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Elemental	By : AngelaBlythe Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Ginny Views: 3286 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
ELEMENTAL

~by The Labris~

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:

The Prodigal Son�

That Sinking
Feeling

The air was moist and generous when Draco Apparated fifteen miles away
from their destination. He, Potter, and Weasel were told that there would
probably be a lot of Detection Charms and Anti-Apparition Fields on the way, so
they best walk in during the early morning and be cautious. Draco knew that the
ocean couldn�t be more than two miles away; he could smell it. They would more
or less follow the coast and then cut up north to their destination.

Draco led the way in their little expedition, letting Weasel and Potter
chat quietly behind while Draco used his senses and his instincts to watch out
for danger. Over the years he had become rather paranoid about being watched or
followed or tracked and developed charms and spells and potions that detected
danger. This was one of the several reasons he was assigned to Potter and
Weasel � they didn�t have Granger to be smart for them and now Draco had to do
it. It wasn�t that bad. At least he could be standoffish and distant.

The sun was just rising as they closed in on the area the Elemental
activity had occurred. The main reason they � Granger and Bowman � had
got so excited about this activity was because it was the first in nearly five
years. Draco, and other Elementals, McGonagall especially, had experienced
troubles controlling and detecting Elemental powers in the world. A lot of the
time Draco would wake up at night in a sweat and know something was wrong but
what exactly he couldn�t tell.

He guessed it all started that day he passed out, the day she had been
taken. It seemed so long ago, centuries, but he could recall the feeling of
emptiness perfectly. He felt it when he woke up in the night those times, and
he felt it when he was utterly alone. McGonagall simply had problems
controlling her power, as many other high level Elementals did. Bowman � well,
she was a Weasley now � theorized that her status as a scale between the
Elements had been displaced while under control of Welsh. Bowman said that she
had an effect on the magic, not the people, and when she was restored problems
would be solved.

Draco knew what was wrong with him though. He had felt it during their
time together. He was tied to her. He was tied to her magic along with her
spirit, herself. There was no way he could ever escape her, or WANT to
escape her now that he was so tangled in her. It had been a safe feeling, being
in love and without a care. He was wrapped up in her all the time, but she was
wrapped up in him too.

�Still, Draco realized that nothing would be the same now. Nothing could
go back to being the way it was. And it made him sad at first, and then very
angry. The rage he had been building, saving in him for this man, this Duncan
Welsh, had been directed at many people, but never died or diminished. Draco
expected that in the next few hours it would.

�There it is,� Potter said quietly.

The midmorning sun beat upon them, magnified by the moisture in the air
and sending a trail of sweat down Draco�s neck and back. There was no doubt
this had to be the place. From their vantage point in the rocks he could see
the house was made of creamy cement and had a ratty, thatched roof. There were
open windows and doors, and about a half a kilometer away there was a green
area and a small stream.

�He keeps his labs underground,� Draco observed, leaning over a rock and
looking for any sign of life in the house. �He�s arrogant, there aren�t any
charms around the house itself, just the ones we had to sneak by to get here.�

�We should call the ministry now,� Harry said, taking out a
communication device and using it to silently contact Moody at headquarters.
Harry listened at the device for a moment and nodded. �They�ve already broken
the first shield and Apparated not five miles from here. They�ll be here in the
hour. We�re supposed to stay where we are.� Then he turned a little red, �I�m
supposed to hog-tie you, Malfoy, if you try and go into that house.�

Draco merely sneered at him and sat down quietly. Soon the troops would
be here and he could get out. Draco felt a sharp pain in the back of his head,
like he�d been hit with a spell and then a rock. Blearily he pulled his wand
and tried to fend off his attackers, but there seemed to be all too many.

Shouting in the background led him to believe Weasel and Harry were
fighting as well, but Draco couldn�t keep conscious any longer. He fell to his
knees and then fell off the rock, sliding down the crags until he hit the
ground.

The Prodigal Son

There was a sticky substance holding Draco�s eyes together when he tried
to open them. And when he tried to move his hands he found they were tied
behind his back. And when he tried to move his feet he found they were tied
together as well. Draco shook his head and spat out some blood that had been
sitting in his mouth. Then, wiping his eyes and cheeks on his respective
shoulders he saw he was in a dark room with a small, horizontal slit of light
coming from near the ceiling.

�Damn it!� he swore to himself. It wasn�t like him to miss the signs. It
had been quiet�too quiet. There was no sign of danger, nothing to tip him off,
except the complete safeness of the place. Those were the signs he was supposed
to look for, and because he was so distracted he hadn�t noticed them. This all
was his fault.

�Malfoy!� Weasel hissed. �Is that you?�

�Yes, damn it, who else would it be?� he hissed in reply, straining to
see the red hair. But his eyesight was clearing up and soon he saw Potter and
Weasel, both sitting awake with their hands and legs tied on opposite sides of
the wall.

�You sound like crap and we can�t see,� Potter growled at him. �We
thought there were other people in the room, you know, other prisoners.�

�Just us, I can see fine now,� Draco murmured, looking for a door.
There, in the corner of the dirt room, was a wooden door with no handle and no
way too look out. He frowned and tried to get up but he found his legs were
paralyzed.

�We�re paralyzed too,� Weasel said darkly. �I never passed out, he
somehow got all our wands and used them against us. Mine Stupified me and then
paralyzed my legs only. Harry�s nearly killed him, and yours made you fall off
the cliff and cast some different spells I�ve never seen. We�ve been down here
nearly fifteen minutes and no one�s come down yet. I think we may have run into
some automatic response system��

It made sense to Draco, and he nodded and looked out the window again.
They had forty-five minutes for someone to either find them or kill them, or
the troops would come and hopefully defeat this Welsh bastard.

