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Some Blond Fool	By : AndreaLorraine Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 46886 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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
Author�s Note:
Sorry for the long wait!� The muse seems
to inspire this story in fits and spurts.�
It doesn�t help that I have way too many stories running concurrently.� Ah well; this one is beginning to iron itself
out nicely.� Enjoy!

�� Lucius was
not thrilled to have an audience.� Having
a tube removed from one�s trachea was generally not the most graceful thing in
the world.� The whole set up was
ridiculous; Hermione had already said that it wasn�t much different from a muggle machine.� It
was more or less and enchanted bellows connected to a tube that was currently
in his throat.� He was grateful for it
because he�d be dead without its intervention, but it was supremely
uncomfortable now that he was conscious and breathing on his own.� And now he had to have the damn thing removed
with approximately fifteen people as spectators.

�� All right,� the healer said, �I�m
going to pull it out now.� It will feel
strange, though it shouldn�t hurt.� You
might experience a gag reflex so here�s a pan just in case.� Coughing and a scratchy throat are
normal.� Ready, Mr. Malfoy?�

�� Somewhat miserably, Lucius nodded his assent.�
The healer grasped the tube and in one smooth, practiced yank it slid
out.� He was coughing before it left his
mouth.

�� It went on for nearly five
minutes.� His eyes were tearing and his
throat felt like it was on fire.� Draco and the healer were discussing some kind of potion
while he attempted to forcefully eject a lung.�
That was when Molly Weasley stepped forward
decisively and waved her wand at him.

�� Levamentum
gutter.�

�� All of a sudden, the pain and
scratchiness, along with the urge to hack up his alveoli, were gone.� Lucius blinked,
stunned.� The healer turned to Molly with
wide eyes.�

�� Is that a spell of your own
creation?�

�� She nodded, unfazed.� �It�s similar to other pain relief and antitussive charms.�
I just made it more specific to the throat.�

�� It�s genius.� However did you think of it?�

�� Molly looked at the man
incredulously.� �Possibly
because I raised seven children?� Those seven children?�� She pointed at the cluster of redheads.� �Along with my husband and
half of my childrens� friends.�

�� The healer was oblivious to her
sarcasm.� In fact, he looked ready to explode
with excitement.� �Mrs�Weasley, was it?�
Would you be interested in patenting that spell?�

�� Patenting?� she asked.

�� Yes.� It entails--�

�� Do it,� Lucius
interrupted.� His voice was still a bit
rough from thirst and abuse of the involved structures.� He plowed on anyway.� �There�s a lot of money to be made in
patenting spells and charms.� The patent
means that you get the credit for inventing the spell, and every time it�s
used, a very small royalty goes to you.�
It�s only a knut, but
a spell like that � one that works very well, as evidenced by my ability to speak
at present � would be put into wide use with the right advertising.� Wizards and witches across the world would be
using your spell, not to mention healers and hospitals, and that adds up.� It could be very lucrative.�

�� He�s right,� Fred
� or George? � said after a beat of silence.� �We�ve patented some of our W3 products, like
the Skiving Snackboxes, and it makes for a lot of
additional income.�

�� The other twin spoke less than a
second after his brother had finished.�
�Mum, you�ve got dozens of self-invented spells like that one.� Why not make good use of them?� Get the credit you deserve?�

�� Oh, I don�t know,� Molly hedged
nervously.

�� It sounds like a great idea,� Bill
chimed in.� �Merlin knows we wouldn�t all
be here if not for some of your spells.�

�� Don�t remind me,� she said, her hand against her chest.� �I need time to think about this.�

�� It doesn�t have to be right this
moment,� Arthur said.� �We can talk it
over later.�

�� If you decide to go ahead with it,
you will need someone to do your numbers and ensure that you get the best
possible contract,� Lucius stated, operating on
feelings of guilt and impulsivity, both of which he was becoming more used to
lately.� �I would be happy to provide
that service.�

�� Oh�er�well,
that is very kind of you, Mr. Malfoy, but we don�t
really have the money for that.�

�� I was not intending to charge you,�
he said, as if he gave out freebies every day.�
In reality, he had rarely ever done such a thing, but if he was going to
make some ridiculous attempt to patch things up with a family he�d ridiculed
groundlessly for years�Molly looked flabbergasted, but Arthur had a small smile
on his face.

