Chapter 6 – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – April 26th, 1947

Leo rubbed his hands over his eyes, frustrated with studying, while Munari and the group of Ravenclaws he was currently studying with barely gave him a glance before turning back to their own notes. He'd promised he'd actually study today because the last paper he'd gotten back was only graded an Acceptable, and with him going back to Slytherin Castle tomorrow for the spring hols, he'd have a lot of explaining to do.

He grimaced lightly, he was more worried about Hermione being disappointed in him than he was Tom, even though Tom was the one sponsoring him. He knew he'd be displeased, but he just couldn't find it in himself to care. He didn't care about any of this, about Hogwarts, magic, or this stupid world, and if he was being honest, he only really stayed here because Hermione had been excited for him, but with all the information he's found through his project, he just couldn't fathom why she gave a damn about this world when it didn't care for her, didn't care for them, in the slightest.

Maybe when he was with her this coming week he could try to convince her that leaving was a good idea, he would even go to a different school if she wanted him to. He shook his head and brought his hands down from his face to grip at his quill again, bringing his attention back to the textbook in front of him. Tomorrow was the start of spring hols, which was a week break so that students could join their families for Beltane, which was the first of May, on the coming Wednesday, and afterwards, when term picked back up again, OWLs would be commencing over a month and a half period on the weekends.

His first OWL was his Ancient Runes one of May seventeenth, and considering how much time he hadn't been spending on schoolwork, he needed to get serious, fast, or we would be failing them spectacularly. Unfortunately, his mind wandered back to his project, he felt like he was just brushing up against something enormous, having taken Spina's advice, he's spent the last few weekends entirely on researching purebloods.

He researched their births, deaths, and career choices, which, despite the fact that there were so many more of them in comparison to muggleborns, their information was laughably easy to find, especially considering that they had whole books practically dedicated to their bloodlines. It almost annoyed him that what had taken him months to find a few centuries of information on muggleborns, had taken scant weeks to find of purebloods.

He was currently in the 1400s now for both muggleborns and purebloods and he was beginning to notice more troubling facts, that being the increasing amount of unresolved missing person cases for muggleborns since the start of that century. On the pureblood end, the only coinciding significant movement is that of the Lestrange family beginning their British line in 1408, splitting from the main family in France.

He didn't know much about the family, and any information he'd looked up seemed pretty run of the mill, all in the vain of unfair pureblood advantages here, and a splash of pureblood supremacy rhetoric there, same for every other bloody family he's had to look up. He couldn't speak to anyone in the school either, as there were no Lestranges enrolled, the latest one graduating in 1945, making him only a couple of years older than him, but something didn't sit well with him, and he felt like he was looking into the maw of a beast, yet confusing it for a door.

"Are you okay?" a question came from his left, and his eyes and attention took a minute to focus back in on the present before turning it to the asker, Munari, who sat beside him. He nodded to her, before leaning forward onto his elbows to try and read through his textbook, where he felt like he was seeing the information, but not retaining even a bit of it.

Ancient Runes really was a fascinating subject, he was sure, he just wasn't interested in the slightest. Tom had been the one to arrange his schedule and pick his classes, while he'd simply gone with it. The only class he'd actually had wanted to take had been Care of Magical Creatures, but Tom had scoffed and called it useless, so he'd never brought it up again. Honestly, magic or non-magical world, animals were really the only things he actually interested in, could name the eating habits of a koala and the mating habits of multiple types of fish off the top of his head, from years spent alone reading through his father's Encyclopedia Britannica.

Realizing once more that his mind had trailed away from studying and that once again, he hadn't managed to absorb a single thing in his textbook, he forced himself once more to focus and dived into his studies.

The Burrow – May 1st, 1947

Hermione cast orchideous once more, helping to trail linked yellow marigolds and may flowers along the table outside, after having done the window sills and door frames of the Burrow, while she'd gotten Leo, who she managed to get to join her, to drape matching flowery garlands on the two Weasley cows and the single mule. Today was Beltane, and although she didn't celebrate it personally, she'd still come with Leo when the Weasleys invited her.

