Breaking All the Rules

Chapter Twenty-Two

Breaking All the Rules

Paying Back Your Debts

~*~~*~~*~

Harry exhaled a heavy breath and sat back to look through various sheets of paper. "These files seem awfully thick," he said as he threw another file into the fire.

Draco contemplated it. "Yes, quite. But if you want thick wait until you reach 'Z.' Then you'll know what thick is."

Harry frowned. "What do you mean?"

Draco looked at him, he seemed to paused before answering as if he was planning his answer. "Are you honestly this stupid or do you do this to annoy me, Potter? Whose name has a 'Z' in it that you know of?"

"Oh." Draco rolled his eyes. "Where is he?"

He shook his head and shrugged. "Probably on his own staring at nothing like he's been doing for ages." He looked back down at the drawer and then moved onto the next letter of the alphabet. M. He heaved a heavy sigh as if bliss had almost reached him. "Oh, I can't wait to use magic feely again."

Harry smiled. "I suppose it's hard to restrain from using it."

He scoffed. "You have no idea. I passed that exam but they didn't say it would be hard after the first three weeks. It gets so much harder, especially after four years," he said as he picked up the quill to write the letter M on the label. "I traveled a lot but I would have liked to use it in my own country." The drawer filled with hundreds of files with the surnames of M. Harry and Draco sat back watching them pile up and sighed. The stacks filled the room once more and they looked around. You couldn't even see the windows anymore. Leveret's secretary was right when he said M was a popular letter.

"We may need a bigger fire."

***

Blaise, however, was not upstairs staring at nothing. He was back at Leveret's office... staring at nothing. He was waiting for something. He could feel everything a few hours ago. He had felt all the mark that had been killed and every person who had signed a contract with Leveret. Their magic had flowed through him as he channeled his anger with it. But he could also feel something else.

He could feel her.

And he still could. At first he had thought it was his imagination because she was dead and he just missed her but then he realised that she was not in him, she was in the building. She was all around him and she was still there, among others.

"Julia? Are you there?" he said anxiously. He exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding and sat cross-legged on the floor filled with debris. "Please be here." He closed his eyes and sat there waiting. Maybe she was there, but she just wasn't able to talk to him. He was so desperate to hear her, he would have given anything at that moment to just hear her speak or even breathe. He wanted her back so badly and the fact that she was around him but he couldn't see her anymore was infuriating. He just wanted to hear her. It was then something occurred to him. He relaxed and let his barriers down a little, cautious of whatever else could be there and if he could handle it at this time, to hear her the only other way he could. When he did, he gasped.

She was already talking.

"... and I always told you not to get upset over these things but you never listen to me, as always. Figures the one time you actually want to listen to me you can't hear me. Now look at you, crying over me when you know in your heart I'm still here."

"Julia?" he said to the air around him.

He heard her sigh and closed his eyes. "I'm here," she said. "You've been calling me but you can't hear me, I understand that now."

He smiled. "I can hear you."

She was silent for a while. "You can? Did you hear what I said? Have you been hearing me all this time?"

He could imagine seeing her with her hands on her hips and almost chuckled. "Not all of it." He looked around. "Where are you?"

"I'm right here," she said. "Sitting next to you."

He lowered his head. "I can't see you. I'm sorry."

She sighed. "There's no need to say sorry for it."

He smiled to himself. "That's not what I'm saying sorry for." He almost cried at saying something so familiar to her but not seeing her to share its meaning.

"Then what are you saying sorry for?" she answered.

He swallowed hard. "I wasn't there," he said stonily. He saw it as his only mistake, the one that cost him the most. It was no laughing matter. "I couldn't protect you when you needed me to."

"Blaise, whether you were there or not I would have died eventually. You can't get away from them and live, you know that."

He turned incredulous to where he heard her voice. "No, you wouldn't have!" he said getting angry. He noted her silence and calmed down. He paused, breathing before continuing calmly. "I would have been there, like I should have when they-."

"You can't protect everyone, Zabini! When will you see that?" he heard the urgency in her voice and could almost see her trying to shake him to make him understand the concept. "I had a contract. When I signed it I gave them my life anyway. It wasn't mine to lose and I knew - even though they told me that it was. The second I left that island I was put up as a mark and you knew it as well as I did."

He nodded. He knew she was right. She seemed to have a lot of insight now she was dead. "You shouldn't have died like that. You deserve better than that."

She scoffed mockingly. "I suppose you think I should have died in my sleep?" she said sarcastically.

