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 Thirty
"I'm back, Minerva!" Izzy shouted as she walked through the fireplace. "I've brought company." Minerva came around the corner and saw the Lady Malfoy.
"Ah, Lady Malfoy," Minerva said, though Izzy could hear what sounded like a slight contempt to even speak her name.
"I don't believe it'll be Malfoy for very much longer," Narcissa said, holding herself up high and not allowing Minerva's contempt to get to her. Minerva's eyes flicked to Izzy.
"It's alright…we've been talking…she can't lie to me," Izzy said, holding up the ring on her right hand.
"We didn't just get our name from our magical preferences. We Blacks were also morally gray, even to our own family. It got so bad that Phineas Black used magic only learned by the headmaster of Hogwarts to prevent any Black from lying to him," Narcissa explained. Minerva pursed her lips but nodded begrudgingly before turning to Izzy.
"I assume you've come up with a plan?" she asked. Izzy nodded.
"Yeah…I'll pack up my stuff. Narcissa has requested an annulment so I guess she'll be staying with me," Izzy explained. Minerva looked sad as she looked at Izzy's few belongings scattered about the house.
"I know," Izzy whispered as she hugged Minerva. "Thank you, for everything you've done, Minerva."
"You're welcome to visit anytime, Isabella, and I'll always be available to talk to you at Hogwarts," Minerva said teary eyed.
"I know. That's why it doesn't feel like goodbye or that I'm being taken away again. I think it's a 'see you later' situation…still, I'm going to miss you," Izzy said. Minerva sniffed before nodding. The two broke apart before Minerva pulled out her wand and gave it a wave. Izzy's belongings flew around the room before packing neatly into her trunk. It closed, latched, and came to rest by Izzy's feet.
"Umbra's bed and food are still upstairs. I thought she wouldn't like to be disturbed," Minerva said. Izzy laughed.
"Of course, wouldn't want to disturb the sleeping beauty," Izzy chuckled. She went upstairs, and smiled when she came back downstairs with her beloved snake familiar to see the surprise on Narcissa's face. "You like her? She's my familiar," Izzy said with a smile as Umbra's tongue flickered on her cheek. "Awww I love you too, you silly girl," Izzy cooed, swiping her finger lightly under Umbra's chin.
"You're an odd one," Narcissa said, though it wasn't said with any malice.
"That she is," Minerva agreed. "You take care of her, Narcissa, or I'll change you into a bloody knut and throw you into a muggle wishing well," she warned, her protectiveness coming out for the girl she saw as a niece.
"I'll swear it on my magic," Narcissa said as she pulled out her wand.
"No…I believe you, if you're willing to swear it so quickly," Minerva relented. She looked to the girl who was going through her trunk and finding space for Umbra's bed and food. "You take care of her," she repeated. "It'll be easy to know when she's unhappy or angry, but finding out why is always difficult. She likes to practice her dueling when she's angry, and it's always best to leave her alone until she comes to you," Minerva said, giving Narcissa quick advice on how to handle a teenage girl. "When she's sad, she's either very physical or extremely closed off. It's best to get her in a hug before she closes off…Other than that…you'll learn as you go," Minerva said.
"I'll take good care of her, Minerva, as I should've been doing for the past fourteen years," Narcissa whispered bitterly, the anger of her husband's betrayal lurking just under the surface.
"Minerva," Izzy said as she stood from her trunk. She had tears in her eyes, but she stood still, holding the handle of her trunk. She wheeled the massive trunk to the door where Narcissa took it. She turned to the woman who'd been taking care of her for three years and came in for one more hug. She said she wasn't going to, but she did it anyway.
"I'm really gonna miss living with you," Izzy said.
"I'm going to miss having you around. It's like you said though, we'll still see each other in school. The board of governors can't take that from us," Minerva said. Izzy nodded before letting go with a deep breath.
"See you later, Minerva," Izzy said with a watery smile. Minerva waved and gave a smile of her own as Izzy stepped outside the house.
"We should go to the Leaky Cauldron and get a room before going to Gringotts tomorrow. They'll have lists of Black properties that we could live in or you can buy one," Narcissa explained. Izzy nodded before taking her godmothers hand, and the two dissapparated.
