Chapter 3: Warnings

William Featherby was a trustworthy man. But, given the situation, he would have to put the trust a certain family had in him at risk.

He bustles across the darkened grounds, his pace rather speedy for a man his size. Beads of perspiration dot his brow as his rotund stomach bobs up and down awkwardly from his frazzled movements. A slightly chilled wind rustles the leaves and his bushy walrus mustache. Apart from that momentary relief, the whole experience was not a very enjoyable one. He was almost positive this was not in his job description.

Growing up, he had lived in a strict pureblooded family that wanted nothing but the best for their children. His father, the second William Featherby, was a man of morals that would make the most innocent person squirm. He heartily believed in pureblood supremacy, therefore agreeing with everything He Who Must Not Be Named stood for. His mother, Victoria, was also the same. There was a part of him that believed she honestly did not care about the blood that ran through a person's veins, that it was all a ploy to keep her husband happy. She would never admit it, though, if it were even true.

William was placed in Slytherin house during his Hogwarts days, much to the delight of his parents. He was told he must follow in the footsteps of his eldest sister Marie. The path she made, he soon discovered, was one that took her into the elite circle of high-class families who most likely had kin that were Death Eaters. Marie was closely acquainted to a girl by the name of Bellatrix, though the latter did not seem to care too much for her. Marie became obsessed with the older girl, wanting to be just like her. The fascination grew to such an extent she traded her blond locks for an ebony color that did not suit her at all. William watched as his sister slowly descended into mania, signing up to become a Death Eater fresh out of school. William would not let himself be pulled into the same thing. He did not believe in it.

Upon his graduation, he was left with an important decision: follow the lifestyle of his (deranged) sister or create a new path? He considered both options—joining the purebloods in their plot to rid the world of Muggle-borns and half bloods did not seem very enticing but what else was there for him to do? The idea hit him like a lightning strike. His parents always told him that if he did not stand for something, he would most likely fall for anything. So why not stand against what his family was for? He would aid his fellow wizards in the task of ridding the world of the insufferable supremacists. After his leave of Hogwarts, he took up work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, initially training to become a Hit Wizard.

He was swiftly disowned from his family.

After a year or two, he realized becoming a Hit Wizard was just not within his metaphorical reach. So after much consideration, he took up a post within the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol. He could assist in fighting bad wizards that way. He quickly worked his way up the ladder, eventually heading the division. His family looked down upon him as if he were scum. Victoria cried herself to sleep many a night over the loss of her son. Her husband wrote him out of his will. Marie continued acting like someone she was not but when she finally realized Bellatrix did not like her, she tried to jump off of a bridge but her suicide attempt failed. Now she resides in St. Mungo's, seemingly oblivious to her brother's life.

Throughout his school years, William bonded with the sister of the girl his own sibling fawned over. She was a small thing with bright blond hair that did not seem to fit in with her family. Going by the name Narcissa, she would cling to William for support through her tumultuous first year and the transition from life at home to life at school. He acted as the brother she had never had, and to this very day she admired him for that. With that being said, it was no wonder she came to him for help years after he had last seen her.

He had been working in his office, going over a new case that was proving quite difficult. He toyed with the end of his mustache, silently mulling over the words written across the parchment in a spidery scrawl. A knock sounded on his door.

"Come in," he had called. He was unaware that he was expecting visitors.

A tall and slender woman entered, eyeing him warily from her position by the door. He was not sure he recognized her but he welcomed her in nonetheless.

"I was not sure who to come to," she began once she was seated. "But I remember all you did for me and how you told me that you would be there for me no matter what."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly not following. The woman smiled thinly and removed the hood of her robes. William gasped.

"Narcissa Black?" he asked incredulously.

"It is actually Narcissa Malfoy now but yes, that is me."

He leaned back in his chair, a low whistle emitting from his pursed lips. "Well this is certainly interesting. I've not seen you for years, my dear!"

"I know, and it is certainly a shame. You were always a wonderful friend. People such as yourself are hard to come by." She smiled again, this time a bit warmer. Silence persisted between the two, William watching as something flickered in her blue eyes. Suddenly, Narcissa burst into tears.

