A/N: Been a long time, dear readers. This chapter dedicated to Brandy Bandshoe.
I slammed my door shut behind me as soon as I was in the room.
"Harri-?"
"I can't stand it, Gini, I can't!" I cried, flinging myself on my bed. My hair had fallen out of its braid, and I knew that my dress was dirty and torn from where Draco had pushed me into the rose bushes. I could feel the stinging cuts on my arms where the thorns had bitten into flesh, and knew that some of them were bleeding. My eyes burned already with tears. I felt Nagini's weight on the bed as she slid on top of the comforter beside me, her tail curling around my back, stroking gently.
"What did that nasty runt do this time?"
"It's my fault," I said into the covers. "If I was a better witch I would have been able to stop him."
"That's ridiculous," the serpent hissed angrily, "You are the most powerful witch I've ever seen."
"I can't even cast a simple shield spell, Gini. Draco cast a disarming jinx at me. I should have been able to block it. I can't cast anything!"
"What were you using?"
"This stupid wand, of course," I spat angrily, throwing the miserable stick across the room. I sat up, wiping my eyes and sniffling. "Draco's right. I'm useless as a witch. We've been taking lessons for almost a year, and Draco gets every spell Madame Black shows us, and I can't light my wand. I've read everything I can, and practice and practice-"
"There is nothing you cannot do, Harriet," Nagini replied, her tone firm. "You can cast spells perfectly when you aren't trying to force it with that ridiculous bit of wood. If you would just used your hands-"
"That's not how you're supposed to do it, Gini. A proper witch can cast magic with her wand. I've been able to cast spells with my hands since I was a baby. It isn't even hard."
"Exactly my point, child. What you can do is much more difficult."
"Then why don't all of the adults use their hands?"
"Harriet? Are you in there?" Narcissa's voice asked through the door.
"Yes," I replied quickly, trying to sound calm. "I'll be out in a minute."
"Are you alright?" I could hear concern in her voice.
"Yes, I'm just changing my dress for dinner." I held my breath and waited, hoping that she wouldn't open the door. If she came in and saw me like this, she would ask what had happened, and I would have to lie to her. In the time that I had been here, I had received no rest from Draco's tormenting. But I just couldn't bring myself to tell Narcissa about it. Draco had never done or said anything hurtful to me in his mother's presence – had even given me a present on my birthday two weeks ago, and wished me well. He had been very careful so that if I ever revealed his cruelty, it would be a simple matter of my word against his. I wanted to think that Narcissa would believe me if I did tell the truth, even over her own son, and for that very reason, I couldn't tell her. As much as I hated Draco's treatment, and thought him a bully, I had no right to make his mother angry with him; it was the only mother he had, and I would hate myself for causing any argument between them.
On the other hand, part of me felt like Draco was right. I was a terrible witch. Madame Black had told me that I was hopeless more than once. In some way, maybe I deserved what Draco did to me. He would wait until we were alone, and then challenge me.
Today was no different.
I had been reading on a stone bench near the roses. I heard footsteps and looked up. Draco had just come round the corner of the hedge, carrying his broom in one hand. I felt my stomach tighten, and my heart began beating faster.
"There's the Half-Breed," he sneered, spotting me and coming straight to the bench. "No use reading all of those, you know. You're clearly too stupid to understand it."
"Please leave me alone, Draco," I said softly, keeping my eyes lowered. It only served to irritate him if I looked him in the eye.
"I can be fair," he continued, as if I hadn't said a word. I could hear the steel in his voice and braced myself for violence. "I'll even count to three before I curse you. If you can cast a proper shield charm, then I'll leave. Fair, isn't it?"
"Draco, please –" I said, pulling my wand out, but not holding it aloft. Draco, on the other hand, had his training wand pointed directly at my face.
"One."
"Draco, I don't want to fight you-"
"Two."
"This is stupid. Draco, stop," I pleaded. In my panic, I could feel my magic bubbling up inside of me, filling my whole body, demanding to be released. It was a useless gesture – I could call the magic, but I couldn't channel it. I closed my eyes, knowing that there was no chance, but preparing to cast the shield regardless.
"Three. Expelliarmus!"
"Protego!" I cried. My wand tip sparked futilely, and I could feel the pressure of the spell left uncast, hurting my lungs, making it difficult to breath. The jinx hit me a moment later, sending me directly into the rose bushes behind, my wand flying from my hand.
I could hear Draco laughing maliciously. He kicked my wand back towards me, where I lay, sitting in the mud and thorns, trying not to cry.
"Can't even use a wand," he sneered. "Better learn how to do laundry, Half-Blood, and maybe you can work as a house-elf." He left me there, and all I could hear was his laughter as it slowly faded in the distance.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I heard Narcissa's footsteps retreating from my door.