Minerva went back inside and was stunned with how quiet and empty her house felt without Izzy in it.
Two witches appeared in Diagon Alley at the designated apparition point before calmly and collectedly walking towards the Leaky Cauldron. Along the way, scores of witches and wizards getting their shopping done or their school supplies early whispered, pointing at the new Lady of house Black walking beside Lady Malfoy.
Nobody knew much, but those in the ministry who had family knew just enough that everyone knew that Isabella Verona was the lost child of the Black family. Word had spread far quicker than Izzy anticipated, but Narcissa was unsurprised.
"You'll find that witches and wizards are notorious gossips, especially when it involves a celebrity or a someone of wealth," Narcissa said quietly, giving Izzy's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Great…oh god what am I going to do in school?" Izzy whispered.
"You will hold yourself high," Narcissa said firmly, turning and taking Izzy's other hand. She pulled the worried metamorph into a little corner of Diagon Alley. "The Black family has a long and notorious history, but that is not something to be ashamed of. You are the head of the Black family now. What you do with that power and history is up to you. What's left of us will follow your lead."
Izzy bit her lip but nodded anyway. Narcissa gripped her shoulder and rubbed her arm soothingly before walking the rest of the way to the Leaky Cauldron.
"I need your two best rooms, Tom," Narcissa said as she plonked down a bag of galleons. The barkeep nodded and handed over three gold keys.
Many might assume that the Leaky Cauldron was a hovel, a little cheap place to eat and rest for the night. Not so, if you had the money. Izzy and Narcissa climbed the stairs before Narcissa inserted one of the keys into a hidden slot. It turned with a heavy sounding noise before Narcissa opened the hidden door to reveal more stairs. She beckoned Izzy upwards and the two came to a completely hidden hallway, several fancy looking doors lining it with one at the end.
"Woah…I'll bet Harry wished he could've stayed here after he ran away last year," Izzy laughed.
"Quite right, although you have to know these rooms exist to even ask for them. I'm sure Tom set your friend up nicely, but not with this. These are rooms for foreign dignitaries if there isn't enough space in the Ministry building. We don't exactly get very many visitors, so these rooms are largely empty these days," Narcissa explained.
"Oh. Lucky us, I guess," Izzy said uncomfortably as they found the doors their keys belonged to.
The two rooms were right next to each other with a connecting door. Izzy had only been in one muggle hotel, so the design was a bit familiar, which was a bit odd in the magical world.
"It's going to be something you'll have to get used to," Narcissa said as they walked into Izzy's room. Izzy's trunk was already somehow in there, causing her to wonder how they guessed which room she'd be in. She set Umbra down on the bed, the long snake happily curling up on the pillow right on the side Izzy preferred. Izzy gave her familiar a look, and if it was possible, Umbra looked amused. "The Black name still carries weight in the wizarding world. It's a powerful and old name that many of the old families still respect. Unfortunately, it's gained a lot of notoriety thanks in part to your great-great-great-great Grandfather Phineas Black, and most recently-"
"My mother," Izzy interrupted quietly. Narcissa nodded.
"Yes…your mother hasn't helped the Black name in recent years," she said hesitantly. Izzy nodded, her eyes not focused on anything in particular. "But that is nothing to be ashamed of," Narcissa said, taking Izzy's face in her hands, her thumb absently stroking the scar marring the girl's cheek. "You have the power to create something new out of something broken. To return the Black name to one of respect."
"But that's the thing!" Izzy shouted. "I don't know what I'm doing! Hell, I barely knew what I was doing half the time before this mess happened! The only one who ever seemed to have anything under control was Hermi – Oh fuck me! I have to tell Hermione!" Izzy swore before beginning to pace until Narcissa grabbed her by the shoulder.
"We can do that tomorrow, Lyra, for now-" Narcissa said. Izzy shook her head.
