THE HALF-BLOOD HOPE
This had never been my plan.
I had imagined that at 17, I would be completing my 7th year at Hogwarts, working and studying hard to get the grades I would need to become an Unspeakable or some other cool job that took my fancy at the time.
I would have been popular, but not overly so, smart like a Ravenclaw, loyal like a Hufflepuff but brave like a Gryffindor. I never imagined, even in my craziest dreams, that I would be a single, pregnant teen in the middle of a war.
Picking off some stray grey nail polish, I fidgeted in my chain. The smell of lemon magical disinfectant spells was overtly strong and keeping my nose twitching in discomfort. Why St Mungo's needed to make the waiting room such an uncomfortable place to be I had no idea. Was there any need to keep us waiting on tiny plastic chairs when one could configure a coach or a bloody cushioned seat with a flick of their wand and just a tiny bit of talent. My chipped grey polish was the most interesting thing here, or at least it was since I was trying to keep my head down to avoid any awkward eye-contact. In the middle of a war, I felt so stupid for taking up the healer's time.
People were rushing in left, right and centre. Bleeding, limping or simply crying. Sometimes I was surprised people still had enough tears left to cry in this bloody war. While I had not yet been personally effected by the war, I knew it was only a matter of time – and in my current situation that scared me more than I was ready to admit to myself. I had never been one for attachments, preferring to spend my years at Hogwarts focusing on my studies and making casual friends and acquaintances alike.
"Miss Mannors?" The quiet voice of a house elf called out and I snapped to attention, it seemed my time had finally come.
Smiling at the house elf, I took it's offered hand and allowed her too 'pop' us to the location of my appointment. I had little experience with the house elf's mode of transportation and found myself falling to the ground in an undignified heap the moment the terrible spinning finally stopped.
"Oh Miss! Libby is terribly sorry to the little Miss, terribly sorry!"
I managed a weak smile to the distressed house elf and dismissed her with a thankful nod before turning to the young mediwizard who was patiently waiting for me to come to my senses.
"So, what has brought you in today, Miss Mannors?" He asked as he gestured to the seat in front of him – thankfully this one looked a tad more comfortable than the waiting room chairs. He seemed like a nice guy at least, maybe he wouldn't judge me too much.
"Adryid, please. I'm here about…well, it would probably be easier to show you."
And with that quick introduction I cancelled the glamour charm over my midsection quickly, before I could lose what little bravery I possessed and used my heavy Slytherin self-preservation too get as far away from this hospital as I could. It was time to stop hiding, even I accepted this.
The only sign of the mediwizard's shock was a slight crease in his brows which soothed over so quickly I could have easily missed it.
"How far along are you?"
He asked me while slowly reaching out a hand too press against my belly and begin his observations. This was the first time I had told anybody…the first time someone other than me would be touching my son or daughter. I felt tears well in my eyes but quickly blinked them away – they would do me no favours here.
"About 5 months, I believe. I know I should have come a lot earlier."
I mumbled into my hair while avoiding his searching gaze. Sighing, he reached for his wand and began to cast his spells around me. Resisting the urge to flinch, I observed my belly. I had placed glamour charms over my midsection as soon as I had detected the child's growth but even I knew that glamour charms would not hold past the fifth month of pregnancy – something to do with the child coming into his or her's magic and fighting anything that was 'restricting' it's growth. As even though the glamour charm was doing no harm to my unborn babe, my lovely couldn't quite realise that.
"Everything seems to be in order, you've done a fantastic job looking after yourself considering the circumstances. Although I would like you to incorporate more meat into your diet, you seem to be lacking in iron which will cause severe fatigue soon if not sorted."
Thanking the kind mediwizard, I got up to leave but he stopped me with an odd but entreating offer.
"Miss Adryid, I would like to offer you a family history paper. This is something we are offering to children born during the war, to ensure they do not end up in orphanages if any living relative is available to take them in. I know this may seem intrusive, considering the Muggleborns registration nonsense going on, but we are a hospital and such confidential."
I began to shake my head and head for the door but his next words made me seriously consider my instincts.
"Miss Adryid please, don't let your baby grow up alone if the worst were to happen."
Nodding my head in acceptance to his offer I held out my wrist for him to collect a tiny sample of blood from. He smiled at me and I suddenly felt so much better, maybe I had just made my first good parenting decision. The mediwizard caught my drop of blood onto a plan piece of parchment and instantly branches started too spread off.
My breath hitched when I saw a tiny branch bud off from my name leading to an empty picture named 'baby Manors'. But then that tiny bud branched off to its father and I held my breath waiting for his name to appear. It did, along with his classic snarling picture and I cast a glance up towards my kind mediwizard, expecting some kind of disgusted expression but he must have been good at playing poker. For no expression marred his face at all. I shook my head and moved my gaze back to my paper, slightly interested but not that concerned, after all as a muggleborn orphan, did it really matter what names my parents carried in their lives?
….this couldn't be real.