A soft sound at the door drew Draco�s attention, and he wished to the
gods he had his legs. There was a lot of clinking and clattering, and then
pushing and punching at the door. Draco held his breath in anticipation, it
could be anyone�even her�

The door cracked open a little, but Draco couldn�t see anything in the
shadow. He coughed and the door closed a little, but then opened again. Potter
and Weasel were dead silent. Then, very slowly, a tiny figure slipped into the
room and closed all but an inch of the door behind itself. It was a child. A
very small child� It had to be hers. It must be her child.

�Hello, who are you?� Weasel said gruffly, licking his lips and shaking
his head. Draco could tell the spell of blindness was fading away because Weasel
began rubbing his eyes on his shoulders and blinking a lot.

Draco gasped as copper eyes flashed in the half-light�her eyes�her
child� A platinum-haired little angel stepped out of the shadows and pierced
Draco with youthful, thoughtful, intelligent eyes�Ginny�s eyes. Draco was
dumbstruck. In the boy Draco could see a reflection of himself at the age of
five � short, bone-thin, pale-skinned, angular, and cautious but curious. The
boy stood perfectly still for a minute or two, just looking at Draco, and Draco
looking at him. The boy appeared perfectly calm, his hands at his sides, his
feet inches apart, and his head just noticeably cocked to the left. Draco knew
it was a disguise for the greatest level of curiosity. Draco had seen it before
because he had done it before.

�What�s your name?� Draco said quietly. He yearned for the boy to speak,
to say his name was something that ended in Malfoy. It had to be his son. It
had to be. Unless�unless it was Voldemort�s son�or Welsh�s son� But the boy
looked just like him! He HAD to be the father!

The boy turned his eyes to Potter and Weasel briefly, then back to
Draco. �Some call me Ignatius�some call me Cassian,� he replied in a small,
confident voice.

Draco swallowed. �What does your mother call you?� he asked anxiously.

�Cassian.�

For a very long time Draco stared at the boy and the boy stared right
back at him. It seemed on the very brink, on the edge of their minds, a
connection. Draco felt it and wanted it to be real, and strong.

The boy, Cassian, licked his lips. �Mother says I�m not supposed to come
down here. But she doesn�t know because she�s cleaning the house. She thinks
I�m asleep.�

Draco nodded and moved slowly to a more comfortable position. �You�re
very smart, Cassian. Did you get that from your mother or your father?�

Cassian seemed to think for a long time, sometimes looking over at
Potter and Weasel, who had the most astonished and bewildered looks on their
faces. They suspected what Draco wished for so much, that Cassian was Draco and
Ginny�s son. �Mother�s really smart, but she says my father was Head Boy at
Hogwarts and the smartest person she ever met. I want to be just like him.�

Then the boy frowned and knitted his eyebrows. �Why are you down in
Duncan�s rooms? Are you his friends? Duncan�s a bad man�mother says so� I have
to be good anyway and I don�t want to. Mother says someday I�ll be able to
defeat him, when I�m older. I want to defeat him now. I don�t think you should
be friends with him because he�s mean and hurts Mother.�

And Cassian rambled on like that for a little while longer, the whole
time Draco�s eyes opened wide, trying to memorized everything the boy said and
how he said it and how he looked and the exact pitch of his voice. He only
vaguely noticed that Potter and Weasel were able to see now and were talking
quietly behind Cassian.

When Cassian stopped Draco nodded gravely in understanding. �We aren�t
friends of�Duncan. We�re here to arrest him. We�re aurors, all three of us.
We�d really appreciate it if you could help us, Cassian. Duncan is a bad
man, and he wants to hurt people, and your mother. If you let us out we�ll help
you defeat him.�

Cassian seemed to think this over for a moment then he nodded and sat
down beside Draco�s feet and put his hands on them. �I�m sorry if I burn you.
Mother taught me, but I�m not very good yet.�

Then the boy closed his eyes and began breathing really slow. At first
nothing happened. But after a moment or two the ropes began to get red, and
then, surprising Draco, burst into flames. The rope incinerated and hem of
Draco�s pants caught on fire. The little boy put it out with his hands and
didn�t even flinch. Draco vaguely remembered Ginny being able to do that. The
boy must be a Fire Elemental like her.

Cassian did the same thing to Draco�s hands and it hurt like hell but
Draco was thankful anyway. Draco still couldn�t move his legs however, and this
was a problem. He told Cassian that and he seemed to think for a moment, and
then sat down by Draco�s legs again. Draco could tell the boy was getting very
tired, and he wasn�t sure he could defeat Welsh with out Potter and Weasel, but
he would certainly try.

�This is harder,� Cassian said quietly. �I�ve never done it before, and
I�ve only seen Mother do it once. She�s very good at it, but I don�t get sick a
lot.�

He was going to heal Draco! His eyes bulged as he recalled his mother
doing the exact same thing for him when he had the cancer-type disease. A chill
sensation swept Draco�s body and he shivered. Slowly, cautiously, Cassian
touched Draco�s legs and concentrated hard, sweat beads rolling down his neck.
When Draco began to have feeling he had the boy stop for fear of over exerting
himself. Draco knew that tingliness was the first sign his legs were becoming
functional.

Cassian sat on the ground coughing and wheezing for a few moments, as
though he were out of breath. His eyes drooped and Draco could tell he was
exhausted. As soon as Draco was able to stand he hobbled over to Weasel and
Potter and sat down, not being able to bend his legs enough to squat. He began
tugging at their ropes in hopes they would loosen themselves, but they didn�t.

�I�m going to go after him alone,� Draco said to the both of them.

�Look, Malfoy, you�re good and everything, but you don�t even have your
wand,� Potter said sensibly, frowning and trying to move his legs without
success.