"Stop calling me that! I'm-I'm not her! My name is Isabella!" she shouted, rounding on Narcissa with fiery red hair. "Please," she whispered, calming down almost immediately as her anger gave way to her true feelings as she sat on the bed. Her hair turned blue as she spoke, her gaze entirely on her hands resting in her lap. "Just let me be Izzy for a little while longer." A few tears fell down her cheeks and were absorbed by the fabric of her pants. An idle thought floated through her head that she must be nearly out of tears by now and was at risk of dehydration.
Narcissa hesitated for a moment before gently placing her hand on Izzy's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know this must be hard for you, being thrust into a position of power and prestige. I'm sorry that I got caught up in the excitement of finally having you back after I thought you dead. I've already forgotten that you didn't grow up like I did; knowing who you were and what your family name means. You can be Izzy as long as you like, dear, no one can force you to change a name you've lived with almost your entire life," Narcissa said, rubbing Izzy's back tenderly as they sat on the edge of the bed together. Izzy leaned over and put her head on Narcissa's shoulder.
"We should get you something to eat and then get some rest. We've both had a long day," Narcissa said, noticing the setting sun outside the window overlooking Diagon Alley.
"Yeah. I could eat just about anything here except for the pea soup," Izzy said, laughing at a joke between herself and her friends.
"Well I don't know about that, but there's a lovely place in London that I visit whenever I needed to get away from Lucius for a while," Narcissa said. Izzy looked at her in confusion.
"You go into muggle London?" she asked, raising her eyebrow in question. "Willingly?" she asked incredulously. Narcissa chuckled.
"Yes. I may be a pureblood, but I never subscribed to the ideology that muggles and muggleborns are a blight on the world. It's all nonsense to me, an excuse to hate people, children no less, just because they weren't born into a magical family. I had to hide my thoughts from Lucius, but I never hated those who were born in a non-magical household. It was a roll of the dice, in my opinion. Lucius or even myself could've been born into a muggle family," Narcissa said as she and Izzy left their belongings in the room and headed out to muggle London, but not before Narcissa changed her clothes.
The dress was a bit old fashioned, but not terribly. It looked like something that belonged back in the late seventies. It had floral prints on it all the way to the ground with long sleeves.
"It's horribly out of date, but I like the flowers. They remind me of a time before I was married to Lucius and a girl I used to know," Narcissa explained as they stepped out onto a busy street. "We were good friends in secret because she was from a family that mine considered blood traitors," Narcissa said, a sad sigh as she continued walking down the street with Izzy right beside her.
They stopped in front of a little café with a cute sign in front of it listing out the specials before heading inside.
"Ah! Mary, it's been so long!" a woman squealed as she ran around the counter.
"It has been a while, hasn't it," Narcissa said in amusement. The two kissed each other on both cheeks as they hugged before separating.
"Oh, and you're wearing the dress! Pan would've been so happy to see you in it!" Mel clapped excitedly.
"It's good to see you too, Mel. How's your girlfriend?" Narcissa asked.
"Oh, she's doing lovely except for a bit of bad luck. Broke her arm when I took her skiing in Switzerland. Good spirits though, so you'd never know it was broken if you saw her save for the cast on her arm!" the woman, Mel, said before turning her eyes to Izzy, allowing the girl to see her fully and see eyes that looked so familiar. "And just who is this?" Narcissa positively beamed as she pulled Izzy closer.
"This is my goddaughter," she said simply. Mel froze and looked at Izzy, squinting before her jaw dropped.
"She's-"
"Yes!" Narcissa whispered happily.
"Pardon me," Izzy butted in. "But…what's going on? How do you two know each other?" Mel's face became serious before she jerked her head to the back of the café.
"Come on. Not many people and we can talk back there," she said. Narcissa led Izzy to the back of the little-but-only-on-the-outside café where they sat down with Mel.
"Izzy, this is one of my closest friends Melissa. Her sister Pandora was the girl I was telling you I was secretly friends with," Narcissa explained.
"Pandora? She was a witch, right? I thought you said this was a muggle place, and why did she call you Mary?" Izzy asked, her eyes flitting back and forth between the two women.
"It technically is. I'm a squib and I don't use potions or anything magic related so the Ministry just lets me be. As for calling her Mary, it's easier because Narcissa isn't exactly the most common name around," Mel said sarcastically. Narcissa 'hmphed' and looked away, crossing her arms petulantly.
