"D'you believe in magic?
In a young girl's heart,
How the music can free her,
Whenever it starts?
'Cause it's magic....."
Those melodic words were belted out of an old, weary radio that Celeste found in the trash near Hogsmeade. Unfortunately, it would only get one station in clearly, and that was a muggle oldies station. So, gurgling the song deep in her throat, Celeste Malfoy went back to folding up her robes and piling them in a trunk.
It was the last week of school, and everybody had been packing up. That was, except for Celeste, who had been totally blind to the fact until someone told her so. That was why she was down in her basement dorm room, packing, while everyone else was outside in the sunshine. Celeste was rather sorry to see the end of the school year come.
"If you believe in magic,
Come along with me,
We'll dance until morning,
just you and me....."
Folding up her last two robes, she piled them by her bedside along with a nightdress, and surveyed her open trunk.
"Money pouch, potion ingredients, potion vials, extra parchment, exam finals..." she murmured to herself, tapping her finger against her palm as she counted. There was a voice behind her.
"Missing this?" it asked. Next thing Celeste knew was her staff was flying through the air, and she grabbed it with her left hand.
The owner of the voice was Pansy Parkenson, and she was leaning against the doorframe, her long, dirty blond hair lopped over a light brown eye. On the one eyelid that Celeste could see was a light brushing of green eyeshadow, and her bony cheekbones were made to look even bonier with orangish rouge. Celeste made a face. Pansy looked like an updone clown, but she thought it best not to say anything.
"Yeah, thanks," Celeste said shortly. In all of her time here, Celeste had never taken much of a shine to Pansy, though Pansy had been trying to get chummy with Celeste all year.
Pansy surveyed the room. "Where are Tweedledee and Tweedledum?" she asked, rubbing her fingernails on the chest of her robe.
"If you mean Sunsmear and Nightshade, they're outside with everybody else," Celeste replied rigidly, as she did not like to hear her dragons referred to as 'Tweedledee' and 'Tweedledum'.
"'Cause it's magic,
if the music is right,
I'll meet you tomorrow,
so late at night...." the old radio blared.
Pansy left her stake by the doorframe and walked up to the radio, fiddling with the several black knobs before finding the one that turned it down. "So," she said, letting go of the radio, "what are you planning to do this summer?"
Celeste sighed. She was in no mood for small talk. "I dunno. I never gave it that much thought. I suppose I'll just spend my time lazing around the farm."
Pansy pushed her hair out of her face and looked at Celeste oddly. "Farm? The Malfoys don't own a farm. They own a manor."
Celeste looked back at Pansy. "What?" she asked.
"You are going back with Draco, right?" Pansy said in reply, curiously.
Celeste sat on her bed. She never really given much thought about where Draco lived before. She had heard a manor mentioned a couple of times, but never enough to make Celeste think about it. She had also heard something about a 'Lucius Malfoy', though she had never really stopped to think about that either.
"I-I don't really know," Celeste said distantly. "I had always assumed that I would be going back to the farm to live with the Kormics."
Pansy's eyes widened. "Well, now that you know, you are going back to the Malfoys, right?"
Celeste shook her head. "I-I don't know about that either," she replied uncertainly.
Pansy looked at her incredulously. "You mean to tell me that you're going to give up a chance to live on a manor to go work on some old backwoods farm. You're joking."
"It is not some old backwoods farm!" Celeste shot back hotly. "It happens to be one of my favorite places! Besides," she said a bit softer, "I'm not exactly sure if I would be welcomed back or not. Why was I abandoned in the first place, then?"
Pansy shook her head. "You're crazy. But I'm sure that Mr. Malfoy would be quite pleased to see you back. There might have been a hospital mix-up, or something. Anyway, you've got that Wild stuff in you, and you defeated two...two things with it. He'd probably be proud."
Celeste didn't say anything, but she took out a handkerchief and started to rub at the cracked crystal at the top of her staff like a madwoman.
"Why don't you get a new staff, or something?" asked Pansy, changing the subject. "That one's cracked."
