Chapter 18
"You have to eat, Alex." Leaning against the doorway to her son's room, Ginny eyed Alex with concern. She had spent the last few days trying to comfort him, which in turn had leant comfort to herself. Since that tragic day at St. Mungo's, her world seemed to crash down upon the name of Draco Malfoy escaping from the potion professor's tongue. It was up to Ginny to gain some sense of normalcy back into their lives.
She was merely pouring every ounce of care into her son instead of being on the receiving end of her family's sympathy. Was it selfish if she had other purposes? Concentrating on just Alex, she could forget the questions and doubts that lay on the edges of her mind.
"Not hungry." He said staring out the window. Looking for what, Ginny didn't know. She sat on the edge of his bed looking out the window with him. Alex was broodingly quiet. He refused to eat and opted to lock himself in his room instead of playing with his many cousins. It wasn't for their lack of trying. Edmund and Everett had begged him to play seeker in their pickup Quidditch game only to be met with a resounding no.
"Your Grandma made all your favorites. "
Alex never let his eyes stray from the window but the frown was very evident on his face. "Will Uncle Ron be downstairs?"
Ginny was afraid of this and silently cursed her brother for having taken matters into his own hands in front of her son. "Everyone's in the kitchen waiting for you to join us, your Uncle Ron included."
"He hates me." Alex said fiercely, "He hates my father and he hates me."
"Your Uncle Ron loves you."
"Why doesn't he talk to me? He won't look at me like I have something horrible on my face. It's because I look like a Mafoy, isn't it?"
Ginny closed her eyes briefly, striving to find the words that would help her son understand, "Uncle Ron wished he did things a bit differently. Sometimes adults let their emotions get the better of them. He knows you're upset but he doesn't quite know how to tell you that he's sorry."
For a long minute, Alex said nothing at all. Ginny wished she could say something else. She hated feeling inadequate and most of all Ginny hated the unhappiness on her son's face. Ginny's eyes shifted from the window to rest exclusively on her son. At this very moment, Alex looked even more so like Draco Malfoy.
Draco Malfoy is denying the rape of Miss Weasley claiming that sex was consensual between both parties.
When we found you Ginny, you were six weeks pregnant.
Ginny chose to not seek out answers to questions she felt were best left alone. She didn't want to fathom what occurred in the dungeons before the Order had found her. Had both father and son shared in unleashing their lust and violence upon me? No, Ginny shook her head, Don't think about it! She didn't want to remember. Draco Malfoy was a liar, twisting her son's mind to believe in his innocence and twisting her own mind to doubt his guilt.
A heavy silence hung between mother and son broken only by a knock at the door. "Where's my favorite grandson?" came the familiar voice of Molly Weasley as she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. "Owl post came, there's a letter for you."
The first smile in days graced his lips. Alex scrambled off his bed, "I have a letter?!"
Molly handed the letter to her eager grandson. Alex scowled as he casually tossed it onto his desk.
"Is something wrong?" Ginny asked, turning the envelope over in her hands. Pink hearts were drawn around the envelope with the initials C.W. + A.M.
Ginny took a deep breathe upon glancing at the initials. Alex Malfoy. This was not the name she wanted associated with her son. He was already being demonized in the papers. Horrible comments about Alex being the new dark lord. She had taken it upon herself to destroy each copy of the Daily Prophet and Quibbler before her son could read them.
"Wasn't it nice of Casey Wood to send you a letter?" Maybe there is hope, Ginny thought. At least there were some people outside the Weasley family who knew that Alex was still the same boy despite his bloodlines.
"Nothing else came for me?" Alex asked his grandmother in an almost pleading tone.
"Just Casey's letter," Molly answered, "Were you expecting anything else?"
Ginny swore silently. She knew exactly what Alex was waiting for. "Have you been writing him?"
Alex leaned forward on the edge of his bed, his small chest rising and falling rapidly, "Him? You mean my father. Why can't you just say it?"
"Don't Alex. He's in Azkaban for a reason." Ginny could say no more. He didn't deserve the title of father. One didn't go about making children by attacking their mothers. What fools they had all been to let Draco Malfoy wield such influence on Alex.
Ginny watched the play of emotions on her son's sweet face. Sadness. Anger. Disappointment.
"I've written father everyday and he won't write back!" With one quick swipe of his arm he threw his bottle of ink, quills and parchment crashing to the floor.
Ginny shared a look of concern with her mother at Alex's outburst. Molly said nothing, quietly casting a cleansing charm. The ink stains that were seeping into the wood floor disappeared as the quills and parchment were floated neatly on top of the desk.
"I want to see him." Alex demanded.
Ginny felt her son's pain. Her body was tight with emotions waiting to be unfurled. But she had done enough damage already, in front of her son no less. Alex needed to see his mother as a strong woman. He needed a sturdy foundation even if her next answer would condemn herself in Alex's eyes.
"No Alex." Ginny tentatively reached for him but he drew away from her.