�� The mention of money brought him
back to the more sobering reality he was in.�
�Speaking of money, I need to talk to my goblin representative from Gringotts as soon as humanly possible.�� He looked at the healer.� �Would it be possible for you to place the
call for me?�

�� The healer nodded.� �Right away, Mr. Malfoy.�� He
exited the room in due haste.

�� That�s right,� Harry spoke up.� �Gringotts.� What were you trying to tell us?�

�� Lucius
took a breath and glanced at Draco.� This was going to be difficult.� Even though Lucius
was beyond sure that it was not Narcissa who had done
this to him, he didn�t have concrete proof.�
In the absence of that, the authorities would be looking for his
ex-wife.� Still, he had to tell things
the way they were � with the minor omission of how he�d charged in like a
reckless Gryffindor and absconded with the very woman who�d done this to him.

�� My ex-wife � or a woman Polyjuiced to appear as her � did this to me.� She had a forged marriage certificate to make
it look like we had remarried.� I will
admit that I was not as thorough in my post-divorce cleanup as I should have
been; if they couldn�t tell that the certificate is a fake, she�ll have access
to my vault.� That was her exact
intention.�

�� The checks,� Ginny said, snapping
her fingers.� �She took a box of your
checks.�

�� He nodded.� �She wouldn�t be able to take all the money;
it would arouse suspicion.� She probably
figured that I would die from the poison and since I was on my own, no one
would notice for a few days�giving her a window in
which to forge checks for whatever she wanted, using up the money she left
behind.�

�� But wouldn�t I notice?� Draco asked.� And
even as he did, his face went pale.

�� What?� Lucius
said sharply.

�� She�s already done it!� he said,
his hands curling into fists.� �Last
night, when I was out, my account stopped working.� I called you and you didn�t answer.� I figured it was just a glitch and could wait
until today.�� He looked ready to be
sick.� �She took my money, too.�

�� Impossible,� Lucius
stated.

�� Why?�

�� Your account is separate.� I learned well enough from my father�s sticky
fingers that precautions must be taken when it comes to family money.� When you graduated Hogwarts, I made it so
that your account could only be accessed by you.� Neither your mother nor I can access it
without your presence and express consent.�
So, if she made any attempt to go after your money, Draco,
it would have set off alarms for the goblins.�
They probably just froze your account until they could figure out what
was going on.� Your money is safe.� Mine, on the other hand,� he sighed, �I�m sure
that it is long gone.�

�� Maybe not,� Hermione offered.� �Maybe she tried to access Draco�s vault first!�
I bet they caught her.�

�� Yes, just like they caught us,�
Harry said sarcastically.� Ron
coughed.� Hermione looked crestfallen.

�� That was true?� Draco asked incredulously.� �You really did break into Gringotts during the war?�

�� It was luck,� Hermione said weakly.

�� Nah, all talent,� Harry grinned.

�� At that moment, the door opened and
a goblin scurried in.� It made straight
for Lucius and ignored everyone else.

�� Mr. Malfoy,�
the goblin said, making a hasty bow.� �We
have been attempting to owl for hours.�
Now it is obvious why you didn�t answer.�

�� Yes, Skulblad,
I was less than able to respond.� I
appreciate you coming so quickly.�

�� It seems as though you have some
inkling of what�s happened.�� The goblin
sighed.� �Your ex-wife, Narcissa Black, came into the bank yesterday evening around
20:30.� She claimed that you had
remarried and presented a certificate.�
You had indicated in the positive for the remarriage clause on your
vault, Mr. Malfoy, so we honored her certificate and
gave her access to your vault.�

�� What�s the remarriage clause?�
Hermione asked skeptically.

�� The goblin turned to eye her.� �Well, as you can imagine, young lady, the
affairs of wizards and witches can change at a moment�s notice and there is a
great deal of paperwork and bureaucracy that must go with it.� About thirty years ago, we created an option
to allow for easy reinstatement of vault privileges after a marital reconciliation,
rather than go through all that rigamarole.�

�� I enabled it after�well, that�s not
important,� Lucius trailed off, thinking of the first
and only time (up until three years ago) that he and Narcissa
had nearly dissolved their marriage.� The
poor woman had suffered through two miscarriages in a row and he was heavily
pressured by his father to �find a woman who could bear him an heir, not some
barren waif�.� The things they had put up
with those first few years!� They had
agreed to try one more time, and if that didn�t work, the heartache would be
too much to bear.� That reunion had
resulted in Draco and all else was forgotten in the
joy of finally having a baby.�

�� I should have disabled the clause
after the divorce,� he sighed, pulling himself from the memories of his son as
an infant.� �But it was the last thing on
my mind at the time.�� That was not
strictly true; if he was honest with himself, he had been hoping against hope
that Narcissa would come back to him.� Perhaps leaving that clause on his vault had
been his last subconscious method of denial.

