Tears of Gold

Old Hannah Gray twisted her hands together. Where was Jenny? What had she allowed Jenny to walk into? She'd been gone for five days now.

She shouldn't have taught Jenny to use magic, she knew. She shouldn't have hidden her identity. She shouldn't have allowed her to masquerade as Lady Jane. It was all her fault.

She thought back to that day seven years before, when she had gone to the old well to get water. She had heard the raspy breathing, and having magicked the girl into her old cottage.

She'd recognized her almost immediately. Hannah had been a professor at Hogwarts when her father Arthur Weasley had gone there. She'd kept in close contact with the family all through the years, until Lucius Malfoy and his minions had taken over the Ministry and all of Harry Potters's supporters had been forced to flee to France.

Hannah hadn't gone with them. Her sons and her son's sons had all died fighting, and she would not leave British soil until they'd been avenged.

Then she'd found Ginny Weasley in her well. What the devil the girl was doing there she had no idea.

When the girl had awoken and Hannah realized that she had no memory of her past, she'd thought the safest course would be to lie. She'd not told Ginny that she knew her identity. That way, there'd be no questions to answer.

She'd merely retaught the girl magic, and renamed her Jenny Wesley. It had been four years ago, when the rebels had been having their secret weekly meeting at the cottage, that Ginny had insisted on posing as Lady Jane.

Ginny had no fears, no worries. She had no family. She had no friends. She had no responsibilities but to herself, and to Hannah. She wanted to do it, she'd said. She wanted to strike the Ministry blow for blow.

She'd grown more and more daring, her masks hiding less and less. She'd robbed and she'd terrorized and once or twice she'd even fired a curse or two. She'd grown too reckless, Hannah thought worriedly, and now she was paying the price.

***

They had been expecting a report by then. The rebellion was almost ready to strike, and all they needed was for Draco to send them the word. When the owl from London finally arrived at their fortress in south France, Hermione tore it open eagerly.

It would not be far from the truth to say that its contents were the last thing she had expected. She read it over three times, her brain not comprehending.

Then she let out a scream that sent everyone in the villa to her door.

"Hermione! Hermione!" It was Harry pounding on the door. "Are you all right? Alohomora. Hermione?"

He burst into the room. She was trembling from head to foot, and she pointed weakly at the piece of parchment on the desk. Harry, seeing the seal, frowned. "Bad news from Malfoy?"

By this time Ron and the others that lived with them in the French villa were also peering anxiously in.

"Herm? You okay?" Ron asked, looking at her worriedly.

"Oh Ron," said Hermione, shaking with shock. Harry was already reading the letter, and his face was growing steadily more astonished. "Ron, Ginny's alive."

***

Jenny opened her eyes sleepily and yawned. She began to stretch, but her shoulder felt stiff and sore and was restricted by a firm bandage. She frowned and put a curious hand to it and noticed the fine white fabric of the shirt she wore.

Sitting up on the big bed, she looked around. A fire was burning softly and casting a glow about the room, while rain tapped against the window outside. She was weak, but somehow refreshed, and the burning heat she'd been consumed by was gone. She put a tentative finger to her forehead and felt the dry coolness beneath her fingers.

"Glad to see that you've rejoined the living," said a deep voice from a corner of the room. Jenny's startled glance sought it out.

She felt her pulses quicken as Draco Malfoy came close the bed and stood staring down at her. She pulled the neck of the large shirt together protectively and glared back.

"Your modesty is misplaced, as I've been the one to care for you since your illness, and - " He spread his hands dispassionately, letting her draw her own conclusions.

Jenny lifted her chin and looked haughtily away from him. "Why did you go through all the trouble? I'll be executed anyway, won't I?"

Draco grinned wolfishly. "To think that you, a small slip of a girl, have been the one terrorizing the city."

Jenny said nothing, merely turned her head away. Draco shrugged, saying as he walked away, "If you need anything, the bell pull is above her head."

"Will house elves answer my call, or will you?" Jenny demanded.

He turned and grinned at her. "I will."

***

Protect her if you can, Draco, Hermione had written. This is important to all of us. Please try to understand. Also, we are prepared to move and will be at the Dragon Gate Inn on the day you requested.

Draco folded up the note thoughtfully and leaned back on his desk. The parchment immediately burst into flames, and he absently brushed the ash onto the ground.

Protect the Weasley chit, they'd asked him. It would be a difficult task. She didn't trust him, she didn't like him, and she certainly wanted nothing to do with him.

Protect the Weasley chit.

She was Lady Jane, and Draco couldn't let her go. What if she were captured? Draco knew that even he wouldn't be able to help her if others discovered her identity. For now, he was the only one who knew that the girl who slept in his bedchamber was a notorious thief. All others were simply told that she was his mistress. Draco was infamous for his liaisons, and no one thought twice about it.

Mistress. The word hit him like a blow, and he sat up, cursing his own stupidity. It would solve all their problems.

He'd marry her. Oh, it wouldn't be a marriage in truth, just a farce to protect both of them. He could keep an eye on her, and she'd have to stay at his side. He held the truth of her identity over her, and while she'd tried to hide it, he knew that she'd been afraid.

He penned an answer to Hermione.

I'll do my best, he wrote. I'll marry Virginia by special license tomorrow. Tell Weasley not to worry, I won't touch his precious sister. But you've got to admit that for now, marriage is the best way to protect her.

***

"Marry her? You think I'd let the bastard marry her? She's my sister, for godssake, he can't just marry her - "

"Ron, we've gone through this before," Hermione said in exasperation, almost stamping her foot. "It's the best course for now. Malfoy said he won't touch her, and he'll keep his word. When has he ever broken it?"

"Well," said Ron grudgingly.

"They can get the marriage annulled if everything goes the way we planned - " Hermione began again, but Harry cut her short.

"If everything goes the way we planned," he said, quietly. "Ron, you have to realize that our plan is not foolproof. We might lose against Lucius's Ministry. And if we do, what then becomes of your sister? Don't you realize that while she's in that lion's den, the only safe place for her is with Malfoy? If we should fail, Malfoy would still be able to protect her."

Ron glared at his two best friends. They were sitting on Hermione's balcony, watching the sun setting over the Seine River. Draco's letter had arrived an hour ago, and they'd been arguing about it since then. Harry and Hermione thought he was doing what was best for Ginny; Ron was convinced that there had to be another way.

But it was impossible to smuggle people out of London these days. Ginny didn't know how to Apparate, but then again, even if she had, the Ministry had blocked all Apparation paths, just as the Floo Network had been shut down.

"Fine," said Ron, sulkily, turning away from the flaming sunset so that his face was thrown into sharp shadows. "She can marry him"