"No joke, jack," Celeste snapped back. "I like it cracked. It gives it character, I s'pose. I don't think that I could get a new one anyway. At least, nobody's mentioned it other than you."
Pansy shrugged. "I'm going outside now. Wanna come?"
Celeste shook her head. "Nah. I've got to.....got to....finish packing. Maybe later."
"Suit yourself," Pansy replied smoothly as she walked out of the room, hips swinging erratically. On her way out, Pansy gave a knob on the radio a quick twist, sending the volume soaring.
"And we'll go dancin',
baby, then you'll see,
how the magic's in the music,
and the music's in me....." the radio sang, slightly static laced from Pansy twisting the knobs.
Celeste walked up to it, and pulled the plug. The music slowed, distorted itself, and finally was reduced to mere crackling from the speakers before leading off into silence.
Twirling the cord of the radio like a lasso, Celeste gnawed on her tongue and thought. Where was she going this summer, anyhow? Did anybody really care? Was there a valid reason for her being thrown around in foster homes and the like, while her brother lived at a manor?
Head spinning from unanswerable questions, Celeste dropped the cord she held and started for the door. Fresh air would make her head clear and give her time to think.
It always did.
# # #
Music again.
"D'you believe in magic..." Draco heard in his ears.
Putting down his quill with a grumpy huff, Draco massaged his temples until the tune was gone. It was all right having a telepathic link to other people if you wanted to have a mind-to-mind conversation with the other person, but when you didn't, it was plain annoying. At least Celeste couldn't read his thoughts, he thought. That would be torture.
Looking down at his parchment again, Draco sighed a little and tapped the paper with the tip of his finger. He couldn't believe that McGonagall had given them homework, when the last day of actual school was tomorrow!
Picking up his quill again, he looked over his paper. Four wand waves and 'Priker' to turn a pincushion into a porcupine. Fifteen side swoops and 'Lyter' to turn a flame into a fire fly. 'Pignatious', and....and...Now what was it to turn a desk into a pig again?
Looking over, he saw Crabbe and Goyle pointing around at various things and cracking up for some unbeknownst reason. Rolling his eyes into the back of his head, he leaned in his chair and popped one of his knuckles. Good luck either of them would know.
Well, he thought to himself sleepily. That's what sisters and telepathic links are for, isn't it?
*Celeste?* he called. *Oh Celllesteeee!*
There was silence for a couple of moments, and then a sound of crackling, as if someone was tuning in a radio.
*What?* came the unmistakable sound/feeling of Celeste's voice.
Draco jumped a tad at the seriously irritated sound of her voice. *Meow. Bite my head off, why don't you?*
*I will, and I'll take great pleasure in doing so! What do you want?*
*I want to know how to turn a desk into a pig. Didn't you learn about that in Animal Transfigurations, or whatever you take?*
There was something of an exasperated sigh before Celeste answered. *'Pignatious', twenty-five flicks, and I think that's it. Happy?*
Draco copied her words down on his parchment, and sighed happily at the completed homework.
*I'm thrilled. What's eating you?* he asked as he re-screwed the top on his jar of ink.
*Nothing's eating me. But if you like, I can send something up to eat you,* his sister replied pertly.
Draco gave something of a wry smile before replying. *Ha ha ha. I wouldn't doubt it either. Looking forward to the end of school?*
There was a short pause on Celeste's end of the conversation. *I guess so. I like school, though. Don't you?*
*I also like sticking pins under my fingernails and being beaten over the head with gigantic iron clubs,* he retorted snottily.
*Really? You'll have to remind me about that. I'm sure it could be arranged. But seriously. What are you doing this summer?*
*I'm going home,* he sent back, a bit surprised. *Aren't you?*
*It depends on what you consider home. I think that I'm going to go back to the farm for summer. That is, with the Kormics. Do you mind?*
It was now Draco's turn to momentarily pause before answering. *What? I thought that you would be coming back with me!*
*You thought wrong, obviously,* Celeste calmly replied back.
*Don't you want to meet Mother and Father? After all of those years?* Draco whined at her.
