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Chapter 34: Letters From Home

Several months have passed and still, Izzy did not wake up. There was almost no hope left for the girl. She was transferred from Hogwarts to St. Mungo's for intensive care and monitoring one day in April, and no one has seen her since.

To Hogwarts' surprise, Harry Potter seemed to be able to cope much better without Izzy with the help of none other than Draco Malfoy. It was astounding what one Isobelle de Lune's sickness can do to the famous archenemies. True they weren't best friends. They didn't hang out in each other's house table during meals, they didn't even sit beside each other during class, they didn't exchange jokes or anything of the sort. In fact they did the most peculiar things together—share a table for studying at the library, fly around the pitch for a bit of quidditch practice, and sit at the edge of the dock to talk about Izzy. It was all they ever did together, but Hogwarts knew that these few moments were the only things keeping the two boys sane without the girl they both loved.

Yet Draco is still not fully healed. He bleeds every other day and needs to drink his blood replenishing potion on a daily basis. His godfather, and head of house Professor Snape has made a potion for him that makes him stable and lessens the bleeding. It doesn't really remove the curse unlike the potion needing his ancestral blood but one could say that it works just like a woflsbane potion for a werewolf. This potion is the cure for the betrayal of kin which is just like the potion for betrayal of ancestors only this one uses any relative's blood. The relative willingly providing Draco blood for his potion is none other than Tonks.

But Draco is getting worse and worse each day. In fact, that morning in mid-May, the day before Izzy's birthday, just as Harry and Draco were sitting on the dock, watching the sunrise, Draco coughed and vomited blood, directly on the lake's surface. With much difficulty, he took a flask from within his robes and downed the potion in one. The bleeding stopped immediately.

"It's getting worse, isn't it?", Harry asked darkly.

"Don't be silly, it's no different from yesterday's", Draco said but Harry was not convinced.

"Well that's just it isn't it? You never used to vomit that much blood—and you said you bled yesterday? It doesn't use to happen on a daily basis", Harry pointed out.

"Never mind that. The potion worked, didn't it?"

"It worked now. But who knows what would happen tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow's her birthday, you know that, right? It's supposed to be a happy day. She's supposed to be having a great day, a party even.", Draco said sadly.

"But if she's awake now, she'll refuse to hold a party. I just know it. She'll insist on taking care of you—she'd research for an ancestor of yours, and she won't sleep if that's the way she could help you. You know what I'm saying is true, right? Izzy won't be happy when she learns you're ignoring your health, Draco", he told his new friend.

"Would you drop it? I'm still not used to you getting all concerned for me! It creeps me out, you know?", Draco said kind of jokingly.

"I—I was just—oh, never mind!"

"If it eases your mind, Professor Dumbledore's been working on it. And I am too. We're trying to research and retrace my roots. Hopefully we'll find a missing ancestor that's still alive in one way or another. Who knows? Maybe there's still someone out there who—who could help", Draco said though he highly doubted it. In fact he has sort of learned to accept his looming fate. It was like having a fast approaching cancer—he knew he was about to die, and he knew that his time was near. He just hoped Izzy would wake up sometime before he went.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

That morning, after their first period, during the first break, Harry went up to Dumbledore's office to talk to him about Draco's worsening condition. After Harry had told him what had happened at the dock that morning, the headmaster sat down, clutched his beard and was immersed deep in his thoughts.

"I'm afraid there isn't much time left for Draco. We really have to find an ancestor of his.", Professor Dumbledore said.

"But how are we going to do that, if we don't have much time left? What about Sirius? What did he do? Wasn't he under the same curse when he ran away when he was 16?", Harry wondered aloud. He'd been meaning to ask this question ever since he learned about blood curses.

"Ah. Of course. Sirius suffered from a blood curse as well. But just as Severus has explained it blood curses vary from family to family, and according to its head, of course. When Sirius ran away from home, he suffered from a condition similar to that of Draco's at present. He vomited blood every now and then until he was left pale and weak. I remember him staying at the Hospital Wing for several weeks, being attended to by his g—uhm—by his friends. But in his case the curse was not deadly. And besides, the curse was lifted the moment Walburga—his mother, zapped him out of the family tree", he explained but somehow Harry felt that the headmaster was hiding something from him.

