Proceed with Caution: This chapter details the death of Harry Potter and the near death of Draco Malfoy. Oh, Voldemort's death and four other Death Eaters deaths are in it too. But who really cares about them.
Opening Up and Learning
"But Mummy, I always nap in Daddy's study when he works at home," Serpens complained as Ginny handed him his favorite blanket and tucked the boy in for his nap.
"Daddy has a lot of work to do today, baby," Ginny replied.
"He's not working. He's sad because he had to spank Cam and Thuban for being bad yesterday." He sat up in the bed and folded his arms. "I want to nap in Daddy's study!"
Ginny made the little wizard lie down again and kissed his cheek. "You'll nap here or there will be three boys with sore bottoms."
Serpens pulled the covers over his head in disappointment. "See you soon, Mummy."
She walked down the hall and into Cam's chambers. Draco had tucked him in after their discussion in his study but Ginny sought to check on her son. Her husband had tried to talk himself out of spanking their middle son all morning. The boy was very remorseful for his actions but the facts were that he had broken a number of firm house rules. They couldn't overlook the spilling of the water on baby Leo. Causing harm or distress to a helpless infant had to result in a punishment.
She smiled at the sight before her. Yes, the boy was sleeping on his tummy, but his face was tear free, an indication that his punishment had been light. Cam's favorite stuffed pony was under his arm, his baby blanket in one hand and his thumb in his mouth. She walked over and kissed the boy's cheek before leaving.
As she walked down the hallway she scolded herself. How could she think that Draco wouldn't comfort their child? He always had. Today, not only did he make sure Cam had stopped crying, he let him have the extra comfort of sucking his thumb. (Draco had been using charms and bitter potions to get the child to stop.) Well, his ability to remain calm and collected was the reason he handled most of the punishments. She hurried down the hallway to his study. Serpens was correct, he would be upset and in need of comfort and reassurance.
She knocked softly at the door and entered after hearing him say "Enter". He was sitting on the settee, a glass of his favorite red wine in his hand. She giggled at him under her breath. Five years ago she had told him it was unbecoming a man of his station to drink hard liquor before four p.m.. He had taken to having a glass of wine to relax if he needed between the hours of eleven and four in the afternoon. She still hardly believed that he listened to her.
Ginny placed a kiss on his cheek before cuddling up next to him. "My mum will take care of the boys. We have four hours if needed." When she put her arm around his neck she felt the tension, so she coaxed him into a new position, which enabled her to give him a neck and shoulder massage. He sighed with relief after a moment. "Making it feel all better, am I?" she puffed lightly.
"I'm feeling better," he sighed back. "But I know a quicker way to make it all better."
"What would that be?"
He turned his head and smirked, "Take off your knickers and sit on my lap."
She sighed. "Draco, shagging isn't the answer. In fact, I think that's one area we're problem free."
"I agree," he answered before cheekily added, "I've always enjoyed shagging you senseless." He kissed her cheek and looked earnestly into her eyes. "I was joking about taking off your knickers."
"Really," she answered snottily. "And if I would have started to remove my knickers you would have stopped me?"
"Merlin, NO!" he paused before caressing her face. "I would have enjoyed being intimate with the woman I love. It's been three days."
"Is that what our relationship is about? If I cut you off, would you leave me?" Ginny asked.
He turned around and looked at her. "I'll answer that question for you only once and then I never want to hear it again." He took a drink of his wine. "Our relationship is based on my love, want, and desire to spend the rest of my life with you. I want you to raise our children, comfort me when I'm in need, keep my home, and help me with our family business when you can. In return, I will help you raise our children, comfort you when you're in need, support our home and family, and keep you safe from harm. If for some reason you are unable to have a sexual relationship, I will learn to handle that." He kissed her cheek and turned back around. "Could you please continue the massage? It was feeling wonderful before my ill placed quip."
She started working on the part of his shoulders closest to his neck. "I'm sorry. It's just…"
He placed his finger on her lips. "I understand. We are both still on edge."
"Thank you for dealing with the boys. Did it all go as we discussed?"
Draco growled, "Thuban spoke disrespectfully to my mother last night."
"What? Narcissa didn't say anything before she left."
