AN: So I've just heard back from my second beta, and we've decided to do things this way, I'm going to post chapter 28, like I did 27, so you guys don't have to wait forever and when she gets me the chapters well betaed I'll repost so you can read them all well edited if you'd like. And sorry to everyone who was worried about our dear James, he was fine I just forgot to mention that he was outside.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Sanctuary
Harry's legs began to move under him, carrying him across the square to James. All he wanted to do was to get his son to safety; then he would worry about Malfoy. Once James was in reach Harry grabbed him up and turned back. He hurried to the threshold of number twelve and passed James off to Hermione, saying, "Keep them inside, they shouldn't see this."
Hermione nodded, putting James down and forcing him in behind her, "Be careful Harry," she said before disappearing.
Harry watched Hermione go, then turned just in time to see Malfoy stagger and almost fall. Something terrible has happened, was all Harry could think as he made his way back across the square, otherwise Malfoy would never have returned to Grimmauld Place. Not after the fall-out they'd had six years ago.
Harry reached Malfoy's side just as the blonde made to fall again. Reacting just in time Harry caught hold of the blonde before he hit the ground.
Harry pulled Malfoy upright again, slipping the blonde's right arm over his own shoulders. He wrapped his arm around Malfoy's back, the injured man immediately made a noise of pain and Harry adjusted his arm. Judging by Malfoy's reaction to touch Harry guessed that some of the blonde's ribs were broken. Making a mental note to avoid touching Malfoy's side, Harry struggled forward. "Come on Malfoy," Harry grunted trying to adjust the blonde, who felt like a dead weight at his side, "You were always a stubborn bastard, be stubborn now, don't give into whatever this is."
"They're dead," Malfoy muttered, "They killed them - I killed - all dead. Won't help them. My fault - couldn't stop - couldn't help - all dead."
"Harry," Hermione had reemerged at the doorway and was calling out to him, "What's going on?"
Harry grunted again, shifting Malfoy's weight once more, "I don't know. I think he's delusional, he's saying something about people being dead. And I think his ribs are broken."
"What can I do?" She asked as Harry and Malfoy neared the door.
"Go up to our room; in the back corner of the wardrobe is a brown leather case. Get the blue flask from inside it - it's a strengthening solution. I'll force it down his throat if I have to, but I want him strong enough to tell us what happened." She disappeared without further questioning. Harry continued to struggle with Malfoy as he pulled the weak blonde across the threshold of Number Twelve.
Harry kicked the door closed behind them and managed to drag Malfoy into the front room where he unceremoniously dropped the blonde onto the nearest couch. "God Malfoy, I never knew you weighed so much. Even carrying my cousin Dudley was easier then that and he was a boxing champion," Harry muttered, looking out into the hallway for any sign of Hermione. Malfoy muttered painfully in response, opening his eyes and looking around the room in an unseeing way. "Well I suppose I wasn't as old and beat up then as I am now, but still, that's not saying much," Harry continued to mutter, somehow feeling that is he baited Malfoy enough the blonde would snap out of whatever this was and start insulting back.
That didn't happen. Instead Malfoy's disjointed insistence that people were dead and that it was his fault started up again. But this time there were two words added that chilled Harry to the bone. Death Eaters - Malfoy was mumbling the name of Voldemort's followers under his breath. What did it mean? Had Malfoy gone mad or had Death Eaters done this to him. Was it possible? Could some of the Death Eaters have come back? Could Voldemort have come back, again, after all this time?
"Harry!" Hermione's voice called from the kitchen, cutting his fearful pondering short.
"Here `Mione," he called back, stepping into the hallway again, "I've put him in the front room." He saw her coming up the stairs levitating a tray in front of her.
"I've brought along some orange juice to put the solution in. Given the state he's in we need to give it to him slowly. If we make it to strong to fast we'll actually make him worse."
"Right," Harry said, mentally chiding himself for not remembering one of the basic rules for dealing with strengthening solution. "I forgot."
"That's why I'm here," Hermione said casually, obviously trying to keep her voice even. It was only to clear that she was as nervous about hearing Malfoy's tale as Harry was.
"Listen," Harry began, stepping in front of the door to preventing her from going any further, "Before we go in there, I feel I should warn you. He's in a right state."
"Harry, I appreciate your concern, but I'm not a child, I can handle seeing a bit of blood."
He shook his head, "No that's not what I mean. He's saying things - things about Death Eaters. He seems to think they did this to him." Harry credited his years of Quidditch to what he was able to do next. For when Hermione comprehended the words Death Eaters her concentration slipped and so did the tray she was levitation, but luckily Harry managed to grab the tray before it crashed onto the floor.