*Not especially. Use your head, for once. Why do you think that we didn't know anything about each other until about six months ago? I don't think that it was an accident...*
*It had to have been! Are you suggesting that they just...just left you?*
*Yes.*
*That's not true!*
*How do you know?*
*Because....because.....!*
*Hah. See, you don't. Of course, I don't have any proof otherwise, but I have this terrible feeling that it won't exactly be a picture perfect reunion.*
Draco sighed in defeat. *I still say that that's not true. But why don't you go back to that stupid farm that you like so much for half of the summer, and then come back home for the rest of it? Since I know by now that it's no good convincing you otherwise when you've made up your mind.*
There was more silence. *Remind me to hit you over the head next time I see you for calling the farm stupid. Fine. I'll humor you. Tell your - our - folks that there's a visitor coming somewhere around the middle of July. But don't say anything more that that. This'll be a surprise..for everyone, I suppose.*
And with those words, there was a sound like someone slammed a receiver down on a telephone, and Draco knew that Celeste had cut off all further telepathic conversation. With a sigh, he shut a book, shelved it, and left the library, homework in hand.
Sisters could be so confusing.
# # #
In the hidden cavern somewhere off in Bulgaria, Synthia Grindelwald leaned against the cool walls of the cave. Being cramped up in an underground rock formation with two pathetic excuses for minions could get dreadfully tiresome at times, Synthia thought amusedly.
It had taken a deal of time and some overly obsequious gestures, but Snare and Craggle had finally gotten back in their mistress's favor, in a kinda-sorta way. Well, at any rate, she had stopped giving them both death-stares when she met them along the long, cavernous hallways of the cave where they lived. They could only hope that that was a good sign.
"Anything elssse, misssstresss?" Craggle rasped, ruining Synthia's peaceful, quiet time.
Synthia groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. "No. Not really."
Snare and Craggle exchanged glances. Synthia was actually being tolerant for once. Something must be the matter.
"Isss sssomthing wrong?" Snare asked timidly. Synthia fixed Snare under a green-blue eyed stare before answering.
"No. I was just thinking about muggle cartoons," she said distantly.
"What about them?" asked Craggle respectfully. He knew nothing about 'cartoons', or even what the word meant. Even so, after years of experience, when Synthia started to talk about confusing things, he found it best to smile and nod, rather than ask questions. It was less painful that way.
"I was thinking about the antagonists of the stories, you know, the bad guys. They always try the same thing over and over again, and always end up failing at it, at the hands of the protagonists - the good guys. I'm afraid that I'm turning into one of them," she explained lightly, rising to her feet.
Craggle and Snare exchanged glances. "What do you mean?" Snare asked.
Synthia shook her head. "You two slime brains wouldn't understand. I'm-we're, we're going to try a little something again."
There was silence for a couple of moments. Then Snare unwisely groaned and slapped a three-fingered hand to his head. "You're not telling usssss...." he hissed miserably.
"And just why not? We're more prepared this time. After all that you've told me, we can be ready for everything that can be thrown at us. It'll be foolproof," Synthia proclaimed.
"And we're jusssst the foolssss to prove it too," Craggle whispered to Snare, who nodded. Synthia wasn't paying attention, and didn't hear.
"Craggle, cauldron, now. Snare, materials for fire. We've got a spell to cast," she said.
As Snare and Craggle rushed about to do her bidding, Synthia sighed. She felt so stupid doing this. But this really wasn't about the power anymore. It was more about revenge. Synthia Grindelwald had been made to look the fool, and by the gods, she was going to avenge herself.
And the addition of the Wild power would be a nice bonus, too.
# # #
Celeste slipped outside. It was too crowded inside of the Great Hall, and especially because tonight was the night they announced the winners of the House Cup, emotions were running particularly high. She really didn't feel like being in the middle of some pointless Slytherin Gryffindor brawl.
Whistling between her teeth and clicking her tongue slightly, she was rewarded by two blurs running up to her. Nightshade and Sunsmear had grown and matured considerably since the time that Celeste had met them almost half a year ago. Both were nearly five feet tall, and had an obsession with Hagrid that had started about three months ago. Hagrid had always wanted a dragon, and Celeste was all too happy to encourage the relationship. Hagrid was the only person, save Celeste and the Kormics, that could actually handle the dragons without getting severely burnt or bitten in the process.
