Sweet Bondage

CHAPTER 20: Zabini, Blaise Zabini

"I've been gone awhile; I hope that friend of yours hasn't gotten it into her head to go exploring."

Ginny shot Colin a dirty glare. "Why is it that if one of our friends gets into a bit of a bind, I'm their friend, and any time between that you're more than happy to share them?"

Colin feigned an innocent look. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She threw him a nasty look. "Yeah, really convincing, Colin. Now tell me where you left Sarah," she demanded, planting her hands on her hips.

They had just arrived in Colin's expensive London bachelor's pad and there was no Sarah in sight. Now whether that was a good thing or a bad thing had yet to be determined.

"Don't look at me as though I ate your friend for breakfast," Colin complained. "Indigestion is not my cup of tea, as I'm sure you know by now." He did a quick scan of his living area and found nothing; they'd already looked in the room he had given her last night and she hadn't been there as well. "That woman really has to cut down on her sugar intake; she could put the energizer bunny to shame. Why she feels the need to prove she has boundless energy I'll never begin to understand."

"Colin - "

"How'd you do that?"

Ginny and Colin turned as one when they heard the fearful voice of their erstwhile missing guest. No wonder they didn't see her; Sarah was crouched down against one wall, conveniently hidden by Colin's huge bronze statue of a stag, only one of numerous glaring testaments to his obsession with anything Harry Potter.

"How'd you just appear like that? What's going on here?" Sarah demanded, moving towards them bravely even though she looked every bit as though she would rather be running in the opposite direction.

Ginny and Colin looked at each other in trepidation: The one thing she had been so afraid Colin would inadvertently divulge was the very first thing she herself had exposed Sarah to. And as she had feared, her friend was not taking the revelation of magic very well. In her haste to get to Sarah, she had agreed with Colin when he suggested they Apparate. Her concern for her friend did not excuse her for forgetting the possible consequences should she see them appear out of thin air, though.

"Sar, I can explain," Ginny began.

"You better," Sarah said tremulously, "because I know I did not just imagine the two of you popping up out of nowhere. And in case you might suggest it, I haven't been drinking and I don't do drugs either."

Colin looked between Ginny and Sarah, and made a decision. "I'll leave you two alone," he said hastily, making himself scarce in a flash.

Ginny watched Colin leave and couldn't really blame him; telling Sarah what, or rather who, she was, was not something she looked forward to. The only comfort she could assure herself out of the whole disaster was the knowledge that should push come to shove, she could erase her friend's memory after their talk. She wasn't looking forward to the task, but if Sarah knowing about the wizarding world proved to be a threat, then she wouldn't quibble about Obliviating her, friend or not.

"Why don't we sit down," she suggested, motioning Sarah towards Colin's plush leather sofa.

Sarah mindlessly started walking towards the seat located in the middle of Colin's huge apartment, all the while mumbling, "Yes, a seat, a seat is a good idea," and alternately looking at Ginny with confusion and just a hint of fear in her eyes.

Ginny pitied her friend; she really hoped Sarah would take what she was going to tell her well. She could use a friend like Sarah during this difficult time in her life, and even though she knew Hermione wouldn't hesitate to offer an understanding ear should she ever need it, which she does, she would rather have someone who didn't know about her history with her children's father to confide in.

Ginny watched as Sarah sat Indian style on the sofa, then looked up at her expectantly.

Well, at least she's not looking at me as though I was a freak or something, she thought before sitting down cautiously beside the blonde girl. She didn't really know where to begin, didn't know whether she should just blurt out the truth or ease into it to make sure she wasn't overloading her friend with unbelievable information too much too soon. But then again, could she really blame anyone for 'freaking out', as her American friends liked to call it, when they were faced with the reality of a world that should have only belonged in the pages of a fantasy book or the movies?

Subtly. I should be subtle, ease into the truth. Yes, good idea, Ginny thought fervently, unconsciously reaching for Sarah's hands and gripping it in her own.

She opened her mouth, with every intention of being subtle, and said, "I'm a witch." Shit! Ginny wanted to smack herself for her subtlety.

Sarah blinked, rather stupidly. "Oh." She blinked again. "A witch. Right." She smiled faintly. "You're pulling my leg, aren't you?"

Ginny's hold on Sarah's hands tightened. "I'm sorry for just blurting it out loud right that, and I'm sorry for keeping this from you, but I knew you would have a hard time believing me if I told you before. You're probably having a hard time believing me now, or you would be if you hadn't just seen Colin and I appear out of thin air." She took a deep breath and forged on. "Not a lot of your people would understand my world, just as my world has a difficult time accepting yours, but I really would like for you to see me as I really am, not the celebrity I was. I love you, Sarah; you are one of the few people who know the person I have become, and you've been there. You've seen how much I've struggled these past years with being a single parent and you've stayed by my side even without my asking you to. " She dropped her eyes and looked at their entwined hands. "Now I'm asking: I need you. I don't want to lose your friendship," she said quietly.

Sarah was quiet for a while, and Ginny grew increasingly frightened of her friend rejecting her for what she was. She wouldn't blame her, but her rejection would hurt.

"So all this time you've been lying to me," Sarah said flatly. "And what is this your world and my world? Unless you came from Pluto or something, I don't see how there can be two worlds in one planet! Or have I suddenly stepped into a Twilight Zone and just wasn't aware of it?"

