Chapter 24


November 1997

Ginny woke up with a start, clinging to her husband, breathing hard and drenched in sweat. She hadn't had such a horribly vivid dream in a couple of years, and tears streamed down her cheeks, flushed with the warmth of the marriage bed.

"What happened?" Tom woke up and immediately became alert, recognizing the symptoms of an important vision, despite never having seen it before.

"Meredith, that stupid and arrogant little witch has made the most idiotic decision in the world." She screamed in rage, at that moment she really wanted to throw a tantrum in the room, she spat out all the words in anger, not caring about trying to explain, just wanting to vomit her thoughts, she got out of bed and remained seated, pulling her hair in desperation "It's just like me, she had to make the same decision as me, Of course, she doesn't have the ability completely, those American witches are very rare, but she had enough visions to know what will happen with the decision she made, she chose to follow her boyfriend, the supposed love of her life, a Muggle-born who will protect his Muggle roots above all things, including her. She's a stupid, naïve idiot imbecile, I can't believe the eye was born on someone like that, who puts her feelings first."

"Will it affect us?" Tom asked calmly, briefly pulling Ginny out of her frenzy.

"Yes... No, if we take measures, it will not affect us too much, I was counting on her to make the right decision, now we will not be able to take that continent into account." Ginny closed her eyes, leaning back and resting her warm face on the cool sheets of the bed. She tried to think quickly, her plan had fallen apart, of course, she had many secondary plans, most of which she had exposed to her spouse, however, few of these included this variable, and she hadn't even thought about telling Tom about that possibility since she hadn't seriously considered that it could happen. She didn't have a contingency plan for this.

He didn't question any of her words, he didn't even ask if Meredith was so necessary for the struggle in America, which Ginny appreciated.

"We can leave the new continent, we'll just send all Muggles there if they love them so much. We will make that alliance with North Africa that you were talking about as a fifth option, also with Asia, except China, so that they destroy themselves." At Tom's pragmatic words, Ginny looked at him with a small trace of surprise and then admiration filled her eyes, at that moment she understood why only Tom could stop the extinction of the wizarding world, she was only an oracle, but he made the plans and decisions.

"The magical community in America is large, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States have the largest population of magicians," Ginny said out loud, in a questioning tone, and as always, her husband guessed exactly what she was wondering.

"We can make portkeys to receive them, as soon as we get the Muggles in England to flee, there will be plenty of room to accommodate them all. There's nuclear power in those countries, so we could destabilize those governments by damaging their atomic plants, and we could put spawn points in that radiation zone for Muggles to see and not be able to intervene, wizards will know where to go." Ginny thought for a moment and then nodded and smiled sweetly, it was an excellent plan, she didn't understand some of the things he was saying, but Tom had grown up among Muggles and knew what he was talking about. Abandoned when Harry defeated him as a baby, Tom had had to remain among Muggles while he recovered and had updated on many issues.

Tom looked at her carefully and Ginny noticed how his pupils dilated, and he began to caress her thighs while leaning towards her with a predatory look, she had woken him up in the early morning, and there was no better way to go back to sleep than after strenuous exercise. The young woman gladly gave in to his wishes, herself eager to be in his arms.

When it was all over, she was in his arms, he slept quickly, but he didn't let her leave him. Ginny settled her head under her husband's chin and kissed his neck subconsciously.

"I love him"

The sudden thought flashed through her mind and terrified her by the implications of that feeling, but she soon let it go. Love him or not, nothing changed, they would continue to sleep together, eat together, plan, talk, laugh, and make love.

The only thing it implied was that she should get rid of any lovers he might have.

She wasn't willing to share a beloved husband with anyone.

o-o-o-o

She was desperate, Rodolphus had confined her to her room and confiscated her wand. She was in bed, with that huge belly preventing her from physically attacking her imbecile husband, she could only shout horrible things at him, wishing him death, hating him, and stating that her Master would be angry when he found out and do what he should have done long ago when He killed him.

"Enough, Bella." The man said with a clenched fist, clearly holding back the urge to slap her. "It was our Master's order, he doesn't wish you to disturb Lady Voldemort with your presence."

