It\'s So Difficult to be Mature

Chapter 11: Everybody and Their Mothers

Ginny was still standing the exact same spot. Suzanne had taken Lily away quickly. No one had said anything since Lily made her dramatic announcement. Finally she spoke.

"Maybe it's not true," she said in denial. "We're jumping to conclusions."

"Ginny," Harry said placatingly, but Ginny interrupted him.

"No, Harry. This can't be happening. After everything else that horrible woman has done, now she wants my baby!" Ginny managed to keep her voice level.

"Gin, sweetheart," Draco began.

"Don't sweetheart me, Draco," Ginny warned. "Effective immediately, I'm quarantining myself. I won't leave M.A.T.D.A. until this is all over."

"I think that is an excellent idea," Remus inserted. "And I think everyone here should abide by it."

"What?" everyone cried at once.

"None of you should go anywhere. If we all stay here, then no one else can be kidnapped. I'm sorry to restrict your freedom, but it's for the best."

No one said anything. Ron was staring at his shoes, Ginny was beginning to cry, Draco was trying to comfort her, and Harry was staring blankly at the wall. Eventually he looked at Remus and spoke.

"You're right, Remus. We can't let Lucretia get at Ginny. We have to stick together and if that means staying here, then so be it."

"Harry, you actually want to be cooped up in here?" Ron asked incredulously.

Harry nodded. "At least until we get this all sorted out. It's too dangerous to leave."

Ron sighed, but he agreed. He wasn't happy about it. "I'm going to regret this."

Sirius cleared his throat. "Now that we have that all sorted out, perhaps Jeanette can tell us her story."

Jeanette smiled slightly. "As you wish." Jeanette recounted the entire tale, leaving out the name of the old woman. She owed Draco that courtesy. Luckily, Sirius seemed fixated on the fact that Snape entered into her story.

"Trust that slimy git," he muttered. Jeanette laughed.

"I can't believe you, Sirius. You still refer to him as a slimy git? How old are you again?"

Sirius smiled sheepishly. "He did try to send me back to Azkaban without listening to my story."

Draco interrupted. "Jeanette, do you know the name the woman who knocked you unconscious?"

Jeanette blinked. Draco looked absolutely serious and she suspected that he already knew. She sighed. "Yes."

Harry looked excited. "Well? Who is it? We might finally have a key to getting Lucretia!"

Jeanette was still looking at Draco. It seemed to her that he was steeling himself for the news.

"It was Narcissa, Narcissa Malfoy."

There was absolute silence. Ron, of course, spoke first and his hostility was, of course, aimed at Draco.

"This is just super! You're mother is a Follower! Any secrets you've been hiding from us, Draco?" Ron asked sarcastically. "Are you one as well? And Ginny actually fed me all that bull shit about your parents being dead! And I actually believed it!"

Ron finally had the effect of breaking through Draco's icy control. "Look, Weasley, I thought my parents were dead! I had no idea that my mother was alive or that she was working for Lucretia! I'm sick of your insinuations! I renounced the Dark Arts and I have no intention of going back so just bugger off!"

Ginny placed a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. "Draco, wait..."

"I need to be alone." He left the room and everyone turned to look at Ron.

Ron was furious. His fists were clenched and he was gritting his teeth. Had Hermione been there, she might have been able to soothe his temper, but her absence was the root of the problem. Ron grew so angry that he lost control of his anger and something exploded; something BIG.

Simultaneously, all of the windows in the room shattered and everyone ducked to avoid the shattering glass. Ron seemed astonished at his lack of control.

"Ron!" Sirius howled. "That's it! I can't let you behave this way anymore. Your composure leaves much to be desired. You're endangering us with your behavior, and that isn't permissible. We allowed you to get away with it before because of the situation, but there is no reason for such an outburst."

Ron looked angry. "What about Hermione? We still haven't made any progress. I want her back, I miss her!"

No one said anything. Instead they looked at Harry, for his reaction.

