The Enemy of Souls

Chapter Five

***

May, 2005

Ginny blew out a silent breath as she and Hermione exited Auror Headquarters through the double doors and stepped out into the blissfully empty corridor. Hermione shot her a sidelong glance, a shrewd gleam in her eyes. "Ginny-"

"So, no new attacks or threats since last month, then?" Ginny cut in, her voice just a little too bright. When Hermione furrowed her brow, she clarified, "Ron, I mean."

"No, nothing, but you know that." Judging by the knowing expression on Hermione's face, she was not to be deterred. "We would have told you if there was. Ginny-"

Ginny sighed. "I'm fine. I'm fine, all right? I'm doing just peachy without being an Auror."

"You know, it's only meant to be a temporary suspension," Hermione lectured, "if you would just follow their request and talk to someone-"

"I do not need psychological treatment, Hermione," Ginny said crossly, "and that said, the 'suspension' is permanent, as far as I'm concerned. Besides, I love my new job."

"Working in the twins' shop?" Hermione asked, a dubious expression crossing her face.

"It's quite profitable, you know. I'm getting a fairly large cut, because lately I've been helping them develop new products."

"Serving as their test subject, you mean?"

"More than that." Ginny shot her a nasty look. "Anyway, it's... fun. Light and entertaining, which can hardly be said for being an Auror."

Hermione shook her head. "Well, I suppose. But, Ginny-"

"Wait, hold the lift!" Ginny called ahead, both to interrupt Hermione and to stall the closing grille at the end of the corridor. She and Hermione broke into a run, and as Ginny reached the lift and stuck a foot inside to stop the doors from closing, she glanced up to apologize. "Sorry about-"

She broke off, only just managing to keep her jaw from dropping open agape. In her haste, she hadn't even realized that the person inside the lift was Draco Malfoy. He raised his eyebrows at her, his forehead creased in irritation. "Weasley," he said, but if he meant to add something rude onto the greeting, he was interrupted as Hermione caught up behind her.

"Ginny, what are- oh." Her breathless words ended abruptly as she spotted Malfoy, who shot her a nasty glare in return. For a moment, they only stared at him, until he opened his mouth to say something, a scowl coming over his face. But again, before he could get a word out, an impatient voice from behind asked, "Are you taking the lift or not?"

"Oh- sorry-" Hermione said hastily, bustling inside with Ginny so that the two wizards waiting behind them could step in. Ginny opened her mouth to protest; she was going to suggest they wait for another lift, but, she supposed it would have been too much trouble with people waiting behind them. So instead, she settled uncomfortably against the back wall, crossing her arms over her chest. She flinched unwillingly when her elbow brushed Malfoy's arm, but Hermione stood squashed into the back corner on Ginny's left, so she didn't have any room to move away from him.

They all waited in tense silence as they descended to the third level, where the two impatient wizards who'd gotten in after them left the lift, and several flying memos fluttered inside. Hermione breathed an audible sigh of relief as the doors shut, and she moved out of the corner to the front of the lift. Equally relieved, Ginny inched away from Malfoy, settling herself in the opposite corner. But as they began their descent to the fourth level, she couldn't help but feel as though he were staring at her, so she glanced aside at him with narrowed eyes.

He was indeed watching her, a familiar smirk in place. "I'm curious, Weasley," he drawled, "as to what business you might have in Auror Headquarters- seeing as they sacked you, and all."

Hermione harrumphed but didn't turn around, trusting Ginny to handle the prat on her own. "I just came to get Hermione so we could have lunch with Ron," she said coolly, refusing to let her temper get the best of her. Before he could shoot back a response, she continued, "One might wonder what you were doing there- seeing as you're an ex-convict, and all."

Hermione sniggered as the lift stopped at the fourth level and the memos zoomed out. "He was brought in for questioning this morning," she said, still facing straight ahead, "though that was some time ago, Malfoy. What on earth could have kept you for so long?"

"None of your business, Mudblood," Malfoy snapped, his cheeks red with anger. Ginny lifted an eyebrow. Clearly, his morning hadn't gone well at all.