"Next time you should just use your hand, Harri. I think it will surprise you to see what happens," Nagini said quietly.
"And have Draco make fun of me for that too?" I hissed back. "No thank you."
"Try Harri. For me." I sighed in defeat, running a hand over Nagini's rough belly scales. Her response reminded me of a dog when you scratched its belly – not that I would ever tell her that. The serpent hissed contentedly and curled her body around me in her equivalent of a hug.
"Alright, Gini. I'll try." I detached myself from her and set about making myself cleaner and more presentable so that I could go down for dinner and pretend that nothing had happened.
I would like to say that my life at Malfoy Manor improved. I did take some joy in Narcissa's company, and was happy to have her near me. Our lessons were interesting, despite my own frustrations with spellcasting, and I enjoyed history, theory and potions. I showed some natural talent for the latter, and worked hard to please Narcissa. Narcissa herself was the instructor for those subjects, as well as social etiquette. Her sister, Madame Black, was our other tutor, and was in charge of charms, dark arts, and practical spellcasting. She taught us to duel that first year, and, I thought, got some pleasure out of watching her nephew beat me soundly every time. Madame Black did not reside in the Manor, and for that I was grateful.
I did not meet other children, although Draco had visitors to the house quite frequently. On these occasions, I was sent to my rooms or went into town with Narcissa – disguised, of course. I knew their names. We had been made to memorize all of the pureblood family lines, which was primarily for Draco's benefit as he would befriend and interact with those people socially. Draco was forbidden to tell anyone that I lived in the house, a fact that bewildered me greatly. I wondered if the Malfoys were ashamed of me, ashamed of my Muggleborn mother, and didn't want anyone to know that they harbored a half-blood in their home. Narcissa insisted that it was for my protection, but I always felt that nagging doubt.
Lucius never demonstrated any interest in me, and indeed, seemed to take pains to avoid me whenever possible. He doted on his son, however, and there were always trips and presents and special outings that Draco was allowed and I was not. Narcissa tried to compensate, and bought me new books and dresses when I fancied them, but I knew that her husband did not approve of the expense.
For his part, Draco continued to eschew venom in my direction whenever possible. He openly put me down in the presence his Aunt, for she did nothing to discourage his taunting and malice. In front of Narcissa, he never betrayed his true feelings for me, nor before his father, although I do not think that Lucius would have been disapproving. He let me know that he hated me; he hated me for my mother, for being in his house, for having a claim on Narcissa's affection… I suffered many bruises at his hands, and even more wounds to my pride.
Without Narcissa, and Nagini, my life would have been terrible indeed. But I loved Narcissa, and tried to be good for her. I was dedicated to my studies, and practiced with my wand as often as possible, futile though it was. I learned the pureblood traditions with the same fervor that Draco did, though I would never use the lessons myself. I tried to find happiness where I could, because she did not like to see me melancholy.
With Nagini's help, I learned to do all the spells that I could not do with my wand with my thoughts alone. She was very patient, and knew much more about magic than I could have imagined. By mastering the spells first without the wand, I found it somewhat easier to perform them with the wand. Still, the results were never as good, and at times, I couldn't cast at all.
I thought that her previous owner must have been a very powerful wizard, indeed, because of the number and variety of spells she was able to teach me. She referred to him every so often, when she would say, "My Tom would find you very funny," or "You learned to do that even faster than Tom did!" as though comparing her children's accomplishments. If I asked about him directly, though, she would change the subject. She seemed so sad at times, and I knew that it was because she missed him. I thought, sometimes, that Tom must have died. This made me only love Nagini more, because we were all the other had left to care for.
Samhain was in three days. This was one of the most important holidays in the wizarding year, and the Malfoys had planned an extravagant ball that would open the season. There was a special significance this year because Draco was finally seven years old and could begin his training as the Malfoy heir. He would be the first of the pureblood children in his circle to do so. There would be a ceremony at exactly midnight in which Lucius would bestow the Malfoy heir ring upon his son, and Draco would take the vows of honor demanded by the family codex.
Draco, of course, had been intolerable for the past week, and I had done everything to avoid his presence. I would be allowed to attend the ball, which was a rare treat, but I would have to be disguised as usual. Still, I was excited to stand with the seamstress that morning for the final fitting on my dress for the occasion. It would be dark green satin with black lace and flowers, and a matching black velvet jacket. It was the prettiest thing I had ever seen, and I couldn't wait to wear it.
