Blood for Blood
by ChatterChick
Summary: Draco Malfoy was found innocent in the court of law, but guilty in the court of public opinion. Ultimately, the price he pays for his crimes may be more severe than any Azkaban sentence the Wizenagmot could give.
A/N: Feels good to be back and writing again after a long hiatus. This story has been in the works for a while so hopefully you enjoy it. I always love hearing my readers thoughts so please review :)
Content Warning: This story contains sensitive themes, read at your own risk.
It was a perfectly lazy morning at Malfoy Manor. All six Malfoys were gathered together at the long dinning room table. Food was laid out by the house-elves on self-heating plates, along with a teapot and a pitcher of pumpkin juice.
Draco Malfoy sipped his Earl Grey as he flipped through the Saturday edition of the Daily Prophet. There was rarely anything newsworthy on the weekends, just human interest pieces and the weekly Quidditch standings. As he read, he kept an eye and ear on his family, feeling content to just listen to the conversations around him. Across from him, Astoria was trying to convince their four-year-old son, Scorpius, to finish his fried tomatoes.
"Tomatoes are gross," Scorpius insisted. He crossed his arms and starred defiantly at Astoria.
"Oh Scorp!" Astoria ruefully shook her head. "You're so fussy! What are you going to do at Hogwarts when you don't like what they're having?"
"Ask the elves," Scorpius impishly told her, earning a chuckle from Draco. The boy was too clever for his own good. Draco also made note to make sure the Malfoy house-elves weren't helping Scorpius replace vegetables with sweets.
Just then, Astoria winced as she put a hand over her rounded stomach. She was seven months pregnant with their third child. Something that both fascinated and horrified their current two.
"Does Mummy's belly hurt?" Scorpius asked.
"Yes, it does. The baby's kicking," Astoria explained. "Do you want to feel your new sister?"
Scorpius crinkled his nose. He was still not thrilled with the idea of a new sister. "No."
Further down the table their five-year-old daughter, Aquila, sat on her grandmother's lap and prattled on about her plans for the day as her dotting grandparents listened.
"Me and Daddy get to ride the cart at Gringotts and then we get to have ice cream if I'm good, but I'm always good so we're gonna have ice cream. I'm gonna have chocolate and pumpkin pie and unicorn sprinkles and chocolate sauce and, um," Aquila trailed off, as if undecided what else she should put in her ice cream. "Lots of other stuff. It'll be yummy."
"I'm sure it will be," Narcissa agreed. She lovingly combed her fingers through Aquila's white-blonde hair. "I might have to try that next time I'm in Diagon Alley."
"Are we going soon?" Aquila asked, turning her attention to Draco.
"After breakfast," Draco confirmed.
He was in no particular rush to leave. While Aquila might enjoy the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley, Draco loathed it. Families on one side of the war felt the Malfoys had escaped justice while families on the other side felt that they had sold their fellow Death Eaters out. Most of them loathed the Malfoys for cooperating with the Ministry and providing testimony to put their marked family members in Azkaban. Draco kept his head down and minded his business as best he could, but he couldn't ignore the scorn he faced. So far he had been able to shelter Scorpius and Aquila from the worst of it, but he dreaded the day they learned just how hated the Malfoys were in society.
"Just let your father finish his tea, darling," Lucius said. He gave Draco a pointed look as if to say drink faster. Aquila was Lucius' little princess and she would not be kept waiting.
Aquila eyed the teacup, as if trying to determine how long that would take. Draco sighed and took a large gulp, satisfying both his father and his daughter. He could only guess what kind of nightmare they would be as Aquila got older and his father indulged her every whim.
He held the teacup as he flipped to the last section. It held birth announcements, wedding announcements, advertisements and the obituaries. One photo caught his eye and startled him so bad that he dropped his cup and spilled the hot tea all over the table. A house-elf immediately appeared by his side, vanishing the mess, but Draco paid no attention to her. He felt a lump growing at the back of his throat as he read the notice.
