The Safe House

Chapter Thirty-Three

When Pansy left the prison, she immediately headed over to George to inform him that everything was going as planned. George and Percy were both working in the shop when she arrived.

"Hey, Percy. I need to steal your brother for the afternoon." Pansy flashed him a bright smile.

Percy frowned at the brunette. "He was already gone yesterday."

George glanced at the witch, before adding, "Percy, I promise that I will give you whatever days off you want next week. Even the whole week, if you want."

"And how will you manage to do that?"

"Pansy will work in your place. Right, Pansy?"

"Of course. I would love to work here for a week." She could hardly keep a straight face, her disgust clearly showing as she looked around the shop. She turned her head and mumbled, "Or I can hire someone to do it for me."

"Fine. But I'll take the whole week. With pay." Percy looked very smug, but then he turned and headed away from them. They both started to laugh, but stopped when they heard him muttering to himself. "Talk about pathetic excuses to be together."

George closed his mouth and slowly turned back to Pansy, who also had a perplexed look on her face. "Let's go upstairs." Once they were behind closed doors, he continued the conversation. "So, you saw Draco?"

"Yes, and Luna met us there. I don't know if she's really going to be on his side or if she just wants the story, but I think she genuinely likes Narcissa. I'm hoping that it will be enough to keep the article slanted in his favour."

"She was very close to Ginny. I think that she wants what's best for her. She should do a follow-up with Ginny once we get her."

"That's a fabulous idea. We should send her an owl, or maybe you should send her an owl. She'll be more likely to believe that your family has Ginny locked away if it comes from you. Oh, yes. Blaise made it in late last night. He's so amazing. I forgot how much I liked him."

"Oh, did he? I don't remember him very well. Did he stay at Andromeda's flat?"

"No, he has his own estate. I met him there and went over everything that I know, which he pointed out is not that much really. Well, not in general, but for the case."

"Then he doesn't really know you, does he?" he chuckled.

"He knows me better than you."

He just closed his mouth and stared at her, unsure of what to say.

Pansy frowned at him. She didn't like where this conversation was going. "Are you going to help me find a flat today or not?"

"What?"

"A flat. Preferably Muggle. That way no one can find me. And I thought your sister could stay with me until Draco is free or until she's safe to move out."

"You want to live with Ginny?"

"Yes. Why not?"

"Because your boyfriend is actively pursuing her and your ex is married to her."

"One. Draco and I were hardly ever anything more than each other's firsts."

"Bloody hell, witch! I don't want to hear this!"

"Shut up. We were friends more than we were ever lovers. And that was like ten years ago. Seriously." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "And B. –"

"You mean Two."

"Merlin, you're no fun. As I was saying, B., I don't have a boyfriend."

"Oh."

"Oh," she mocked. "Come on. We have lots to do." She started walking to the door. She paused, looked back at him, and gave him a smirk. "And I never slept with Draco."

"Good." George seemed to relax and started walking towards her.

"Blaise was that first."

ooo

It had been a surprisingly pleasant morning at the Burrow. Ginny and Thuban had been allowed to go outside for the first time since their arrival, although Molly did join them. Thuban was so happy to be able to play more freely, and for the briefest of moments, Ginny was able to pretend that this was a normal morning and enjoyed being with her mother and son. When he fell over and Molly started to go pick him up, the fantasy was ruined as Ginny practically propelled herself forward in order to reach him first. Her mother frowned once again in her guilt-inducing way, but it was not affecting the younger witch, not after what had happened the previous day. Ginny knew that this little outdoor excursion was designed as either an apology for them taking Thuban's blood or, more likely, an apology for what was to happen later in the day. As they headed inside to eat lunch, Ginny could feel her appetite slipping away.

Harry and Hermione dropped by to have lunch with them. Ron would be coming by later to "help out". Ginny worried what that could mean for her and Thuban. Hermione was more relaxed without her husband's presence, and it was almost more than Ginny could bear to watch her sister-in-law stare longingly at her son. Hermione picked up his toy each time he dropped it, she offered to clean his grubby face and hands after lunch, and she could not resist asking if she could hold him. Ginny almost screamed at her when she reached for him, but she had a flash of pity for the other witch, and instead, she quietly pulled Thuban from the high chair and carried him back to her room. Several minutes later, Harry reappeared at her door and tried to engage Ginny in conversation, but she coldly reminded him that they had said all there was to say to one another.

