I do not own Harry Potter. All rights go to J. K. Rowling as well as Warner brothers (For the movie rights).

Daughter of Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Nine

It had been a few days since Minerva and Izzy had gone to the Ministry to petition to keep Izzy in Minerva's custody. Thankfully, it seemed that the department of magical children had gotten involved and forced the department of house affairs into letting Izzy stay with her chosen guardian. It was nice to not worry about it, but Izzy had a bad feeling that Lucius wasn't done.

Narcissa Malfoy née Black was not a stupid woman, rather, she was a woman with her hands tied. Her marriage to Lucius was a loveless one, and though she loved her son, she knew he was Lucius' more than hers despite her best efforts.

She heard things thanks to the nature of her husband's angry ranting and saw many more. She knew Sirius was innocent; she'd seen the evidence before her very eyes when Peter Pettigrew had sold out his supposed best friends. She didn't understand why everyone immediately blamed Sirius until she learned everyone believed him to be the Potters secret keeper for their fidelius charm.

She knew the truth.

But she was barred from telling a soul. Lucius had that kind of power over her thanks to the marriage contract. There were ways around it, but Lucius had specifically barred her from helping Sirius in any way. She had no other choice but to leave Sirius to suffer what many could argue was a fate worse than death, the same as her sister.

Back in the present, Narcissa was furious. When she and Draco went home after the surprise Black reunion, Draco had gone straight to Lucius and told him that Isabella…Lyra…was the head of house Black.

Lucius was immediately furious at the news, but it was as he was mumbling that he let slip that 'he should've taken care of the brat instead of letting Peter handle it.'

This time, instead of voicing her displeasure, she stayed silent and let Lucius think she was loyal to him. He hadn't even thought to order her not to communicate or use the familial bond between Isabella and herself.

This time, Narcissa would not be kept from her family.

Now that the Ministry was aware of her change in status, Izzy received letter after letter from them in regard to different things: her position in the Wizengamot, things she needed to sign to make her position in the 'most hallowed body' official, several letters from different houses wanting her to join their 'voting bloc,' and several letters of condemnation.

Minerva had even intercepted a cursed letter.

It was mid-June now and she'd been receiving these letters for a week straight. She had no idea how to respond to them or what even the proper procedure was. Minerva wasn't much help other than sorting the letters into neat piles. She was as hopeless in sorting through this political mail as Izzy was.

"I can't!" Izzy shouted as yet another owl came in through the window.

"Calm down, Izzy. It'll just go on the pile, nothing to it. I've called Albus and he said he would help," Minerva assured.

"What's the point! We'll get the mail sorted out, but more will just keep coming, and I don't know the first thing about politics, and people already hate me for something I didn't do!" Izzy shouted hysterically. Everything was maddening. She knew what her mother did was bad, but was it so bad that everyone had to hate her daughter by extension?

Another owl hooted outside, and Izzy had her wand in hand when she noticed it wasn't a ministry bird. Wrapped around its leg was a letter with the now familiar symbol of the house of Black. Izzy swallowed and hoped it was who she thought it was.

'Lyra,

I imagine by now the rest of the Wizengamot and almost all of the magical Britain have heard of who you are. I also imagine it can be quite overwhelming to suddenly have so much attention on you. I know I have been absent from your life, but I would like to perform the duties your mother left to me in the event she could not carry them out. If you would be willing, meet me in Diagon Alley at noon tomorrow out front of Florean's. If you don't come, I would understand, but I would very much like to see you again.

Your Godmother,

Narcissa'

The letter was set gently down in front of a stack of unopened ones.

"You should go," Minerva said softly. Izzy sniffled and wiped the tear from her eye. It felt…odd, having a member of her family sounding so concerned. She looked to Minerva in confusion. It was no secret that the older Gryffindor didn't like the Malfoy's. While Narcissa hadn't seemed so bad in the brief moments they'd met, Izzy knew Minerva had known her longer.

"Despite her cold exterior, Narcissa is not like the rest of her family. In fact, the Black trio were very different from the other Blacks that came before them. They didn't antagonize other students or put them down. Mostly they kept to themselves with Andromeda being the most expressive, but Narcissa was always studious, even helping other students if she saw them struggling."

