Simply Irrefutable

Chapter 15

When Hermione got home, she was not at all surprised to find that her two youngest children with Sabine, were sharing her and her husband's bed. Sabine and Harry facing each other as they slept while Willow slept back to back with her brother, so close, like as if she was scared, if she didn't, she'd wake up to find him gone. 

Draco woke up as he felt her presence in their room. He gently got out of bed and walked towards the door. With a silencing charm and a protection spell, he joined his wife in the dimly lit hallway.

"Did you find out where Lyra is?" Draco asked, no time for pleasantries.

Hermione sadly shook her head as she stepped closer to her husband. "No love, we, we don't know that yet but we will. Before the end of tomorrow, I promise." She cradled Draco's cheek with her hand, brushing away some bed head.

"But you know something," Draco whispered as he could see in his wife's eyes that she was trying to keep something from him. "Something that will help us find Lyra."

"Yes," Hermione said sadly. "We've figured out how they're all connected."

Draco's eyes darkened. "Purebloods," Draco spat the word as he had time to think himself and he had come to the same conclusion upon finding Kasia Young's maiden name. "We're all considered blood traitors." He replied coldly.

"Draco, it's not your fault. It's not your fault that-"

"How can you say that? Our baby was just abducted because of me?"

"Draco! You're a good man now, you can't blame yourself. You an never blame yourself for other people's evil intentions."

Draco didn't hear her though as he took her hand from his cheek and brought it to his lips. "I need to do something, I'll be back."

"No, Draco, don't-" Hermione cried as she couldn't help but think the worst.

"Honey, I'll be back, I'm not a stupid boy anymore." Draco said cradling her face. "Right now, if anyone can possibly help us identify the idiots that were dumb enough to kidnap our daughter, its going to be him." Draco explained.

Hermione's eyes met her husband's as she realized who "he" was. Hermione sadly smiled as she nodded. "Come back to me." She whispered as she lightly kissed his lips.

-!-!-

Draco had to stop twice as he apparated to Luxembourg, to a small chateau that he only came to when he was to pick up his half brother. It was late, so late at night, however a silent alarm awoke one of the maids as she came out with her lantern to greet Draco at the door. "Sir, Master Colby is in Durmstrang this school year."

"I know where Colby is. I am here to see Lucius today." Draco replied back coldly.

The maid couldn't help but shiver as the tone was so like Master Lucius' when he was in his terrible moods.

"It is a bit late sir, please come in and let me get the master and mistress." She said, ushering Draco in from the dark. "Is there something that I can tell them so they know why the surprise visit."

"My eldest daughter has been kidnapped by men I am sure were colleagues of Lucius,"

"Miss Lyra?!" The maid cried shocked, already knowing all the children as pictures of them and Colby were scattered throughout the chateau and the stories. The relationship between Draco Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy was not exactly amicable by any means, but that same strained sentiment was not extended to the children, whose smiling pictures and names were spoken in the household in anticipation that one day, it would not be Master Colby leaving, but the three grandchildren coming to visit.

Draco nodded as he held back his emotions.

"I'll be on my way, please please sit down, I will get the butler to come out with some nice warm tea." The maid muttered once more before leaving him in the parlor room near the fire.

Draco didn't sit, although he did get closer to the fire to warm himself up as apparition really was not the warmest way to travel. He couldn't help but look up and be shocked when his children stared back at him. Colby was hugging a smiling Harry in front of him as Willow practically hung onto Colby's neck, kissing his cheek and then smiling and giggling at the camera. And Lyra, Lyra was standing over them, her hand resting on Colby's shoulder as she alternated from looking at the camera to looking down with so much love in her eyes at her Uncle and siblings, a smile on her lips the whole time.

"That's one of my favorite pictures ever," A soft female voice said behind him.

Draco whirled around. Like always, it still shocked him how similar the slim blonde woman before him looked like his mother. There were differences of course but the uncanny resemblance threw Draco off every time. "It is a great picture." He said to Seraphina Malfoy.

"Colby always looks forward to the holidays with your family."

"They're not just mine, he's a part of our family. Neither the kids, Hermione, nor I see him as anything less than family." Draco said firmly. The day he'd claimed Colby as his brother- granted half brother- but since that day, Colby had become family and nothing could change that. The kids had grown up knowing Colby their whole lives. 

Seraphina looked down and smiled. It warmed her heart more than she could bare that Draco saw her son as his family. She knew that she had in many ways, destroyed Draco's childhood and in consequence, his family. But the boy did not begrudge Colby for her actions, speaking volumes about his character.

"What are you doing here at this hour," A cold voice boomed, breaking her out of her thoughts. Seraphina sighed as her husband strode down, his long blonde hair so light it was almost white now. However his voice was so cold whenever it had anything to do with Draco. And Draco's back was ramrod straight as his own cold aura surrounded him, to battle against his father's. How two men could look and sometimes act so similar and yet not see it, Seraphina did not know.

"I need information on some of your old friends and colleagues." Draco said so cold, it could almost make the fire behind him go out.

Lucius' gaze narrowed at Draco, eyes full of suspicion. "And why should I give you any information? So you and your buddy Potter can-"

"You asshole, is your pride and anger all you have left? My daughter was fucking kidnapped by quite possibly one of them!" Draco yelled, so angrily and loudly that his words echoed down the halls.

Seraphina gasped as her eyes darted to the picture in horror as she stared at the two sweet girls. She glanced back at her husband. For the first time in a long time, Searaphina saw that her husband was frozen with fear, not for him but for another. The last time he had looked so scared and frozen was when she had asked him to meet her in order him that she was pregnant with Colby. At hearing about her pregnancy, he had completely froze as he looked so scared at the prospect of having a second chance to be a father- especially after he knew he had failed so badly that his own grown son, despised him. And now that same exact look was on his face as he realized that one of his grandchildren had been kidnapped. "Lyra or Willow?" Lucius asked, for once, the frost all gone from his tone, there was only... fear.

"Lyra was taken from the Ministry nursery this afternoon." Draco said, fists clenched. "Whatever you know, I need to hear. They're not averse to killing a child. Kasia Villier's toddler son was killed weeks ago. But you would know him by Sacha Young, if you have read the papers as she goes by Maria Young now."

Lucius hung his head. Yes Kasia Villiers had not been much older than Draco. So young and impressionable when she'd been marked with the skull and snake.

"I will floo with you back to your wife and I will tell her and Potter everything that I know." Lucius said solemnly as he tried not to imagine the lifeless eyes of the child that had graced even their newspapers in Luxembourg- in his granddaughter's body. 

~