"She didn't say anything to Father either. She said she had handled it and we didn't need to be burdened."
"Then how did you find out, Draco?"
"Thuban. He told me I didn't need to punish him because his grandmother had already taken her wand to his bottom."
"Your mother rarely uses her wand. He had to be more than a little disrespectful."
"I couldn't get the whole story out of Mother," Draco started. "I believe he used a vulgar word or statement. She mumbled something about a good Scourgify to his mouth."
Ginny rolled her eyes. Six must be the age that wizards start practicing swearing. Merlin, the words and statements that were coming from her eldest son's mouth lately! She wished she knew where he was learning them. She'd blame Draco but the fact was when Thuban called Hermione a cupid stunt neither of them knew what it meant. It was George who told her to exchange the "c" and the "st". She sighed before replying, "You gave him the standard punishment?"
"Yes. I sent his letter of apology with my owl moments ago. I wanted her to receive it before Father returned home. I prefer he doesn't learn about Thuban's misstep until next week."
"I agree. He doesn't need Lucius' wrath too." Ginny thought about this while she massaged her husband. They'd need to discuss this topic again before they went to the Manor Saturday. Her children were normal little boys and she was sure either Cam or Serpens would inform their grandfather of Thuban's actions to gain favor or to cause Thuban to lose it. Malfoy men were extremely protective of their witches and Lucius would surely take his cane to the boy's bottom, if he weren't informed that he had already been punished for the offense.
Ginny kissed Draco on the cheek once she felt his muscles relax. He sat up and kissed her hands. "Thanks, love. I'm ready to show you everything I know about the night Harry died." He leaned her forward and for the first time she saw the pensieve on the table. Ginny looked up at him. "It's easier to show you, Ginny. You can ask me any questions you want when it's over."
She shifted them both back from the edge of the pensieve and looked into his eyes. "I need a couple of moments to prepare myself." He nodded. Ginny collected her thoughts and braced herself for the worst. She had heard the rumors of how the war ended for years. It had been either Draco or Lucius who killed Harry. They may have done it together. Lupin and other Order members showed up in time to killed Voldemort. She had believed she was married to a cold-blooded killer for years. It was now time for her to face that fact. She would have to find a way to come to terms with this if her marriage had a chance. Draco's changed, she repeated to herself over and over. He's not the same person. She kept those thoughts racing through her mind as she nodded to her husband and they fell into the pensieve.
------ Draco's memory from April 1999 -----
They appeared to be sitting in a Ministry conference room. Rufus Scrimgeour, then Minister of Magic, sat at the head of the table with a number of scrolls in front of him. On the left sat, Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape, Draco, Rastaban, Rodolphus Lestrange and Bellatrix Lestrange, Owen Carrows and William Rosier. On the right sat Minerva McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Remus Lupin, Hestia Jones, Elphias Doge, Tiberius Ogden and Griselda Marchbanks.
Rufus looked up from the parchment. "So these are the terms of your surrender, Lucius?"
Lucius cleared his throat, "No, Rufus. That is a peace treaty. If you agree to those conditions we will bring you the body of the Dark Lord tonight."
"You want him dead as much as we do, Lucius. Why should we agree to your terms?" McGonagall spouted.
"That's where you are mistaken. The death of the Dark Lord is only beneficial to me if I'm allowed to return to my home and business a free wizard."
"Minerva, there are only two parts of the agreement I dislike. That is freedom for all the Death Eaters…" Tiberius stated.
"Freedom only for those of us who take part in the execution of the Dark Lord," Lucius interjected.
"What assurance do we have that you will stop your Death Eater activities once the treaty is signed?" Marchbanks asked.
"If that were our goal, we would merely kill the Dark Lord and continue the war." Lucius paused. "I have learned many things in the past months. The most important being that fighting against other pure-blooded wizards will cause the elimination of the very world I am trying to save."
Rufus nodded. "So that's the reason for the marriage law?"
"Yes!"
"Which pure-blooded Order young witch will Draco be taking for his bride?" McGonagall hissed.
"I have no plans to marry anytime soon," Draco spat back. "I don't need a law to find a bride."