"What, do they just bring you in once every few weeks, Malfoy?" Ginny asked, turning innocently wide eyes on him. "To keep an eye on you? I would imagine that's rather-"

Clang. Ginny broke off with a gasp as the lift came to a sharp halt just below the fourth level. With a startled yelp, Malfoy pitched forward into Hermione, just as Ginny unthinkingly reached out and grasped his sleeve to keep from falling. Hermione knocked into the opposite corner with a soft groan, and Malfoy hastily backed away from her, wrenching his arm out of Ginny's grip with a snarl. Before any of them could say anything, the light in the lamp overhead flickered and died, plunging them into complete darkness.

For a moment, none of them spoke, and the lift was silent save for their uneven breathing. Ginny recovered her voice first. "What in the bloody hell is going on?" Snatching her wand from her robe, she reached up and poked it uselessly in the darkness. "I can't- find the lamp," she muttered. Suddenly, her wand connected with something solid, rapping it hard.

"Ow! Weasley, you twit, watch where you're poking that," came Malfoy's angry voice. "Those lamps are run by maintenance, you silly bint. You won't be able to light it. Lumos."

His wand flared with light, bringing his pale face into view, his eyebrows angled in an ugly scowl. Ginny returned the glare with interest before lighting her wand the same way and swinging around to face Hermione. The bushy-haired witch had her wand lit too, as she leaned against the lift doors, a faint frown lining her face. "Hermione, are you all right?"

"Shh, yes, I'm perfectly fine." Her frown deepened. "And I'm trying to make out what's happening, if you two could stop bickering for five seconds."

"Well, what do you think's happened, Granger?" Malfoy said nastily. "Obviously, the lift's been shut off for some rea-"

A high-pitched wailing cut through his words, sounding out from outside the lift but blaring through loud enough. Ginny winced at the sudden noise and glanced aside. Malfoy had gone pale in the dim light of their wands. "That's a high-risk alarm. Security breach."

"Meaning...?" Ginny shook her head.

"Meaning someone unfriendly is in the building. Honestly, Weasley," Malfoy snapped, though she thought his voice sounded just a bit shaky, "I know you've been sacked, but you were an Auror for a good few years, yes?"

"It's a new system." Hermione shot Malfoy a glare before turning to Ginny to explain. "Someone's gotten through security, someone who shouldn't be here." Her expression turned slightly uneasy. "And as it's a high-risk alert, I'd venture a guess that it's-"

"Death Eaters." They both glanced at Malfoy, who was beginning to look a little wild around the eyes.

Ginny laughed cruelly, spurred on by her own nerves. "Why so frightened, Malfoy? Don't you think your old pals will be glad to see you?"

"Well, they left me in prison when they broke out the others. What do you think, Weasley?" Malfoy shot her a glare before turning to the lift doors in irritation. "There has to be some way to get out of here."

"Can't we Apparate?" Ginny wondered aloud.

"I doubt it," Hermione and Malfoy said simultaneously. They eyed each other darkly before Malfoy continued, "If it's a large-scale attack- and I suspect it is, if they've gotten into maintenance- they'll be prepared, they'll have planned ahead. They shut down the lifts to trap people, so they'll certainly have set up anti-Apparition wards. But if you'd like to test the theory-"

Malfoy smiled down at Ginny in an imitation of pleasantry, "-be my guest."

"I've no wish to get splinched, thanks," she snapped.

"Well, technically we're safe in here." Hermione turned a speculative gaze on the lift doors. "But Malfoy's..." She swallowed and evaded his gaze. "Well, he's right. They've meant to trap us in here, so we won't be safe for long. They'll try to get in."

"Which means we need to get out." Malfoy didn't appear to try and hide the panic edging his tone. "Now. Aren't you supposed to be brilliant, Mudblood?"

Hermione paid him no heed as she set to work studying the doors, muttering to herself beneath her breath. "I think I know how to get the lift working, but it's a complicated incantation," she said. "Just give me a minute."