His jaw was set and she stopped instantly when she noticed it. "You shouldn't have been murdered." He lowered his head. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn he was going to cry.

She sighed. Hearing her breathing like that, like she was alive and with him only made him feel worse. "I know this is difficult for you, but it's okay now, you set me free among the thousands of others. They were really tormented, you should have seen it. So much anger. It was strange, being among all that intensity and not feeling like it was driving me insane. Like dying strengthened me somehow." She broke off from her reverie when she saw him look away. "They said thanks by the way."

He laughed a little and looked out to the city skyline. "You have to leave don't you?"

"You avenged me," she reasoned. "I have no reason to stay anymore."

He smirked and looked down playing with the ash on the ground. "So I cause my own loneliness then." He nodded slowly. "Figures," he said ironically.

"Blaise," she breathed. He turned to her voice. "I wish you could see me so you knew how much I am crying right now. I don't want to leave but I have to." She swallowed. "Maybe I'll come back as a guardian angel or something," she laughed. "Hell, I could become a ghost and haunt this place for all eternity as long as I didn't have to leave you. I love you, Blaise. I always have." She fell silent.

He felt like he hadn't heard her say that in a long time. He almost broke down. "I love you too." She was still silent. "Julia? I can't hear you, are you there?"

She turned to him at that request. "You want to hear me?" she contemplated and wondered if it would still work. She gave up on wondering and did it anyway. She was running out of time, something was calling her. Blaise almost fell back and his eyes glazed over. When he refocused them he looked around to get his bearings before his eyes settled directly on her. "Did it work? They're calling me. I have to go."

He smiled as he saw her soul standing before him. He tried to get rid of the lump in his throat but it wouldn't budge. She was glowing everywhere. "I know, I can feel them. I hate this," he said croakily.

She stepped closer to him. "I know you do but we have to deal with it."

He could see her crying, the tears shone on her face illuminated by her aura. "I'll miss you so much." He tried to wipe away a tear but his hand went straight through hers. He frowned and looked at his hand.

"Let go, drop them. It'll be okay, I promise." He still looked hesitant and looked around cautiously. He had no idea what else could be there. She noticed his pause and moved so that he would look at her. "Trust me," she said to him. He dropped them and she reached out for his hand. He felt sudden warmth as she touched him and saw her bite her lip to stop the sobbing from escaping her. She looked up at him and threw her arms around him. He held her tightly with a burning ache that made him dizzy. "I'll miss you too. Good bye," she said as she loosened her grip. Then she kissed him. He kissed her back instantly deeply passionate and hopelessly desperate which seemed to go on forever. But forever was not enough. She ignored the voices that called to her and they dwindled away to a careless inconsequence and kissed him so deeply that it almost hurt, not on her lips but in her heart. But then the voices became more urgent and they both knew they had to let go.

So he did and she stepped away. "Bye," he said softly.

"Never forget me."

Very softly, "Never." His voice hitched and she let go of his hand. He let it fall back to his side as he watched her walk off the side of the building and carry on across the darkness before she disappeared and he couldn't feel her anymore.

***

Harry and Draco had spent a great deal of time burning every file left.

"What's that?"

"The spell we used to summon Falcroft." He read it through before throwing it into the fire also.

Just then, it swept up to a giant whirlwind of fire. Harry hit Draco on his arm.

"What the hell did you do that for?"

"What? I didn't do anything."

"You must have, giant whirlwinds of fire don't just appear out of nowhere!"

The fire died and returned to its original state. Harry and Draco sat still waiting for something to happen. They both jumped when Blaise apparated behind them.

"AH!" they screamed before they realized who it was. "Fucking hell, Blaise," Draco continued. "Did you have to do that?"

"What?" he said defensively. "Come back? I could go again if you want."

"You just scared us is all," Harry said. "We thought you were Falcroft or something."

"Why?"

"Because he is the one who owes you all a favor." They jumped and turned around to face a man watching them carefully. "Do not be alarmed. As they say up here, I come in peace." He took a seat on one of the chairs. Aware of the attention he was getting, he rolled his eyes. "I'm here to tie up loose ends. I do not like having debts unpaid in my name. I much prefer them the other way around. Therefore," he said gesturing to them. "Name your conditions." He sat in silence waiting for them to speak.

He turned on Draco. "You made a deal with a demon, are you crazy? Have you learned nothing from Leveret's example?"

"I didn't make a deal with him. I did him a favour. It's not my fault that he doesn't like to owe people things."

"Excuse me, but I haven't got all night. I have places to be and times to visit."

"What do you want?"