�� Of course, Mr. Malfoy,�
Skulblad nodded.�
�We would not have realized that anything was off if she hadn�t tried to
access your son�s vault, as well.� As per
your orders approximately five years ago, his vault was made inaccessible to
anyone but him.� Both you and your wife
signed for this, so we thought it strange that she would try to access his
vault with full knowledge of that prior agreement.� Unfortunately, by the time we pieced this all
together, she had already left.� We froze
your son�s assets just in case.� They can
be reopened in approximately ten business days, if we start the paperwork
now.��

�� No convenient
clause for that, huh?� Draco muttered under
his breath.

�� The goblin had the grace to look
uncomfortable.� �No.� To our great regret, Mr. Malfoy,
your funds are��

�� Gone,� Lucius
finished.� It was not as terrible as he
might have thought.� He knew he wasn�t
destitute; he had money in other places.�
Still, that was a hell of a lot of money to suddenly be deprived of.

�� We are terribly sorry, sir.�

�� That makes two of us.�

�� Skulblad
fidgeted.� �A small amount remains in
your vault: approximately 8,000 galleons.�
We have frozen your account since we reached the conclusion that she was
deceiving us.�

�� Eight thousand galleons is a small amount?� Charlie asked to no one
in particular.

�� Yes, sir, it is in comparison to
the previous total of--�

�� Skulblad,�
Lucius said sharply, �I would appreciate it if my
vault�s contents, past or present, were kept confidential.�

�� Of course, sir.�

�� What�s the matter?� Ron
grumbled.� �Don�t want to discuss money
with the peasants nearby?�

�� Molly turned a deathly glare upon
him, but her youngest son wasn�t in arm�s reach.� �Hermione, dear, please smack him for me.�

�� Hermione did as requested, and none
too gently.� She smacked Ron upside his
thick head.� It left him dazed and
indignant.

�� Hey!�

�� Next time choose us, Mum!� Fred and
George chorused simultaneously.

�� Oh, no,� she said, �I�d never hear
the end of it.�

�� For your information, Mr. Weasley,� Lucius stated, only
just managing to control his sneer, �it is common tact that dictates that
people do not discuss their bank accounts, pay rates, or inheritances.� I haven�t demanded to know the balance on
your family�s vault, have I?�

�� No,� Ron admitted grudgingly.� �Never stopped you from
holding it against us, though.�

�� Lucius bit
the inside of his lip.� Tactless or not,
the boy was right.� It was time for some
maneuvering.� �Well, you can take comfort
in the fact that every person in this room probably has more money than me
now.� Point and laugh, if you will.� I shall try to endure it with as much grace
as you did.��

�� Which was not very much,� Arthur
chuckled.� No doubt he was thinking of
the time they had come to fisticuffs.�

�� It wasn�t particularly graceful of
me to press that button, anyhow.�� That
was as close to an apology that he could offer.�
He just wasn�t capable of anything more at the moment; his dignity had
already been severely bruised by the breathing tube incident.

�� I can�t believe she would do this!�
Draco exploded suddenly, bringing them back to the
real crisis.� �Why would Mum�?� I don�t�I don�t understand!�

�� It wasn�t her. �I�m absolutely convinced of it,� Lucius asserted.

�� Mr. Malfoy,
the woman in our security images in every way resembles your ex-wife,� Skulblad said.

�� So
did the woman I was kissing, until she jabbed me in the neck and poisoned me,
he thought.� �Polyjuice.� Narcissa would not do this.�
I have wronged her, but never so greatly that she would attempt to kill
me.� And she would never, ever harm Draco in any way.� I
would say this woman�s attempt to steal his money is proof enough.� The woman who defrauded me and your bank is
not Narcissa Black.� �

�� Is that possible?� Hermione spoke
up.� �The Polyjuice,
I mean.� I thought for sure, after�er�those thieves broke into the LeStrange
vault with the Polyjuiced Bellatrix,
Gringotts would alter their security protocols.�

�� The goblin actually rolled his
eyes.� �We know it was the three of you,
Ms. Granger.� As your actions benefited
the greater good, we chose to overlook the fact that you committed no less than
thirteen distinct crimes, not to mention completely discrediting our
institution, at that time.�� Skulblad pursed his leathery lips.� �I daresay some of the goblins were
sympathetic to your cause.� The economy
was rubbish under that charlatan Voldemort
anyhow.� We have never had a worse run of
business, not since our inception.�

�� Hermione has a valid point,� Harry
said after a moment.� �There�s no protocol
for detecting Polyjuice?�

�� It is what it is, Mr. Potter.� Polyjuice is
extremely difficult to detect.� We have
people working on it constantly but no one has yet figured out a way to test
for the potion.�

�� Then there is no
concrete way that we can prove it wasn�t
my mother?� Draco asked.