"Go Away!" Alex yelled, stomping his feet. "Leave me alone!"
"Give him some time." Molly whispered, leading Ginny out of her son's room. "He's trying to work things out right now. All we can do is let him know that we are here for him."
*~*~*
Lunch was a quiet affair, or as quiet as it could be with the whole family surrounding the table. Alex's absence was noted by Ron's daughter, who kept asking about the whereabouts of her favorite cousin.
"Where's Alex, Aunt Ginny?" Anjali inquired, as her mother tried to talk her into eating vegetables that lay on the plate, untouched.
Padma inhaled deeply not wanting to fight with her daughter at the table, "Anjali Vanhi Weasley you eat these vegetables or no dessert later."
"No mum I'm saving it for Alex. Where is he?"
"He's tired." Ginny answered. The truth would be far too complicated for a four year old to understand.
Anjali tipped her head to the side, rubbing her chin deep in thought. She understood far more than what Ginny gave her credit for. "Daddy, why is Alex so sad?"
*~*~*
It's a summer holiday and we are on the beach. I'm kneeling before this huge sandcastle I just finished making, with no magic at all! The Muggle way, Grandpa once told me. I can see Mum and Father swimming in the warm waters of the ocean. Wait, Mum's jumping around in Father's arms with each passing wave! Parents! To be honest, it's really quite embarrassing. I mean the way they keep touching and carrying on like William Wood and his many girlfriends at Hogwarts… but I couldn't care less. They look perfect together. Finally, I thought they'd never get out of the water anytime soon. Gods in the heavens, Mum's as beautiful as ever…
Even with a full, rounded belly, mind you!
Okay, the beach is gone, and Mum's crying like a madwoman! I look around and all I can see is the Burrow from afar. It seems to have been charmed to bloom with an overabundance of exotic flowers that I've never seen in my entire life. Rows upon rows of seats are filled with people I recognize from school, although all are much older. Mother and Father are seated in the first row. She's sobbing on Father's shoulder, whose blonde hair is now covered with streaks of grey. He hugs her back and I can hear him whisper, "Honey we have two more," which makes Mum burst into even more tears than before.
Am I in a funeral? Where's Grandma and Grandpa? Why is Mum crying? Why is everyone staring at me?
What in all of Hades is going on here!?!
Why, there's Everett & Edmund standing right beside me! William Wood is there as well, gazing at Mum as always. "I have to admit, Malfoy, your mum is still hot after all these years! I wonder if I can ask her to…"
"SOD OFF WOOD!" We said in unison. Bloody bastard. Never could take his eyes off Mum…
Not that he's lying about her though…
What are we waiting for anyway… and why am I wearing formal robes? Hold on, why are there harps playing in the background? Holy Hogwarts this isn't a funeral… it's a wedding! And from the looks that Mother and Father are giving me, it's pretty obvious that I'm the groom!
I must get out of here! I'm too young to get married!?
Then why am I still here, grinning from ear to ear in anticipation! Might as well find out who she is, since my legs are frozen to the ground, and there's not a single broom within a mile's radius
Besides, am I not a brave Gryffindor?
I can't really tell from this side though, because of this hazy cloudlike veil hanging low at the far end of the aisle. Gods in the heavens, how I wish I'd wake up from this dream before I end up kissing the bride! Wait, the veil is moving…
Leslie? William's sister?! She looks ok and all, for a girl… but she's 3 years older than me! Gross!
Sweet Merlin, she's just one of the bridesmaids! Ok, I can breathe now. For a moment there, I thought I was going to have a Muggle heart attack! Somebody's right behind her. Wow, it's Anjali! Just like Aunt Padma, she's very pretty, even if she's older now, with her long dark wavy hair, light brown skin and freckles that could only belong to a Weasley. Looks like there's another bridesmaid coming, and I don't recall this particular redheaded cousin. She's beautiful. Everyone's eyes are upon her. Especially Willam Wood. Perverted git; always on the lookout for his next... Oh my, I can't believe this! She looks exactly like Mum in that Quidditch picture with Father, save for the grey eyes. She's probably around 15 or 16 years old. We share a smile, this girl and I. Already I feel a strong connection to her.
She is my sister. She has to be…
I can't wait to meet you…
"Alex, honey, wake up."
He heard a faint voice calling him. But Alex didn't want to go. This was a happy place that he didn't want to leave. He could be here forever and never wake up. There was so much more to find out. Why couldn't Mum let him stay in this dream world where she was madly in love with father and tears meant something other than being sad?
"Two o'clock in the afternoon is much too early to be sleeping." Ginny said while removing the covers.
He wanted to tell her to leave him alone but Alex knew she meant well. He would just give her the same excuse he had been giving her the past week, "Mum I'm tired." He said grabbing for his blanket and flinging it over the top of his head.
"Stop it Alex! You have to stop! What's going to happen when school starts? Will you hide in your room?"