"We're going to have a tough time of it once we get outside," Ginny pointed out. "There could be fighting. We've no way of knowing where the Death Eaters are, and it'll be difficult getting to the Atrium. Floos are probably blocked, and-"

"I have an emergency Portkey in my office." Malfoy folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall, apparently trying to calm himself. "Which is the next floor down, fifth level. So I'm not worried."

"Oh, by all means." Ginny scowled. "Don't try to stay and help fight."

"I won't, thank you," he answered snootily. Before Ginny could reply, the lift suddenly jerked into movement, though moved much slower than usual- at a snail's pace- and the lamp remained unlit.

And it was moving up. Back to the fourth level. Away from Ron, and away from Malfoy's office.

"Why're we going up?" Malfoy snarled. "Damn it, Mudblood, we're going the wrong way!"

"Well, at least we're moving, stop whinging!" Ginny snapped.

Hermione turned to face the two of them with a weary expression, but before she could say a word, the lift came to another sharp stop. Hermione whirled around with wide eyes, prodding at the lift doors with her wand and muttering under her breath, while Ginny and Malfoy simultaneously glanced upwards, eyeing the top of the lift. About two feet of the grille door had reached the opening at the fourth level, just short of reaching Malfoy's head. Some kind of flashing red light flickered in through the opening, providing a wavering measure of light.

"What happened?" Ginny demanded, turning to Hermione in alarm.

"Erm... hang on, I'm not- sure..."

"Oh, brilliant, Granger!" Malfoy stood on tip-toe, hanging onto the grille bars over his head as he tried to peer out the top of the lift to see onto the fourth floor. "Now we're trapped again, only this time, they can bloody see us!"

"Can they? Are they out there?" Ginny asked.

"I don't see anyone," Malfoy answered. No sooner had he spoken when the faint sounds of battle in the distance reached Ginny's ears, muted shouts and curses drifting through the air over the wail of the alarm.

"Now can you see anyone?"

"No," he snapped. "I don't know where the fighting's coming from- down the opposite end of the floor, I think- but there's no one in sight. Death Eaters or anyone else."

"Are you sure? I mean, isn't it dark out there?" Ginny prodded. "How can you see anything?"

Well, in addition to the alarm light, Weasley, they've already got the backup lights on. They're not too bright, and rather sparse, but I can actually see."

"I can't get the bloody lift moving again!" Malfoy and Ginny glanced at Hermione in surprise at her frustrated outburst. She ran frazzled hands through her hair, only serving to make it more bushy and wild. "I don't know what could be stopping it. The only thing I can think of is that they still have someone down in maintenance who detected the spell I used to get it moving." She glanced at them with a pointed expression. "That's why it shut down again, and that's why I can't get it back on track."

"So now they know we're in here and trying to escape?" Malfoy hissed. "Why don't you just call out to them and ask them to kill us?"

"Well, I don't see you doing anything to help!" she said shrilly, clearly growing as panicked as he was.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," Ginny muttered, pushing past the two of them. Pocketing her wand, she reached for the door and gave it a good yank to one side, struggling to pull it open without any magic whatsoever. A moment later, Malfoy joined her, and in a few seconds, they managed to pull it back. As soon as the doors were open, Malfoy reached up to hurl himself up and out of the lift, but Ginny shoved him away, sending him sprawling into the back wall.

"Hermione first," she snapped. "We wouldn't even be able to climb out if it wasn't for her. C'mon, 'Mione, up you go." She beckoned the other witch forward, who seemed to have calmed her nerves a bit and approached the opening at ease. Ginny boosted her up, shooting Malfoy a glare. "Feel free to help," she grunted, as she hoisted Hermione through the opening at the top.

"I'll just wait my bloody turn, thanks."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Well, come on, then. You've got to boost me up before you can go."

"And how the hell will I get out?" he demanded. "With no one to boost me?"

"You're tall enough to reach it, Malfoy," she said impatiently. "Now will you help me up, or shall we sit here until the Death Eaters come?"

Cursing under his breath, Malfoy trudged forward. Ginny waited for him to make a footstep with his palms, like she'd done for Hermione, but instead, he bent down and wrapped his arms around her knees, lifting her into the air. She gasped, startled by his sudden move. "Malfoy!"