Instead of growing angry at Ron's selfishness, Harry looked defeated. "I do too," he said softly, before leaving the conference room.

Sirius watched his godson leave and summoned a security guard. "Kevin, please escort Mr. Weasley to Detainment and leave him there until he's cooled off." Sirius addressed Ron who was very shocked. "Learn to control yourself, Ron. Until you can, stay there."

Ron allowed himself to be removed from the room. He still had a dazed look on his face. When the door closed, Sirius turned to those who were left.

Meredith looked very surprised at Sirius. "Sirius, was that really necessary?"

Sirius glared at her, and Remus quickly interrupted before there was another argument.

"Jeanette, you said you approached Snape asking him if he would help you with a potion. What was that about?"

"I found a way to bring Lisa back. It's necromancy. Look at this page I took from Lucretia's library." She handed the scrap of paper to Remus who looked at it carefully.

"Interesting," Remus remarked pensively. "Can you decipher this? It's in an ancient language."

"I'll use a translating spell," Jeanette shrugged. "The rest of the book was in English. I didn't get to see all of it because Lucretia came in, but apparently it can be done. I'd like to try it."

Sirius looked worried. "I don't know, Jeanette. This is dangerous and it's playing with black magic. We shouldn't risk it."

"Sirius, if we could bring Lisa back it would solve most of our problems. She might even have a way of getting Hermione back."

Sirius looked like he was caught between two opposing camps. Finally he gave in. "Alright, Jeanette. You can try, and I'll leave the entire Potions Ward at your disposal. Just please be careful. And we want Lisa back whole. If something goes wrong..." he trailed off. "Let me just put it this way, Harry is desperate for his wife back. But I do not want to put him through the suffering of losing her again if something goes wrong. He is not to know about this. Is that clear?" Sirius looked directly at Ginny when he said that.

"I promise not to tell him, Sirius," Ginny said. "I wouldn't do that to him."

"Good," Jeanette said briskly. "So we're settled. Ginny, please come with me, I'd like to give you a check up." She saw the fear in Ginny's eyes and hastened to reassure her. "I'm sure nothing's wrong, but we should check just the same."

Ginny nodded. "Alright."

They left, leaving just Sirius, Remus, and Meredith. A moment later Meredith excused herself as well. Sirius, brushed some of the broken glass of the table, put his head down, and sighed deeply.

"I'm too old for this, Moony. Haven't I seen enough Dark tyrants to last me a life time?"

Remus smiled. "Come on, Padfoot. You know that you'd hate to live a boring life. Lucretia adds...er...spice to our lives."

"By murdering and kidnapping those we love," Sirius said bitterly. "I'm worried about Harry."

"So am I," Remus replied. "You may be his godfather, but you don't have the market cornered on worrying about him. He reminds me so much of James."

Sirius smiled sadly. "Me too. God, I miss Prongs so much sometimes. And Harry is a living reminder of my mistakes."

Remus patted him on the back. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Padfoot. You couldn't have known, none of us did. Had you remained their Secret Keeper, you'd probably be dead."

"But Lily and James would be alive." Sirius shook his head. "Let's stop this morbid discussion. We have to get Hermione back before Ron goes insane."

Remus smiled slightly. "You sounded so much like a father when you grounded him. You would have made a great dad, Padfoot, why haven't you married?"

"I spent twelve years in Azkaban," Sirius said wryly, "and another few years after that on the run. It wasn't exactly the best opportunity to meet women. What about you?"

"You mean besides the entire werewolf thing?" Remus grinned. "I've been busy."

Sirius gave him a `look´. "That's a pretty thin excuse."

Remus was about to retort when Shirley came bursting into the room, short of breath. Her ridiculous hairstyle wobbled dangerously, and she teetered on her tall heels. The distinct sound of crushing glass made Sirius wince.

"Uh, Chancellors? We've got another problem."

Sirius groaned. "Oh great. What now?"