April had passed with not much fanfare, May was upon them, and she was still stuck on her bill. She figured her problem was that there was so much information to actually choose from (in terms of reasons) that she could use to convince the Wizengamot to vote in favour, that it was harder to come up with a cohesive argument, especially considering when the bottom line was that she wasn't exactly sure how to convince them that they should care about other people. It both frustrated and disheartened her, but she wasn't giving up and throwing in the towel yet.

She finished tossing flowers around the table while arranging dishes and looked up at the sky, shading her eyes with her hand. The day was sunny and clear, perfect, really, for a feast to celebrate the start of summer. She looked around, she could see Ron cooking through the kitchen window of the Burrow, with Géraldine assisting, while beside the home, she spotted Harry and Ginny carrying extra chairs out of the shed, leaning them against the wall so that they could charm them to float the rest of the way.

In the distance, she could see Lee, Angelina and George sitting off together by the lake, throwing fish food in lazily, while Fleur and Bill lounged with their daughter, Victoire, who had been born a year after the war had ended, under the canopy of trees to her left.

Molly came out of the house, balancing dishes while keeping a steady eye on the bowl of sliced cucumbers that Jean Pierre was carrying beside her, and if she listened carefully, she could hear the wireless playing in Arthur's shed as he tinkered with non-magical knick-knacks. All of it seemed very idyllic and gave her a soft feeling of contentment, that is, if she ignored the snide inner voice that told her she didn't belong here, in this familial warmth, because her family was dead.

She shook her head, causing her braids to fall over her shoulder, trying to dispel the nasty thoughts from her mind. She had family, she looked towards where Leo was, reclining in the grass with one of the cows, propped up against its side with a garland of marigolds around their necks, dozing in the sun. The sight made her smile, because although he wasn't related to her by blood, Leo had become family, and she was glad of it because otherwise, her only familial link would be...well, Tom.

He'd been a bit overbearing since the lift incident at the Ministry, asking where she was going every time she left, who she was with, and she wasn't sure she cared for it. She understood that her encounter with Lestrange had been jarring, never had she felt so objectified and demeaned in one instance, but she didn't quite understand his worry, unless, of course, he knew something and wasn't telling her.

That's what was getting to her, it was a niggling sense of anxiety that crept its way up her spine, that he might know something about the glass ceiling, and was purposely staying quiet about it. She dispersed that train of thought, feeling the gloom settle upon her, and went to help Molly with the dishes, she would have time to think about all of that later.

It was soon that the bonfire was up and they'd all eaten, there were about three tables, families who lived near the Weasleys had come to join them, notable being Luna and her father Xenophilius, who were back from Indonesia, as well as the Diggorys. For a moment, everyone had momentarily returned to their homes to douse their fireplaces, relighting them with flames from the Beltane bonfire, and once done, they came back to continue the celebration.

At the table she was sitting at with Leo, and the rest of the Weasley family, Ron stood up, asking for everyone's attention. She could see that his ears were red and that he was a bit embarrassed to speak, but it all seemed to melt from his facade when Géraldine reached out to hold his hand, allowing a goofy grin to spread onto his face.

"Some of you may know, but I recently decided to adopt Dine's younger brother, Jean Pierre, as my own, and it's definitely been a rewarding experience because he's such a good kid," he started, though Jean Pierre wasn't present, having fallen asleep and been taken to one of the rooms earlier, "I know all of you have been extremely supportive, and for that, I am forever grateful, but I, we, have more news for you," he continued, helping Géraldine to stand beside him, and Hermione had a feeling of where this would go.

"Dine and I are expecting...and yeah, we're really excited," he stumbled out, face beat red, and eyes happy, while Molly was gasping into her napkin, tears shining in her eyes.