"Mel and her little café are where I come when I need to take a break from all the extreme pureblood nonsense in the manor. Though I suppose it won't be a problem much longer and I can come around more often," Narcissa said. Mel's eyes widened excitedly.
"Oh I'm so happy for you! Your little bastard of a husband isn't going to know what hit him!" Mel cheered, vengeful glee shining in her eyes.
"What do you mean?" Izzy asked. "It's just an annulment."
"Yes but, the dowry that was given to Lucius when he married Narcissa was conditional that the marriage never be dissolved or that it be returned if she ever died under suspicious circumstances. It was also a very significant one and no doubt has already been spent. It'll be a blow to have to scrounge up a return equal to the dowry," Mel explained before a wicked grin spread across her face. "Or he'll be forced to sell off part of the Malfoy collection."
"God, the more I find out about pureblood politics and society the less and less I want to be a part of it. Considering I never wanted to be a part of it to begin with just tells you all you need to know," Izzy said wryly.
"Yes, I can imagine," Narcissa said. "I'm sorry. We've been awfully rude to you, talking about things you've expressed no desire to be involved in right now. I promised to take you here to get your mind off things so, I propose that we eat," Narcissa prompted. Mel nodded happily with a grin that could blind a lion before skipping to the back to prepare a lovely dinner. It was only a minute later that Izzy realized she hadn't actually ordered anything. "She has a knack for knowing what people might want. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was reading people's minds."
After a lovely lunch slash dinner Narcissa and Izzy bid Mel a farewell, promising they would stop by in the future. The two walked silently back to the Leaky Cauldron before heading to their separate rooms for the night.
Izzy was in the process of changing her clothes when she heard a knock on the door. She already had her bra and underwear on, she just needed to dig through her trunk to find her nightclothes.
"Come in!" she called through the door. Narcissa entered a moment later and gasped at the sight.
Izzy had thought nothing of her scars, having grown up with a few. A small one on her knee from a bad fall as a kid, one on her finger from somewhere she couldn't quite remember, of course the one on her face, and now the raking claw marks from a few weeks ago. Those were still a bit tender in spots and they were a bright red. Izzy had tried to dull them down a bit using her powers, but she couldn't and assumed it was because a werewolf had done it. Dark creatures and spells did tend to leave scars that couldn't be healed easily or at all in some cases.
"What? What's wrong?" Izzy asked. Narcissa took two steps towards her goddaughter before planting a featherlight touch to the claw marks going from Izzy's shoulder to her chest. "Oh, that," she said dismissively.
"What happened? Who did this to you?" Narcissa asked. Izzy shrugged.
"It was an accident," she replied evasively. The last thing she wanted was Narcissa to blame Professor Lupin.
"No, I want to know who did this to you," Narcissa said. She was trying to remain calm, but a protective wave was washing over her. She honestly didn't know where it was coming from but this…not-quite-maternal-feeling was demanding she know who dared hurt her goddaughter.
"Narcissa, it's fine. Everything's been dealt with so there's no need for whatever this is," Izzy said firmly, gesturing to the rigid posture Narcissa had adopted. Narcissa pursed her lips and wondered why Izzy wouldn't just tell her. She'd been very forthright about quite a few things already in the short time they'd known each other. "Look, just trust me. Everything's all fine now. The person responsible was not in their right mind when it happened, and it was an accident."
"Fine," Narcissa sighed even though she had questions. She'd find out on her own, it was only a matter of time, but she knew when to pick her battles after years of dealing with Lucius. "I'm sorry. It was rude of me to barge in. I feel like there's so much I don't know about you and I find myself thrown into an ocean of questions I want to ask about you. I want to know you…make up for all the lost time," she explained. Izzy smiled softly and hugged the blonde and brunette woman.
"I know. I feel the same. You're family, and I find myself desperate to know everything there is to know about what my mother was like, my father, you, Andi. Oh hell, the director of the DMLE is my aunt…oh this just keeps getting better and better! And I have a sister!"