Shirley hesitated. "Er, Draco Malfoy isn't in M.A.T.D.A."

"What?!" Sirius and Remus said at once.

"He's nowhere to be found!" she cried.

"We told him that no one was to leave," Remus said angrily. "Now we've given Lucretia another hostage. Damn him!"

"Come on, Moony," Sirius said tiredly, "Let's go tell Ginny."

"What next?" Remus asked the ceiling. "A plague? Mass murder? We can't take much more. Shirley, send in a team to get this room cleaned up."

"Come on." Sirius opened the door and they left.

* * *

"I can't believe that Sirius locked me up in here!" Ron muttered. "I am not a child!"

Ron was pacing his tiny cell which was painted a dull grey. There was a tiny window at the top of the wall where an infinitesimal ray of light shone down on his head.

"Malfoy just makes me so mad!" Ron punched the wall really hard. His eyes filled with tears and he cradled his fist. Then to his astonishment, there was a hole right where his hand had been. An eye was peering through and was staring at him insolently. Ron yelped and jumped back.

"Sorry about that," the person attached to the eye apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Ron inched closer to the hole. "Who are you?"

"For a short time, I was your wife." Ron glimpsed the girl's even white teeth as she grinned at him through the hole.

"You! You tried to kill me!" Ron exclaimed furiously.

"Yes, but I didn't succeed." She sounded disappointed. "It was going to be my first kill. Now I'm trapped in this shoe box." She grinned amicably again. "I must say, this place has the heaviest security."

Ron rushed at the hole, stuck his hand through, and grabbed the girl around the neck. She gurgled and struggled to breathe.

"Where's my wife?" Ron growled. The girl gasped and choked. "Tell me!"

"It's-difficult-to-talk," she managed to say. Ron loosened his grip. "I don't know. I was sent here to kill Harry Potter, but you blew my cover so I had to try to kill you."

"What's your name?" Ron asked, slightly curious.

"Don't you recognize me, Ron?" The tone of her voice changed and Ron knew that he knew her from somewhere, but he wasn't sure where he had heard that seductive tone before.

The sound of a door opening filled his ears. The girl laughed. "Oops, I'm off to be tortured. It was nice to talk to you again, Ron. Goodbye."

And she was gone. For a moment Ron wondered if she had really ever been there.

He sat down on the rickety cot and heard it groan under his weight. His head in his hands, he did something he hadn't dared to do in a long time. He cried.

He cried because he missed Hermione, because he was afraid something had happened to her. He cried because he was neglecting his children in his search for her, although he knew he could trust his family to look after the boys. And he cried because he was fighting with people he cared about and who were only trying to help him. He was acting abominably.

Ron didn't understand why he suddenly had no control over his emotions. The past few days, especially since Hermione had been taken, he had become angry, frenzied, and an absolute prick to his friends and his sister. This loss of control frightened him because he was becoming reckless with his magic. He had never realized he was capable of such power until he blew the conference room apart. Something ugly was conquering his spirit and he knew he had to fight it. After all, Harry had lost his wife too, permanently it seemed, yet he was acting almost normally. Ron felt a surge of anger; he was always expected to behave like the Great Harry Potter. With a struggle, Ron conquered that surge and felt a slight pressure remove itself from his chest.

"Good boy," said a voice suddenly. "The best way to get rid of him is to fight him. It's nice to see you're putting up a fight."

Ron nearly jumped out of his skin. There wasn't just one person standing there, there were two, a man and a woman. For a brief second Ron thought that Harry and Ginny had come to visit him, but the fact that the two people were nearly transparent dispelled that idea.

"Who are you?" asked Ron, in awe. "And what are you talking about?"

The two diaphanous strangers exchanged a fond smile. This time the woman, who had red hair just like his sister, spoke.

"We're the Potters, Ron, and we're here to help you."

Ron promptly fainted.

* * *

Sirius and Remus had no trouble at all tracking down Ginny. She was resting comfortably in the Hospital Wing, still being checked out by a nurse. She told them that Jeanette had left to begin on the necromancy spell, after quickly assuring her that nothing was wrong with her baby.

