The Perfect Plan

Chapter Thirteen

The Perfect Plan

Truth is in the Eyes

~*~~*~~*~

As they entered the room the air was filled with the aroma of food. On one of the chairs in front of the fire sat a man in a uniform. He looked as if he were going to a ball or something.

"Who's that?" Cordelia asked as she walked in behind Chayse. At the sound of her voice the man stood up and turned around. He had two bags in his hand and from the looks of it they were heavy.

Ginny walked in before Draco did and spotted him. When she did she turned to Draco. "Take out is here," she said as she went looking for her purse.

"Don't worry about it," Draco said as he felt in his pockets. She turned to look at him. "C'est combien?"

"Dix Galleons, deux sickles et douze knuts."

"Dix Galleons?" Draco said surprised.

"Oui, monsieur."

"Bien," he said in a resigned voice. "Voici votre pourboire." He took out extra change and put it into the man's other hand.

"Merci Monsieur, Voici votre poulet et votre boeuf." Draco took the containers that the man held out for him, he in turn gave them over to Chayse who put them on the table. "Votre sauce." He handed him a large carton sealed at the top with words that said this way up in various languages. "Ceux-ci vous sont les serviettes de table et voici -." Draco took the napkins and gave them to Cordelia before turning around. The man had paused and was waiting for Draco to turn. "Votre reçu monsieur. Vous avez un jour agréable." He stepped back into the fireplace and the green flames became their usual yellow.

"Merci," Draco said looking through the bags. "Well it's all here, who wants chicken and who wants beef?"

***

"What did he ask you?" Mara asked him.

"The nosy old coot can't keep his nose out of other people's business." The whole group of representatives had been called by each teacher for a series of questions. Easter holidays were on and they were more or less the only other students left at the castle. Apparently the teachers had found it too much of a coincidence and, though they didn't show it, they had become very interested in what the group were doing because they were always together. "What time do you all have?"

"Well my 'appointment,'" Edward began with air quotes, "is in an hour. Now I know what he's after I'll have a better chance at lying. Sometimes it seems like he can read my mind."

"No, you're just weak my friend," Rachel said to him. "Mine was at eight this morning so I had to wake up for it. Easter is not meant to be this stressful. But at least it's for a good cause. Giving people a family is worth it."

"Yeah it's like a fairytale. One without a mother, one without a father. It's almost too much of a coincidence. Especially considering what family and house they were put into," Samantha Palmer said.

"Well it's not as if it's the first time any of us has spoken is it? The houses I mean. A decade ago these houses were like - friends." Zabini chose this moment to sit down by a rock as they stopped walking. It overlooked the lake.

"Really?" Jacques asked him.

"Yeah, haven't you read Hogwarts: A History, the updated version?" They all shook their heads, they obviously didn't read the book unless they were meant to. "Apparently when he - who - must - not - be - named, was still around there was this big war between him and those who opposed him. Harry Potter: wonder boy saved them all though. There was some prophecy thing that said it was either him or the latter and I think he chose himself. But even so, the sorting hat foresaw the events I guess, the houses joined." Some of them gasped. "It was hopeless fighting the battle alone and separated and they all knew it. He-who-must-not-be-named didn't care who he destroyed along the way as long as Harry potter was dead. They all saw his reluctance to care when Harry held one of Slytherin hostage."

"They held one of you hostage?"

"Yeah um some Bulstrode girl, she was a right mean witch, Chayse has asked his dad about it. Anyway, the man just killed her without even blinking with a Crucio. Potter didn't see that coming."

"Really?" they all said.

"Yeah, after that the Slytherins didn't care what was what, or even what their parents told them to do. He killed one of his own and they couldn't forgive him for that. The link between Slytherin and Griffindor wasn't official though, not until one of theirs saved the life of the other."

"Who was it?" Rachel asked intrigued.

"Who do you think?" He waited putting them on edge until he saw some looks of understanding in their faces. "Exactly, it wasn't just the significance of house, it was their family too. A Malfoy saved a Weasley and it was like the beginning of something totally new, after that everything just gelled." He sat back on the rock he had sat down by watching the reactions in their faces.

***

"A Graphorn, what the hell is a Graphorn?" Chayse said. Cordelia had been telling him everything that Raphaël had explained to her. She had gone into the details of their horns and how they were hunted for them to be put into potions and for their tough hide. He had even managed to translate a few things.

"It's a big Grayish- purply type wild animal that would kill you as soon as look at you," Ginny said from the dining table. When she had finished she picked up her plate and took it into the kitchen proceeding to wash them. Draco sat there watching the other two as they sat talking over their plates. Chayse was listening to every word that she said and Cordelia had taken to the limelight as easy as a moth to a flame. He smiled at this. He too was prone to doing that when he had the chance.

"I can't believe I missed it, you always get all the fun."

"You can't believe you missed it?" Draco said looking up from his book. "You had better be bloody grateful, I am not going to lose you any time soon it was hard enough after your mother." His head went back down, though he did continue to glance over.

"Calm down Chayse, maybe when you're older you can have as much fun as me." She had paused to see his reaction and set down her fork putting her hand to her face. Draco watched her strangely; she was playing with her eyelashes. It didn't even seem like she'd noticed it.