Weasel�s eyes darkened and he frowned. �No.� He shook his head. �No.�
Then he looked over at the boy, Cassian, who looked ready to pass out. �Harry,
Malfoy�s right.� Then he turned to Draco and looked him hard in the eye. Draco
had never seen Weasel like this. �Look, we all can tell this is yours and
Ginny�s son. We just have to look at him. Get out of here, take Ginny and
Cassian and get out. Run as far as you can until you meet up with the troops.�
Gritting his teeth, �And if you don�t survive, Malfoy, if you get Ginny or her
son killed, I�ll rip your heart out and eat it!�

It didn�t take Malfoy a long time to decide. He looked at Potter, who
was frowning, and Weasel, who was frowning for a different reason, and nodded.
He was going to get Ginny and Cassian out of here before they could get hurt.
It was only a matter of time before they got caught, and Draco wanted to be
gone when they were. �I�ll do it. I�m not looking back.�

Finally, Draco could see Potter conceding and Weasel stopped frowning.
Cassian was standing silently by Draco�s side, his eyes fixed on Weasel�s red
hair.

�I�m Ron,� he said to Cassian. �I�m your mum�s older brother. And you
tell her, when you see her, that I loved her and never stopped thinking about
her. No one did.�

Cassian nodded at this and then looked up at Draco. Not sure how to
carry a child, Draco scooped him up in one arm and held him under the legs,
supporting his back with the other arm. Cassian immediately put his arms around
Draco�s neck and Draco walked out the door without a look back.

The floor plan was simple, and Draco could hear noises from down the
hall and saw the stairs near him. He went up and noticed that it led into the
sun, daylight, noon. The troops should be here by now. Draco hurried around the
house and found the door.

As soon as he stepped in his eyes widened and he almost dropped Cassian,
who appeared to have passed out. Ginny was on the floor, her red hair splayed
around her, face down on the ground. Welsh was standing over her with a manic
glint in his eyes.

�I wouldn�t have to punish her if she�d just cooperate,� he said, crazy
tones lacing his words that would otherwise be sensible. �She�s just sooo
beautiful�she can�t help it.�

Draco�s eyes went from Ginny�s small form to Welsh. He�d aged well,
considering he had to be going on sixty, and he was broader and thicker than
Draco. Still, Draco thought he could take him, wand or no wand.

�What�d you do to her, Welsh?� Draco hissed, circling Ginny�s body.
Welsh circled opposite him, always staying a good distance away. Draco had a
feeling Welsh had left his wand in his other robes.

�She wouldn�t love me, so I punished her,� he replied easily. Then he
smiled darkly, a slimy grin Draco never forgot. �It�s better when she screams
though��

Draco growled and set Cassian down on a table. He moaned a little but
curled up and slept. �Auror�s will be here any time, old man. They�re less then
fifteen minutes away. Closer even. You�ll never get out of here alive � not
with her, not with my son.�

�Ignatius is my son,� Welsh said darkly, his eyes lowering and then
going to Ginny. �Mine and Ginevra�s.�

Draco shook his head. Draco�s eyes were more powerful, more piercing
than Welsh�s dead black. Draco knew Welsh was going to make a dash down the
stairs, try to retrieve his wand. He was going to have to stop him before he
reached. But Draco wasn�t sure he could yet, the paralyzing charm wasn�t fully
worn off. So he had to keep him talking.

�Can�t you see him? He looks just like me,� Draco said, playing on
Welsh�s apparent weakness. �He told me you�re the bad man, that he doesn�t like
you because you hurt Ginny.� Draco smirked. �I don�t like you either.�

He was strong, Draco would give him that, but Draco was fast, even
despite his slight paralysis. Draco dodged the first fist easily enough, only
to come into contact with a second. Draco felt as though his lungs would
explode. He had no breath. Gasping around and coughing, Draco grabbed the chair
supporting him and slammed it in Welsh�s face and chest. A large splinter
lodged itself into Welsh�s cheek and he howled in pain, grasping at it wildly.

Taking this chance to gain the advantage, Draco punched him square in
the stomach, making the man double over in pain again. Draco took a chunk of
Welsh�s hair in his hand and began to slam his knee into Welsh�s face in jerky
motions until Welsh sank to the ground.

Welsh, spitting blood, fell on the ground on his hands and knees and
sputtered. Draco watched him carefully but pulled the limp body of Ginny
gingerly into a corner, putting Cassian in her lap. He was glad neither of them
were able to see the fight, it was about to get ugly.

When Draco turned around again he didn�t see Welsh. Fear flooded his
mind. If Welsh had gotten to a wand Draco was done for. He�d be killed without
much trouble.

�AAAGGHHHH!� Welsh yelled from behind Draco.

There was a sharp, stinging pain in his left shoulder and Draco realized
he�d been stabbed. He couldn�t feel anything but pain. Draco wheeled around to
see Welsh with a knife in each hand and murder written on his face.

He had no form, Draco noticed, as Welsh charged him with both knives
raised high. Draco dodged easily enough and was able to grab Welsh�s right
hand. Draco dodged the knife in the man�s left hand easily enough and put
pressure on one of Welsh�s nerves. The knife in his right hand dropped and
Draco kicked it aside swiftly. He only barely had time to block Welsh�s next
attack. The blade of the knife bit into Draco�s left forearm, his already
injured arm, as he used it to block his body and face. It was painful, but
adrenaline gave Draco power and anger.

Draco swung at Welsh�s face and hit him in the eye. Welsh stumbled back
and moved anxiously from one foot to another. �You almost had enough, boy?!� he
taunted, slashing his knife at Draco from a distance. �Come on! Who are you
kidding?�

�Shut up, geezer,� Draco spat, sneering and preparing for the next
attack.