"Can't we do something similar for Draco? Zap him out of the tree?", Harry asked.

"That might work. But I'm afraid doing that requires again—an ancestor", the headmaster said.

"Oh. So—so if we don't find an ancestor, what will happen to Draco?", he asked the question.

"He goes on. He dies. But we are doing everything we can, Harry, everything.", Dumbledore said.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Harry was back at the dock that evening. He didn't know what to do. Draco Malfoy is getting worse and worse by the minute. In fact, earlier that afternoon, he looked so bad and the replenishing potion did nothing to help him that he was sent to St. Mungo's by Professor Dumbledore. Snape was accompanying him for the day and Harry was left to himself once more.

While most of the students were celebrating—Harry didn't feel like joining them. Sure, they just lost a double potions class that afternoon, but that was because Snape had to attend to a slowly dying Draco—but they didn't know that, did they? Only Harry, Hermione and Ron knew about this.

Just then, he felt two magical auras fast approaching. Harry stood up in surprise. He knew those magical auras so well! It was Izzy and Draco! But that's impossible, isn't it? They're at St. Mungo's right now—and currently sick too!, Harry thought. Maybe some people at Hogwarts have similar auras. And so he drew out his wand and remained alert until two figures appeared on top of the wooden planks of the dock.

It was Draco, carrying Izzy in his arms, and clutching the heart shaped locket that Izzy once owned.

"Draco! Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be at St. Mungo's? You're still bleeding!", Harry said as he grabbed Izzy away from Draco who leaned over the edge of the dock to vomit some more blood. Draco forced himself to drink some potion.

"I snuck out. I—I went to her ward—to—to see how she was. When—when it turned midnight—when she turned 17, she—she suddenly showed signs of life! And—and all at once, the Healers came in—and—and started attacking—they were imperiused—all of them!", Draco panted.

"What?! Professor Dumbledore must know this at once! We'd have to tell him", Harry said.

"Yeah. Let's go—I reckon—this­ will bring us to him", Draco said as he grabbed the locket once more that seemed to be designed to bring the person in danger to whoever it is that could help him. They both grabbed the locket, and thought 'Help, help! Someone help us!'. For a while it worked. They spun around and felt their bodies leave the wooden planks of the dock. But when they landed, they saw that they remained in place.

"I don't—get—it. Why—isn't it working—now?", Draco struggled to speak because of exhaustion and weakness.

"Never mind. No worries, I only just remembered that I've got my own portkey here.", Harry said as he fumbled with a chain that hanged from his neck. From inside his shirt he retrieved a pendant that was shaped like a key. He held it our for all of them to hold. In an instant the portkey glowed a bright blue and sent them to Dumbledore's office.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!", Draco shouted as they landed.

"What is it? Are you alright?", Harry asked him at once.

"Izzy's lock—locket! It's—it—burns! Tis—burning!", Draco took the chain that was holding the heart shaped locket out. The locket was bright red—like it was placed on hot coal.

"I think it's self destructing", Harry observed and then he looked around for the headmaster.

"Dumbledore isn't here! This portkey was meant to take us only to his office. I wonder where he—", Harry said. But he no longer needed to wonder for at that very moment, the door to Dumbledore's office opened and the headmaster came in.

"Ah. It's you. My office alarm went off when you arrived, you know? What are you doing here, Draco? And—Merlin! Is that Isobelle? Why did you bring her here? She needs professional attention!", he asked them.

"Prof—Professor—D—Dumbledore!", Draco tried speaking. Harry held a hand to stop him.

"Let me explain Professor. Draco's too exhausted to tell you himself. It all began when Draco snuck out of his ward to go to Izzy. He wanted to see her, to check on her, you see. When he got there, Izzy showed signs of life—she was stirring, just as she turned 17 on midnight. But then all of a sudden the Healers came in and attacked them. They were imperiused. And so Draco grabbed Izzy and took her away with that locket. They arrived at the dock where I was as of that moment. That's it, isn't it?", he turned to Draco for confirmation that he didn't miss out on the important details of the story. Draco nodded.

