Haunting Visions
Authors Note: Can be read without the prequel, but to understand more, it helps to read it
Disclaimer: I own, Angelina Michaels, her family, Cassie, Alex, Isabella Zabini, Kit Lanchester, and anyone that you do not recognize from the Harry Potter franchise.
Rating: R for language, violence, sexuality
Pairings: Draco/Ginny, Blaise/Angelina, Harry/Hermione, Ron/Luna, future mentions of Blaise/Kit Lanchester, of Harry/Ginny, and of Harry/Kit
It's been five years since Ginny killed Voldemort. Now she has to deal with repercussions of her sixth year, and a new obstacle for Ginny and Draco, and Angelina and Blaise to get by. One possibly worse then Voldemort. Sequel to Help Me Cause I'm Breaking Down
Chapter 2: Scars and Burns
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"Oh, my God. Oh, my God!" Ginny was panicking, walking around the room, and fanning her face.
"Gin, babe, calm down." Angelina whispered, standing shakily and putting her hands on Ginny's shoulders.
"How? How did this happen?"
"I don't know, but Gin… about a dozen other Death Eaters escaped with them."
Ginny looked at the moving pictures of Tomas and Lucius' prison pictures, she sighed and fainted.
Draco moved easily and grabbed Ginny up in his arms, taking her weight off of Angelina.
"Well…" Angelina started, taking a deep breath and placing her hands on her hips, "She took that better than I thought."
Blaise snorted and rubbed his face with his hands, "So, Pops is outta prison." He sighed, "This should get interesting."
"Blaise… I've gotta go." Angelina breathed out, grabbing her keys and duster, shrugging it on then leaving.
"Angelina!" Blaise called, and then cursed hearing the stairs' door slam next to the flat.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked, coming back out of Ginny's room.
"Angelina's gone."
"Gone? Gone where?" Draco asked urgently.
"She just… left."
"You do understand that the Death Eaters will eventually find out that Gin brought Voldemort to his downfall. And they'll want revenge. And whom do you think they'll come after? Angelina. You. Me. Harry, Ron, Luna, Hermione. Anyone to make Gin suffer. You have to find Angelina, make sure she's okay."
Blaise sighed, "Angie can take care of herself. She knows defense and everything. She'll be fine."
"I hope you're right. For Gin's sake, and yours." Draco said, turning to go into the kitchen.
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Angelina stood on the docks and sighed. She lowered herself to sit and let her legs hang over the edge, her bare feet being caressed by the rippling water.
"You can come out from the shadows Chris." Angelina said, her eyes still forward as she called out to her sister.
"What's wrong?" Christina asked, the 19-year-old sitting down next to her, "You only come back home to LA, specifically to the docks, when something's wrong."
"How'd you know I was back?"
Christina cast a glance over at the two-story home a little ways from the dock and lake, "I saw you from my telescope."
"Still livin at home." Angelina chuckled.
"Why don't you go up and see mom? She misses you. You haven't been home in twenty-six months. Well, she hasn't seen you at home."
"She isn't my favorite person at the moment Chris. You of all people know this."
"Look…"
"Don't defend her dammit." Angelina cut in harshly, her mask of calm shattering and showing anger, plainly written on her face, "How can you stand up for her?"
"Because she's my mother."
"And you're a fool." She said.
"You've been in England too long Angelina. Your voice is picking up their accent."
"England is my home."
"But you're from here. This is your home."
"I'm from New York. I'm from Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, Texas, New Mexico, San Fran, Oregon, Saint Petersburg, Barcelona, Mexico City, and Paris. We've moved around so much because most of the time, Dad wouldn't risk our safety while he went out on a job for the International Ministry of Magic, back when he was an International Auror. I've finally found a place that feels most like home… I'm staying there."
"Then leave, never come back here. We own these docks. Technically, you're trespassing."
"Like mother, like daughter." Angelina said with a chuckle, "And from the look on your face, you're proud of that."
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Ya'know, it makes me sick to know that you're actually proud of that woman."
"That woman is your mother!" She said exasperatedly.
"She made it clear, two years ago that she didn't think of me as a daughter anymore when she disowned me for falling in love with Blaise!" Angelina hissed, standing up, she grabbed her boots and pulled them on, "Doesn't matter anyways. I'll be dead soon, so it doesn't matter."
"What does that mean?" Christina asked, standing up too.
"Ask dad." She told her before Apparating back to her club in England.
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Angelina slapped her hand on the just cleaned bar and cursed.
"Whats wrong Boss-lady?" Alex asked, moving the cloth over spilt vodka.
"Nothing." Angelina mumbled. She jumped over the bar and grabbed a bunch of mixes, "Want one?"
"Nah." Alex said, immediately knowing what she was making, "You're addicted to those things."
"Dirty Martinis are the best." Angelina said, stabbing two cherries with a toothpick, which she often substituted for olives. She went ahead and made three more.