"The marriage law doesn't bother me. Arranged marriages have been part of our lives for generations. It is one of the reasons the wizarding world still survives," Marchbanks stated to the surprise of many in the room.
"I agree with you," Rufus added.
"I don't like it," McGonagall firmly stated.
"Neither do I, Minerva, but signing the treaty will save lives," Tiberius interjected.
The memory faded away and another one started. They were in a dark field. Draco took hold of Ginny and whispered. "They signed the treaty, nothing else happened until that night." He pulled her close. "Hold me tight, Ginny. What we're about to see isn't pleasant."
A campfire burnt in a large opening of the forest. There were five large hooded figures and Harry. He raised his wand, "Crucio." A thin stream of light left Harry's wand and hit the hooded figure in the center.
"Ouch," the figure said before removing its hood revealing that it was Voldemort. "Can't you do better, boy!" he chuckled before walking over to Harry. The Dark Lord moved Harry's robes and touched the golden snitch charm that was hanging around his neck. "Lovely, a present from your widow?"
Harry raised his wand again. "Stupefy!" This time only sparks came out. Voldemort removed it throwing it to the ground.
"Little Harry Potter," he cackled. "Once again you are at the mercy of Lord Voldemort. Crucio" Harry fell to the ground and the Death Eaters laughed loudly.
Ginny gasped and held tighter to Draco.
Hidden behind a tree, memory Draco whispered to Rastaban Lestrange, "How did this get screwed up? He shouldn't be here. We have to do something."
"No, Draco, we have to wait for the sign. We can't take them ourselves. Tonight is our best chance to end the war. We must wait."
Nagini circled Harry while Voldemort continued to curse and mock the young wizard. "You are a fool, Potter. It was my mistake that gave you your power but your idiocy made it easy to overcome. You see, Potter. You should have let the Weasley girl carry your children. Your Mudblood wife will give them no protection from me but the Weasley girl's sons will be the leaders of the wizarding world. Only a very powerful witch could bring me to life through my diary. Crucio," Voldemort said again but Harry's body no longer moved. The Dark Lord hissed, "Enjoy your dinner, Nagini."
As the snake approached Harry, Draco pointed his wand at it, "Avada Kedavra!"
"Good for you," Ginny said while smiling up at the Draco next to her. He pointed so she would continue watching.
The light from Draco's wand was very strong. When the killing curse hit the snake, Nagini appeared to explode. Seconds later some type of invisible wave knocked everyone off their feet. Draco was thrown into a tree his wand flying out of his hand. Voldemort and the Death Eaters were the first to recover. They quickly made their way to the young blond wizard.
"Young Malfoy. You return and try…" the Dark Lord stated.
Draco put out his hand and his wand started towards him.
Ginny's grip became bruising, as she started to shake in fear.
"No you don't," Voldemort hissed and Draco's wand flew into his hand. "Your reward for helping Potter." He raised his wand and pointed it at Draco's chest. "Sectumsempra" the blond screamed in pain and blood ran from his chest.
Voldemort turned hearing a noise behind him. Harry had his wand in his hand and was on his knees. The Dark Lord looked at him. "Haven't you figured it out, Potter? We have no magical powers anymore," he cackled before casting the same spell on Harry.
Remembering the counter curse, Harry whispered it and repeatedly ran the wand over his body but nothing happened.
The Dark Lord transfigured a log into a chair and sat down, positioning himself so he could watch both young wizards bleed to death. His show was interrupted by a chorus of Avada Kedavras. One jet of green light hit each Death Eater and three hit Voldemort, the strangest stream coming from the wand of Lucius Malfoy. While the others went to confirm the death of the Dark Lord, Lucius went to his son and healed his wound.
As Draco watched the memory of his father cradling him in his arms, he noticed that Harry was performing the healing charm on himself. Potter's magic hadn't been working moments ago but now it was.
Ginny was crying into Draco's robe. "I don't want to see anymore, Draco. Take me home. Take me back to our home."
-----End of the Memory-----
Draco sat on the settee in his study holding a crying Ginny. "You need to see the rest of that night, Ginny. We can do that another day." He kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry. I knew it would be hard for you to see."