We regret to announce the death of Katherine Wood, nee Bell, at the age of 31. Mrs Wood passed away in the early hours of May 13th surrounded by loved ones after battling a life-draining curse since the war. She is survived by her husband, Oliver Wood, her children, Harry, Connor, Owen and Allison Wood, and her mother, Elizabeth Bell. Funeral will be held 3pm, May 19th at Eastwitch Cemetery.
It was as if a dementor had entered the room; the lighthearted atmosphere from just moments before was ripped away and in its place was an icy despair. The blood drained from his face and the pleasant background noise vanished. Draco was launched years back into the past, when he ambushed Katie Bell in the girls' toilets at The Three Broomsticks and put her under the Imperius Curse. She was to take a package containing a cursed necklace to Professor Dumbledore. Somewhere along the way, she had accidentally touched the necklace. Although the curse hadn't killed her at the time, Draco later learned that St Mungo's had only been able to delay the full effects.
He had done this to her. He as good as killed her when he forced her to take that package. He should turn himself in for the crime; Potter was wrong to save him. He had taken Katie away from her four children, her husband, her mother.
"Draco?" His mother gently inquired, bringing his attention back to the present. He could tell Astoria and Lucius were listening, despite distracting the children with conversation.
Draco slid the paper over to his mother. His throat felt thick as he tried to explain. "It's her."
Narcissa looked old as she leaned over to read the paper. Her shoulders seemed to droop. "No parent should have to bury their child."
xXxXx
"Hold my hand, and don't let go," Draco reminded Aquila before he set her on the ground beside him. There was a dramatic sigh, but Draco knew she would listen.
Aquila skipped along beside him as they made their way from the apparation point in Diagon Alley to Gringotts. She kept up a running stream of chatter, and Draco allowed himself to be distracted from the morning's news. Those precious moments when his entire world consisted of Astoria and their children were the moments that he felt normal. Aquila and Scorpius were so innocent, so unaffected by the war. It was a comfort to be around them, they kept him focused on the present and not drowning in past regrets.
"Purple's my most favourite colour now. And then pink and then green and then blue and then red - "
"What about yellow?" Draco teased after she exhausted her list of colours.
That silenced her for only a few seconds. In a very serious voice, she said, "I don't like yellow."
"Oh?"
"Mummy said blonds don't wear yellow. It makes us sick. I don't like being sick."
"I think she means it makes you look sick," Draco corrected. He had heard the same thing in his youth. Yellow tended to wash him out and make him look paler. Aquila had taken after his family in appearance, although she had Astoria's icy-blue eyes. "It's not a nice colour on blonds."
Aquila tilted her head up at him. With a dramatic sigh, she said, "That's what I said, Daddy!"
Her voice must have carried, because it attracted some attention. There was a witch draped in a black shawl who looked eerily familiar to him, but Draco couldn't place where he had seen her before. She scowled at him as he passed, her eyes lingering on Aquila in a way that made him uncomfortable. He tightened his grip on her hand.
"Ow! Daddy let go!" Aquila whined.
"Sorry, Princess," Draco said, lessening his tight grip. "Is that better?"
Their trip to Gringotts passed without any incident. A generous amount of gold and a few priceless goblin-made artifacts had exchanged hands a decade ago and the goblins had forgiven the Malfoys for their part in the war. Forgiven, but never forgotten. Beady black eyes followed Draco the moment he walked through the doors. One of the managers was quick to serve him and even quicker to send him on his way. They also checked the Malfoy vaults with a sneakoscope, not wanting another repeat of the incident where the Lestranges used their vault to hide some unspeakably dark object.
Draco and Aquila made a few quick stops, picking up Astoria's pre-natal potions and Narcissa's robes at Madame Malkin's, before making their way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Just one of the many places that made Draco uneasy; Mr Fortescue had died in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor. The parlour was re-opened in the man's memory and the couple who ran it had no relation to the late ice-cream maker. There was no place left in the wizarding world that wasn't tainted by memories of the war, so Draco carried on as best he could to give his children a normal life. A normal life meant trips to Diagon Alley and ice cream as far as he was concerned.
