The Joining of the Three

Chapter 4

Ginny Weasley strolled out of the store, readjusting the purchases she'd made that day in her hand. The small town near Malfoy Manor didn't offer much in the way of maternity wear, but she was getting desperate. Clothes that were a tad uncomfortable two weeks ago were now unbearably tight. Just the thought made her smile.

If anyone had told her, even a year ago, that she'd not only be married to Draco Malfoy, but expecting his child…well, it would have taken them months to remove the hex marks. But she'd discovered, to her surprise and delight, that there was so much more to him than the sinister Slytherin student they'd all loathed at school.

The biggest shock of all for her, she mused as she walked down the rutted lane towards the Manor, was Draco's low self-esteem. A man unsure of his place in the world had replaced the haughty snob. But she was working on that. Slowly chipping away at his idea that no one on the light side would welcome Lucius Malfoy's son into the fold. Ginny knew time was the only thing that would change his mind. Time and slowly reentering the wizarding world he'd shunned for so long. His work at the ministry was helping…her family would be the next step.

"Draco," she'd told him just that morning. "I'm giving you three more weeks to voluntarily accompany me to the Burrow."

"And after that?" he'd replied a little smugly, but she could see the dread in his eyes.

"After that, I get nasty."

Ginny grinned at the thought of the lascivious leer in his eyes after she'd said that. And what they'd done…

The grin faded abruptly as Ginny noticed a blonde woman on the road ahead of her. Automatically, her senses went on alert. This road was never used by anyone, save herself and Draco. Muggles didn't know it existed, and the whole wizarding population knew it led to Malfoy Manor. A manor which looked deserted and decaying to their eyes.

Squaring her shoulders, Ginny casually transferred her shopping bag to her left hand. She shook her right arm slightly until she felt her wand slide down into her waiting hand. They were just a few feet apart when the woman whipped a wand out and said "Expelliarmus". Ginny's wand flew to the woman and landed in her outstretched hand.

"Don't make a fuss, and it will be fine," the woman said easily, as if they were acquaintances who'd just met by chance. "He just wants to talk to you."

Ginny didn't know who "he" was, but was fairly sure that anyone who needed force to initiate a conversation wasn't someone she was interested in meeting.

"Thanks, but I'll pass," Ginny said casually. "I've got a full schedule today. Send me an owl and we'll set up a better time."

The woman smiled slightly as she walked towards Ginny. She didn't speak until she was directly in front of her, placing her hand on Ginny's arm. "Sorry, but this meeting can't wait."

She doesn't know who she's playing with, Ginny thought. Calling up every instance of squaring off against six older brothers, Ginny ducked her head and maneuvered out of the woman's grasp.

The woman was almost expecting it, because she was right back next to her a second later, hand more forceful on her arm this time. Okay, Ginny thought, time to get rough. Balling up her fist, Ginny landed a right hook directly to the woman's jaw. Stunned disbelief crossed the woman's face, and she let go of Ginny's arm. Ginny thought of Ron teaching her that punch, then immediately Disapparated -- fairly sure that any danger of Apparating while pregnant paled in comparison to being abducted.

^*^*^*^*^*

"What did you say?" Ron asked, bewildered. He'd been sitting there moments before, lost in thought over the idea of his child growing within Mariah when she'd sprang to her feet and started calling him names.

I told you to stay away from me, you damned bastard.

Ron's face was covered with a what-did-I-do expression he hadn't worn since Hogwarts. And now, just as then, he hadn't a clue what he'd done. His middle name may be Charles, but Harry had always said the C stood for Clueless.

Did you just forget that I could hear your thoughts, Ron? Or did you want me to hear that particular slap in the face?

In fact, he had forgotten. He struggled to remember what he'd been thinking just before her outburst. Something about his wanting her to stay with him forever. Funny, that was the kind of thing his sister told him women wanted to hear.

Not that, Ron. Right after that.

There was something strange in that thought, and Ron looked up at her suddenly. Blue eyes clashed together, but Mariah's were glistening. She was almost crying.

"Mariah, what did I say?"