"Oh God," Hermione gasped, in a high pitched voice full of panic, so unlike her own, paying no attention to the tray she'd almost dropped, "No!" She exclaimed firmly, "It can't be. They can't be back. He can't be back. Not now. Not again. You destroyed him. He can't be back."
"Hermione, love, calm down. We don't know anything yet. I just wanted to warn you that Malfoy was talking about them."
"But…Lily and James," She said, their names barley a whisper on her lips, but Harry understood. They didn't just have each other to look out for anymore. Not that Harry had ever had just himself to look out for, but it was different with Lily and James.
"I know, but let's go in there and hear Malfoy's story before we recall the Order of the Phoenix."
"Right," Hermione agreed, stepping into the front room; Harry quickly followed her.
Malfoy was still on the couch where Harry had left him. Though he had managed to prop himself up so he was leaning over the arm rest. Harry wasted no time, he put the tray down on the coffee table, poured a safe amount of strengthening solution into the goblet Hermione had supplied, and topped the cup off with a healthy portion of juice. He then joined Malfoy on the couch. Harry tilted the blonde's head back to a safe angle, and while supporting Malfoy's head with his free hand, he forced the edge of the cup between Malfoy's slightly parted lips and began to pour.
Most of the mixture spilled from the corners of Malfoy's mouth; sloshing down to further soil his already ruined clothing. But some of it did make it into the blonde's throat and Harry could clearly see him swallowing. "Good, he's got some of it," Harry reported to a very anxious Hermione who was hovering between the far couch and the coffee table. "Let's just hope he can keep it down."
"Yes," Hermione agreed, "Here Harry, give me the cup and I'll fill it up again," she insisted, holding out her hand. Harry gave over the goblet willingly and waited as she replenished the mixture. This time Malfoy managed to swallow the majority of it and it was already having a positive affect on him. When the third batch of solution was offered Malfoy's hand grabbed for the goblet and his mouth opened wide; he got it all down that time.
Harry paused before giving the fourth cupful, giving Malfoy a chance to awaken further. His grey eyes were opened again, but it seemed this time he saw his surroundings. When his eyes fell on Harry they widened with recognition and he managed to choke out a single word, "Potter." In their Hogwarts days the use of Harry's surname had been meant as an insult, but now it was said with desperate relief, "Potter - I tried - I had to come - they're dead - all dead."
"Who's dead Malfoy?" Harry asked, his voice a forced sort of calmly, passing the goblet into Malfoy's extended hand, which was shaking slightly, "What's happened?"
Malfoy struggled with the goblet for a second, until he managed to get a firm grip. Then he drank deeply from it before he answered, seeking more strength before he plunged forward, "Pauline and Violette," he explained quickly downing the rest of the mixture. Harry grimaced; those were the names of Malfoy's wife and five-year-old daughter.
"What happened?" Hermione asked softly, taking the goblet out of his hands.
Malfoy looked up at Hermione, clearly surprised to see her there, "It's a long story," he admitted, touching his face gingerly, testing the severity of his injuries.
It was then that Harry noticed how stale and tight Malfoy's voice sounded, as if he hadn't used it for a very long time. Harry also noticed how pained his breathing was, but that was probably a result of his broken ribs. "Here," Harry said, waving his want over Malfoy's injured side and saying the bone mending spell he had learned during the war.
"Thanks Potter," Malfoy said, stretching a bit from side to side. His breathing still sounding a bit painful, but Harry was sure there was bruising that he didn't know how to fix.
"Have more solution - then tell us what happened," Hermione insisted, handing Malfoy the goblet, which had now been filled for the fifth time. The blonde swallowed it down quickly and put the goblet on the coffee table.
"So much happened. It started back in September, the 15th, I remember because Pauline and I were celebrating, we'd just found out she was pregnant. That night, after we'd put Violette to bed and gone to sleep ourselves, they came. Death Eaters that the Ministry never managed to capture. They came in our room; they knew I was the one they'd have problems with so they got to me first. The Death Eaters cast a body bind on me while I was still sleeping, so I couldn't fight, then they got Pauline. They bound her like they bound me and dragged us both to Violette's room. We had to watch them tie her up." He paused then, trying to hold back a great sob. His hand went up to cover his eyes, but they could already see tears sliding down his cheeks, "I couldn't do anything, I couldn't protect them."
