With you in my Arms

50. "Merlin! I'm sorry!"

Dearest Readers,

here now the next installment of the story. Thanks for sticking with it so far. Hopefully you'll like it all the way through.

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It had been two weeks now that Lucius Malfoy had been apprehended. He was still in Azkaban and still very much himself as the lawyer checking the Malfoy affairs had found a mayor stumbling block for performing the Kiss straight away as had been planned. Draco was only going to inherit the estate in the case that he could proof to be father to a legitimate child of his own on the day he was proclaimed the official successor. It would not be possible to make this proclamation before March next year. It was only mid November right now. There was also the issue of his child having to be born within wedlock, which at the moment was highly unlikely as Hermione was still unconscious and the chance of her ever waking up again was regarded as slim.

Harry, Ron and Neville were sitting in the Leaky Cauldron for a butterbeer or two. The mood was subdued as the reason for this meeting wasn't just to relax with your mates but also to hear the latest about their friend from Harry, who had been at St. Mungo's earlier that day. It was Neville that finally broke the silence and tackled the subject the all tried to avoid and needed to talk about at the same time.

"How was she?"

There was a long pause. Then a clearing of throat was heard and then a rather hoarse sounding Harry said, "There was no change. She is still out cold."

He had been allowed to see her from the start, being one of the few people with this privilege. Ron was only ever told about her condition and so far his boss had point blank refused to let him see her. The Weasley boy had been furious at the beginning, but had been unable to sway his superior to change his mind.

"Have you asked Shaw to let me see her together with you, Harry?"

"Yeah," a pause followed, "he still doesn't want you in there. He wouldn't say why either. Sorry, mate."

"I really don't get it! Why are you allowed to see her and I'm not? She is as much my friend as yours."

"I can't see her either." Neville interjected.

His friends both looked at him.

"Have you tried?"

"Yes, the other day when I was visiting my parents..."

That would have been a cheerful occasion, Ron thought. He remembered having met the Longbottoms in the ward for the incurable cases together with Gilderoy Lockhart.

"Who is allowed to see her in any case?" he asked.

"Not sure. Malfoy's mother of course as he is the same room as Hermione. Then there are her parents, Shaklebolt and the aurors on duty, but nobody else as far as I know."

"And you."

"And me, yeah. Though not even all healers are permitted in. Shaw has a very tight grip on them as well."

They drank their butterbeers and indulged in their own thoughts for quite a while.

"What has actually happened, Harry?" Neville asked in a hushed tone. "I mean, when you were in..."

Taking a deep breath his friend rubbed his eyes before answering.

"Draco was about to kill his father. Hermione was already out. She could have been dead for all we both knew. I presume that he thought she actually was dead, killed by his..."

"That's horrible!"

"Yes, Neville, it is. Shaw reckons she must have tried to cast a shield charm, that's why she is still alive, but..."

"Not really." Ron finished the sentence. 

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"Jay, I don't know, if I can do this any longer."

Narcissa Malfoy was sitting on the couch in James Mulligan's flat. She had remained with him even after her husband had been apprehended.

"Don't worry, Cissy, everything is going to be just fine."

Her face told him that she wanted to belief that, but had a really hard time to actually do it. He stood behind her and slowly wrapped her arms around her. Something he had wanting to do for years now.

"Jay..."

She felt herself shudder at his caring touch. She hadn't been touched like this in the past twenty years. Trying to keep her composure she felt him lean his cheek against hers. It was such an alien situation! Lucius had never displayed any kind of affection for her, not in this way in any case. He had been denied his rights in their marriage for several years before he had decided enough was enough, that time demanded an heir. He had been neither very considerate nor very gently, just very efficient And he got his heir...

Being pulled to her feet she realised that she hadn't noticed that James had rounded the couch and was now wanting to hold her in his arms. Could he see what she had been thinking about? His features were soft, but she knew him well enough so that the determination underneath didn't stay hidden from her.

"Cissy, he is not going to come back."

Something else she tried to belief and found difficult to do. The man that was still her legal husband and would remain so until the Kiss was actually performed had managed to get out off Azkaban once. Who could say with absolute certainty that he wouldn't manage it again?