She cuddled closer to him as if she was trying to crawl inside of him. "Why didn't you tell me you almost died?" He looked down at her with surprise. "Why do you think I kept squeezing you? I had to keep reminding myself that you were alive."
"I'm sorry, love."
Ginny removed herself from his embrace and sat up. "I'm so angry with you, Draco Malfoy. I was prepare to see a number of things but the Dark Lord almost killing my husband wasn't one of them. Just because you didn't die doesn't make it any easier to see." The clock chimed and she looked at it. "I have to show Professor Milkens out," Ginny muttered as she walked out of the room, "I can't believe you didn't tell me. I just can't believe it."
He never thought that she would be bothered by what happened to him that night. Draco smirked at the thought. She was worried about me. She couldn't stand to see me hurt. I shouldn't be happy about this, but I can't help it. She loves me. He shook his head, removed his smirk and replaced it with a very charming smile. "Ginevra," he called after her. When she turned and looked at him, he continued, "I love you."
She smiled back. "I love you, too," she said before her look changed to anger. "Next time, tell me. You know a big sign with 'the near death of your husband is coming up'.
He watched her walk down the hall. He had shown her his memory to prove to her that he loved her and trusted her. He had given to her freely not asking for anything in return and in doing so had learned something very important, that she truly loved him. She loved him more deeply than he would ever have dreamed possible.
------******------
Ginny sat on the settee in her chambers with Serpens on her lap. She held her wand in her hand and the bracelet and dragon charm he had given her for her birthday dangled from her wrist. She said a spell and a stream of light left her wand and hit the wooden train that lay still on the track in front of them. The green train moved along the track and the little wizard cheered. Draco walked into the room with his boots and socks in his hands. He scoffed at the toy on the floor at first; it belongs in the playroom he thought, but then it tooted and his son giggled. Serpens' laughter always made him smile. If toys bring laughter maybe I should allow them in every room, he thought, as long as they're picked up promptly.
Draco sat next to his wife, putting on his socks and boots. "Are Thuban and Cam ready, Ginny?"
"Yes, they're down in the playroom. Tipsy is making sure they remain clean. I decided on jumpers and slacks for the boys. Still dressy but good to play in."
He kissed her cheek and whispered. "Thanks for getting them, ready."
Ginny turned her attention back to the train set. Serpens laughed, clapped, and requested a number of different spells. The little wizard started to rub the dragon charm on the bracelet. As Draco watched, he noticed the stream of light that came from Ginny's wand narrow. The memory of Voldemort touching the Golden Snitch charm on Harry's necklace and then of Harry no longer being able to cast a spell, flooded Draco's mind.
He quickly removed Serpens from Ginny's lap. "Daddy, no!" the little wizard protested.
"You want to go to the park and see the puppet show don't you, mate?" Serpens nodded. "Right then. You need to go downstairs and collect your brothers for me. We're going to floo to my office from here." Draco opened the door and sent the little boy on his way.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.
"Take off the bracelet, Ginevra. I believe it's cursed." He went into his room and returned quickly with a small cloth bag. "Put it in here."
"What makes you think it's cursed?" she inquired as she dropped the bracelet in.
"Your light streams got thinner each time Serpens touched the charm."
"I don't understand, Draco."
He kissed her. "Trust me, Gin. I'll be back soon."
He Apparated to the front of a Muggle house. "This is risky but she's one of the few I can trust with Ginny's life," he mumbled before knocking on the door.
------******------
Harriet looked out the window and smiled. "Mummy, it's Thuban's daddy." The little witch went to open the door.
Hermione walked swiftly into the room stopping the child. "Sweetie, Mummy wants you and Sirius to go to the back study. You may watch the cartoon network."
The children ran out of the room promptly. Hermione placed her hand on her wand and opened the door. "What in the hell brings you to my home? I have my wand in hand, so don't try anything."
"I need your help or should I say Ginny needs your help. Seeing how it couldn't wait and it's after five, I had no choice but to come here."
"Why me?"
"My family is likely behind this. I don't want them to get wind I've found out. I fear Ginny's family would try to remove her from me again." He looked into her eyes. She saw the fear he had for Ginny.
"Come on and explain what you want." She showed him to her sofa and sat in the chair across for him.