"Lady Voldemort!" She shouted with fury and indignation. "That bitch is just a brat who warms our master's bed, and she isn't worthy of even kissing his feet."

"She's his wife, they'll be together until her death, Bella, just like us," Rodolphus said indifferently, he had long since resigned himself to the fate that had befallen him, their parents had arranged the marriage, but they weren't always this unhappy, at first they fell in love, they desired each other, for several years they were happy. But Azkaban had broken Bella's sanity and had given her a fixation with their Master that she hadn't had before imprisonment. He approached her and hugged her, remembering the dear friend he had less than 4 months ago, even when they stopped loving and desiring each other, and each one met their needs elsewhere, they remained friends. They never fought, they supported each other, but since their Master's marriage, she had become unhinged. "Whether or not she is worthy of our Master, whether he hates her or not, that won't change anything. Only death can separate them."

"Then that bitch must die." She said crying on his shoulder and hugging him.

"You're stupid if you think you can kill her." He said gently pulling a strand of her hair, smiling in amazement "And even if you can kill her and you kill me (since only then you could get what you want) do you think our Master will accept you? You, and all of us who have seen them together, know that this isn't going to happen, he loves her, she is the person who always wants to have by his side, if he sees her, he smiles, and, if she is not by his side, he gets angry. You will never be able to get over that, if she were to die, he would suspect that it was you and with only a slight suspicion he would kill you without thinking about it. Dear friend, I don't want to see you like this."

She cried even more as she buried her face in her spouse's chest.

She knew it, but she could not resign herself.

She spent the next few days locked up until the early morning of November 2 arrived and she began to have the pains of childbirth. Rodolphus, asleep next to her, immediately gave notice, and soon Cissy and a healer were by her side.

The pains were annoying but tolerable, she had gone through much worse things in Azkaban.

Several hours after starting the contractions her Master appeared and sat down for a moment next to her, making that the best moment of her day, even though he only stayed for less than 5 minutes and left in a hurry.

Finally, when the sun had long since set, she was told that she could start pushing. It was a lot of effort, her brat didn't want to be born, she got stuck and the healer used strange tweezers to pull her by the head to get her out. Finally, she went out and only watched as the baby was handed over to Cissy, who bathed and dressed her, when she finally put her on her chest, she felt something else coming out from between her legs.

"It's just the placenta, Mrs. Lestrange, you've already given birth to it, it was a good labor, and you'll recover quickly." The healer said as she left.

"She's a girl, Bella, she's beautiful," Cissy murmured with her eyes ablaze with tenderness, Bella snorted. She knew how much her sister had wanted to have a girl, and she wished for a boy who looked like her Master.

The baby was an ugly and wrinkled thing, pink, with her eyes closed while crying, her head was covered with fine blonde hair almost white. The same hair from Cissy and Draco, well, she had inherited the Rosier side from Bellatrix's late mother.

"How will you name her? Bella," Her sister said caressing the white head of the newborn.

"I thought in Delphini, after the constellation Delphinus, she is a descendant of Salazar Slytherin after all, and she must have inherited her father's abilities," Bella said as she saw her daughter, now that she looked good, she looked very much like her Master, they had the same eyebrows, and their eyes (although so clear that it was evident that they would remain blue like Cissy and Mother Druella's) had the same shape as the father's. The nose promised to be the same as well.

She was so distracted watching her baby that she only realized that her Master and the vixen had come in because Cissy took on a demure air and leaned in one direction. Before anyone could say a word, the vixen stepped forward and grabbed the baby so quickly that Bella could only watch in amazement as she was separated from her newborn.

"She's beautiful, darling, she looks a lot like Mrs. Malfoy." said the brat looking at the Dark Lord, and then looking in Cissy's direction.

"Thank you, my lady, for your compliment," Cissy said elegantly as she lowered her head and took her sister's hand, Bella almost flinched from the strong squeeze she was giving her.

"Bella, you did an excellent job." Her Master said while he was brushing with a finger the forehead of the newborn that the vixen was holding.

"Thank you, Master." Belle smiled with real joy, if only her Master would take the baby and come to her bed, making Cissy and the vixen get out, the whole scene would be like a perfect dream.

"Have you already named her? Mrs. Lestrange, " said the brat with an arrogant smile, Bella was so furious and angry that she couldn't answer, so Cissy quickly intervened while squeezing her sister's hand again.