You said that you didn't care if it was the Bond talking when you thought about wanting me to stay with you.

"And that's bad because?"

Mariah stared at him, willing her eyes to dry. Something about his face, the sheer puzzlement there, cooled her anger a few degrees. Thinking back, she replayed their conversation in his bedroom so many months ago. He had acted as though he'd known about Diviners. Maybe he didn't know as much as she had assumed.

But Ginny's sudden appearance between them delayed further conversation.

"Ron," she said in a hoarse whisper before dropping to the floor.

He ran to Ginny, kneeling in front of her. She was still breathing, but her eyes were shut firmly. "Second one to Apparate in and faint at my feet," he muttered. "Maybe I'd better rethink the aftershave."

Ron? Is she okay?

"I think so." If you can call your sister fainting okay, he thought.

Get her to the couch.

"I'm doing that, Mariah," Ron glared up at her, levitating his sister to the couch. "I'm not completely dense, you know. But you'd better get out of sight if you want your presence to remain hidden. I guess we'll have to continue our little talk later."

Ron, I…

"Go, Mariah. She's starting to wake up." Ron saw Mariah walk quickly towards the bedroom, then he turned his attention to his sister.

Ginny's eyes fluttered open. "Ron?" she asked softly. "What happened?"

"I think that should be my line," Ron quipped, trying to cover his concern with humor. "You Apparated here, then you fainted."

"I was attacked," she said in a tremulous voice. Ron noticed her hands shaking when she ran them through her hair. And there was something else different about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Attacked? Mariah said to Ron, her concern evident. By whom?

Ron nearly groaned out loud. What was he? Some wet behind the ears first year? You know, Mariah, if you want to come out and ask her yourself…

The ensuing silence answered for her.

"Who attacked you, Ginny?" Ron walked over to the sink and poured her a large glass of water.

"I don't know. It was a woman. She pointed a wand at me and said that 'he' only wanted to talk to me."

Who?

"Who?" Ron and Mariah asked at the same time. This mental talking thing was beginning to sound more like an echo, he thought humorlessly.

"She didn't say, and I didn't wait around to find out. Being cursed with six older brothers came in handy for getting away, though. So my belated thanks for every time you got me in a headlock or chased me around the Burrow." Ginny offered a weak smile, took a sip of the water Ron handed her, then finally looked around. "Did I see someone else here before I went down?"

Good question. You take this one. Ron could almost hear Mariah laugh.

"Lissanne," Ron improvised. "My assistant." Just then, Ron's brain caught up with his eyes. "You're pregnant!"

"Well spotted," Ginny couldn't help the grin.

I think Harry might be onto something with that clueless thing, Ron. I noticed the moment she Apparated, Mariah chimed in.

"Funny," he said, and thought it too, just to let Mariah know she was included. "Well, there's one mystery solved. Now I know why you were avoiding Mum. But what the bloody hell are you doing Apparating while pregnant? You know how dangerous that can be."

"I rather thought that was the lesser of two evils, Ron." Ginny's spine straightened.

Ron, I did the same thing. Once or twice isn't that dangerous. Especially since we both know where she was probably headed if she didn't get away. Ron shuddered at the thought.

"Tell me more about the attack," Ron asked to change the subject. He knew Hermione and Harry were both still anxious to hear about anything out of the ordinary, but that had shifted into low priority after a week of Moody's Constant Vigilance had turned up nothing.

Ginny being attacked shed a whole new light on that, though. What her attacker had said paralleled what the Hogwarts visitor had said. Some unnamed "he" was behind both instances, and Ron had the sick feeling that Mariah's blonde abductor was the He in question.

What visitor at Hogwarts? Mariah asked.

I'll tell you later, Ron thought back at her. And then it hit him. The horrible feeling that he knew exactly who was behind all of this. Mariah, I know of only one blonde man nefarious enough to go around attacking pregnant women.

Who?

"Draco Malfoy," Ron said out loud.

"What about him?" Ginny suddenly sat up straighter.

"He's got to be behind this," Ron growled and began to pace the apartment.

