Tinkle was extremely nervous. Not only was she going to see Dobby for the first time in years, but she would be be encountering his master, Lucius Malfoy. The terrifying man was known for his treatment of those he viewed as being "lesser" than him, often directed towards muggles and muggleborn wizards but especially evident in the presence of house elves. He was even worse than her own master. Everthing had to be absolutely perfect if she was to avoid punishment for inadequate service. Tinkle sat in a frantic heap on the kitchen floor, surrounded by rags and large containers of Madam Glossy's Silver Polish as she furiously scrubbed Master Steele's favorite serving tray.
"Shiny silver, shiny silver," the small house elf chanted. Perfect, perfect, perfect.
Suddenly, the kitchen door flew open as Edgar and Isla Steele entered, in the middle of a heated discussion.
The patriarch and matriarch of the Steele household were at odds more often than they'd care to admit to their friends and fellow pureblood families, and this day was no exception.
Tinkle cowered behind her rag as Master Edgar's robes billowed around him, his arms waving erratically to emphasize his point. "There's no sense going to the school, Isla," he was saying. "Did you take the time to finish Dumbledore's letter? Nothing can be done for her until they make the mandrake draught. That's months longer, at least."
"How can you possibly be so calm right now? Do you care that our daughter has been petrified?"
"Of course I care."
"That's surprising to hear. After all, you usually can't be bothered to give Avalon the time of day. She knows it too. Why would this time be any different? Can you name a single one of her friends? Even the ones she's grown up with?" Isla asked. Without even acknowledging Tinkle, she scooped up the tray from the house elf and began to place dishes on it.
The house elf shot up. "Mistress, please stop! That's Tinkle's job, and Tinkle can do it. Tinkle is a good girl."
"Oh no, there isn't a need for tea today, Tinkle. I'm hoping that Lucius Malfoy's visit will be a short one." Then Edgar turned to his distraught wife. "And I can name her friends. There's the Greengrass girl, the Zabini boy, and the Nott boy."
Isla raised her eyebrows and brushed her shiny blonde curls out of her face. "Those are their family names, not their given names."
"Whether or not I can recall the names of other people's children does not reflect how well I know my own."
Tinkle, who had been nervously clutching the silverware since Edgar had addressed her moments earlier, found the courage to speak again. "Master Steele? Tinkle always makes tea when guests visit the Manor. Even if Mister Malfoy does not stay long enough to enjoy it, Tinkle would like to serve Master and Mistress. It brings Tinkle much joy."
"Fine, you stupid elf. Do what you want."
With tears in her eyes, Tinkle took the cups and tea pot from Isla and arranged them as best she could. Edgar stormed out of the kitchen with his robes billowing around him.
The house had been much lonelier since Lucy and Avalon had reached "Hogwarts Age." Although her Mistress Isla was kind enough, the girls went above and beyond and had a special place in Tinkle's heart. And despite the dropped voices and whispers whenever Tinkle walked into a room, she had a good idea of what was going on.
Something had happened to her Avalon.
She didn't know what it was, but she was going to find out.
Forty minutes later, the flames of the fireplace began to flicker green and Lucius Malfoy stepped out of them, a small house elf by the name of Dobby in tow.
There was a look of quiet disdain on Lucius' face as Edgar approached him, holding out his hand in greeting. Solemnly, the two men shook. The former reached out his walking stick with the snake's head and pushed Dobby towards Tinkle. "I will be speaking with Edgar. Make yourself useful and help his elf clean up the place a little bit. Usually when I am expecting company, I make sure you do adequate work, but I realize now that not everyone holds their home to the same standards."
Edgar looked as though he was holding back a retort, a slap, or both.
Tinkle stepped forward, shaking. "Master Edward and Mistress Isla keep a very clean home, sir! And Tinkle makes sure of that."
Crack!
In one fluid motion, Lucius had struck the house elf across the face, hard. She stumbled a bit and grabbed her cheek, Dobby reaching out to support her. Edgar said nothing, only furrowed his brow as Lucius regained his composure and continued to glare down at Tinkle. "You filthy little mongrel. Do not forget your place. Watch your tongue as you speak to wizards like myself. If you were my house elf, your punishment would have been much worse."
"Lucius. Come."
"Edgar, do not address me as if I am an animal." But he followed the other man down the hallway regardless.
They reached a large mahogany door. Edgar pulled out a key.