"I think someone is trying to take away her magic by hexing a charm bracelet. She was wearing it a moment ago and each time Serpens touched it her spell stream narrowed."
"Malfoy, we need Bill. He's the highest level curse breaker in London," Hermione stated.
Draco slumped back into the sofa and muttered. "He'll kill me if he thinks I've put her in harm's way. Well, better me than her." He sat up. "Make the floo call, Granger."
------******------
Draco opened the door to Black Hall and showed Bill, Fleur, Hermione, and the four children inside. He summoned a house elf. "Have my wife and children come to the family parlor." The elf bowed and disappeared.
"What was that?" Sirius questioned.
"A house elf. Only old wizarding families have them. My Grand-mère and Grand-père Delacour have some," Gabe answered.
As Draco walked his guest down the hall to the family parlor, Harriet and Sirius asked questions about the house. The wizarding world was still new to them and it was their first time in a house so grand. Gabe and Brittany explained many things to them. The Delacours were an old French wizarding family. Although their maternal grandparents where not as wealthy as the Malfoys, they lived in a palace.
A house elf was setting tea on the table when Ginny and the boys entered the room.
Serpens ran over to Brittany. "We're going to Diagon Alley Park. We're going to have a picnic dinner, watch a puppet show, eat popcorn, drink fizzydrinks, eat ice lollies, and play. Are you coming with us?"
"I love the park. The puppet show is the best," Brittany squealed. "Mummy, is that why we came?"
"No, darling. Your daddy needs to speak with Aunt Hermione, Aunt Ginny, and Uncle Draco. I'm going to watch you children while they have their discussion," Fleur answered.
"Thank, Merlin! I didn't want to spend all evening with witches." Cam spouted.
"Cygnus Abraxas Malfoy," Ginny stated.
"I'm sorry for being rude." Cam said to the witches in the room.
Sirius snickered and pointed, "Your name is Cygnus."
"Sirius," Hermione scold.
"It's a funny name," Sirius countered.
"I think Sirius is a funny name. Seriously, I do." Cam laughed.
"I'm named after my dad's godfather and it's star too."
"Well, I'm named after my dad's grandfather and Cygnus is a canstilltion," Cam replied.
"He means constellation. That's a group of star's that makes a shape. The constellation Cygnus is known as the northern cross," Thuban explained. "Your dad's godfather was a Black! Right?"
Everyone in the room looked at Thuban. The children were puzzled and the adults were a little amazed.
"How'd you guess that, son?" Draco asked.
"Just made sense. Grandmother said all Blacks are named after the heavens. And the house Uncle Ron took us to belonged to a Black family." He paused and looked at his father. "Daddy, may I show Gabe my mudpuppies?"
Ginny welcomed her sister-in-law then turned to her eldest son. "Thuban, why don't you show everyone your mudpuppies while Daddy, Uncle Bill, Aunt Hermione and I talk."
Bill whispered into Ginny's ear and she spoke again, "Serpens, stay here for minute, Mummy needs to talk to you. Cam, go along with your brother."
Thuban nodded and showed his guests the way. Harriet hurried along so she could stand next to him. When the group was out of sight, Ginny handed Serpens her wand.
"Serpens, Accio the pillow for Mummy."
"I can't do it, Mummy. I can make it bigger," he replied.
"Try to Accio it."
Serpens pointed the wand at the pillow. "Accio." The pillow flew into the little boy's hand. "I did it. I did it," he said happily.
Ginny hugged him. "You sure did. Now, go up to Thuban's room with the others. Keep your hands out of the tank and don't get dirty." The boy started walking away. "Oh, Serpens!" He stopped. "Don't tell about using my wand."
"I won't tell, Mummy," he said before running off.
Bill hugged his little sister and kissed her forehead. "I need to see the rest of your jewelry, Gin."
------******------
Thuban walked into his sitting room. Harriet was right behind him followed by Fleur and the rest of the children.
"Leave the door open Cam, Serpens will be in soon." Thuban looked at his guests. "Mummy's reminding him not to put his hands in the tanks."
Harriet looked around the room. "Where's your bed?"