Ginny bit her lip. This wasn't the time to disclose their marriage, but her heart demanded that she defend him. "It's not Draco," she said with as much vehemence as she dared.

"What makes you so sure?"

"It's just not his style," she said lamely.

Ron whirled around and faced his sister. "Are you mad? It's exactly his style. Look, I don't have time to debate this now. I've got to go to Hogwarts and tell Harry and Hermione what happened."

Before Ginny could get a rebuttal in, Ron stalked into the bedroom. He paused briefly in front of Mariah and took her hand in his. Impulsively, he pulled it to his mouth and pressed a brief kiss to her palm. Before she could comment, Ron grabbed his cloak and went back out to Ginny.

"There's no time to fill you in, Ginny. I'll let Harry and Hermione do that. Just promise me you'll stay here until I get back. It's important."

Ginny promised, and he only half believed her. But he had no choice.

Mariah…he thought as he nearly ran down the stairs, shouting to Lissanne that he'd be back soon.

I'll keep her here, Ron. I promise. Mariah was glad in that moment that Ron couldn't hear her thoughts as well. For the first time since the wedding reception, he'd touched her intentionally. It wasn't a touch meant to help her recover. It was a touch to convey …something else. She willed her heart to stop hammering in her chest and settled on the bed to await his return -- hope springing within her for the first time in ages.

^*^*^*^*^

Draco stood in the entrance hall and knew immediately that the house was empty. His wife was imbued with an effervescent life force, one that seeped into the very walls, making the whole house come alive. A thread of panic shimmered up his spine, but he diverted it. She was probably still shopping. Checking his watch, though, he realized that most of the village shops had closed nearly an hour ago and the walk from town didn't take that long.

Guess she finally came to her senses, eh, Malfoy? Draco hated that his conscience's voice sounded like Harry Potter's.

That's not true, he told the voice vehemently, Ginny loves me. That's the one thing I am sure of.

Whatever you say, the voice taunted again.

Sod off, he told it.

"Great, Malfoy," he said aloud. "Fighting with yourself. You've finally gone around the bend."

Firmly ignoring the further taunts in his head, Draco headed to their bedroom and uttered a quick "Ha!" when he noticed all of Ginny's clothes were still there, as well as an unfinished article and a half-written letter to her editor, Taira. Deciding she must simply be taking her time walking back from the village, Draco changed out of his work robes and into slacks and a sweater.

A few minutes later, he was walking down the overgrown path, meaning to meet her on the way back. His eyes scanned the grove of trees to his left and the swaying field of grass to his right, searching for a sign of her. When he finally found one, he sank to his knees.

Her wand lay forgotten in the lane, a shopping bag right next to it. Draco picked the wand up, his hand trembling uncontrollably. "Ginny," he breathed, fear squeezing his heart like a vise.

^*^*^*^*^

"David, Katia and Zach, if I could have your attention up here for a moment?" Harry did his level best to stifle the smile that threatened to appear. The three Gryffindors, huddled together at a back table, raised their heads in unison. Katia shoved a handful of papers into her bag and Harry made a mental note to talk to them after class.

Ten minutes later he wrapped up his lecture. When the three students were at his desk, he listened as they explained what they'd been doing. Before they made it a quarter of the way through, Harry silenced them. He consulted his watch, nodded once, then instructed the three of them to follow him.

It took a while to reach Hermione's classroom. Two months ago, a trio of rather active ghosts had taken residence in the suits of armor lining the corridor. And, as bad luck would have it, Sirs Brian, Stephen and Maximillian were in another of their famous fights this afternoon, hurtling bits of their armor at one another.

Harry settled them down and the party of four nearly ran past before the volley started up again. Once they'd reached the right room, they paused outside while she finished her lecture.

"I want three feet written by next week summarizing the differences between American and British Muggles," she called as her students filed out.

"Three feet?" Harry smirked as he crossed the threshold. "A bit harsh, don't you think?"

"No one had done their reading assignments."