"What do I want?" he repeated. "I want to know what you want so I can do it and leave," he said obviously.

"What are you willing to do?"

"What are you willing to ask?"

'Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Blaise, we've been through this before, it's annoying as hell and it doesn't go anywhere."

"Alright, for the first time in history I will cut this short. I don't have a lot of time, even though I am it, but I am just doing as I am told. Now, for your service to the ones up there," he said pointing upwards, "they are giving you a gift."

"A gift. And what might that be."

"Well, that's up to you. I know there have been things going on here that you wish you could change. I also know that if you are to change these things certain other things will change. It will cause chain reactions that even I may not be able to control."

"What kind of reactions."

"Well, seeing as you both know what I am talking about. Miss Raymond died two days ago, something which you all still feel I am guessing. If you go back and save her, she will most certainly not die. If she doesn't die, you don't leave and find out what you did in order to find me. None of this would have happened."

"It could have. I mean, that little message Leveret sent us with the marker - that would be reason enough to look into. Blaise here, being the inquisitive man he is wouldn't be able to stay away from a mystery like that."

"Message?" Falcroft said. "What message?"

Blaise suddenly looked up at him. He stared blankly for a second before tilting his head to the side. "That's what Leveret said."

Draco tried to gather his thoughts. "Wait, hold on. Leveret didn't send him?" he asked Falcroft. Blaise's cogwheels were turning.

Falcroft sat down. "No, he did. He just didn't send him with a message."

"So... who did?" Draco said.

The concentrated creases on Blaise's forehead smoothened and he looked up again. "We did."

***

Draco stood outside of the building that had more or less been his source of income for four years. Falcroft actually did it and sent him back. Of course he had no doubts but it was still amazing. He was in the past, how much more fascinating could this get. Leveret's Inc. looked almost majestic smack dab in the middle of London without a suspicious look on its polished glass. He knew in a matter of days it would be torn down by Blaise and Leveret fighting somewhere on the thirtieth floor. But that hadn't happened yet and he knew that time was against him to send the message that they all got when they were by that cliff at his grandparents' home. He walked into the lobby. It was almost reminiscent to see it in the daylight and untouched. He walked forward when he saw Sarah.

She smiled slyly and stood up. "You know, you're being searched for all over the country. Word has it you ran off with one of the teacher's."

"Is that so?" he responded in the same tone. "And why is it they haven't sent anyone after me? I mean I don't see any killers on my tail do you? Where are these people who are searching for me? They're doing a very bad job."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Well, Just as I was putting away Thomas' files I got a memo so it just so happens that they are sending one out today. A...Marcus something..." She leaned forward ever so slightly to whisper to him. "He's being instructed to follow your teaching friend. I'm about to send it in now."

"You are?" he asked charmingly.

"Yes," she said unaffected, "I am. Why, is there any reason I shouldn't?"

"Just one, there's something I want to add to it."

She frowned. "You - you still want me to send it?"

"Yeah, sure - why not I already know he's coming. There are just one or two things..." He grabbed a pen and scribbled down most of what he could remember from the speech the man had given them. "There, knock yourself out." He straightened about to leave when something occurred to him. "Did you say you had Thomas' files?"

She smiled again regaining her devious attitude. "Maybe."

"Can I see them again?"

"Sure." She when into her dips and pulled them out. As he was searching through them she watched him. He looked different, almost older. "Where are you staying?"

He didn't look up. "Why?"

She shrugged. "Just curious. I always know where markers are, it's part of why I'm so valuable here."

He looked up at her. "Because Markers willingly tell you where they live?" He went back to the pages and frowned. This was not the same itinerary that was faxed to his home. He almost smiled at her cunning. "It's hardly surprising, you seem quite... trustworthy for any marker to give you there whereabouts but, even though you are valuable, it also makes you dangerous. And right now, I've had all the danger I can handle."

"Yes, but-."

"See you later." He winked at her and left.

As he walked out of the building Sarah shook her head at him. "Those two never cease to make me wonder." She turned as she set off to the elevator to go to the forty-first floor intent on finding out where it was he was hiding.

***

"Curtain of Time and all's that concealed, pull back your protection to me reveal. All time as I want it, show yourself to me. As I will it, so must it be." They all stared into the space they had created in the living room. Molly, Callisto and George found it better to stay in the kitchen away from them. There was no point telling them to not make a mess as somehow they had enlarged the living room to open a time portal. There was no point in telling them to be safe because the second it opened they would go against anything sensibly named safe. There was no point in telling them it was too dangerous either because, let's face it, they never listened.