�� At this time, no.�

�� It wasn�t her,� Lucius
said firmly.

�� I second that,� Ginny spoke up,
surprising everyone.� �She�s still in
love with you.�

�� Thank goodness I�m not the only one
who noticed,� Hermione sighed, relieved.

�� What?�� Lucius�s brain
stalled as he looked back and forth between the redhead and Hermione.� True, Narcissa had
caved to his charms that one time, in
this very ward as a matter of fact, but that was far from an admission of
continued love.

�� She nearly chewed through her lip
with worry when you were in here last,� Ginny elaborated.� �A bitter ex-wife plotting to steal all her
husband�s money just doesn�t sit at his bedside for days and days.�

�� Or dive into his bed as soon as he�s better,� Hermione muttered.

�� Upon the realization that their
rendezvous had not been as discrete as he thought, Lucius
promptly wished he could disappear.�
Several people spoke on top of each other.

�� What?� Draco
blinked, catching on to what Hermione had said.��

�� You slept together?� Ginny shrieked, and he couldn�t tell if she was
excited or enraged.� �She didn�t tell me
that!�

�� A lady never tells,� Molly
interjected.

�� WAS I IN THE ROOM?� Draco demanded.

�� Yes,� Hermione answered for him.

�� Lucius was
sure he was turning a delicate shade of scarlet.� �Clearly you were not as asleep as we
thought.�

�� That�s�disgusting.�� Draco looked to be
on the verge of illness.�

�� And you were awake, Hermione?� Why didn�t you just throw something at them?�
Harry cracked.

�� The same reason I never threw
anything at you and Ginny for the three months I lived in Grimmauld Place
with you,� Hermione shot back.� It was
Harry�s turn to color endearingly.� Ginny
had no shame; she just shrugged.

�� Silencing charms, children,� Bill
chuckled.� �Do we need a refresher
course?�

�� Oh, because
you�re so great at them,� Percy snarked, his first
words since arrival.� �When we
were teenagers--�

�� There is far too much personal information being tossed about in here,� Lucius said, trying to regain control of the
situation.� �As much as I would love to
believe that Narcissa�s presence when I was injured
and her�ah, willingness to, er, engage in a bit of
reckless behavior several echelons below our current age group, means that she
still loves me�it is irrelevant.� It is
the attempt to access Draco�s vault that gives her
away.� As Skulblad
said, Narcissa knew of the separation of Draco�s account, so she would know better than to even
try.� Paired with the fact that she would
never steal her son�s money, anyhow, it is enough evidence for me.�

�� She does still love you,� Ginny insisted.

�� A pain lodged in Lucius�s
chest.� He knew that wherever she was, Narcissa was in terrible danger.� Even if she miraculously still loved him, the
Milan mafia was
between them.� She might already be dead.

�� Please don�t say that,� he
murmured, feeling a headache coming on.�
�I need to talk to Kingsley Shacklebolt.�

�� Lucius had
made his desire not to speak to anyone except the Minister of Magic quite clear,
among other things.� Arthur herded his
reluctant family, including Harry and Hermione, out.� Honestly, he felt a little bit bad for the
man.� It was quite apparent to him, from Lucius�s reactions and the look on his face when his
ex-wife was mentioned, that he was still quite besotted with her.� It was a case of it being obvious to everyone
but the two people involved.

�� Ginny had inherited her mother�s
instincts; Arthur had no doubt that his daughter was correct in her statement
that Narcissa still loved him, as well.� Hermione�s backup only made it more
certain.� He wasn�t really fond of
matchmaking but at present he wished he could deliver a swift kick in the arse to both Lucius and Narcissa.� They were
wasting time.

�� Ron couldn�t resist a parting
shot.� As they prepared to leave, his
youngest son turned back to Draco, who was leaning in
the door frame looking tired.