It came more swiftly than Draco had expected and the tip of the blade
nicked him on the dodge. Welsh laughed manically and licked the blade, his
smile wide and crazed. Then he swept at Draco low and Draco kicked the man�s
hand with his boots. They were heavy, steel-tipped, and dangerous. The knife
flew out of Welsh�s right hand and several bones snapped. Welsh screamed and
curled around it for a moment before lashing out again and swinging with his
left hand. Draco dodged and punched him in the stomach.

�The aurors will be here any second,� Draco said softly, �just give up.
Ginny�s mine now.�

�NOOOOO!!!�

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, for Welsh redoubled his
attack and struck Draco several times before Draco could fend him off. Draco
felt blood sliding down his shoulder, forearm, and now lips. He must be a sight
to see. But he would not lose, not after all he�d been through.

Faking with his left, Draco swung hard with his right and caught Welsh
off-balance. Draco continued to back Welsh into a corner and slam his head
against the wall repeatedly. And when Welsh fell to the ground Draco straddled
his waist and continued to beat the hell out of his face. Blood, certainly not
Draco�s blood, blurred his vision but he couldn�t stop himself. All the rage
and anger and bitterness were flowing out into this fight, and Draco wasn�t about
to let go.

Your Hands

Later, Draco vaguely recalled being drug away from the fight after
aurors charged the small house. He seemed to remember a lot of red and a lot of
anger, but he sat comatose as Harry and Weasel were led up the stairs, staring
almost disgusted with Draco. But Draco knew what they had never known.

It was good to kill a man with your bare hands.

Comfortable in
Your Other Skin, Part IV

Cassian sat in Ginny�s lap in the white hospital room. He was sound
asleep, but Ginny knew that she couldn�t leave him. Cassian had done some
pretty brave things, or so she heard from aurors that were on the scene. She
was proud of him, proud that he would be able to control his powers so well
after so little practice. She brushed her hands through his hair and smoothed
his white hospital gown while she hummed a familiar tune.

She had come to while aurors were ransacking her house. Well, not her
house. A place she had stayed. They were investigating everything and a
medi-wizard was tending to her and Cassian. He had said that their wounds were
minor and it was mostly exhaustion, and that a few days in Mungo�s would make
him feel safe. Ginny inhaled at the thought of being safe. She was now. Cassian
was safe now�

For so many years she had forgotten what it had been like to feel safe.
She had tried to protect Cassian from so much, but it hadn�t done a lot of
good. Welsh was still insane, even though he went through good and bad times.
He still hurt Ginny, and inadvertently hurt Cassian. She hated him. She wanted
him to die so much, but she knew he wasn�t. He had survived a brutal attack and
was being treated so he would be fit to stand trial. Most likely, after that,
he would be sent to Azkaban to rot. No one received the Demenator�s Kiss
anymore.

�She had been told that when talking to the medi-wizard. He had looked
at her oddly and said, �We don�t give Demenator�s Kisses anymore, Ms. Weasley.
Minister Weasley � your brother � outlawed them years ago.�

Her brother outlawed them? Her brother was Minister of Magic? Her Percy?
Her Perfect Prefect Percy? Minister? It was almost too much for her. So much
had happened and she�d never known about it. She didn�t know anything that had
happened in the past five years. Not that she hadn�t tried � Welsh flat out
refused it. After a time she had given up hope that people were even looking
for her.

So much had changed. Percy had five children. George was married and had
two children. Bill was head of the Department of International Cooperation.
Charlie was head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical
Creatures. Her father was head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. So
much had happened and she thought she�d never catch up. But not only that, it
wouldn�t be the same when she did.

Sure she�d get used to the differences, she�d know the dates, but she�d
never have memories from them. She hadn�t gone to George�s wedding. She�d never
know the first steps of any of her nieces and nephews. She�d never get to share
in the jokes or the sadness or the hope. She�d lost time. She�d been tossed
into a vortex and though she and her son had come out unscathed, they were
without memory. It was disturbing to know she didn�t fit anymore in a place
that was made for her.

How was she going to tell her mother she was no longer a Dreamweaver?
How was she going to explain that she wasn�t human? How was she going to
explain�what she looked like?

She was thankful that no one but Cassian and the doctors had seen her
yet. Cassian knew her, loved her, and accepted her, even though she couldn�t
control her powers enough to maintain her human appearance. The control would
come, but she had become unfamiliar with it over the years, never even touching
it because of Welsh�s spell. When the spell was broken she�d felt the
floodgates stop and power had attacked her. She�d made it so she controlled the
flames, but the more subtle aspects of her hair, eyes, and skin eluded her. She
looked like a fake.

And even though she knew her family was waiting right outside that door,
that her mother and her father and her brothers and their children even were
all waiting anxiously for her to �feel well,� she knew she couldn�t see them
like this. Sure, they would say they understand, but deep down they would see
her as Ginny saw herself. She was a freak. She wasn�t human. Only Cassian
understood her and he wasn�t even five.

Ginny felt like crying. She couldn�t. She knew how, but her body, this
inhuman husk of a body, didn�t know how. That�s how she thought of it, as a
husk. Her soul, her Element soul lived inside an empty, unappetizing husk. She
didn�t like the containment. There was a secret longing to escape and fly free
where she belonged. But she wouldn�t, because she remembered what it was like
to be human. She remembered loving it, and she wanted to love Cassian and be
there with him through everything.

Ginny sighed quietly and tried again. She would control this part of
her. She would own it the way it was trying to own her. She would appear
normal. Cassian shifted in her lap and Ginny was reminded to keep the noise
down. He could probably feel the Elemental powers very well right now,
especially considering how raw Ginny�s were and how close he was to her,
emotionally and physically.