Harry bit back the wisecrack that he was dying to make. Hermione had commented that she didn't approve of students not being as prepared as she had been, but he'd never thought she'd assign extra work for it. Hormonal Hermione must have struck again. He tried to blank his face, bite the insides of his cheeks, and think of…anything horrid. But he was fighting a losing battle.

But Harry's struggle for composure had made Hermione giggle as well. "I know. Not everyone comes as prepared as I used to. And if you say one word about hormones, Harry Potter, I'll transfigure your tongue into a sausage." Harry had to admit, he sort of enjoyed the acidic side of his wife at times.

"Did you know that you get your accent back when you teach this class?" Harry asked, slipping his arms around her middle and smartly changing the subject.

"I do?"

"Hmmm. It's like being back in that library, Jane," Harry lowered his mouth to hers, stopping a hairs breadth from contact when his forgotten students cleared their throats.

"Sorry to interrupt, Professor Potter, but did you want us to stay?" David asked.

"Yes, please come in, sorry about that. Katia, could you repeat what you told me a few moments ago?"

"Er…yes. We think we've figured out what Triuna Crudus means, Professor Granger."

"How did you even know about it?" Hermione remembered straining to hear the woman, and she'd been less than three feet from her.

"I overheard it," David said, blushing slightly. By the look on his face, he was clearly praying no one asked how.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense." Hermione was beginning to see the similarities Harry saw in these three with the other rather infamous Gryffindors.

Katia cleared her throat, then looked to David and Zach who urged her on. "I took Latin for a few years before I came here. It's always fascinated me, as it's the formation for all the words we use…"

"Katia," David interrupted.

"Right. So I recognized 'crudus' right off. It means raw, or rough. It's the base of the word crude, which is obvious. You can tell what many common Latin words are by deriving …"

"Katia," Zach interrupted this time, and then rolled his eyes at Harry. Once again, he found himself biting the insides of his cheeks. Beside him, Hermione stifled a laugh in her hands by pretending to cough.

"Sorry. Anyway, when I recognized the one word, I wanted to see if I could find out what the triuna part meant. It sounded familiar, but it took me the longest time to place. Then I overheard Professor McGonagall talking about you and Professor Potter and Mr. Weasley. She said something about the terrible trio."

Katia blushed furiously at this and averted her eyes away from Hermione. Over the student's heads, Harry shot Hermione an evil wink.

"And then it hit me. It was so simple I should have placed it right off. I think 'triuna' might be a variation of triune which means 'three in one' or a trinity." Katia finished her recitation and smiled shyly at the teachers.

"I'm very impressed, Katia," Harry said in his best professor's voice. "Thank you for letting us know what you found. But if I'm not mistaken, the rest of the school must be at dinner by now."

The three students got the hint and made their way quickly out of the classroom.

"What do you think?" Harry asked his wife once the footsteps had died away.

"I think that sounded way too familiar," Hermione smiled. "It was looking through a time warp."

Harry grinned. "Do you think they have something? I mean a raw trinity? Sounds like a dish at one of those sushi bars you told me about."

"But at least it gives us a place to start," Hermione said. She walked towards him, not stopping until the bulge of her stomach rested against his flat one. "Now tell me honestly. I wasn't that…er… verbose back then, was I?" With every word, Hermione's hands had crept up towards his neck, and her fingers were now tickling the base of his neck.

"Not in the slightest, love," Harry lied easily, lowering his head towards hers. Harry almost swore when someone else cleared his throat, interrupting them.

"Honestly," Ron said, leaning against the door jamb, "don't you two ever quit?"

"No," Harry said, shortly. "Sod off."

"Such language from a Hogwarts teacher, Harry. I'm shocked."

"Then sod off," Harry repeated with a grin, but then the look on Ron's face finally registered. "What is it?"

"Something happened," Ron's voice dropped. "I need you both to come back to my apartment with me."

"Is this a reunion party?" Dumbledore asked as he entered the classroom right behind Ron.

^*^*^*^*^

Ron was only gone for five minutes when Ginny started to pace. Once she'd gotten over the dizziness of her fainting spell, she'd started to get worried. What could be so serious that Ron had wanted her to stay put and not go home? Okay, she reasoned, being attacked had been frightening, but she didn't think it warranted bringing Harry and Hermione into it.

