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Unexpected	By : draconisdemented Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Ginny Views: 26236 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Author's Note: Once again, I do not speak French. I am using a
dictionary/translator on my computer, so I'm aware it won't be perfect. If you
do speak French, I would like to apologize now for any slaughtering of the
language I may have inadvertently caused. Otherwise, what do you care, right?

French translations: ((example))

Important Author's
Note:
Thanks to a lovely reviewer, pitchic05, it has come to my attention that when
using my beloved little French endearments, 'mon' instead of 'ma' is supposed
to be used before a word starting with a vowel. Sooooo�I'll be doing it that
way from now on, and I'll eventually go back through the other chapters and fix
those. Thanks, pitchic05!

Semi-Important Author's
Note:
One, I don't know about the live birth thing (don't freak, you'll see in a
minute), and two, Peter Pettigrew's House was never directly mentioned
canon-wise as far as I know, and if it was, I totally missed it. I know most
assume he was a Gryff, but let's pretend otherwise, alright?

��..

Blaise and Dratoodtood silently on the cliff outside of their
bedroom, watching the moonlight play over the waves, and every once in a while
glimpsing one of the mer-horses that lived inside the wards. The night was
anything but silent, the forest alive and the wind howling. Ebony and silver
whipped around them, but neither moved to pull their hair back. The stars were
too enchanting, and too much rested within their minds, to have them worry over
something so inconsequential. Their heart lay just inside, sleeping for a few
hours, wrapped in thick furs and silk. But they could not find even a moment's
repose in sleep, for she was the main thing they worried about.

"Too close." Draco whispered for what felke tke the
thousandth time, and Blaise didn't have to ask what he meant.

"Yes."

"It cannot happen again."

"I know. A repeat is unacceptable." Blaise replied,
their fingers twining together.

"We cannot survive without her, you know this?"

"Oui. I feel it, that subtle shift in my core. It's been that
way since we were Marked. And at this point, I would not even wish to."

"Nor would I." Draco agreed, sighing. "If I lost
either of you�"

"You won't." Blaise said with conviction, turning and
facing his lover. "We won't let that happen."

"Then you know what must be done?"

"I do. We cannot have him constantly breathing over our
shoulders, hunting for weaknesses. He will find one eventually. Even we are not
infallible."

"Obviously." Draco hissed, his mercury eyes flashing.
"But neither are we weak. A Lord of the Dark he may be, but there is still
only one of him."

"You fancy us ready to face him?" Blaise asked, his eyes
letting his lover see that he felt much the same.

"Perhaps. Dark Lords are not ones to be trifled with, but for
some reason, I'm beginning to think that he hasn't gained all of his strength
back like he's telling everyone he has."

"True." Blaise spoke slowly, turning his thoughts over.
"That has occurred to me as well. But then again, we aren't what we will
be in another year or two, either."

"It still must be done." Draco statedp>

"And soon, at that. We must keep her safe no matter the cost."

"Then we agree?"

"Don't we always?" Blaise questioned flippantly, and
glared when Draco pinched him. "Oui, we agree."

"Good. Then we shall be knocking upon the Dark Lord's door
before Yule break ends."

��..

Virginia

"Yeah, well, you didn't have to see them all
post-coital." He whispered back, and Fred snickered.

"Thank the gods. I'm not sure I ever would have
recovered."

"Shut up." Virginia said, her tone just
as subdued, but she couldn't stop a small grin. It was nice to be with the
twins again. "There's nothing wrong with Anton."

"We didn't say there was." George replied, his
chin-length red hair sliding from behind his ears as he shook his head and
falling around his lightly freckled face. "Rather like him, actually. He's
an okay bloke. It's Hermione that warped my poor brain."

"What?" She asked, surprised. "Why?"an>

"Well, it's�Hermione."
Fred attempted to clarify. "I'd never even thought she'd have sex, let alone throw all of her
scruples out of the window for a quick tumble with a Slytherin." He said
something else, but Virginia wasn't listening.

He didn't realize how much what he'd just said meant to her. Well,
morke

"Ginny? Umm, Ginny, hello!" Startled, she snapped out of
her thoughts to find her brothers looking at her with amusement. "Back
with us, now?" Fred asked, and she nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah, sorry, I just�"

"Just what, little
sister?" George asked playfully after she trailed off, tickling her with
her own braid.

"I just�What I mean is�Thank you."

"For what?" Fred asked, and they both looked genuinely
confused. "I mean, don't get me wrong, if you wanna give us credit for
something�"

"�It's fine as long as it was devious and preferably
funny." George finished for him, and she slapped them both lightly on the
arm, rolling her eyes.

"I'm serious." She said, and they sobered immediately.
She'd forgotten how it felt to have the twins turn their full attention on her.
Everyone else had always found it odd and sort of intimidating, but she'd just
found it comforting. The same apparently still held true.

"What is it, rose?" They asked in unison, and she
glared.

