Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Chapter Two: Piscifors
"Who was the first person to be struck of the Black family tapestry, Miss Black?"
Annastazia looked up to see her pure blood etiquette teacher staring at her from the head of the table.
Mrs Leach was a nasty, old woman who liked to pick on Annastazia because her father married a McKinnon.
Mrs Leach just didn't like that Annastazia had more pure blood in her pinky finger than Mrs Leach had in her whole body.
The only reason Mrs Leach was allowed to teach etiquette to a bunch of promising pure bloods was that she was a descendant of Casper Crouch, who was one of the wealthiest people alive in wizarding Britain at the time.
"Eduardus Black." She answered, lazily.
Annastazia knew her family tree off by heart, and did not need to practise memorising the different branches.
Mrs Leach then moved and snarled a question at Millicent Bulstrode, who was at the far end of the table.
Pansy Parkinson, who was sitting opposite to Annastazia, sent her a sweet smile that made Annastazia want to be sick.
Pansy wasn't trying to be nice, she was just trying to be her friend so that Uncle Lucius would invite the Parkinsons to dine at Malfoy Manor again.
Uncle Lucius said he wasn't going to invite the Parkinsons again because of what happened in April.
Lord and Lady Parkinson and their daughter Pansy were invited to dine with Uncle Lucius, Aunt Narcissa, Draco and Annastazia in Malfoy Manor.
Lady Parkinson and Aunt Narcissa didn't really get along but they hid their dislike because they were pure blood ladies and were expected to get along.
Half way through dessert, Lady Parkinson made a comment about Aunt Narcissa being illegitimate, a half blood and that Druella Black was secretly in love with a muggle.
Pansy laughed and said that her mother was absolutely right.
This made Aunt Narcissa angry because she definitely wasn't illegitimate and her mother wasn't in love with a muggle.
Aunt Narcissa and Lady Parkinson had a huge argument that ended in Lady Parkinson throwing chocolate gateau all over Aunt Narcissa's new designer dress robes.
Annastazia and Draco watched in amazement when Pansy began to cry like a muggle baby and proclaim that the only reason that her mother was acting like a crazy person, was that Aunt Narcissa was mental.
After that happened, Uncle Lucius told the Parkinson's to get out and to take their devil spawn with them.
Pansy was not allowed back into Malfoy Manor, where they usually held their pure blood classes, so today they were holding the class at Nott Manor.
Annastazia was good friends with Theodore Nott because he didn't like muggle hunting and she didn't either.
She was sat between Theodore and Neville Longbottom, who's parents fought for the light side.
Neville only attended etiquette classes because his grandmother made him.
Annastazia was also Neville's ball room dancing parter.
Neville was a good friend but he couldn't dance to save his life.
When the class was dismissed, everybody left except Draco and Annastazia because they were going to have lunch at Nott Manor.
"Are you exited to go to Diagon Alley this year?" Theodore asked them, as the walked towards the benches in the garden.
Annastazia loved Nott Manor's garden. Not only did it not hold those pesky garden nomes, the garden also had the pervasive smell of roses, one of Annastazia's favourite flowers.
"Not really." Draco shrugged. "We go every year."
"It's special, Draco. We're going to get our equipment that we need to start Hogwarts..." Annastazia said.
She sat down on the bench nearest to the the flower bed that held the sweet peas.
Sweet peas were her absolute favourite flower in the world, not just because of their intoxicatingly beautiful smell, but because Sweet pea was what her Grandfather Abraxas called her.
To the naked muggle eye, Abraxas Malfoy would be seen as cold, unforgiving and malicious, but to Annastazia, her Grandfather Abraxas was the most kind person you'd ever meet. Abraxas showered her in love and gifts and Grandfather Abraxas favoured her to his own heir, Draco. Perhaps it was because she was a girl, and Grandfather Abraxas spoiled her because he did not have a daughter. Who knows...
But, back to the topic of Hogwarts...
"Hogwarts." Draco spat. "What a pathetic excuse for a school. You know Theodore, Father wanted to send me to Durmstrang and Annastazia to Beuxbatons but Mother wanted us close to home so we could come back to the Manor in the holidays."
Draco liked to rant a lot about how muggle borns and muggles infect the wizarding world.
One could say he inherited his Father's hate for muggles.
"My Father thinks if I go to Hogwarts I will get to see how dirty the mud bloods and muggle lovers are and I will agree to go muggle hunting with him." Said Theodore, with a smirk on his face.
Annastazia zoned out as the boys gossiped about Dumbledore, Hogwarts and if there was any way to get food and drink in between lessons.
"Do you ever wonder" Annastazia interrupted "What would happen if we're not put into Slytherin."
Sharing a glance, the boys stopped talking and looked at Annastazia.