"My sister has decided to name her Delphini, my lady if it seems suitable to my lord and you," Cissy said as she bowed to her.

"It's a proper first name, Mrs. Malfoy, acceptable to a bastard of my husband." She said, and the atmosphere cooled down. Bella was still angry and Cissy was too scared to speak. "Of course, you know better than I do, Mrs. Lestrange, that isn't proper for a mother to nurse her bastard, her reputation would suffer great damage, even more, the reputation of the great Lord Voldemort."

"My lady, forgive me if I am imprudent, but as my niece was born secretly, I don't think it will damage anyone's reputation. If it pleases your worship, I can even raise her myself, we can add her to the family book and Malfoy record, she will grow up as a legitimate daughter," Cissy said confidently, Bella nodded, the girl would be fine with her sister, she would still be her mother and she would be legitimate.

"That will be unnecessary, Mrs. Malfoy, of course, I look favorably on so much kindness and affection from a lady like you to a wayward sister," Bella wanted to throw himself on her and kill her, she spoke of her as if she were a girl of fifteen instead of a woman of 46. "But little Delphini is my husband's illegitimate daughter, so, by the laws of magic and the morals that every witch and wizard must-have, the girl is my daughter de facto, not formally adoptable by me, but recognized as our daughter, and I am going to raise her."

Bella felt so devastated that she wanted to scream and hit, however, at that moment Rodolphus entered and hoped that he could intervene, if he recognized the girl, no one could take her away from there, not even his Master would contravene the most entrenched social laws.

"It's a wonderful idea, befitting a witch as kind and charitable as you, my lady. If it pleases you and my Master, I will recognize my spouse's daughter, it would be the greatest honor that my Master's blood should bear my name." Rodolphus said, and Bella relaxed, she knew she could trust her spouse, the person who had never left her.

"It won't be necessary, dear Rodolphus," said her Master with a cold tone that froze Bella's heart. "My spouse wants to take care of the girl, so I am willing to keep her in our chambers, that is already a great honor for both of you. Also, my dear spouse wishes to have a practice child."

"Are you expecting our congratulations?" Cissy said quickly, as Bella had been shocked by those words, slowly processing their meaning.

"My son will be born at the end of March next year, our firstborn." The young woman said with a sweet smile as she looked at her husband with emotion. "And, of course, little Delphini Ginebra will have to be with me so that the siblings grow up together."

As soon as she said this, she left the room of the parturient with a brisk step, carrying the baby in her arms curled up against her breast, while her Master followed close behind, with one hand on her lower back. When they came out, Bella burst into tears, too distressed, not because of her daughter, the girl meant something only because she united her to her Master, but because of his indifference.

She was comforted by her spouse and sister and was so upset that the healer was called in and forcibly administered a sleep potion. She spent many days asleep, and even when her husband withdrew the potion, she continued to consume it in secret.

She stopped attending large gatherings, and she didn't even care anymore when on December 19 a group of Muggles launched a large-scale attack.

o-o-o-o

Ginny looked tenderly at the little girl who was clinging to her chest. The healer was right when she told him that she would start producing milk as soon as he began to breastfeed her.

She was a lovely little girl, with a heart-shaped face, a legacy of Bellatrix, pale blue eyes, almost white hair, and pale skin, a lovely little pink mouth, and an upturned nose, always sniffing the air, looking for the breast of the woman who raised her. Delphini was beautiful and couldn't bear to be away from her.

Tom wasn't happy that Delphini had stolen all her attention, and had told her that she needed to leave her no longer in charge of the bridesmaids who now served her. At the moment she had four; Adelaide Montague neé Murton, Graham Montague's spouse, both 19-year-olds, had been classmates of their twin brothers. The other lady was 24-year-old Gemma Farley, whom she met briefly 10 years ago when Bill dated her one summer, and 19-year-old Flora and Hestia Carrow, the twins had requested her services as a fortune teller regarding love affairs and were on good terms.

Gemma was the nicest of them all. So, she was the one she trusted her baby with the most. When she finished breastfeeding Delphini and put her to sleep, she left her in her crib and told Gemma to take care of her.