Aquila eagerly dragged him over to the counter, picking out what ice cream and toppings she wanted. Draco went for cheesecake ice cream with strawberry sauce and caramel chunks. He was not quite sure what Aquila's monstrosity was, but she seemed happy and that was the main thing.
Draco let go of Aquila's hand as he handed the sickles over in exchange for the two ice cream cones. When he looked down to hand Aquila her cone, she wasn't beside him.
"Aquila? Aquila!" Draco's heart dropped somewhere in the bottom of his stomach. He searched the crowded parlour for the tiny head of white-blonde hair, but couldn't see her anywhere. He dropped the ice cream cones as he ran out the door, the bell softly ringing behind him.
His feet pounded on the cobblestone street as he rushed up and down. It was getting later in the morning and now the place was jammed packed. There was no sign of a tiny blonde girl among the crowds. He called her name, desperately asking shoppers if they had seen a little girl. Merlin, what if someone had taken her? Kidnapped from right beside him and he didn't even notice? He couldn't bare the horrible thought of -
That was when he saw her. She was standing in front of the large bay window at Magical Menagerie. Her hands were pressed up against the glass.
"Aquila!" He knelt down in front of her, gripping her tightly. "You can't run off like that!"
Aquila blinked at him, her blue eyes watering. "Sorry."
"It's okay, just don't do it again. You scared Daddy." His heartbeat was starting to return to a normal pace, although he was still shaking.
"I just wanted to look at the kitties," she said. "Look!"
She pointed out a fluffy white kneazle kitten with blue eyes. It clumsily tripped over its feet as it chased a magically animated plush rat. Draco couldn't help but think it looked a bit like Aquila.
"Pretty kitty, can I have her? Please! I'll be really good! I'll - " Aquila paused, as if thinking what good behaviour she could negotiate in exchange for a kitten. "I'll play with her and feed her and love her!"
It was something to discuss with Astoria. Aquila's sixth birthday was coming up soon and every little witch needed her own familiar. "Your mother and I will discuss it. Just don't run off again. Never again. Promise?"
"Promise."
xXxXx
Astoria fixed Draco with a frown. "Have you seen Aquila? She's been quiet since you two came home."
"No, she's been in her room all afternoon." It wasn't unusual for Aquila to disappear and quietly play with her toys for a few hours. It was when Scorpius disappeared they needed to be concerned. Scorpius had been introduced to a junior broomstick and was always itching to go fly it. "I'll go peak in, see what she's doing."
It took a few minutes to get to the east wing of Malfoy Manor, where Draco, Astoria and the children lived. His parents lived in the west wing so that the young family had some privacy. Not that Lucius or Narcissa gave them much, especially with grandchildren in the picture.
"Hey Princess." Draco frowned as he stepped into her room. Aquila was curled up in her bed, starring listlessly at him. "Aquila?"
Draco crossed the room in seconds and knelt beside Aquila. He pressed the back of his hand to her forehead, but she didn't feel feverish. "Are you not feeling well?"
There was still no answer and a cold dread wrapped around his heart. Her eyes were unfocused and she didn't seem to notice he was in the room. "Aquila, love, talk to me. What's wrong?"
She blinked, seeming disoriented. There was at least a little recognition in her eyes now. "My head feels funny."
"Does it hurt?"
"No." Her eyes clouded over again.
"Aquila!" Draco said, gently shaking her. It wouldn't do for her to stop responding, especially if something was wrong with her head. "What does it feel like?"
"All sleepy, and the voice's gone."
"Your voice?" Draco really hoped Aquila wasn't hearing voices in her head. Nothing good ever came from hearing voices in the wizarding world.
"Dunno."
Draco closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on the memory of the day Aquila was born. He focused on the moment the mediwitch announced that he had a daughter and asked if he would like to hold her. She had had the traditional baby-blue eyes of a newborn, a few wisps of white hair and a wrinkled pink face. She probably looked like every other newborn, but to Draco she had been breathtakingly beautiful. "Expecto patronum."