"Ok, now I know something's wrong. You're about to drink four Dirty's and it's seven in the morning." Alex leaned over the bar and rested against her arms, "Spill it."
"It's nothin, chica. It's fine." Angelina said, downing one of the four Martini's in one gulp.
"Bull!" Alex said, grabbing a cherry from the jar and popping it in her mouth.
"Have you read the Evening Prophet today?" Angelina asked with a sigh.
"No." Alex answered, "We were slammed last night… this morning… you know what I mean."
Angelina grinned and reached into her bag and pulled out the paper.
"Hey… this guy looks familiar." Alex said, her finger tapping the paper, under one of the pictures.
"Tomas Zabini. Blaise's father. Convicted Death Eater."
"No… I saw him. He was in here last night. Asking for the owner, for you." Alex told her with wide eyes.
"Did he leave afterwards?"
"I don't know, I was talking to Cassie."
Angelina finished the rest of her Martini's and grabbed her keys and purse. She looked to Alex who was already pointing her wand at Angelina. Alex performed a sobering charm and Angelina thanked her before running out, and into something solid.
"Oh, my God! I'm so sorry!" Angelina heard, as strong hands immediately wrapped in her own and pulled her up swiftly from the cold asphalt.
"It's ok. I don't need to feel my ass… or back." She groaned.
"Sorry. I was hurrying to get into Phoenix Tears for a job interview. I was supposed to come last night but got tied up."
"Oh. You're Chad?" Angelina asked, rubbing the base of her back, trying to regain feeling, "I'm Angelina. Owner of the club."
"Chad… Chad Harper." He extended his left hand and she shook his hand and pulled away sharply, "Something wrong?"
"No." Angelina whispered weakly, "No." She said more strongly, she cleared her throat and asked, "Have we met before? You look incredibly, and annoyingly familiar."
"O…K" He said slowly, confused, at her sudden jolt between subjects, "No. I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you. I went to Sunstone Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry in America, but transferred to Hogwarts in my Seventh year."
"Hmm… I must've seen you in the Great Hall or something." She shrugged and asked, "Uhm… what position are you interviewing for again?"
"Cage operator, or whatever's available."
"Go in, tell Alex, that you're interviewing as Cage Op." Angelina told him, "Mikey, he's cool." Angelina called back to the bouncer, "I've gotta go. It was nice meeting you."
"You too." He watched her jog towards a Nissan 350Z and smirked to himself, pulling out his cell phone.
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Angelina got into the purple 350Z, which she leaves at the club for emergency getaways, and sped off towards her flat. She did a fast turn into her parking space in the parking garage and then got out of the car. She pressed the elevator button repeatedly and when nothing happened she let out a frustrated grunt and ran to the stairs entrance.
She took the stairs two at a time, trying to get up to her eighth floor flat in less than fifteen minutes like it normally took.
She sighed and veered to the left to avoid her neighbor, Jonathan Mitchell.
"Excuse me, ma'am." He puffed, jogging the stairs downward, cell attached to his ear.
She huffed and grabbed the rail, launching herself back up the stairs.
She passed the fifth floor and contemplated stopping by Ginny and Draco's to see if Blaise was still there. She doubted it so continued up the stairs. Coughing, she wrenched the eighth level door open and ran down the hall to her flat. She tried the doorknob and felt a twinge of fear enter her to find it unlocked. She pushed it open slowly and entered defensively.
She entered and found a few photos and vases broken on the wood floor of the entrance hall. She took the two steps down into the foyer/living room and heard glass crack under her boots on the crème colored shag carpet. Her hand touched the beige sectional and pulled back with a red blotch that she easily recognized as blood. She passed the wood wall unit where the TV, DVD player, TiVo box, DVDs, VCR, videos, and more pictures, sat, the boxes misaligned, pictures fallen backward, DVDs and videos strewn across the cabinets and floor.
She paused and looked down, a brandy colored stain sat where she was about to place her foot. She looked over to the light wooden hutch that held Blaise's good liquor. The door was slightly ajar and a crystalline jar was missing. The pale beige walls were slightly scratched; one had something dripping down it.
She heard glass crunch behind her and immediately sent her leg backward to kick the person in the stomach, instead, she was vaulted forward in a spin and landed hard on her back, the carpet did nothing to cushion her landing.
She pushed herself up slightly, glass slicing into her hand, her back rejecting her movement, and sent waves of pain up her spine. She groaned and lay back down.
"Angelina? Are you ok?" The voice asked, worriedly, grabbing her forearms and pulling her up.
"Just fricken peachy!" She said with sarcastic cheer, "What're you doing here Draco?"
"Gin felt something was wrong. Wanted me to come check on you and Blaise, make sure the two of you were okay." He immediately added, "Physically, at least."
