RP: Unlikely team mates

[shh_ginny]

Date: March 28th, 2005
Characters: Ginevra Weasley, Rabastan Lestrange
Location: The Church on River Road
Status: Private
Summary: Ginny arrives for her 'appointment'.
Completion: Complete

Comments

[shh_rabastan]

Rabastan had changed into the same Chinese banded bottom pants and black Mandarin shirt he wore after Cedric's sweat. He wanted to make sure he was in some thing comfortable that afforded a full range of movement. The less distractions when meditating, even from clothing, the better.

When he felt her on the walk, he left the chancel and opened the door as she knocked. Merlin, is she trying to kill me? Get it under control... now, Rabastan. The only thing she could have worn that would have affected him more was a sari. Rabastan automatically clasped one hand in front of the other before his chest in a respectful salute. "Good evening, Healer. Please come in."

[shh_ginny]

Ginny blinked when he opened the door in a traditional Mandarin set, thinking how odd the coincidence was that she'd worn her Ao Dai, a traditional set of the Vietnamese women - well-loved for their absolute comfort and range of motion, both reasons she'd gotten several of them on her last trip there.

Smirking mischievously at his gesture, she could not help but tap her feet together and give a proper bow. "Jo sung, Rabastan. And it remains Ginevra, thank you."

"It's a lovely evening out. You should consider adding a conservatory to dine on. I have one and it's rather lovely to retreat to after a long day, just to put my feet up and look up at the stars over tea." She offered, stepping past him into the chapel and proceeding into the seating area where she stopped and clasped her hands behind her back to wait for him.

[shh_rabastan]

Rabastan grinned; the color was perfect for her. "You look lovely, Ginevra. Much too good for such an old man. Have you plans for later?"

She mentioned a conservatory. "A conservatory would be lovely, but I don't think it would fit with the architecture... Well, fit with what I have planned for the architecture when I rid myself of the hideous example of post-Grindelwald design that currently makes up the church's back addition, anyway."

He thought for a moment. He had planned to practice a bit before serving dinner, but she did have a point about enjoying the stars and the weather was excellent, not that he couldn't charm the space. "I have a gazebo in back. Would you like to dine there? I had not planned to make you work for your supper this evening. We can eat while you begin picking my… what was it now? Oh yes, my feeble, elderly brain."

[shh_ginny]

"Plans for later?" She asked, head tilting slightly to the side, not making the connection immediately but then it came to her and she raised her eyebrows sardonically. "I have plans now, Rabastan. At the risk of sounding falsely immodest, you said I should dress comfortably and so I have."

Thinking for a moment, Ginny pointed out. "If you did something in stonework, it would blend rather nicely with the original church architecture. If you are particularly adept at charms, you could do away with windows altogether and simply charm barriers like you do your owl passage."

"The gazebo would be lovely. Is there something I can help you with?" She asked politely.

[shh_rabastan]

Rabastan narrowed his eyes, but stopped himself from leaving the table. Now was not a time to lose his temper. He willed himself into a forced state of calm, which was hardly conducive to long term control, but it would be enough until his more normal state returned on its own. "I will forgive you the assumption that I have training in the dark arts. Tell me why a dark arts practitioner would seek my knowledge of sleep curses and hexes, please." He could think of a few, but certainly hoped his suspicions were far off the mark because they were rather too gruesome to contemplate, especially over dinner.

[shh_ginny]

Ginny set her drink on the table and sat up, her hands planted firmly on her knees as she heard the distinctive shift in his tone. "It is more likely that you will forgive me nothing, Rabastan, so spare me the false platitudes. I have never met a Death Eater who wasn't a Dark Wizard but I've met many Dark Wizards who were never Death Eaters. As much as you like to pretend otherwise, you were a Death Eater, so spare me the self-righteous anger and blustering protests

[shh_rabastan]

"You must have been mad? I must have been mad to think that you had abandoned those preconceived notions of yours! I have never claimed not to have been a Death Eater but if you think for one moment that every person who wore that monstrosity on their arms did so willingly or because they embraced dark arts, think again."

He rose and went to her. "If you want me to show you respect, I expect the same in return."

He summoned a port key from his study in case they needed a fast exit, then held out his hand to her. "Come. You want to know what kind of Death Eater I was, Healer Weasley? I will show you."

[shh_ginny]

"Magic is magic. Dark. Light. They are terms defined by governments in an attempt to control that which they cannot. Use is what defines intent." Ginny hissed angrily, closing her eyes in an attempt to rein in her anger which threatened to overshadow all reason now.

She eyed him warily when he moved toward her, her gaze dropping to his hand and then up to his eyes as he spoke. Without a hint of understanding what he intended, Ginny reached out and lifted her hand into his.