Hermione came around the coffee table, brushing away her own tears of sympathy, and wrapped Malfoy in a one armed hug of comfort. The blonde cried even harder then. All pretense forgotten he buried his face in the sleeve of Hermione's jumper and showed more emotion then either of them thought him capable of.
It took the grieving blonde a good fifteen minutes to pull himself back together. When he finally came out of Hermione's friendly embrace his face was flushed and his eyes were blood-shot. He muttered an apology to Hermione, but she brushed it off.
The three of them sat in silence for a moment before Harry felt it was safe to ask, "What happened after that?"
"After that, they took us to the Riddle House, the former home of Voldemort's father."
"Before Voldemort killed him," Harry added bitterly and Malfoy nodded.
"I only know that now. The night my family and I were take there we were blindfolded. I don't even know how we got there. But they took us into a dark room where two more Death Eaters were. They chained us up against a wall and left us blindfolded."
"Did you know who any of the Death Eaters were?" Harry asked hopefully.
"At the time no, they were all wearing their cloaks. Whenever we weren't blindfolded they had their hoods down over their faces."
"Right, why would they let you see them?" Harry asked rhetorically, than added. "So they've got you in the Riddle House, then what did they do?"
"For a while they did nothing, except taunt us. Put food a few feet away from us; let us know it was there, but that we couldn't eat it. Then they killed Pauline."
"What!" Hermione gasped.
"She was sick, because they weren't feeding her and because of the baby. Her being sick eventually annoyed them, so they killed her - and our baby." He paused once more and Harry and Hermione both thought, for a moment, that he was going to cry again. He didn't. He let out a low rumble of rage and jumped off the couch, taking Harry and Hermione completely by surprise. "They took my blindfold off for that," he exclaimed bitterly, "They made me watch. They forced me to see the curse hitting her, to see her crumple lifelessly to the ground. They made Violette watch too, and I got to hear my little girl cry out for her mother. I can still hear those cries."
The blonde was pacing quickly now; walking the distance between the wall and the window and back again; his anger apparent with every step. It seemed, now that his strength was replenished nothing could hold back the rage he was feeling. Harry and Hermione watched silently, fearfully, they didn't want to speak to soon and have his anger turned on them.
After a while he spoke again, "They set about the real torture after that. They would take Violette into another room and use the Cruciatus Curse on her. All I could do was listen to her, yelling for me, screaming in pain. Then they would come back to the room I was in, and her screams grew louder, and they'd taunt me; tell me I couldn't help her, that I could never help anyone. They got into my head, and they knew it. That's when they made me the offer.
"They asked about you," he explained, stopping his pacing for a moment to look at Harry. "They asked me where they could find you; promised me they would stop hurting Violette if I just told them where you were. I knew they wouldn't stop, but still I wanted to tell them," he admitted remorsefully, this time deliberately looking away from Harry, "I would have told them, if I could. I wouldn't have given it a second thought. But I couldn't, since I'm not you're Secret Keeper, and they kept hurting her.
"It went on and on. It never seemed to end. They would torture her for hours, repeating the same words all the time, `Tell us where Potter is and she can go free. Tell us where Potter is and your daughter's pain will end.' When they decided it was enough for the day they would bring her back into the room where I was and feed us, barley enough food and water to keep us alive.
"Eventually they killed Violette, when they realized that I wouldn't, couldn't, tell them what they wanted to know. And they forced me to watch her death the same way they forced me to watch Pauline's. Once she was gone they began using the Cruciatus Curse on me. For hours on end they would curse me, making me writhe in pain, and laughing at me."
"How did you escape?" Hermione asked desperately, sounding a bit like a child being told a story.
"They let their guard down, they assumed I was broken, so they stopped being so careful. I waited until one of them was daft enough to unchain my hand. Once my hand was free I took his wand and I killed him. Then I killed the other four," Malfoy told them coldly, showing no remorse. "I would have killed them with my bare hands if I'd had the strength. They took everything I had, I took their lives."
"Who were they Malfoy?" Harry asked.
"Crabbe, Goyle, their fathers, and another I didn't recognize. He must have joined Voldemort after I defected."
"But does that mean -" Hermione began, but then stop. It was obvious to Harry what she was about to ask, she wanted to know about Voldemort. If this meant he was out there somewhere, biding his time. Harry wanted to know that himself, but he wasn't able to say it either. The idea of what a yes answer would mean frightened him more then he would care to admit.
After a long moment, when her unfinished question seemed to hang in the air between them, Malfoy shook his head and said, "No."