"Just get out of the bloody lift, weasel!" he growled.

Forcing down a retort, Ginny reached through the opening, squinting against the blinking red lights and the dim glow of the backup lamps. Hermione took a hold of her arms to pull her up, and she wriggled onto the floor on her stomach, nearly kicking Malfoy in the face as she went. Pity I missed, she thought with a sigh, and turned back to help him out while Hermione stood guard, glancing around the lift lobby and down the corridor that ran off to their right.

"Hurry," she whispered urgently. "I can see people heading down this way, and some of them hooded in black robes!"

Malfoy's eyes were dark and fixed on Ginny's face as she leaned down to give him her hand. Leveraging one arm against the edge of the lift opening, he gave himself a quick push off with the other hand before grabbing onto Ginny. He grunted as he pushed against the edge of the opening and hauled himself up, his legs flailing beneath him to kick off the doors below.

"Hurry, hurry!" Hermione moaned from behind.

"I'm- trying," Ginny groused, pulling with all of her body's strength. She distantly became aware of the fighting sounding out louder and closer, shouts and curses filling the air, blaring over the alarm. Once Malfoy had his torso out of the lift, he let go of the wall and took Ginny's other hand. With a mighty tug, Ginny pulled him out in one go, so suddenly that they both shot forward into the lobby. Draco shouted a curse as they both went down, entangled in each other's arms and legs.

Stepping all over her and sending a sharp elbow into her side more than once, Malfoy staggered to his feet while Ginny rolled onto her stomach between his legs. Her eyes widened as a masked Death Eater suddenly bound into the lobby, wand raised and leveled at them. "Look out!" she screamed, scrabbling for her wand as she pushed herself up on her hands. But Malfoy had pocketed his wand as well, and seemed to be tearing through his robes to find it, just as the Death Eater aimed his curse at him, shouting, "Sectum-"

"Protego!" Both Malfoy and Ginny whirled around, shocked, as Hermione blocked the spell meant for Malfoy. Before any of them, even the Death Eater, could take another breath, she pointed her wand at the masked man and Stunned him, sending him to the ground in an unconscious heap.

Malfoy's expression was one of outraged incredulity. "Did you just save my life?" he roared, turning on Hermione and leaving an irritated Ginny on the floor. Scowling, she pushed herself to her feet, wand now in hand.

Hermione ignored him, darting glances down the corridor. "Come on, let's make for the stairs!" To their right stretched an empty corridor, but more Death Eaters were quickly advancing from the left, only about twenty paces back.

"I will not be indebted to you!" Malfoy yelled, following Hermione as she stepped out into the corridor from the lift lobby.

"Stop being so stupid, Malfoy!" Hermione retorted, turning down the right end of the corridor and leaving her back exposed to the advancing Death Eaters.

"Uh... guys-" Ginny began, watching the approaching Death Eaters come closer and closer, brandishing their wands.

"You can pay me back later," Hermione snapped. "Now come-"

"Death Eaters, Death Eaters!" Ginny hollered, losing herself a bit as one masked man pointed his wand at Hermione's unprotected back.

Hermione began to turn, her eyes wide, but it wouldn't be soon enough, Ginny could tell. A jet of red light exploded from the Death Eater's wand as he shouted, "Stupefy!"

Leveling her wand, Ginny shouted out a Shield Charm, but it wasn't soon enough. Malfoy, however, didn't even bother with his wand, which he apparently had yet to take from his pocket, in his haste and anger. Instead, he dove forward across the hall, directly in front of Hermione, and took the Stunning Spell in his chest.

"For the love of Merlin!" Ginny whispered, completely shocked by his stupidity. She and Hermione exchanged quick, exasperated glances and then moved as one. While Hermione began firing curses at the approaching Death Eaters, Ginny scrambled into the corridor and took Malfoy by the arms. A large, open reception hall stood directly across the corridor from the lift lobby, and Ginny managed to heave Malfoy into this hall, where she dropped him off to one side, next to a long table.