Celeste absently patted Sunsmear's head, and he nuzzled her hand affectionately.
"We're going back home to the farm tomorrow, okay? How does that sound?" Celeste asked the dragon in her sing-songy voice that she always used with her reptiles. Sumsmear snorted happily, and a puff of white smoke came out of his nostrils.
"Why don't you two go visit with Hagrid, hmm? Today's the last day you're going to be able to see him for a while, now. Go on, I'll call you when it's time to come in."
The two dragons nodded obediently, and Nightshade took off like a streak of black ink against the grass, and Sunsmear was not far behind, in the race to Hagrid's hut.
Rubbing the top of her skull with a hand, Celeste walked in the opposite direction, towards the lake with the giant squid. Taking a few strides towards the Forbidden Forest, Celeste hoisted herself into the lower branches of a sturdy oak.
Climbing higher and higher up, Celeste absently hoped that nobody was looking for her. Finally reaching the topmost branches that would support her weight; Celeste poked her head up through the loose twigs and leafy growth.
The sunset was beautiful. Molten gold washed the sky, followed by warm, rosy pinks, radiant oranges, and fiery reds. The sun sank lazily beyond the horizon, tinting the clouds something of a pinkish-red. The tops of the sky was awash with cool blues, a vibrant purple color, and a few fingers of a greenish haze wavered about like brightly colored snakes. On the other side of the horizon, the moon had started to rise, a bright white contrasting with the array of colors blotting the sky.
Celeste sighed. "As if God himself took a paintbrush and colored it," she murmured happily, setting herself in a comfortably niche in the knot of branches she was sitting on.
There was a loud, arousing cheer from behind her, followed by screams of happiness, the loud thump of many people running around, and all together, the odd chorus of jubilation from the house that won. Celeste yawned and rested her head against the trunk of the tree.
*Who won?* she asked her brother, who was amongst all of the chaos in the Great Hall.
*Gryffindor. Who else?* came the snappish, annoyed reply. *They always do! It isn't fair! We lost by one point! ONE POINT!* he screamed.
Celeste sighed, and peeked at the sunset again. The sky was too beautiful, the weather was too perfect, and she was too content to get worked up over something stupid like the House Cup.
*Later, later. Tell me later. I'm kinda busy right now,* Celeste protested. She cut the telepathic link and looked down at the lush carpet of foliage that was the Forbidden Forest in every shade of green imaginable, spreading at her feet like an oversized tapestry.
"Yeah, Celeste. You're busy doing nothing," Celeste scolded herself, smiling at her own foolishness.
It didn't matter. She was spontaneously happy, and life was perfect.
For now.
# # #
"Celeste, you can sit next to me," Katelin Kormic declared, grabbing Celeste's hand and yanking her towards one of the train compartments.
Celeste turned and waved to the Slytherins, who were boarding on five cars farthest from the engine.
"Bye you all! See you next year. Love you, mean it, ciao!" she shouted. Some of the Slytherins turned and waved back timidly, while others just stared awkwardly at the copper-robed figure that disappeared in the swirl of black robes that was the rest of the school. A boy named Carl Ligmon poked Draco in the ribs.
"She's an odd one, your sister," he pointed out to him.
Draco sighed. "That she is. Now move it," he said coldly, giving Carl a slight shove up the stairs.
Meanwhile, Celeste and her dragons had climbed into a compartment that was slightly closer to the front of the train, and flopped into one of the maroon chairs.
"Well, that's another year come and gone," Katelin said as the train started to rumble into movement.
"Well, yes. I don't know whether to consider that a curse or a blessing," she sighed as Nightshade twirled Celeste's staff around her scaly fingers like a baton.
"I'd consider that a blessing. You passed the school year, and you get an entire summer of rest. Doesn't that sound fine?" Katelin asked dreamily as Celeste snatched her staff back from Nightshade.