"So…I should meet her?" Izzy asked, wanting that reassurance from Minerva.

The older woman nodded.

"I think it would be best. It seems like she wants to get to know you," Minerva said. Izzy hugged the older woman tightly before letting go. "Besides, I think you need to get away from this for a while, starting now," she said, gesturing to the piles of letters. "Why don't you go outside and blow off some steam?"

Izzy did just that. She went outside and began practicing some of the things she'd learned in dueling. It wouldn't due to let her skills go to waste, she practiced some of her quick-casting on a few dummies Minerva had transfigured out of rocks.

Her battle transfiguration was awful. While she was fairly good at normal transfiguration, fourth in her class under Hermione, Harry, and Draco, she was rather bad at focusing enough magic to transfigure material in a duel while focusing on the duel itself.

On the four dummies, she transfigured several blades of grass into long vines that ensnared the first target. The second target had its arms frozen, and the third was trapped in the ground by steel bars. She let the spells go and then tried them again, faster this time to try and build up better muscle memory and variating them at random.

She practiced her point casting, the art of casting a spell without moving your wand, which was a fifth year technique but the dueling book Professor Flitwick had given them said it was possible for anyone as young as twelve to learn point casting if they could focus enough.

The most Izzy could point cast at the current moment were stunners, tripping, and stinging jinxes. Useful spells for duels, but ultimately were not enough for serious dueling.

She continued practicing for hours until the injury to her shoulder started to flare up and her shoulder became tight.

When Izzy entered the house, she saw Minerva sitting in one of the comfier chairs with her head between her hands and a letter at her feet. It bore the Hogwarts crest, along with the seal for the board of governors.

"Lucius has made his move…there's nothing I can do this time," Minerva whispered as she heard Izzy come in. She didn't even mind that the girl had muddy shoes on inside the house, such was her shock. Izzy picked up the letter a nearly exploded when she read it.

"They…They can't do this!" Izzy shouted. The emotional strain of the last week and a half finally got to her, the letter pushing her over the edge.

According to the Hogwarts charter, there was an old bylaw that prevented students from staying with teachers even during the summer unless they were directly related by blood or a legal guardian. Izzy was the head of an ancient and noble house, an adult now in the eyes of the ministry and Hogwarts itself. Minerva was legally no longer her guardian.

"But the Ministry-"

"I know, Izzy, I know…but in this case, as Hogwarts is independent of the ministry, there is no fighting this. Either you are forced out of the school, or I am forced to resign," Minerva said.

"But I like it here! I want to stay with you!" Izzy shouted as she collapsed to her knees. In future reflections of this moment, she would later note how much she cried, and it was far more than the amount she had in the proceeding three years.

"I know…I know," Minerva whispered as she stared at her favorite pupil since Lily Potter. "I'm sorry, Isabella…we tried."

"So what happens now?" Izzy asked, afraid of what was going to happen to her. She'd had Minerva for the past three years, the longest she'd ever stayed with anybody, and it was being ripped away from her by some arsehole who thought he could control her.

Narcissa.

She'd talk to Narcissa and demand an answer tomorrow. She had no idea if being head of house allowed her to just do that, but by Merlin she was going to do it anyway.

"What the hell is this?" Izzy demanded as she slapped the letter down on the table Narcissa was sitting at. She had smiled at seeing Izzy walking up but frowned at the angry furrow between her eyebrows. She pretended not to notice the furious and hair and eyes. Narcissa took one look at the letter and swore quietly.

"I was hoping to warn you of this," she said quietly, her voice tinged with regret.

"You couldn't have said that in your letter? How do I even know you're not lying to me and this is part of the plan?" Izzy demanded harshly. Narcissa took a moment to remind herself that Izzy had every right to be upset, but she didn't know all the facts.

"I couldn't exactly tell you!" Narcissa said firmly. "Lucius has a habit of reading my letters and if I told you he would've forbidden me from talking to you at all unless it benefited the house of Malfoy," she spat. "Despite my last name my first loyalty has always been to the Black family, and the Head ring would've told you if I was lying anyway. According to Arcturus, it would've felt like a pressure or heat in your hand."

