor, with a nervous sigh he knew what they had to do. First he would need to figure out how to make her more receptive to his orders.
"Feeling better, 'Mione?" Harry asked gently with a small smile. Over a full day she seemed to have developed a routine. She no longer fought the curse, with very simplified instructions she seemed to flourish.
Make Harry happy...
"Of course, Harry. I think we're ready to go back to England." Maia chirped happily from her perch on the kitchen counter. Harry decided at that moment her entire wardrobe would be nothing but his quidditch jerseys. Something about his name written across her back, labeling her as his satisfied him deeply.
"You're right. You just want me happy, right 'Mione." Harry said in a firm tone, reminding her once again of her only direction. If she was to make him happy, then she would try to act more like Hermione Granger.
Harry just wants your love...
He loves you most after all...
Make Harry happy...
"Of course, Harry. I love you and I just want to make you happy." Maia said dismissively after she took a bite out of an apple, her bare legs swinging while she read her book. "So, where to first?"
"First, we take the return port key and get to Remus's as fast as we can. Moody found monitoring wards but no one was actively watching Grimmauld." Harry shrugged, moving to stand in front of her to read her book upside down, Maia paid him no heed as he placed himself between her legs.
Harry needs reassurance...
Smile...
Harry likes when you smile...
"You're so smart, Harry." Maia chirped, Harry shivered as she continued swinging her legs, brushing against his hips.
"So, we'll leave in two days, just to make sure..." Harry trailed off, distracted by her closeness. His heart thundered in his chest while he watched her, if he tried he could see his best friend in front of him. His 'Mione just reading for the pleasure of it, learning something new just because.