An interruption deluded her mind and she glared at the nurse that
entered the room. She was a young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was
very pretty, but she looked scared. Ginny would be scared too if she saw
someone like that�like her�

She cleared her voice, �Your family wants you to know that they wish to
see you, and they want to know if you are feeling well enough to see them.�

Ginny didn�t answer for a moment, then pinned the girl with a glare and
suppressed the urge to set her hat on fire. She took a deep breath and closed
her eyes. �Tell them to go home then.�

�But ��

Ginny cut her off with a glare. �You think I�m cruel? You think I�m
heartless? You pitiful CHILD! GET OUT! GETOUTGETOUTGETOUT!�

The girl couldn�t run out fast enough. The door closed behind her and
Ginny regretted waking Cassian up. He stared at her blearily for a moment,
rubbing his eyes. Then he fell asleep against her stomach again. She ran her
fingers through his hair to calm her down.

She had overreacted.

But Ginny was twenty-one-years-old. She�d lived five years of her life
in captivity, trapped in Fire and Wind. She couldn�t escape from it. If she had
any reason to be angry at anyone it was because they tried to tell her what to
do. She wouldn�t let them. She didn�t want to be owned by anyone anymore�

Inhale�exhale�inhale�exhale�inhale�exhale�

That was the way of it for a few minutes. She needed to focus on this
one thing. Everything that Ginny had worked for she had gotten. She�d worked at
being a Dreamweaver; even though she could no longer be one. She�d worked at
being an Elemental; doing the craft as best she could, even though it got her
kidnapped. She�d even worked hard as a student, even though she�d never
finished Hogwarts.

Soon she began to feel it like she had been. The quiet, the communion
and connection with Cassian helped a little. He would never have to know what
it would mean to be without this. She would protect him against it. She knew he
was doing it subconsciously, but it touched her all the same. Cassian�s
Elemental powers were lending to hers, lending them what control they�d learned
in his few short years. It served as a reminder, and Ginny did something she
never thought she�d be able to do. Ginny shared back with him the ancient
powers and histories of their shared Elements. She would make him strong enough
to protect himself now.

Exhale�

Ginny opened her eyes and was content. The thing was done. She was human
looking, though never human inside. She looked at her skin, and upon seeing it
was normal smiled and formed a small ball of fire in her open palm. She�d
started the long journey of training again. It would be months before it was
the same as it once was, but this was a very big step. Somehow, Ginny felt
ready.

The Part that Dies

Draco sat alone before his fireplace. A bottle of Odgens rested lazily
on the armrest, his fingers supporting it at the lip. The fire cracked, and he
thought about Ginny. This had been what he�d done nearly every night for the
past five years. He would get up with a headache, go save the world, get no
recognition, and then drink himself pissed. The next morning it would start all
over again. He didn�t pretend to think the alcohol eased the pain. The alcohol
increased it. But that was the masochist part of him coming through. He didn�t
like the pain necessarily, but he knew he deserved it. Just the thought of
Ginny, year in, year out, dying more each day�

He took a long swig of the bottle and chuckled darkly. Yes, he deserved
all of this. Maybe more. Sitting in this house all alone�the house of his
fathers�his father�s fathers�his father�s fathers� fathers�evil men�dead
men�damned men�dark men�wicked men� So few good men come from the Malfoy line,
Draco reminded himself. They didn�t survive; they died. But still, even in the
end, they had been good men, and Draco swore he would die one of those men. He
would not be his father. Not ever.

The fire cracked loudly and brought his attention to the problem at
hand. Ginny� After years of missing her, of dreaming about her, of needing her,
of craving her�Draco was scared. He didn�t deal well with rejection. He never
had. And now, the ultimate rejection riding the storm, he had to think how he
would win her. He could offer her money. A good house. She�d never want. Her
son would never want. He could be a father � a good one he was sure. Cassian
could get the best education anywhere he wanted.

He wasn�t scared to offer these things because they were things he could
stand to lose. Draco didn�t care for gold or power or adoration or anything
like that any longer. He could live in an apartment overlooking more
apartments, filthy and small, and he wouldn�t care anymore. He stayed in his
father�s house to punish himself, to remind himself never to be like that.

Draco wanted to badly to offer his love, but what if she rejected that?
She could reject the money, the material items, and power. But if she rejected
his love�his trust�he might die. He just wouldn�t want to live anymore.

He�d heard she wasn�t seeing people yet and it had been forty-eight
hours since Harry, Weasel, and he had rescued her. Draco was receiving a First
Class Order of Merlin for his excellence and the Cross of Gryffindor for his
bravery. He scoffed at these prizes. He already had the Purple Heart of Rowena
for his intelligence and mental stamina under battle and Half-Moon of Morgaine
for his superior battle tactics. Draco had prizes, he could have fame, he could
HAVE anything. But he only wanted one thing�two now. He wanted Cassian�

She�d named him well. A good name of his family. Draco didn�t know what
he would do if he found his son was named Diablo or Lucian or Phineas or Drake
or Nero or Brutus, like many of his ancestors were called. Cassian�Roman and
distinguished�an adult name he would have to grow into�KASH-un�it had a
good ring to it, successful, Slytherin but noble. She had done perfectly.
Cassian Ignatius� Draco hesitated at Malfoy. It would sound good�but he wasn�t
named that. Not yet at least. Draco would always accept Cassian, he even owned
the boy a wizard�s life debt, and Cassian would always be a Malfoy to Draco.
But Ginny would need to marry Draco if Cassian were to no longer be a bastard.
No son of Draco was going to be a bastard. No Malfoy was going to be a bastard.
Malfoys didn�t have bastard children like some Slytherin families. There were
so many bastard Flint children it was disgusting.

Draco was going to have to make Ginny see. There was nothing left to be
decided. Draco took another long drought from the Odgens bottle and he smiled
self-satisfied.