"Then why marry the bastard?" Izzy asked rhetorically, not mentioning that she felt no pressure in her hand. She was telling the truth. Narcissa sighed and reminded herself that Izzy, Lyra, did not know how pureblood society functioned.

"I didn't have a choice. My father married me off to Lucius straight out of Hogwarts. I didn't have a say in the matter," she said.

"That's barbaric! Arranged marriage in the twentieth century?" Izzy exclaimed.

"That's pureblood society, Lyra," Narcissa dejectedly sighed. The irony was not lost on her that she was a pureblood who supported such a society. Where she differed was her views on muggleborns and half-bloods.

"Great. I look forward to shaking hands and schmoozing rich, old, bigoted men," Izzy said sarcastically. "It's my favorite thing in the world." She turned her eyes to Narcissa, and aggravated red ringing the pupils. "No offense, but why can't you just leave? Surely there's the concept of divorce in this stupid society!" Narcissa chuckled.

"No. There's annulment…and I need…permission for it," Narcissa said delicately. Izzy noted that the woman looked oddly embarrassed to admit that little tidbit of information.

"You need permission from your husband to leave him?" Izzy asked incredulously. Narcissa shook her head.

"No. From my head of house," she said. Izzy froze, and Narcissa watched her face harden into and unreadable expression. For a Gryffindor it was impressive.

"I see," she said coldly. "Is that what you wanted? Give me some information on what your bastard husband is doing? Give me some ice cream and then hope I would annul the marriage, assuming I even knew how?" Izzy asked.

"No!" Narcissa denied instantly. She was rather shocked (and also pleased) at the rather Slytherin idea her goddaughter had, but it wasn't her intention. She hadn't come to do that. "No. I really do want to help you, and I came to tell you that it's because of Lucius that you didn't have a family. I believe he arranged for a man by the name of Peter Pettigrew to have you kidnapped. I don't know what his goal was, but he's certainly trying to fix his 'mistake.'"

"Your husband really is an arse," Izzy said angrily, her entire head flaring a deep red in her seething anger. It was because of Lucius she'd been alone most of her life. Didn't have people to love her for very long. The next time she saw Peter, she'd kill him for his part in it all, then burn Malfoy where he stood.

"You're preaching to the choir, as the muggles say," Narcissa sighed. She smiled at the surprise on Izzy's face at the use of a muggle saying. "Yes, I do understand some muggle sayings and idioms," she said. Izzy narrowed her eyes.

"You're not what I expected you to be," she said simply.

"None of us Black sisters were what any of them expected us to be," Narcissa said quietly.

"Will you…will you tell me more about my mother?" Izzy asked hesitantly. Narcissa's eyes seemed to come alive at the request, her smile was soft, and it made Izzy feel good. "Andi didn't talk much about her family when I stayed with them last summer. Granted, she didn't know who I was so, there's that."

"I'm surprised she didn't, but…if you wouldn't mind, I would very much like to show you something, something I hope will…will maybe help you," Narcissa said nervously. Izzy's brow furrowed in confusion though she nodded, nonetheless. "We'll need to apparate. Have you done it before?" She asked. Izzy made a face that Narcissa couldn't help but laugh at. "Yes, it's not exactly pleasant for people who haven't done it a lot."

"Could say that about a lot of things," Izzy said cheekily. Narcissa chuckled before she stood from the table.

"Come along, we'll need to get to the apparition point before we can apparate out of Diagon Alley," Narcissa explained. Izzy nodded before following nervously at a slight distance. Narcissa turned back and smirked.

"Stay at my side. A Black walks behind nobody," Narcissa said firmly. Izzy nodded and scampered to her godmother's side anxiously. Where was Narcissa taking her? What was so important to she had to show her right now?

When they reached the apparition point, Narcissa held out her hand, which Izzy took, and the two were sucked through a straw by the navel before appearing in a perfectly normal muggle neighborhood. Izzy looked around in confusion.

"Where are we?" she asked. Down the street, she saw the sign for Islington. "Are we in London?"

"Yes. This is number 12 Grimmauld place," Narcissa said. "The ancestral home of the Black family," she added proudly, waving her wand and causing the hidden home to appear.

