Til The End

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'Til The End

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'Your father has committed suicide.'

Draco Malfoy's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and he stared at his former archenemy. 'What?! How?!'

Harry Potter sighed. 'Well, we were about to interrogate him. Turns out that he kept a hollow pin filled with distilled coral snake venom...'

Draco scowled, then sighed. 'Fine. So the old bugger is dead. You did bring my mother to St. Mungo's, right?'

Potter nodded, 'Yes, she is fine... just, rather shaken. They're going to release her in a day... they can't keep her there if there's nothing physically wrong with her; not enough room nowadays... but she might need someone to take care of her.'

Draco nodded, and glanced at Jing-Li, who was standing behind him.

The Chinese woman looked at Harry Potter straight in the eye, and said, 'We will take her in. I do not know how much attention I will be able to give her, but I will try my best, and my Mages and I will provide her protection and a place to stay.'

Harry nodded slowly. 'Well, I guess that will do. I... wish you the best.'

Draco smirked, 'Wishes accepted. Now, if you will excuse me...' he grinned wolfishly at Jing-Li, 'I need to introduce to my mother her daughter-in-law to be.'

And with a pop, the two had Disapparated from the Mage camp, leaving Harry Potter standing there, rather bemused. 'Er, congratulations, I guess...'

* * *

Narcissa Malfoy was placidly sitting up in bed as a nurse brushed her long blonde hair, when Draco and Jing-Li entered the room. Her pale cheeks showed signs of many tears shed, although at the moment, she was quite calm, smiling, even. Draco frowned slightly. His mother had always been rather distant... quiet... he had certainly never seen his parents exchange any affection beyond the linked arms at several social events. But... perhaps Narcissa had loved Lucius. It bothered him somewhat that he had no idea.

'Mother?' he ventured quietly. Narcissa slowly turned to face him, and gave him the same strange, dreary smile that she had given him the night of Lucius' capture. She made a sound half-laugh, half-sob, and gripped his hands with hers. She did not say a word.

Draco gave a questioning look at the nurse. 'She's not mad. We did tests. She has all of her mental facilities, but... we think that the recent events of her life have taken a toll, and she needs time to adjust.'

'Anything specific?' The question came from Jing-Li. The nurse pursed her lips.

'Well... she had been put under a silence curse. She has not been able to speak more than ten words a day for the past two years. It's been removed... but she probably has so much bottled inside that she has not been able to say... well, just give her time. And care. Lots of care.'

Draco nodded slowly. 'So, she will be released tomorrow morning.'

The nurse nodded. 'We would keep her longer, Mr. Malfoy. Really, we would... except, well... there are new people coming in here every day...'

'Understood.' Draco nodded curtly, then stood up. He bent down, obviously not used to the gesture, and gave his mother a brief kiss on the forehead. His mother gave him that peculiar smile again, and then turned away. And Draco and Jing-Li slowly walked out of the room and exited St. Mungo's.

* * *

The next day, when Draco and Jing-Li arrived at St. Mungo's, they were arguing amongst themselves.

'Well, I don't know what we could do besides take turns watching her!' Jing-Li said softly. There was no yelling now. Not here, at any rate. Draco furrowed his brows.

'You have your duties... and... oof!' Draco collided with someone.

'Sorry about that,' a soft, melodious feminine voice exclaimed, then gasped, 'Draco Malfoy? Jing-Li?'

'Cho?' Jing-Li uttered in surprise. The other Chinese woman was clad in pure white, and a band of white fabric was wrapped around her head. Jing-Li's eyes widened, 'Who...?'

'Huh? Who what?' Draco was confused. Jing-Li shot him a dirty look.

'When a Chinese person wears white, it means that somebody has died,' she said slowly, as if explaining to a dimwitted child. Cho gave a wry grin.

'It's okay... it's not anyone particularly close to me, but...' she paused, and sighed softly, 'You remember Amos Diggory?'

Draco nodded, and gave a small snort. He never liked the man much... 'So? Bombastic bugger dropped off, eh?'