�� So, ferret, how does it feel to be
the one who doesn�t have any money, for a change?�

�� The blond�s
eyes narrowed.� �A right sort better than
it feels to not have any dignity, I�d imagine.�

�� Arthur paused, ready to break up a
fight if necessary.� The blond had
certainly inherited his father�s ability to shred a person with words.� To his surprise, Ron and Draco
only glared at one another in a grudging stalemate.� Harry laughed and shook his head.� Then Hermione took Ron by the arm with a long
suffering sigh of, �Come along, Ronald.��
It felt distinctly like some sort of d�tente as the group began to move
down the hallway.

�� Molly wrapped her arm around his
waist and smiled up at him.� �I think
this is the start of a lovely friendship, don�t you?�� Her grin indicated a certain level of
sarcasm.

�� It seems that way,� he smiled
back.� �Mollywobbles,
dear, I think you should seriously consider the patenting idea.�

�� We�ll talk about it after I help
Ginny with the nursery.� Ginevra, did you hear that?�

�� Yes, Mum,� she sighed.� �And here I thought Harry and I might get
some privacy so we could have a quickie��

�� Oi!� Fred protested.�
�You�re still our little sister, Gin.�

�� Yeah, keep your sexual escapades to
yourself,� Percy agreed.

�� We live in a magical world where
you are pure and innocent until death,� Bill chuckled, reaching out to muss his
sister�s hair.

�� Oh, right, and how do you explain
this baby in my uterus?� she retorted with a roll of her eyes.

�� Immaculate conception, of course,�
Charlie nodded.� Everyone laughed - except
Harry, who was once again turning redder than his old house colors.�

�� Lorenzo knew something was wrong the
moment Narcissa was led out.� She was limping and her eyes were red and
puffy from crying.� The poor thing had
almost certainly broken her ankle.� The
thug that dragged her along was not being particularly gentle or considerate of
her injury and that might have been enough to cause the desolate, pained look
on her face.� Instinctively, he knew that
wasn�t it.

�� Giacomo
did, too.� As soon as she came into view,
his advisor�s eyes narrowed and filled with rage.

�� What did you do to her?� he
demanded coldly.

�� Shut up,� the thug growled.

�� If you harm her in any way, I will
be the end of you,� Giacomo vowed.� Lorenzo gaped at him; this was a man who
didn�t lose his temper and didn�t make threats.�
That, he�d often said, was for lesser men.� Then again, Giacomo
had never before been in love.

�� All the fire had drained out of the
pretty blonde.� She hobbled beside her
captor, silent and hollow-eyed.� She
barely acknowledged the people around her.�
Lorenzo examined her, feeling more and more concerned.� Giacomo had made it
abundantly clear how feisty his fianc�e was with a limp of his own.� It had resolved now, but that didn�t change
the fact that this Narcissa Black had fought off a
man twice her size when she scented danger.�
Where was her fight now?

�� Hurting Ms. Black was not part of
the bargain, brother,� he snapped at Gaetano, who
stood smugly by the door.� He said it for
Giacomo; he could tell that the other man was barely
containing his rage.� And considering no
one had ever seen Giacomo Cannavare
angry, he wasn�t eager to start now.

�� I have done nothing to her,� Gaetano replied, eyeing her with disinterest.� �If any harm has come to her, you can blame
my wife.� She was locked in a pantry with
her.�

�� You are soulless,� Giacomo hissed, taking a step forward.� �First you betray your brother and now your
wife?� I have very few kind words for her
but she is still your wife!�

�� You have no brother to betray, so
far as I know, Giacomo.� But you, too, have betrayed
your would-be wife, or have you forgotten that?� Gaetano
shot back.� �You are handing her to me
now so my dear brother can have his wife back.�

�� Why do you need her?� You�ve already gotten what you needed from
her ex-husband,� Lorenzo challenged.� He
glanced at his first-in-command.� Giacomo was poised on the edge of something stupid; they
both knew it.� If Giacomo
lost his head the deal would go sour and he would never see Jocasta
again.� His children would never see
their mother again.

�� Insurance, brother,� he
smirked.� He waved a hand and two more
people appeared seemingly from nowhere; they had been there all along under a
disillusionment charm.�

�� Lorenzo�s breath caught in his
throat.� There was Jocasta,
his Jocasta.�
She was tied and gagged with a purpled bruise across her cheek.� Other than that blemish, she looked all right
and was actively struggling against the man that held her.� He couldn�t rip his eyes from the bruise,
though.� Spots danced before his eyes and
suddenly he was as angry as his consigliere.

�� How dare you strike my wife!�

�� She fell,� Gaetano
said coldly.

