Eight
A very tired, very wide-eyed Rufus Scrigemour sat at his desk, having a cup of coffee and still looking through all the information on Tom Riddle.
"Aralyn…" he whispered to himself. "I'm afraid child that this path I fear you are about to take, is not the one we all saw for you when we said we knew there would be great things before you. Not at all…" He looked to a small painting on his right. "Albus, what should we do?"
"Do nothing yet, Rufus. She may surprise us, after all." Albus Dumbledore's painting said, but even he looked worried.
"Draco Malfoy has embraced being a Death Eater, and he is clearly fond of her. She obviously returns the affection… without any objection to his being a Death Eater. That was a surprise enough for me, Albus."
"They may both surprise us," Albus replied.
"But, Albus… If the rumors are true,"
"If the rumors are true--- then we must remember they are just children. The Death Eaters can place the blame on them all they want for any destruction that may come after… after the inauguration. But you and I both know, Rufus, that they are really just puppets slave to the control of Lucius Malfoy."
"A trial will not see it that way, Albus." Rufus sighed. "Tom Riddle was only just out of school when he led them…"
"Then we can only hope," the portrait replied. "That their hesitance, and their innocence will see them through before the others corrupt them and turn them too far away from the light, Rufus."
"Yes, Albus…" The Minister said, staring into the flames. "We can only hope."
Draco and Lucius sat beside the fireplace that evening in the Malfoy Parlor, sharing a bottle of liquor. "He knows it was us," Draco said. "You and I both know he knew damn well."
Lucius just smiled and opened another cigar, tossing its clear wrap into the fireplace and watching it burn. Finally he got down on his knees beside the flames and leaned his cigar into them while holding it in his mouth. After blowing a ring, he sat down. "Of course he knows, Draco. But do you know why he doesn't do anything about it?"
Draco just shrugged. Lucius smiled once more. " It is because he's heard the rumors, Draco, ones that we've made sure to let slip out… of a new Dark Lord. There's a fear spreading in the Ministry, and eventually it will reach the general population. And then we will have them right where we want them, for our first big grand entrance."
"Planning that far ahead already, father?" Draco said, lighting a cigarette. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were behind all this… that you were next in line."
"Heavens no, Draco. I'm far too… experienced, for that. No, Lord Voldemort chose someone with many years on me… Someone who can grow into the position, learn it inside and out."
"Would it not make sense to choose someone experienced, as you say?" Draco was puzzled.
"In some ways, perhaps." Lucius replied. "But in other ways, think of what we all could teach someone younger. And we all know young people are much more aware, give more thought to things… of a sharper mindset, you know?"
"I suppose so, father." Draco replied. After a while, he asked, "So what is this big grand entrance?"
"Draco… Draco you know I can't tell you that yet." He chuckled. "All in good time, my boy. Now, I am going to head upstairs. There's a feisty woman up there who needs some… persuading."
"Is that what you call smacking a woman around?" Draco muttered under his breath. Lucius turned to him, arm raised. Draco turned his face, expecting the blow. But Lucius lowered his arm instead.
"No, Draco… I won't hit you anymore. You will learn soon enough, and you will understand soon enough, the desire to see a woman--- your woman--- behaving the way she should, properly. The first time Aralyn disrespects you, the first time she walks away from you spouting off things she won't say to your face, that she wouldn't dare! … Oh yes, you will understand. And the first time you want what is by all means your husbandly right in the bedroom, and she's being… difficult… you will know then, too, the need to have a handle on your woman."
"If she respects you enough, you can have a handle on her without having to lay a hand on her, father." Draco stood up. "That's how I see it… And what is all this talk of Aralyn and I? I haven't even properly begun courting her yet… You told me to wait."
"Yes," Lucius replied. "I did. You should wait for her to come to you, Draco. She will, son, mark my words… Where else does she have to go, whom else does she have to turn to? Or haven't you heard? Her offer at Hogwarts has, unfortunately, been withdrawn. Poor girl… The board and myself reviewed her N.E.W.T.S. results and, well; I felt they just weren't… up to par. With a little influence, the board agreed, naturally… Where else does she have to go now, but crawling to you."
Draco narrowed his eyes on his father. "Why would you do that? She was looking forward to that! Potions is all she dreams about---"
"They're silly dreams, Draco. Her place as an Avery and as the daughter of---" He stopped himself. "This is where she belongs, son, with the Death Eaters. You've made a friend in her, she trusts you. Surely I wouldn't want to see the child end up anywhere else."
Draco threw on his cloak, and reached for the Floo powder, but his father grabbed him. "What are you doing, boy?!" he shouted.
"She deserves to know," Draco yelled. "You can't just fuck with people's lives like that father!"