She had hoped they would be gone before she had to endure her session with the psychiatric Healer. She was afraid to be so outnumbered whilst she was potentially put in a fragile state of mind. Her worries were confirmed when she could hear all three of them greeting the Healer. Molly called for her, sounding extremely patient and loving, and Ginny quickly made her way down the stairs, not wanting to prove them right if they had informed the Healer of how "difficult" she had been behaving.

They were all sitting in the front room, chatting about how wonderful the weather had been, when Ginny entered. She was holding Thuban on her hip and angled him away from the others. If Hermione thinks she will watch him whilst that woman peers into my mind, she has another thing coming!

They all stood quickly, and Molly walked over to Ginny. "Ginny, dear, why don't you go into the kitchen and take a seat; the Healer will be working with you in there."

Ginny glanced back into the room and rolled her eyes as she entered the kitchen. She stood close to the door and leaned her ear against it, listening for any conversation.

Hermione was gushing at the other witch. "I've read all of your articles on PTSD, and I think it's brilliant that you have been inspired so much by Muggle psychiatry."

"I believe the mind is the same, whether magical or not," the Healer replied with a fluid and dark voice.

"We are just so happy to be able to have you come here. Ginny has been through so much, and I believe her delusions must have started much earlier than we originally thought. We were able to test the baby yesterday and discovered that he is, in fact, her child." Hermione paused and waited for a response, but when none came, she quickly added, "Her memories may have been altered almost as soon as she was delivered to Malfoy, two and a half years ago."

Harry stepped closer to the Healer and said in a serious voice, "We have learned that Lucius Malfoy killed Severus Snape, the man who originally saved her. We are trying to find out if he and his son were working together."

"Miss Weasley has not had any contact with her husband since Monday morning?"

Harry answered, "No. We had hoped that she would begin to at least try to see our side of things without his influence, and I think she is open to the possibility that he has betrayed her."

"This may take several sessions, Mr. Potter."

"Of course. Money is not a problem, have as many sessions as you see fit. Thank you, Healer Cerletti. You can send a copy of your findings to my office at the Ministry."

She flashed him a confident smirk and answered, "You should have the first report on your desk by tomorrow morning."

They shook hands and then Harry and Hermione both left, much to Ginny's relief.

Whilst they were leaving and Molly was welcoming the Healer to her home, Ginny quickly took the seat closest to the door. She couldn't believe that Lucius had killed Severus. Her heart was aching for Draco; this would be devastating news for him to learn. Before she could let her mind play out that particular scene, she heard the door opening and made her face blank.

Ginny held Thuban close to her as she watched the strange woman enter the kitchen. After lunch, she had thought about refusing to leave her room again, but she wanted that room to at least stay hers. It had been the last place she had felt safe, the last place she had been with Draco alone, the last place she had felt his touch. She eyed the witch sitting down across from her. She looked to be in her forties; black hair with one streak of grey coiled into a stylish twist, bright blue eyes, and tanned skin. She was very pretty, and she was dressed in expensive silver-blue robes that reminded Ginny of Draco's eyes.

The witch pulled out a pair of black-rimmed glasses and smiled warmly. "Good afternoon, Miss Weasley. My name is Healer Cerletti, but you can call me Anna." She produced a small recorder, sat it on the table, and started it.

Ginny stroked Thuban's hair and looked past the woman.

"Miss Weasley?"

Ginny sat perfectly still for a moment and then looked directly into the other witch's eyes. "My name is Mrs. Malfoy."

"I'm so sorry. Of course, Mrs. Malfoy. … May I call you Ginny?" She tilted her head slightly and gave Ginny a warm smile.

"No, you may not, Healer Cerletti."

"All right. Well, I'm sure you are aware of why your family has brought me in to talk with you. They are very concerned, Mrs. Malfoy. They fear that someone has been manipulating your mind."

"Are you aware that they have locked me and my son in a room for the last two days? Do you know that they took him from me and drew blood from him without my consent?"

"Yes. I am very sorry that they have felt the need to resort to such drastic measures. I understand that they were concerned that the child was not yours. But of course, he is yours, and everyone has accepted that. He is very beautiful. Does he look like his father?"

"Then you surely understand why I do not want to speak with you."