"Another grandbaby? Oh, Arthur!" she grabbed her husband's hand and turned big tearful eyes to him, and even Hermione could feel the utter joy radiating off the older witch.

They all took their time congratulating the two of them, raising drinks to them, Molly all but throwing herself around to ensure Géraldine's comfort, and it made a part of Hermione feel cold. It made her wonder how her own mother would have reacted to such news, and she realized once again that it was another milestone that she'd never be able to share with her, and any milestones she would ever have again because her mother was gone.

She felt the block in her throat before she felt the burn in her eyes, and excused herself silently, walking over to the lake, where she sat against the tree and cried. It wasn't often that the loss of her mother drove her to tears, not recently, at least, but sometimes it hit her with such a ferocious intensity that she couldn't ignore it. She stayed like that until she heard her name being called, and turned to see Ron standing there awkwardly.

"Are you alright?" he asked, and she wiped the tear tracks with the back of her hand, sniffled and then nodded. He came to sit by her, but still giving her space at the same time.

"I didn't mean to upset you, and if I did, I'm sorry," he began while plucking out blades of grass, dropping them onto his knee. She blinked at him, realizing that he thought she was upset because they'd been together, and she hurriedly made to correct him.

"No, no, it's not that, really! I am beyond happy for you both, truly, it's just, well, your mother..." and she trailed off, and he looked dumbfounded for a second before cluing in.

"Oh!"

His ears turned pink at his mistake before he cleared his throat to speak again.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, and she thought about it for a moment, before nodding, she then talked to him about everything that was bothering her (though she didn't bring up the glass ceiling, for obvious reasons) like the discrimination, living in a country she wasn't born in without her mother, how she felt like she didn't belong, and by the time she was finished, Ginny and Harry had sat to listen, and Leo was sitting at the lake. Géraldine was beside Ron and the only person missing was Jas, who was celebrating Beltane with her own family in Wales, at her family's home in Swansea.

They were all silent for a moment, listening to the chatter back at the tables, and the crackling of the giant bonfire behind them, and it was Ron who broke the silence.

"You've gone through a lot, and honestly, you're so strong to have made it this far without breaking, and I'm so sorry I didn't see that you were struggling sooner," he began, but it was Ginny who continued.

"I'm not around often because of game schedules, but that shouldn't have been an excuse not to check in more, after your house elf bill, I assumed you were doing better, and that was wrong, and I'm sorry," she spoke softly as she reached around Harry to squeeze her hand.

"Hermione, I'll say it now, and please believe me when I do, you will always have a home and family with us, no matter what happens, and I'm sorry for all that you've gone through and that we didn't stress that enough," Harry spoke resolutely, while Géraldine reached around and squeezed her other hand, which she squeezed back. For the first time in a long time, her heart was full, and she was grateful for those that she still had, and though Leo hadn't said anything, he didn't need to, because she knew how he felt already with how he acted around her, always wanting to be by her side.

"Thank you," she sniffled, freeing her hands from Ginny and Géraldine, wiping at the new tears on her cheeks, "should we go back?" she asked, but both Harry and Ron scoffed at the same time.

"Nah, let's all stay here a bit longer."

"Okay."

Chateau Lestrange – May 3rd, 1947

Leta walked quietly through the halls, coming upon her uncle's office, sidling up next to it while regulating her breathing to try and hear what was being said. She cursed once more her lack of magic that would have made this laughably easy, but making due anyhow.

She'd received Slytherin's reply, accepting the deal she'd laid out for him, and was now earnestly attempting to collect further information that she could use, and well, if she were caught, she could just say she didn't trust them with her future. Not, of course, that she hadn't been eavesdropping from time to time before he answered, just...more so now that she potentially had a life line out of this.

Relations between herself and the rest of the Lestrange family had become strained since she'd turned down her uncle's order for her to marry, so she needed to get creative to find information, and not hearing anything through the door, surmising that a privacy ward was being used, she turned to leave. It was as she made to do so, that the door behind her opened and her uncle stepped out, she cursed under her breath.