"Hermione, help me!" she shouted, turning the table onto its side. Still blocking curses with one arm and keeping her eyes on the Death Eaters, Hermione grasped a table leg in the other hand and helped Ginny pull it into the corridor, effectively serving as a barricade between them and the Death Eaters. Once it was stretched across the corridor, Hermione crouched behind it, still shooting curses as she peeked out. Ginny, meanwhile, dragged Malfoy back into the corridor, behind the table with them, and joined Hermione in blocking off curses.

She paused to glance at the unconscious Malfoy and shook her head. "I mean, really," she said, incredulous annoyance tinting her voice, "is being indebted to you so bad? Because he certainly wasn't motivated by heroics."

"Well, I am a filthy Mudblood, after all," Hermione returned dryly. "I'm sure he would've thrown himself in front of the Killing Curse rather than bear the shame of being indebted to me." She tore her gaze from the Death Eaters for a quick second, eyeing the pale man. "You'd best wake him; we won't last for long here."

Ginny nodded, ducking back down behind the table. Kneeling over Malfoy with a grimace, she shook him roughly, pounded on his chest, and delivered a quick slap across his face. "Malfoy. Malfoy!"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Ginny, use your wand," Hermione said.

Pouting, Ginny pointed her wand at the git. "That was so much more fun," she muttered. "Ennervate."

- - - - -

Carina stalked down the Ministry corridor, her furious pace hindered by her somewhat large size, at eight months pregnant. She was incredibly exhausted, and hadn't been feeling very well all morning. She would have liked nothing better than to have been at home resting, but unfortunately, she found herself at the Ministry of Magic, looking for Draco bloody Malfoy.

It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the considerable sum of money he'd wired into her account. Carina wasn't stupid; she didn't need the money, exactly, but seeing as Draco Malfoy had gotten her into this mess in the first place, she'd gladly take his monetary support (after all, it wasn't as though he needed it, either). What angered her was the completely public, inconspicuous way he'd done it, leaving a careless trace of records from her account, all leading back to him. She knew he hadn't been a Death Eater for very long, but surely, surely he understood that they had people who had access to Gringott's accounts?

"Bloody stupid man," she muttered, coming up to a turn on her left. "I can't believe-"

She stopped short when she rounded the corner and found herself face to face with Ron Weasley, who yelped in surprise and dropped the pile of paperwork in his hands. "Oh, for Merlin's sake, Ron." She sighed. "And now I feel terrible, because I really can't help you pick all that up."

"Oh, erm- no, it's fine- really, it's fine," Ron assured her, scrabbling over the floor to pick up the scattered paperwork. "But, er-" He straightened, haphazardly shuffling the papers in hand. "What are you doing here?"

Carina blanked, scrambling for an excuse. "Well, I-" She stopped short as a thought occurred to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I... work here?" Ron frowned, puzzled.

"I thought you worked in the Department of Magical Games and Sports," she shot back, folding her arms over her chest.

There was a moment's pause, and then Ron's baffled gaze drifted over to the wall, which was covered in Quidditch posters. Carina followed his gaze, stared, and then let out a sigh. "Oh, bugger it. I'm not on the fifth level, am I?"

"Seventh, actually." Ron smiled in understanding. "What's on the fifth level?"

"I'm sorry," she murmured, avoiding his question. "I've been dotty all morning. I'm really not..." Her voice trailed off in another sigh. "Not feeling well."

"You look a bit peaky," Ron agreed. "Maybe you should sit down, for a moment? My office is just here." He jerked his head to the left, over her shoulder.

"No, don't bother." She waved her hands in dismissal and shook her head. "Really, I'm just a bit tired."

"Are you sure? You really do look pale," Ron said, his brow furrowed in concern. "Just sit and have some water- unless this business on the fifth level can't wait?"

Carina considered. "Well... I suppose it can. I'm just... I just need to speak with someone."

Ron took her by the arm and guided her into his office. "Well, sit yourself down in here-" He helped her into a chair at his desk, "and we can send a memo up to whoever it is you're looking for. Erm-" He frowned. "Who, exactly, are you looking for?"