Then she went to the private dining room and motioned for Tilly to tell Tom that they were going to eat. He arrived quickly, and soon they ate together, while they talked and laughed. Things were going well, the Muggles had to attack that day, they had revealed some key locations, and they were only waiting for a few quarrels to provoke the indignation of the wizarding world.

But it was all a disaster with an unlikely variant.

They knew it could happen and they took the risk.

And they lost.

o-o-o-o

The shift started normal for Miriam Strout, who had just returned from her suspension for her role in the death of a patient. Every time she thought of Broderick Bode, guilt didn't leave her, how could she have been so stupid not to recognize a Devil's Snare? The investigation had left her unscathed, only with a warning and prohibition for all staff to receive flowers or plants for patients.

She had been back at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for a couple of weeks, and every day she made a conscious effort not to fall and manage the guilt she felt for that patient. She would never allow another patient of hers to perish under her care.

When she arrived at the ward, Janus Thickey visited all her patients and stopped at dear Alice. The dear innocent asked about her little baby, and the healer Strout only gave her words of comfort, telling her that soon his grandmother would bring him, there was no point in breaking the heart of the little darling, she guided her to Frank and sat them by the window to receive the sun.

Then she passed to Gilderoy, whom s¡he sat in his rocking chair while he made his bed and prepared the table for when the elves brought the food. Poor Gilderoy was chattering about his last trip to Tibet to stop creatures she had never heard of. Poor boy, with no family to visit him, she was his only listener, but he seemed to be very happy despite everything.

That is how she spent much of her day, that day had been a sponge bath, so she was especially tired, and when she saw the time she left immediately, she was about to finish her shift when some strange alarms sounded. She didn't remember what those alarms were about, they weren't from a dying patient, or a witch giving birth, or from a dragon pox epidemic. Soon she found one of his companions running.

"Run Miriam, we're being attacked by Muggles, we have to go." said the healer going out to the apparition court and disappearing into the air. Miriam was stunned, barely processing those words: had the Muggles found the hospital? Oh, of course, she knew about the riots and the Big Mistake, but... But how did they find the hospital? And who would be able to attack a hospital?

She heard the explosions and that took her out of her thoughts, she ran to the room from which she had left, with her long-stay patients. She knew that the protocol was to leave, take shelter, and notify the Aurors to put the order, it was the main thing, the first thing was not to be a patient themselves. But his heart was not able to leave his patients.

She dragged the patients she cared for to the Longbottoms' beds, the farthest from the windows, and put the beds as a barrier, secured the door, they were all terrified, crying like children, and just like children, they followed her as if she were their mother. Well, that was she for them, she took care of them, bathed them, fed them, and pampered them, she was the only thing they knew, she would not abandon them.

No patient of hers would die without her defending them to the end.

Muggles couldn't get into the room, she used every defensive spell she learned in her time at Hogwarts, but she didn't allow them to open that door, they would pass over her corpse rather than allow anyone to touch any of them.

The last flash of consciousness was the huge explosion, a flash of fire, ash, and crying, she only managed to hug her closest children.

And Alice Longbottom breathed her last into her maternal breast, reassured that someone was taking care of her.

Because this time someone responded to her screams of agony.

o-o-o-o

Percy entered the Ministry accompanied by his spouse. They had had a simple wedding a week earlier, and he had been touched when his parents arrived at the last minute and were present at the simple ceremony at Audrey's family home. Ginny had unfortunately been unable to attend, but a note from her had convinced her parents to attend. There they reconciled, and her mother immediately became fond of Audrey, they did not miss her at all since she was charming. His father was still aloof but cordial, though Percy was touched when he noticed his father's discreet tears when his officiant proclaimed them husband and wife.

That wedding, that special day, seemed so far away at that time when he and his spouse came to the appointment of him as the minister, he had been placed in charge of the Ministry, something that had taken everyone by surprise.

There was no way the Order could discredit him. Percy belonged to an ancient pure-blood family, blood traitor, but it was well known that he had abandoned his beliefs and had a good reputation and youth, and it was already public knowledge that his only sister married Lord Voldemort, whom society now proclaimed as its great savior.