�� That
is what I will tell the authorities after I push you off my namesake,
Lorenzo thought, envisioning the church
of San Lorenzo.� He
fell.

�� You have always been creative in
your threats,� Gaetano chuckled, and Lorenzo realized
he must have been thinking out loud.� Gaetano shot a look at the consigliere.� �What, Giacomo, not
going to reign in your master?�

�� No,� the ex-healer snarled.� �I will assist him in whatever vengeance he
dreams up.�

�� Gaetano
was quiet, his eyes detached.� At length
he said, �Do you want your wife back or not, brother?�

�� Lorenzo bit his lips.� He had to control himself.� He was lucky that Gaetano
had not already called off the trade.�
Greedy men in power didn�t usually respond well to violent threats.� Fortunately, he and Gaetano
had always been prone to the occasional fight and in their family, death
threats were learned early.� Nonetheless,
it was better that Jocasta was alive, safe with him
but a little bruised, than stuck with Gaetano and his
lot.� He saw now that he would have to
make this up to Giacomo; it was a terrible thing he�d
done, asking him to give up his fianc�e to the very men he wanted so
desperately to save his wife from.� Even
more terrible was the fact that Giacomo had agreed.

�� He had asked his advisor to betray
the one woman he had ever loved. �Even if
he had a plan to get her back, there was no guarantee that she would return to
a man who had used her as a pawn in a very dangerous game.� Lorenzo knew that Giacomo
had only done it for him, because his loyalty to the Scattori
family came before anything else.� Anyone
else would have been turned down flat.�
The guilt compressed his chest, making it hard to breathe.

�� Yes,� he said raggedly.� �I want my wife back.� But I will have your word, brother, on what
little honor is left between us, that no harm will
come to Ms. Black.�

�� I hold all the cards, Enzo.� You have
nothing to bargain with.� Don�t insult
me.�

�� Once upon a time I had honor, and
loyalty...are those meaningless now?�

�� Gaetano
looked him straight in the eye.� �Yes.��

�� Draco
stared at his father.� Since the
discussion of his mother�s supposed love for him, he had been quiet and rather
morose.� Lucius
wasn�t one to jump for joy over anything, but this wasn�t the reaction he�d
expected; he knew his father had taken the divorce hard and it wasn�t because
of the gossip or the mudslinging.� No,
the pain in the man�s eyes, then and now, spoke of fractured love.

�� It didn�t make sense, not this time
around.� Hermione and Ginny were saying
that Narcissa still
loved him.� As unpalatable as it was to
think about his parents doing anything remotely sexual, it was a good sign that
it happened, right?� There was no love
lost between Draco and Giacomo;
he could give two shits if his mother married him or not.� He was a decent man, one who probably did
love her�but that didn�t change the fact that he�d stolen her from her husband
who, it turned out, loved her just as much, if not more.

�� Draco
sighed.� A creak distracted him a moment
later; he turned to see his father sitting up and swinging his legs over the
side of the bed.

�� Hey,� he cautioned, �what are you
doing?� The goblins are taking care of
things at Gringotts.�
Just rest.�

�� Lucius
shook his head.� He tentatively leaned
forward, testing the ability of his muscles to hold him up.� The poison must have completely worn off at
last; he was able to stand.� His physical
presence was only slightly diminished by the ridiculous gown the hospital had
put him in.

�� Where do you think you�re going?� Draco demanded.

�� Where is my robe?� Lucius replied.

�� That�s not an answer.� It�s over there in the cupboard.�

�� Lucius
strode over to the indicated cupboard and pulled out the midnight blue
robe.� Draco
looked at it in slight surprise; his mother had bought that on a trip to Paris and he knew that his
father hated it.� Why had he been wearing
that?� The only time he�d known him to
wear it was when his mother suggested it.�
Lucius never had the heart to turn her down.

�� The short answer is that if Shacklebolt isn�t here in the next fifteen minutes, I�m
leaving,� his father said while digging through the pockets of the robe.

�� Dad, I really think you should
consider staying at the Manor.� These
people are obviously out to get you.�
Your flat isn�t safe.�

�� I won�t be staying at either
dwelling.�� He located whatever he was
looking for, yanking a stack of parchment from the pocket.

�� What?�

�� Lucius
turned to him.� �There is more to this
whole situation.� I didn�t want to go
into great detail with all the Weasleys here.� You should know, though.�� He held out the parchment.� �It�s all in there.�

�� Hesitantly, Draco
took the parchment.� He almost didn�t
want to read it; he�d already had enough bad news via parchment today.� However, his quick eyes tore through the
words and the now-familiar (if still exceedingly uncomfortable) panic flared
again.