"I must've ridden past this street a dozen times," Izzy whispered in wonder.

"You have?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes. The orphanage I was raised in was about two blocks away. We took the bus on trips and passed this road sometimes," Izzy said as they now stood on the front steps. She looked at the door and noticed no nob, only a stylized knocker in the shape of the Black family crest.

"How do we get in?" Izzy asked. Narcissa studied the door, noticing the runic scheme surrounding it, and figured it out.

"The door was locked just before Aunt Walburga died. I'd recognize her handiwork anywhere," Narcissa said with distaste. "It looks like only the head of house can open it."

Izzy looked at the ring on her right hand and shrugged.

"So…how do I do that?" she asked.

"Place your hand on the door. This old house should recognize your authority," Narcissa said.

"Should?" Izzy asked nervously.

"Well…there's always the possibility that Walburga placed a curse on the door that will most likely be painful or kill you in seconds," Narcissa replied nervously. "But she wasn't that crazy."

"Lovely," Izzy said with wide eyes and a terrified smile. "Right…please open, please open," she whispered as she slowly touched the door.

At first, she thought she was going to die when she felt a rush of magic through her body. She drew her hand away as if it had been burned. Narcissa immediately grabbed the limb and pointed her wand, ready to do her best to contain whatever the curse might be. She was stopped when the door clicked, and a doorknob appeared.

"I see you haven't died," Narcissa said. She offered Izzy a smile and went through the door with her wand out.

"Yeah thanks for that," Izzy said with wide eyes as she followed Narcissa. She nearly ran into Narcissa's back when the woman stopped. Izzy watched as she turned in place, lost in memories past both good and bad.

"It's been years since I've been in this house," Narcissa said softly. She turned to a door straight ahead and opened it to reveal a kitchen. "Back before the war and there were more of us, we would gather every Yule and celebrate. We were proud to keep the old traditions." Another turn revealed a sitting room that had long since fallen into disrepair. "Andi, Bellatrix, and I would sit in here for hours and just talk. Andi and Bellatrix would make sure I was doing good in my classes since I was the youngest, and they were the reason I looked out for the children once they had graduated."

Izzy thought she saw a tear rolling down Narcissa's cheek.

"The Black family didn't always live up to its name…sure there were the dark ones, the ones who believed in blood supremacy and dark magic and whatnot…but for the most part, we were conservatives, clinging to a way of life that had long since passed us by, and we knew it. Arcturus hoped that one of the boys, Sirius or his brother Regulus, would be the ones to begin bringing the Black family into the new era of wizardry…but then Sirius was falsely imprisoned and Regulus disappeared," Narcissa explained as she unceremoniously sat upon a dusty old chair.

"Wait…you knew Sirius was innocent," Izzy asked. Narcissa nodded.

"I did. I knew Peter was the one to betray the Potters, not Sirius. Lucius saw to it that I couldn't say anything to anybody about it though and…well, Sirius paid the price," Narcissa said sadly. She sighed before shaking her head and taking a deep breath. "No…I didn't bring you hear to reminisce. I wanted you to see something." With that, Narcissa stood up and walked out of the sitting room towards a door right beside the staircase, only a noise stopped them.

"Who dares enter the house of Black?" a voice croaked. Izzy jumped having not expected anyone else to be in this dark and dingy house.

"Show yourself," Narcissa called. The steps creaked as a tiny body made its way down the stairs on shaky legs. It was some kind of…creature with big floppy ears and weathered skinned.

"What is that?" Izzy asked.

"A house elf. Caretakers of the house. This one has lived here for years, though I'm honestly a bit surprised he's lived this long without Walburga bossing him around," Narcissa commented.

"Kreature has served the house of Black faithfully," the little elf said with a glare. "It is nice to see a Black return once more, a pleasure to have mistress Narcissa return."

"Yes, I'm sure it is. Your new mistress, Lyra, is the head of house. You will serve her as you did Aunt Walburga," Narcissa said. "Starting by making this house presentable once more."

The little elf nodded and disappeared with a pop.