The silver panther burst from his wand and raced out of his room towards his father. A few minutes passed before he heard the distinct clinking of his father's cane accompanied by his footsteps.
"Let me see her." Lucius sat down on the bed and started casting a few charms. He starred intently at her eyes, even casting a lumos and watching for some reaction. When he was finished, he gave a subtle nod towards the door. "Why don't you sleep, Aquila? You'll feel better when you wake up."
"Kay," Aquila slurred. She obediently closed her eyes.
Lucius gently stroked her hair until her breathing evened out and she was sleeping. Only then did he stand up, leaving the room so the pair could speak without Aquila listening.
"So?" Draco barked once they were standing outside the door. The calm mask that he had kept for Aquila's sake finally broke. "What's wrong with her? I should summon for Healer Blishwick - "
"She's been Imperius'ed. Whoever cast it had a very basic understanding of how it works. Aquila's nearly catatonic waiting for the next set of instructions." Lucius' jaw was clenched. There was a fire in his eyes that Draco hadn't seen in years.
"What?! How - who puts a fucking kid under the Imperius curse? She's a baby for Merlin's sake!"
His father looked guilty, but pressed on with the more important issue. "I could remove it now, but I think it would be better to alert the aurors and let them see firsthand."
"Send for them," Draco seethed. He wouldn't rest until the sicko who had cursed his daughter was locked away in Azkaban. He'd call in every last favour and use every piece of gold to do it. More than rage, there was fear. Why would anyone want to curse Aquila and just what did they want her to do? "Preferably Potter."
It was ironic that Harry Potter was the only auror he trusted to do his job properly. Draco suspected many wouldn't care what dark magic was used on a Malfoy - even a child - and they would see it as poetic justice. Or they would use it as an excuse to arrest him and his father.
Harry Potter was there within a half hour. Use of the Unforgivable Curses was taken with utmost severity at the Ministry. Not to mention the family in question probably sent off red sparks. After nearly an hour of questions, at which Draco demanded to know if they were suspects themselves, Astoria lead them to Aquila's room.
Aquila was awake, although that was in the loosest of terms. Her eyes were still foggy, and she didn't seem to notice that three people entered her room.
Harry knelt down and ran a few diagnostic spells, asking Aquila questions while he worked. She was non-responsive the entire time. Finally, Harry lifted the curse. The fogginess faded from Aquila's eyes, and she startled at the sudden appearance of a stranger in her room. She calmed only slightly when she realized her parents were there.
"Aquila, love, this is a friend of mine," Draco said. To his credit, Harry didn't contradict him. "He just wants to ask you some questions about the voice."
The interrogation with Aquila was much shorter. Harry asked a few gentle questions, trying to find out what the last thing she remembered or what the voice asked her to do. Not that she remembered much. At some point, Aquila got so overwhelmed, she started crying.
"I don't know!"
"Oh baby, come here," Astoria said. She sat down next to Aquila on the small bed and hugged her, rubbing circles into her back. "Shh, it's okay. We're going to make sure the voice doesn't do that again. It's okay."
"Are you done, Potter? She doesn't remember anything!" Draco snapped. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. Watching his daughter cry was too much for him to handle. She was just an innocent kid, she shouldn't be in the middle of an auror investigation.
"Almost. Just one more question. Can you do that, Aquila?" Harry said, knelling down in front of Aquila. Her face was still buried into Astoria's side. "You've been so brave today. Just one more and then I'll go away. Do you remember if the voice sounded like a boy voice or girl voice?"
"Girl voice," came the muffled response, "like Mummy."
xXxXx
Weeks stretched on, but the investigation went nowhere. The Malfoys had more enemies than friends and it was hard to prove who had cast the spell without the wand. Laws prevented aurors from checking a wand for the Imperius Curse without a warrant and a warrant required some reason to suspect the person.