"Oh, my," he said helplessly, jumping slightly from the force of her emotions.

"I-I'm a horrible person, Will," she wailed. "She'll never forgive me!"

"Darling Narcissa, please do not cry." He sat himself in the seat beside her, hugging her comfortingly. "Now do you think you can tell me what the problem seems to be?"

She sniffled pathetically, instantly aware of how ridiculous she looked. She mentally shook it off and sighed. "I…I need your help finding someone. She's gone missing and I really must know where she is."

"Okay then," he said with a reassuring grin. "I believe I can do that for you."

She nodded thankfully. "Are you sure, though? I don't want to burden you with anything. I know how busy your department is now."

"It won't be a problem. Just tell me who we're looking for and we'll begin."

Her mouth opened a fraction as if she was going to speak but it snapped shut before she said anything. She was not sure how much she should really say. "Her name is Artemis."

William stood and crossed the room, flicking his wand at a quill that immediately began writing on a spare piece of parchment. "Artemis what?"

"I-I can't say."

He stared at her, dumbfounded. "You what?"

"I can't say."

"Do you not know?"

"I…" She paused, thinking for a moment. "No, I don't know. But I know what she looks like. Does that help?"

He nodded slowly. "I suppose that could work. Describe her appearance for me, will you?"

Narcissa began rattling off the physical description of the missing person. William jabbed his wand at a piece of charcoal that started sketching a face. He rummaged through a filing cabinet in the corner of his office, attempting to find something on the person Narcissa was looking for. Something did not sit right with him. She seemed oddly hesitant when he asked for the last name. He was certain she did know. But why would she not tell him? Was there something wrong with this person? Was she dangerous? Was she on the run from something? His suspicions were doubled when Narcissa quickly added before leaving,

"Will, you can't tell anyone of this."

He yearned for answers, answers he knew he would never get. So he did not press her any further, choosing to simply nod and return to his work. Helping his old friend had probably not been a very wise decision.

Over the next few years, the two were hard at work to find this girl supposedly called Artemis. William began doubting the validity of this person when every trail they found ended with nothing valuable, thrusting them back to the beginning of their vain search. As the days went on, Narcissa grew more frantic and William more irritated. There was no one with the name that fit the description and vice versa. Artemis was either a myth or she did not want to be found. Thankfully, the blond woman saw that nothing would become of their efforts and gave up.

"I apologize, William," she told him one night. He had been sitting at home, finishing up dinner himself as his wife was out of town. A knock on the door startled him almost as much as the sound the glass he had dropped made as it hit the floor. Cursing after he repaired the cup, he answered the door to find Narcissa standing there, alone and dejected, on his front porch.

"There is no need for that," he admonished. The pair was sitting on his sofa drinking firewhiskey.

"No, there is. I brought you on some wild goose chase when you already had enough on your plate."

"I was helping a friend, Narcissa. I would do it any time. And anyway, I'm sure you have just as much on your plate."

She smiled and inched ever closer to him. "You were always such an amazing friend. I liked you so very much for that." Slowly, she leaned towards him, gently placing her lips against his. William was shocked, to say the least. He admitted to himself that he had liked her as more than a friend but that was when he was a child. Now, he was grown with a wife and child of his own. But he loved Narcissa Black. Not Narcissa Malfoy.

And that was why he pushed her away.

"I-I'm so sorry," she said, standing hastily. "I must be going." She nearly ran outside to the Apparition point. William was flabbergasted.

It was some time later when he gathered the nerve to see Narcissa again. He was unsure of a good enough reason to do so, however. Finally, he settled on venturing to Malfoy Manor to congratulate them on their son going off to Hogwarts. It was pathetic, he knew, but he felt the urge to see his old friend again. He took a deep breath before rapping smartly against the door with the cool brass knocker. A little elf answered.

"What is sir here for?" the elf asked.

"Er, I've come to visit the Malfoys," he said uncertainly. He was almost sure the elf rolled its eyes.

"Right this way, kind sir."