The door opened silently, the only cue that there was someone else in
the room. It was his mother. She didn�t live there anymore. She and Lupin were
married now, had been for three years. Draco, Snape, and Dumbledore had been
the only ones invited, and the only ones who came. It was solemn, silent, and
full of quiet passion. Draco didn�t like his mother being married to a
werewolf. But, they had agreed to not have children, and that was nearly good
enough for Draco. Though Lupin tried very hard, Draco never responded to any
attempts at friendliness, something that irked his mother to no end.

�Draco,� she said from behind him, her voice cool as a spring breeze.
Her hands fluidly took the bottle from him, but he barely even noticed. He was
far too drunk. �Why do you do this to yourself?� she whispered sadly, placing
the Odgen�s on the table.

�Go away, Mother,� he said quietly. �Just go away.�

He could feel the air in the room go still and he closed his eyes. �I
won�t. I will NOT let you drink yourself into this�this oblivion
once again. Go to her�talk to her, Draco. I know you miss her�you told me you
loved her!�

Draco stood sharply and wheeled on his mother. He saw Lupin was standing
in the doorway, his arms crossed and a look of disgust on his face. Well, he
wasn�t alone; Draco was disgusted with himself as well. �What would you know,
Mother? You married Lucius! Leave me be! I�ll be bitter all I want!�

He felt shame for not feeling guilt over yelling at his mother. It
wasn�t the first time he�d done it over the years. He�d done it more frequently
as of late however. He hated to see her big blue eyes fill up with tears,
because when he looked in those eyes, he knew who he saw in them�Lucius. Damn
that man! Even now, even after all those years of death he was still alive.

His mother rushed out of the room, just as she always did, so easily
hurt. Lupin stayed, and Draco picked up the liquor and took a long drink before
falling in his seat before the sofa. �What are you looking at?� Draco growled,
not even bothering to look at the older man.

Lupin snorted, looking up Draco�s disheveled appearance, and said,
�Nothing much.�

Draco heard the door slam into the frame. For a moment he closed his
eyes and thought. Nothing much. The bottle of Odgens crashed into the
fireplace, splintering into several dozen pieces. The fire roared with the
alcohol and Draco found more and more things to break and destroy in his
father�s office. Several crystal vases, a glass picture frame, china plates,
figurines, and precious stones found their way broken and shattered against
walls. Chairs were thrown and tables were tossed until Draco collapsed on the
floor and screamed in agony. He hated himself more than ever.

A Modest Proposal�

Draco woke to a foot in his rib and water being poured on his face. He
sputtered and coughed and finally turned over and sat up. His head felt like it
were split in three or four very large pieces, and all he wanted to do was
puke. Looking up through bleary eyes he saw a distorted red head and a
distorted black head. Potter and Weasel.

�Get up, you dirty sod,� Weasel said, prying him in the ribs again.
Draco saw they had been spewing water at him, because when he looked up Weasel
took a drink and spit on him.

Draco tried to take his feet out from under him, but Weasel was too
quick and Draco was too hung over. Weasel just laughed at him and Potter
offered him a solemn hand up. Draco, as usual, didn�t take it. �It�s Sunday.
What are you two doing here? Can�t a man get hangovers anymore?�

Potter shrugged and handed Draco a Good Morning Brew that tasted awful
but really did its job. Draco coughed again and then nodded ever so slightly to
Potter. Gods, he hated that man.

�We thought,� Potter said, looking away from Draco at the mess.

�You thought,� Weasel corrected, sneering at Draco.

Potter nodded however and said it again. �I thought that since Ginny was
seeing people now that you�d like to come over to the Burrow. She�s home
now�and Cassian�s with her. And Cassian has been asking for you.�

Draco blinked. Asking for him? �Does he�does he know?� Draco asked
cautiously.

Weasel shook his head vigorously. �No, thank the gods Ginny had enough
sense not to tell him it�s you that�s the father. Not like you deserve him. Not
like you even deserve Ginny.�

�Ron,� Potter whispered, throwing his friend a look. Weasel just kept
glaring at Draco. Potter sighed and held up his hand. �I think you�re missing
out on something, Malfoy, I really do. Cassian is a fantastic kid, he�s very
smart, but every boy needs a father.�

Potter took a deep breath and looked Draco in the eye, �Every kid needs
a father. I never had one, and I don�t want any kid to have to go through what
I did. And if you don�t do it I am. I�m going to ask Ginny to marry me.�

�You bastard,� Draco hissed, standing up to full height, not
caring how disheveled or worn he looked. �You bastard�� Seething quietly
for a moment, Draco gritted his teeth and tried to restrain himself from doing
anything that he might regret. No, he would never regret punching Potter in his
filthy face, but he would no doubt be punished at work. �Get out of my house�NOW!�

�Gladly,� he heard Weasel say. There was a simultaneous double pop and
he knew they had Disapparated.

There was no way he was going to let Potter take Ginny from him.

Great, Big, Happy
Family

Molly Weasley hummed and trilled as she went through her morning routine.
Most people would think that a grandmother of her esteemed respectful age would
send a younger woman off to do the work, but this is what Molly Weasley did.
She was happy with it. She was proud of it. Most of all, for the first time in
a very long time, Molly Weasley felt very complete.

Her daughter was home. Finally, after five years, her daughter was home.
It had been so long since she had seen Ginny, and truthfully not much had
changed. Ginny still had a youthful face and complexion. Her hair was still
that cherry-fire red and her eyes a chipped, copper color. The only thing now
was that Ginny was a mother too. Ginny held herself differently, she spoke
differently, softer, more commanding. She was soon laughing after a few days at
home. A girl was always in need of her home, no matter how old she was.

Molly was surprised how normal she seemed to fit in here. She would have
thought that Ginny would have a hard time adjusting, and perhaps she was but
wasn�t showing for the sake of Cassian�

Cassian! Such an adorable boy! No doubt a Malfoy, which didn�t surprise
Molly really. Not that Molly was surprised much anymore. She�d seen Ginny�s
visions when she was pulled up from the Remnants. She�d felt Ginny�s mind the
day she was kidnapped. A mother knew, and as far as Molly was concerned, a
mother knew how to keep secrets, too.