Draco hadn't taken Scorpius or Aquila out of the safety of their family homes since that day. They were only allowed to visit their maternal grandmother or their cousins. Draco knew he could at least trust the Greengrass family not to curse one of their own. Much like the Malfoys, family meant everything to them. Astoria's siblings, Jason and Daphne, had both written that Astoria and the children could stay with them if they felt threatened in their own home. While Draco appreciated the offer, he felt more secure about the wards around Malfoy Manor that he and his father checked. His parents did not take the threat against their grandchild lightly and extra protective charms were put around the manor to keep unwanted visitors out.
The day before Aquila's six birthday, they sent the children over to the Notts to play with their cousins. It was mostly to keep the pair from getting underfoot as they prepared the Manor for Aquila's birthday. Despite the party being limited to a small gathering of close family and friends, the Malfoys spared no expense for their little princess.
Draco wrapped Aquila's presents while Astoria rested at the dinning room table. He had finally managed to convince her to let him and the elves take care of the party preparations. She idly traced patterns over her rounded belly. Draco noted, with interest, that she was tracing constellations. Any second she would start suggesting names.
"What about Gemini?"
Draco smirked at being right.
"Gemini Malfoy," Astoria continued to test out the name. "Aquila, Scorpius and Gemini."
"Those sound nice together," Draco agreed.
They were interrupted by a tapping on their windowsill. With a wave of his wand, the window opened and a barn owl flew inside. It was carrying a beautiful package wrapped in pink polka dots. Astoria untied it from the owl and read the note attached. Her brows furrowed together as she read the note. She handed it over to Draco.
Happy Birthday Aquila!
Love Aunt Pansy and Uncle Graham
While it was written in the same perfect script that Pansy always used, not once had Pansy ever referred to herself as the children's aunt. She certainly never sent a birthday present unless she was invited to the party. Pansy probably couldn't even remember what month Aquila was born.
"Should we open it?" Astoria asked, exchanging a worried glance with Draco.
He wordlessly set up a protective barrier, making sure that Astoria was safely out of harm's way before using his wand to slowly lift the corners and unwrap the package.
"Merlin!" Draco swallowed thickly.
In the box was the cursed opal necklace. The very one that he had purchased from Borgin and Burkes all those years ago and had given Katie Bell. He had never known what had happened to it, assuming Dumbledore had taken it and had it destroyed.
It wasn't long before Harry was summoned once again to the Manor. He immediately recognized the necklace for that it was. "Did anyone touch it?"
"No," Draco said. "It was sent as a birthday present for Aquila. The box said from Pansy."
"Does Mrs Montague have any reason to be sending your daughter cursed objects?"
"No, not Pansy." Pansy was a lot of unpleasant things, but she was not a monster. She was not someone who would hurt a child. Nor someone who would be stupid enough to attach her name to an assassination attempt.
Harry levitated the necklace out of the box and inspected it as it twirled around in the air. Despite being light in colour, it had a dark and menacing air about it. "I'll have this sent to the Department of Mysteries. They should be able to destroy it for good this time. I'm going to follow up with the Bells and the Woods. This just put them at the top of our suspect list."
Potter appeared at the manor after dinner. The four adults Malfoys exchanged loaded looks, before Narcissa took control of the situation and made noises about dessert in the kitchen to Scorpius and Aquila.
"We found Elizabeth Bell dead in her home," Harry explained. He handed over the tiny folded piece of parchment to Draco. "There was a suicide note."
The note was simple, but very clear in her motives. Although he had suspected it after receiving the necklace, it still chilled Draco to the bone.
Aquila for Katie.
xXxXx
Draco felt subdued the next morning, although he tried not to let it show. He felt relief that Elizabeth Bell was dead and her plan to kill Aquila was foiled. Nightmares of Aquila opening the gift and touching the cursed necklace haunted him all night. At the same time, there was an overwhelming sense of guilt. Guilt for his actions as a teenager, guilt that Katie had died, guilt that Aquila was a target because of him.
"Can I open my presents now?" Aquila asked, interrupting his thoughts. "Pretty please?"
"I don't know," Draco said, halfheartedly teasing her. As far as Aquila and Scorpius were concerned, nothing was wrong and he intended to keep it that way. "We always open presents after cake."