"I guess so, Kate," Celeste replied heavily, calling Katelin by her pet name. As the castle that was Hogwarts disappeared behind a large hill, she started munching on her lips.
"Make that half a summer of rest," she mumbled gloomily as she thought of her soon to be family reunion.
# # #
"Kate! Celeste! Nightshade! Sunsmear! Over here, over here!" came the shrilly welcoming voice of Cindy Kormic over the hum of the crowd.
Celeste's face, which had been solemn and frowning since the beginning of the trip, broke into a wide grin when she heard that voice. It had been a while since she had had any kind of mothering, and she was fully ready to go back to the farm and be pampered by Cindy Kormic's cooking and such.
"Oh my dears, it's been so long! How was school? My, but Celeste, you're so skinny! What have they been feeding you? Kate, how did the exams go? And how are my favorite reptilian rascals?" Cindy babbled, trying to hug them all, ask questions, and grab their luggage at the same time. Celeste smiled even wider when Cindy started fussing over the events with the two reptile things and the Wild magic ("You could have been hurt! What were you thinking?")
Martin just chuckled at his wife and grabbed the two trunk carts and started pushing them, with a wink to Celeste.
"How was the school year, Celeste?" he asked her.
"Very interesting," Celeste replied honestly, with a slight smile on her lips.
"That's good. The Pegasteeds have been asking for you ever since you left. They'll be glad that you're back," he said with a slight grunt as he heaved the two heavy carts forward.
"I suppose that I'll have a lot of explaining to do, won't I?" she asked him, fully grinning by now.
Martin laughed a bit. "That you will, missy, that you will."
And with that, they all piled their belongings in the back of an old Ford station wagon and drove to the farm, with Mr. Kormic driving erratically.
# # #
The first thing Celeste thought when she walked in the Kormic household was complete happiness and contentment. Everything was the same as she had left it. The furniture was in the same arrangement, the house still smelled of lemon cleaner, orange peelings, a bit of wood mustiness, and a faint trace of vanilla tobacco, and there was a pot on the stove that was burbling over with something delicious smelling. It was all the same, and Celeste loved it.
Running up to her room, she flopped on the bed, even loving the pinkness of it. Rolling over onto her side, she smiled at a single rose that was resting in a slightly chipped crystal vase. Nightshade and Sunsmear came in and fell onto the bed with her, drawing their long tails up under their snouts, and giving a slight wheeze of happiness. They were glad to be back too.
With two five-foot dragons curled up on the bed with her it was rather crowded, so she decided to get up. The dragons had fallen asleep and paid her no heed. Stripping out of her long mage robes, she clambered into a pair of old jeans and a black shirt. As much as she loved her robes, muggle clothes were so much more familiar and comfortable. Grabbing her staff (she knew that she didn't need it, but she had grown to like the look of it), she sprinted down the stairs and ran out into the green pastures of the Kormic's farm.
A gentle breeze blew, sending the farmlike smells of warm hay, sunbaked grass and animal feed to her nostrils. Celeste breathed deeply, trying to fill her nose, lungs and body with the sweet scent. There was nothing like it.
A nicker from behind her brought her out of her trance.
--I see you're back,-- the voice said.
Celeste smiled. --It's good to see you too, Inca.--
--So, how was school?-- the Pegasteed asked.
Celeste was in no mood for small talk. Whirling around quickly, she threw her arms around the horse's neck, and gave it a small squeeze.
--You don't know how good it is to be back,-- she whispered. --You don't know.--
--I can see. Well, you can tell me all about it.--
The twosome walked around the fields together, not really doing much but talking. Celeste told Inca about Hogwarts, the two reptile things that she had fought, and about finding that Draco Malfoy was her brother, and knowing nothing about it. But she refrained from telling Inca about the reunion with her family that was supposedly taking place around the middle of summer.
--You abruptly stopped,-- Inca pointed out. --Something's wrong.--
--Well, not exactly.--
--Something's wrong,-- Inca persisted. --You're not a good liar, Celeste Malfoy.--
--All right, if you must know, I'm only spending half of the summer here. The other half I'm going back to the Malfoys, to meet my real family.--
Inca gave something of a disapproving snort, but did nothing. Noting this, Celeste talked on.