[shh_rabastan]

"Point taken. I apologize for my distraction." He felt her groping for something in her pocket. "Portkey?" He removed the portkey he summoned back at the church from his pocket. “Hold this for a moment, if you please.” He didn’t want to tell her the activation phrase while he was in contact with it. “This is mine. If there is trouble it can be invoked with ‘The Sanctuary of St. Anne’ and will take us to a place in Baslow.” He took the portkey back from her and put it place of the earring he had given Elise Roth earlier. “My friend Paxton is the muggle curator and lives there. He knows about magic and will be able to help or contact others.”

I suggest you get on with this demonstration before I lose what's left of my patience."Very well then. It's time to learn what the Big Bad Wolf can do, Healer. We can Walk the Valley together." Rabastan gently let the protections at his ankle rise up. Then he merged his native magic with the protections. The dragon heart string was quiet, which was fine with him, as he was trying to learn to do

[shh_ginny]

Resting her head back against his chest, exhaling deeply, Ginny closed her eyes with relief as the feeling of disorientation lessened and then faded. She was still prickly about the situation but recognized the charged synergy of his magic as it shifted around her, her own still tightly focused but Ginny gradually loosened her grip on it. Likening the light sensation to the split second in his reading room when he'd fallen asleep, the oddly familiar touch persisted now with direction and her lips curled up in a smug smile.

I thought you weren't sure about trusting him.

'I wasn't but I have good instincts.'

For what exactly? We're leaning up against a rather fit man and all you can think about is trust?

'We wake up next a very fit man practically every morning that we're undeservingly happy with. Rabastan is a friend, that's all, so let's try to focus here.'When she opened her eyes again a heartbeat later, the disorientation and chill was gone entirely and, taking her hand from her pocket, Ginny reached back and curled her hand

[shh_rabastan]

"They should be off-key. I need you to stay calm, Ginevra. The answer is likely to surprise you, but keep in mind that the source is not what you may think. I set them using blood magic.

"I needed a way to keep Rodolphus, and more importantly, Bellatrix, out of here. Lestrange wards are incredibly strong, but as my parents discovered they have a weakness. Lestrange wards don't precisely react to any Lestrange blood -- that would be foolish considering most of magical Europe has a Lestrange somewhere in their family line -- but the wards do recognize close kin. I used blood magic to change the kinship line

[shh_ginny]

Ginny shivered at the explanation for the disharmonious wards - blood magic was considered the strongest of magics but to use the blood of the dead was a dangerous and forbidden thing and for the wizard to have used such a medium only heightened her apprehension of the wards.

She considered his question for a long time, feeling him fidget behind her as he waited for her response. Finally, Ginny answered, "It's hard to describe… like being up too high on a broom - that feeling of not knowing which way is up… intense cold… Almost like… well, almost like that odd tingle I got when I removed the hex from you… his hex. It's dimmer now with your magic creating a space... between

[shh_rabastan]

This is a great deal of magic between us. Surely you know that.

Rabastan almost smiled, but knowing the healer's curiosity, he just let his lips quirk into a smirk and nodded knowingly. If she let him teach her meditation, perhaps he would teach her other things. "Hm, yes, I know." Feels good, doesn't it? He had almost said that out loud, but wasn't in the mood for another old man lecture, besides it wasn't that kind of feeling. Ginevra was a very attractive young lady, and while Rabastan found it easy to admire youth, his personal taste ran toward more mature women. Women like... he ruthlessly stomped down all thoughts of glorious hair. This was not the time

[shh_ginny]

Her eyebrow twitched at the tone of his voice when he answered. She allowed him to draw her away from the wards but watched his face closely. There had been something there, but it eluded her and she felt at a loss for what it could have been. "Rabastan... the magic is making things seem quite... sensual between us. Or is that just me?"

Ginny frowned, a tint of hurt in her eyes, at his question and any hint of warmth left her voice. "I do not. I should point out that he possessed me. Not the other way around."

[shh_rabastan]

"Ginevra, it's not just you, but sensual isn't the same as sexual, you don't need to worry about me taking advantage of it. Now isn't the best time to explain, perhaps after I return next week? You can tell me about the hex on my scar and I'll explain where I learned this kind of magic?"

Rabastan wondered what he had said to hurt her, and then she explained. "I am sorry. I had not meant to distress you, truly. Ginevra, I am still not clear exactly on how your experience with him worked. And I fell asleep the one time I had the opportunity to ask. Please, forgive me. I confess to enjoying riling you up a bit more than I should, but it gives me no pleasure at all to really hurt you." He felt very protective of her actually. He might find their arguments amusing, but the barbs they usually tossed at each other were designed to challenge, not cut deep.

[shh_ginny]

"Take advant..." Ginny sighed, closing her eyes in exasperation. "I am 24 years old, Rabastan, not 12. I think it's time we dispensed with the idea that I am somehow juvenile in understanding, don't you? I happen to be in a relationship at the moment and understand rather all too clearly the difference, thank you. You can explain whatever you wish but if it's going to be a lecture on the birds and the bee's, I'm afraid you missed the boat on that."

She waved off his apology. "Go and retrieve the device, please. And do try to be careful, I have no desire to have to heal you today."