"Yes, Mrs. Malfoy, I do. But if you are correct, then there is absolutely nothing to fear. I specialize in victims of trauma. It is very normal for someone in your circumstances to have developed some defence mechanisms in order to cope with the situation you were placed in. I simply would like to speak with you for a little while and then maybe perform some simple tests on you before I leave."

"And if I refuse?"

"I'm afraid I will have to have you admitted to the hospital's psychiatric unit. And your son will be left in the care of your family." Another warm smile.

Ginny sat up a little straighter and took a deep breath through her nose. She looked at the other witch, and in a slow and steady voice, she said, "Some day, I will have your license taken away from you. I promise you that."

"Okay, then let's begin. I need you to tell me the entire story from the time you were abducted until you returned here three days ago. You don't have to go into daily activities, but I would like to know the story of how you came to be a wife and mother. I may ask you some questions throughout if there is something I don't understand or something that we should explore more in depth."

After three hours of telling her story to the witch, being interrupted repeatedly, and asked the same questions several times, Ginny was mentally exhausted. Thuban had awoken from his nap, and he was getting restless and cranky, wanting to move around and play. Ginny was struggling with keeping him calm and staying focused on the questions being fired at her. Finally, even Healer Cerletti was annoyed with the little boy and stopped the recorder.

"Mrs. Malfoy, why don't you just let your mother watch him whilst we finish? In fact, I think we are ready to move on to the next phase. You won't be able to hold him whilst I test you."

"Can't we do this later?" Ginny hated pleading with this witch, giving her any kind of power over her. Please, George, come get us! "What about tomorrow? We can do it during his nap tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry, but I am already scheduled for tomorrow. We really need to finish the session today. Molly!" She had turned towards the door to the sitting room, and before she even could face Ginny again, Molly came rushing into the room.

Molly was beaming at the other witch as she hurried over to them. "Did you need me to take him now? Ginny, I can stay in here with you. I'll fix him a snack, and we can play over on the other side of the kitchen. I promise to not hurt him. Would this be okay, Anna?"

"Of course, Molly. There is no reason to take him from the room." She once again gave Ginny her warm smile.

Ginny thought that she would smack the stupid smile off her face. Oh, of course, Molly. No problem, Anna! How wonderful for the two of you!

She glared at her mother and then looked back to the Healer. "Fine," she gritted out. She kissed the baby and spoke sweetly. "Thuban, I love you. Go to Molly." She smiled at her mother, who looked hurt at being robbed of her title. The baby looked over at Molly and then clung to Ginny's legs as she sat him down. "It's okay, Snitch. You want some banana?"

Thuban nodded his head and happily cooed, "MMrrrmmrmm!" He clapped his little hands and bounced up and down, holding again to her knees.

Molly quickly grabbed a banana and sliced it up. She called for the baby and showed him the fruit. The three witches smiled as he giggled and then toddled over to his grandmother. After Thuban was settled on the other side of the kitchen, Healer Cerletti turned back to Ginny.

"All right. I'm going to perform some Legilimency on you, just reviewing some of the keys points in your story today."

"Fine." Ginny smiled cheerfully before looking into the Healer's bright blue eyes.

After a few minutes, Healer Cerletti sat back in her seat, a frown on her face. "You didn't tell me you were such a gifted Occlumens." Molly looked over at her daughter in surprise.

"My husband taught me." Smirk of Triumph. Draco would be so proud!

"Mrs. Malfoy, you must cooperate. Do you want to see your husband again?"

"Of course I do. I shouldn't have to let a stranger into my mind in order to see my husband!" Ginny nearly shouted.

Healer Cerletti ignored the witch's outburst and calmly said, "I would like to see the wedding ceremony. I understand that there was supposed to have been a Pureblood Binding Ritual, but that your vial was broken? I don't know anything about these rituals, but your mother has informed me that the broken vial could indicate something was wrong with the ceremony."

"Then how would you know what you were looking for?" Ginny countered.

"Mrs. Malfoy. Please, just let me review your memory. I can later compare it to the ritual on my own time."

"How generous of you."

Several minutes went by as the Healer peered into Ginny's mind, but she had no idea how gifted Ginny really was at Occlumency. She had no way of knowing that the younger witch had been taught by the best, and Ginny chose to only reveal the bare minimum to the Healer. Ginny let her see the actual binding ritual, but that was all. No dinner, no rose petals, no fairies, no lovemaking afterwards.

Healer Cerletti smiled at Ginny. "Thank you. That was not too difficult, I hope."