"Afternoon!" Carina glanced up, relieved for the distraction, as Tracey Davis swept into the room. The former Slytherin shared an office with Ron, which was quite convenient, considering she was also a former D.A. member and now part of the Order of the Phoenix. If she was surprised to see Carina, she didn't show it, as she spared the woman a flashy smile before plopping down into her chair. Humming under her breath, she propped her feet up on the desk, crossed her ankles, and blew her mousey brown fringe out of her face.

"You're certainly in a cheerful mood today," Carina observed.

"Course she is." Ron sniggered. "She's just had a good shag during her lunch break."

Tracey threw Ron a bemused glance, though her green-blue eyes were still sparkling with mirth. "I've no idea what you're talking about." She shot Carina an innocent glance. "Honestly, I've no idea what he's talking about."

"How is Pucey these days?" Carina asked with a smirk, taking note that the buttons on Tracey's blouse were unevenly done.

"Bored." Tracey answered, glancing through a sheaf of parchment. "He was glad to go into hiding, you know, but I don't think he realized how limited his activities would be now." Adrian Pucey, a former Slytherin a few years above Carina, had very briefly served as a spy in the ranks of the Death Eaters, shortly after the battle of Hogsmeade six years ago. Now, wanted dead by several Death Eaters, he was forced to spend his days in hiding, under protection of the order.

"And you, Carina?" Tracey eyed Carina's sizeable bulge with a smirk of her own. "How is the pregnant life suiting you?"

"I'm ready for it to be over with," Carina grumbled.

"Oh, but hasn't anyone told you, darling?" Tracey asked with a laugh. "It's never over, not anymore."

"I'm not worried," Carina said coolly, while actually squelching the anxieties that rose every time she was reminded of her soon-to-be-motherhood. "I'm outrageously wealthy and can afford a whole mansion of nannies."

Tracey eyed her slyly. "I don't suppose you'll ever divulge who the father is?"

"Davis," Ron warned, placing a glass of water in front of Carina.

"Only we've taken bets, you see," Tracey explained.

"I'm not surprised," Carina said dryly, trying to keep thoughts of Draco out of her head. Which was ridiculous, really. It wasn't as though anyone was going to try using Occlumency on her. "Anyway, I would forget about it, if I were you. You don't know him."

"It's a Hufflepuff, isn't it?" Tracey asked wickedly.

Ron perched on the edge of his desk, his arms folded over his chest. "Better a Hufflepuff than Draco Malfoy," he growled.

"You know, a small portion of people in on the pool reckon it is Draco," Tracey let out, still eyeing Carina shrewdly.

Carina, however, didn't let her expression change, even though an edge of panic twisted in her gut. "Then a small portion of people in on your bet are fools. If I could give my child the wealth and prestige of the Malfoy family, why wouldn't I?"

"Because then you'd have to put up with Draco Malfoy for the rest of your life." Tracey wrinkled her nose. "Anyway, how can you be sure?"

"Sure of what?" Ron asked, baffled.

Carina understood the question perfectly. "I hardly ever slept with Draco," she lied. "Believe me, I'm quite sure he isn't the father."

"On the note of sleeping with Malfoy-" Ron grimaced, "let's change the subject. Who am I to send this memo to, then, Carina?"

Carina heaved a sigh. The banter with Tracey, though amusing, had only tired her even more. She didn't even want to imagine getting out her chair, and she was beginning to feel quite hot- probably due to Tracey's probing about her pregnancy. "Send it to..." She trailed off, wrestled with an excuse, and then gave in, too exhausted to think up anything suitable. "To Draco," she sighed, shutting her eyes.

"To Malfoy? What have you got to talk to him, for?" Ron demanded.

"I'm rather curious to know that myself," Tracey piped up.

"Well, too bad," Carina snapped, her temper growing very short, "because it's really none of your business, neither of you. Just send him the damn memo and tell him to get his arse down here."

"Well... all right," Ron conceded, still frowning. "I only wondered-"

"Oh, never mind!" With a huff, Carina lumbered to her feet. "If you aren't going to write it, then I'll just-" She broke off suddenly as a strange twinge in her belly caught her off-guard.