--I should be happy, thrilled, I suppose. But I'm not. I'm nervous, and I don't really want to go. I'd rather stay.--
--If you have living relatives, you should go. They have a right to see you, and take you back if they want to. But you are nervous for a good reason. If I had a knut, so the wizards say, for everytime I overheard an unsavory comment about the Malfoy family, I'd be a gallionare by now,-- Inca said with a touch of scorn in her voice.
--What do you mean?-- Celeste asked, curious.
--Supposedly,-- Inca began, --the Malfoys are deeply involved in the Dark Arts. They hate all muggle borns and muggles themselves, but worst of all, they are incredibly good as hiding it. Nobody has any proof of anything. The Malfoys claim that they got brainwashed, but nobody believes them. But there's no proof to prove those claims false. Plus, they're a very influential family, ridiculously rich and the like. And that's all I know. I hear Martin and his hired hands talking about it all of the time.--
Celeste felt like a giant had taken an icy hand and squeezed her insides with it. Was that what people thought of her when they heard her name? She felt suddenly chilly and ancient, and she didn't like the feeling.
--Great. That doesn't make it any better. I'm a member of an unscrupulous, prejudiced, evil-worshiping family. Perfect. Marvelous,-- Celeste groaned.
Inca shook her head. --You've got bad blood in you, Celeste, I won't deny it. But that doesn't mean that you have to be evil. You do whatever you want to do. Don't forget it. Look, there's Cindy. It's time for your dinner. It was nice talking to you, dearie.--
Celeste smiled faintly at Inca's mothering. --You too, you old feed bag. I'll see you later.--
Inca gave something of a smile before trotting off. Celeste, having some food for thought, walked slowly back to the old farmhouse.
# # #
Dinner that night was delicious, ravioli that was literally dripping in rich tomato sauce fresh baked bread, and garden salad. It was clear that Mrs. Kormic had really outdone herself for their return, and even Celeste was able to forget her problems as she ate and chatted lively with the Kormic family.
"Yeah, and the only subject I didn't get an OWL in was Potions," Katelin finished gloomily. Martin shook his head.
"Figures. Not anything bad against you, Katelin. Just...certain people grade on a severe curve, I guess you'd say. Ah well, how'd you do Celeste?"
"Err, well, I got an OWL in everything. Including Potions."
Cindy looked at her. "Very good, dear. And you didn't tell us yet, how was your year? We got a play-by-play analysis from Katelin, but nothing out of you yet."
Celeste stiffened slightly. "It was very...Interesting," she stuttered. She then quickly averted her attention to Sumsmear, who was getting tomato sauce all over the place.
Martin and Cindy looked at each other. "Interesting? That's all you have to say about your first year in the wizarding world?" Martin asked.
"Well, it *was* interesting. I made some friends...Learned about some subjects ...umm ...ummm.." she trailed off, blushing at the strange looks that the Kormics were giving her.
Twisting her napkin in her lap, Celeste threw all caution to the winds. "I.... I learned that I had a telepathic connection with...someone..."
Martin nearly threw his fork across the table in surprise. "A telepathic connection?! With whom?!"
"My...my...my..my..." Celeste started, the napkin in her lap now a tight rope.
Cindy nodded. "Your..." she said slowly, trying to pull the word out of Celeste's mouth. Celeste swallowed.
"Brother," she said abruptly. "Draco Malfoy. Ever heard of him?"
There was silence after she dropped this bombshell. The Kormics looked at each other in surprise. "A telepathic connection with your brother? You mean... you can speak mind-to-mind?" Katelin asked, thunderstruck.
"Well, yes, I suppose that that would be a good way to put it," Celeste said, reaching over the table for her glass of milk.
"When did you find out about this?" Cindy asked.
"Remember the day that Sunsmear stole your wand and I got teleported away? That's when I found out. It was like deja vu the moment I saw Draco. It was like... like I had seen him before and I knew him. It's hard to explain," Celeste said after she had put her milk down.