Ginny could not help the grimace from showing on her face. "I, and people like me, have a separate existence, I should say," she started slowly, knowing the delicacy of the topic at hand. "It's sort of a community, one that ordinary people, like yourself, know nothing about. We know of your world, but we've taken great pains to conceal ours from becoming common knowledge in yours. I'm sure you can probably guess why," she finished lamely.

Sarah looked contemplative for a moment. Then something flickered in her eyes, as though she'd just been hit with something monumental. "Luke and Nicki! Are they - ?"

The question didn't need to be finished for Ginny to understand. "Yes."

"So all those stuff that keeps happening around them were because they were witches?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes."

"And Colin? Does he know? Or is he a witch too?"

Ginny could not prevent her lips from twitching at the thought of Colin. "He would like to be, but we actually call the other team wizards." She just couldn't help injecting a bit of levity into their conversation.

Sarah shook her head in disbelief. "Witches and wizards. I just can't believe it, I can't believe it."

Ginny felt like crying; there was no use for it, she would have to erase Sarah's London visit from her memory.

When she would have thought Sarah would finally call her out for her duplicity, the blonde sighed and her shoulders slumped in resignation. "So," she finally said. "By witch you mean like in Charmed, right? Or do I have to worry about you doing a Hansel and Gretel on me?"

Ginny's head shot up so fast she was in danger of whiplash, and she gaped at her friend for a few seconds before launching herself into the other woman's arms.

"Hey, hey, no biting now," Sarah said mock-seriously, hugging the redhead back.

Ginny drew back and grinned widely at the other woman. "Shut it, you; I'm not a vampire."

"Good to know then; don't want to have any more surprises sprung on me." Sarah grinned knowingly at her friend. "I knew there was something extraordinary about you. Damn girl! A witch? You couldn't choose something more common like maybe being a closet Republican or something?"

Ginny laughed delightedly, giving her another hug. "Oh Sar, you don't know how much I've missed you!"

"It's a good thing I'm here then," she stated smugly. "But don't think for one minute that I'm not gonna drill you for information about this witching business; I'm still not too sure about what you being a witch exactly entails, but we'll get to that later. Right now I really just need to rest, and Colin hasn't been all that helpful in that area, leaving me all alone here, making me think all sorts of things. When are you gonna take me to your place?"

"Right now. Go get your things and we'll be on our way."

Sarah bounded out of the sofa. "Didn't bring much with me," she declared. "Stay there and I'll be back in a jiffy."

Ginny watched the blonde disappear, a smile on her face. She was very glad she didn't have to Obliviate Sarah. She wasn't stupid enough to believe there won't be moments wherein the differences between their world wouldn't cause a problem for them, but for right now, she was going to take what she could get. And having her friend so close at hand was really the only thing she could ask for. The explanations could wait, and no matter what happened from then on, she was sure that it would be much less burdensome; everything always seemed to be so, with Sarah Carter around.

She took the time Sarah was gone to look in on Colin; she found him sitting on his bed, polishing his camera. Where Colin's living room was decorated in what was often kindly referred to as eclectic, his bedroom screamed minimalism: black platform bed with a matching mattress and night stand on one side, a bench at the foot of the bed, a wardrobe with sliding doors occupying one corner, a mirrored door leading to where Ginny knew was her best friend's bath and restroom, and sliding glass doors leading to a spacious balcony. Colin's bedroom looked even bigger than it actually was since it wasn't cluttered with unnecessary furniture; the only accessory in the room was a platinum spiral lamp and an enlarged black and white photo of a naked woman displayed over the head of the bed.

Ginny frowned when she saw the picture.

"How did it go?" Colin asked, putting down his camera.

"Will you ever take down that picture?" Ginny asked, still frowning, not answering Colin's question. "It's not exactly doing anything for your sex life, you know."

Colin grinned as he looked back at his masterpiece; he lazily got out of bed and faced the aforementioned art, tilting his head just so. "Not anytime soon, luv."

"I ought to bring Ron here," she threatened. "I'm sure he'd love to see that particular piece of art you so delight in torturing me with."

Colin's grin widened. "C'mon, luv, you know that's my best work to date; it's what got me started in the first place. And besides, you look absolutely delicious in that picture, so get over it."

Ginny rolled her eyes; there was no use talking to Colin. The first time she'd tried to persuade him to remove that particular art was when they were still in America; he had responded by making copies of the picture and putting it up in every apartment he either owned or rented all over Europe and America. He was just contrary that way, especially since he believed that it wasn't hurting anyone by being so prominent, including Ginny, no matter how much she might protest otherwise.

"So? What happened?" Colin demanded, crossing his arms across his chest.

Ginny forced her eyes from the picture. "It went fine, better than I expected, actually. We're about to go back to the Manor, in fact. I wanted to ask if you wanted to go with us. Although I must warn you, Sarah isn't too happy with you at the moment. I do believe she mentioned something about making you sorry for lying to her?"

Colin grimaced. "Gee, thanks. I'd rather stay here, if you don't mind."

Ginny shrugged and started backing away towards the door. "Coward. But you can't hide forever, you know that, right? Sarah will get to you eventually, never you doubt that."

"I'm sure. But I rather like the word eventually, if you must know." He stuffed his hands in his back pockets. "Will you be okay?" he asked seriously.

"I'm sure I will be," Ginny answered, looking at Colin sheepishly. "I mean, the worst is over after all."

"Alright, then," Colin nodded. "I'll be by later." He drew Ginny in his arms and gave her a tight hug.

Ginny returned the hug, and with a small smile, she quickly left. And just in time, too.