"Glad to hear it, Ginny," Remus said warmly. Then he hesitated. "But I'm afraid we have some bad news."

"Your husband has left M.A.T.D.A. without permission," Sirius said, interrupting. "We don't know where he is."

Instead of the hysterics they expected, or at the very least the worry and anger at Draco's sudden departure, Ginny took the news with unusual calmness.

"I know," she said quietly.

"What!?" Remus and Sirius exclaimed at the same time.

Ginny nodded. "He stopped by a little while ago and left me a note. It said that he was going out, he'd be back soon, and not to worry."

Remus gaped at her. "How can you not be worried? He is in inexplicable danger!"

"I know that, Remus," Ginny said rather harshly. "I've not suddenly gone daft. I'm very worried, but I trust my husband."

"Do you have any idea where he is?" Sirius asked, trying to keep his tone level.

"Of course. You would too if you'd think about it." Seeing the blank stares she sighed and said, "Were you listening to Jeanette's narrative? Or were you only focused on the fact that Snape was involved?"

It took them a minute, but comprehension finally dawned on them. Remus saw it quicker.

"Of course," he breathed, "he's gone after his mother."

Sirius´ head whipped up to stare incredulously at his best friend. "He couldn't possibly be that stupid!"

Ginny was offended. "I'll remind you, that is my husband you're speaking of."

Sirius waved her objections aside. "Narcissa Malfoy is as dangerous and unprincipled as her husband was. There's no telling what she might do to him."

Ginny paled slightly. "But he's her son!"

Sirius snorted. "You think that would make any difference to a woman who's probably killed more times than Lucretia has?"

He regretted his words when Ginny lost the rest of her coloring. Remus attempted to comfort her, but she would have none of his pity.

"I don't want you to do anything about this right now. We'll wait and see." They tried to argue with her, but her mind was stubbornly set.

"I'm sure that Draco is perfectly safe," she said fiercely. She added in an undertone that Sirius and Remus didn't hear, "He'd better be or I'll kill him myself."

* * *

Draco wasn't sure how he managed to find the place. The directions he managed to wring out of an old acquaintance were vague at best. Still, he had come upon the old manor that the man had described and Apparated inside. It was surprisingly devoid of furniture.

She was expecting him. He wasn't sure how she knew he would come, since he had told no one of his intentions. It seemed like the logical thing to do. So she was waiting for him, sitting regally in a stone chair towards one end of the stone chamber. She looked exactly like he remembered her, although perhaps a trifle older.

"I assumed you would come," said the soft low voice of his mother. "It was only a matter of time, once I discovered Dr. Mills had escaped."

"I thought you were dead." Draco made this a flat statement. There was no emotion in him for this woman, he neither loved her nor hated her, though he was slightly repulsed by her manner.

"And I thought you were. One thing we can be certain of is that Lucius is. I buried him myself."

"That's good to know." Draco almost cursed himself for that inane statement. However, he knew he had to keep his wits about him. Other people may have been taken in by his mother's age and projected frailty, but he had known her for twenty-four years before she was "killed" and he knew just how maniacal and unscrupulous she could be.

"I assume you have a purpose in being here," his mother said, jarring him back to reality.

"Yes," he said, recovering himself. "I want to know what Lucretia wants with my wife and my child."

Narcissa hissed. "Then it's true, you have married that Weasley whore."

Draco felt himself grow hot with anger. "She's no whore, she's my wife!" Calming immediately and returning to his icy and infuriating attitude, he resumed. "I would like to know what Lucretia could possibly want with my child."

But Narcissa wasn't listening. She regarded her son with something akin to sadness and disappointment.

"Didn't your father make it clear who you are?" she almost pleaded. "You're a Malfoy, a bloodline that goes back to the days of the Founders! We were respected once, but now look what you've done to your family name! You married a Weasley, even though you know how much our family hates them. You've disgraced me, Draco."