"Leta, why don't you join us, instead of skulking around like a house elf?" he asked, amused, and she turned around, plastering a sarcastic grin to her face.

"Really, uncle, I'd love to, but you see, I have urgent plans to reread the same book I've been reading for the last couple of weeks, so, unfortunately not," she recanted with fake sympathy. After rejecting his plans for her marriage, the old bastard had warded her from the library to try and make her existence as mediocre and unbearable as possible. His lips twitched and his eyes turned cold, he moved sideways to open up the passage into his office.

"It appears you've misunderstood me, that was not a request," he spoke, expression positively frigid, so she bit the inside of her cheek and obliged him, moving passed with her spine straight and her chin up, into his office. When she entered, she saw her cousin Rabastan Snr, and his son Rodolphus sitting there, watching her with something akin to a predatory stare. She glared in return and stiffly took the seat to their left, placing her hands on her knees and staring resolutely ahead.

As her uncle passed around them to sit at his desk and they were all silent for a moment before he spoke.

"I think it's time we bring Leta in on the true purpose of our business," he began, and she blinked in alarm, what true purpose? She was positive she already knew every sordid detail of this awful family, and her cousin was quick to object.

"What? Are you certain she is trustworthy?" he exclaimed and Ramsey steeped his fingers together, turning his attention to Rabastan.

"Not at all, but as Rodolphus's plan has to directly do with our family, and Leta especially, it is unavoidable. But don't worry, I've taken steps to ascertain that if anything happens, she is liable to go down with us," he spoke simply, and she felt dread grip her, she had a feeling she was not going to like what she heard, but all the same, this was information that she could potentially use, so she kept her mouth shut.

"Tell me, Leta, what happens when purebloods intermarry for generations," he asked, tone light, as if he were a professor asking about Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, and she was the student. She looked at him oddly, trying to figure out what that had to do with anything, but decided to bite.

"Using muggle terms, the gene pool decreases, allowing for mutations, causing a variety of problems in further offspring, this is inbreeding, and it is infamous within muggle royal families, as well as purebloods," she answered, using muggle terminology on purpose to shove their rhetoric back at them, but was slightly caught off guard when he smiled.

"That is correct, now, how do you think pureblooded families, for the most part, have stayed strong through the centuries?" he asked again, a malicious glee in his eye, as if he were leading her to some unfortunate reality she hadn't been aware of prior to stepping into this office. She narrowed her eyes at him and thought back to what he said earlier, to the true purpose of their business. The business she knew very well that had an iron grip on the prostitution and trafficking industry, mainly with muggleborns as a commodity, enough to purposely pull strings from behind the curtains so that their legitimate careers left them destitute enough to seek prostitution as an alternative. The answer soon smacked her in the face, and she wished suddenly that she was ignorant once more.

"We use muggleborns as surrogates and donors," she whispered, ultimately horrified, how had she not known this? She took a breath and regained her composure, feeling nausea roll in her belly.

"But how? That would make all of the offspring half-bloods, and I doubt anyone would be too thrilled with that," she asked, disgusted that he seemed pleased with her figuring it out so fast, "and furthermore, how did I not know about this? How has this been essentially kept a secret?" she continued, thinking there was no way that this didn't outrage everyone involved, purebloods with having to resort to mixing with muggleborns on purpose while spitting on those who began legitimate relationships with them.

"Close, but not quite, dear," he replied, and gestured to Rabastan and Rodolphus, "care to explain?" and Rabastan turned his head towards her, almost pleased with her discomfort.

"We use blood magic to readopt the offspring fully into the family, erasing any dirty blood, it was why, we as Lestranges, were so adamant in our campaign to have that Riddle boy take the Slytherin seat years ago, because Dumbledore had campaigned to have those magicks criminalized, which went through in 1936, effectively stopping our business for ten years almost, while we tried to undo the ruling," he explained, before taking a breath, looking to continue, and she listened with almost horrified fascination.