"Don't call me that!" She huffed, bristling at the use
of their childhood nickname for her.

They'd started calling her that when they were all still little
and the twins had followed Virginia deep into the woods
around the Burrow one day. They'd seen her testing out a story their mum had
told them, and had followed her again the next day, to find the legend true.
The blood she had spilt on the earth had been replaced with wild roses, and
they had called her 'rose' ever since. Although, they hadn't in a good two or
three years, which she'd been quite happy about. And it wasn't the word itself
that irked her; it was the way that the bastards said it. It was the underlying tone to their voices, indiscernible
to most, that taunted her.

The tone that said 'No matter who holds your heart and secrets now,
we hold those of your youth'. And
they did. Everyone usy thy thought that she had been the closest with Ron, due
to their ages. But that hadn't been true at all. As children, Virginia had always run to the
twins with nightmares or when she got in trouble, and she still had at Hogwarts
until they'd left. To tell the truth, they were the only members of her family
that she actually wanted to approve of her choices. And after the initial
shock, they had, just as they had in the past. The sense of family that she'd
felt leave her when Ron had turned from her came back a bit, and she didn't
know whether to fight it or not.

Her head told her not to trust them completely, told her not to
trust anyone but her boyfriends and
her god completely, but their open, understanding eyes made it hard. Because
her heart told her that out of everyone else, even her parents, these two would
never betray her, never abandon her. Her head, of course, argued, telling her
not to be foolish, that everyone could change. But if that held true for them,
then why did her heart not rebel concerning anyone else? It fought her judgment
and logic brutally, telling her that this once, she had to have faith. But
could she? Percy's eyes still haunted her, Ron's rejection still stung. And the
rest of her family�

They were trying, she supposed. Bill made some effort to try and
talk to her boyfrie usu usually about different sorts of curses. Charlie, well,
he had the passion for dragons in common with them. But both still had an
untrusting, guarded expression in their eyes, and neither approved. Her father definitely didn't approve, his tense
posture whenever her lovers were around was testament enough to that, but he
had been civil. Overly civil, actually. It was like he thought that they
couldn't see straight through his fake smile and strained laughter. And her
mum�Her mum liked Narcissa and Silana well enough, but as for Blaise and Draco�

She knew her mother didn't like them, didn't trust them, but she
treated them warmly all the same. Except�sometimes Virginia would see her mum's
eyes darken when she didn't think anyone else was watching. But the question
regarding the twins remained the same. Could she put faith in someone besides
her lovers again? In someone besides Pansy? Looking up, seeing the true affection
and brotherly adoration in their eyes, she let her heart tell her mind to fuck
itself, and realized that she'd never really lost her faith in them. It had just been buried beneath
the deceit that had seemed to swamp her from every direction.

"Rose, you're spacing out again." George chided gently,
and she smiled.

"Sorry."

"So, what were you thanking us for again?" Fred asked,
thumping the tip of her nose.
p clp class=MsoNormal>

"For�I guess just for being there for me the last few days.
For treating Draco and Blaise like people instead of some sort of contagious
monsters. For being decent and friendly towards the other Slytherins. Just
for�for being you, I suppose." She said, and they grinned.

"Hey, it's not a big deal, rose." Fred told her simply.
"You're our little sister�"

"�But you're not a little girl anymore." George finished,
his sky blue eyes sparkling. "We'll still love you, Gin, no matter what
you do." Lowering her eyes to the floor, she told herself that she was not going to cry. The twins rarely said
anything meaningful or sentimental, but when they did, they did a damn fine job
of it. Familiar freckled fingers lifted her chin, forcing her to meet their
gaze, and their eyes widened slightly at the battered, wounded look in her own.

"Rose�"

"�Gods, did Percy hurt you that badly?"

"What's happened, rose?" George asked, and she tried to
look away, but they wouldn't let her. They never had. Willing herself not to
glance at Ron, she tried to lie, even though she knew it wouldn't fool them.

"Nothing." She said weakly, feeling like a little girl
again. The effect they could have on her was absurd.

"Come on, rose, we're not stupid�"

"�Despite what people think." Fred finished.

"Someone else in the family has hurt you." George said,
cocking his head to the side, a calculating look entering those eyes. A
calculating, slightly frightening look.

"Who was it?" Fred demanded softly. "Bill or
Charlie?"

"No."

"Mum and dad?" George asked.

"No.&;"Ron." They both hissed, his name more of a statement
then a question.

She said nothing.

"I'm going to kill him." George mumbled, his eyes
narrowing to slits. Fred nodded, and when they turned to look at their youngest
brother, their eyes were full of wrath and retribution.

"What'd he say to you, rose?" Fred questioned, but she
shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, alright? It doesn't matter."

"Oh, but Ginny, it does." George said acidly. "It matters
quite a lot." He started to stand and she pulled him back down.

"What are you doing?"

"What's it look like?" He asked. "I'm gonna go
knock some sense into brother dear."

"Just leave it. Please." She said, and they both froze.