"I did that for YOU!" Lucius growled. "Ha! She knows more than you do right now, do you think there is anything you could possibly tell her that she doesn't know after that visit to Scrigemour's office. No, Draco, I am sure what she left their knowing will be enough to bring her to you. I didn't even have to mess with her marks; the results would be the same either way. Now that she knows everything."
"What does she know that I don't?" Draco demanded, and Lucius turned on him, backing him into the chair.
"Have you any idea, even, who Tom Riddle is, Draco? Why that is the only name of all the Death Eaters you know, and believe me, you have met them all, that you don't recognize? Have you given any thought at all boy, as to who her father was?"
"N—n—no…" Draco was worried now; the devilish look in his father's eyes was a look he only saw when his father was about to reveal something terrible, and evil. "Why?"
"Draco, if I told you that Aralyn Marvala Riddle, daughter of Tom Marvalo Riddle, is the only living heir of Slytherin now, what would that mean to you?"
He thought it over a minute and then his eyes went wide and he looked up at Lucius in horror. "No!" he shouted. "She couldn't possibly---"
"Yes, Draco." Lucius laughed. "Your sweet, beautiful, innocent little Aralyn is the only blood relative, the only daughter of our Lord Voldemort, may he rest in peace."
"And she knows now? Scrigemour? He — he knew about it?" Draco was furious. "YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS?"
"We all did, Draco. And you would have, too, if you weren't hiding like a coward with her in Dumbledore's Cottage. He told us the night before the battle, the night he told us who would be the next Dark Lord, the night he killed her only other relative, Bourne Avery, so that she would have no one to turn to, and made his wishes to me about finding her, and ensuring that she would be in our custody, that we would show her the ways of the Death Eaters, teach her all he ever wanted her to know."
"It's her isn't it?" Draco protested. "She's the next Dark Lord, isn't she?"
Lucius laughed so hard he began holding his sides.
"This isn't funny! You think this is funny? She's just a girl! An innocent, untainted---"
"For now, Draco! But you're going to change all that!" Lucius said, a seriousness filling his expression again. "I had, with the Dark Lord, planned an arranged marriage to her for you. Imagine how much it tickled us all to know that you two had been introduced already thanks to Snape's idiot idea to hide you? And that you had become friends already? It all worked out perfectly, Draco. And you are NOT going to fuck this up, boy. Do you hear me?" Lucius placed his cane under Draco's chin and tilted it back. "Look at me son… It is the fate that has been graciously bestowed upon you. Do not be an ungrateful twit and piss it all away and embarrass this family. You are going to 'make nice' with Aralyn, and make this transition as comfortable as possible for her, so that she can handle the duty she is about to take on."
Draco gulped, breathing heavily now. He was choking. "Are we clear?"
He nodded, and Lucius removed the cane from his throat. "Good. Now," he began, clearing his own throat. "In a few days time, I would reckon, she will show up here. Your mother did wonderfully the other night and has already put the idea in Aralyn's head. And since we all know that absence does make the heart grow fonder, you are in no way to have any contact with her until she comes around to this on her own. It is fair to say that if she does, and she will, then you can hardly say I'm 'fucking with someone's life' because she came here herself. And then, I do hope, you will be more cooperative about this, my son."
"And if she doesn't come?" Draco asked, with a raised eyebrow.
"I hardly believe she's even considering that an option right now, Draco. But she has four days to decide, and rest assured she's counting them." And Lucius headed out of the room, muttering quietly over his shoulder, "If she's smart, she won't think of any other options."
Draco massaged his throat and gasped out. "Aralyn… I'm so sorry…" And for the first time since he had met her, he wished he hadn't.
Three days later, back at the Dumbledore cottage, Aralyn was packing all of her clothes and most prized possessions into a Shrink Case, for light travel, when she heard a loud noise come from the first floor parlor. 'The fireplace,' she thought. 'I'm sure that was the poker falling over'. She'd heard that sound many times when Albus would come and go. She drew out her wand and ran down the stairs, making no effort to be sneaky. "Who's there?" she called out. "I know someone's here."
But after a whole twenty minutes of turning all the downstairs lights on and finding nothing, or no one except the fallen over poked stick, Aralyn returned upstairs. She found none other that Narcissa Malfoy seated on her bed, looking at her pictures and possessions that she had put in the suitcase.
She looked up and smiled. "Twenty minutes later," she said with a chuckle. "If you hadn't run out the door so quickly, you would have seen me apparate here to your room just a moment later than you took off. I thought I would just wait until you return and let you have your fun chasing ghosts."
Aralyn sighed. "Don't people ever make their presence's known anymore? Or is it the new hip trend to sneak up on people and give them heart attacks."