The Black Friday Great Slaughter was an event that changed the mindset of the wizarding world irreversibly. The Muggles, under orders from their new minister and with the authorization of the royal family, ordered a large-scale attack on all populated places in the wizarding world; Saint Mungo was the most striking at the time, the hospital had disappeared and its charred remains were its last testimony on the face of the earth. Diagon Alley was also consumed by the flames of the "pombs", but what shocked society the most was the attack on the Hogwarts Express, it happened between Gretna Green and Carlisle, the tracks collapsed at the moment when the train was passing over an overpass and the students who were on their way home for the Christmas holidays died tragically.

They were very few, as families loyal to Voldemort had instructed their children to remain at Hogwarts under the care of Headmaster Snape, with several escape routes in case of an invasion devised by his sister. Muggle families, seeing the riots and attacks on people suspected of being witches, gave the same indication to their children to protect them.

Thus, the children of the magical families inclined to the opposite side of Voldemort were the only ones affected.

And they all alike had a thirst for revenge, which had been minimized by Kingsley Shacklebolt even at that time, so they revolted and deposed the minister and proclaimed through the newspapers to Lord Voldemort his intervention.

It was the move Ginny was waiting for.

Percy would have sincerely refused, he had not expected so many deaths, but on the same day of the attack, he went with his sister to complain to her and found her in shock in her husband's arms, muttering that she didn't expect an attack of that magnitude, that he didn't know that pombs could cause so much damage. So, he couldn't blame her and continued his plans.

Audrey gave a light squeeze to the hand that held him, giving him comfort and focusing him on what was happening. They were all chanting his name mixed with that of his sister and Voldemort, he had been proclaimed Minister vox populi, the people spoke and asked Voldemort and he had appointed him.

The solemn ceremony was carried out without interruption, in peace and harmony. The quarrels between the wizards who opposed Muggles and those who supported them were over, and Black Friday had made sure of that.

When each department head, including his father, came forward to recognize him as the new leader, the ceremony was finally over. And Percy and his spouse arrived at the Minister's office where he had spent more than a year working as an assistant.

He and Ginny were already waiting for them, sitting in an indoor room. As soon as they entered, his sister got up with emotion and almost ran towards him, while hugging him.

"Brother, congratulations." She said, giving him a resounding kiss on the cheek, then parting ways with him and bowing pronouncedly in jest. "Minister Weasley, it's an honor to stand before you."

"Ginny, sister, thank you." He couldn't say anything else, Audrey, noticing how moved he was, took his hand and squeezed him.

"Minister, it's a pleasure that you are the new leader of society," Voldemort said standing up, he looked strangely annoyed. "Now that you represent so much seriousness in your person, it is appropriate that you address my spouse by the title that corresponds to her."

Everyone present was static with surprise, when the understanding of what Voldemort's words suggested penetrated the 3 minds, they were filled with different feelings. Percy looked at him in surprise and then looked at his little sister, was he jealous? It was sick to be jealous of his spouse with her own brother, he exchanged a glance with Audrey, not daring to look at Ginny.

Of course, he had heard the rumors, the Death Eaters who worked in the Ministry complained to him, they all said that since the beginning of November, already counting more than 1 month, Voldemort had behaved strangely with Ginny. He protected her as if she were made of paper that could break at the slightest contact with the wind, and he was very aggressive with the men who dared to see her or even speak to her.

He never thought that he could be jealous of his spouse's own brother, it was something sick just thinking about it, did he think that he could feel attraction for his little sister? He was so angry that he took a step towards Voldemort, ready to unleash the first blow Muggle-style.

But both women stopped him, Audrey grabbed him by her robe, and Ginny gave him a pleading look as she shook her head, in a clear order not to interfere with that decision.

"It will be a pleasure to call Lady Voldemort by the title that corresponds to her." He said after a few long seconds, keeping his calm so well that the sentence came naturally, in his usual pompous tone.

"Very well, besides, now that you are in this position Minister, you will have to meet practically every day with Lady Voldemort, given the high position of both, this treatment must be strictly professional as long as you are meetings for government or war issues." The man said indifferently, and Percy held back his anger, he was taking away even the affectionate treatment of a brother from Ginny, it would be years before they could meet as siblings if her husband allowed it.


Thank for your comments :D