"Fine." Fred said, smiling nastily when Ron looked up
and started at the looks they were giving him. Their brother paled, before
looking at Virginia and scowling. He made
some obviously rude comment to Harry under his breath, and the twins snapped.

"Never mind." George said as he and Fred squirmed out of
her grasp. Not wanting to hurt them, and therefore not using her strength, she
cursed as they stood. "Sorry, rose, but some things just have to be
done."

"Oi, Ron!" Fred called, and Ron's head snapped back
around, as did most everyone else's. "What's your fucking problem with our
sister?" The garden grew quiet at that, and Ron stood, his eyes flashing
angrily.

"Why? What's she been blabbing about me?" Ron spat, and
the twins moved forward threateningly. Bill had risen to his elbows, watching
his brothers cautiously, obviously preparing to break up a fight.

"She hasn't said anything." George said in a low voice,
trying to leash in his anger. "But you're about to."

"Am I?"

"Yes." Fred supplied, taking another step. "You're
going to tell us what you did to make our baby sister's eyes hold such
sorrow." Realizing how serious the twins were being, Bill got to his feet,
his nervousness increasing threefold.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ron said, but
he was playing with the ragged end of one sleeve of his robe, and they knew he
was lying.

"Don't fuck around." George warned. "What did
you say?"

"I don't know what you're-" Ron started to repeat, but
Hermione cut him off.

"I do."

Everyone stopped and looked at her. But she was looking only at
Ron, her eyes shining with revenge. He had treated her like utter shit the last
two days, and it seemed like she was ready to bite back. The only people that
even so much as acknowledged her presence anymore without insulting her were
Virginia, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George and their parents. But the middle four
rarely spoke to her anyway, so it wasn't very much different. And Virginia didn't think that her
parents knew what had happened. So it was pretty much up to Virginia to make sure that the
girl had everything she needed and that she got some sort of companionship
besides Mephite.

And a huge dog that would just as soon rip your head off as look
at you couldn't have been that wonderful of a companion. Harry seemed like he
wanted to talk to Hermione, but had no idea what to say. Virginia knew he'd crack
eventually, though. As for the Slytherins, Pansy, Melody and Daphne hated the
girl more than ever, Crabbe and Goyle thought that she was flaky, always acting
so high-and-mighty and then turning around and fucking Anton at the drop of a
hat, and Anton himself couldn't have cared less. It was, after all, just a
fuck. The only part he didn't like is that it pissed off Pansy. And Draco and
Blaise�Well, after the initial disgust that they'd felt at the very thought,
they'd found it all rather amusing.

"You know what he said to her?" Fred asked, and Hermione
stood, nodding.

"Yes, yes, I do." She replied, looking quite smug about
it. "Both times."

"WHAT!?" The
twins yelled in unison, and Ron slunk backwards a bit. "What do you mean 'both times'?"

"You're going to listen to that whore?" Ron interrupted, and their mum glared him into
silence.

"Excuse me, Ronald?"
Their mum said slowly, her cheeks turning red. "What did you just say?"

"Later, mum." Fred said, his attention back on Hermione.
"What was it?"

"Let's see." Hermione said, extending her fingers as she
counted, ticking off his offences. "He basically said that he's never been
more disappointed in anyone, that she's a complete disgrace to your family, and
that he no longer considers her a sister of his or a Weasley at all."

Silence. Then a velvety voice slid out of the trees, along with
its owner.

"You forgot the part about her being nothing more than mine
and Draco's concubine." Blaise offered, a cruel smile on his permanently
bruised-looking lips. "That was definitely my favorite part."

Silence. Then booming exclamations of, "YOU SAID WHAT!?" Ron slunk back even
farther, as he now had the angry eyes of not only the twins on him, but those of
his parents, his oldest brother, and Blaise as well. Their mum exploded first.

"I NEVER � RONALD WEASLEY, HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH DISGUSTING THINGS TO YOUR SISTER!? HOW DARE YOU?? AS IF THE POOR THING HASN'T
BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH ALREADY, YOU GO AND DO THIS?
WHEN SHE NEEDS THE SUPPORT OF HER FAMILY MORE THAN EVER, YOU INSULT HER!? HER LIFE AND HER DECISIONS
ARE NONE OF YOUR BLOODY BUSINESS! IF I EVER, EVER HEAR OF YOU DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN, IT WON'T BE HER WHO ISN'T A WEASLEY ANYMORE!"
Looking shocked at what she'd just said, their mum fell back into her chair,
while Ron looked abashed and horrified.

"Mum, I-" He started, but the heavy glowers of the other
Weasley males, Charlie included since he'd appeared out of the forest after
Blaise, had his voice dying out. Blaise came to Virginia's side, sitting
beside her and wrapping a strong arm around her waist. She leaned into him,
grateful for his presence. This is why she hadn't said anything to the rest of
her family about Ron's behavior. She knew from experience that it would only
make him more stubborn and angry then before. And she was right. He seemed to
gather himself up after a minute, staring at them defiantly.