Draco was taken aback. He had not gone there to rectify his relationship with his mother, but rather for information only she could supply. This hatred and cruelty was quite unexpected and deeply resented. Her cold grey eyes watched him for his reaction. He would not give her the satisfaction of losing his temper again.

"Perhaps. Perhaps I've disgraced you and every other Malfoy who ever lived. But what you, Mother, and father never realized is that the Malfoy name is hated! Even those in Voldemort's-" here Narcissa cringed, which Draco enjoyed with relish, "inner circle detested us. And do you know who hated you and father most of all?" Draco's voice lowered and he spoke his next words like he was cracking a whip. "I did. I do. When I renounced the Dark Arts, it wasn't for Ginny, it was to prove to myself that I didn't have to be like you. I would be better than you. And I am."

She had not spoken or moved to interrupt throughout his entire tirade. When she spoke, the malevolence was gone from her eyes, only to be replaced by a suspicious glint.

"Very well," she said calmly. "I waited for you to come to see if I would feel any remorse, should my mistress choose to kill you. I discovered the answer is no, which is for the best."

"Yes," Draco agreed amicably, "it is for the best. Please don't get in my way, mother. I do not want to have to soil my hands by killing you, but I will if you threaten my family."

He turned around and Disapparated. Narcissa Malfoy sat there for a moment. She was joined shortly by another woman who appeared thoughtful.

"I see what you mean about him, Narcissa," Lucretia said pensively. "I do hope he won't make trouble."

"You may do with him what you wish, Milady," Narcissa said firmly. "There is no loyalty to me left in him."

"Bitterness does not become you, my dear," Lucretia said jovially. "Do cheer up. If you'd like, perhaps I can turn him back into the way he was before he met that Ginny Weasley. I shouldn't be difficult, his mind will be like putty after I dispose of her anyway. All that would be left to do is mold it. Who knows, maybe we can allow the child to be raised by it's father."

Narcissa bit her lip. Lucretia's plans, although pure evil genius, were often crazy and foolhardy. She was not sure she approved of the current one at all.

"Is it really necessary to use this child, Milady?" Narcissa asked hesitantly. "Could we not find another suitable woman to be the carrier?"

Lucretia laughed. "I know you dislike Virginia Weasley and her family, but it must be her blood, since no child resulted from my, er, relations with the vile creature. It's a pity that all the rest of her siblings are male."

Narcissa understood, but didn't like it. She suddenly realized that she had been taken into Lucretia's confidence and granted a little known piece of information. So Lucretia's love for, ahem, Voldemort was all part of an elaborate scheme. Everything suddenly made much more sense now. Narcissa was intelligent enough to realize that Lucretia probably had loved him in her own way, but that there had been much more to it than that. This satisfied her in some way.

"I must be off, Narcissa, darling," Lucretia said spiritedly. "I want to make sure that Hermione has come back in one piece."

She instantly disappeared. Narcissa remained there, reflecting over the encounter with her son, whom she had thought dead for two years. She realized belatedly that the reason she had grown so angry with him was because of how he looked.

Almost exactly like his father.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was tired. He was often tired these days, but on that afternoon he felt especially tired. The logical reason for his fatigue was that he had just come back from a long discussion about Hogwarts with Professor McGonagall. She needed his advice. However, that in itself was not enough to make him so extremely tired. He was just pondering this and preparing to sleep when a knock on the door startled him.

"Hermione?" He asked dubiously. "What on Earth are you doing here?"

"I need your help, Professor," came the reply. "I need a favor. May I come in?"

"Of course, my dear. You are always welcome here." Dumbledore ushered her into the room. She primly took a seat and folded her hands in her lap. "What can I do for you?"

"I am a Narinhah, is that not correct?"

The question took him by surprise. "When did you discover this, Hermione? I had intended to inform you this year."

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. I simply know it. Now, what I need from you is to unlock my powers."