The first night Ginny was back she had crept into Molly�s arms late at
night and told her everything, and tried so desperately to cry but couldn�t.
Molly was a mother; a mother accepted and tried hard not to judge. But Molly
thought Ginny had done well by young Draco Malfoy. Just look, he was one of the
leading aurors in England, he had a prestigious reputation for being a Death
Eater hunter, and he was very well off. Sure, rumor had it that he was insane,
he was bitter, he was a drunk, and he delighted in killing, but Molly had
learned to weather these things like she always had � with a good grain of
salt.

Men did odd things when their lovers died. Men did odd thing when their
lovers were stolen, too, apparently. Ginny�s feelings had told her so much
about this man who was going to marry her daughter. The feelings she�d shown to
Molly the day she was captured had shown enough love for them to make it. Molly
was sure all she needed was for Draco to come around.

Well, of course when Narcissa had shown up, poor Remus trying to calm
her down, Molly began forming a plan. Narcissa, as nice as the woman was, was a
very emotional person, and when her son had told her to leave him alone, she
had taken it as �he doesn�t love me and thinks I�m worthless� and
blah-blah-blah. Molly had six sons and at one point all of them had said it to
her in not the nicest of fashions. Boys were, in a way, more temperamental than
girls. At least girls were easier to crack open than boys.

Narcissa had been all hot and bothered about her son not loving her
anymore but the more Molly heard the more she understood. The reason Draco had
told Narcissa to leave was BECAUSE he loved her so much, and her opinion
of him was so important to him, that he didn�t want her to see him drunken and
in pain. She told Narcissa as much and she understood with a little convincing
by Remus. Well then she got all upset about her son being happy and Molly had
already thought of that.

Molly had spent time analyzing the young Mr. Malfoy, and saw exactly why
he was so in love with her daughter. Ginny had been more or less a carefree
girl, though less and less after her first year at Hogwarts. When she gave away
her trust and love she gave away all of it, and no one can resist the total and
complete love of another person, no matter how callused you were. Draco must
have been caught off guard by this, but also mesmerized by it. Passion was
something Slytherins had never understood, no wonder they hated Gryffindors;
they didn�t understand them. It�s easy to hate something you don�t understand,
but it�s just as easy to love it � some people forgot that.

Draco was rough and cruel where Ginny was soft and kind. Draco was stiff
and prideful where Ginny was flexible and understanding. But on a different
side of the same coin, Ginny wouldn�t hesitate to tell you what she thought,
and she was by no means a pushover. Ginny was a good match for Draco, if not an
odd one. But, dear Merlin, what beautiful children they made.

Cassian would probably never be an only child, well, unless Molly�s
little plan didn�t work. And it would. Because Molly Weasley was a genius and
Harry Potter was a surprisingly good actor. Oh, Ron would have to stay in the
dark; he was so transparent and yet so thick. Molly was sure it was Arthur�s
genes � none of HER genes would produce something that oblivious. Oh,
she loved him, but she knew him.

It was obvious that Harry Potter was pining over someone, but who it was
Molly might never know. It wasn�t her daughter that was for sure. Some other
woman in the Auror business perhaps? Harry had been more than willing to set
Draco and Ginny right, however. Molly could tell that Harry had begun to see
Draco in a much different light than before. It would be a stretch indeed to
call them friends, but grudgingly respectful allies would probably work. And
Harry pitied Draco, even though the pity would never be returned by anything
but near hatred. Harry was a tender boy underneath all his armor and swords.
Molly knew her daughter wasn�t right for a man with those kinds of problems.

Goading Draco was something that Harry was surprisingly good at, which
was fortunate because Molly�s first instinct was to go with goading. If Draco
thought there was no competition for his love of Ginny he might never get the
courage to ask her. But if he was under the false information that there was
another suitor, a man he�d competed with every day for most of his life, he
would be much more motivated. In fact, Harry should be over at Malfoy Manner
right as she thought. It would be a little over a half an hour of
deliberations, decisions over what to wear, what to say, and what to give,
probably a shower, and most likely a trip to a shop or two for a gift for
Cassian, and Draco would be here. Today most likely.

Molly smiled softly to herself as she hummed, kneading the dough on the
counter. A soft patter of feet in the chilly, noontime air stopped her. That
would be Cassian, of course, he daughter�s beautiful son. He was a very nice
little boy, good manners, very clean, and never rowdy. Molly had a feeling that
would change very quickly. He had begun to befriend Peter and Michael, Percy
and Penelope�s twin boys. Not to say that Percy and Penelope were bad parents,
but with children like Fred and George, no parent was ready. They were
potentially more intelligent than Fred and George, but equally creative�or
destructive depending on how you saw it.

Cassian�s days of quiet solitude with his mother would be
unceremoniously broken in half. He would begin to grow up and want more
freedoms. But it would be good for him. No one could live the protected toddler
his whole life. No one could live the protected housewife, either, she reminded
herself. Ginny had made it sound not so bad, that he left that alone mostly,
but Molly could tell. Things had happened to Ginny that made her irreparably
different than she had been five years ago. Not all bad though. She was a
little more serious, a little more responsible, and a load more understanding
and restrained.

�Nana,� Cassian said quietly, his hands in folded in front of him,
innocent as an angel. Molly just wanted to rush and hug him, but he was still a
little timid. Oh, that would go away in time.

�Yes, Cassian? Was there something you wanted?� she asked carefully.

�I can�t find, Mother,� he said, almost hopelessly.