"Ooooh, brave look for a dead fool." Fred said through clenched
teeth.

"So, what, you're going to beat me up just 'cause I disagree
with you?" Ron snapped, and then turned to :Sta:State>Virginia. "You know what,
Ginny? You're pretty fucked up, turning the twins against me. And have you told
them why I said those things? expected it. And they didn't seem displeased in the least, just
considering. Tearing her eyes away, she let Blaise lead her through the thick
trunks and over the deep snow, her heart feeling lighter. There had been to
recrimination or disdain in the twins' eyes. Sensing her smile, Blaise turned
to look at her, never abating his speed as they dashed bet tre trees.

"So, did you mean it?" He asked, a wicked smile on his
face. "Please say you meant it."

"About severing my ties with him? Yes." She said, and
his grin grew as he finally began to slow to a walk. They broke through the
endless trees and came out on an icy, stone path that wound out of sight ahead
and behind them. As soon as their feet hit the tiles, Draco dropped from a low
hanging branch, landing nimbly a couple of yards from them.

"Still want to see the dragon?" He asked curiously.
"Or do you just want to leave and see it later? Charlie's going to take
the others."

"Honestly? Later." She said, just needing�away. She
didn't even want to be in a fifty-mile radius while her family made their
decisions about what she'd just told them. They nodded, and Draco took her
other hand.

"Let's go then." He said, and they set out for the
Manor.

It didn't take them very long to get there at a dead run, and they
were all laughing by the time they slid into the front foyer. They went to the
nearest plaque, slicing their palms and disappearing to their bedroom one by
one. They each grabbed a heavy, deep-hooded, velvet winter cloak, Virginia's
emerald green, Blaise's a dark, dusky silver, and Draco's as black as night.
They took their time putting them on each other and smoothing braids, reality seeming
to slow and fade as it always did when they were alone. Eventually they made it
to the foyer again, and were more than a bit surprised to find Fred and George
waiting for them.

"There you are!" Fred said when they appeared next to
the plaque. "We were starting to wonder why that elf said to wait
here."

"Honestly, running off and making us chase you!" George
huffed, unable to hide his grin. "Thought we'd never find our way back
through those woods."

"Some interesting plants and animals, though." Fred
added. "I just know I saw some
of those tropical berries that make exploding paste. Growing in the snow, at
that."

"And I swear there was a wood nymph that waved at me�"
George commented thoughtfully. "But where are you off to?"

&;Paris." Draco said,
before his lips twisted. "Muggle
Paris."

"How'd she talk you two into that?" The twins asked simultaneously, identical looks of
disbelief on their faces. Virginia grinned. Draco's
statement had shaken them up more then her admission had.

"You don't want to know." Blaise groaned. "She's
bloody evil."

"Just now caught onto that, have you?" George asked
sympathetly. ly. "Don't worry, she fooled us at first, too. Sneaky, that
one."

"Oh, bugger off, George." Virginia said, crossing her
arms. "So do you two want to come? I know you've always wanted to go to Paris. I was going to ask
earlier, but then�that happened, and
I thought�"

"Silly rose." Fred scolded mockingly. "Want to know
a secret of ours to make it even?" She looked at him warily. She probablealleally didn't want to, knowing them as she did, but�

"Alright." She said, scrunching up her nose as she
prepared to be told some wrong, disturbing thing that they had done at some
point or another. She'd heard enough before to be ans. Ts. They leaned in
close, one twin whispering into each ear.

"Its first choice for us was Slytherin, as well."

Their words took a moment to penetrate, and when they did, her jaw
dropped. She heard her lovers each suck in a breath, before Blaise snickered.
That set Draco off, and soon they had both slid down the wall behind them,
laughing quietly, yet quite hysterically. Feeling laughter bubbling up in her
own throat, she leaned back and looked at her brothers. Their eyes were
sparking with mirth as they watchers ers and her boyfriends' reactions, but
they were still serious underneath it. Holy
shit, she thought dazedly, they're
not fucking with me. Looking back, she thought about them, thought about
the qualities that made them who they were.

Tricksters to the last bone in their bodies, people didn't come
much more sly then they did. Their plans were well thought out, and as cunning
as they came. They were both filled to the brim with ambition, and she knew
that they would use any means to
achieve their ends. They were stealthy and coy, and would put the blame on
almost anyone else in a heeat eat to save themselves or one that they loved. Wondering
how in the hell she'd never put that all together before, she lookp atp at them
with just a bit of awe. The twins�Slytherins?
But it all made sense in a weird sort of way. Shaking her head, she kissed each
of them on the cheek.

"Gods, this is too much." Blaise gasped, still
snickering madly. "Something's gone very, very wrong with the bloodlines
lately."

"Ouuot;uot; Draco agreed, trying to stop his own laughter.
"First, a Black becomes a Gryffindor and a Pettigrew a Slytherin, and now
three Weasleys were meant to be snakes. I think I'm dying."