"Done," Sarah declared, her long strides covering the distance between her room and the living room easily, a backpack slung over her shoulders.

"That's all you brought with you?" she asked, unable to believe that her fashion conscious friend could fit her gowns inside the medium-sized polyester backpack.

"Yep. Didn't really think much of anything except hopping on a plane for London and trying to find you. And besides, I could always borrow your clothes, they're way cooler than mine, anyway. Are you ready then?"

Ginny shook her head in wonder; just when she had Sarah all figured out, she turns around and does the opposite of what was expected from her.

"Off we go then."

"What about Colin? Isn't he coming?" Sarah asked curiously.

"Not right now, no. But he said he'll come by later."

"Okay. Let's go."

Ginny led the way out of the apartment, shaking her head when Sarah started skipping along beside her, like a little girl off to the playground. "You know, I'm surprised that you're taking all this rather well. I had expected you to go mental on me once you found out what I was."

Sarah smirked at her. "Don't get me wrong; I'm still in shock mode. I'm basically still trying to digest what you've said to me so far, but we will have another talk about keeping secrets from each other. And Colin? That camera-toting hag has a lot of explaining to do, too. Wait until I get my hands on him." She waved her fist in the air for emphasis.

Ginny laughed delightedly. "I'll be sure to warn him of your intent. He's wary of you enough as it is; no need to give him a reason to justify his feeling."

"I don't know why, I'm completely harmless," Sarah claimed with a straight face.

Ginny pressed the button of the lift. "You're about as harmless as a six-foot Blast-ended Skrewt," she declared laughingly.

"A what?" Sarah asked as she stepped into the lift.

Ginny followed her friend into the small room. "Never mind. Just be thankful you never have to face one, is all."

Sarah frowned at Ginny as the doors to the lift closed. She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling that being likened to a blast-ended whachamacallit was not a good thing at all. But they could talk about that later; right now, what she needed most was to rest and feel safe, whichever comes first.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, Zabini! Where do you think you're going?"

Blaise Zabini turned to look at his partner, mentally sighing in exasperation. For a time it was funny to have the Boy-Who-Lived ("Man, Zabini! Man!" as Potter often corrected him) dogging his every step, suspicious that the Italian wizard might try to brainwash Hermione into leaving him. Not that he hadn't tried, of course; during Hermione and Potter's first year of marriage he had tried every trick he had up his sleeve to turn Hermione's head, all to no avail. It was difficult, finally letting the first woman he'd ever felt that elusive feeling called love go, but that was a story that was better left untold now. That, and Hermione had categorically told him she would be cutting off an important part of his anatomy if he continued to pester her. It was said in jest, but he knew then that he'd lost, and it was time to move on. But that didn't mean that Potter had to know of his decision; if there was one thing that he loved more than he did Hermione, it was watching her husband's face turn an unbecoming shade of purple every time he flirted with her. It was a health hazard, yes, one that he didn't mind facing every day for its entertainment value.

"What now, Potter?"

"Where are you going?" Harry asked again, looking suspiciously behind him at the elevators.

Blaise smirked. "Really, Potter, I know I'm irresistible, but you have got to get a grip on yourself. I just don't swing that way. You do understand, don't you?" He laughed inwardly at the disgusted look the other man gave him, and decided to up the ante a bit. "Now if you were Draco, I just might be persuaded into changing my mind."

"You're sick! You really are sick in the head, Zabini! I don't know why Hermione ever bothered with you, and still bothering with you," Harry spat in mingled horror and disgust.

Blaise let go of the laughter he was holding in. "You are such a gullible fool, Potter!" he chuckled, giving the other man a playful punch on the right shoulder. "Nothing like a good laugh to brighten an otherwise tedious day, eh. Thanks, mate." He punched the elevators for down.

"You still haven't answered my question," Harry persisted, truly worried now that Zabini might be going down to the Unspeakables department.

"It's charm, Potter; I have charm in spades. What can I say? Hermione just can't resist the Zabini appeal," Blaise answered smoothly, deliberately giving Harry the answer to the question he knew wasn't the one he wanted to hear.

Harry looked so frustrated at his partner that he looked to be in danger of pulling out his hair, which was not necessarily a bad thing considering he had so much of it, Blaise thought unkindly.

"No, you pillock! Can't you keep your mind out of your pants for 2 seconds!" Harry practically snarled. "You're not supposed to go anywhere without telling me your whereabouts."

Blaise feigned a frown in concentration. "They were serious about that?" he said, brows drawn together in displeasure. "Oh, well," he shrugged disinterestedly. "If you should know, I'm off to visit a certain redhead. I have this gut feeling telling me to go there this morning. So."

Harry's face lightened up considerably. "You're playing with fire, you know that, right?"

Blaise gave him a two-fingered salute. "Hey, lighting a fire under our favorite icy Slytherin is slowly becoming a favorite hobby of mine."

Harry looked at him wryly. "Have you forgotten you're a Slytherin yourself?"

The elevator doors opened just as Blaise grinned at Harry. "But not icy, Potter. No one can ever accuse me of being icy."

Harry shook his head. "If this is the way you treat your friends, I pity you're enemies."

Blaise stepped into the elevator. "You know how I treat my enemies, Potter," he answered simply, seriously.

Harry knew, all right, which was precisely why the Ministry had decided to pair the two of them right off. The powers that be could not completely trust that a Slytherin could really want to be a protector and executor of Wizarding laws and decrees, especially one who didn't need the income such work entails. But Blaise had proven to be an invaluable Auror, the only one who was powerful enough to match up with one Harry Potter.