Molly gazed out the window and saw Ginny. She was sitting under a tree,
shaded from the windy chill. It was winter after all, and January no less. But
Ginny needed some time to think, and even though she wasn�t wrapped up warm,
Molly understood that it came with the territory of being a Fire Element. Molly
knew she would be fine.

�She�s outside, right now. Wait a moment and we�ll get you all fixed up
for the snow,� she said, dusting her hands on her apron.

Cassian shook his head from side to side. �I don�t need to, Nana.�

Molly smiled and nodded. �I know. But I�m a grandma; it�s what I do. At
least wear a jacket and boots, no use getting your clothes wet, Cassian.�

He looked at her gravely and said, �Okay.�

A few minutes later Molly saw him treading in the knee-high snow to
where Ginny was sitting. She accepted him with open arms and they closed their
eyes together and were silent. There was a very strange, but very powerful bond
between the two of them. Molly was almost jealous she and Ginny had never had a
chance for that kind of bond. The Elements had screwed her again. Only people
with human souls could be Dreamweavers. Ginny�s female children might be
Dreamweavers because of her heritage, but never her. But she would share other
bonds with her children, Elemental bonds, like the one between her and Cassian.
All Molly could hope for was that Josephine and Liberty, Percy and Penelope�s
daughters, would inherit Molly�s Dreamweaver gift. Then she would teach them
and the line would go on.

Molly snorted. The line always went on. For centuries and millennia it
had gone on. It still would. And now a new line would go on. There were the
Weasley Blood Berserkers; there were the most noble line of Mann Dreamweavers,
the original in her bloodline being Isolde Mann, Molly�s grandmother; and now
there were to be the Malfoy Elementals, hybrids of Fire and Wind, the founder
Ginny, Molly�s own daughter. The lines were all mingling again; it was a good
thing. Long ago, in the first Great Wizarding War of the century with
Grindlewand the same thing had happened. Ancient and noble bloodlines combined,
evolving, developing into the best, and now the best of the best were evolving
again.

Molly felt as though history were being made before her eyes. Someday
her children�s children�s children would be able to read this and say that they
were part of it. And that gave Molly a stupendous idea. It was time for Molly
to do a bit of research. Perhaps Albus would be happy to help. That hat of his
had a very long memory�

The Dragon Himself

The snow had stopped for the afternoon, for which Ginny was glad. She
wanted to watch over her childhood house in peace. Cassian had come out to keep
her company. She knew he would be painfully shy around all those people, and
that he was upset to see them go nonetheless. He had been forming a quick bond
with Michael and Peter, Percy and Penelope�s lovely sons. They reminded her so
much of Fred and George, it was easy to see who their favorite uncles were. But
Cassian was, by nature, a private boy, and would need more time to adjust.

Hell, Ginny would need more time to adjust. She had seen everyone, and
though they had shed tears she had not. She supposed it was something only humans
could do. She was exempt. And a little bitter. But she loved them. She loved
their smiles, their hugs, their tears, their words, their presence�all that she
had been missing for five years was being repaid.

Charlie and Bill still bachelors, probably until the war was over. Ginny
could tell Bill was in love with someone, but she hadn�t found out who. Percy,
still married, and with five children. Michael and Peter most obviously took
after their parents� intellect, while Josephine and Liberty were very smart but
rather subdued. Arthur, their youngest, newly born, had a special aura about
him that Ginny couldn�t pin. Her father had it�Percy had it�and Ron had it�
There was a connection Ginny didn�t have yet. Surprising to her George was
married and had two children, Lawrence and Fred. Both adorable boys with
piercing eyes and brilliant red hair. Fred was still unmarried, but mother had
told her that he and Angelina had been seeing each other quite frequently in
secret. Ginny had a feeling after the war there was going to be a lot of
marriages�and a lot of babies.

Ginny had seen Ron and Harry and Hermione a lot over the last two days
she�d been in the Burrow. Ron was in and out, and Harry and Hermione never
stayed long. None of them were married, but that wasn�t too surprising to
Ginny. She�d seen Hermione with a dazed look on her face, like she�d been
working too hard. Harry and Ron got the same look, and Ginny knew the war was
affecting their friendship. Not the friendship between Harry and Ron of course.
That had gone through so many trials and tribulations it could pass through a
million crucibles and come out unscathed. No, it was the relationship between
Hermione and the boys that bothered Ginny. The Trio weren�t �THE TRIO� anymore.
It was Ron and Harry, and Hermione and Hermione. Ginny felt sorry for Hermione,
but she also saw something in Hermione�s eyes that made her think there was
someone, somewhere, she was thinking about. It made Ginny smile inwardly.

Other things were different, too. She hadn�t seen her friends yet,
Blaise, Dean, and Colin were supposedly in France, studying the liberal and
having a fine time of it. She�d not heard of marriages and children and
happiness for a long time. She�d almost forgotten what it was like.

�Mother,� Cassian said softly, pulling on the sleeve of her green
camisole for her attention.

Ginny frowned and looked down on him. It wasn�t like him to be impatient
like that. �What is it, Cassian?� she asked. �Is there something the matter?�

Cassian looked up at her with her very own eyes and shook his head the
negative. �No, Mother. He�s here. The man.�

Out of place among the whiteness of the snow, a man walked, dressed in
black from head to foot, his gait smooth and intense. Ginny knew him. Ginny had
always known him. He was inside of her, a part of her. She could feel the heat
in his eyes; she didn�t even need to see him to know he was there. His presence
was overbearingly hot, even for a Fire Element.

The man walked closer and Ginny watched listlessly as Cassian leapt delicately
from her lap and walked as fast as he could towards the dark figure.

Draco had come for her.

�The Prodigal Son � portrait by Rembrandt, also a ballet...apparently it
has some biblical significance as well

��A Modest Proposal� � A satire by Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver�s
Travels, that suggests the Irish eat their own children to solve their
hunger, overpopulation, and poverty.
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