"I see," Martin said. "Now, what's going to happen, since you know who your real family is?" he asked.
Celeste swallowed. "I'm-I'm only spending half of the summer here. The other half I'm going back to Malfoy Manor... do you mind?" she asked quietly. She had to tell them sooner or later, but she was sorry that it had to be the first day she came back. Now there would be a gray raincloud hanging over everybody for the next month.
"Do the Malfoys know about this?" Cindy finally asked, awkwardly.
"Well, not exactly. It's going to be a surprise. For everybody, I suppose," Celeste finished ruefully.
There was more silence. Celeste sat until she thought that she could take it no longer. The quiet air seemed to be pressing into her from all sides, making it hard to breathe. Finally, she stood up.
"It's late and I'm tired. I think I'll be off to bed now. Nightshade, Sunsmear?" she called. The dragons got up and obediently followed her up the stairs into her pink room. The Kormics sat quietly until they could hear the door to Celeste's room close.
Cindy got up. "Katelin, dear, it is late. Why don't you go upstairs? Dad'll take care of chores tonight."
Katelin knew by her mother's tone of voice that this was not a time to disagree. "Yeah, Mum, sure." She got up out of her chair and left.
When she was gone, Cindy suddenly got up and started picking up plates and cups, while banging pots and pans around the sink.
Martin winced. "Is something the matter?" he asked stupidly.
"Yes, something's the matter! Celeste's leaving, and doesn't that bother you?!" she asked angrily, while swinging her wand like a club to wash the dishes.
"Well, we aren't her family, Cindy. She should have gone back a long time ago," he reasoned.
Cindy sighed. "I just don't think that she'll do too well over at the Malfoy household, if you know what I mean."
Martin laughed. "She'll do about as well as a fish does out of water! But that's not the point. Just don't worry about it too much. I have a feeling that Lucius is going to have his hands full when she gets over there."
Cindy smiled. "That he will. I guess you're right," she sighed.
Meanwhile, Celeste was up in her room, lying on her bed. She had a lot to think about, and it was all giving her a terrible headache. Rolling over onto her stomach, she looked at the pink wall and sighed. Some summer this was going to be. Rolling over again, Celeste Malfoy fell into slumber.
# # #
The thing that Celeste probably liked most about the farm was the fact that there were so many things to do, nearly all of them pleasant, and never any hurry about getting them done. Sure, there were chores and the like, but Celeste thought those fun, and went about her busy happily. After the first week or so, she had even forgotten about going to the Malfoy residence in mid-July.
One day, while riding around on Inca, with Sunsmear and Nightshade trotting along beside her, an owl intercepted them.
It was a large, brown owl, which perched on her shoulder and squawked a hello. From its talons hung a roll of parchment. Celeste took it and read it over.
Celeste-
I know I could be communicating to you by telepathic linking, but I don't want Father or Mother coming up from behind me when I do so. Is July fourteenth good for you? That's around the middle of summer. Write back.
-Draco
Celeste sighed, and had Inca take her back to her room. The owl and two dragons followed her upstairs. Making sure that nobody was around, she took out a quill and a slightly rumpled piece of parchment. Putting her tongue between her teeth, Celeste wet the tip of the quill and wrote.
Draco-
Yeah, the fourteenth is good for me. I'll just ride one of the Pegasteeds over there, I guess I'll see you soon.
-Celeste
Folding the parchment up, she handed it to the owl, which squawked again and took flight. As she watched the bird soar around the sky, she quickly counted on her fingers.
"Today is July tenth, that means that..." she trailed off as she ticked days off on her fingers. Her eyes widened when she finished.
"That's four days from now!" she squeaked to herself. "Too soon, I'm not ready yet!"
Nightshade, sensing something wrong with her adopted mother, trotted over to Celeste and sat on her haunches next to her. She whimpered slightly, and Celeste patted her head.
"We're going off again in four days, Nightshade," she sighed quietly. She hadn't talked to Draco about bringing the dragons over, but if Draco wanted Celeste to meet his family, then Celeste's dragons were coming over too.