Hermione heaved a great sigh of relief, grabbing Harry shoulder, be Harry was not entirely convinced, "How do you know?" He asked, taking hold of the hand on his shoulder, "How can you be sure?"
"I heard them talking. They know he's dead, they said it themselves," he told them, "They were looking to take his place. They decided that if they could kill you, do the one thing he never could, then nothing would stand in their way."
Harry gave a hollow laugh, "Rather ambitious of them."
"Crabbe and Goyle were dumb, but they were always ambitious."
"You do realize what you have to do now, don't you Malfoy?" Hermione asked tentatively, stepping around the couch and walking over to him.
He looked her over carefully, trying to gage the seriousness of the question before saying, "No, Granger, what would you recommend I do now?"
Hermione frowned, she'd hopped he'd come to this conclusion already, "You have to go to the Ministry. You have to tell them what happened and admit to what you've done."
Malfoy snorted humorlessly, "I'd forgotten how strange your sense of humor is."
"I'm serious," she insisted, "If you don't come forward and they find out it'll be worse. It'll seem like you were trying to hide."
"You think I'm going to go to the Ministry?" He asked incredulously, "If the damn Ministry was worth its salt this never would have happened! If it and the bloody Aurors had done their jobs my family would never have been killed!"
"Calm down Malfoy!" Harry ordered, jumping off the couch. "Hermione was just making a suggestion."
"Yes, just suggesting that I turn myself over to the Ministry so they can throw me into Azkaban for defending my family!"
"They won't throw you into Azkaban," Hermione said.
"I used an Unforgivable Curse five times! There is nothing else to do with me but throw me in Azkaban!"
"But given the circumstances -"
"Circumstances don't matter Granger, not to these people. They've wanted to lock me up for years, just because of who my father was. I'm not about to offer myself up to them on a silver platter!"
"If you don't I'll do it for you!" Hermione insisted.
"You wouldn't dare."
Hermione looked like she was on the verge of saying more, but Harry stopped her by grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling her quickly out of the room. "Harry what are you doing?" She demanded angrily, pulling her wrist out of his grasp.
"'Mione, you have to calm down," he insisted, leading her down the hall so they wouldn't be overheard by Malfoy.
"How can I Harry? He's being so stubborn!"
"He's being Malfoy. He's just lost his family; his wife and his children."
"I can't believe you're sticking up for him!"
Harry threw his arms up in disbelief, "I am not sticking up for him. I am asking you to give him a little time."
"How much is a little?" She asked sounding a bit calmer, though her eyes were narrowed in suspicion.
"A week, two at most," he said carefully. Her eyes softened a bit and she chewed softly on the corner of her bottom lip, considering what he had said.
She sighed, and her teeth relinquished her lip, "Fine," she relented, "But if he doesn't I will do it for him."
"I know you will," Harry said kindly, "So, do you think you can be civil now?"
"Yes, if he is as well."
"Good, because I was thinking, since you've always been better at healing spells then I have, you could try and patch him up while I go and check on the twins."
She nodded, "Right, I can do that," and she started across the hall. She was halfway to the door before she turned back around and exclaimed "Dinner!"
It took Harry a moment to understand what she meant, but when it finally clicked he groaned loudly. They were supposed to go to the Weasley family Christmas dinner that night. "I don't feel up to going to dinner," he said, hopping she would be in the same mind set.
"Neither do I," she admitted, "But what about the twins? They are so looking forward to it and its Christmas, we can't just not go."
He shook his head, "I don't know, but we can't take him with us," he said pointing his thumb in the direction of the front room.
"Merlin no," Hermione agreed without hesitation, "that would be a disaster."
"We could leave him here," Harry began thoughtfully, "if we go to dinner the twins will be with us and we won't have to worry about the three of them crossing paths."
"Okay, that sounds like a good plan. So, what are you going to tell the twins?"
He shrugged again, "No idea, I'll figure something out though, I'll have to." She nodded, and for the briefest moment they started at each other, until she gave him a soft smile and turned back to the front room. Harry saw her take a deep, bracing breath, and pull open the door.
There was a silence once Hermione had entered the room, followed by Malfoy's would-be-calm voice asking, "Decided to turn me in?"
"No," Harry heard Hermione answer stiffly, "Harry's talked me out of that - for now."
Harry just managed to hear Malfoy's response of, "Well-done Saint Potter," before he started up the stairs.
He reached the second floor landing and looked to James' room but found the door wide open, with no sign of James inside. He paused for a moment, listening to the house around him. He could hear Malfoy and Hermione bickering about something down in the front room, but he could also hear the ceiling creaking above him. The twins must have gone all the way to the top of the house, probably camped out in Lily's room. That was good, Harry decided, the farther they were from the front room the less chance they had of overhearing anything, especially when Malfoy and Hermione had been yelling.