A portal opened and they could see the woods in Avon on the other side. "You have one hour. Are you both going?" Falcroft asked them.

Draco looked at Blaise. "Are we?"

"I don't know."

"Blaise, she was my friend too. I want to help."

"Well then help." He walked through to the woods they could see on the other side.

As Draco stepped through, he felt the chilling cold of the winter air. Then he found Blaise on the ground.

"Blaise?" he said but Blaise wasn't listening, he was too busy with his hands over his ears trying to block out something. "Blaise!" he almost yelled careful not to be overheard.

Blaise exhaled through his teeth. "Oh gods, make it stop. Please just make it stop," he winced. He put his hands up in the air. A wave of energy emitted from him in spanning outwards and getting larger and there was a dim light that carried with it. When it calmed Draco put his arm down that was protecting his face from the sharp wind that carried with the wave too. When he did, he gasped

Everything stopped moving.

The wind stopped moving, the leaves stopped rustling. It was even a little warmer. It was as if nature was on strike. Relieved, Blaise leaned against a tree and breathed heavily. "Oh thank Merlin for small mercies." He bent over putting his hands on his knees and took in long deep breaths.

"What happened?" Draco asked.

"I don't know," Blaise said between breaths. "It all came at me so suddenly I didn't know what to do. It pounded hard in my head. I had to make it stop. I needed silence." He sighed heavily and closed his eyes in contentment. "Silence is good." He rested his head on the trunk as he straightened himself up. "Oh yeah," he exhaled as if in ecstasy, "silence is good."

Draco nodded and left him to recuperate as he looked around. Eventually he sat down on the ground to wait as the heat got to him. It was unusually warm for the time of year, especially compared to the cold he felt when he stepped through, must be Blaise's doing when he uttered the spell. He lay back hearing Blaise's ragged breaths returning to normal and looked up at the patches of blue through the broken canopy of branches and leaves. Some leaves were falling to the ground, he could see-.

Wait a minute.

He paused and looked closer at the leaves that were falling. They weren't moving. They were frozen in mid air. He suddenly grew very wary. "Blaise?" he said into the silence.

Blaise exhaled a breath before answering. "What?" he said with his eyes closed.

"That spell you used to make everything stop, it wouldn't happen to be the type of spell they'd use in La Isla to stop you from finding your mark would it?" Draco asked as he stood up.

Blaise's head shot up and his eyes opened. "Yes, it is, why?"

"Because when we were here last you said you couldn't feel anything. It was only you who couldn't hear anything." He turned to him. "Just now you used a shield to stop everything from moving because you couldn't take the pressure, right? You - the other you, the past you -," he said pointing in other directions, "is obviously linked to you," he said now pointing at Blaise. "He can't feel or hear anything either." He pointed to the suspended leaves above them. "You stopped nature from moving. Not the marker after Julia."

Blaise looked up at them and understanding dawned on his face. "Oh my gods." He winced as he raised a hand to the air preparing himself to reverse the spell. He exhaled deeply as he muttered the counter spell and winced immensely as everything came flooding in.

"You okay?" Draco said to him.

He nodded. "I'll be alright. We have to find her." He stood up straight. "I have to find her." He closed his eyes trying to home in on her. Draco knew enough about him to not bother to disturb him. He stood there for a while just waiting for him to finish. Suddenly Blaise opened his eyes and began running head on to his left. Draco cocked an eyebrow before rolling his eyes and following.

***

Julia took another look back to see if he was still following her. She couldn't sense anything strangely and she definitely couldn't see anything so she slowed down a little still looking behind her. She bent over holding her knees for support as she breathed heavily seeing each breath escape with a slight steam. She watched it in fascination, she hadn't seen it in seven years, let alone felt the cold. It was brilliantly new as if she had entered a whole new world that she hadn't discovered. Except this time she had someone to share it with.

She smiled at nothing as she remembered him. Blaise would be looking for her, she knew it but if he had said he couldn't feel anything back at the house... She looked around at the silence of the trees and doubted that was an accident anymore. It was well known the level of power he had and no marker would dare to go against him, no matter how good they were.

She stood up stretching out her back and looked around. When she faced forward again she saw the marker that was after her. She gasped and turned to run in the other direction but when she turned he was standing there too. She had nowhere to run anymore.

Suddenly she heard a rustling to her right and almost screamed when something grabbed her hand and pulled her along to her left and out of sight of the marker that was after her. She looked ahead of her to see who it was that had grabbed her and her eyes opened wide when she saw who it was.