"Yes!" What Alex wished for was that he wouldn't have to go at all. He had no friends save for his cousins and Casey Wood who only wanted to snog him. How could Mum ever understand how utterly lonely I feel right now? Alex dreaded returning to school. If father was there they wouldn't dare touch me! Now, even with his mum teaching, Alex felt scared at the prospect of going back to Hogwarts. Lawrence and the others would be returning back to Gryffindor. Where would he hide in his own common room? It wasn't fair.
His mum had his Weasley jumper in hand and folded Muggle khaki pants. "Here." Ginny said handing the clothing to Alex. "I expect you to be washed and dressed in no less than half an hour."
"Why?"
"Your Uncle Ron wants to take you, me and your cousins to Diagon Alley for some ice cream."
"Are you sure Uncle Ron wants me there?" Alex asked rather stiffly. If Uncle Ron had wanted me to come, why didn't he ask himself?
Alex allowed Ginny to put her arms around him and this time he didn't move away. "Of course your Uncle Ron wants you there!" She gave him a small kiss on his forehead, "Honey you know I love you right?"
Alex nodded. He was quite sure of it now. She was telling him what to do and where to go. Laying down the law like a real mum would. A part of him didn't like the fact that after all this time apart she could order him about, that had been Grandma Weasley's job. But another part of Alex was finally happy that he had a mum to do just that. It felt normal and it felt right.
He wrapped his arms around his mother and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, "Ice cream would be nice mum."
*~*~*
"Stay close!" Uncle Ron instructed the numerous Weasley cousins that had descended on Diagon Alley.
Ginny's eyes met Alex's before addressing the rest of the family, "No wandering off!"
Alex knew it was all meant for him. He saw the reporters eyeing him curiously as they pretended to point their cameras at other people or buildings that were no doubt meant for him. Alex had spotted them in the Burrow numerous times before being run off the property by one of Uncle Fred or George's hexes.
Alex ignored them while his cousin Anjali waved to one of the Quibbler reporters.
"Don't!" Ron told his daughter sternly, causing Anjali to pout.
Edmund and Everett on the other hand gave the reporters a rude gesture as a reporter flashed his camera unexpectedly. "Let's see them put that in the paper!" they winked at Alex.
Alex felt tempted to do the same, but then they really would think he was the evil dark lord. That musn't happen. The Weasley clan passed by a newsstand selling the latest copies of the Quibbler. A New Dark Lord Has Arisen -screamed the headline with his 1st year Gryffindor picture plastered on the front. It could almost be funny except Alex felt anything but. Edmund and Everett laughed upon spotting that their cousin was the new Voldemort in training. Alex pretended to laugh, trying to stop his fingers that were currently wrapped around his wand from sending curses flying towards those hateful reporters.
How could people say such things that aren't true? Don't they know how much it hurts?
"Alex, come now." came his mother's voice. Alex slowly tore his eyes away from the paper not realizing that most of the Weasley had already made their way into Florean Florescue's Ice Cream Parlor.
Uncle Ron was standing beside his mother looking at him with the most odd expression, glancing from the papers to Alex. Did he really believe what the Quibbler said? All of a sudden Alex's taste for chocolate ice cream vanished. How could his favorite uncle believe such lies? When you love someone you believed in them. Just how I love my father. This could only mean one thing. Mum was wrong. Uncle Ron really does hate me!
"I have some business to take care of Gin," Ron handed his sister a satchel full of galleons. "Buy as much ice cream for the kids as they want. I'll meet up with you in a bit."
Uncle Ron didn't want to spend time with him. He didn't invite me because he wanted to, he invited me because he had to, Alex thought rather dejectedly. He followed his mum into Florean Florescue's feeling sick at the scent of cherry syrup and fudge.
Edmund and Everett waved him over, "Hey Dark Lord, we saved a seat for you!"
Alex slumped into the seat next to his cousins while his mum ordered what seemed like a hundred sundaes. He barely tasted his; the bright winter sunlight streaming into the parlor was melting the untouched ice cream. He swirled it around absentmindedly only slightly aware of Ginny's concerned gaze.
"I thought you liked chocolate."
"I do." Alex said not meeting his mother's eyes.
"It would taste much better off your plate and in your mouth."
Alex spooned a bit of ice cream and attempted to eat some. "I know."
"What the papers are saying about you hurts. It hurts you and it hurts me." Ginny whispered reaching across the table and giving Alex's hand a small squeeze. "None of us believe what the Quibbler or Daily Prophet says. I might not have known you as long as Grandma or Grandpa but I know that the love, goodness and compassion inside your heart is so much more than anyone I have ever known."
He tried to smile and let her know that he was ok. But how could he? Someone did take what those awful papers wrote as fact. If Uncle Ron didn't believe him, who would believe that his father was innocent?
"May I sit here?"
Thoughts of his father were momentarily gone. Without waiting for an answer Casey Wood slid next to a surprised Alex in the already overcrowded booth. Why isn't mum telling her to leave?! This is just a family outing, Weasley's only! No one else was invited, but he couldn't bear to tell her to sit someplace else. She was his friend after all, even if she acted peculiar at times. "Hello Casey."