"Celeste! Dinner!" called Cindy up the stairs. Dropping her quill, Celeste followed her two dragons down the stairs.
# # #
Draco twirled his napkin ring around his finger nervously, only picking at his food. Three days had passed since he had sent that letter to Celeste and got a reply. She was coming tomorrow, and his parents were totally oblivious to the fact, that made him even more nervous.
He had planned everything out perfectly. The fourteenth of July was a day that the ministry had off, so he could rest assured his father would be home all day. For his mother, he had been intercepting the mail everyday, and burning party invitations and other social invites before the servants or his mother herself could get them. Everything was perfectly set up for Celeste to make a grand entrance.
"Draco, you're not eating," came a frosty voice from the left of him. Jumping three feet in the air, he whirled his head around to be rewarded by an icy blue stare from his mother.
Mrs. Malfoy was a very elegant creature by ways of body shape. Her skin was whiter than angel food cake, her fingers were thin and nimble, and she always sat in perfect posture. This contrasted against her dark brown hair, which was nearly always pulled into a bun, and icy blue eyes. She looked much like a porcelain doll that was not for playing with, for it was too delicate to handle.
"I'm fine, Mother," Draco replied clearly, feeling his father's gaze descend upon him as well. Draco didn't like his parents staring at him like this. It made him nervous beyond description.
Mrs. Malfoy finally broke the staring contest and went back to eating her dinner in silence. Silence. The only thing that could be heard was silence, and it was so loud it made Draco's ears ring. Draco wanted to speak, just to hear some sound, but sound didn't seem to exist.
The silence was too powerful.
# # #
Celeste climbed up in the tallest, strongest tree in the Kormic's property. She remembered the sunset that she had seen the last night she was at Hogwarts, and she felt that she needed the color. The goodbyes that day had seemed to drain it all out of her.
Hoisting herself up the branches, she sighed. She didn't want to leave, and yet she did. She loved the farm and all of its occupants, but they weren't her real family. Her real family lived somewhere in a manor, and that's where she was going tomorrow. It was a lot to absorb.
Finally reaching the top branches, Celeste pushed the leaves that were in her way apart, and gazed at the sky.
There was no sunset that night, a bluish twilight settled about the sky like some sort of mystical fog, and Celeste sighed as she looked at it. It was pretty, but she would have preferred to see warm colors splash against the sky.
The one thing that would be a relief about Malfoy Manor was that there would still be sunsets, and Celeste could still look at them.
Watching some silver-edged clouds float about the sky, Celeste bit her lip slightly before watching the moonrise. She didn't know what to think about what would come tomorrow.
After nearly fifteen long years, Celeste Malfoy was going home.
# # #
I'm sitting in the railway station,
'got a ticket for my destination.
On a tour of one-night stands my suitcase and guitar in hand,
and Ev'ry stop is neatly planned for a poet and one-man band.
I wish I was,
Homeward Bound,
Home where my thought's escaping,
Home where the music's playing,
Home where my love lies waiting,
Silently for me.....
# # #
Author's Note: This is obviously a continuation of 'Wild Child', because I was reading it through, and I saw all of the plot holes in it! This sequel was supposed to be out a long time ago, but I got side tracked by 'The Attack', and NOSS (Nobles, Orphans, Street rats and Scholars), was about five installments longer then it was supposed to be....-_-. I got the idea when I was listening to the radio and I heard 'Homeward Bound' on the radio! (My computer is REALLY screwed up, so if the Italics are off or anything, that's why. The spellchecker is broken two, which isn't a good thing....^_^;;)
Disclaimer: Celeste Malfoy is mine, this particular version of Mrs. Malfoy is mine (but the idea for her belongs to J.K. Rowling!), the Kormics are mine, Sunsmear and Nightshade are mine! The idea for Wild magic is not mine, all characters that J.K. Rowling made up are not mine, and the song 'Do you Believe in Magic' belongs to whomever wrote and sung it (I don't know who!) and 'Homeward Bound' belongs to Simon and Garfunkle! That's it, I think...