"Oh shut up," he said bluntly.

She took her hand away and picked up her fork, it was such a swift gesture that one would think she did it all the time. "No, I mean it, no need to get offended. It's always bothered you that I'm older than you."

Draco blinked shocked. "She's older than you?"

Chayse sat back sulking. Cordelia answered for him. "Yes," she said proudly turning to Draco as she spoke, "I am, by almost two - whole - months," she said looking sideways at Chayse and stressing it into his face.

Draco sat there thinking, it was a little time before he spoke. That lying bitch. "Why don't you guys go upstairs for a while," Draco said as he sat there over the book he had brought with him. He looked behind him into the kitchen. Ginny was still washing the dishes.

"But we haven't finished yet," Chayse said a little perplexed.

"Yes you have, Chayse," Draco told him looking him in the eye. "Take your plate into the kitchen and then go upstairs."

Chayse sighed heavily and picked up his plate. He knew there was no way to argue with his father. "Come on Cordy. I think it's time for bed." They walked into the kitchen and rested down their plates.

He heard Ginny's reaction to the plates that still had food on them but she simmered down when they told her why. Draco sat there just staring at the dark colour of the mahogany table. The two children walked past him and up the stairs. As soon as they were out of sight he took out his wand pointing it to the ceiling.

"Silencio," he said as a thin blue veil shot out of the tip and covered the entire ceiling and the stairs that led to where Chayse and Cordelia had walked off to. He did not want them hearing the argument that he was about to stir up. When the veil had dissipated into the ceiling above he pocketed his wand and began reading again.

He waited patiently for Ginny to come back into the living room and pass the dining table. When she did he held onto her wrist tightly dragging her into a seat.

"What the hell, Malfoy let go of me," she struggled but sat in the chair anyway.

"You lied to me," he said simply. If she hadn't have looked at him she could have sworn in wasn't him who spoke.

"What?" she asked

He turned on her, his eyes flashed in anger. "You sat there this morning and blatantly lied to me. All that rubbish about meeting your husband after we broke up, what utter shit."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, though there was a slight trepidation in her voice.

"This morning, I presume you can remember that far Weasley?" He stood up and started pacing not even wanting to look her in the eye. "I know now that for some strange reason your memory seems to be failing you but I'd think that even you would remember the time your child was born, you know, seeing as it was such a memorable event," he mocked.

Oh god, he knows. "Malfoy, I can explain," she tried.

"Don't bother Weasley, I couldn't care less." He turned from her facing the windows.

"What? How can you say that?" she turned in her chair to look at his back.

He swiftly spun around so fast she was afraid he would fall over. "What the hell do you mean, how can I say that? How could you sit there this morning and tell me that you met your husband-."

"He's not-."

"I couldn't give a shitting toss what he was to you!" he yelled pointing off to somewhere in space as if Cordelia's father was standing right next to him. "What I do give a shit about is the fact that you were sleeping around with him when we were together!"

Ginny opened her mouth to say something but the statement he just made, made her close it again. "What?" she said, she was utterly confused now.

He threw out his hands in anger. "Your daughter is almost two - whole - months older than Chayse is. That means that you were almost two - whole - months pregnant when we broke it off!" He let it register in her mind before continuing. "You actually sat there and lied to me! I cannot believe you." He simmered down and sat back in his chair trying to concentrate.

She had always wondered how long that lie would keep up. In that instant, by just looking at him, she realised how much she had hurt him with that one lie she had made up and kept with for over a decade. She had pondered how he would react when she told him the truth but she didn't know how he would take it. She had obviously underestimated him. Instantly she went back to the thought that she had had when she became pregnant.

He has a right know.

"Um - Malfoy, there's something I have to tell you."

"What now? Cordelia has an older brother?"

"No! Why would you say that?"

"I don't know Ginny; there isn't so much rational thought in my head right now."

"Well, that's not what I want to say. Cordelia is-."

"Who was he?" he interrupted

"What?"

"What was his name," he said. After a while he clicked his fingers. "I bet it was one of those Gryffindors wasn't it? It must've been, none of the Slytherin's would have dared -." He brought his hands to his face again as he concentrated, determined on finding the answer.

She smiled despite herself. None of the Slytherins would have dared? You were always protective of what was yours weren't you?

He caught her smile. "This is hardly a time to laugh at me, Weasley. I bet you're enjoying this aren't you? Seeing me suffer." He sat in silence again before bursting out, "It was that Finnegan boy wasn't it, yeah it must have been. He was always looking at you in that way."

"What way?" she said blushing.

"The way I looked at you, plus she has his eyes."

She laughed quietly at his response. "She is not Seamus' daughter, Malfoy."

"Yeah sure," he said.

"She's not because-." Even as she watched him those things that she had always hated came into play. The way he always had a habit of running his hands through is hair when he tried to think, right now it didn't look so annoying. The only reason she had hated it was because Cordelia had adapted it. She always took after her father with all those annoying things he did. Just as life imitated her thoughts, his hand made its way to his eyes as his index finger ran along his eyelashes. Those same eyes that she had seen stare up at her from the hospital in the face of a baby girl.

It was now or never.

"She's not because she's yours."