Besides, she needed to get back to the Manor. It was already past four in the afternoon. Draco would be home from the ministry at any moment, and he'd get worried if she wasn't there. Her job as a columnist for Witch Weekly let her work from home -- a perfect arrangement as she could send her columns in by owl and avoid the questions and speculation from coworkers that her pregnancy would inevitably cause.

After walking the equivalent of several miles around the small apartment, Ginny decided to use a bit of Ron's Floo powder and get herself home. After what she'd experienced, she wanted Draco. His comforting arms around her, his silky voice telling her it would be okay. His skilled hands taking all her worries away. If it hadn't been for the look on Ron's face, she'd have left the moment he did.

"Sibling loyalty," she muttered to herself, and then sent up a silent prayer that Ron would find some of that in him when he discovered her other secret.

"Ah, Ron," Ginny smiled, locating the powder on the fireplace mantle. "Just like you to leave it in the same place Mum does. But where the devil is your wand?" She rummaged through drawers, looked under the pile of papers on the coffee table but it was nowhere to be found. Sighing deeply, Ginny knelt in front of the fireplace to try and light a fire the Muggle way. A sudden movement over her right shoulder distracted her.

Her heart pounded in her chest as Ron's bedroom door swung open. A tall blonde woman, quite pregnant, was standing in the doorway. Her face was nearly frozen in fear, her hands out in front of her in a warding off motion. Her mouth kept opening and closing, but no words came out.

"Mariah?" said a stunned Ginny.

^*^*^*^*^*^

"Renae!" The man barked her name, and Renae shook inwardly. Outside, her appearance was serene. Inside, she was scared to death.

"Yes, milord?"

"Where is the girl?" he barked again, louder this time.

"She Disapparated before I could get the spell in place. She was too fast for me. I wasn't expecting…"

The slap across her face stopped further excuses. "You weren't expecting? You're a Diviner, Renae. Don't give me that. You're precognitive."

"Not about right hooks, obviously," she muttered, then flinched when his hand raised again. But he didn't strike her. Instead, a chilling smile spread across his face. Renae knew that smile and began to wish he had hit her instead.

"Actually," he stroked his smooth pale skin, "this may just work out. Granted, I wanted to talk to her. She was the next step in setting this plan in motion. But all might not be lost. Perhaps I can turn your incompetence to my advantage."

The man turned to face her, then dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "Leave me, Renae. I need to think. I will call for you when you're needed."

Renae shuddered violently when she heard the devil's own laugh emit from his throat as she left the drawing room.

^*^*^*^*^*^*

"I just received an owl from the Ministry, Harry, and thought I should tell you immediately," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling.

"What?" Harry said, barely controlled impatience evident in his tone.

"Sorry," Dumbledore chuckled. "Dramatic pauses are a favorite of mine. On to business, the scroll you were sent has been verified as a forgery. Just this morning, actually, according to the letter sent by Mr. Finnegan."

"But how?" Hermione asked, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"On the advice of Seamus' father, a Muggle if I remember correctly, he sent the parchment to a colleague in America. They have laboratories that specialize in this type of work. Every spell, charm and potion the Ministry used showed it was authentic. But with one simple aging test, the Muggle lab dated the ink as approximately six months old."

Dumbledore paused for a moment, gauging their varied reactions. "But the scroll being a forgery comes with it's own set of problems. Namely, who forged it and why?"

A deafening silence filled the room as each pondered this turn of events. Hermione was secretly thrilled that she'd been right all along, but was still concerned about who was behind this whole affair. Ron couldn't think of much else but the attacks on Ginny and Mariah, and if they were connected to the forgery.

Harry felt both extremely stupid and incredibly angry. He'd spent months worrying about the scroll and its portents, only to find now that he'd wasted that time on someone's cruel joke. Anger was surging through him at the same time for the person who had perpetrated it.

But even with the scroll discounted as a fake, Harry still had one nagging question.