"Dreadful thing he is. Just as crazy as Walburga if memory serves," Narcissa muttered wryly, causing Izzy to laugh. "Come on, let me show you what I've been trying to for the past half hour." Narcissa reached for the doorknob and twisted before pushing the oak door open. The two stepped inside, Izzy much more careful than Narcissa because she was overwhelmed by what she saw.

"This is every member of the black family in the last century and a half. If you want the full list, you'll have to find the family registry, but I wanted you to see your family," Narcissa said softly, though Izzy didn't hear her. She looked upon the faces, and burns, scattered across the literal tree. It wound its way around the room, each branch ending with a face and a name. It was a lot less organized than the Gringotts version, but she could see dozens of names along with pictures, the years they lived, who they married, the children they had.

And right under Bellatrix, but not connected to Rudolphus Lestrange, was 'Lyra Morgana Black.' She reached out and ran her finger over the face of her mother. Her other hand came up to her face and covered her mouth. For the first time in many years, she let herself cry over her parents. For the mother imprisoned trying to find her, and for the father she would never know. She cried for all she could've had if one man hadn't wrecked it all.

"Why is Rudolphus on here and not my father?" Izzy asked. Narcissa sighed.

"Because they weren't married, and the house magic didn't officially recognize the bond. It recognized you as a child of Black blood, but nothing else."

"What do you think I would've been like…growing up, I mean?" Izzy asked when she felt a hand on her shoulder. The hand on her shoulder turned into a gentle hug that felt so warm and so right. She didn't know if it was the familial blood and magic interacting, but it felt comforting. Like how Izzy imagined home to feel before she lived with Minerva.

"I think you would've been an adventurous child before growing to a strong woman, exactly as you are now. You and your mother were going to be living in France, if memory serves. She knew that the dark lord would want you, to raise you in his ideal vision of pureblood supremacy, so she made plans to protect you; keep you safe. You would've gone to Beauxbatons academy there, and you would've had a nice little home in the countryside." Izzy let out a shuttering breath as she imagined that life, but it was hard to see herself in it though.

"What about you?" she whispered into Narcissa's shoulder. The woman for her part was running her fingers through Izzy's hair, but stopped to think over her answer.

"I would've been with you. I would've asked Sirius to annul the marriage, and I would've taken my son before Lucius could ever sink his claws into them. You two would've grown up together, gone to school together," Narcissa said, laughing at the face Izzy made when she thought of Draco and her ever being friends. "There were so many possibilities back then. Your mother had so many dreams for you. That you were going to fall in love one day and start a family, she'd be a grandmother with grandchildren at her knee as she read them stories in the backyard. She hoped you would be artistic, what with your metamorphmagus trait, but she would've been happy if you'd taken up a sport. Of course, she'd have been happy so long as you were." Narcissa paused, her face taking on a thoughtful expression.

"I remember this one time where I left the two of you in your room. You wanted to play, and Bella was all too happy to provide. I closed the door just as you started laughing, and when I came back a few hours later, you were sleeping on her chest, perfectly still with your little thumb in your mouth. Bella looked up at me and smiled. 'I think I've worn her out' she said to me. 'I love hearing her laugh so much I just couldn't stop trying to make her laugh,'" Narcissa reminisced. Izzy snorted into the woman's shoulder as her tears abated with the stories.

"Is it possible to visit her?" Izzy asked. She guessed the answer would be no when she felt Narcissa tense up, but she persisted any way. "I mean, I'm head of the Black family now. Can't I talk to her under like…family terms or something?"

"I'm afraid not, dear," Narcissa said softly. Izzy's hair, impossibly, became an even darker blue than it was since they'd gotten into the house. "Only aurors, the minister, and guards are allowed in Azkaban."

"I figured," Izzy whispered.

"I'm sorry…I can only imagine how you must be feeling. I'm here though, whenever you want me, we can talk," Narcissa said as she planted a hesitant kiss to the crown of Izzy's head. The girl froze.

Not even Minerva was that familiar with her.

Izzy felt the truth in Narcissa's statement through the house ring. She felt Narcissa's sincerity, and it warmed her heart.

"I would, if we could communicate freely," Izzy said as she pulled away from Narcissa's embrace. The older witch sighed and nodded.