Harry placed his hand against the side of the elevator to keep it from closing. "You'd better be back at 2. We're due to appear for our monthly report, and Augustus wasn't too happy about you missing the last one."

Blaise crossed his arms across his chest. "Why you keep putting up with that pompous ass is beyond me, Potter. If I'm not here by then, tell him he can stick his job where the sun doesn't shine, or I'll do it for him if he doesn't get off my back." The doors of the elevators closed to the sight of a Harry Potter shaking his head and chuckling at his accurate description of the Head of the Auror Department.

Harry Potter. It was a sacrilege, a sin really, one punishable by decapitation, but Blaise had been able to admit to himself that he greatly admired the savior of the Wizarding world. Hermione had rightly guessed his admiration towards her husband and had even taunted him about it, but not even under threat of painful death would he actually voice that fact out loud. He trusted Potter to cover his back, and in the line of work they were in, that was saying something; the fact that he was a former Slytherin who lived up to that name in every aspect of the word was even more telling. He wasn't one to let his guard down, even around Draco he was always on the alert, but Potter was different, and after 3 years of working together, he had learned that Potter might bluster at him ninety percent of the time, but he could trust that he would never be betrayed by the former Gryffindor.

The doors of the elevators opened and a group of witches joined him in the small compartment. He pretended not to see that they were giving him flirtatious looks, and were giggling like schoolgirls as they whispered to each other. It was always the same; he was used to women fawning over him and if he had been in a playful mood right then, he might have indulged them in a little game of flirtation, but he wasn't in the mood, and he was unusually eager to see Ginny. Why, he could not understand, he just knew he had to see her that morning.

When the elevator finally reached the lobby of the Ministry, he gave the witches a brief nod and walked swiftly to the Apparation point of the Ministry, ignoring the disappointed looks on their faces. Really, women were so complicated and yet, not. He didn't like the migraine that goes with trying to understand them when he wasn't thinking of anything more than a quick tumble between the sheets. Hermione had told him that was why he could never get a steady girlfriend: His attitude didn't foster a healthy relationship, and what woman would want to be treated like a highly paid whore instead of a valued girlfriend?

He'd protested, of course, rather loudly in fact; he had hot Italian blood running in his veins after all, he could never treat a woman like chattel even if half the time they deserved to be treated so! He was a lover, a provider, everything a woman wished for in their man but something that was as elusive as catching smoke with one's bare hands. How Hermione could be so mistaken about him he would never understand.

He nodded his head again as he passed a curly haired witch who gave him a brilliant smile. Women, he thought cynically, can't live with them, can't live without them. A fleeting thought passed through his head right before he disapparated: Would he ever find that one person they all say was meant to complete you? He wasn't even aware he was missing a piece of himself, how then could he possibly know a woman had completed him?

"Barmy," he muttered, and with a loud crack he disappeared.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" Sarah exclaimed, jaw slack as she stared up at the structure before her. "You live in a palace?"

Ginny nodded in gratitude at her driver, a bemused smile on her face as she listened to her friend go on and on about her home.

"I mean seriously!" Sarah continued. "You got a complex or something? I only ever know of people who likes to live in big houses as having issues, but you're the first one I know who actually has to have a palace for a house. Got something to tell me?" She nudged Ginny's elbow suggestively.

Ginny shook her head at her friend. "It's hardly a palace," she muttered, embarrassed at her friend's first impression of the place she'd built for her family. "Come on," she said, crooking her right arm through Sarah's left. "Let's get you inside before my staff thinks you're not only a Muggle, you've also gone off the deep end."

"Staff? You've also got staff? How many? How many people live here anyway? How many rooms does this place have? And where exactly is here, anyway? How - "

Ginny rolled her eyes at her friend's inquisitiveness and tugged at her arm every time she faltered and stared at something she found interesting in her home. Sarah was being Sarah, of course, and she didn't begrudge her her curiosity; it was one of her friend's most endearing qualities.

"-I've seen that documentary about the Royal family, you know? Do you have rooms like they do? You know the one where you could build a whole house in one bedchamber? Is that what they called it? Where they have sitting rooms and parlor rooms and retiring rooms in one bedroom? Huh? Do you have that?"

Then again Sarah's curiosity was also one of her most irritating qualities.

"Sar, I'll give you a grand tour of the house if you want. But don't you want to take a rest first? You did say you were tired, didn't you?" Ginny asked hopefully. Already they'd gotten some odd looks from a few of the staff they'd passed. It wasn't only because they didn't have any idea who the woman with their employer was, but because they were simply amused at the childish vivacity that the statuesque blonde was displaying, a trait they'd only ever seen in the twins.

"Yeah, but - " Sarah was cut off by a delighted shriek; they'd reached a large airy room, with glass walls on either side. The shriek threatened to break said glass, and as Ginny cringed, Sarah turned just in time to catch a blonde missile as it hurtled into her arms.

"Aunt Sarah! Aunt Sarah! You're here!"

Child and woman laughed delightedly, Sarah swinging the delighted little girl round and round in her arms.

"Yes, I am, you little brat! I've missed you! And where's that brother of yours?"

Just then, a disgruntled looking Luke marched up to his sister and their guest. "Not fair!" Luke declared, stomping his foot in indignation. "You pushed me!" the little boy accused, swatting at his sister's swinging legs.

"Luke! What's that all about?" Ginny asked her son, putting a restraining hand on his shoulders.