He had made a mistake.
There was no way…no fucking way this was correct.
Grabbing the offending parchment, I nearly pressed my nose into the still expanding ink I was so confused… so scared. Leading from my branch the names of my parents was quite clearly visible, only they weren't the muggles I was expecting, at least my mother wasn't.
Ariel Malfoy-Riddle and Tom Riddle were my parents.
My mother… a pureblood witch?
Dozens and dozens of emotions flew through my brain in that second and I had never felt so confused in my life. Had my mother married a muggle and ran away? Was Tom Riddle a wizard? He had a muggle name but he could have easily been a muggleborn like myself. Except now I was a half-blood. A half-blood witch with a pureblood mother. And not just a pureblood, a sacred twenty-eight witch. They were like bloody royalty!
Oh, dear god, this meant Lucius Malfoy was my Uncle.
Draco…my cousin.
Oh, dear god, where did I fit into this life?
I couldn't bring myself to face the kind mediwizard after my personal discovery so stumbled towards the fireplace I could see in the corner of his office and nearly screamed out "HOGWARTS, HEADMASTER'S OFFICE" in my hurry to leave this appointment behind. My previous head-of-house and new headmaster had been kind enough to let me use his floo to get too St Mungo's. Foolish man thought I had a digestive issue. Nope only a new baby and fuck up of family history to deal with.
Luckily, floo travel was something even I had mastered long ago. I stepped gracefully into Snape's new office and gave him a quick nod, intending to leave his office as quickly as possible.
"A second of your time please, Miss Mannors." He drawled out and I had to clench my teeth to avoid a comment which would have landed me in the shit. Did he have to pick now of all times to start a conversation? Putting an entirely fake quaky smile on my face I spun round, clutching my parchment close to my chest as he raised his eyebrows at me.
"Don't you think you're forgetting something, Miss Mannors, before you go racing out of my office?"
I frowned at him and tried to understand what he was saying. He seemed to be indicating too my belly. Oh. OHHHHHHHH.
With an embarrassed squeak, I quickly cast the glamour charm upon my baby and sighed in relief when it took hold, it wouldn't continue to for much longer. It was a matter of hours now before my baby rebelled and outed her mother for the pregnant teen she was.
"Headmaster Snape…" I began but really, I had nothing to say. Nothing I could say would make this situation any better.
"You may leave, girl. I would return to your dorm before Carrow spots you, since you're carrying precious cargo."
He spat out, making me unreasonably angry. Who was he to speak off my baby in such a demeaning way! This baby may have been at an awkward and early time but they were still my babe. However, I bit my tongue and spun on my heel, putting distance between myself and the unkind man before I said something he would try to make me regret.
I walked through the school in a daze and arrived at the Slytherin common room before I had even realised it.
Draco…he would know what to do, and luckily, he was lounging on one of the green couches placed around the only lit fire.
I ambled towards him, ignoring his sneer and instead plonking myself down on the floor right next to the fire. He raised one platinum brow at me and in response I tossed some of my equally platinum-blonde hair over my shoulder. At least I knew where that came from now. I think some people assumed I was Lucius's bastard and that was why I got significantly less trouble than some of the other muggleborns in my house. Yes, we do exist in Slytherin, however much the house likes to pretend we don't.
"Draco, I really need to talk to you. It's important." I stressed too my 'secret-cousin' and he leaned forward slightly too capture my chin with one finger.
"Speak your mind Adryid, there is nobody around."
Not taking his word for it, I cast a silencing charm and cast glances around the common room but when I found nobody in sight I sighed and handed him the parchment I still clutched onto so desperately. He looked slightly confused but took my parchment from me and gazed upon my/our family tree. I could see his eyes getting wider and wider until they nearly looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets. He made a weird little choking sound and fell to the floor with me, still staring at my parchment as if it held the secrets of the universe within it.
"Draco…"
"Adryid…. Malfoy-Riddle."
He whispered, not quite believing it – at least we had something in common there. Slowly, ever so slowly his hand found its way into my hair and he began pulling me into his chest. I stilled, why was he doing this? He wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me more securely against his chest as he began to quietly sob into my side. I froze. Sure, I was his cousin and this was incredibly confusing but why was he acting like this? He seemed almost relieved… as if he was pleased that this discovery had become known to him.
"Draco, do you know what happened to my parents? Why did I end up in an orphanage?"
But instead of answering my questions he replied with some of his own once he'd viewed my parchment yet again,
"Why the hell is your name attached to a baby, Adryid?"
Rolling my eyes, I ignored his question and pulled myself up from the ground and offered my new cousin a hand up.
"Never mind that, I would like some time to process this new information. And I believe it too be lunch-time, will you be joining me, cousin mine?" I drawled out to him, delighting in the way his glare softened at my acknowledgement of our familiar relation.
"Don't you dare think this is over, Adryid. You're lucky it's syrup sponge, otherwise we would not be leaving this common room anytime soon."
