Chapter 21

Past-

I woke up to a pair of silver eyes staring at me, there were just like Abraxas' eyes. I sat up in my bed and looked at Draco.

"Is there something wrong Draco?"

"What time is my parent's funeral?"

"It is at twelve this afternoon. It is ten right now so you best go downstairs and get something to eat."

"Everyone has already eaten. I woke up only ten minutes ago." Draco said quietly, his voice a mix of anger and sadness.

"Well then go find Snooky and ask her to make two breakfast plates."

"Professor Snape hasn't eaten yet either."

"Then tell her to make three. Meet me in the small kitchen in fifteen minutes." I said and Draco exited the room.

I dressed and went downstairs, Draco was nowhere to be seen but everyone else was in the living room laying around. "Where is Draco and Severus?"

"They went to the gardens, Snape said they were very beautiful the last time he was here and he wanted to see them again." Hermione said.

"Do we have to go to the funeral today?" Ron asked.

"Yes, Ronald you do! That was Sonoña's nephew." Mrs. Weasley spoke up and I smiled.

"I'm sorry Ronald, I know you do not like Draco, but please give him a chance. He is the only family I have left. The funeral is at twelve, please be there." I finished and walked outside to find Draco and Severus.

I found them on the benches in the garden. Draco had a rose in his hand, plucking the petals off the stem.

"To grieve for the loss of a loved one is a terrible feeling, but the massacre of my roses is not necessary."

Severus smiled and chuckled to himself but Draco merely dropped the flower into the pile of petals and stems at his feet. He proceeded to stare at his hands. I sat next to him.

"Go get ready, we will leave in an hour." Draco stood up and left, I watched the path until I heard the click of the door shutting. "This is the most difficult hurdle he will face. After he lets go the war will be easy for him. He will have nothing to lose in his eyes."

"He could lose you Sonoña."

"Severus, I am immortal, I will not be lost to Draco."

"Will you allow him to be in the war?"

"Even as his guardian that is not my choice to make. Draco must choose on his own what decision to make. The way we treat him from now on and the events that happen that we cannot control will determine Draco's choice to fight or not."

"Is that I wise choice, to let a boy who has lost his parents decide to risk his life or not?'

"It is the only choice." Severus sighed.

"He has lost both of his parents, yes, but he lost them to Lord Voldemort, he lost them for the thing that we are fighting against. Draco will either fight for us, or not fight at all. But he will not stray to the side that caused the loss of his parents. He has been tainted but he is not gone. He is not too far fallen that he cannot be brought back."

Severus nodded and we went to the kitchen where we ate breakfast. Snooky informed us young master Malfoy requested his breakfast in his room.

I informed Snooky to call him Draco, to him and anyone, and to not let Draco tell her to call him differently.

One and a half hours later we were standing in the cemetery. When the ceremony was over everyone but Draco and I walked away. Tears were in my eyes and had left streams down my face. I placed my hand on Draco's should, he turned his head and gave me a weak smile. He put his arm around my back, gave a soft squeeze and then walked over to everyone else.

I placed a rose on Narcissa's grave and then placed one on Lucius'. My hand stayed on the rose. I couldn't bring myself to lift my hand away. It felt heavy on the cold black headstone. My nephew was gone.

"Goodbye Lucius, you could have been so great, if only you had known. If only I had not given up and walked away. None of this would have ever happened. You could have been great. I'm sorry."

I walked up to the group in time to hear Minerva talk to everyone. "Whether Sonoña tries to act like she didn't like him, Lucius was her nephew and Sonoña adored her brother until the day he died, she would have loved Lucius the same way. Even if she never saw him or had no contact with him, like she did with her brother in the later years of his life. But regardless of their estrangement Sonoña to this day admires and adores her brother with all she has. He and Garret were by her side since she was born. Sonoña owed a lot to her brother and she always remembered that. He always looked out for her, at home and 

at school. Even as a Gryffindor every Slytherin showed her respect, and most knew who she was by the pictures Garret had in his room."

I smiled as I came to stand beside Minerva. Tears had once again welled up in my eyes. Minerva looked to her right and threw her arms around me in a tight hug. I hugged her back and smiled. Minerva had always been a good friend to me since I met her the night of my sorting at Hogwarts.

We were all in the kitchen in dead silence.

"Lucius had in coming. This was bound to happen sometime." Remus said.