"Annastazia..." Draco said quietly. "Your not insinuating you want to be in Gryffindor, are you?"
"No! Of course not! Why would I?"
"Because Father will be mad if he thinks you inherited-" Draco looked behind him, and then in a hushed voice said. "-the gene..."
Theodore shifted uncomfortably and Annastazia gasped.
The gene...
Noble and Ancient houses think that there is a 'gene' some of the people in their family inherit, which makes them a blood traitor.
Annastazia was lucky, very lucky, that her Uncle Lucius and Aunt Narcissa wanted to take her in because Annastazia had a higher chance of inheriting 'the gene' because her Father was a blood traitor.
Her Father...
She almost scowled at the thought of him.
It wasn't a hidden fact in her family that her Father was a blood-traitor, so it made it hard for her to merge into pure blood society.
And her Mother...
Her Mother died of suspicious circumstances but everyone knew it was her Father, but why he wasn't convicted with her murder nobody knows. The rest of the McKinnons were brutally murdered by severing hexes at their manor house in Kent.
Her whole family, the Black and McKinnon sides, was shrouded in mystery. Her Grandfather Orian's night time wander, which he never returned from, her Grandmother Walburga's alcohol problem and suicide after being drove to insanity after both of her sons left her and how her Uncle Regulus's life was viciously taken by death eaters after getting cold feet about the noble cause.
She was the last of the Blacks, and she was determined to make sure she made her dead relatives proud, so that meant she had to get into Slytherin.
"Of course I don't, Draco. Stop being stupid." Annastazia said.
"Yes but you just said-" Continued Draco.
"Theodore, is lunch ready?" Asked Annastazia, interrupting Draco.
"Should be. Do you want to head inside?" Theodore said.
Annastazia nodded.
As they walked inside, Annastazia could feel Draco's eyes burning holes in the side of her head, so she turned around to look at him but he turned away.
"To answer your earlier question, Annastazia. I think that when we were born we had a path set for us, and we can not change it. Say we ended up in...Gryffindor" Theodore spat the name out like poison. "There is nothing we can do to change that. The lowly qualities of a Gryffindor would be imbedded in us, and we can not change that. So, we could already be on our way to becoming blood traitors. Scary, isn't it?"
Yes, very scary.
Annastazia knew that if she was put in Gryffindor, she would probably be kicked out of the household. Ravenclaw would be alright, that was acceptable. Being a Hufflepuff would be a death sentence. However, being in Slytherin could open gateways to things she never knew possible and get her a higher standing in pure blood society, so if Annastazia has to choose what house she'd be in, it would definitely be Slytherin.
They entered the dining room to see Lady Nott already sat at the dining room table.
"Annastazia, Draco. How lovely it is to see you again." She greeted.
Annastazia and Draco took this as a sign that they were allowed to sit down so they did.
"It's just soup for lunch, but the vegetables are organic." Lady Nott said, watching a house elf dish out some soup for her.
"It looks simply delicious, Lady Nott." Annastazia complimented.
Lunch passed quickly, and soon it was time to go back to Malfoy Manor. One of the Nott's house elf took them home. Draco moaning all the way up the drive way about him having to see Aunt Narcissa's mother, Druella Black, tomorrow. Personally, Annastazia didn't know what all the fuss was about. Annastazia would loved to be spoilt by her own Grandparents but her Grandmother was dead and her Grandfather was missing presumed dead. She did have Grandfather Abraxas, Uncle Lucius's Father, but he had failing health, and she had not seen him for six months.
As soon as they entered the Manor, Draco rushed up the grand staircase to probably sulk in his room. Annastazia, however, made her way to the drawing room. It would probably be empty since Aunt Narcissa went to buy new robes in Paris with Lady Greengrass for the afternoon. Annastazia could probably read a book about potions.
Annastazia loved potions. She loved how you'd have to follow precise instructions to get it right and how half a hour of simmering can produce many life saving medicines.
When she got to the drawing room, she found that it was already occupied.
"Oh, Annastazia, your back. Before I forget to tell you, we are having the Minister and Mr Crouch over for dinner tomorrow." Her Uncle Lucius said.
Uncle Lucius was probably sorting out the Malfoy Family businesses and accounts because he was not at the Ministry.
"Of course, Uncle Lucius." Annastazia nodded politely.
She would always agree with her Uncle Lucius and tell him that she'd be honoured to attend dinner with the Minister, but in her brain she wanted to scream and shout that she didn't actually like the Minister.
Another dinner with the Minister would kill her.
The Minister was nice, but liked to act like he was her Uncle or Father or something. Every time a boy, for example: Blaise Zabini, would come near her, the Minister would shoo him away and tell him that they were just going to get food and they didn't have time to chat.