I sat on a stool, my fitting done, and watched while the seamstress worked on Narcissa's gown. She would wear navy and silver, the Malfoy colors, as would Lucius and Draco. She looked beautiful in blue of any shade, and the richness of the velvet outerrobe made her eyes look at the same time darker and clearer. I couldn't help but smile as I watched, content to just sit and watch.
The floor length mirror in Narcissa's dressing room had three panels so that she could see herself from every angle. She was scrutinizing herself now, taking in every detail of the costume, and finally nodding ever so slightly in satisfaction.
"That is all I require, Lady Malfoy," the seamstress, Madame Malkin, said, rising from the floor where she had been pinning the hem of the robe. "These should be ready by tomorrow. And I will deliver them myself."
"Thank you, Madame," Narcissa replied. "Your work is, as always, the best." Madame Malkin thanked her graciously and stepped out of room to allow Narcissa to change back into her clothes.
"Are you excited about the ball, Harriet?"
"Oh, yes," I said truthfully. The energy of the Manor had increased exponentially over the past weeks as the preparations began. The flurry of activity was apparent in every part of the Manor – the house elves were going to lengths to polish every surface, wizard gardeners and florists and decorators were in and out of the Manor, and of course, Narcissa herself had been busy with invitations and responses, as well as organizing all of the work.
"There are going to be many important people there. The Dark Lord himself might attend."
She stared at me through the mirror, waiting to catch my reaction to this. I didn't know much about the Dark Lord, other than Madame Black's crooning, and Draco's boasts that the Malfoys were in favor with him. I knew that he was important, and a very powerful wizard, and that even those who seemed to respect him also feared him.
"That would make Draco happy," I replied. Narcissa smiled.
"Yes. It would be a great honor for our whole family." She hung the unfinished gown on the mirror and then turned to face me directly. "The Dark Lord might ask for you, Harriet."
"Me?" I asked faintly, rather disconcerted. "Why?"
She looked at me searchingly, before deciding what to say. "You should know, Harriet, that it was the Dark Lord who found you the night that your parents died. He brought you to me."
To this, I had no response. There were so many things that came flooding through my mind at once; could he tell me how my parents died? Did he know them? What was he like? Would he like me? How could I tell him just how grateful I was that he had given me Narcissa when my own mother was gone?
The door to the dressing room opened and Twilly, one of Narcissa's personal house elves, entered and curtseyed deeply.
"Mistress, Twilly is announcing the Gringott's goblin, Hornbeak." Indeed, a rather stern looking goblin in formal attire entered the room behind her.
"Thank you, Twilly. Master Hornbeak, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Narcissa asked, stepping off of the dressmaker's stool and extending her hand to the goblin. Hornbeak reached his long, rough-skinned fingers and barely touched hers. He cleared his throat in a gruff, rasping cough, and, extracting a pair of thick lavender envelopes from his breast pocket and held them out for Narcissa.
"It is my obligation today," the goblin said, his voice as graveled as his cough, "to deliver the Heirloom Signet of the Houses Malfoy and Black to one Narcissa Aglaia Black Malfoy, who, by right of blood and magic, may bestow said articles upon the worthy scions as determined by the respective Codex Sanguinae."
"I accept responsibility," Narcissa replied, her tone formal. The goblin nodded and relinquished the envelopes. With a deep bow, he let himself out. Narcissa walked to the dressing room door and closed it, staring at the parchment in her hand.
"What was that about?" I asked, extremely curious and near to bursting from remaining silent through the short exchange.
"These are Heir rings, for the Malfoy and Black families." She began to open the first envelope, marked with the seal of the House of Black. "I didn't think that Draco would be able to receive this," she said, more to herself than to me. "Surely Sirius wouldn't…"
"Sirius Black? Your cousin?"
Narcissa nodded. "He is the Lord of my family, but he hasn't spoken to any of us in years. He is on the opposite side of the war. I thought he would have named another heir."
This was all somewhat vague for me – I knew the history of the Blacks, of course, but I wasn't clear on what war Narcissa was referring to, or why she would be on the opposite side as her family. I watched Narcissa as she pulled a sheet of parchment from the envelope, hoping that she would provide more information. What I did not expect, however, was the exclamation the came from her lips as she fainted dead away.
I stood nervously, pulling at the hem of my jacket.
"You will do just fine," Narcissa said soothingly, straightening my collar. "There is no need to be nervous." She turned as her husband whispered to her.
Beside me, Draco gave me a venomous glance. A very small, petty part of me enjoyed that he was hating this so much. I squashed that down under the butterflies fluttering about in my stomach. I was excited in a sense – finally, for the first time in my life, I knew that I belonged right where I was standing. I could hear the murmuring and the soft lull of music coming from the room before us.