"My father did not do anything to deserve to be killed." Draco stood up.

"He was a known death eater and a murderer." Remus said.

"He was not a…!" Draco was screaming.

"Silence! Draco Malfoy sit down and be quiet!" He didn't move. "Now!" He sat and I turned to Lupin. "Remus Lupin I would expect better from you of all people. My nephew used to be a wonderful young man. He was always smiling and laughing. Eventually the dark arts took him just like they took my husband, son, brother, father, and mother. If I had not made the choices I made then none of this, none of this at all, would ever happened. So Lucius was not born what he became, the choices I made that caused his father's choices, made Lucius the way he was. Lucius was not a born murderer. It was ultimately my decision that made Lucius what he was in the end."

"Sonoña you can't change fate." Minerva said.

"Yes I could have, do you think if I had honestly done what I did differently things would have played out the same." She remained silent. "If I had not broken up with Tom, if I had not aborted my child, his child, do you think this would be this way? Would he really be the creature he is today or would he be the man he was then." Silence surrounded me. "If I had stayed with him and married him instead of Garret there wouldn't be death eaters, Harry's parents would still be alive and so would Sirius and Regulus, and the countless others who have died because I let go. All because I listened to rumors and his 'friends', and I didn't follow my heart. I did what would be best for my wellbeing and my future, and therefore messed up everyone else's future. I made the wrong choice. So yes Minerva, I could have changed fate. I could have made this a completely different world from what it is right now."

"Sonoña, you can't keep blaming yourself for what happened. It isn't your fault. Tom would have turned out just the same, and you would have been killed. Garret loved you Sonoña. You made the right choice." Minerva said.

"Tom would never have hurt me, even if he did become Lord Voldemort, he knew he held the power to harm me, and it scared him. He would never have killed me. But Minerva Garret beat me. He hit me for every little thing that he believed I had done wrong. Garret loved me in the beginning and before he 

went to Azkaban, only because I forced him to see what he had become and what he had done. Now I a no where near perfect, I have killed, and tricked, and lied but it was all to help Harry. I never killed an innocent person. But what Garret did was unforgiveable. What Lucius did was unforgiveable, what my own son has done is unforgiveable but no one deserves to die a painful death."

Everyone was silent, Hermione had tears in her eyes and Draco was paler than his usual fair tone. Suddenly Hermione rushed toward me and wrapped me in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry." She cried.

I lifted her chin up. "For what my dear? You have done nothing wrong. There is nothing for you to be sorry for, I made the choices I made and I must live with the consequences. "

Hermione let go of me and I walked to Draco's side. "Come on Draco, I'm taking you to Diagon Alley. You need better decorations for your room than what is there. Come on, there is no sense in moping around the house all day."

"What am I going to pay for it all with?" The traditional Malfoy tone came back to him. He was so much like Abraxas, if only he knew. Sadness filled my eyes."Why are you looking at me that way?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing; you have been your mother and father's entire fortune. Draco you could never have a job and live just as you do now, but that isn't the way to go about things. Anyways, I am paying for you room so do not worry about it. Now come along."

We had found Draco new bedding, curtains, towels, pillows, a rug, two lamps, a bookcase, and a desk and chair. All in blues, silver, and oak wood. We had a peaceful late lunch; he opened up and asked questions about Garret and Derrick, and my grandson Theodore and my time teaching and attending Hogwarts. Whenever we ventured close to Lucius or Abraxas Draco would cease talking and look away.

We were heading back home when Draco saw a broomstick in the window. I stopped to look at it.

I turned around and placed my hand on his shoulder, "You like it?" he nodded, "Come on." I led him in the store and up to the counter.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Nott…" I glared at the young man but the older gentleman behind the counter stepped up. "Hello Ms. Malfoy what can I help you with today?"

"I'd like that broom in the window please."

He quickly ran to the window, picked up the broom, and wrapped it up. I paid for it and then exited the store with Draco.

Halfway down the road I stopped walking.

"Hello Derrick, Theodore."

"Mother. I see you have adopted the Malfoy boy. Shame his parents died like that."

"I'm sure you are just heartbroken, Derrick. No doubt you have moved up in the ranks of the Dark Lord now that they are gone. Since Lucius was after your father. Shame you weren't next in line, must not have done something right."

"How dare you…" He pulled his wand out.