Up on the third floor he found Lily and James in Lily's doorway, looking expectantly at him. Had they heard him coming or had they been attempting to eavesdrop the entire time?
"We heard you coming," Lily said meekly, answering her father's unasked question. Her voice was shaking a bit and her green eyes were sparkling up at him, begging for understanding.
Harry was suddenly finding it very hard to speak. Looking between his children he was suddenly aware of how very small they were and how much of his past they didn't know. A lump appeared somewhere just below his Adam's apple and he felt his eyes getting wetter then they should be. He'd been struck just then by the thought of how he would feel, in Malfoy's place, losing his children. Harry swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump but it didn't want to budge. Willing his tears not to fall he swallowed again and this time it seemed to help. Finally, after swallowing a third time, he managed to say, in a would-be-cheerful voice, "I've just come to check on the two of you."
"Dad, who is that man down in the front room?" James asked, "What's happened to him?"
"Yes Daddy, who is he? Why's he here?"
Harry motioned for them to step into Lily's room and the twins did so without hesitation. He took a deep breath, just as he'd seen Hermione do downstairs, and followed after them. Lily and James had perched themselves on the edge of Lily's bed. Harry closed the door behind himself and, with a well used wave of his wand, produced a chair for himself, since the one at Lily's vanity was much to small for him to sit in. He tucked his wand away before sitting himself down in front of them, sighing quietly as he went. He had no idea what to tell them. "That man is Draco Malfoy," Harry said after a short pause, figuring that was the best place to start. "He was at school with your Mum and me; in our year, but belonging to a different house."
"Was he your friend?" Lily asked hopefully, thinking that if he was a friend of her parents then he wasn't someone to be afraid of.
Harry nodded his head slightly, "For a time he was, towards the end of our time there and for a short time after that, but not so much recently."
"Why not?"
"Let's just say it was a difference of opinion, but that's not important now."
James seemed to hesitate before asking, "If he's not your friend why is he here?"
Harry didn't answer right away; he didn't know how to answer exactly. He knew he couldn't tell them the truth, at least not the whole truth and he didn't want to lie to them. "He's hurt, he needs help, so he came here," Harry said, deciding that a vague version of the truth was his best option.
"But who hurt him? And why?" Lily asked.
"A group of men," Harry said after a short time, "Who thought that Mal - Draco had information they wanted."
"What sort of infor-" James began eagerly, but Harry stopped him.
"That's not important," Harry insisted, "what's important is he didn't give it to them."
There was a view minutes silence before Lily asked, "Will he stay here?"
Harry shrugged; he hadn't thought of that, but leave it to Hermione's daughter to be practical, "He might, I don't know."
"Does that mean he'll be coming to dinner with us?" James asked.
"No, he won't be," Hermione answered from the doorway, before Harry could. He and the twins turned to look at her and she smiled weakly back. "He needs to rest. Harry I was thinking you could give him a potion for a dreamless sleep."
"Right, well I'll go take care of that," Harry said, standing up, and with a quick wave of his wand the chair he'd been using disappeared. "If we're going to Christmas dinner, you two had best get ready," he added to Lily and James as he crossed to the door, it was already two and they were due at the Weasley's by three for the late afternoon dinner. "I suspect that Grandma Molly would like to see you in those jumpers she gave you."
"Okay," Lily and James said together both getting off Lily's bed. James walked out the door quickly, a look of determined excitement on his face.
Guessing what that look meant Harry called after his son, "James, I want you to stay away from Draco. He's had a hard time and he needs to rest, so if you see him leave him alone." Harry knew his guess was right when a very defeated sounding "Yes, Dad," came from the hallway.
"So we're going to dinner," Hermione affirmed as she and Harry stepped out of Lily's room, once Lily's door was closed.
Harry nodded, "For Lily and James."
"And what about you and I, who don't want to go?" She asked walking down the hall towards their room.
"You and I," Harry started, wrapping his arm over her shoulder, "are going to do what parents have done since the beginning of time. We are going to suck it up for the sake of our children."
She smiled weakly at him and let her body melt into his as he pulled open their bedroom door; this position was making it hard to walk, but neither of them cared.
"I suppose that is the right thing to do. It won't be so bad, I know, but I just," she sighed heavily, "just feel very drained."