Dumbledore smiled at her sadly. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

"What?" She seemed panicked. "Why not?"

"There are two reasons. The first is that you have no idea how to use such powers and you must be trained. Narinhah powers are not to be taken lightly. They can cause much destruction and you must be schooled in the using of them. The second reason is that I'm not the one who locked them."

Hermione was aghast. "Then who did?"

Dumbledore shrugged, smiling. "I don't know. I must assume you came to Hogwarts with your powers locked. You see, for many years I was unaware myself that you had such spectacular magical abilities. When I discovered it, I kept a close eye on you, but I had no way of granting you your powers without knowing who locked them."

Hermione was both frustrated and dismayed. "You mean, until I find that one person, I may never gain use of those powers?"

"That is correct," Dumbledore said casually. But out of the corner of his eye, he was watching her every reaction."

Finally she seemed to get a hold on herself. "Thank you anyway, Professor. I must be going now."

Dumbledore was smiling merrily, but he took out his wand and froze her in place.

"I'm afraid I can't let you leave, Hermione. At least not until I've removed that hypnosis spell."

* * *

Jeanette Mills was tired, frustrated, annoyed, and surrounded by bunny rabbits, which did not improve her disposition. She had been trying for hours to at least make some progress in the spell which would hopefully bring Lisa back. Thus far all she had managed to do was create rabbits, occasionally a potted plant, and after one attempt, a toilet. She was ready to give up, but she knew she couldn't.

She had the entire Potions Ward hopping to her command, yet they were no farther than when they began. Jeanette sighed once and then instructed one of her assistants to add more turtle shell to the cauldron. It exploded.

Jeanette was ready to go on lunch break. She made her way over to the cafeteria and selected her lunch. She was joined later by Remus who had surprising news for her.

"Draco Malfoy's left the building," he said by way of greeting.

"Bloody hell!" Jeanette exclaimed, causing many of the others in the room to stare at her. "Beg your pardon, but didn't you just tell him that no one was to leave?"

"Of course I did, but he's simply being a Malfoy. It's amazing how many hard heads we have here currently in M.A.T.D.A. Oh, and I thought I ought to warn you, Sirius is still obsessed with the way Snape treated you."

Jeanette rolled her eyes. "Snape hates me, plain and simple. Other than almost leaving me to die of thirst, and not offering me a shower, he wasn't very terrible."

"Sirius and Snape have hated each other for many years. You could have told Sirius that Snape cooked you dinner and you chatted away like old friends and Sirius would have still been upset. There's nothing you can do about it. He might plague you about the details though." Remus shrugged as if it couldn't have meant less to him.

Jeanette smiled mischievously. "I didn't even tell you about all the mean, nasty things he said about you."

"About me in particular or about M.A.T.D.A. in general?" Remus asked curiously.

"Oh, he accused you and Sirius of making up stories about him. He is rather childish."

"Oh, really?"

That didn't come from Remus, it came from someone else. I think you know who. That's right, Severus Snape himself. He tilted his thick black eyebrows in a distinctive `annoyed-not-amused´ look. Jeanette could feel herself blushing.

"Professor Snape! What are you doing here?" she asked.

Snape glared at her. "I'm here to save the world. You informed me that I could find you here, and I assume you're making little or no headway. I will help you, provided that you keep Black away from me."

Remus tried to cover a laugh by turning it into a cough, but Snape looked at him suspiciously. Remus decided it would be best if he took himself off too.

"I'll let you two get to work," he said hastily. "Goodbye."

He practically ran out of the cafeteria, and had to track down Sirius. One thing was for certain, those two could not meet without there being bloodshed, and there was enough of that as it was.

* * *

When Ron revived, the ghosts of Lily and James Potter were still there, hovering over him and looking concerned. For a long time nobody spoke. Eventually Ron broke the silence.

"This is ludicrous."

"Surely you've encountered ghosts before, Ron," Lily Potter said kindly. "I know there used to be hundreds at Hogwarts."