"Hi Alex, Hi Professor Weasley." She said pointing to a red bow tied around her hair, "Do you like it Alex?"
"It's pretty I suppose." Alex was already hearing the snickers of his cousins singing that awful Muggle song they had recently learned.
"Casey and Alex sitting in a tree. K- I -S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage …" Now Anjali was joining them in their little song. Mum should be stopping them!
"Would you like some ice cream?" Alex frowned at his mother's generosity. Great, just great. Mum is encouraging her to stay!
"No thanks Professor. My parents are buying me some as we speak." Casey turned her attention back to Alex, "Did you get my letters?"
Alex tried to ignore his cousins kissing sounds in the background. "Um, yes, thank you." He wouldn't tell Casey that her weeks worth of letters lay unopened on his desk, the hearts and flowers mocking him every time he chanced to glance at them. Why couldn't she have drawn the Snitch or something like that?
A sharp voice was the only thing that tore Casey's attention away from Alex. "Casey, you get away from that boy!"
It was Oliver Wood, captain of the Chudley Cannons. Even though Uncle Ron and Harry were on the team he had never had the chance to properly meet him. Once a long time ago Uncle Ron had brought him into the locker room during one of their games. Alex had built up enough courage to ask Oliver Wood for an autograph only to have his quill shoved back into his face.
"Don't take it personal Alex, he's just busy." Uncle Harry had told him.
Maybe he could ask Casey to get him an autograph. Surely he wouldn't say no to his own daughter!
"Get away from that boy Casey, now!"
Alex's face fell, finally realizing who that boy was.
It was him.
The woman Alex recognized as Cho Chang -Wood, seeker for the Falmouth Falcons, attempted to grab her husband who was stalking over to their table. "Don't make a scene! Please Oliver!"
"That boy has a name!" Ginny rose to meet Oliver Wood. Although she was much shorter, she poked her finger into his chest rather hard almost causing the great Oliver Wood to fall backwards, "How dare you talk about my son. You aren't fit to wipe his boots!"
"Yeah!" said Edmund and Everett, echoed by Anjali's small voice. "Yeah!"
Oliver narrowed his eyes at the redheaded woman who had once, many years ago, been considered a friend, "I won't have my daughter tainted by the likes of him!"
"Dad please!" came the embarrassed voice of William Wood hiding his face in his hands. "Leave him alone!"
"I'm sorry Alex." Casey whispered in his ear. "I still like you a lot." A wet sensation could be felt on his neck before Casey slipped away to her waiting mother.
Did Casey just kiss me again?
A crying Casey waved to him from her table and he tentatively waved back only to have his hand caught by Oliver Wood. "Don't wave to my daughter. Don't talk to my daughter. I don't even want your Death Eater eyes looking at her!"
"Take your hands off my son!" Ginny screamed even more so than when she had been at St. Mungos' that horrible day. She drew her wand, pointing it dead center between Wood's eyes. "I' m not above using the Unforgivables!"
Before Ginny could utter a hex. Wood was unceremoniously thrown to the ground. Alex couldn't help the small grin that started to form. Behind the now fallen Wood stood the cloaked figure of Uncle Ron, his wand tip still emitting faint bursts of light.
"No one messes with the Weasley family."
*~*~*
Alex was flipping through the many books at Flourish and Botts, Anjali holding tightly to his hand. "I want a book with Princesses!"
Alex's brown eyes scanned the aisle, looking for a book suitable for his four year old cousin. It had to have a happily ever after ending. Why can't life be like a fairy tale? Mum would be the princess and Father would be the prince. There would be no such thing as the prince being imprisoned, and their son would not be hated throughout the land.
One day he would have a sister just like Anjali, maybe two. But that was just a fairytale. Alex didn't believe in happy endings anymore, had he ever? Alex flipped through the book on Rapunzel. Was this really for children? Anjali would have nightmares. After the Princess's beautiful hair was cruelly torn from her head and the Prince was blinded by thorns they were finally together. So much trauma Rapunzel had to suffer before her joyful reunion with the Prince. Just like Mother and Father. Maybe fairy tales were closer to the truth than he once thought.
"Hey Weasley!"
Alex looked up from the books he was handing to Anjali. Ravenclaw Duncan McCain stood in the wizarding comic book section with two other Ravenclaws Alex recognized from Herbology class.
"H-Hi Duncan." Duncan was a very smart and popular student who beat all the other first years in everything save for Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions. Alex had the honor of being first in DADA and Potions, and was acutely aware of the tension between him and the Ravenclaw. Alex had always thought it was because he had prevented Duncan from obtaining top honors. Every now and then he would catch the Ravenclaw making faces at him when he thought no one noticed.
Anjali was tugging on his sleeve but he refused to follow his cousin when the Ravenclaws walked towards him.