"This is my sitting room." He pointed to a door. "My bedchamber is in there. Would you like me to show you the rest of my chambers?"
Harriet and the other children nodded.
The group walked into the bedroom. It was spotless, no doubt the house elves cleaned it at least twice a day. The four-poster was the size of the beds at Hogwarts and the room was decorated in shades of blues. There were around ten books on the bookshelves. Four small clear jars were on a shelves; the first was labeled 'spending money' and had a number of Knuts and Sickles in it, the second was labeled 'short term savings' and had Sickles and Galleons in it, the third was labeled 'long term savings' and only had a couple of Galleons in it, and the last was labeled "for charities" and had Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts in it. A couple of decorative Quidditch figures were also on the shelves. The only sign of a toy was the old bear that sat on his bed.
The walls contained framed posters and pictures of famous Quidditch players. Gabe walked over and looked at the photographs. "Wow, your photographs of Karl and Kevin Broadmoor are signed. So is the one of Aidan Lynch."
"My dad got those for me."
Gabe walked over to the dressing room door. "Is your broom in here?"
"No, that's my dressing room. Nothing to see but clothes and things," Thuban answered with disinterest.
"I want to see your clothes," Brittany said.
The boys all made faces but Thuban opened the door. Fleur noted that while the décor of the child's room was beautiful and tasteful it was not any nicer than her room as a child. Although the clothing in the dressing room spoke of the wealth of the family the young wizard belonged to. Even the child's play clothes were made of the finest materials.
"At the Burrow, you said you had a broom. Where is it?" Gabe asked.
Thuban pouted, "It's in a broom cupboard somewhere. The elves put it away. They'll only bring it to me if Mummy or Daddy say it's all right."
Gabe patted his cousin on the back and whispered, "My mummy puts my broom up so I can't get it either."
Serpens came running into the room. "What you doing in here?"
"They wanted to see my bedchamber."
"It's boring in here," Serpens stated.
"Where are all your toys?" Sirius questioned.
"In the playroom downstairs, Mummy makes us share most of our things. I do have some things in my sitting room. Daddy says bedchambers are for sleeping in not playing in." A noise by the bed caught Thuban's attention, he turned and yelled, "Don't touch him!"
Harriet jumped off of the bed and away from the bear. "I only wanted to hug him."
"He doesn't like girls. In fact he only likes me and my daddy and sometimes Grandfather," Thuban said harshly.
Harriet started to pout, "I'm sorry. I was just going to hug him."
Sirius rolled his eyes and looked at Thuban. "She's going to cry unless you let her hug it."
"Then she'll cry. He's very old," he said firmly. "My great grandmother gave him to my daddy when he was a baby. And Daddy gave him to me when I was a baby. He's the most special thing I own."
Harriet started to cry. Fleur comforted the child.
"Let her hug him!" Sirius demanded as he walked over to the bed.
"NO!" Thuban yelled as he jumped in front of the dark haired little boy.
"Thuban, is there a problem?" Draco questioned as he, Ginny, Bill, and Hermione walked into the room.
"Daddy, I was trying to be nice really I was. They," he pointed to Harriet and Sirius, "wanted to see my rooms but then they wanted to touch my things and I didn't want them too."
"They wanted to touch Arkas, Daddy," Serpens said shaking his head.
Ginny showed everyone out of the room. Bill looked at Hermione. "I have the problem figured out. Why don't you stay with the children?"
"Daddy?" Thuban said timidly.
"It's all right, son. Show them your mudpuppies quickly then go to the playroom."
------******------
Draco, Ginny and Bill sat in the sitting room looking at her four leaf clover earrings and the bracelet with the dragon charm.
"It's a very old dark magic spell. Voldemort used it to steal Harry's powers," Bill said. "By wearing the hexed item you slowly transferred your powers. The clovers were hexed to give your powers to Cam but it was removed and the bracelet was then hexed so you gave your powers to Serpens." He paused and drunk some of his tea. "Your powers can only be transferred to someone who shares your blood. If the recipient touches the item while you are wearing it, power is transferred quickly. Once the hex is removed from the item your powers are returned to you."
"Or when the recipient of your powers dies, they're returned," Draco added. Bill gazed at him and nodded. "When do you think they were hexed, Bill?"