Luke pouted. "She knocked me over in the cushions, Mommy, and I never did nothing to her, just coz she wanted to get here first."

Ginny's lips thinned in disapproval as she looked at her smug looking daughter. "Nicole Adrianne Weasley, what have I told you about pushing your brother around?"

"That I shouldn't do it, but he dared me, Mommy!" Nicole said in defense. "He said I couldn't beat him coz I was a girl. Ha! I won! He's the girl!"

Luke's lips wobbled in distress, his little hands balled into little fists. "I'm not! You're the girl! You are! you are!"

"Hey, hey! What's going on here? What brought this on?" Ginny asked, totally perplexed. Sure the twins had their disagreement from time to time, but this tiff looked to be a prelude to World War III. "Nicole? I need an answer, young lady."

Nicole turned her head from her mother in rebellion. Sarah raised a surprised brow at Ginny.

"Nicki, honey, why won't you tell Mommy what's going on?" Sarah asked the child in her arms gently.

Now it was Nicky's lips wobbling. It didn't look as though she was going to answer, but then she gave her brother a quelling glare and blurted out, "Grandpa loves him more than he does me and it's all his fault!"

Ginny felt like she'd just been kicked in the gut. "What! What! Where's all this coming from? What happened?"

It seemed that was all that the children needed to start bawling. Nicole buried her face in Sarah's neck while Luke hid his face against his mother's legs.

In the midst of the noise, a voice full of authority suddenly rang out.

"What is the meaning of this racket?"

Luke and Nicole's wails died out as though a switch had been turned off. As Lucius walked into the middle of the party, Ginny was still at a loss as to what could have triggered this episode of sibling rivalry. When Lucius automatically walked over to check on Luke, it left little doubt in her mind what the trigger was.

"See! See! Granpa loves Ian more than he does me! He hates me!"

Ginny felt a serious case of migraine coming on. She has never before had this problem with the twins and she could not believe that it chose that day and that time to test her parenting as well as coping skill.

At hearing Nicole's accusation, Lucius halted mid-crouch to look up at his granddaughter in surprise. Realising the indignity of the position he found himself in, he straightened, and after ruffling Luke's hair fondly for a moment, went over to the upset Nicole.

"What's this I'm hearing? That can't be right. Surely my princess can't actually believe I don't adore her just as much as her brother? Come here, little pea," Lucius said coaxingly, taking Nicole from Sarah's slack arms. The little girl snuggled into her grandfather's arms, sniffling into his neck dramatically.

Ginny rolled her eyes in mingled annoyance and mirth; she finally realized the absurdity of the problem was compounded by someone with the tendency to overcompensate for past parental failures. "You are such a pushover, Lucius. A little waterfall and you go stumbling all over yourself to appease these two monsters. What were they doing while I was away, anyway?"

Lucius settled Nicole properly in his arms before answering Ginny. "We were in the Day room, actually, and they were getting along just fine. Then they ran out, I followed them and came upon this scene." He looked back at the woman his granddaughter had been clinging to previously and turning back to Ginny, raised his eyebrow in inquiry.

Ginny quickly made the introductions. "This is who I was talking to you about earlier, Lucius; this is a friend of mine, Sarah Carter. Sarah, this is my - " she paused for a moment, not sure how to introduce Lucius as, then finally decided on, "my children's grandfather, Lucius Malfoy."

Sarah's eyes widened incredulously. "My God, Moira, he looks just like that guy I told you about! Except for the hair. You remember that guy, don't you, the one in the party? The one I told you about, the blond guy with Dianne Winters?" She looked Lucius over from the top of his gleaming head to the tips of his polished Italian shoes. "Do they all grow English men like him?" She looked at Ginny wonderingly. "If so, I was born in the wrong country. Seriously."

Ginny could barely suppress her laughter, especially at the indignant look in Lucius' face. He has probably never been so thoroughly looked over by a female in his life, at least not one who looked at him as though he was a fine piece of steak she wouldn't mind sinking her teeth into. No female who knew the kind of man he was, and what he was capable of, would ever dare look at him in the way Sarah just did, and he wasn't finding the experience the least bit enjoyable or flattering. He knew he looked good, and he didn't need to have a female of questionable pedigree telling him by any form of communication that he was desirable. Even if said female was extremely attractive herself, which was beyond the point, of course.

Lucius turned to Ginny and in a clipped voice, said, "I will be taking Nicole inside then; I think today's episode needs attending to. If you will excuse me?"

"Oh, don't go on my account," Sarah said in her most flirtatious voice. She wasn't born insensitive; she knew right away that the twin's grandfather didn't like her, and those were the kind of men that she particularly loved to play around with, at least mentally. "We were just getting acquainted."

Lucius stiffened in offended shock. The nerve of this - this Muggle! "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, Ms. Carter. If you'll excuse me? And Luke? I will have that talk with you later as well, young man." And with one last quelling glance at Sarah, turned and marched out of the room, Nicole happily waving at her Aunt Sarah over her grandfather's shoulders as she was carried off.

Ginny's laughter bubbled out as soon as she was certain Lucius wouldn't be able to hear her. "I cannot believe you just did that! After all the trouble I went through to make sure he doesn't make it difficult for you to stay here!"

Sarah flicked her hair over her shoulders carelessly. "I could tell he doesn't like me, which is so unfair since he doesn't even know me. You know I can never resist the challenge of a man who's so obviously not into me. Not to mention he is a delicious piece of manhunk; too bad he's related to you. And what d'you mean you had to convince him to let me stay here?"