He was ushered into a brightly lit foyer lined with portraits of past Malfoys who eyed him with content. The elf pointed him to a doorway off the stairs that he assumed was a sitting room. He stood uncertainly outside of it, voices from the inside floating out to him.

"…sure it was her! She's safe, she's at Hogwarts!" He heard Narcissa exclaim.

"Why do you care?" Lucius responded exasperatedly.

"Because Artemis is our niece and Bellatrix will most likely forgive me when she finds out I've found her daughter!"

The door took that moment to creak open even more. Both Malfoys turned cold stares on the intruder, though Narcissa's became much friendlier.

"Good day, Featherby," Lucius greeted blandly. "To what do we owe this pleasant surprise?"

"I-I wanted to congratulate you on your son going off to Hogwarts," William answered lamely.

Lucius scoffed. "Did you create that excuse before or after you eavesdropped on our conversation?"

"Be nice, Lucius," Narcissa snapped. She smiled at Will and gestured for him to sit opposite them. "Would you care for a cup of tea?"

The three talked about a whole manner of things, though none of it really captured Will's attention. As Lucius and Narcissa conversed about where they saw Draco in a few years' time, his mind wandered to what he overheard the couple speaking out before. Apparently, they had found the girl, Artemis, on their own. If he had heard correctly, she was the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange. And at Hogwarts.

This could not be good.

He jumped slightly when Narcissa called him.

"I've been meaning to ask you, how's Marie?"

He wanted to laugh out right at the question. Marie? How the hell was he supposed to know? She was withering away in a ward at St. Mungo's. Was he supposed to care? She did not care for him. She made that very clear years ago when he went to visit her after their parents' deaths. But somehow, every thing always went back to Marie Featherby. For as long as he could remember, conversation always veered to his sister. She was somehow connected to anything and everything. Then something occurred to him.

Marie would know if this girl truly existed.

After about an hour, he excused himself and made a hasty exit. Once he was past the gate of the extensive home, he Disapparated with a loud crack. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in front of an old Muggle shop that had clearly not been in use for quite some time. In actuality, it was being used, just not by Muggles. After speaking to one of the mannequins, he found himself in the best Wizarding hospital in all of England. A nurse recognized him right away and escorted him to where he needed to go.

"We haven't seen you here in a while," she said casually as they walked the halls. "Are you still cross with her?"

William sighed. "I know I should put my grudges aside but she infuriates me so."

The woman nodded. "I understand. But she really needs someone there for her, you know?" She held open a door and William passed through, thanking her quietly.

"Marie?" he called into the empty room tentatively.

A woman who was far too thin appeared from behind a tattered curtain. Her wild eyes were a dark blue, her long hair a haphazard mix of her natural blond and Bellatrix's ebony. She sneered at the new occupant and collapsed onto the bed.

"Ah, my dear brother," she whispered to herself. "How I despise him so."

"Marie, I brought you some flowers." He offered the bouquet to her. She watched his every movement, her eyes wide. She grasped the flowers in her hand, sniffed them, and suddenly bit off the tops of every flower, spitting them at William.

"I hate flowers," she snapped. "And I hate you! Why are you here?"

He winced but otherwise showed no emotion. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh, so you only come when you need something, hmm? How classic of you."

"Please, just answer me one thing."

"I'm waiting."

He leaned forward in his seat, watching his sister carefully. "What do you know of a girl by the name of Artemis Lestrange?"

Marie instantly perked up, her eyes alive with excitement. "Artemis? Oh, she's a doll. She takes after her mother, you know."

"Her mother is Bellatrix?"

"Of course. Only Bellatrix could make something so lovely." She sighed longingly, her face morphing into something dreamlike. Then she scowled. "It's truly horrible that she had to make the child with that scum Rodolphous."

"But you said she takes after her mother. Does that mean she's…?"

"Dangerous? Psychotically seductive? Charming yet viscously cruel? All of the above? Yes. I wish I could meet her." She gnawed her bottom lip, deep in thought. She leaned across her bed and presented a torn photograph. "That time the Healers let me go thinking I was okay, I swiped this from the Malfoys' home. They gave her away, you know. After Bella was imprisoned. Truly horrible. I would have cared for her as if she were my own."