Jing-Li swatted him, and Cho gave him a half-exasperated, half-bemused look. 'Mr. Diggory died a week ago. His wife is here... she got hit with a curse... but she will likely recover in a year. Except, she has lost her memory. I am just here to visit her.'

Jing-Li nodded, 'How is your family?'

Cho bit her lip slightly, 'They all moved to China at the beginning of the summer. It's safer there.'

Draco raised an eyebrow, 'And you're here still because...?'

Cho gave a small sigh, 'Because... I have roots here. More than they do. I need to stay... of course, I will have to buy another flat or something...' she trailed off, and then looked back at the other two, 'What are you two doing here?'

'My mother's getting released today,' Draco said succinctly, and walked forward towards Narcissa Malfoy's room, unmindful of the two Chinese women talking amongst themselves in their native language behind him.

Narcissa Malfoy was dressed in simple black robes, and sitting in a chair, staring into space, when the three arrived in her room. As Cho and Jing-Li stood and watched by the door, Draco slowly walked up to his mother and greeted her. 'Mother?'

Narcissa turned her head at the sound, and Draco walked forward. 'Do you know who I am?' he asked rather dubiously.

Slowly, a hazy smile spread across Narcissa's face, and she nodded. 'Dra-co...' she said, her voice nothing but a hoarse whisper from lack of use. She pointed at him. 'Dra-co.'

'Yes, I am Draco,' Draco agreed, and she smiled at him.

'Son.'

'Yes, I'm your son.'

Well, at least she recognized him. And then, Narcissa gave a watery chuckle, raising one hand to tangle into her golden hair. 'Son.... free... FREE......' she gave a whoop, and then pointed one slender index finger at her own breast. 'Free...'

Draco sighed slightly, unaware that Jing-Li and Cho were still in deep discussion amongst themselves at the door. 'Yes, you're free. Let's go now.' Narcissa didn't budge, and stared past Draco at the two dark-haired witches at the door.

'Blue. Daughter.' Narcissa gave Draco what could only be described as a mischievous grin, and pointed her finger now at Jing-Li, clad in her blue Mage uniform. 'Daughter. Dra-co love.'

Draco scratched his head somewhat uncomfortably. It was obvious that Narcissa Malfoy had not lost her mind entirely. She recognized him. She even knew what was going on. However... it seemed as though at this time, she was still somewhat in shock. She carried the look of someone who had a mind full of things to say, and no means to say them.

And behind him, Cho cleared her throat. 'Malfoy... I've a proposition for you.'

'What is it?' Draco asked abruptly, eyes still fixed upon his mother.

'Well... if you would like, I can stay at Jing-Li's camp. I've nowhere to stay unless I buy another flat anyway, and this way, well... I can help keep an eye out for your mother. I am still working, but staying in a Mage camp, well... that would only make things more convenient for all parties. What do you say?'

Draco exchanged a brief glance with Jing-Li, who nodded. 'Well, Chang... if you want to, go ahead. It's her camp anyway.'

Cho smiled, 'I know. But it's your mother. Will she be all right? I know what had happened... how is she doing?'

'She's doing fine. But how did you know what had happened?'

Cho's smile widened, 'A little black cat somewhere told me.' She would not say any more. But, half an hour later, two newcomers arrived at the Mage camp to stay.

* * *

A week later, as Cho was trying to teach Draco traditional Chinese vows and Narcissa Malfoy, finally getting accustomed to her voice again, hummed as she watched little Jack imitate Jing-Li's sparring with a tree branch, the Hogwarts Express left King's Cross station as yet another school year began.

In the front of the train were the Prefects' compartments, as always. In one of them, there sat a Slytherin Prefect with dark hair, a few strands falling carelessly in his eyes. He had an expression of immense concentration on his face, and he was completely focused on the little machine he held in his hands.

The door to the compartment flung open, and another fifth year Prefect walked in, quickly shutting the door behind her. She was rather small, and her sugar-brown hair was secured in a somewhat messy knot at the nape of her neck with a yellow Muggle pencil. She wore a khaki dress, sandals, and a somewhat exasperated expression on her face. Anthony didn't bother to look up. Not now... he was sooo close! Mario and Luigi were head to head... and... there! He won! And then, the other Prefect gave a gasp of recognition as he looked up.