"Next thing you know, Severus will tell us he was supposed to
be a Hufflepuff.&; Bl; Blaise crowed, and they all laughed at that. Until a
voice rang out, echoing off the marble around them.

"Care to repeat that, Blaise?" Severus growled, and
their laughter died abruptly. Looking up in horror at the Potion Master's livid
face, they glanced at each other quickly, deciding unanimously the best course
of action.

"We'll fly out past the wards, since you two can't Apparate
off the grounds." He said, and when they reached for the Infinities, he
stopped them. "No, the others will be faster. Accio Elements."

Moments later, five of the new, ebony brooms came through the open
wall, stopping and hovering in front of each of them. Pulling their hoods low
over their faces, they mounted the brooms and kicked off, soaring out of the
room and into the open, cloudy grey sky. The ride to the edge of the property
still took quite a while even by air, but it provided a glorious view. When
they did touch down, their cheeks were flushed from the chilly air and the love
of flying, and the twins gave her proud looks when they found out that she
could Apparate on her own. After that, it was off to Paris. They appeared in an
empty alleyway that smelled of old cabbage, and Virginia sneezed.

"Eww." She said, covering her nose with her sleeve.

The others did the same and they left as quickly as possible,
coming out onto a busy, crowded sidewalk, surrounded by people speaking rapidly
in French. And then they made a day of it. After a lot of prodding, considering
that they were the only two completely fluent in the language, they convinced
Draco and Blaise to ask for a city map. With long-suffering sighs, they had
done so, and their next stop was wizarding

Their next stop was the Com�die Fran�aise, the most renowned
theater in France, and they saw Le
Malade Imaginaire by Moli�re. It was preformed beautifully, and not even her
boyfriends had anything negative to say when they left. They had a late lunch
at one of the many caf�s, and since her boyfriends and her brothers refused to
go to the Eiffel Tower during the day when
everyone was there, they decided to make one more sightseeing stop before they
headed for the shops. There was a white domed building that they'd been able to
see from almost everywhere in the city, and curiosity drew them towards it.

"What is it?" George wondered aloud, and the rest of
them shrugged. As they approached it, climbing and endless column of stairs,
they could see two smaller domes to either side of the huge central one. It
wasn't until they were almost to the front doors that Virginia and her boyfriends
recoiled. The twins made it another few feet before they, too, pulled back and
stopped abruptly.

"What in Merlin's name is that?"
Fred asked, drawing back farther and nearly running into Draco. Her lover
steadied him with a hand on the small of his back, shaking his head.

"I don't know. But I don't like it." Draco said as they
stayed still, the crush of other people around them flowing to either side of
their small group.

"My arm feels like its burning." Virginia mumbled, rubbing it
through her sleeve. Her lovers nodded slightly, and George looked around until
he spotted some tourists speaking English.

"Hey!" He called, and the woman and her husband turned
around.

All Virginia could think for a
moment was that muggles were extremely odd, and that no matter what Hermione
said, she would never understand them. The couple was wearing matching outfits,
and each had a huge camera around their necks. They were bundled up from head
to toe in poofy, plastic-looking coats, which were quite horridly done in
yellow, orange and pastel green. Their boots were covered in an ugly, shaggy,
fake fur that had matted together in dreadlocks because of the wet snow, and both
were grinning like lunatics, walking over to them immediately. Their grins grew
when Fred and George pulled back their hoods and they saw that they were twins.

"Hi!" The woman said cheerfully. "I'm Mattie, and
this is Edmond."

"I'm Thomas." Fred said in reply. "And this is my
brother�Hubert. We've never been here before, see. Do you by any chance know
what this place is? We left our map back at a caf�."

"Oh, of course I do, honey!" The woman said, shooting a
curious glance at Virginia and her boyfriends,
all three of whom still had their hoods pulled low. "This is the Basilique
du Sacre-Coeur." When the twins' expressions remained deadpan, she
elaborated. "You know, honey, a church. A very famous one."

The word 'church' cut through them like a knife, since only
muggles had churches and their god hated those with magical blood, and they all
took a few stumbling steps backwards, hisses escaping their lips. The couple
looked startled, their eyes growing wide at their reaction, but Virginia didn't have time to
worry about them. Her Mark had started burning fiercely, and she could feel the
current of power that had stopped them from entering earlier push at her. Bending
over double as it clawed at her, she dug her nails into her fists and tried to
breathe. Her Mark suddenly pulsed and the pain receded enough for her to
straighten up, her hood falling back.

"Oh my lord." The woman said, staring bug-eyed at Virginia. What the fuck was
she looking at?

"Not good." She heard George mumble, right before the
woman shrieked.

"OH MY LORD!!" She repeated, her finger pointed at
Virginia, the other people around them slowed, turning to look. A few let out
exclamations of surprise, and more then a few screamed. A second later, her
boyfriends were in front of her and the twins behind her, shielding her from
the crowd's gawking gazes.