"The problem with blood magic, however, is that it affects the blood, and not the physical features of the child, which is how we've made a literal empire of continuing bloodlines. A request for these...services, requires us to properly curate a match so that no one is any wiser, while the pureblooded parent involved participates in a confidentiality vow, to prevent any leaks in information," he finished, and Rodolphus now turned to her.

"That is where this becomes a family matter and where you come in, Bella...is of the Black line that has never used our service, and the inferiority has begun to show itself in her two miscarriages," he started, and she knew immediately that she was going to hate whatever came out of his mouth next, "I've had my eye on a certain...witch, however, her race is more in line with yours, so we will pass the child off as yours, but being unable to care for it due to your house arrest, myself and Bella will graciously "adopt" it from you," he intoned, and she'd been right, she hated it, and she wanted to vomit. She had an idea of who this "witch" was, however, decided to ask anyway, to clarify.

"And who is this witch?" she asked, and she watched a slow smile curl upon his lips, to which she had to restrain a sneer.

"Oh, you do not need to worry about that," he answered flippantly, and she would have argued but feared the slightest resistance would give her position and duplicity away.

"I don't actually have to do anything?" she asked snobbishly, putting on a show to keep them pacified, and her uncle nodded, obviously pleased at her being so agreeable.

"Very well, then. May I be excused?" she asked, and he waved his hand dismissively, allowing her to get up and leave, to make her way back to her room. Once there, she wasted no time stalking towards the loo, barely managing to throw herself at the toilet before the bile came rushing up.

Trafficking and prostitution had already been bad enough, but this? This was evil, and for it, they all deserved to burn. Forcing muggleborns to breed, furthermore, stealing their children from them only so they could be raised into becoming disgusting pureblooded supremacists? How did nobody notice? Did anybody care?

She was certainly the farthest thing from a beacon of goodness, and she'd had done some things that had absolutely disgusted her, but this took the cake, and she couldn't abide by it. Thinking back to how her uncle had said that he'd made certain that she would suffer should she betray his trust, and came to the conclusion that she didn't bloody well care. She pulled herself to her feet, flushing the toilet before making to wash her hands and mouth. She then stood there, with her hands braced against the sides of the sink and looked at herself in the mirror.

Her gaze traced the imperceptible crow's feet at her eyes, and the light lines around her mouth, her pointed nose, bigger lips and light brown skin, before sweeping over the curls escaping from her bun. Her life had been a miserable one, at first by her own hand and guilt, and then by others, and she was so tired of it.

It was at that moment that she'd made her decision, she was getting out and she was going to fight against this, no matter the cost, she will have done one right thing in her life, even if it killed her.

She stood straight and dried her hands and mouth with a towel before making her way out of the loo and towards her desk. With little fanfare, she sat and pulled out a sheet of parchment, uncapped her inkwell, and dipped her quill into it before bringing it to the page.

Lord Slytherin,

Send texts on releasing bound magic, and in the meantime, keep your muggleborn close, I will divulge further detail after this is done.

Regards

~LL

Could she just tell him everything? Yes, but that didn't ensure that he would do anything to stop the practice. As a Slytherin by blood, she'd imagine that he'd secure only those that he gave a damn about, that being his muggleborn barrister. She, however, wanted to rip this apart from the inside, but first, in order to do that, she needed her magic and hopefully, Lord Slytherin decided to move fast, allowing that poor girl to avoid such an abysmal fate.

No, this was the best method, precisely because she couldn't trust anyone to finish this as thoroughly as she planned, and if she didn't make it in time to help the girl, then she would make sure she and any others would escape.

This was a promise she made herself.

Authors Note: Hi y'all, sorry it took so long for an update, life has been kicking my ass. Anyway, hope you are all well, enjoy the chapter!