Hey everyone!

Happy middle of the month! I hope you are all doing well and staying safe. This week is so crazy exciting for me and it's the most excited I've felt in weeks. Eurovision is this week, as is my football/soccer team's playoff matches. (I don't play, I just watch.) I'm also off to see the first Lord of the Rings movie tomorrow as well as cinemas have reopened here. That LOTR fic will come eventually, just taking a lot of set up work.

Stay safe out there!

Lots of love,

LSH xxx

Breaking Traditions-Part 44:

"Yes and the name will be Artemis," Astoria said as she looked at her grandmother before turning to Narcissa, "her twin will be called Apollo and they are twins and that's rare for horses!" she said full of excitement to find someone else who was interested in horses, "when you come and visit I can show you all the ponies and horses that we have," she said, "maybe you could come and ride through the lands with us as well," she said.

"I'd love that very much," Narcissa smiled as she looked at Astoria, "twin horses are rare indeed. I look forwards to seeing them," she smiled before Astoria went back to fussing over the horses and she smiled softly, happy to be with them.

Narcissa rocked the pram and spoke with Caitriona about random things… Scotland, Rosalie and Draco and Astoria in the main… before Astoria smiled as she watched them. She then went to muck out one of the stalls as it needed doing.

"Astoria… you don't have to do that," Narcissa said.

"Oh just let her. She knows what she's doing. Calum taught her," Caitriona said with a laugh before Astoria carried on mucking out the stall and then joined them.

"They're all sorted again," Astoria said and smiled as she went to look at Rosalie asleep in her pram before going back over, "can you tell me all the horses names?" she asked, having calmed down a little, "at the Greengrass Stables the horses are named after…"

"That's enough Astoria! Do be quiet!" Helene said harshly as she'd had enough of her daughter's talking and Astoria shrunk down behind Narcissa.

"How dare you speak to your daughter like that? She's excited to tell me about horses and she is perfectly fine to carry on speaking with me," Narcissa said before she looked at Astoria, "you can take Rosalie for a walk around the gardens if you wish. Her bottles have a warming charm on them so you can feed her if she wakes up."

Astoria smiled and nodded before she began to push Rosalie's pram away as the handles lowered themselves down to Astoria's hight so she could push the pram easily. She smiled and waved before disappearing from sight with Rosalie.

Narcissa knew the shields on the Manor and its Grounds had been tightened so she wasn't too worried about the two walking around the Gardens. She waited until Astoria was out of earshot before she turned on Helene.

"How dare you speak to your daughter like that? She is excited to be able to talk to someone who is as interested in horses as she is and you have no right to tell her to be quiet on my land!" Narcissa almost shouted as she looked at Helene, "you are so lucky to have even been able to have two children naturally because I suffered so much before and after having Draco. I lost so many babies that, in the end, the only way I could have a daughter was by adoption. Rosalie is a blessing and one I'd almost lost hope in getting!"

Sparks were appearing from Narcissa's Ebony wand as she looked at Helene and watched to see how she would react. She soon had an answer as Helene drew her wand and pointed it at Narcissa.

"Don't you tell me how to treat my daughter. How I treat her is my business, not yours," Helene said before she went to cast a hex but Caitriona was soon in the way.

"I wouldn't antagonise your future in-laws Helene. You full well know there will be consequences," she said as she looked at her daughter-in-law.

"What's going on here? Where are Astoria and Rosalie?" came Lucius' voice.

"They went for a walk whilst I spoke to Helene here," Narcissa said as she put her wand away and looked at her husband, "they'll be back soon," she smiled as she kissed his cheek, "lunch…?"

"Just about ready on the terrace," Lucius said, "we came to get you but now we need to wait for the girls to get back," he said before looking at the door as Astoria and Rosalie's pram came into view. Lucius inwardly breathed a sigh of relief before the group headed to the terrace to sit down for lunch.

Narcissa sat down and held Rosalie in her arms and she smiled listening to what was being said but she wasn't speaking to Helene and it didn't take Lucius long to pick up on that.

"OK what happened between you two?" he asked looking at Helene and his wife.

"Nothing. I just didn't approve of something," Narcissa said as she looked down at Rosalie and smiled softly before she heard Caitriona and James whispering and a sigh from the male. He had suspected his daughter-in-law had said or done something.

"The choices I have made with the title have nothing to do with Astoria so you leave her out of this Malcolm," James said before he turned to Lucius and Narcissa, "my younger son Calum will be inheriting the Greengrass lands and the Laird title and then there are other plans in place for the title as well," he said and Lucius nodded,

"Understandable," he said as he sat back and had some of his drink and thought, "we only have Draco so we have to make sure that he's ok and safe," he said before nodding.

Silence fell again and everyone carried on eating. Narcissa had noticed a change in Astoria and the girl was quiet and barely talking. She could understand now what was going on, to some extent, what was going on but she couldn't understand why Malcolm and Helene would treat their youngest daughter in the way that they were. She suspected that it was something to do with the fact that Malcolm had no heir and that is why he was treating his daughter in the way that he was.

She hoped that maybe one day Malcom would see what he was doing o his daughter but she doubted it. She was just thankful that Caitriona and James had taken control of Astoria's life to get her away from her parents and keep her safe.

A couple of hours later and the Greengrasses left after Lucius and Narcissa promising Astoria they'd come to the Highlands soon but it left Narcissa with an unpleasant taste in her mouth…. Mainly from Malcolm and Helene and their treatment of their daughter.