"I know the feeling," Harry said reassuringly, he felt very much the same way. Hearing Malfoy's tale had taken him right back to the years when the threat of Voldemort and his Death Eaters had been around every corner. The thought of it had scared him more then he believed possible. When he had faced Voldemort he hadn't had Hermione or the twins to worry about, he'd fought because he had to, distancing himself a bit from the people he loved, to protect them and himself. But he couldn't do that again, he'd barley been able to push Hermione away when she was his friend, he certainly wouldn't be able to do it now that she was so much more.
Harry didn't realize he and Hermione had made it into their room, or even separated, until his side, the one Hermione had been attached to moments earlier, collided with the side-post of their bed. He inhaled sharply, creating a hissing sound and muttered, "Ow," under his breath.
"Love, are you all right?" Hermione asked from behind him.
Messaging his sore side he turned around to face her, "Yeah, I'm fine, I was just - thinking," he admitted, then countered with, "are you all right?"
She looked him over carefully, appraisingly, than flashed him another feeble smile before saying, "I'm fine, just drained like I said. You get cleaned up, and give Malfoy his potion; I'll see that the twins are ready in time." Harry nodded and Hermione left the room. He didn't believe for a second that she was fine, but since he still had to change out of his clothes, get ready for lunch, and see to Malfoy; Harry decided he would push Hermione for the truth later.
Quickly, Harry shucked off his clothes, which had dried and stiffened a bit, cast a cleansing spell over himself and got dressed again. He was halfway out the door before he realized that he'd forgotten the potion for Malfoy. Doubling back he went to the rear of his wardrobe and pulled out an unopened bottle of potion. The Hogwarts nurse, Madame Pomfrey, had given it to Harry, who'd never been good at mixing potions on his own.
Potion in hand, Harry made his way down to Hermione's old bedroom on the second floor. Malfoy was standing at the side of the bed, his back to the door, gingerly pulling his tattered shirt over his arms. Once the shirt was off Harry could see large green and yellow bruises going from shoulder to shoulder.
Harry frowned, "I thought Hermione healed you," he said.
Malfoy shrugged, "She did, I'm not bleeding anymore, but the bruises will linger." Harry nodded; he would have known that, if he'd thought about it. Hermione isn't a qualified Healer, so her spells wouldn't be perfect. "Still," Malfoy said turning around, "she's handy to have around. Though, I would guess, from the way you two look at each other, you don't have her here for your health."
"Depends on your definition of for my health," Harry said before he could stop himself and he was sure he saw Malfoy smirk.
"So who was the wiry kid I saw out in the hallway?" Malfoy asked, "The one leering at me from across the hall."
"He's my son, and I'm fairly sure he wasn't leering at you."
Malfoy apparently, was too shocked to argue over semantics, "Your son?" He asked, in disbelief.
"Yes, mine and Hermione's," Harry explained, "his name is James and he has a twin sister named Lily."
"Named for your parents I suppose, how unoriginal," Malfoy muttered darkly. Harry was about to snap back, but then he saw that Malfoy's eyes were watering and Harry suddenly understood. He'd just lost his family, the last thing Malfoy wanted to do was hear about Harry's.
"Listen Potter," Malfoy began, "I know things are bad between you and me. We ended our friendship on a sour note, but I can't go back to the Manor, I can't be in that house."
"Stay here," Harry offered, "No one can find you here. As for the other, I suppose it's all forgiven, you did what you had to do."
"I never wanted to hurt her, you know," Malfoy said quietly, almost too quietly to hear, "I loved her, but it was my duty." He moved to sit on the side of the bed. "I love my wife - loved my wife and our daughter, I don't regret what I did, I just wish it could have been different."
"I know," Harry found himself admitting, without really wanting to. He'd been holding this grudge against Malfoy for so long, that he didn't even realize that the sensible part of him had already forgiven the blonde. "But, I'm not here to talk to you about that. I've come to give you a potion for a dreamless sleep. You need to rest, the potion should help."
With a wave of his wand Harry conquered up a glass, poured out a serving of the potion that should let Malfoy sleep for at least twelve hours, and then passed the glass to Malfoy. The blonde took it with a grimace and, after raising it in mock toast to Harry, downed it, almost entirely, in one gulp. Malfoy only just handed the glass back to Harry when he fell back on the bed, already sleeping soundly.
Harry put the glass and the potion down on the bedside table, and quietly left the room, sealing the door as he went; insuring that, as long as Malfoy didn't try to come out of the room, the twins couldn't get in.
He found Hermione and the twins down in the front hall. Hermione was helping a resistant James into his jacket. "I just don't understand, why don't you want us to say anything?" James was asking.