�� They�ve got Mum,� he said
softly.� Now his father�s gloom made
perfect sense.

�� Lucius
nodded.� �Cannavare
is a member of the Scattori crime family.� Not by blood, but he�s in deep enough.� I went to Milan to try to get her out of there.�

�� By yourself?�
Draco said sharply.

�� Yes, by myself.� It would have been fine if they had not Polyjuiced someone to be Narcissa.� I was out-planned.�

�� Pieces fell into place.� Draco rubbed his
temples.� �They knew you would come.� You grabbed the impostor and brought her back
to the flat��

�� Where she poisoned me and left me
to die before stealing my money, making it appear for all the
world that my ex-wife was enacting vengeance upon me.� Meanwhile, your poor mother is probably tied
up somewhere, or, Merlin help me, dead��

�� Don�t you dare say that!� Draco
pointed an accusatory finger at Lucius.� �She is not dead.�

�� How can we be certain?� They have her, Draco.� They would have to, to make the Polyjuice.� What more
do they need of her now that they have my money?� You know how these organizations work.� People are eliminated when they no longer
serve any purpose.�

�� Draco knew
that his father was right.� That was
standard Mafia procedure.� His mother
could very well be dead, but he refused to believe it.� He couldn�t believe it.� He leaned on the back of a chair, struggling
to keep his composure.

�� So�what do we do now?� he
asked.� His father had to have a plan.

�� Now there is no �we�,� Lucius murmured.� He
refolded the blue robe and set it on the bed.�
Draco was quiet, knowing that his father
wasn�t finished.� The other blond stared
off into space for a moment.� �Have you
noticed, dear son, that the news is very slow on the uptake since Rita Skeeter disappeared?�

�� His grey eyes narrowed.� He had, in fact, noticed that very
thing.� The press was not nearly as
aggressive without Skeeter butchering boundaries at
every turn.�

�� True,� he allowed.� �If Skeeter was
here, she would have been in this room before any of us, shoving her Quick
Quotes Quill in your face.�

�� Exactly.�� His father�s eyes narrowed into a familiar
expression of absolute slyness.� �At this
moment, nobody on the outside knows what�s gone on.� More importantly, no one knows if I am dead
or alive, save the Weasleys and the direct hospital
staff, of whose silence I am already assured.�

�� Draco
caught on quickly.� �Are you thinking of
playing dead?�

�� That I am.�� He extracted his wand from the folded robe
and tapped it idly against his palm.� �Do
you think you can play devastated son for a time?�

�� He thought.� It would take quite a lot of acting.� If he were in a situation where his father
was vengefully murdered by his mother, who had also made off with a significant
chunk of her late ex-husband�s fortune�well, it definitely called for some
emotion.� He had never been as good of a
thespian as his father but he was still better than most.

�� I can do it, yes.�� He frowned.�
�I would rather help you find mother, though.�

�� A muscle twitched in his father�s
jaw.� �Draco, I
have had to live through almost losing you twice.� I can�t do it again.�

�� Draco
blinked, unaccustomed to such bluntness or sentiment.� He had to choke back a lump in his throat
when he said, �Father, they can come after me here just as easily as if I was
with you.�

�� That is why you will stay at
Hogwarts with Hermione.� You�ll be safe
there.�

�� I have classes, Father.� I can�t just--�

�� They will give you time off to
grieve.� I don�t intend this to take long.� The more time goes by, the more danger your
mother is in.�

�� Draco blew
a breath out between his lips.� This man
was so much his father, having an answer for everything, and so much a stranger
with his declarations of caring.� It was
that odd combination of behavior that made him agree.

�� All right.�

�� Narcissa
knew what was happening; she knew she was being traded, like so much chattel,
for Lorenzo Scattori�s wife.� She couldn�t hate him for it; it was what Lucius would have done in Lorenzo�s position.� But Giacomo had
agreed to it.� He hadn�t put up a fight
for her.� How could she mean anything to
him if he was willing to surrender her like that?

�� And really, that was
irrelevant.� Lucius
was dead.� They had been trying and
trying to end him and they had at last succeeded.� The means of preventing it had been here all
along and she had been too stupid to see�and now he was gone.� The pain sliced through her again, causing
tears to well in her eyes.� She just wanted
the earth to swallow her whole in that moment.