Lucius motioned to the house elves and the doors to the ballroom opened before us. A flood of light and sound came pouring out, and I saw the hundreds of wizards and witches turn towards us. Magically magnified, Madame Lestrange's voice came booming out over the rest of the party,
"And now, may I present our honored guests, the Heir Draco Lucius Malfoy and Heiress Persephone Aurora Black."
Draco and I walked into the ballroom to the applause of the guests and made our way to the head table, place on a platform opposite the door. The crowd parted as we passed, and there were many congratulations given to Draco and curious looks granted to me. I smiled at the crowd, as Narcissa told me to, and it was then that I noticed a very strong magical presence in the room. Casting my eyes about, I tried to find the source, but none of the guests standing immediately on either side of us was giving off that much energy.
"You're still a half-blood freak," Draco hissed at me, keeping that proper smile for the party the whole while.
"You're just jealous, cousin," I replied. We mounted the platform and waited for Narcissa and Lucius to take their seats between us. Madame Lestrange – who had been insisting for an entire two days that I call her "Aunt Bella" – was already seated to my right. Draco would be a safe distance on the opposite side of Lucius.
Narcissa and her husband gave a few words of greeting and thanks and then signaled to the orchestra to begin playing. There was a magnificent feast, and there would be dancing, and at midnight, Lucius and Draco would leave the ballroom to complete the Heir ceremony. I would leave with Narcissa and Madame Lestrange, but this was all for show – I would likely never complete the ceremony, seeing as Lord Black did not even know that I existed. Regardless of this, Madame Lestrange had emphatically vowed, I would be taught everything that I needed to know.
Between the Malfoys was an empty seat at the exact center of the table. This was a space reserved for the Dark Lord, who was supposedly at the ball in disguise. When I asked Narcissa about this, she told me that because he was so powerful and important that he had many enemies and that it would be dangerous for him to be there unmasked. I felt some sympathy for the Dark Lord, having spent many years of my life in hiding.
His seat would remain empty, but to those who supported him, its presence was necessary.
An hour or so later, dinner was finished and the Malfoys and Draco had taken to the dance floor. Too shy to engage in conversation with anyone, I managed to find an alcove to sit in and watched the guests, content to see the beautiful gowns of the ladies swirling as they were led by their partners across the floor. I spied Draco with his crowd of friends, determinedly ignoring me. That was fine in my opinion. I wondered if perhaps I would be allowed to know other children my age – surely not all of them were friends with Draco?
I began to get sleepy, as the hours passed, up long past my usual bedtime.
"Why are you hiding, child?"
I looked up. A wizard was standing next to the alcove, seemingly watching the party. I could see only half of his face, and watched as one of the purest sapphire eyes I had ever seen turn to me. It was him! This was the presence that I had felt when I first walked into the room! But it was so much less now… could a wizard learn to hide how much magic they had? Why would they want to?
"I don't know anyone here," I replied finally.
"But isn't this your party?"
"It's more Draco's party than mine."
"Are you not excited to begin your training?"
"I haven't known about this long enough to be excited about it."
The wizard snorted at this and his lips curved into a smile. His smile made me feel like smiling, so I did.
"You have potential, Persephone. More so than anyone else in this room."
I blushed and smiled more broadly.
"Thank you." We remained silent for a time, watching the party. "How do you keep your magic so much lower than it is?" I asked, unable to curb my curiosity any longer. The wizard turned and looked at me fully. He had a pleasant face, and I felt myself blushing again under the full gaze of those eyes.
"Maybe I will teach you some day," he said, smiling. "I think you will need to learn how."
"Persephone?"
I turned and saw Narcissa approaching the alcove. She spotted the wizard next to me and froze.
"My Lord," she whispered, bowing her head.
"Lady Malfoy," the wizard replied. "A lovely party."
"You are most gracious, my Lord. I need to take Persephone now," she said, motioning for me to come to her. "It is getting close to midnight."
"Of course." He turned and knelt down so that he was at eye level with me. He gathered my hands in his, and I felt a jolt of warmth travel up my arms at the contact. "I look forward to seeing you again, Persephone. Very soon." With that, he rose, nodded to Narcissa, and disappeared into the crowd.
"Who was that, Narcissa?" I asked, taking her hand and moving through the crowd, back toward the platform.
"What did he say to you?"
"He said that I have potential and that he's going to teach me some day." She looked back at me and I got the feeling that she was unhappy about something, but I wasn't sure what it was.
"That was the Dark Lord, Persephone. And you must always be very careful around him."
A/N: Hope this was worth the wait! I covered a lot of ground here. It will be a bit before I can get another chappie up, but the next one will jump ahead to Persephone's 16th birthday and the start of her courtship.
Please review!