Something telling must have flashed across her face, because Tracey leaned forward, swinging her feet of her desk. "Carina? Are you all right?"

"I'm-" She broke off with a gasp as a more painful twinge shot through her. Biting back a moan, she placed a hand over her stomach. "Merlin's beard," she muttered between gritted teeth.

"Carina? What's wrong?" Ron hurried around his desk and to her side, only to wave his arms around a bit uselessly when he reached her. "What's happening? Is it the baby? What's wrong?"

"Give her some room, Weasley," Tracey snapped, shooing him away with a wave of her fingers. She held Carina by the elbow, trying to look her in the face. "Carina? What's wrong?"

Carina breathed in sharply, trying to organize her scrambled thoughts. "I think I'm-" Her words ended in a pained cry this time as she clutched Tracey's arm, her fingernails digging into the other witch's skin.

"-having contractions," Tracey finished, a worried expression on her face.

Carina nodded as the wave of pain slowly passed.

"What? Here? Now? But I thought you weren't due for another few weeks!" Ron blurted out. Carina threw him a harried glance; he'd gone quite pale. "You must be wrong. Are you sure it isn't... er, I dunno- something else?"

"Oh, for goodness' sake, Ron, I'm eight months pregnant and a trained Healer!" Carina burst out, still trying to relax her muscles after the pain. "I think I know what a bloody contraction is!"

"Er- right. Right. Of course." Ron scrubbed nervous hands over his hair. "I'm sorry. I just..."

"Look, why don't you just sit back down..." Tracey helped Carina over to her chair and slowly seated her in it. "Let's just all calm down, all right? It might be... er, false labor, right?" She shot Carina a expectant glance.

"One can hope," Carina said wryly, shutting her eyes.

"Well, maybe- I mean, shouldn't you go to hospital?" Ron suggested.

"Like she could Floo or Apparate like this, Weasley?" Tracey hissed. "Look. Just stay here, all right, and I'll go get some help. I'll Floo someone-"

Carina bit back another anguished scream and groaned as a spasm of pain wracked her body.

"-someone at St. Mungo's," Tracey finished, pitching her voice over Carina's cry. If Carina hadn't been so distracted, she might've noted that Tracey too, now, sounded a little panicked. "So just stay here, Weasley-"

"Me?" Ron squeaked. "But what am I supposed to-"

"Just stay with her, Weasley, and I'll be back with help in a few minutes!" Tracey snapped.

Carina was vaguely aware of the witch leaving the room, as Ron shuffled over to her chair and hovered uncertainly. "Carina? Erm, what should-"

Carina flung her arm out and snatched up his hand, squeezing it so hard that Ron let out a strangled sound that might've been a stifled yelp. "Just stand there and be still," she grated.

"But- well- all right." Ron fidgeted, but Carina was gratefully surprised when he squeezed her hand in return. "So I'll just-"

He broke off as the light suddenly flickered overhead and went out, and the charmed daylight shining through the window disappeared. The contraction passed just as they found themselves consumed in utter darkness. Involuntarily, Carina squeezed Ron's hand again. "What just happened? Where did the lights go?"

"I don't... I'm not sure. Hang on..." There was rustling noise, and then, "Lumos."

Carina glanced up, squinting at Ron's face, lit by his wand. Even though he'd been panicked just a moment before, his eyes were narrowed now as he glanced around the room. "That's strange. These lights are run by maintenance... I can't think why they'd shut them off. Here, hang on just a moment... I've got candles..."

He let go of her hand and stepped away, the light drifting along with him. Soon enough, he had several candles lit throughout the room. He left one on the desk, beside Carina, and said, "I'm just going to step out into the corridor a moment- see what's going on. And figure out where the devil Tracey's gone," he muttered, moving away.

Carina forced out an unsteady breath as he left. She swallowed and tried not to panic, but the incident with the light didn't help calm her nerves at all. She was a trained Healer, and she knew that something wasn't right... those contractions were coming awfully fast. She groaned inwardly, remembering how off and unwell she'd felt this morning. Of course, she hadn't even paid much attention to her own body, not once she'd learned of the money incident with Draco...