"One thing at a time, dear, one thing at a time," Narcissa said. Izzy nodded, wiping the stunned expression off her face.
"I feel like I suddenly have so much to do," Izzy whispered as she sat on her trunk and put her head in her hands. "And not enough time to do it." Narcissa rubbed a comforting circle in the young woman's back.
"Then start small, work your way up. What's the easiest thing you can think of doing right now?" Narcissa asked. Izzy took a deep breath and thought it over.
"Just getting your marriage annulled, I think. It can't be any harder than signing a few papers, right?" Izzy asked. Narcissa smiled and nodded.
"Yes. There's a few papers you'll need to sign, I'll need to sign, give a drop of our blood to prove we're who we say we are, and that'll be all," Narcissa explained.
"Okay…sounds easy enough," Izzy said, running a hand through her hair. "I think I want to look in the Black vaults, see what assets I've suddenly come to own, get an idea of the financials. Does Gringotts offer financial services and advice?"
"For a fee, like everything they do," Narcissa said, chuckling.
"Okay. Seems simple. I need to talk to Hermione. She's my best friend, I tell her everything, and then I need to tell Harry and Ron, can't forget about Andi," She added. Narcissa nodded and offered a smile.
"See. You've got a plan now. You can go from there and it doesn't seem so overwhelming now, does it?" Narcissa asked. Izzy nodded gratefully.
"Right…thank you," she said, offering a weak smile.
"Of course. Now, it's late. You should get some sleep. Goblins are notorious for dragging anything out since they charge by the hour for their services," Narcissa said. Izzy nodded and pulled out a shirt from her trunk.
"Goodnight, Narcissa," Izzy said as the older woman stood at the door.
"Goodnight, Isabella. Sleep well," she said, closing the door. Izzy sighed and laid down in bed. It had been a long day and tomorrow had the same promise. The moment her head hit the pillow, Izzy fell asleep.
The next day, Izzy and Narcissa woke up, ordered an English breakfast, and went to Gringotts to meet with the Black family accountant.
"It is a pleasure to aid a sane member of the house of Black once more," Goldclaw said, offering a toothless smile as he met the two witches in a the Gringotts atrium. Izzy returned one of her own out of habit despite Narcissa's earlier warning that Goblins could be very shrewd creatures with a possibility of the littlest thing setting them off. Goldclaw looked at her in surprise for a moment before giving her a nod.
"Follow me to my office. We have much to discuss," He said, walking away without another word. He lead the two witches through twisting halls, some that Izzy recognized when she claimed her ladyship, and some she didn't. The walls seemed to ooze gold and silver, precious stones embedded at even intervals and above different doors. The most common seemed to be emeralds all the way up to a few doors having diamonds embedded in them.
She wondered what they meant, if anything.
Goldclaw's office was ornate and tastefully designed, or well, it was for a goblin. Weapons hung on a rack behind his desk, and off to the right was a suit of armor. The desk was made of stained oak and the chair looked akin to a throne, albeit a bit smaller and less ornate.
"So, I assume you are here to discuss the financials of the House of Black?" Goldclaw said as he took a seat and intertwined his fingers in front of him.
"Yes, among other things," Izzy said, trying to sound far more confident then she felt at the moment. It was still sinking in that she had suddenly become a prominent figure in British magical society.
"After your ascendance to head of house, I took the liberty of gathering the most up to date files we have," Goldclaw said, placing his hand on a stack of parchment sitting neatly on the desk. "Unfortunately, when Arcturus died, he wasn't as interested in financials anymore, and the account has lost nearly twenty percent of its total value due to Gringotts' annual storage fees. The interest on the vault saved it somewhat, but it is nowhere near as valuable as the last time Arcturus was here," Goldclaw explained as he passed several sheets of parchment to Izzy. She took them and tried to understand, but all she could tell was that the account was in an increasing downward spiral as the bank fees took more than the interest could handle. She handed the sheets to Narcissa who took them with a frown.
"So what does this mean going forward? As I understand it, it is in both of our interests to help restore the family treasury to its former glory," Izzy asked. "What do you recommend?" Goldclaw leaned forward and regarded the witch in front of him critically. She didn't appear at first glance to be someone that could be ripped off, and the name she now wielded brought with it an understanding that it would be bad to let the account fail.