'Anthony Weston?!'

He looked up blankly. The girl... petite, wiry, with an inquisitive expression, features not quite regular enough to be conventionally pretty, but striking nonetheless. She was not in her robes, so he could not immediately place her in a house. But... she had eyes, slanted, sharp green eyes like a cat's. Una Markham, then. She was looking at him with astonishment.

He gave her a curt nod, but her eyes were focused on his Game Boy, and they had lit up. 'You play Game Boy?'

He nodded, 'Super Mario Deluxe.'

'That's great! I love that game... Mario is amazing,' she gushed happily, and he raised an eyebrow.

'Mario? What are you talking about, Markham? It's all about Luigi!'

'Luigi is nothing compared to Mario! His moves aren't nearly as cool!'

And so, Anthony Weston and Una Markham, at the beginning of the school year, found themselves in yet another argument.

'But Luigi is an idiot at the Mini-games! How can you say that he's better?'

'You just don't know how to play as him!'

'MARIO!'

'LUIGI!'

'MARIO!'

'LUIGI!'

'MARIO!'

And at that moment, the door opened once more, and a beautiful young girl with cherubic features and a crown of golden curls walked in with a butter-melting smile. Anthony looked at her, and relaxed, his face taking on a calm expression. Una watched in wonder as the girl... Gabrielle, the part-veela sister of Professor Weasley... sauntered up to Anthony and smacked him playfully on the chest. 'Seely boy,' the blonde girl purred, 'So crazy about zat leetle toy. I bought you some chocolate frogs.' And Gabrielle handed Anthony sweets with a graceful white hand, as Una stared.

'Thanks, Gaby,' Anthony replied, opening up a frog and biting off the head. He glanced at the card, 'Nezha. D'you want it?' He held out the card to Gabrielle, and she thanked him graciously, putting it away in her purse.

'So, Una, whatevair are you doing 'ere wis zis prat?' Gabrielle asked conversationally. Una frowned slightly. Why was Gabrielle calling him a prat, when she obviously liked him very much (honestly, there was no accounting for taste)?

But she answered the question calmly enough, 'Well, I was in the other Prefect compartment, but then Orla came in.' The fifth year Ravenclaw girl rolled her eyes, 'She got her O.W.L. results back over the summer, and she received a perfect score in Defense Against the Dark Arts. She's being insufferably pompous about it right now.'

Gabrielle laughed slightly, 'She is like Percy... wis a crush.' Anthony sniggered lightly, and Una looked confused. The blonde girl gave an airy shrug. 'Percy is ze brozer of Beel. 'E used to be Prefect and 'Ead Boy.' She glanced at her delicate gold watch, 'I sink zat we 'ad better change into robes,' she murmured, 'Ansony, get out of 'ere for a few minutes, please.'

Anthony laughed, 'It's all right. No need to be modest.' Gabrielle glared, and smacked him again.

'Get out or else...'

Anthony got out, and Una and Gabrielle quickly changed into their robes and uniforms. Gabrielle gave the older girl a somewhat calculating look that made Una distinctly uncomfortable, although she had no idea why, before calling the boy back in. Anthony came back in, also dressed in robes. He sat down and started playing his Game Boy again, and managed to finish another game before they arrived at Hogwarts.

Una was not quite sure just what to make of him. There was only one thing that truly stood out and bothered her about that trip to Hogwarts. She had been rather... what was the word... 'tongue-tied'. Tongue-tied around Anthony Weston, of all people! Never a good thing. He would win all their arguments! They would always have arguments. That was the way it was with the two of them. Perhaps... perhaps for Gabrielle Delacour, he would be nice. But never to her. Una frowned slightly. This was not good at all. She needed to get her sharp tongue back, and fast, or something!

* * *

Months later, he was still bewildering her. She looked at him strangely as he strode across the Quidditch pitch towards her, tall and lean and confident. It seemed that every time she looked at him, he had grown from the last. He was on the brink of manhood, and it was all very confusing. The Quidditch Final, and the two of them were opposing captains. She in blue... the color of his eyes... and he in green, the color of hers. He stopped in front of her, a rather unreadable smile on his face, and held out a hand for her to shake.