"My best guess is the earrings were hexed two weeks ago and the bracelet hexed a couple of days ago."
"Why would they change whom my powers where being transferred to?" Ginny asked.
"Cam transfiguring your shoes into field mice was the talk of the Ministry dinner. He had only acquired a small amount of your powers at the time, correct?" Bill asked. Ginny nodded. "Someone surely would have looked into his magical abilities if they had kept growing."
Draco looked at his wife. "You had said yourself, Ginny, that if Cam magic kept increasing you would speak with Professor McGonagall."
Bill excitedly asked, "Ginny, did you make that statement to anyone besides Draco?"
She thought for a time. "I was having tea with Narcissa and Bellatrix. Your mother advised me to involve Professor Snape in my conversation with McGonagall."
"Snape could be behind this, too," Bill sneered.
"He has nothing to do with it," Draco stated firmly. "If it wasn't for his help, Ginny would have been found insane at her trail. A few of the members of the Wizengamot had noticed the flaws in her memories and believed they were the effect of her lack of sanity. They had already decided to give me full custody of our children. My father still hasn't forgiven him."
Ginny looked at her husband in shock. She had never heard this before. He could have walked away with the boys weeks ago but hadn't.
"If you trust him so much, Malfoy, why did you come to Hermione and me for help?" Bill hissed.
Draco chuckled, "I trust him for many things, but I didn't want anyone to find out I was on to them. Severus, you see, can't keep a secret from my mother to save his life. If she heard of this she would interrogate my father and aunt for hours." He pulled Ginny close to him. "Ginny, only our family, your mum, my mother, and my Aunt Bellatrix have been in the house the last couple of days. The wards wouldn't let anyone else into your chamber. Your mum has no reason to do this."
"Narcissa wouldn't do it either and your father hasn't been in here," Ginny added.
"Lucius could have hexed the items and given them to the boys or the elves," Bill stated.
"The elves couldn't do that without telling us and after our discussion with the boys this morning, I know they haven't touched any of Ginny's jewelry." Draco looked at Ginny. "It has to be Aunt Bella. She was there when you spoke of informing Professor McGonagall."
"Professor McGonagall knows this hex. She would have figured it out and Bellatrix knows that," Bill added.
"So, she switched the hex," Ginny said. "It all makes sense, but we can't prove it was her. So, what do we do now?"
"Well, Ginny's powers are back to normal, right?" Draco looked at Bill who nodded. "We let her think its working and watch for her next move. Cam's recent misbehavior gives us good reason to remove the hidden passageways. That's likely how she got in. We'll add wards to both our bedchambers and sitting room also. Do you feel safe doing that, love?"
Ginny rolled her eyes and looked down her nose at her husband and brother in a snobbish manner. "I am quite capable of keeping myself safe, thank you. I can cast a hex better than either of you gentlemen. So, in short, the answer to your question, my love, is yes I feel safe with your plan." She got up and opened the door. "Now, I have three little wizards downstairs waiting to go to the park. Gentlemen, you have ten minutes to join us in the playroom or we'll leave without you." She closed the door behind her.
Bill looked at the door then back at Draco. "She means it, so I'll be quick. Give me a good reason why I shouldn't take my sister and nephews away and hide them from your family."
"Ginny wouldn't stand for it. We discussed it while on holiday. She said running all the time is no life for the children. She believes it's best to be able to keep a close eye on Bellatrix and my father. I have a bodyguard watching her daily. I'll transfer as many galleons as you like into your account so you can hire your own to help keep her safe." Draco gave Bill a firm and sincere gaze. "I love your sister. I would give my life to keep her safe."
"I believe you do love her, Malfoy but I can't blindly trust you with her life," Bill began. "I'll leave her with you for now and I will have my own people watching over her." He glared at the blond wizard. "I will kill you with my bare hands if you let harm befall her."
Author's notes: My basement flooded Wednesday. Besides having two inches of mud on the floor to clean, the computer that stored the next three chapters for this story was down there. It will likely take me all weekend to clean the mess then a couple of days to retrieve the data from the hard drive. Sadly that means it will two weeks before the next chapter is released.