"Blaise?" she called to him. He didn't look back but she could tell he was smiling.

"Blaise, are you planning on letting me in on the secret to where we are going?" she heard behind her.

She turned around and gasped. "Draco? Where's Ginny?" They were dressed differently. "Did you bring extra clothes?"

He smirked. "Long story. She's good though. Don't worry about it."

They jumped over the last tree trunk and crouched down. Blaise sighed aggravated. "We haven't got time for this, he's following us. We need to get to that cliff."

"What? Why?" Draco asked. Surely that was a no go right now.

"Because that's where we found him the first time, if he's not there, I wouldn't have found him there."

Julia shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Never mind, Jules. Just keep running." He stood up again and took off.

They did keep running. Blaise led the way as Draco and Julia followed him skipping over bushes and dodging trees until they came to a wide clearing near the edge of a cliff.

"Well, here we are again," Draco said pointing out the obvious. Truth be told he was a little anxious because he knew enough of Blaise to have an idea of what Blaise was going to ask.

"Again?"

Blaise shook his head, a sign that said don't worry about it. Julia had the urge to cross her arms and demand an answer but lost all reason for it as something else came out of the trees behind them. They turned around to face him.

He smirked arrogantly. "You can't get away from me."

Draco and Blaise glanced over the cliff. "Draco, please tell me you went to the class that taught spontaneous apparition."

"Please, I mastered that class. It came in handy during life afterwards too. I can't tell you how many bedrooms I've found myself in that I've had to make a quick getaway from."

Blaise raised his hands. "Too much info. Julia, how are your skills?"

She turned to him in an obvious way. "I teach it, Blaise." She put her hands on her hips.

"Are you listening to me?" they heard behind them. "I'm giving you the message that was sent to you."

"Save it for the ones who need it," Draco said stopping him from going any further. He turned back to the other two. "Ready?"

They looked anxious as well. "As we'll ever be."

Then, they jumped.

The marker, or Marcus as Sarah had called him, ran to the edge to watch them fall. When they apparated, he swore to himself at letting them get away. That was, until he turned to see them running out of the woods. He frowned however, when one of them was not the same woman that had just jumped with them.

"Where did she go?" he said looking around. She must be there somewhere.

"I should ask you the same question. What do you want with her?" Blaise held out his wand.

"I was trying to tell you before you ran off." The man looked at the concentration on Blaise's face before letting his eyes travel to his wand. He smirked. "You can't kill me that way, you've been tagged, Alpha - 36-58."

Blaise stopped and stood up straight. Was that Draco's number he just called? He watched him in confusion. "Huh?" he said turning to Draco. Draco just shrugged.

"Go with it, it's an advantage at least. Very impressive of them to do that though." Blaise nodded and then turned his attention back to the man.

"What do you want?"

"I don't want anything," he said arrogantly. "I'm here to give you a message from Leveret. Deliver the body in two days or else. Hiding the teacher from me is not going to help you. We'll find her eventually. We can always find our own kind."

Blaise frowned at that comment wondering what he meant.

***

George had been watching out his window for any signs of them. When he saw them walking back with Julia close behind, he ran outside to see if she was alright. He opened the gate to let them in. "Is everyone alright?"

They all nodded. "Where's grandma?" Draco said to him.

"She's inside," George said with a smile. "I'll just go and get her."

"No," Blaise cut him off, "we can come in."

"Blaise!" Callisto said as she saw her grandson, his friend and Julia walking into the house. She had been waiting for them to make sure they were safe. "Erm... where's Ginny?" she said upon realising another woman was missing.

Draco gestured toward the trees outside. "She's taking a look around. She'll be back soon." Callisto nodded.

Blaise looked at his watch and then pulled Draco aside. "Speaking of, we had better go and get her."

Draco nodded. Their hour was almost up. "Yes. That's true, she's been... looking around for a long time."

Julia clapped her hands once and rubbed them together before turning back towards the door. "Well, let's go."

"NO," the two of them said together. Julia jumped and turned back instantly wondering what was wrong.

"No," Blaise continued. "You stay here. We won't be long." They exited the house. The others followed them out, Julia was still surveying them. They were acting weird, a lot weirder than usual.

"Erm... okay then," she frowned confused at their strange behaviour.

"Good." He kissed her. "I'll see you in a bit." She smiled at him as he and Draco ran back towards the trees.

As they walked back towards the area they crossed into, Draco turned to him. "You had to kiss her, huh?"

Blaise couldn't keep the smile from his face. "No, but it felt good." Suddenly the portal opened and they stepped through.