"Are we finished?"

"No, now I would like to perform some tests on you. I will be viewing the same memory you just showed me but after I cast a simple spell on you. Will this be okay with you?"

"What is the spell?"

"It will simply cause a small shock to your brain, nothing that can harm you. I have found that when combined with Legilimency, it can be very effective."

Ginny's eyes widened in fear. "A shock to my brain? No. Absolutely not."

"Mrs. Malfoy, I promise it is harmless. I can even perform it on your mother first if she is willing." She looked over at Molly, who also seemed a little concerned about the treatment.

"Mum? Would you do it first?"

Molly quickly smiled at her daughter and answered, "Of course." She carried Thuban back over to Ginny and pulled up another chair.

"Mrs. Malfoy, why don't you look into her mind after I do." She nodded to Ginny before turning back to Molly. "Let's pick something from your childhood. Something that is difficult for you to remember."

Molly pinched her lips in thought and then smiled brightly when she said, "Okay. I know that I spent a summer with some cousins, but I don't remember anything about the house we stayed in."

The Healer clasped her hands and glanced back and forth between the other two witches. "Perfect. Let's start." She turned completely to Molly, who was sitting to her left. "Are you currently taking any potions? Do you have any health concerns? Heart conditions?" Molly shook her head no, and Ginny felt some relief at knowing her mother was in good health.

Healer Cerletti continued with a wink, "Oh, you're not pregnant, of course?"

The two older witches began chuckling, but Ginny's face paled as she placed her hand on her stomach. Oh my God. I'm pregnant. I haven't even thought about it happening with everything else going on! Ginny felt herself smile, and the other two witches thought she was sharing the joke as they looked over at her. Another baby. Our baby. Oh God, I need Draco. They can't know! What if they try to take it from me?

Healer Cerletti proceeded to review Molly's memory and then allowed Ginny to perform Legilimency on her mother, too. Ginny barely even noticed the memory that she observed; she was so distracted by her own thoughts about the possibility of being pregnant. Only the sound of her mother's small squeak when experiencing the shock treatment brought Ginny's attention back to her current situation. She started to clutch Thuban more tightly to her, as she feared what was going to happen, and the baby began to squirm away from her. When Healer Cerletti explained that a stronger shock might be needed to review additional memories or to review a memory more than once, Ginny started to feel faint. All too soon her mother was making another yelp and the Healer was looking expectantly at Ginny, waiting for her to once again peer into her mother's mind. By the time Ginny was re-experiencing the memory, her own mind was racing and she was starting to panic.

Healer Cerletti tilted her head and excitedly asked, "Did you notice the difference? The second time had much more detail."

"Um, yeah. It was better," Ginny muttered and avoided looking at the Healer by standing Thuban between her knees.

"Are you ready to try? Mrs. Malfoy? Can we start? Do you have any of the health conditions that I listed before?"

Ginny shook her head slowly, but her eyes were distant and her body was slouching into the chair.

"Mrs. Malfoy? You don't have a heart condition, do you?"

"No."

"Mama," Thuban pleaded for her attention. Ginny slowly pulled him back onto her lap.

"On any potions?"

"No."

"You're not pregnant, are you?"

Molly laughed as she took the baby from Ginny's limp arms.

"Mrs. Malfoy? Are you pregnant?"

"I don't know," she whispered.

Molly turned around quickly. "Ginny!" She noticed her daughter's hand placed protectively on her stomach. "Stop lying! You are not getting out of this."

"Mrs. Malfoy? Could you be pregnant?"

Ginny looked fearfully at the two witches. Molly stepped forward and spoke coldly. "Ginevra, stop this nonsense. It won't work on me. You know we can find out -"

Suddenly, Ginny screamed, "Give me my son!" She grabbed the baby, knocking her mother into the Healer, and fled from the kitchen. She ran straight to the fireplace, but just as she was reaching for the Floo powder, the hearth lit up with green flames.

Author notes:

Thanks to my awesome beta, SometimeSelkie.

Anna Cerletti – named after Anna Freud, daughter of Sigmund, who described the 10 different defense mechanisms, and after Ugo Cerletti who discovered electroconvulsive, AKA electroshock, therapy.

What did you think of the Healer? I was hoping for some tension in her scene. Did Ginny show a bit more spark and her usual self? And what about George & Pansy, do you think they're getting a little closer to being together?