He also liked to dish food onto her plate for her and ask whether or not she was going to work at the ministry when she was older, all the time.
Every time he said that, Uncle Lucius would give her a look that clearly meant 'You are never going to work a day in your life. You will be married into a Noble and Ancient house and be a good pure blood wife and give birth to a new, noble generation of Blacks'
However, Annastazia actually like Mr Crouch.
He made social occasions and annual balls bearable.
He'd even given her a guided tour of the Ministry once, something that Uncle Lucius frowned upon.
Mr Crouch was also good friends with Mr Bagman, who she found great fun.
Last October, Annastazia was invited round Mr Crouch's house for dinner and found out he also invited Mr Bagman.
She didn't like him at first, but when he offered her a glass of elf made wine, Annastazia started to warm up to him.
Annastazia didn't actually drink the wine though, Mr Crouch took it off her because she was 'too young to be consuming a dangerous substance like alcohol.'
"Is Mr Bagman coming as well?" Annastazia asked, as Uncle Lucius lifted his eyes from the parchment to look at her.
"Would you like him to come?" Uncle Lucius asked.
Annastazia nodded her head vigorously.
"Very well then. I will invite Mr Bagman." Uncle Lucius said.
Annastazia was just going to thank him when her Uncle said something else.
"I think I'll drop you and Draco of at Diagon Alley tomorrow. We can buy your Hogwarts things and some more books, if you'd like ." Uncle Lucius added.
Annastazia smiled slightly.
"Dinner will be served in a three hours so make sure your there." Uncle Lucius stated.
Knowing that Uncle Lucius probably wanted space when doing his work, Annastazia quickly left the room and started to climb the grand staircase to her room. On the wall there were portraits of the deceased Malfoy family members which used to give Annastazia nightmares as a very young child and still drove shivers up her spine. Annastazia had to climb three flights of stairs before she reached the top floor, which was her's and Draco's. As she walked passed Draco's room, she resisted the urge of barging into his room and telling him to stop being a spoiled brat. Continuing along the corridor, she reached a door that had Annastazia elegantly painted on it in emerald. She pushed the door open and walked in.
Annastazia room was filled with expensive robes, jewellery and furniture. Her curtains alone were the cost of half a years working wizard's annual pay. She opened the drapes around the double four poster bed and sighed.
Whilst most wizarding children would be exited to go to Hogwarts, Annastazia was scared to. What if she was sorted into Gryffindor? The thought chilled her to the bone. She would be declared a blood traitor and probably would never be able to talk to her family again.
Speaking of family...
She hadn't noticed her nanny elf dusting her book shelves so nearly had a heart attack when she spotted him.
"Dobby!" She gasped.
Dobby had practically raised her since she was a year old, so Dobby was her favourite house elf out of all the elves serving the Malfoy family.
"Dobby is sorry to have bothered Miss Black! Dobby shall punish himself..." Squeaked Dobby.
Annastazia watched in horror as Dobby lifted a heavy book of the shelf and went to whack himself with it.
Quickly, Annastazia snatched the book out of Dobby's hands and threw it on her bed.
"Dobby! What are you doing?" Annastazia hissed.
It was a stupid question. Annastazia of course knew exactly what the elf was doing but couldn't think why he'd do it at that moment.
"Dobby bothered Miss Black! Dobby should be punished!" Dobby cried.
Without warning, Dobby took off towards the bed to reach the book. Annastazia had no choice but to physically stop him. She grabbed him by the waist and picked him up. She could feel his ribs and Annastazia knew he was barely being fed.
"Dobby, why don't you go down to the kitchens and help yourself to some food." Annastazia shouted over the wailing and crying that was coming from the elf.
"Miss Black is too kind to Dobby!" Dobby sobbed and left the room with a pop.
Before Annastazia could process what had just happened, she found her self looking at the book on her bed.
'The Complete Book of Spells'
Curious, Annastazia opened the book to a random page.
VULNERA SANENTUR
Used to heal injuries ranging from minor cuts to deep gashes. When repeated three times in a row it has maximum effect.
Impressed, Annastazia flicked to another page in the book.
PROTEGO HORRIBILIS
Provides some form of protection against dark magic.
Raising an eyebrow, Annastazia would have to remember this one because she was always surrounded by former death eaters.
Annastazia flicked through the book and soon got lost in it's pages.
PISCIFORS
Transfigures an enemy into a fish.
Annastazia laughed. She could imagine Draco as a fish.
PERICULUM
Allows caster to send out red sparks from their
ORCHIDEOUS
Makes a bouquet of flowers appear out of the casters wand
She got half way through the book when she realised it was nearly time for Dinner.
As she went down the stairs and into the dining room, she had one thought only lingering in the back of her head.
Annastazia was going to turn Draco into a fish.
Edit: This chapter was removed and edited
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