"That's true," she said. The thought of what Izzy might possibly be insinuating never once crossing her mind. She hoped one day to be away from Lucius, away from the twisted boy that was her son. The thought brought her pause. She didn't want to give up on her son. Ideally, she wanted to take him away from Lucius, away from the blood supremacy nutjobs that followed a monster.

She just didn't know how. She hated that she didn't know how to save her son.

"Do you want me to annul the marriage?" Izzy asked. Narcissa looked at her in surprise before she nodded.

"I'll only ask one other thing…please," Narcissa said. Izzy nodded. "I know you and he have had problems in the past, but I would request that you help my son. Help Draco. He's been brainwashed by Lucius to think that anything except a pureblood witch or wizard is worth less than the dirt beneath his feet. He doesn't know any better despite my best efforts."

"I trust you already, Narcissa. Whether it's my own intuition or the family magic facilitating that trust so quickly I'm not sure, but I'll do my best. He's my cousin. I never believed I'd have a blood related family, much less an adopted one. I don't know Draco well enough beyond how much I dislike him, but you're his mother…and I trust you. So…if it's within my power, I'll do what I can," Izzy said, though she really didn't want to do anything for Draco. He was a spoiled, awful, mean spirited boy.

"That's all I ask," Narcissa whispered gratefully. She looked around the room and saw the sad state of things, she remembered the once proud sitting room now covered in dust and cobwebs. There was evidence of infestations and several nests that had been built. "It's going to take some work before anyone can live here," Narcissa noted.

"Yeah…where am I going to stay in the meantime? I'm not allowed to stay with Minerva," Izzy said. Narcissa smiled.

"I know you're probably not used to money, dear, but the Black family has a lot of it. I hope you don't mind, but if you're going annul the marriage, I will be performing my duties as godmother to the fullest. We'll find a place to stay for the both of us, where I can keep you close and away from Lucius' grip, and then we'll go from there. One day at a time," Narcissa said.

"Yeah…one day at a time," Izzy whispered. And for the first time in nearly two weeks, the ball of worry and anxiety in her stomach shrunk slightly. She wouldn't be staying with Minerva anymore, but Narcissa was family, and the ring told her that Narcissa could be trusted.

"Come on. Let's go find somewhere to stay. Before we do that though, we should pick up your ministry mail and anything else. It's entirely possible those bottom feeders will try something incredibly underhanded to try and control you."

"Yeah, would hate for that to – ow!" Izzy exclaimed as she clutched her head. Narcissa was immediately concerned as she pulled out her wand and began casting diagnostic charms, or rather, the few that Andi had taught her before she was expelled from the family. What Narcissa saw made her scowl.

"Someone's been in your head, playing with your memories," Narcissa growled. She noticed that the house ring was glowing on Izzy's finger. The house wards must've begun to wake up now that there was a head of house once again to power them. "It's alright. It's going to hurt for a little bit depending on how much your memories have been modified. The wards around the house are trying to fix it, that's all," Narcissa explained when she realized what was happening.

"Oh, lovely. Someone's been in my head and now my house is trying to fix it. That doesn't sound abnormal at all," Izzy muttered, still clutching at her head. The pain subsided a few minutes later, the wards finishing their job.

"There's no way we'll be able to figure out who's modified your memory right now. I'm good at occlumency but my legilimency is not quite so good. Andi was far better at the mental arts than your mother and I," Narcissa said. Izzy sighed.

"It's fine, I guess. The family magic will prevent it from happening again, I suppose…" Izzy's eyes widened at the memory that had been suppressed.

"What is it?" Narcissa asked.

"Nothing…or at least…nothing I want to talk about right now. Let's just go to Minerva's and grab my belongings." Narcissa nodded, concerned but trusting of her goddaughter.

Izzy walked out of the old house, determined that she would find out everything she could on Tom Riddle and just how it was he managed to keep himself in a diary.

Red=angry

Gray=nervous/anxious/irritated

Orange=happy/excited

Blue=sad/overwhelmed

Purple=worried/concerned/frustrated

Green=jealous/suspicious

Brown=content/relaxed

Yellow=afraid/shocked

Pink=amusement

Silver=determination

Light blue=embarrassment