Hermione sighed, shoving James' jacket resolutely over his shoulders, "I've told you," her exasperated voice said as she handed James his gloves to put on, "this is supposed to be a nice family dinner, if you bring up Draco, it'll only make things very uncomfortable."
"But why?" Lily asked, watching her brother making quite a show of putting on his gloves. "If he's your friend and he's Daddy's friend, then wouldn't he be a friend of the Weasley's as well."
"No," Harry answered before Hermione could, "They had a falling out with him years ago, just like your mother and I did. Theirs was worst in fact. Your mother's right, bringing him up will only upset them." He took his jacket as Hermione offered it to him, and pulled it on, staring fixedly on his son, waiting for an answer.
"Fine, we won't say anything," James relented stubbornly.
"Good, I'll keep you to that," Harry promised sternly, pulling on his gloves and turning to Hermione, "ready?" He inquired.
"Ready," she echoed, nodding her head and pulling her jacket tighter against her body.
"All right you two," he said addressing the twins once more, "today we're going to apparate." The twins reactions were mixed
James gave an excited, "Wow," his eyes lighting up at the prospect. While Lily asked curiously, "Why can't we just use floo?"
"It's not that we can't, it's just that the network will be rather busy today," Harry explained. "Everyone will be wanting to make floo calls to wish family members a Happy Christmas and it'll make traveling by floo a right mess."
"So how do we do it?" James asked.
"You grab hold of my arm, get a very firm grip," Harry instructed, "and Lily you do the same to your mother." The twins quickly did as they were told. "Now, I would recommend you close your eyes, I seem to remember that making it a bit easier when I was first trying it." The twins closed their eyes and the family of four easily apparated a little bit down the lane from The Burrow. The twins seemed to come out of it alright, but James showed a clear enthusiasm not to do that again anytime soon.
They reached the front lawn of The Burrow just as it began to snow lightly, so that by the time they reached the door they all had a light powdering of white on their shoulders and in their hair. Molly greeted them at the door, bright faced and smiling, she was truly at her best this day. She took their coats happily and hugged the twins especially tight when she saw they were wearing the jumpers she'd sent.
The Burrow was decorated, in all it usually splendor. There were festive wreaths and garlands hung on almost every wall and magic snow falling from the ceiling, much as it had in Diagon Alley. A large tree stood in one corner of the living room, where the Weasley family was currently congregated. It was sparkling with lights and strange ornaments that Molly proudly announced had been done for her by her grandchildren.
The Weasleys themselves was alive with noise and holiday cheer, all joyfully greeting the Potter family with a rather loud call of "Happy Christmas." Even Olivia, who was asleep for most of dinner, seemed festive in a dress that looked like a mock-up of a Father Christmas costume. Angelina admitted, in a whisper to Harry, that she'd seen the dress in a muggle shop and couldn't resist buying it.
As it turned out Dinner was exactly the distraction Harry and Hermione needed; full of talk of babies and impending parenthood there was barley a moment to spare a thought for Malfoy. Fleur and Lauren were both showing now, Lauren slightly more then Fleur, and they were talking adamantly about every aspect of pregnancy and motherhood, while Bill, Fred, and Charlie were trying to impart fatherly knowledge on Fred. Halfway through dinner the pregnant women took it in turn to announce the sex of their babies, both were having girls; in fact Lauren was having two. "Though I'm sure that won't stop Bill and Fleur from trying again," Harry said in an undertone to Hermione, once Fleur and Lauren were done with their announcements, causing Hermione to snort into her water.
Four hours and too much food later they wished everyone one last "Happy Christmas", thanked Molly and Arthur for having them, and apparated home.
"It's even worse after you've eaten," James moaned as Hermione led them back into the house.
Harry smiled, remembering the first time he'd apparated, "Don't worry James, you'll get used to it."
"Or I'll travel by broomstick wherever I go," James suggested.
Lily scoffed, "That's totally impractical, it would take you days to get most places." James seemed like he was about to argue, but his words were cut off by a rather large yawn.
"All right you two get upstairs and start getting ready for bed," Hermione instructed, helping Lily out of her coat as she gave a yawn identical to her brothers.
"But Mum, it's only seven o'clock," James protested.
"Yes, and you were both up early and it's been a long day," Hermione explained, as both the twins yawned again, "plus there's the fact that you're both yawning every ten seconds." It took the twins yawning another five times for them to admit that they were tired, despite the early hour. So they shuffled off to bed and within half an hour were both sound asleep.