Ginny shook her head ruefully. "I will never understand you, you crazy woman. If I didn't know better, I'd think you weren't really heartbroken not too long ago. And please don't talk to me about Lucius' desirability," Ginny implored, making a face at the grinning blonde. "I don't think my stomach could take to hearing how my kid's grandfather does it for you. Too much information, if you know what I mean." She shivered, to emphasize her point. "And I didn't need his permission to let you stay here; I just had to talk to him about certain stuff about you, is all. Nothing for you to worry about."

Sarah's smile had dimmed a bit on being reminded of her break-up, but her resilient nature would not allow for her to wallow on stuff that she had no control over. Forcibly pushing unpleasant thoughts to the back of her mind, she flashed her thousand megawatt smile at her redheaded friend. "You know me; part of my charm." She cocked her head at Luke playfully. "Now come here, my darling Luky. You haven't given me my kiss yet."

Eagerly, Luke went over to Sarah and flung himself into her open arms, wrapping his arms around her neck tightly and planting a big wet kiss on her cheek. As they were horsing around with each other, Ginny heard another voice, this time from someone she knew would only give her trouble, penetrate the happy reunion of boy and aunt.

"Well, cara mia. Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Blaise strutted inside the foyer of Welsh Manor, looking as though he owned the place and didn't have a care in the world. Nobody tried to stop him gaining entry into the lavish home, not that he would have heeded anyone who would have tried anyway. He spied a carrot-haired girl peeking at him around a corner and stopped.

"Good morning, Lucy; you're looking especially fine this morning. Is that a new apron you're wearing?" Blaise flashed an intimate smile at the timid young maid, and watched as color flooded the young woman's cheeks.

"Och, Master Blaise; yer a bad one, ye are," the young girl scolded but with a big smile on her face. "Me mum tells me yer nae good, and that ye shouldna be teasin' us so."

Blaise grinned at the maid unrepentantly. "And how is the lovely Mrs. Fitzgerald this morning? Good, I hope?"

"Good enough to whip your arse if you don' stop flirtin' with me staff," a stern voice answered Blaise. A stout woman with the same shade of hair came into view, wielding a rolling pin in one hand and a turkey baster in the other.

"Colleen, my bonny Colleen. How - "

"Away with ya, you silly mon," the cook told him off, her tone nevertheless adoring. "If you're lookin' for the mistress, we was told she was goin' out. Don' know if she's back yet. Now get on inside afore I whack you o'er the head with me pin. And stop puttin' ideas into me daughters head, why don't you."

Blaise pasted a hurt look on his face. "If I wasn't so fond of your crumpets, woman." Blaise let his statement hang between them; the cook knew how much Blaise favored her sweets, not just her crumpets. It was one of the reasons why he could usually be found in the Manor most days, even before her employer had moved back to England, even before the Manor had been completed even. They usually do verbal sparring with each other, especially since Blaise took it for granted that his teasing might not be seen as such by the Manor's female staff, and it was just hell working with people who spent most of their time mooning over a man they could never hope to have.

"Go," Mrs. Fitzgerald said, waving her baster at Blaise.

Blaise winked at Lucy, causing the latter to giggle uncontrollably despite her mother's admonishment. "See you later, lovey." Blaise left to the sounds of Mrs. Fitzgerald reprimanding her daughter at the impropriety of flirting with the Manor's guests, especially guests who were known for being a heartbreaker.

Blaise shook his head and started whistling a merry tune. Until he turned a corner and witnessed a sight he thought he'd never see in this lifetime. The scene was too funny, and too surreal, that he just had to keep the players from knowing they had an audience. When the unlikeliest participant of the scene finally left, he decided to make his presence known.

"Well, cara mia. Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" He watched as Ginny turned to look at him, but his focus was on the other woman she was with. During the entire scene with Lucius, he hadn't seen what the brave woman looked like since she'd had her back turned to him. But when he finally saw the second woman, of his generation anyway, who defied Lucius without a care for her physical well-being, he literally felt his gut clench. He felt poleaxed; he had no idea what the word meant exactly, but he felt sure it was appropriate to describe the way the woman made him feel. And the second thing he noticed was that his hackles rose up as though to prepare himself from an attack. He'd only felt such wariness during his more dangerous assignments as an Auror; he didn't understand why he felt it necessary to feel wary of a slip of a girl, but he was. Oh, he was.

"What are you doing here so early in the day?" Ginny asked, looking at him suspiciously.

"It's not really that early now, cara; it's almost 11. And do you really blame me if I miss seeing you?"

Ginny snorted. "It's not like you haven't been here all the time; you practically live here yourself. Mrs. Fitzgerald has told me you've been raiding my kitchen since the builder had the ovens working."

Blaise shrugged nonchalantly. "I won't bankrupt you with my appetite, I'm sure." He strolled forward casually, looking at Sarah in the same manner she had looked Lucius over earlier. Draping an arm on Ginny's shoulders, he tipped her face up and dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. "Care to tell me where you went off to this morning?"

Ginny shrugged off Blaise's arms and glared at him. "Will you stop pawing me already! Isn't it enough you've made us out to be more than we are last night? I'm only surprised the Daily Prophet hadn't got wind of our engagement and plastered it all over the front page."

"Ah, so that's why you're ticked off at me." Blaise mustered a hurt look on his face. "I was only playing along with what your dear Lucius wanted, Ginevra dear. Did you really think I relished having my best friend bash my face in? My jaw still hurt, you know."