"Chocolate frog, mate?" Duncan asked offering the candy to Alex.
"Thanks." Alex said taking the frog cautiously. They had never shared more than two words, and now Duncan McCain and his Ravenclaw companions were chatting with him as if they'd always been friends.
"You're cousin is such a pretty girl," Duncan reached into his cloak pocket offering Anjali another Chocolate frog, "Would you like one too?"
Anjali narrowed her eyes at Alex's classmate. "No!"
"Anjali, that's not nice! When someone offers you a present you can't be ungrateful!" Alex sighed remembering the talk Grandma Weasley had given him about talking to strangers. Anjali must have received the talk and now was just as paranoid as he had been.
Alex remembered so very well how afraid he was that someone would snatch him away from his grandparents. The very next day a six year old Alex eyed each and every person warily as he accompanied his grandparents Christmas shopping. A tall blond man was following them and Alex was scared. But Mr. Malfoy had turned out to be so nice, offering him a lollipop. Alex had thought they were playing hide and seek. He would go into a store with his grandparents and always Mr. Malfoy wasn'tfar behind. Alex made it a game to seek him out in the crowd. Finding Mr. Malfoy, he waved and the nice man waved back. But then Mr. Malfoy disappeared and Alex had lost him.
It was no different now. He had once again lost his father. Alex was tired of losing. He was not about to miss out on the chance to be in the company of Duncan McCain.
"You should take the chocolate frog Anjali." Alex insisted. He wouldn't stand to have his cousin act rude to potential friends.
"Your loss little Weasley," Duncan shrugged, "Heard about your Uncle and Wood at Florescue's ice cream parlor. Awful what happened. Hope Wood doesn't take it out on your poor Uncle during the Canons game."
"That Wood git definitely had it coming." The other Ravenclaw piped in.
"My dad died during the war but I don't blame you Alex. You weren't even there. It's a shame so many people are narrow minded."
Alex couldn't believe what he was hearing. Is Duncan McCain actually taking my side? It seemed to be so. Maybe going back to Hogwarts wouldn't be so bad after all, especially if someone like Duncan was his friend. His father died, yet here he was offering the hand of friendship. Maybe that's why Alex felt compelled to apologize.
"I-I'm sorry about your dad."
Duncan waved his apology off, "Not your fault. Bygones are bygones right?" he said holding out his hand towards Alex.
Alex gladly took it, smiling broadly.
Duncan pointed his finger out the store window at Quality Quidditch supplies. "The new Firebolt came in today. Want to take a look with us?"
Would he ever! He was being invited to hang out just like normal chums with Duncan and his Ravenclaw friends. "Sure!" His mum's voice popped in his head. "Don't wander off!" she had told him. But isn't this what Mum wants? No more hiding away, I'll be with friends.
"No Alex!" Anjali started to wail. "You're supposed to stay with us!"
Alex handed her the rest of the books, "Shush Anjali! Go off to your dad. I'll be back." Mum meant to protect him after the incident at Florean Florescues. But he wasn't four like Anjali. He was eleven and quite capable of walking down to the Quidditch Store and back by himself.
"Let me just get my cousins." He said ready to tell Edmund and Everett the good news about a new Firebolt. He had spotted them earlier in the back of Florish & Botts immersed in a book entitled, Anatomy Of A Witch. They had been laughing, showing Alex disgusting pictures of naked witches. Alex hoped that as long as he lived he would never ever have to see such a sight again.
Duncan grabbed his shoulder, turning Alex around towards the exit. "Already talked to Edmund and Everett. They'll meet up with us later."
Eagerly, Alex followed.
*~*~*
Ginny walked up and down the aisles of the bookshop. The day was coming to an end and it was time to floo back home to the Burrow. Every one of the Weasley grandchildren were accounted for, except for Alex. She asked each of the clerks and questioned random customers if perhaps they had seen her son.
He was nowhere to be found. Next time they ventured out Ginny promised herself that she would place a locating charm on Alex whether he wanted it or not. Especially now.
"Ron, I can't find him!" Ginny said frantically, "I've searched everywhere."
"He has to be here somewhere." Ron's eyes wandered finally resting on Edmund and Everett who were giggling over a book. "Have you two seen your cousin Alex?"
Wide eyed, they quickly snapped their book shut, "No."
Anjali was currently jumping up and down in her father's arms, "I know! I know!"
"Where is he?" Ginny asked her niece feeling a sense of relief. She would have a word with Alex for not listening to her. She had told Alex to stay close by and never did she expect her son to disobey. Ginny chuckled to herself. She was sounding more and more like her mother everyday. After all Alex had been through these past days, the last thing she wanted to do was make him more angry than he already was. But she had to make him understand that these rules were for his safety.
Anajli shook her head, "I told him not to go. I told him he was supposed to stay with us."
Ron's voice became firm. "Answer your Aunt Ginny, where is Alex?"