Running her hands over her face, Virginia couldn't feel
anything wrong. So what the hell were they freaking out over? She had a good
idea a moment later, when they crowd tried to converge on them. Draco and
Blaise threw their own hoods back, and she saw that the Marks activating had
split their pupils and caused their fangs to grow into sharp points. Wonderful, she thought sarcastically. What
were they going to do? They couldn't use magic in the middle of a crowd of
muggles, let alone on the steps of the Burning God's temple. Church, she corrected herself wryly, not temple. They are nothing like us no matter what anyone says.

"Back away." Her lovers demanded in unison, but it
simply made the onlookers more curious then before. It was when the first
muggle touched Blaise that Draco came up with an alternate solution besides
magic. Twin swords that glinted in the sunlight and that seemed to come from
nowhere finally caught the crowd's attention. Screams started again and Blaise
grabbed her arm.

"Come on, mon aim�." He said, and Draco spun one blade in
a slow, liquid move.

"Ezut��l, make our lady a path." He whispered under his
breathd nid nine serpent-like shadows slid from everywhere and nowhere.

At the appearance of more hooded figures, the watching spectators
began fleeing, and a wall of male strength surrounded her, ushering her away.
They made it back onto the streets and ran aimlessly, simply wanting as much
distance as possible between them and the scene that had just occurred. They
couldn't move as fast with the twins as they could have on their own, but her
brothers were still as athletic and in shape as they had been at Hogwarts. The Ezut��l
disappeared again as they finally slowed back to a walk, and they saw that they
were in a slummy part of town. The rich velvet of their cloaks seemed to stand
out against the grime and filth vividly.

"Let's just get back to our part of town, hmm?" Draco
suggested, and they nodded. Fred did a quick seeking spell, and they found that
they weren't that far from the closest entrance to wizarding Paris. It was when they
made it into that back alley that all hell broke loose. George had just
finished opening the entrance when a scruffy band of thieves blocked the way
behind them, pointing some odd smelling metal�things at their chests.

"Back away from that wall, real slow like." One of them
said in a heavy French accent. "And put your hands over your heads."
Her boyfriends looked at them as if they'd gone mad.

"You don't want to do this, muggle." Blaise warned, and
the man scoffed. There was a shout behind them as some witches and wizards on
the other side of the boundary noticed what was hningning, but Virginia was too busy trying
to remember what her boyfriends had told her about muggle weapons.

"I'm the one with the gun, sonny." The dirt-caked man spat
out. A gun, that was it! But what did it do?
She couldn't for the life of her remember. She'd never had inteinterest in
muggles that her father did, nor even the mild interest in their weapons that
her lovers had. "Now give us your money and valuables. Those rings for a
start."

"You want my ring?" Draco asked, lifting his hand and
letting the sunlight flicker on the emeralds and platinum of his signet ring.
The men's eyes turned greedy, and the one she supposed was the leader nodded.
"Well, then, by all means. Try it on. I'm sure it'll look splendid on
you." The twins looked shocked, as if that was the last thing that they'd
expected Draco to say. He took his ring off and walked up to the man slowly.
Four Aurors came through the entrance behind them, and when Draco spotted them,
he raised his voice. "I'm warning you now, though. If you steal my ring,
you won't like what happens."

"There ain't shit you or your buddies are going to do."
The man said, his gun aimed at Draco's head. He snatched the ring out of her
boyfriend's hand, slid it on, and promptly slumped to the ground. His
accomplices froze, while Draco calmly leaned down and retrieved his ring from
the limp, lifeless finger.

"I told you." He said, and was back with them before the
muggles or the Aurors saw him move.

Virginia started to move for
him, her hood falling back again, and one of the thieves snapped. He twisted to
face her, and she saw and heard him pull the trigger almost in slow motion.
Remembrance hit her as she watched the bullet fly out of the gun, her
boyfriends' voices floating through her mind, telling her about the way those
weapons worked. Everything still seeming to move horrifying slow, she saw her
boyfriends' eyes flash as they moved for her, but she knew the four feet they
were from her was too much. Her eyes closing as she waited for the impact, they
sprung open again when she felt someone push her back and slam into her.

She met Fred's cornfl blu blue eyes, watched pain engulf them as
she heard the bullet rip through flesh, and caught his weight easily as he
collapsed against her. Everything sped back up in an instant, the gunshot still
echoing through the alley along with his strangled cry. She distantly heard
George scream, distantly heard more shots fired, distantly heard spells being
cast. Throwing a fiery shield over her and her brother, she let them sink to
the ground. Cradling him in her lap, she ripthe the cloak and shirt off of him,
and then carefully turned him over so she could see his back. There was a huge,
meaty wound on the mid-left side, and blood was seeping out of it steadily.