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise. "Draco hit you?"

Blaise nodded, grinning. "Yes! You should have seen his face - it was priceless! If I didn't know for sure he was furious at me I would have egged him some more. 'Course that was before he slugged me, an exercise I don't care to repeat, thank you very much."

Ginny didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, not knowing what to say and how to react to what Blaise had just told her. Finally, deciding to just leave well enough alone, she turned to Sarah, intending to introduce Blaise to her. She was surprised at the way her friend was looking at Blaise.

"Um, Blaise, this is Sarah, a very good friend of mine from America." She looked at Blaise, expecting the Italian to start doing what he does best: flirt. What she saw on his face was something else, though. "Sar, this is Blaise Zabini, a friend and one of the twin's godfather."

"Charmed," Blaise drawled lazily, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Sarah nodded curtly, depositing Luke on her right hip. "Likewise."

Ginny looked from Sarah to Blaise and was at a loss as to what to say; never had she found herself in a frosty situation without a clue as to the root of the problem.

"What am I missing here?" she finally asked. "Have you two met somewhere?" She was answered by a chorus of 'No's', 'Don't be silly's' and 'Nevers' and 'You're kidding, right?'. Which only made her more bewildered. "Okay," she said slowly, eyeing the two warily. "Luke, why don't you go take Aunt Sarah and show her to her room while I talk to Uncle Blaise. It's the third bedroom in the South Wing, on the second floor, beside the Music Room."

Luke scrambled down from her perch on Sarah's hip, and with an enthusiastic "Ok, Mommy," rushed to Blaise to give his leg a brief tight hug before grabbing Sarah's hand and dragging her from the room, leaving Blaise and Ginny, with the latter looking at the former suspiciously.

Blaise stared at the spot Sarah and Luke had been standing on, trying to understand what it was about the woman he didn't like. When he noticed that Ginny was looking at him oddly, he shifted on his feet, trying to look as indifferent as he possibly could. "What?"

"Is there something I should know?"

"Such as?" he asked blankly.

"Such as what happened just now?"

"I don't know what you mean," Blaise hedged uncomfortably.

Ginny scoffed. "Come off it, Zabini. I know you. I know you're like a cock in a henhouse whenever there's an even remotely attractive woman in the vicinity. And in case you'd suddenly gone blind and it's escaped your notice completely, Sarah happens to be more than fairly attractive. What I don't get is why you were looking at her as though she was going to steal the silverware as soon as the opportunity presents itself."

Blaise shrugged. "I didn't feel like it."

Ginny's brows rose. "Do you hear yourself talking right now? You sound as though you've been possessed and the malevolent spirit spit out the old Zabini like yesterdays news."

A vein started pulsing like mad on Zabini's neck. "Just leave it, Ginevra."

"Ohhh! So now I'm Ginevra? Something must be really bothering you for you to go all formal on me, when it's just the two of us."

Blaise turned his back on her and started walking away. "Where are you going? I haven't finished talking to you," Ginny called, following him.

"The kitchen," Blaise answered simply.

"Why?"

"Because," Blaise answered, "like you said, I'm trying to eat you out of hearth and home. To do that, I have to start early."

"You haven't answered my question yet," Ginny demanded stubbornly.

"And I don't intend to," Blaise threw over his shoulder. "You're only my fiancée, Ginevra, you're not my wife yet." He docked when Ginny pulled off one of her shoe and threw it at his head. "And that is one habit you have I'm going to have to curtail once we're married," he continued to espouse, smirking at the irritated redhead. "Granting, of course, that I still have a head after Draco's through with me."

"Get back here, you cretin!"

"Later, me amore," he said, waving her off. "Freshly baked crumpets is calling to me. And you should really lay off on the name calling, we have impressionable ears living in this place, you know."

Ginny didn't bother following the Italian; she knew that there was no use talking to the man when his stomach was ruling his head at the moment. Shaking her head, she turned to follow Sarah and her son. If Blaise were to follow his usual schedule, then he was going to be around for the next two hours. And she wasn't going to let him walk out of the Manor unless he explained himself to her satisfaction.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sarah sat on her bed and watched Luke bouncing off the walls in his excitement, although bouncing seemed to be the wrong adjective to use, seeing as he had some sort of contraption gripped between his legs. She wanted to feel worried that he might hurt himself, but after what she'd learned that day, she was learning, fast, to take anything in her friend's house in stride. She didn't know what was normal with them, and four-year-olds bouncing off walls might just be something that happened on a regular basis in this alternate reality.

"LUKE! What have I told you about flying inside the house!"

Sarah literally jumped off the bed at Ginny's announcement. Flying? Flying?! Oh man!

Luke just grinned at his mother, and with one more bounce, landed on the carpeted floor of Sarah's bedroom.

Sarah looked from son to mother and shook her head. She was surprised it took her this long to discover this side of her friend's life. There had been more than one occasion back in the States where she'd had to stay at Moira's place, and she'd never noticed anything funny about the suite she kept. Seeing how Luke was so enjoying himself defying every last order his mother must have given him at one point, she couldn't imagine the amount of restraint the little boy must have exerted not to show the magic in his blood.

"I'm sorry, My, I didn't know he wasn't supposed to be, er, flying?"

Ginny waved off her apology. "I know whose fault it is. Now give me that broom, young man, or it'll be worse off for you than it already is!"

"But Mommy!" Luke whined, clutching at his broom as though his life depended on it.