William studied the portrait, noticing how this girl looked a lot like the sketch he had from when he and Narcissa were searching for someone. This had to be Artemis. Suddenly, he was thrown to the floor and was slapped repeatedly.

"What do you want from me?" Marie roared from her position on top of him. He restrained her arms but she still managed to bite him. He yowled in pain.

"Nurse! Nurse, please come help!"

A Healer rushed into the room and grabbed Marie, strapping her to her bed. She kicked and screamed, all the while glaring hatefully at her brother.

"You all are out to kill me! I know you are! The voices told me! Stay away from me!"

"Perhaps you should leave now, Mr. Featherby," the Healer suggested. William nodded and staggered to his feet. Before he left, though, Marie screamed to him,

"They better watch out! When Artemis makes known exactly who she is, no one will be safe!"

It was because of that he was where he was now.

After what seemed like hours, William finally made it to the gates of Hogwarts. Argus Filch, a cruel looking man, scowled before allowing him to enter. William gavehim a throaty "thank you" before continuing his march up to the castle. His heart was hammering in his chest and his sweaty robes stuck to him uncomfortably. Finally, he was inside the school. He quickly rounded a corner and ran straight into someone.

"I am so sorry!" he nearly shouted. He helped the person up. Shocked, he realized it is Minerva McGonagall.

"William Featherby?" she asks in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello Minerva. I have something important to tell Albus."

She assesses the man before her, taking in his chaotic appearance. Judging that, she assumed whatever he was here for was indeed rather serious. With a curt nod, she gestures for him to follow her. The two walk the halls at a brisk pace that had William struggling for breath.

They end up in front of a gargoyle statue. Minerva says, "Lemon drops" and the statue opens to reveal a spiral staircase. The magic of Hogwarts never ceased to amaze him. Once at the top of the stairs, Minerva knocked on the wooden door. After a moment, she opens it.

"Minerva! What can I do for you?" Albus Dumbledore greets pleasantly. He is seated behind his desk reading a new history book written by Bathilda Bagshot. His twinkling blue eyes find William and he smiles. "Please, sit."

Doing as told, for no one disobeyed Albus Dumbledore, Will sits opposite the man and beside McGonagall. "I apologize for intruding, sir," he begins. "My name is William Featherby."

Dumbledore nodded. "Ah, I remember you. You were friends with Narcissa Malfoy, were you not?"

"Yes sir."

"Would you two care for a lemon drop?" he offers suddenly, pulling apart two sticky candies.

Minerva sighs. "Honestly, Albus, you and your fascination with Muggle sweets astounds me."

Albus chuckled but makes no response. "So I take it you did not stop by to simply reminisce about the castle, am I right?"

William nods. "Sir, something has been brought to my attention I feel you should be aware of."

"Do share."

"What do you know of the Lestrange child?"

"The Lestrange child?" Minerva repeats. "Are you referring to Bellatrix and Rodolphous? I was not aware they had a child."

"Yes, it is a myth that has been circulating around certain people," Dumbledore agrees. "I know nothing but rumors. Are there facts to this story?"

"There are enough facts that tell me it is not simply a story," William admits. "A while ago, Narcissa Malfoy came to me seeking help in finding someone. She would tell me nothing other than we were searching for someone named Artemis, as well as what she looked like. I thought nothing of it because we never found anything. Recently, however, I was visiting Malfoy Manor and I…overheard something that startled me. Narcissa seems to believe she has found Artemis and this child is the Lestrange girl."

Albus and Minerva ponder this silently. Finally, Minerva asks, "Why do we need to know this?"

William fidgets with his wristwatch. "Narcissa found the girl boarding the Hogwarts Express. Also, I visited my sister Marie today—"

"How is she?"

He resists the urge to roll his eyes. "Still delusional. But she told me the girl takes after her mother."

"So then that means…"

"That she may be just as sadistic as Bellatrix," Albus continued, finally seeing the problem.

Minerva puts a hand over her mouth. "Oh, dear. Albus, do you believe the students are in danger?"