A sob rising in her throat, she ripped his shirt into two long
strips, folded them together quickly, and pressed them to the wound. Hands
grabbed her from behind and she screamed, turning with a fistful of flames
ready to throw when she saw Blaise. One look in her eyes and he stopped midway
from taking Fred from her, instead just helping her to her feet and keeping her
steady. She stood, very glad at that moment for her strength. Her mind seemed
stuck, utterly devoid of conscious thought except for six words. Get him safe. Get him healed. Blaise's lips were moving, but she couldn't hear
him, and she concentrated, trying to understand, trying to focus.

"-afe! Cher un, it's safe, drop the
shield! You have to drop it, we have to get inside. More muggles will come any
moment. Can you hear me?" He
shook her shoulders and she started walking, then running for the entrance.

She slid through, dropping the shield as she came out on the other
side. People swarmed around her, Draco and Blaise holding them off. When the
French witches and wizards saw who they were, they got the opposite of the
reaction they would have in Britain. Nearly every one of
them kneeled, before rising and asking how they could help. Looks of adoration,
respect or simple neutrality shone on their faces, and she realized that many
of them had probably known, to some degree, or at least seen frequently, the
two of them since their�childhood. They'd grown up in France, after all. But her
attention was for Fred and Fred only at the moment.

"S�jour dos et floo Malfoy Manoir. Laisser nos m�res conna�tre
quoi advenu et acqu�rir quelques eau, affinier emmailloters et un maison lutin."
She could hear Draco ordering someone quietly while she dropped to the ground
again and cursed not knowing how to heal bullet wounds as she tried to stop the
flow of blood. ((Stay back and floo Malfoy Manor. Let our mothers know what happened
and get some water, clean bandages and a house elf.))

The shirt was already soaked through, and she was a second from
ripping her cloak off when a bundle of silver velvet landed next to her leg.
Taking Blaise's cloak and sending a silent 'thank you' through the Marks, she
ripped the expensive cloth lengthwise right before he kneeled beside her. He
started to push the sleeves of his robe up, and then seemed to lose patience as
he saw her brother becoming paler and paler. Forgetting the sleeves, he laid
his hands on Fred's back just as George fell beside them, looking pale and sick
as he stared at his twin. He took one of Fred's clammy hands in his, his whole
body shaking from shock and horror.

Draco was still giving orders and keeping everyone away from them,
and when the snow underneath Virginia and Fred became as soft as any mattress
could hope to be, she knew he was paying more attention to them then to the
people he was talking to. Blaise's hands began glowing darkly, and Fred's eyes
flew open, filling with darkfire. George's mirrored his, as their twinbond was
exceptionally strong, and Virginia let her palm rest on
the back of Blaise's neck, feeding him raw power for him to direct to healing.
The muscles in Fred's back began to spasm and George cried out, clutching his
hand tighter, his knuckles turning white.

"Oh gods!" She heard her mother exclaim from behind her,
before she felt her dto tto the snow beside them. "Oh, Fred, no. No, baby,
no." Her mother was chanting in quiet sobs, and Virginia would have wrapped an
arm around her had it not already been around Fred. That's when Blaise's voice
slid through her head.

VirginiaVirginia asked, her voice low.
Draco answered her, never stopping his scan of the shops and homes around them.

"Yes. It'll be bad for a day at most as long as we can get
him back to the Manor without reopening it."

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard, right?" Silence.
"Right?"

"It feels strange here." Draco finally responded.
"I know you can sense it, too. I have a feelfeeling about all of
this." It was her turn to stay quiet that time. She could feel it. It prickled the tiny hairs on the back of her neck
and had her eyes and ears straining. It was like the crushing feeling before a
storm, like-

"Fuck!" She and Draco exclaimed at once, half a second
before a building down the street exploded.

Screams rent the air, and Draco threw a shield over her family,
Blaise, Severus and their mothers. Debris rained down as people began running,
and she could see her brothers, but for the twins, and her father trying to get
out of the shield. Looking down the street, she saw Death Eaters pour out of
the smoke clogging the air, and felt a furious fire begin to burn within her.
Blaise's words rang through her mind once more, and the fury intensified. 'Dray, it hit his spleen and a kidney.
And�the bullet was spelled.' Rage engulfing her from head to toe, she
stalked forward. They were going to pay this day. She was tired of being nice,
tired of seeing those she loved hurt.

"Virginia�" Draco called
from beside her, and she stopped long enough to face him.

"Do you trust me?"

"What?" He
asked, as if that was the most ludicrous thing he'd ever heard. A curse flew
past his head, which he easily dodged, and she smiled grimly.

"Do you trust me?" She repeated, and he nodded
wordlessly. "Then use your strength to shield everyone but the Death
Eaters."

"Vir-"

"Just do it!" She half-snapped, half-pleaded, begging
him with her eyes to trust her.

"Fine." And then there was no more time for words. She
shoved him back when he hesitated, and he leaned in and stole a quick kiss
before he turned back around, icy shields springing up around those still in
the streets. He continued feeding power into them, especially the one that Blaise
and Fred were in, and her attention went to the slowly advancing Death Eaters.