"The heart shaped locket? It brought them to you—again? Just like Izzy was brought to you last summer?", Professor Dumbledore asked.

"Yes—but what does it have to—", Harry asked.

"Esmeralda de Lune's brilliance had always amazed me. That piece of magic is complex—making a portkey that had no specific place as a destination. Instead of a place, she has designed it to have a person as a destination", Dumbledore said, clearly impressed.

"You mean that portkey, when touched, will bring anyone to me?", Harry said incredulously as Dumbledore proceeded to examine the locket.

"No, no, Harry. Esmeralda is a wise witch. She knows that you are being sought after by Voldemort. I have no reason to believe that she would risk your life to make a portkey that was directed to you. I presume that you do have something on you that's the object of this portkey's destination. I wonder though… If Esmeralda's locket—that one, has portkey properties in the case of the bearer needing help, it might have an enchantment within that would help Isobelle in her current condition. Draco, kindly put the chain and locket on Isobelle", he directed his student.

"B—but it's—burning", he said, looking at the glowing red metal.

"It wouldn't matter—Isobelle won't feel the burn, for it is she who owns that locket", Dumbledore said. And although Draco was puzzled and was absolutely confused, he obeyed the headmaster. At once, Izzy showed signs of life once more. She stirred from her slumber, making moans as if from a nightmare. She clutched the locket in her sleep—pushing a very small knob at its side.

"I think she wants to open it", Harry said.

"But it's—locked—for—as long as I can remember. Twas already—locked—last—last—Christmas", Draco said.

"Ah alas! We cannot open it now. Mr. Malfoy, what do you have in your hands?", Dumbledore asked as he noticed Draco clutching what looked like a letter.

"A letter—for Izzy. It came as soon as—she—she turned 17. I think it's—a coming-of-age letter.", Draco said as he handed the headmaster the letter.

"Ah. And so it is. Oh—we have a little problem. I need to speak with Marius. I'm afraid I'd have to leave you three here for the meantime. This is an urgent matter I cannot postpone regarding Isobelle's coming of age. Here, why don't you drink this, Draco? And help Isobelle drink some as well. It shall make you both feel better while we wait for Madam Pomfrey's assistance. Harry, make sure that these two are alright. Send me a message with your Patronus if there's trouble", he said after reading Izzy's letter and just before leaving the office.

"What was that about?", Harry asked Draco.

"It's a—letter from Greece. I—I didn't read it, b—but I reckon it has something to do with her royal seat succession.", he replied.

"Oh. That's why it's urgent", Harry realized.

"Y—you know, there's another one. B—but Dumbledore left at once that I didn't have the chance to tell him.", Draco said as he pulled another letter from inside his robes.

"Who's it from?", Harry asked by instinct.

Draco opened the letter, scanned it quickly and looked at the bottom to read the signed name. His eyes widened with shock.

"What? What is it? Why are you so surprised?", Harry asked him.

Draco handed him the letter without saying a word, and Harry started reading the words written carefully in perfect calligraphy. He read it out loud:

"Dear Isobelle—My Baby Izzy,

Today, you turn of age. And how I regret not being able to witness your blossoming into a full-fledged woman, just like your beautiful mother. Words cannot describe how much I resent the fact that I have to be away from both of you to do what I have to do. I know you probably won't understand, and you probably grew up hating me and wanting nothing to do with me. But I hope one day we'll be able to meet and talk about the past like two mature adults. I love you with all my being, my dear Isobelle—My Izzy. I don't know how you prefer to be called now, but your mother has always insisted on calling you Isobelle—don't tell her I called you Izzy, it annoys her. No matter what you here, no matter what you learn about me, always, always remember that I've never stopped loving you and your mother, and that I will always do. If you're not in Greece, I know you will definitely be back soon—when you settle your royal seat succession. And I will be there at your ball. Looking forward to seeing you soon, my little girl."

Harry gasped and finished the letter.

"With love,

your father."