Once the twins were settled, Harry and Hermione headed up to bed themselves. Hermione was remarkably quiet; she changed and got herself ready for bed in silence, barley even mumbling a response when Harry asked if she was all right. He was just unbuttoning his shirt when he heard a soft gasp behind him. Harry turned to see Hermione standing at one side of the bed, her shoulders hunched, face buried in her hands as she silently cried.
"'Mione?" Harry questioned, stopping what he was doing and stepping across the room to Hermione. He placed a hand on the small of her back and she started to cry harder.
"What if it had been us?" Hermione gasped, her face still buried in her hands, "What if they'd come in here and taken the twins?"
"Oh, `Mione," Harry said, turning her around so her face was resting on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body into his and she fell into him, weeping louder then ever before.
"I-I-I just - just can't stop thinking about it," she admitted as he rubbed soft circles against her back, trying to calm her.
"It wasn't us," Harry whispered reassuringly, "It'll never be us, I won't let it."
"I'm just being stupid, I know," she said, voice faltering as she looked up at Harry. Her large brown eyes were ringed with red and her eyelashes were clinging together, wet with heavy tears. "But Harry, I was so scared when he was telling us about what happened."
"You hid it well," Harry joked trying to get her to laugh, it sort of worked. She stopped crying and managed to smile up at him for a fraction of a second, but soon her eyes were watering again and she had her face against his chest once more. "Hermione, I know how scared you are. I understand, but we don't have anything to worry about They're dead. He's dead. We're safe - the twins are safe."
But nothing Harry said seemed to be soothing her at all. So he held her. He held her, firmly against his body, until her tears dried up and the sobbing stopped. He held her until she looked up at him; her eyes still bloodshot and her cheeks flushed, and told him she loved him. He repeated her words, kissing her softly on the forehead.
It wasn't until they were both settled in their bed, Hermione cradled reassuringly against Harry, that he remembered his plan to propose to her that night. It had involved candles and rose petals, classic romance, but now the time wasn't right. He brushed her hair aside and kissed her softly on the neck, promising himself that he would ask her the minute this business with Malfoy was behind them.
AN: All right, so I admit it - this chapter has been tainted by book six, but only a tiny bit. Nothing major, just the side along apparition thing, which I had already planned on using though I didn't know it had an official name or anything. Plus I took out a sentence that had the name of the person who died, even though they're not dead in this story, I just couldn't stand to see the name - not just yet
Ashley - they certainly don't seem to, everything is drama at their place, but I promise good days are coming. Mani12191 - : ), oh and the outline has changed again, it's up to 39 chapters - I swear it's never going to end, I get closer to finished and then I move the finish line, it's self punishment I tell you - just wish I knew what I'd done wrong h/hr4ever - : ) seleene_paris - : ) Lady Starlight - see what I mean by how mean I can be? H&H_love - : ) harry n hermione - as the title proclaims he wants sanctuary harperkidzmom - : ) ace929 - I'm sorry to say that my updates probably wont be coming out much faster then they have been, it takes me a while to write the chapters, I try to work faster, but sometimes the words just don't come - I will promise to try and get things out quicker. I'm glad you liked the story so much, hearing that makes me want to write more Harrys girl - : ) thanks for the understanding words PJ - I've agonized about how I'm going to answer your review probably since I got it, but finally I've decided. If that is what you need to believe I won't stop you from doing so. It doesn't change anything one way or another so it really makes no difference. And let me just assure you I would never have a character have sex at 14. GPGA - I love reading your reviews, I have to tell you that, always very encouraging. harryhermione731 - : ) swimchick1614 - : ) Misadies1 - : ) Little_Katie_Bug09 - Ginny mentioned the only note Daniel left her so I'm not sure what you mean put that question - as for Malfoy, he pops up because he's got horrible timing, ruining Harry's planes and everything Melissa Edelson - Babies come in their time, I promise you Luna_Tyler - ah so you get the Daniel joke, that's nice, I'm not sure many do. I hope you liked this tid-bit as much as the last one and thank you for all the nice encouraging words - they really mean a lot to me slayerrr - that's all right, I understand, but it is nice to hear for you Crimson Templar - : ) alayeni - I might manage to get the boots in there somewhere, I'm trying to work it in, but I'm not all to sure where it will fit. As for their jobs, yes they will both be employed eventually, not during the run of this story, but you will hear a bit about it during the epilogue tootles - : ) Austenlover - Daniel's surprise for Ginny was a romantic day away, one of the last they're likely to have before the baby comes
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