"The Black family still holds interest in several businesses, though the shares have been frozen since Arcturus' death. He left no instructions on how to proceed and we were bound by ministry law in that we could not interfere with the account in any way until a new head of house took up the mantle. Of course, if no new head of house presented themselves within fifteen years of being abandoned, the ministry could claim the gold in the vault," Goldclaw said, a distasteful scowl on his face. "I recommend first looking at stock options that haven't already been bought by the Black family. There is already a significant stock ownership in the Daily Prophet, a marginal investment in the shop 'Quality Quidditch Supplies,' and a small share in an unspecified shop in Knockturn alley that specializes in runes," Goldclaw listed.
"You're rather lucky we've come along when we have. I remember when Lucius' father drafted that law. The Inheritance protection act. It was nothing but a legal act of grave robbing if you ask me," Narcissa muttered as she continued to compare the finances.
"Is there any way you can handle these investments until I understand this more?" Izzy asked. Goldclaw nodded.
"Yes, for a small fee I can temporarily take partial control of the account, shift its investments around to provide more favorable income," he said. Izzy nodded.
"I'd like you to do that until I understand this stuff or find someone who is able to do it full time," Izzy said. Goldclaw simply nodded again and took out two rolls of parchment for her to sign later.
"And what was the other business that needed addressing today?" he asked. Izzy looked to Narcissa who nodded.
"We wanted to get the marriage between Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy neé Black annulled," Izzy said, sitting up straighter in the seat.
"And for what reason should this marriage between them be dissolved?" Goldclaw asked as he raised a curious eyebrow. Narcissa sat forward.
"Against the marriage contract, he abused me for most of the marriage, and also failed to help sire the required amount of children as stated in the contract," Narcissa said calmly, aware that Izzy's eyes were on her in curiosity. Goldclaw hummed before nodding. He pressed his finger to a rune on the edge of the large desk before barking out something in gobbledygook.
"The annulment papers will arrive shortly. For now, read over these papers that give me partial temporary control of the assets and financials and investments of the House of Black before signing them," he instructed.
Izzy and Narcissa looked over the contract for several minutes before the older witch nodded. It wasn't exactly a great fee, fairly high but that was to be expected from a goblin, but it wasn't duplicitous by any means. Izzy reached for the quill but Goldclaw stopped her.
"I am required by your ministries law, as you are under the age of majority, to inform you that the artifact you see before you is a blood quill, which is a class C controlled artifact," Goldclaw said. "It's purpose, as its name implies, is to write with the signer's blood to make magical contracts official and unable to be duplicated or broken except by the signer. A warning, it will hurt a little."
Izzy nodded before signing where she was prompted to sign. At first it wasn't so bad, but the more she signed, the worse the stinging in her hand became. She bit her lip as the last signature was marked down on the parchment before releasing a shaky breath. She massaged her hand as Goldclaw pushed a small vile of something to her.
"Murtlap and dittany. It'll heal your hand," he said simply. Narcissa took the vile and began liberally applying the paste to the back of her hand. Immediately the pain dulled, and a cooling sensation spread over the back of her hand. She sighed in comfort as a goblin entered the room with a few rolls of parchment tucked under his arm. He deposited them on Goldclaw's desk without a single word and left just as quickly as he'd entered.
"These are the annulment papers," He said as he reached into his desk and pulled out a bowl and wicked looking knife. "This unbinding ritual will require your blood, Lady Malfoy and signatures in two places on the contract. Lady Black, you will also be required to sign though your blood will not be necessary," Goldclaw explained. Izzy nodded and watched as Narcissa cut her palm, bleeding into the bowl before picking up the quill and signing. She passed it to Izzy afterwards who signed as well.
"Congratulations, Ms. Black. You once again have full access to the Black vaults and are freed of your marriage," Goldclaw said. Narcissa smiled before pulling Izzy into a side hug.
"Thank you," she murmured. Izzy nodded and gave Narcissa's hand a comforting squeeze.