"Now don't be stupid Derrick, not only would you look like a fool in public you are putting yourself at risk as well as the Dark Lord. Who knows who is seeing you talk to me and threaten me. Everyone knows, even Voldemort, that I am on Harry's side."

He placed his wand back in his pocket and began to turn around. "Good choice, if you had harmed me you might meet the same sticky end as everyone else has when they angered Voldemort."

He turned in shock, I looked out the corner of my eye and saw Draco's smirk. "What are you talking about, the Dark Lord cares nothing about your wellbeing."

"Test me, Derrick, I dare you, try and prove me wrong." He stayed still. I turned to Draco, "Let's go."

I heard Theodore whisper something and quickly turned around, my palm facing them. I blue flash was emitted from my hand and the blast of red, from the curse that Derrick had said, vanished.

"Just remember, son, I warned you."

We went our separate ways as me and Draco returned to the Manor.

It was after dinner as I walked past the ballroom doors and saw a door open to the patio. I followed, and found Draco standing at the iron railing and looking out into the distance at nothing.

"It is always easy to let someone else caring part of your burden. It will always ease your load." I came to stand beside him. "I do not wish to see you like this, you are to great of a person to hold onto the bad in life. Don't follow in Abraxas' footsteps. It will only lead to heartbreak and pain, for you and others who care for you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Abraxas was a wonderful man. He was an incredible man, but we all have our weaknesses and faults, the dark arts and black magic was his weakness. His uncontrollable desire to find out more and dig deeper into it was his fault. My weakness was my wellbeing my fault was not trusting my heart. Everyone's is different, but they also make us who we are. They can also be controlled."

"How?"

"Harry's weakness is his parents. He has never known them and yearns to, but he does not let Voldemort use that against him or let it control him. You must learn to conquer it, Abraxas did not. Your grandfather was always there for me. The loss of my brother was more than I could take."

"You didn't even go to his funeral, or your husbands."

"I would have, if it wouldn't have brought me to my knees. You see Draco, Abraxas and Garret grew up with me, side by side. Everything my brother did, I did. Sliding down the banister, riding broomsticks, having a pet owl. I refused to be separated from him when I was little. I started dating his best friend before my first year."

I looked out beyond the horizon and took a deep breath. "The death of my husband tore me apart; I slammed the door on the face of the man who came to tell me. I couldn't bear to go. Abraxas was my brother Draco, I lost my only brother to something so powerful, once you are gone, it takes a lot more power to bring you back. I couldn't think of what to do without my brother when I learned of his death."

"What was he really like? Before he became bad?"

"He was amazing, he was an amazing on a broomstick, didn't go for Quidditch though, liked to watch not play. He was good at potions, and every other class he took. He excelled in all of them. He graduated top of his class, followed by Garret. He was also caring and forgiving, he was kind and loving. He had this amazing appearance to him. His stormy eyes, blonde hair and tall muscled body made him stand out. He could bring silence to the great hall when he walked in. Hardly ever did but when he and Garret wanted to show off you bet they could."

"Like me and Theodore?"

"Actually, exactly like that. Draco, you are more of your grandfather than you might believe." I placed my hand on his shoulder. "I just hope you make the right choices in life. As great as Abraxas and Garret were don't follow in their footsteps."

"I won't, it killed my mother, and in the end my father also. Do you really think Voldemort will kill your son, for trying to harm you?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so, he might harm him, punish him maybe, but Derrick is to high in his ranks to kill him. But I do not doubt that it has angered Voldemort that someone attempted to harm me."

"Sonoña?" He looked up at me, his eyes no longer filled with sadness, they were at peace. "Thank you for my broom. You didn't have to get me one, my mother bought me a new one last year."

"It is alright Draco, and you're welcome. Why don't you go try it out? When the woods stop is when the magic protecting the house stops. Do not cross over that edge. I never know what might be waiting or searching. Other than that you are free to fly."

I gave Draco a big smile, and he ran to get his broom, skidded to a halt and ran back and stopped in front of me. He waited, seeming unsure, then wrapped me in a tight hug. I returned the hug and he ran off the get his broom. No longer than five minutes past when I saw Draco, Harry, and Ron all flying on brooms. Hermione came to stand beside me.



"Boys. I don't get it? Why do they like flying so much?"

"It's not that bad Hermione, give it a try, but maybe with someone else first." I winked and walked away.