"It is a possibility."

"But we have no student named Artemis here!"

"She changed her name," William replied. "Apparently the Malfoys sent her to some sort of orphanage or something and when she was taken in, she changed her name and her appearance."

"So how did Narcissa know it was her?"

"You would be able to recognize me if I shaved my beard and made my hair a pleasant lime green, would you not?" Albus asks.

"I suppose you are right," Minerva decides. "But what are we to do?"

"We must tell Severus. Artemis has done nothing yet but we will have to be on guard." He stands and offers his hand to William. "Thank you for telling us, Mr. Featherby."

William shakes Albus's hand. "It was not a problem." With that, he takes his leave, hoping he had done the right thing.

...

Draco Malfoy wandered the dimly lit hallways of Hogwarts alone. That seemed to be something quite difficult to attain, being alone. He was always surrounded by people, whether he liked it or not. Sometimes he did. People look up to him, even if he is just a first year. He comes from a family of extreme wealth and prestige. There was a certain reputation he needed to maintain and if that meant being annoyed by goons such as Crabbe and Goyle or even that obnoxious Pansy Parkinson, so be it. At least he was making something of himself.

Finally being able to go to Hogwarts had excited him to no end. The idea that he was leaving home was a wonderful one. He loved his mother, he truly did. But he did not like the pressure his father always put on him. He prayed to Merlin he would never end up like that (though he knew he was going to). If he wanted all of that glory, it would have to happen.

So far, Hogwarts was everything he wanted and then some. It was simply perfect. He got to make fun of a Weasley and a Mudblood, he had already attracted fans, and so far, he was excelling in all of his classes. The only downside was the snub from that insolent Potter and how he could never be alone when he wanted to. That is why he was venturing the castle at night, with fifteen minutes until curfew. The place was so large that it gave him enough time by himself as well as a better idea of where he was going. He smiled to himself. It was a win-win situation.

He finds himself in the dungeons once more. He wasn't aware of where his feet carried him. The door before him leads to Professor Snape's office. He was about to turn back when he caught wind of the conversation happening on the other side of the door.

"Are you sure we can trust this Featherby character?" Snape's drawling voice asks. Featherby—that name sounded familiar to Draco.

"I assure you he was being very honest, Severus," Dumbledore answers. Draco scowled. He never liked that man.

"So what you're saying is the Lestranges have a child and she is hiding somewhere within Hogwarts?" Disbelief was evident in his tone.

"That is what we're saying," McGonagall replies, clearly irritated. "Severus, he overheard the Malfoys talking about finding the girl on the platform. If you don't believe us, this was a waste of our time and I will gladly return to my quarters and—"

"Minerva, please," Dumbledore cuts her off.

Snape sighs. "I can see you are telling the truth but I find it hard to believe two people had a child and no one knew and now, the girl somehow changed herself and is hiding here. How is that possible?"

"She takes after her mother," McGonagall says stiffly.

"So why did you tell me?"

"I want you to keep an eye out for anything suspicious," Dumbledore says. "Also—"

He stops speaking, for reasons Draco cannot tell. Suddenly, the door opens to reveal Snape frowning at him.

"Mr. Malfoy, what are you doing out of bed?"

"I wanted to ask you something about today's assignment, Professor," Draco lies smoothly.

"It can wait until the morning. Ten points from Slytherin for being out of bed past curfew. Now return to your dormitory, please."

Draco nods and walks back the way he had come. He stops, instantly alert. The sound of footsteps hit his ears.

"Who's there?" he calls out, wand at the ready, though he probably could not have done anything to save himself if there was danger. Someone chuckles. He stiffens.

"Relax, little firstie," a girl says as she appears in his line of sight. He immediately recognized her as one of the girls that was always with the Weasley twins. "What're you gonna do with that?" she asks, indicating his wand. "Throw it at me? Light it up? There's not much you can do."

He ignores her jabs and lowers his wand, eyes narrowed. "What're you doing down here?"

She crosses her arms and smirks. "I could ask you the same thing."