"You heard me, young man. Now, give it here." Ginny held out her right hand, and with a pout, Luke handed over his broom. "And you're not getting this back until you promise me you will never be flying it inside the house again, do you hear me?"

Luke crossed his little arms in front of his chest and scuffed his shoes on the carpet, refusing to look at his mother. Sarah thought he looked so adorable, trying to look like the bigger man he was not going to be til several more years yet.

"I want an answer, mister," Ginny stated firmly, refusing to budge.

Luke gave his mother a glare and tipped his pointed chin up in defiance. "Yes, mommy," he said grudgingly, in contrast to his defiant stance.

Ginny nodded. "All right then. Now why don't you go find your grandfather and tell him how mean I've been." She smirked at the astonished look on her son's face. "You don't actually believe I don't know that you always come crawling to your grandfather every time you don't get your way with me, don't you?"

A flicker of guilt passed across Luke's face, but it was so brief you would have to be looking closely at him to notice it. He did march out of his aunt's room though, every inch the offended little aristocrat that he was.

Sarah had witnessed their interaction with an amused smile on her face. No two people could be as strong-willed as mother and son was, except, of course, where Nicole was concerned; the little girl would win the stubbornness trophy hands down on any given day.

"Wow! If ever there was a battle of the sexes, that would have been one," Sarah commented, flopping back down of the huge sleigh bed, propping her chin up with her hands.

Ginny snorted. "Don't you mean the battle of the ages? Sometimes I have to drill it into them that I'm actually the parent in this relationship, otherwise they'd walk all over me."

Sarah nodded. "I can see that. I wonder why I never noticed this power struggle back in the US."

Ginny sat down near the blonde, smoothing the peach-colored comforter absentmindedly. "Believe me, the same holds true back there. It's just not as apparent as when we're here, though. But enough of that. What I want to know is why you suddenly did a fair imitation of the Ice Queen back there with Blaise. Got something to tell me?" she threw Sarah's question back at her.

Sarah turned over on the bed and shrugged. "I don't know what you mean," she hedged, not looking Ginny in the eye, staring up at the domed ceiling.

Ginny snorted again. "You're so full of it! I practically had frostbite with the way the two of you were reacting to each other. I would have thought you'd go the extra mile trying to give Blaise the come hither look; he is an impossibly good-looking man," she spied Sarah's reaction from underneath her lashes, "and very rich as well. He's got about a hundred women banging down his door, wanting a piece of him."

"And he's probably more than happy to let all those hundreds of women in, not wanting to disappoint his adoring masses," Sarah said, a sneer in her tone. "I know men like him, Moira; they can be trusted only as far as I can throw them. I want no part of somebody like that."

Ginny looked at her friend thoughtfully. "We might have a problem with that, as he often spends his time here."

Sarah's eyes snapped back to Ginny and widened. "Don't tell me he's your boyfriend or something!" she said, her face draining of color.

Ginny laughed delightedly. "Goodness, no! I have more than my fair share of problems already, I don't need to add one more into it." She shook her head slightly. "But like I said, he spends most of his time here. I've only been told of that fact a few days ago, and I don't see the need for him to stop coming here. He's a good friend actually; he's annoying, but still a friend." Then a mischievous sparkle came into her eyes. "What I want to know is why you seem to find the erroneous fact that he might be my boyfriend so distressing."

Sarah rose from her previous position, sitting Indian style on the bed and would not meet Ginny's eyes again. "It's not, distressing I mean. I just think you deserve much better than him, that's all. He's not good enough for you," she finished lamely.

Ginny nodded knowingly, smirking, deciding to let it go for now. "If you think that, then I can't wait for you to meet the twin's father. I'd love to hear what you think of him."

"You mean he's here?" Sarah asked in surprise.

"He's in England, yes," Ginny affirmed. "Where, exactly, I don't know. But if you react like that to Blaise, then I'm sure you'll have plenty to say about Draco."

"Why do you say that?" Sarah asked in puzzlement.

"Because he and Blaise are related, cousins to be more specific. And no two men could be as similar as those two."

Sarah looked even more confused. "Then where did the twins get their coloring? From their grandfather?"

Ginny laughed. "No, silly. From their father, of course. The twin's father took his coloring from Lucius, which he then passed into my little imps."

"But that would mean - "

"Yes."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Moira." Sarah threw her arms around her friend in a bid to comfort the redhead. "You must feel so awful, having the man who fathered your babies marrying another woman."

Ginny's face clouded for a minute. "That's not important now, so let's not talk about him. I just want to warn you that Blaise would be practically living here with us, and to just ignore him when he gets into his me-man-hear-me-roar moments. He winds down pretty fast anyhow."

Sarah giggled. "I'll try not to laugh in his face when he tries that with me, I promise."

Ginny grinned back at her friend. "Okay then. Now, how about that tour?"

Sarah eagerly jumped on the bed, dipping into an impromptu curtsy. "Lead the way, my Lady," she said, wobbling horribly and in danger of toppling over the side of the bed. "But first tell me why Zabini kept calling you Ginevra."

Ginny sighed. "I'll tell you the short end of it while I'm showing you the place, all right?" she said, as the two of them started on their way out of the room. "I'm sure you'll put too much stock behind the story of that name and the telling should keep you entertained." Ginny grinned to herself as Sarah started in on her questioning again, then got distracted by all that was around her, as was expected. Now if she could just keep Sarah's attention otherwise occupied, she might just be able to concoct a shorter, less graphic picture of how Moira Welsch came to be.

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