"Forgive me, Aralyn. I didn't mean to upset you." She put the picture she was looking at down. "How are you?"
Aralyn opened her mouth to answer, but Narcissa went on before she had the chance. "Going somewhere?"
"I wasn't sure yet." Aralyn lied, looking to the floor.
But Narcissa waved in her hands the pamphlet that clearly read G R E E C E on the front of it. "Whatever would interest you there, Aralyn?"
"You know what." Was all she said in return.
"That's one ghost, you ought not to waste your time chasing, Aralyn. What's done is done. Seeing a tombstone without a name on it won't make it any better for you."
"You've been there then?" Aralyn asked. "You knew the whole time, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did, once... I am sorry, Aralyn. But I'm the sort of woman who would just rather leave some things buried… Some memories aren't fit to relive, or to retell." Narcissa sighed. "Please don't think badly of me for not telling you, and don't take this out on Draco. He has no idea and he's so eager to see you."
"I can't…" Aralyn said, tears welling in her eyes. "I can't accept your offer Narcissa. Draco is a wonderful young man, and I know that whomever he ends up with will be very fortunate. You are a very wealthy and pureblood family, but I--- I don't even know him at all that well. I can't very well agree to wed the first gentleman my age that I meet. There are other people out there and---"
"Do you really want to take that chance, Aralyn?" Narcissa said. "Besides, Draco has gone through some of the same points you just have and he still is willing to---"
"Did he?" Aralyn was surprised. "You mean, he knew about this offer to? I thought perhaps…"
"What? That I would offer you this, but not tell my son? I told you Aralyn, I wanted someone for him that he would want to be with too. It's not like I met you and thought 'Oh, look here, Draco's made a little friend. Would you like to marry my son, sweetheart?'" Narcissa crossed her arms and shook her head. "And for Lucius to actually agree with me on something for once…"
"I'm sorry you went through all that, Narcissa. But there's too much, excuse the pun, bad blood here. I was raised to believe in a cause that entirely goes against one that your family has murdered for. How am I supposed to marry into that kind of lifestyle?"
"Do you think you're the only woman that would be a wife of a Death Eater that hates what her husband does? The only one who shudders sometimes when her husband would come home and put his hands all over her, wondering what they were doing only hours before? Do you think the love I have for Lucius doesn't feel… tainted… at times? We've all been through it at one point, Aralyn, especially your mother! But we stand beside them because at heart they are good men, they are just fighting for something they believe in!"
"And look, Narcissa! My mother died because she became involved with a man, the worst of all of them, who believed in that!"
"Your mother was not killed because of a difference of beliefs, Aralyn." Narcissa said, tears forming in her eyes. "She was killed because you were not a boy."
"What?"
"It's that way for all of us… 'Give us firstborn sons!' They all say…" Narcissa was crying now. "I always wanted a beautiful daughter. When I was pregnant for the first time, I had not yet broken the news to Lucius yet, and I found out at one of my routine checkups that it was a girl… I got an abortion. I knew it's the only option Lucius would have left me with. When I became pregnant with Draco a few months later, and found out it was a boy, I was so happy. I couldn't bear that again… And after Draco came, I asked Lucius if we could try once more, so that I could have a daughter. 'No, Cissy, dear... One son, one son is all we need.' And he had my tubes removed so that he would hear no more of it." Aralyn went to her side and put her arm around her.
"Narcissa, I— I don't know what to say." After a long pause, Narcissa continued.
"And then, when I discovered what happened to Odessa almost a year later… You see, the Healers at St. Mungo's had told her she had a boy on the way… And when I thought he murdered you when you came out a girl… I was so grateful I did not decide to keep my daughter, carry her, give birth to her, and live to see her killed for being born a female."
"And you think I would marry Draco and want to go through that, too, if I were ever expecting a child? The worry of---"
"Oh no, dear!" Narcissa said. "Before you, Draco was the only one who knew about my previous pregnancy. Even Lucius does not know. When he was ten, Draco was asking for a younger brother or sister, and I explained it to him. My son and I are very close, Aralyn. I've raised him better than that. A healthy child would for him, be a happy one to have… That's not in Draco to be that way…" Narcissa stood up now.
"Look, Aralyn. My son cares about you. He holds you dear. And if you let him, I know he would be the kind of man to put you on a pedestal and make sure you're heart is content until his gives out. Tomorrow I must come to Lucius with an answer… Please, Aralyn. I was going to be your Godmother, you know. It was the last thing your mother told me before she left for Greece. Trust me. Trust my son… He's got a lot in front of him, he needs a good woman like you."
Aralyn just nodded a goodbye, as Narcissa apparated into the air. She lay down on the bed, grabbed the pamphlet once more… and fell asleep.