"My common room happens to be down here," he replied hotly. "Not the Gryffindor room!"

"Over there," she thrusts her thumb in the opposite direction. "Not by the Potions classroom. And if you must know, I needed to ask Professor Snape something. Not that this little conversation wasn't fun and all, but I really must be going." She goes to move past him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he couldn't stop himself from saying.

She rounded on him. "Oh, are you threatening me now?"

"No!" he shouts. "I just mean you shouldn't go there. He's talking about something important with Dumbledore and McGonagall."

She nods slowly and walks back towards him. "What're they talking about?" When he doesn't respond, she adds, "You don't have to tell me."

"There's someone in the castle," he says in a quiet voice. "Someone who might be dangerous."

Her eyes widen. "Really? Who?"

"A girl that's been lost for a while." He kicks at a spot on the stone floor. "She's my cousin. I haven't seen her in ages."

"Your cousin? You mean that girl with the pink hair?"

Draco scowls. "No, not her. We don't talk about her very much. My aunt Bellatrix's daughter." He has no idea why he was telling her any of this but it felt right.

The girl blinks. "Oh," was all she said.

"I've better get back to my common room," Draco says, turning without looking back. The girl stands staring at the vacant place before her, a frown forming on her face.

Draco was not aware that he had just spoken with the girl the professors were discussing.

...

Another year at Hogwarts had come and gone. Students excitedly met their families on Platform 9 ¾, embracing one another while eagerly telling of the past few months' adventures. First years were ecstatic that they had survived while seventh years were sullen that they would not go back, unless they became teachers. But still, the energy level on the platform was sky high.

Narcissa Malfoy scanned the dense crowd, searching for her son. She had missed him dearly and is glad to have him back. At home, she already had his favorite meal and several newly purchased things waiting for his arrival. Living with only Lucius for company was nerve racking; Draco's return would hopefully appease her broken spirits. As she meandered about the platform, she bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry," she began to say before the person roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a pillar. "What is the meaning of this?" she demands, snatching her arm away.

"What do you think you're getting at?" the person spat, glaring at her with nothing but hate.

Narcissa gasped. "Artemis?" The girl says nothing, only looked at her aunt who reached for her.

"Don't touch me," Artemis says in a venomous tone. Narcissa lets her arm fall back against her side. "Back to what I'm here for: What do you think you're getting at? You go on some idiotic search for me and open your big mouth, telling someone about it. I like to keep a low profile but I can't anymore. Now the whole bloody school knows I'm there and they're all on guard. What is your problem?"

Narcissa's heart speeds up. William had told someone, Dumbledore of all people! She feels their friendship and whatever else she felt for him shattering around her.

"Answer me!"

"If you like to keep low, why does it bother you?" Narcissa challengs.

Artemis looks at her as if she were an imbecile. "Well I'm obviously not going to play the perfect little girl the entire time now, am I?"

"What are you waiting for, then?"

She grins wickedly. "Him of course. The day he returns. I know he'll get mother and father out of Azkaban. When that day comes, I can show the world who I really am and finally aid in getting rid of those lowly Mudbloods and Muggles. But now people will be expecting trouble, so you've taken the element of surprise away from me. I don't like when things don't go my way, Aunt Narcissa. You remember that, don't you?"

Narcissa nods numbly. "But you wouldn't dare harm your cousin, would you?"

She screws her face up as she thinks about that. "No," she says finally. "Killing him would be far too easy. I like the slow and laborious torture. It's far more fun. So I won't touch a hair on his ickle little head. But I will screw with it a bit." She grins sweetly before skipping away. As she passes her cousin, she bats her long eyelashes and says, "Hi Draco." The boy looked stunned but he covered it with a scowl. Artemis threw a smirk in Narcissa's direction and disappeared in the crowd.

"Mother!" Draco exclaims as he nears Narcissa.

She pulls him in for a hug. "Oh, I've missed you, darling. I don't want you to speak to that girl, do you hear me?"

He nods. "She's a Gryffindor anyway. I wouldn't stoop that low."

She stiffens. Artemis is a Gryffindor? What was that girl up to?