�� She was dragged behind where Gaetano and his lackeys stood.� She vaguely noticed the other woman as she
passed by, led by another generic burly enforcer.� Perhaps Jocasta Scattori was trying to look at her, to say something with
her eyes, but Narcissa only saw her feet, one in
front of the other as she walked.

�� Very little could have propelled her
out of her depressive fog.� However, when
she heard Lorenzo Scattori speak, addressing his
daughters, her head snapped up.� Renata had emerged from wherever she was sequestered and
Daniela was trailing behind her.� Narcissa immediately tensed.� The children should be kept out of this.� It wasn�t safe for them to be here.

�� Lorenzo only just managed to untie
his wife�s hands before Renata launched herself at
her mother.� The dislike Narcissa had formed for the girl dissolved.� Perhaps she was just stressed and her odious
behavior stemmed from that.� Narcissa had to admit that even she was not on her best
behavior during times like these.

�� However, the newfound affection for
the beleaguered teen disappeared a second later, when Renata
did not release her mother.� Before
anyone could do anything, the girl had pulled a wand and stepped behind her
mother, pressing the tip against the woman�s throat.� Narcissa�s mouth
fell open, and she was not the only one.

�� Renata!�� Lorenzo�s cry was fierce and betrayed.� �Drop that now!�

�� No, Papa,� she responded,
tightening her grip.� Jocasta
was still gagged; she couldn�t say anything, though her eyes had filled with
agony.

�� Deceitful child!�
Giacomo thundered, pulling his own wand.

�� Giacomo, no!� Lorenzo barked.� The consigliere
fired no spell, but kept his wand raised.�
That was when Narcissa felt a wand touch her
own throat.� Her fianc� didn�t need a
verbal warning; he immediately dropped the wand.

�� Renata,�
Lorenzo tried again.� �Renata, please!� This
cannot be your choice.� I cannot have my
own daughter be my enemy.�

�� I am not your enemy, Papa,� she
retorted.� �The Mancinis
are your enemy and you have grown blind to this!� This is the only way.�

�� Lorenzo�s attention turned to his
brother.� The hatred that filled his eyes
was almost inhuman.

�� What did you do to her?� he
shouted.� �What have you done to my
daughter?�

�� Gaetano
shouted back, mirroring his anger.� �I
have let her find the way, brother.� You
have lost yours and in doing so lost all of us!�� He twirled his wand between his fingers for a
short moment before raising it.� �And
your first mistake was ever listening to him.�� The wand settled on Giacomo.

�� Narcissa
could see the way he evaluated his chances in his eyes.� He was not so unlike Lucius,
really; there was that quick, calculating flash during which he considered the
odds of his situation, of being able to recover his wand before someone hit him
with a spell.� Then there was the
solidarity of decision, reached in seconds.�
Giacomo wasn�t even going to try.� And Lorenzo Scattori
certainly wasn�t going to risk stopping his brother when his wife and daughters
remained on the battlefield, two defenseless and the other a traitor.

�� For the first time in hours, Narcissa felt something other than sorrow.� She was�enraged.� How dare they!� How dare
they murder her ex-husband and then try to murder her future one!� Giacomo�s actions
didn�t matter; Lorenzo had forced his hand.�
She saw in the way he�d dropped his wand when they threatened her how he
really felt.� Damned if she was going to
let them take another man from her!

�� Gaetano
was waving his wand.� �Avada ked--�

�� Her melancholy had lulled her guard
into a false sense of security.� He
wasn�t holding on to her.� Narcissa lunged, knowing it might be the last thing she
ever did.

�� She caught Gaetano�s
wrist and wrenched it upwards just as he was finishing the curse.� The jet of deadly green light flew wildly off
course, crashing into the ceiling and leaving a black, scorched mark.�

�� Vacca!� the thwarted man hissed.� A
second later, as expected, Gaetano�s fist met her
cheek.

�� The man could punch.� Stars exploded behind her eyes, red and
green, and then burst in a flare of yellow as she hit the wall.� Yellow was quickly followed by an
all-consuming black.� She tried to fight
it, desperate to see whether it had made any difference or if Giacomo would fall dead anyway, but the tide of
unconsciousness claimed her like a rip current.�
��

A/N 2: Vacca = bitch/whore (I debated what term was most
appropriate for a Northern Italian, but couldn�t seem to find a definitive answer.� Would any of my Italian speakers like to
weigh in on the lovely art of cursing? Hehe)
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Some Blond Fool