"He went with his friends to the Quidditch store to see the new Firebolt. I don't like them. They make faces at him when he isn't looking."
Ginny's instincts were screaming. With a terrified expression she bolted out of Flourish and Botts. There were many other people like Wood who had less control of their emotions. Victims of a war that still sought revenge against those with connections to the Death Eaters. Her son was prey to those out for justice. May the Fates help them. If they dared to lay one finger on her son, she would hurt them all.
She caught her breath standing in front of the Quidditch store whose sign read Closed. Ginny banged on the door, "Open up damn you! Open up!"
"Ginny. He's not there!" she twirled around to face her brother. "You have to calm down, okay? We'll find him."
"I should have been watching him! After what happened at Florescue's I never should have let him out of my sight!"
Ginny's ears perked up as faint sounds of coughing reached her ears. Her eyes searched the area, panic setting her legs in motion as she spotted blood leading into an alleyway towards the back of the Quidditch Store. Please be ok!
Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes as Alex stumbled towards her. Ginny ran her hand along her son's eye that was rapidly turning black and blue, wiping the blood that trickled from his nose and cracked lip. Ginny forgot all about yelling at her son, telling him how he ought to have listened to her. Instead she gathered Alex in her arms, kissing his bruised forehead.
"Who did this!" Ron seethed.
"It was an accident." Alex said rather calmly, staring at his shoes. "I- I fell."
Ginny felt her thundering heart constrict into an ache. Would her son always have to look over his shoulder? What had Alex ever done to them? The monsters that had hurt him deserved nothing more than to be locked away in Azkaban. Ginny would gladly throttle them herself. She had carried him for nine months and he was just as much a part of her as he was a part of the man who helped create him. Ginny could feel every bruise and cut that marked her son's delicate face as if it had been her own.
"Who was it?" Ginny asked again, tempted to use her wand against those that dared touch Alex.
Alex refused to reveal who his attackers had been. He seemed much more in control of himself than Ginny, his eyes void of any tears while his mother shook in anger. Ginny sensed a bit of foolish pride that prevented him from telling the truth, "I told you Mum, it was an accident."
He had gone through so much in her womb, only to survive in a world that wanted him gone. The need to soothe and protect was strong as Ginny held Alex even tighter. A few weeks ago she had been frightened and unsure about whether or not she could ever begin to love this boy. Now Ginny couldn't imagine her world without him. In such a short time Alex had become everything to her. Despite all the evil that had been thrust upon her, goodness still found a way to live on.
How ironic and how very fitting. Instead of breaking her, the Death Eaters had given her a very special gift.
What would she have done had Alex not been there when she had awoken? "You are the best thing that ever happened to me. If you left me I wouldn't know what to do. "
"Don't cry." Alex's hand went to his mother's cheek to brush away the tears that trickled past her defenses. "I'm okay."
Ginny lowered her head, her voice choked with tears. "I'm not okay Alex." I'm the one who's not okay.
*~*~*
After a few quick healing charms cast by his mum, the swelling started to subside. Unfortunately they weren't cast soon enough. The injuries to Alex's face wouldn't be camouflaged easily. He pulled his hood over his face walking in silence to the Leaky Cauldron with the rest of the Weasley family.
What a fool I am! How stupid of me to think anyone would want to be the friend of a Death Eater's son.
"Hey what happened to the newsstand?" Edmund pointed to a pile of ashes where the newsstand that sold pictures of Alex had once stood, only mere hours before. A stray piece of the Quibbler floated through the air. Alex picked up the paper, his own picture staring back at him. It was burnt around the edges but the title remained - A New Dark Lord Has Arisen.
Alex felt hurt squeeze his heart wondering if the feeling would ever go away.
Carrying a tired Anjali in one arm, Ron offered his other hand to his nephew. Alex took it, walking quietly beside his uncle. "Pity it burnt down." Uncle Ron whispered. "It was an accident."
*~*~*
Ginny waited until Alex was fast asleep before she allowed herself to break down. Her mum enveloped her in a hug as a sob escaped her lips. "They could have killed him!"
"Gin dear, he's ok. He's made of stern stuff. Weasley stock. Alex will pull through."
She let her mother hold her in the middle of the Weasley kitchen, sharing her pain, despair and exhaustion. Never had Ginny needed her mother more. Ginny wanted the strength, wisdom and maturity her mother carried so effortlessly. How else could she protect her son?
"I don't know if I can do it, mum….I feel so alone. I feel like I'm not enough."
"You were never alone Ginny." Molly said letting her daughter go briefly, before rummaging through her bureau. Yellowed pieces of parchment were held in her mother's hands. Ginny peered at them strangely. The handwriting looked oddly familiar. Her handwriting.
Molly opened one of the letters carefully, blowing the layer of dust that had accumulated over the years. "When you were captured, we feared you were dead." Her voice wavered handing over the letter to Ginny. "Read." she urged gently.