"One present now wouldn't hurt," Lucius said, fixing a firm look on Draco.
Draco couldn't help but snort. His father was undermining his parental authority again. Not that Draco would have been able to resist Aquila's pleading eyes for much longer. He had already been debating which present she should open. Something that would keep her entertained for the better part of the morning until guests started arriving for her party.
Draco shared a look with Astoria. The corners of her mouth were lifted up and she gave the tiniest nod. Draco knew exactly which present they were giving Aquila first. He fetched the box wrapped in sage green paper and tied with a silver bow. There were tiny holes on the top and sides of the box.
"Happy Birthday princess," Draco said. He kissed the top of Aquila's head as he set the present down in front of her. "This one is from Mummy and me."
As soon as Aquila opened the lid, the charm was lifted and the sleeping kneazle kitten woke up. It stirred, lifting its fluffy white head to look at Aquila. Blue eyes blinked slowly, as if confused why it was woken from its nap.
"Kitty!" Aquila squealed. Her hands clapped together in delight. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Draco winced as Aquila roughly picked up the kitten while Astoria reminded her to be gentle. To its credit, the kitten wasn't phased by it.
"I'm going to name her Cassi-pee-ah like the star."
"Cassiopeia?" Draco gently corrected. "The constellation?"
"That one!"
The day passed by quickly, and Draco found himself relaxing as he enjoyed the company of their family and friends. He engaged in polite talk with his brother-in-laws, Theodore Nott and Jason Greengrass, as the three of them kept an eye on their children playing party games. Both made murmurs of empathy when Draco confirmed that Elizabeth Bell had been behind the attack on Aquila and that she was now dead. The unspoken, thank Merlin, hung in the air around them. When such thoughts haunted Draco, he'd search the gardens for Aquila or Scorpius and remind himself that they were both safe and happy. That was the important thing to him.
Soon enough, it was time for birthday cake and presents. Narcissa had taken over the party, directing house-elves to serve the plates. Draco drifted over towards Astoria to watch Aquila open her presents. Astoria was resting in a chair with her feet propped up, exhausted from the long day on her feet. Draco leaned down to press a kiss on top of her head.
"I can hardly believe we've had her for six years already," Draco murmured against her hair. "Thank you."
He sat down next to his wife, wrapping an arm around her. Aquila was sitting crossed-legged on the grass, looking expectantly up at him. She wiggled on the ground, excited for her presents. With a lazy flick of his wand, Draco levitated each gift towards her. He had been thorough the night before and this morning, making sure he knew who each gift came from. None had come from unknown sources.
He levitated a gift that had come from the Magical Menagerie. It had been wrapped by the shopkeeper along with the kitten and a few other things needed for a pet. Draco knew the thin package would contain a collar he had picked out a week ago.
Suddenly, there was a commotion as someone came running into the gardens where the birthday party was held. Draco was on his feet in an instant, his wand out ready to stun the intruder when he recognized the unruly mop of black hair.
"The necklace was a fake!" Harry said. "Elizabeth switched out the cursed opals - "
Draco's heart dropped into his gut, but the piercing scream told him he was already too late as he rushed forward.
"Aquila!" He screamed.
Her body stiffened as if she had been hit by a stunning spell, then she went limb and collapsed face first into the ground. He could hear Astoria crying hysterically in the background, he could hear Lucius shouting at someone, Daphne trying to gather the rest of the children. None of those sounds registered as he fell to his knees in front of her, rolling her over onto his lap. The cursed collar lay beside her, tiny opal gems mixed among sapphires starred mockingly at him. Her eyes were glossy, fear and pain the last expression etched on her face.
"No, no, no," Draco whispered, thick eyes forming in his eyes. His little girl couldn't be dead. Not like this. "Rennervate. Rennervate."
The words had no effect. Draco gathered her into his arms, burying his tears into her hair. A strangled scream died in his throat. He would have rather died painfully than have one of his children taken in his place. It should have been him.
"I'm so sorry," he sobbed into her hair. "Merlin, I'm so sorry."