Angelina nodded before heading towards the bedroom. She entered the dark room, the only source of light the moonshining through the open window. She walked over, pressing a chill back down, she kneeled her knee on the window seat and grabbed the windows' doors and closed them. She turned around and sighed. Blaise was sleeping on the bed, on his stomach, strewn out across the bed. She went over to him and brushed her fingers over his cheek before squatting down and grabbing from under the bed the, surprisingly warm, blanket Molly Weasley had knitted for them, their first Christmas living together, laying it across him.
She walked back out of the room and sighed, "I'll have to clean this the Muggle way." She looked up at Draco, "Oh, Blaise and I agreed to the no-magic clause, on the inside."
"And about that little spectra earlier where you flew across the room?"
"No-violence. Blaise cast it yesterday… when he came home. He surprised me."
"Probably figured you've been so defensive since the Museum, that you'd kick his ass."
"Yep." She answered, pulling her duster off, "Make yourself comfortable, I'm gonna go change."
"Thanks." Draco answered.
She felt his eyes follow her as she walked towards the bedroom. She walked to the wardrobe and grabbed her gray sweatpants and a white tank top; she then quickly changed into them in the walk-in wardrobe. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and looked into the mirror. She grabbed a tissue from the island in the middle, where Blaise kept his shoes, and wiped off her makeup. She then walked back out into the foyer and saw Draco through the window in the kitchen. She walked over into the kitchen, leant against the wood, with midnight-blue tile across the top, island, and sighed. He turned back around from the sink with a damp washcloth.
"What's that for?" She asked puzzled.
He looked down at her hands and she made an 'o' with her mouth in an understanding way. He grabbed her left hand and pressed the warm cloth against the wound.
"Ah!" She hissed as the water lapped up the blood and leaked into her palm.
"Sorry." He said, stopping slightly and then resuming more gently, "What happened here?"
"Don't know. Walked in and found the place like this. I think Blaise might've gotten drunk and threw some things."
"Where were you?" Draco asked, reaching over to the First Aid Kit and grabbing a gauze pad. He placed it on her slash and tied it down with thinner and smaller gauze, then started to do the same thing to her forearm, "This might hurt." He told her, grabbing a bottle of antiseptic.
"It's ok." She gritted her teeth as he pushed the liquid over her wound, "I went to Los Angeles."
"Why?"
"Well, I go there sometimes to calm down and think. The docks by my parents' house are calming. I ran into Christina." She rolled her eyes, "That was pleasant." She said sarcastically.
"What happened?"
"Brought up how Mom misses me. Shit like that." Angelina answered, watching as Draco's hands pressed a band-aid to the scratches on her arm, "We argued about the disowning, and I Apparated back to Phoenix Tears. Alex told me something disturbing." Angelina shuddered involuntarily, "Tomas Zabini showed up at the club, while I was gone."
"Did he try anything?"
"I don't know. Alex was talking with Cassie, doesn't even remember if he left."
"Ok, Gin and you aren't going anywhere without someone with you." Draco surmised.
"Hell-o!" She said, waving her hands, "Yeah, Blaise said something similar a few months ago, when we thought something like this might happen. Can Gin and I maybe get a say in this?" She asked.
"No!" Draco argued.
"Ya'know, it's sweet that you're worried for Gin, but annoying that you're worried for me. I know you only tolerate me because I'm Gin's best friend, and vice-versa because you're her boyfriend, but I've proven to you of all people that I can handle myself."
"Let's not bring that up." Draco said, very quiet all of the sudden, and fascinated with the lines through the wood floor.
"Draco…" Angelina softly said, her injured hand covering his, "Believe it or not, I do like you. You're cool and you love Gin a lot."
"But you just said…"
"Forget what I just said," She interjected, "Just believe me, when I say I can handle myself. Just worry about Gin." She whispered.
"I should get back down to her."
"Yeah." Angelina answered, removing her hand from Draco's.
"You gonna be okay?" Draco asked, gathering up his jacket.
"Yep. I can't sleep right now, knowing that monsters are out there lookin to kill us. I'll probably just clean up. I expect my father to drop by."
He reached over and awkwardly hugged her, "Alright, call us if something's wrong."
Angelina nodded, "Nothing will happen. We'll be fine."
He pulled away and took a deep breath, "Well, I better be going, make sure Gin is alright."
"K." Angelina said.
"Bye."
Angelina sat there watching Draco walk towards the door, "Later." She answered; her eyes fell down to her hand. She heard the door click into place and stood up. Walking over to the guest bathroom, she looked into the mirror, and sighed, "We are so screwed. I have the worst feeling Voldemort will look like a walk in the park compared to this."
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Yep, this was more Angelina-centric.
And, though it was unnecessary for that whole Draco-Angelina interaction to you, it'll probably be important in the future, and her disowning.
Love ya,
Ash