"You're welcome. Good to have you back in the family…auntie," Izzy whispered. Narcissa smiled brilliantly before turning back to the goblin.
"I believe that concludes our business for today, manager Goldclaw. We'll go to the vaults now and make a withdrawal" Narcissa said, bowing her head. Goldclaw returned it before leading them to the elevator to take them to the vaults. Another goblin was waiting at the elevator and took them down to the mine carts.
Izzy definitely didn't vomit a little as they went deeper into the earth and the bends in the track became sharper and the dips were harsher.
They came to the end of the track where Izzy stumbled out of the cart, slightly dizzy and a little green, but otherwise she was fine. A pained noise caught her attention as she walked towards the fancy carved stone…sacrificial looking area? Izzy didn't know what to call it, but whatever it was, it held a massive pale dragon.
The goblin took some kind of bell and began rattling it. The moment the annoying rattle began, the dragon curled up and let out a heart wrenching terrified noise before looking away, trying to make itself as small as possible. It would've been comical if it wasn't so awful. It made Izzy disgusted.
"I know," Narcissa whispered. "I feel the same way."
Izzy's hair was so red it looked like it was matted in blood.
They followed the goblin to the Black vaults, which took Izzy a moment to wrap her head around as she stared at the three vaults all in a row that now belonged to her. The goblin opened up the first vault which was filled to the brim with galleons, sickles, and knuts. Izzy swallowed, trying to get the dry feeling that had suddenly filled her mouth. The ledger inside the vault was recorded at nearly two million six hundred and thirty-seven thousand galleons, sickles, and knuts in total.
"Holy shit," Izzy breathed.
"Language," Narcissa admonished.
"I've never been one for observing social niceties," Izzy said, her hair turning pink with a few red streaks. She turned back to the vault containing the family money. "Are the other vaults like this?"
"No. If I remember correctly, one contains artifacts, and the other contains books that are…too dark to be publicly displayed in the family home," Narcissa explained.
"Oh…lovely," Izzy commented, paling slightly. She remembered some of the stories Andi had told her about the infamous Black library.
What could be worse than necromancy?
"Yes…I honestly think it would be best if you didn't read any of these books. Even your mother was afraid to come in here. She was always more interested in the dark arts for knowledge sake but the one time Arcturus brought her in here at her own request, she came home shaking and pale. Whatever she found in here terrified her," Narcissa warned. "She refused to come back the next time Arcturus offered."
"Lovely," Izzy said before turning to the goblin. "Please, at the earliest possible time, send an inventory of the vaults down to the last knut. I…I want to know everything that's in these vaults. The vault containing the books I want…I want them listed from the…least dark books to the absolute darkest," Izzy requested. The goblin nodded, curling his lip before talking to a goblin Izzy hadn't seen earlier. "Come on…let's get what you wanted from the vault and go. I don't want to think about this too much now."
"Of course. We'll need to open up the artifact vault," Narcissa said. Izzy nodded and the goblin put his hand to the door. It opened up with a loud clang, and Narcissa stepped through when the opening was wide enough. Izzy followed her in as she saw the older witch make a beeline for a box sitting on a table surrounded by other little trinkets and artifacts. She swallowed before opening the lid and pulling out a tiny ring with a black diamond. Two others rested beside it.
"Now we can go," she said quietly. Izzy nodded, and the two walked out of the vault. The ride up was far smoother than the one down, and soon the two were back in the Leaky Cauldron.
"So…what was it you grabbed?" Izzy asked. Narcsisa smiled and held out her hand, revealing two rings that fit in her palm.
"These belonged to Andi and I," Narcissa said. In her other palm was an identical ring. "This was your mothers when she was your age."
A/N: So the next two chapters are going to get a bit jumpy and that's a bit on purpose. Izzy's life is going to be a bit chaotic for the next week or so and these next two chapters represent that. Don't worry though, as her life gets back on track with some help, so too will the chapter flow. It's just an interesting concept I wanted to try so if it's not your thing, I'll see about putting something together that highlights the important parts in chapter Thirty-Three.
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/surprise
Silver=determination
Light blue=embarrassment