Just looking at them doubled her anger, for she knew who had sent
them. Him. Voldemort. Fucking with
their lives again. Remembered flashes lit behind her eyes as she thought of
him. Flashes of her dreams, of Draco and Blaise's memories of bleeding at that
bastard's hands. Flashes of her first year, of deception and treachery. Flashes
of Percy's twisted eyes, of the Dark Mark burned into his freckled skin.
Flashes of the Deep Lord, flashes of Marcus. All his g. Ig. It was all him, had
always been him, and she was fucking
tired of it. She hated him down to the last cell in her body, hated him with
everything in her.

Letting her rage grow until it had engulfed her mind in a red
haze, until it burned white-hot inside of her core, she kept feeding it. Every
step the masked figures took had the flames within her soul growing, spreading,
eating any rational thought as all she could think of was spilling their blood,
of thwarting their ma. Le. Leaking out from her center, it washed through every
vein and nerve ending, swamped every cell and pore until it forced her to her
knees. She heard the Death Eaters' mocking laughter as she fell, and laughed
cruelly at their ignorance. The snow all around her on the ground was melting
and steaming, and she waited.

"Looks like the muggles failed." She heard one Death
Eater comment. "Bonus for us. We'll be rewarded greatly for taking this
prize back to our Lord."

"Well, by all m,&qu," she said, looking up at them through
her scarlet hair with scorching eyes, "I do dare you to try."

Her fury had far past reached the boiling point, and her blood
would set it free. So when they drew up on her and one went to kick her in the
face, she let him. She felt her head snap around but nothing more, and her
blood splattered on the snow. A feral, enraged scream was torn from her as the
power left her in a huge, spherical blast, incinerating everything in its path.
She felt it hit her lover's shields, recognize them, and slide around and over
them before continuing on another twenty or thirty yards. Slumping to the
ground fully with the release, she fought for breath, utterly exhausted. So
when she heard her lover's warning, she could do nothing but look up.

"The end of the street! One survived!" Draco screamed,
and she saw a lone Death Eater running right at her.

Draco rushed past her in a blur, right as four more joined the
first. They were obviously stragglers, far enough behind their peers to have
been spared in her unleashing. They circled Draco and she watched blearily as
he picked them off one by one. After the second fell, she saw yet another
shadow slip out of a closer alleyway, heading straight for her. She tried to
raise her voice, tried to scream for help, but nothing came out. When he was
less then twenty feet from her alosilosing fast, Draco snapped the last Death
Eater in half over one knee. He spun, saw the one coming at her, and started
running again. Too far, she thought
hazily, too far.

A ball of ice flew through the air, and only missed because the
Death Eater hit the ground. Crawling quickly, he was no more then ten feet away
when Virginia saw someone slide
straight through one of Draco's shields, which should have been impossible
unless it was Blaise or herself. But it couldn't be Blaise, since he would be
as worn out as she was by then. The Death Eater reached her at the same time
she glimpsed the Ezut��l rushing for her, but she knew that they would be too
late as well. The bastard grabbed her, started to speak an Apparation spell,
and the snow around them exploded, wrapping around him like a living cloak.

His intent changing, the Death Eater whispered a guttural spell,
his wand turning into a deadly edged, foot-long, glistening blade. Knowing her
time was up, knowing help was still two seconds too many away, she tried to
lift her arm to ward off the blow. The snow was eating his skin off, she knew it was, but the sick, pleased glint
in the eyes behind the mask didn't change. His arm lifted, paused long enough
for her to smell the Whomping Willow sap on the blade, and came down. Forcing
her eyes to stay open, to see what befell her and not look away, she nearly
went ahead and died of shock when it never came.

Vines sprung out of the ground, joining the snow in its strangling
vise-like grip and pinning him to the ground, the poisoned blade falling to the
side. Draco was on him half a second later, the vines freezing and shattering
as he ripped them away furiously, and he was pulling the son of a bitch up by
his hair a moment later. The Death Eater did scream then, as he saw who held
him, and Virginia looked around,
fighting to stay awake, trying to see who had helped her. Her eyes fell on a
figure less than two feet from her, who was staring at their still-outstretched
hand in disbelief, as if they couldn't believe what they'd just done.

But Virginia had a bigger problem.
Her mind spinning madly as she took the person in piece by piece, she felt her
Mark flare as their eyes met hers. Feeling as if the ground had become less n son solid underneath her, they stared at each other for what felt like an
eternity, and she saw recognition flare in the other's eyes. Looking them over
again, Virginia

"Virginia, I�I had
to help, I don't know why, or how I�"

"It's alright." Virginia managed to choke out
with the very last dregs of her strength, right before darkness claimed her.
"It's alright, Padma."

��

Evil place to leave off, eh? Yeah, well, review or�or�I'll never
post again! And you'll be left here forever! Mwahahahahahahaha! (But, really,
tell me what you thought, please!)

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