Dear Mum and Dad,
Please do not shed tears for me. It saddens me to think you feel pain over my assumed death. I am very much alive. When this war is over I shall see you both again. Please give my love to everyone. Thoughts of my family keep me going in these dark times. I cannot say much lest this fall into the wrong hands but let me give you a bit of good news and hope. Although I have not seen Charlie or Percy, I am told that they are alive.
Love,
Ginny
"I never received any letters from Charlie or Percy. Not one." Molly sighed, "Snape had informed us before the last Order meeting that he had to shut down communications. Voldemort and his followers were beginning to suspect a traitor. But Draco Malfoy......" Molly let a small smile escape, blinking back tears "he didn't seem to be listening. His owls kept coming."
Ginny regarded this new information with somber curiosity. "What are you trying to tell me mum?"
"I was never blind." Molly admitted. "I saw the resemblance between Draco and Alex since the first time he held him as a baby."
Ginny's world seemed to tilt on its axis and come crashing down. She clutched the table to prevent her legs from falling over. "You let him hold my son? Why mum? How could you?"
"How could I not Ginny? Alex is his son."
Ginny crossed the room, grabbing her cloak. "You knew all this time? Why didn't you tell anyone then?"
"I fell in love with Alex the first time I had him in my arms Ginny. I lost Percy and Charlie and was so afraid that you would never come back. I don't know what I would have done if Alex hadn't been born. He gave us…." Molly paused, struggling to continue, "He gave me a reason to keep going on."
She wanted to be angry at her mother for keeping a secret for so long just as Ron, Hermione and Harry had kept secrets from her. But her mother admission was so very similar to her own feelings. Alex had given Ginny purpose, something greater that she had to live for.
Molly continued her voice breaking, "I knew Draco Malfoy was his father and it frightened me. My children, my grandchildren are the most important parts of me. Alex is the one I hold most near and dear and I couldn't bear to lose him. Maybe it was anger that I would have to give up Alex to someone I still held responsible for my son's deaths, no matter how unfounded. Or maybe it was my fear of losing a part of you."
Ginny finished buttoning her cloak. "I- I need to leave." She turned the doorknob hesitating before walking out into the snow covered grounds of the Burrow. "Why are you telling me this? Why now?"
Before she shut the door to be alone with her thoughts, her mother's voice followed her. "I don't know why he hurt you Ginny but there is one thing I do know. He loves Alex."
Had she any doubt about Draco Malfoy's feelings for her son? The first time she had seen her son and Malfoy in the hospital wing, a small part of her had sensed it even then. Did you really hurt me Draco Malfoy? Ginny said to herself. After a long troubled night of soul searching, Ginny knew what she had to do.
*~*~*
"Wake up, honey."
Alex's eyes felt heavy and his head throbbed and ached as if he had been punched repeatedly. Memories of the day before brought him out of the dream world he wished to run back to. No one hated him in his dreams. And no one broke his nose either.
He rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes. His mum stood before him already dressed. He glanced outside, the sun barely starting to rise. "It's so early mum. Everyone else is sleeping." Grandma Weasley was always the first one awake. The smell of his grandmother's frying sausages usually indicated that morning had come.
Alex sniffed the air. Nothing.
"We're going somewhere. Just you and me Alex."
Alex yawned as Ginny handed him a towel. "I've already drawn you a bath. Breakfast is waiting downstairs and I've packed us both a lunch. We've a bit of a journey ahead of us."
"Sounds like we're going far." Alex said as he trudged sleepily toward the bathroom, wondering what kind of journey his mum had planned. He hoped he didn't run into any of his classmates along the way. Already he was feeling a bit excited. He would be spending time alone with his mum, just the two of them. It would be far better if Father was here. Just like in his dreams of the beach, it would be the three of them.
"We're going to Azkaban Alex."
Azkaban? Alex was much too afraid to question his mother fearing that he was still in a dream. Was he really going to see his father today?
He couldn't stop the tears that escaped, though he tried desperately to hide them. "You're g-going to let me see h-him!" Alex stammered running back to his mother and throwing his arms around her. Never had he been happier to hear the word Azkaban. Alex Weasley was going to see his father.
*~*~*
Although the sun shone brightly, Ginny shivered as she neared Azkaban. Her trembling hand knocked on the gate. "Ginny and Alex Weasley requesting entrance." She hesitated before stepping through, as the gate slowly swung open. Ginny closed her eyes trying to control her breathing as she walked past the many guards that lined the entry way. Alex clung close to her, and Ginny to him.
Despite her father's overhaul of the prison system and recent remodeling of Azkaban, the place gave off the stench of evil and bloodshed. She could feel the rage of the convicted and the torment of the victims. She squeezed Alex's hand, offering him a smile. He needn't know her fears of the dark and closed spaces that stretched even further than her imprisonment. The newly painted interior that was meant to keep the prisoners on high yet controlled spirits didn't fool Ginny. Behind it's façade lay a place that gave off the aura of hopelessness. The Dementors no longer had free reign over the prison but their presence still hung thick in the air.