"I have met ghosts before," Ron replied indignantly, "but encountering the ghosts of your best mate's dead parents is a trifle unnerving. How do you know my name?"

They looked at each other and shrugged. "We've been watching you, Ron," James Potter said. "We're here to help."

Ron looked from one to the other and back again. "I have to go get Harry."

"No," Lily said, softly but decisively. "He can't see us. Only you can because of the great need. Don't bring him into this."

"But, you're his parents," Ron protested. "Don't you want to see him?"

They exchanged another glance, a sad one this time. "Of course we do," James finally said. "More than anything. But it would be a waste of time and he wouldn't believe you. He has enough to be concerned with at the moment. We're here to help you."

Ron backed up until he found himself in the corner. He began to panic. "Why me? And what were you talking about, fighting and not letting him win?"

Lily came closer. "Ron, have you been feeling strange changes lately? Almost as if you're a different person?"

Ron froze. How had she known?

"Ron, you are in a dangerous place right now, and truthfully, you are not yourself." James hesitated. "Your body has been infiltrated by the spirit of Lord Voldemort."

Ron would have laughed if he could, but the seriousness of the moment prevented him. Both Lily and James looked absolutely resolved.

"You're both mental," he said, shaking his head. "That makes no sense. There has been no trace of Voldemort, we think Lucretia has killed him."

Lily sighed. "She killed his body, but his spirit, his essence, is much harder to get rid of. And it has selected you as a host, Ron Weasley."

Ron wasn't laughing now; he was shaking. "This is barmy. I would know if I had Voldemort inside me, wouldn't I?"

James pushed his ghostly glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Haven't you felt it, Ron? The temper, the anger, the dark power? Soon, he'll challenge you for the body, and you have to resist. That's why we came. To help you resist."

Ron wanted to deny it again, but he couldn't. As much as he was scared to admit it, it made sense. The idea of Voldemort in his body was not only repulsive, but terrifying. He had no idea what to do.

Lily sensed his apprehension. "Don't worry, Ron," she said gently. "You are strong. You can fight. If you do it properly, with our help, then you can defeat him once and for all. But I will warn you. It will not be easy, it will be traumatic, and you will want to give in, but you can't."

"Why are you doing all this for me?" Ron whispered.

"Because our son needs you. He has already lost his wife, we could not save her, but he will not lose you. And because we knew your parents, Ron," James said, "and we owe them."

Ron's mouth was dry with fear. All of a sudden a torrent of dark thoughts and feelings flooded through his body. Cruel thoughts and the desire to do even crueler actions caused him to cry out. He could feel the hate burning with intensity inside him. His brown eyes gleamed eerily. He smiled wickedly. Then it passed and he was himself again.

As he recovered, Lily whispered to James, "Oh, I do hope he can do it. Harry needs him."

James whispered back. "He needs Hermione. This would be so much easier if she were here."

Ron lay down on the cot and trembled. His thoughts were focused solely on Hermione, this time without resentment or anger, but simply with longing. All he wanted was her. Instead he got Voldemort.

* * *

Suzanne Turpin had made her heart-breaking phone calls and began on the preparations for the funeral. Only Harry was being stubborn as to the disposing of Lisa's body, which was currently housed in the M.A.T.D.A. morgue.

"Burying her is like admitting we gave up!" Harry shouted. "I won't do that!"

"But, Harry," Suzanne said placatingly, "she's dead. We have to put her to rest and you must come to terms with it."

Harry glared at her. "According to Lisa herself, she's not dead. She's in Lucretia's other realm. I have not given up hope of bringing her back!"

"Harry, be reasonable. Please. This is important to the rest of her family, that we have a funeral."

Harry's look softened. "Wait just a few more days, Suzi. Please. If nothing has happened then I will consent and resign myself to the fact that she's never coming back."

Suzanne nodded. "Alright. Just a few more days. And, Harry?"

"Yes, Suzi?"