Ron tottered back into the office, and Carina could just make out a frown on his face. "I've no idea what's happening." He shook his head. "Everything's pretty quiet and no one seems to-"

A high-pitched screeching suddenly cut through his words, filling Carina's ears until she couldn't hear anything else. Throwing her hands over her head, she shouted, "What's happening?" She squinted through the darkness and caught a glimpse of some kind of flickering light out in the corridor, before Ron shut the door and hurried over to her.

"It's the new security system," he said loudly. "I think it's- wha...?" He glanced down as he reached her chair, frowning at the floor. "Did you spill your drink? Why's the floor wet?"

"Erm..." Carina chewed her lip anxiously. "I think my water broke."

Ron eyed her in alarm. "Is that... bad?"

"It means the baby is coming noooooooow!" She drew the last word out in a shriek as another wave of pain rocked her. This time, it was so intense, and her nerves were so completely shot to hell, with the darkness and the screeching alarm, that she couldn't hold back a scream. She grabbed Ron's hand and squeezed it as hard as she possibly could, doubling over in pain.

"What? Now?" Ron didn't even wince as she nearly broke his hand; he was so lost in panic. Well, good. As long as she wasn't the only one. "Are you sure?"

"Ron Weasley, if you ask me that one more time I'm going to-" Her words ended in another scream, just as the office door burst open and Tracey rushed inside, slamming the door behind her.

"Where have you been?" Ron shouted over the alarm. "And what the bloody hell is going on? Why's the alarm gone off?"

"Well, actually-" Tracey hesitated, looking to Carina with a frown. "Is she all right?"

"No, she is bloody not all right!" Ron hollered.

"My water broke," Carina moaned, gritting her teeth through the pain.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no." Tracey hopped from one foot to the other in panic.

"What? What?"

"Erm... look, Ron, just come over here for a minute-" Tracey began.

"I don't think so," Carina gasped, as the pain began to subside for the moment. "Don't try to play dumb with me. I want to know what's going on too, I'm the one in labor here!"

Tracey swallowed and inched closer. "Well, actually-" She threw Ron a desperate glance, evading Carina's gaze. "Someone's attacked the Ministry."

"What?" Ron's eyes widened.

"Someone?" Carina asked.

"Death Eaters," Tracey said in a rush. "A lot of them, by the sound of the alarm- it's a high-risk alert."

Carina couldn't help it; she let out a shrill, disbelieving laugh. "No. No. This is impossible. I'm bloody having this baby, right now, and there are-" All at once, the gravity of the situation seemed to sink in, and she caught her breath in fear. No one knows about the baby. No one knows about Draco, she reminded herself. Still, here she was, ready to have a baby, and the very men who would be quite willing to take said baby from her, if they only knew who its father was... "This can't happen. Not now. It can't," she said, her words coming out in a rapid rush of panic.

"Carina. Just breathe." Tracey crouched down to look her in the eye. "Don't worry about the Death Eaters. I will handle them. You just focus on having this baby, and Weasley here will help you."

"I will?" Ron yelped. "Me? Why can't I handle the Death Eaters and you help her have the baby?"

Carina groaned.

"Weasley!" Tracey hissed. "You aren't helping!"

"But I don't know anything about having babies!"

"And you think I do?" For the first time, Carina noticed that Tracey, actually, was looking quite green.

"You're a woman!" Ron spluttered.

"And you're a Gryffindor," Tracey retorted.

"So? Meaning what?"

"Meaning of the two of us here, you're the courageous one," Tracey said grimly. "So I will be the cowardly Slytherin and hold back the Death Eaters, and you, being the brave man that you are, will deliver this baby." And with that, she darted off towards the office door, wand in hand.

Breathing heavily, Carina glanced up at Ron with fearful eyes. The man stared after Tracey for a minute and swallowed, looking a little wild around the eyes. But then he glanced down and seemed to take in Carina's stricken expression. And although he still looked a bit shaken, he squared his shoulders and knelt before her. "All right. What do I do?"