A stocky woman dressed frighteningly in the robes of a Dementor came forward to greet Ginny, her hand outstretched. "Miss Weasley, I'm Warden Thompson. I can't tell you how pleased we all are that the Minister of Magic's daughter has decided to pay us a visit."
Ginny hesitated before shaking the warden's hand. "Yes, I owled my request to see Prisoner Malfoy."
Warden Thompson tapped her wand on a set of steel doors that led down a windowless corridor, "Ah yes, our problem prisoner."
"Excuse me?" Ginny asked trying to quell the sense of foreboding. She gave Alex a quick kiss on his forehead more to calm her own fears than Alex's.
"I think you'll be quite pleased to see that we take crime seriously here." Warden Thompson said pointing to a bin on a table next to another set of metallic doors that read- DANGER. PRISONERS IN AREA. PLEASE DEPOSIT WAND.
Warden Thompson said simply, "Security procedures. Your wand will be returned after your visit."
"Of course." Ginny dropped both her and Alex's wand into what looked like a bottomless bin.
The warden eyed her son's face curiously. No matter how many charms Ginny or her mum had tried, the black eye proved difficult to hide. She would rather have waited until Alex was healed. But by that time it might be too late. Alex needed to see him and if Ginny was being honest, she needed to see him as well.
"What happened to you young man?"
Alex it seemed, was sticking to the same answer he had given Ginny the night before. "An accident, I fell."
Warden Thompson said nothing, only raising her eyebrows in disbelief.
Stopping in front of a door, the warden chanted a lengthy spell before the door glowed bright, allowing entrance. She waved over a guard who stood at the opposite side of what seemed like a never ending hallway. "If a prisoner escapes, he can never find his way out without the proper spell. The corridors will go on forever. "
"Yes Warden Thompson?"
"Hawthorne, this is Arthur Weasley's daughter and grandson. Please show them to Malfoy's cell." She turned again towards Ginny," If anything is not to your satisfaction Miss Weasley, we are happy to assist." With that the Warden left, her heels clicking sharply down the hall.
Ginny tried not to stare at the guard whose grotesque features startled not only her but Alex. She barely registered anything the guard said as they walked past the caged walls. Numerous hands shot out through the bars begging for contact. Ginny could only hold her son closer and assure him of his safety.
"In my opinion Miss Weasley, after what that Death Eater did to you, I don't believe Azkaban is enough punishment."
They turned another corner, descending down stone steps into what must have been the basement of Azkaban. It was damp and cold with the faint smell of rot. At the very bottom of the stairs was a lone barred room. Ginny peered through the bars surveying the room. It was devoid of light. Ginny could barely make out the figure of a man lying on a cot.
"Lights please." Ginny asked pulling her son close.
"Certainly." Hawthorne had a cold hard smile that made Ginny's stomach clench, "Lumos."
"Mummy, is Father ok?" Alex whispered ,his eleven year old face looking more adult and serious than ever before. Draco's back was turned towards them and he was shivering violently.
Hawthorne rapped loudly on the bars of the cell causing Draco to mumble incoherently.
"You have visitors!" The guard bellowed before bowing to Ginny. "I'll leave you and your little one for now. Need anything." He pointed to a desk at the end of the hallway. "I'll be right there."
Alex's eyes followed the guard, "He scares me Mummy."
"Me too." Came the familiar drawl of Draco Malfoy. "I'm afraid I am no longer as beautiful as the last time you both saw me."
Ginny wasn't prepared for what she saw as he turned to face them. "Oh gods, Draco!" Both of Draco's eyes were bruised. One eyelid so swollen it could barely open. He was in possession of a cut lip and numerous still bleeding lacerations on his cheekbones. Draco's arm seemed to be fractured, dangling at an awkward angle.
"Father!" Alex cried reaching his arms out through the bars to touch him. "Father!"
Ginny gasped as he limped towards them. His feet were bare and bloody leaving red footprints in his path. Falling on his knees before the bars that separated him from freedom he managed to croak out his gratitude, "Thank you Ginny." He said as he took Alex's hands in his own. "Thank you."
"What happened to you Alex?" Draco asked tracing a bruise on his son's once flawless skin that mirrored his own.
Ginny encircled her arms around Alex as deep sobs racked his small body. "I-t w-was an accident." Alex stuttered choking on his tears, "I-I fell. W-What h-happened to y-you?"
Draco wiped at the tears trickling down his son's cheeks. "It was an accident. I fell too."
*~*~*
To be continued - more of the prison visit, Hermione's discovery and Draco's sentencing.
What was in that envelope that Alex gave to his father before X-mas???? It will become very important soon in helping Ginny remember.
Another appearance from Snape and Father Christmas
Much Thanks to VioletJersey, my betareader who won't let me give up!!! Also I want to give credit to for the plotbunny and helping me write the dream sequence. Without her, the small glimpses of happiness would have been dark and moody. Again much thanks!