"Please don't get into anymore trouble."

Harry smiled slightly. "I'll try."

Suzanne walked away and Harry was just about to go visit his children when he was ambushed and wrapped in a tight hug.

"Mrs. Weasley?" he choked out in disbelief.

"Oh, Harry, you poor, poor dear! I was distraught when I heard! Arthur just told me everything, and I must say it's an awful lot for one person to take in at once. Ginny's here? And pregnant? Your poor Lisa, oh, and Hermione!"

Mrs. Weasley seemed to be on the brink of tears and Harry really had no idea what to say to her. He was oddly pleased that she was there. Mrs. Weasley had become almost a mother to him and he appreciated everything she had done for him.

"Mrs. Weasley, I'm very glad you're here," Harry said as warmly as possible. "I suppose you want to see Ginny?"

Mrs. Weasley dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. "Oh, if it's not too much trouble. I haven't seen her in so long."

"I'll take you to her, and I can assure you, she's perfectly well and right on schedule with her pregnancy according to the resident doctor."

Harry escorted her to the Hospital Wing. He realized he ought to go tell Ron, but Ron was in solitary confinement. Harry sighed. If it wasn't one thing it was another.

* * *

Ginny had been overjoyed to see her mother and the two had a very touching reunion. Ginny was almost sorry to see it end, but she wanted to talk to Draco when he returned, which was very soon after Mrs. Weasley's arrival. With the promise of more information and a formal introduction to her husband, Ginny managed to get her mother to leave the room. Draco entered almost hesitantly.

"Draco Ignatius Malfoy, you had me worried sick!" Ginny scolded. "But at least you left me a note. Did you find out what you wanted to from your mother?"

Draco should have realized that Ginny would figure out where he went. He wasn't too surprised at her intuitiveness, heightened, she claimed, by her pregnancy.

"Not exactly," he replied, moving to sit next to her so he could put his arm around her shoulders. When he thought of how he used to treat her and the rest of her family, Draco could only marvel that she had chosen him to be her mate.

"I'm sorry. You asked about the baby, didn't you?"

"Yes," Draco answered. "I had to. She didn't give me a straight answer though. And I discovered what she thought of our marriage."

Ginny smiled slightly. "I bet she hated the idea."

"She did. I told her in no uncertain terms that I really didn't care. I think she was insulted."

"Good," Ginny said with emphasis. "Serves her right. You realize you have to meet my mother now, don't you? She's somewhere in M.A.T.D.A. right now."

Draco sighed. "I understand completely. I just hope she doesn't hate me too much."

"She doesn't seem to," Ginny said thoughtfully. "Not as much as my brothers do anyway. And the surest way to that woman's heart is with grandchildren, so you're ahead of the game."

Draco placed his hand on her belly and felt his child kick. "You do understand," he said in a quiet voice, "that I won't let anything happen to this child or to you."

Ginny snuggled deeper into his strong arms. "I understand, and I have complete faith in you. I wouldn't have married you if I didn't."

Draco and Ginny sat like that for awhile, until they were called away. As they sat, in relative peace, Draco's thoughts returned to the conversation with his mother. It had struck him where she must have known it would irk the most-in his pride. He still had pride in his name, even if he had renounced everything it stood for. It was difficult to explain. His prejudices, which were buried deep, had not all disappeared. It was only for his beautiful wife that he made the effort to be different. He had learned to respect, at least, Potter and Granger, but his hatred of `muggleborns´ had been instilled at birth and those kinds of prejudices were hard to dispose of. He was not the needlessly cruel child he had been at Hogwarts, but he was not the benevolent hero the way Potter was. Two years wasn't enough time to change everything about him, but he was making an effort.

His thoughts also drifted towards Lisa, wondering what kind of person she had been and if she had been anything like himself. They had much in common, it turned out, but no time in which to compare notes. She had died a hero's death, in a way, attempting to make up for her past indiscretions.

Draco sighed and stretched. Perhaps there was hope for him yet.