She reached out her own hand, which was nearly swallowed by his, and shook briefly. They took to the air as Owen Caulfield, in the Commentator's box, his voice deeper than before, called out the members of their teams. Una gave an uneasy glance from the Slytherin Keeper to her own Seeker, Gabrielle Delacour, who was perched in the air, riding Harry Potter's old Firebolt that he had given her when she had made the team.

Her unorganized, disjointed thoughts ceased when the whistle blew, and she dashed forward to grab the Quaffle before any opposing Chasers could. She wove and darted in between Slytherin players as she pushed inexorably forward towards him... where he floated, guarding the goals. Now, there was no confusion clouding her eyes or mind. She no longer saw him, the baffling, smirking boy with the affinity for Game Boy and the distaste for Astronomy. He was the Slytherin Keeper, her enemy, and she searched methodically for weakness.

His eyes left her hands for a scant two seconds to glance at Gabrielle, circling the air high above, and she took ruthless advantage. She scored, and flew away with a slight frown after Darius Chilton of Slytherin had captured the Quaffle on the rebound. It would be... no reflection of her skills... if she scored when Gabrielle distracted him!

The game went on, and in an hour, Ravenclaw was up by ten points, the score precarious at 80:70. And then, Gabrielle dove, and Una looked down from where she was flying back from the Slytherin goal posts after scoring their eighth goal, and saw the elusive Snitch, flittering in the center of the pitch close to the ground. The Slytherin Seeker, fourth year Aaron Montague, brother of former Slytherin chaser Douglas Montague, streaked after Gabrielle in hot pursuit, but the part-veela girl, when she had leveled out from her dive, turned her head slightly to give her rival a disarming smile, still flying forward, and Montague's moment of hesitation was all it took for Gabrielle to streak forward, and capture the Snitch.

Una's exhilaration at winning the Cup lasted for a good half hour, as her joyous team celebrated and changed in the locker rooms. And then, they emerged, back in school clothing, and left to go back to the castle.

And she saw Gabrielle standing across from Anthony Weston in the hallway, grinning ear to ear. Actually... despite the fact that the girl had won the game, and his team had lost, Anthony was grinning as well. He was talking to Gabrielle... in a light, even friendly tone.

'Well... I still say that it is unfair of you to distract my Seeker like that, little vixen. He's going to be all love-struck now. And we both know that you're not going to go with him, at any rate. I still don't see why you're not in Slytherin, you little schemer.'

Gabrielle laughed, tinkling, sweet giggles ringing through the air, 'Because I can't stand zat Professor 'oo is ze 'Ead of your 'Ouse. But... I did not do anysing illegal when I distracted 'im; you should 'ave made sure zat 'e was not so easy to distract. But... good game anyway.'

And Una, feeling distinctly uncomfortable with all of this for some reason, cleared her throat rather loudly. The two of them turned to look at her, and she frowned slightly. Gabrielle gave her another rather piercing look, and Anthony simply gave her a mocking smile and nod before sauntering off. Gabrielle looked from Una, to his retreating form, and back, then walked over to join the older girl.

Together, in a rather odd silence, the two made their way towards Ravenclaw Tower, where there was certainly a party that was just waiting for their arrival to start. Gabrielle seemed deep in thought for a few moments, but she opened her mouth to speak about two paces before Proserpine's portrait.

'Don't be jealous of me, cherie. 'E isn't interested in me like zat, nor I in 'im.'

Una looked at the blonde girl, uncomprehendingly. What was she talking about? Jealous? Who? What? Gabrielle grinned and continued, 'Ansony. 'E doesn't like me zat way; you don't 'ave to be jealous. We are simply brozer and seester.'

Una's eyes widened incredulously, and she gave an indignant sniff, 'Jealous? Me? Anthony Weston can go and like whomever he pleases! As if... he's a prat! Hmph! Supernova,' she called out stiffly to the portrait, and strode in, rolling her eyes slightly. Jealous indeed... Wherever in the world did Gabrielle get such a ridiculous idea?!

And behind her, Gabrielle smiled wryly to herself.

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