"Headmaster," Harry said, "when we spoke after the woman's departure, both you and Sybill Trelawney seemed to recognize the term triuna crudus…" he trailed off, letting Dumbledore finish the thought.

"Sybill and I are working on that, Harry. As far as we can tell, though, it involves no one connected to this school. It's nothing you need concern yourselves with."

Dumbledore seemed to pick up on their desire to speak privately and left a few moments later. Harry got the feeling he was also leaving before they could press him for specifics.

"Ron," Hermione said after Dumbledore's footsteps had faded away, "what were you going to tell us before Professor Dumbledore arrived?"

"Ginny's at my apartment -" Ron began, then trailed off. "I'll tell you on the way."

"On the way where?" Harry asked.

"To your quarters. It's the only place in the whole school we'll be able to use Floo powder." Ron was already at the door, clearly impatient for them to follow.

"I'm assuming you'll explain why."

"On the way," Ron repeated, then started walking.

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other briefly before following him, both conveying the same thought. Whatever mystery Ron had been harboring, they were about to be clued in.

They began the long trip up to Harry and Hermione's apartment, Ron talking the whole time. It was as if a verbal dam had broken somewhere inside Ron. The words poured from him about Mariah's appearance, the wards he'd placed around the apartment, Ginny's disappearing act, both of the pregnancies, and everything else he'd been holding back.

Hermione, sensing the anguish within him, grasped his hand firmly as they approached the apartment door. "We'll sort it out, Ron," she said quietly.

Ron stopped and turned to both of them. He was very glad that words weren't necessary between them at times like this. By their faces, he knew they felt his gratitude.

^*^*^*^*^*

"I think I know a spell that will restore your voice, Mariah, but the woman took my wand from me and I didn't get it back before I Disapparated."

Mariah merely nodded, her face revealing her doubts. She knew nothing but a miracle would give her back the voice the blonde man had stolen within moments of her arrival at his castle. Mariah had gone against every survival instinct she possessed when she'd opened the bedroom door to face Ginny. But from what she overheard, Ginny was attempting to leave the apartment, and she'd promised Ron she'd keep his sister here.

There had been a few moments of stunned silence as the two women sized each other up. Ginny's jaw had dropped as she noticed Mariah's overly large abdomen. She'd done some mental arithmetic and seemed to come up with a number she liked.

"I take it I'm going to be an Auntie again?" Ginny smiled. And as simple as that, the tension had broken.

It had taken a few minutes to get Ginny to understand that she couldn't speak, and they had been carrying on a rather stilted conversation. Mariah's being limited to hand signals and yes or no answers hadn't helped.

"I wish Ron would get back. I really need to be getting home. You don't think I could just send a message…"

When Mariah shook her head vigorously, blonde hair waving about wildly, Ginny sighed.

"And, of course, you can't tell me why," Ginny muttered out loud. Ginny looked up at Mariah to make sure the other woman knew she was joking, but Mariah had a faraway look on her face. Ginny could tell that her attention had been taken elsewhere. She sat up straighter and motioned towards the fireplace.

"You want me to light a fire?" Ginny asked.

Mariah shook her head and gestured again.

"Ron's coming back?" Mariah nodded and held up two fingers, then pointed to the ring finger on her left hand. "With Harry and Hermione?"

Mariah nodded again.

"They don't know you're here, do they?" Ginny guessed, seeing a wave of apprehension pass over her face.

Before Ginny could say anything else, a fire erupted in the grate and Ron, Harry and Hermione stepped through it.

"Mariah!" Hermione said, half-laughing, half-crying as she flung herself into her friend's arms. Not an altogether easy task, given the advanced stage of Mariah's pregnancy and the bulging beginning of Hermione's.

Hermione's tears seemed to be contagious. Within seconds, Ginny and Mariah were sobbing as well.

Harry and Ron stood transfixed at the spectacle before them, completely at a loss about what to do with three sobbing pregnant women.

"So, what do you reckon Gryffindor's chances are for the Quidditch Cup this year?" Ron said casually.