His study was one of the finest wings of Bellglade Manor. It was the only place in the estate that Isla and the girls never entered. They could if they wanted, of course, as Edgar wasn't the type to ban them from parts of their own home, but it was his sanctum of solitude and his wife and daughters respected that fact. In addition to a desk and a comfortable spinning chair and a window, the study had wall-to-wall bookshelves that almost completely covered the rich burgundy walls. Lucius followed Edgar inside and he made himself at home in one of the padded chairs next to a coffee table and a stack of large history tomes.
"How have you and Narcissa been?" Edgar asked.
"Skip the pleasantries, Edgar," Lucius said. He inspected his nails nonchalantly. "We both know that there is a reason that you've invited me here since we haven't spoken in months. If you couldn't be bothered to offer me tea, at least get to the point."
Edgar leaned against his desk as he continued, making direct eye contact with Lucius. "I assume you're aware of the goings on at Hogwarts School as of late?"
"I'm the chairman of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. Of course I'm aware. However, I was under the impression that Albus Dumbledore wanted to keep everything under wraps. So how is it that you've come to know?" Lucius asked.
"He sent a letter home two days ago. My daughter was the first of the two most recent victims."
"My condolensces."
For the second time during Lucius' visit, Edgar's brow furrowed. "She isn't dead, Lucius, but I appreciate your concern." The other man shrugged. For a few moments, neither of the pair spoke. They only stared at each other. Cold blue met steely grey in a silent battle of wills.
"If you don't mind me asking, what does your daughter's… condition have to do with me? I hope you don't take this question the wrong way, I'm just a bit confused."
There was another pause.
"I wanted to find out what you knew about the situation. What it could potentially mean for… for certain people."
"Certain people?"
"This has His name written all over it." Edgar paused. "And there's something else written on yours."
At some point during the conversation, Lucius' walking stick had fallen over and rolled under the desk and he bent to get it. When he straightened up again, he took a deep breath and then responded. "It was before that night, the night he fell. He entrusted me with a book. A diary. I don't know the full extent of its significance, but He told me that it would be the key to opening the Chamber of Secrets."
"The Chamber of Secrets."
"It's happened before, you know. A girl—"
Edgar held up a hand to silence the other man. "I'm very familiar with the story. It was the spring before my first year, but it was still fresh on everyone's minds then. Years later I learned the truth about the incident. Continue."
"I've gotten rid of it, of course. That blasted Arthur Weasley's raids have us all on edge at this point. I decided to kill two birds with one stone." At Edgar's intrigued expression, Lucius continued and recounted his encounter of the Weasleys at Flourish and Blotts with Draco and Avalon, and how he subtely slipped the diary into the Weasley girl's cauldron. "Even if the Chamber of Secrets hadn't been reopened like this, if her father was caught with an item that He deemed important, Weasley would be ruined. Dark magic, indeed."
"I had a feeling you'd hold the answers I needed. Tell me, what of my daughter's condition?"
"Petrification is reversible, but with any luck, by the time antidotes are being administered Dumbledore will have either stepped down or been removed from his post, the old cook," Lucius chuckled.
"He will be pleased."
"Will be?"
Edgar leaned forward. "There's always a chance that…."
Lucius's left arm jerked involuntarily, and he quickly grabbed it with his right hand to still the movement. No further explanation was needed. He understood exactly what Edgar was implying with his comment. "You can't possibly expect me to believe what you're saying. There's no way, Edgar."
Running an anxious hand through his salt and pepper hair, Edgar whirled around. He placed his finger along the spines of the volumes on the bookshelf, looking for a specific tome. He plucked it from its nest and placed it in the center of the desk so Lucius could read the title.
"Magick Moste Evile."
"I haven't finished looking through it, but there are ways. He could be…"
"It's possible. It's hard to say what exists and has yet to be discovered in the world, but I'm sure that I speak for many of us when I say that until something is certain, we don't do anything. We've worked hard to avoid Azkaban up until this point, and there's no sense rocking the boat," Lucius answered finally.
"Not all of us."
Another long pause. This time, there was a slightly pained expression on Lucius' face. "And up until today, you have barely spoken to me since. Isla always sent a Christmas card, though."
"Narcissa too." Edgar stood up and walked to the door of the study. Lucius assumed the other man was throwing him out until he pulled open the door and stuck out his head. "Tinkle!" he called. "We'll be needing tea after all. Lucius and I have much to discuss."
They both chuckled.
As her father and her friend's father sat in a large room laughing and plotting over steaming cups of tea, Avalon Steele was petrified. Unable to speak or move, alone in a room that smelled of antiseptic potion and loneliness aside from the occasional friend sitting by her bedside after classes had finished.
As her husband held a cordial business meeting with an ex-friend he hadn't recently been on the best of terms with, Isla Steele cried herself to sleep in her chamber. Her daughter had been attacked, and she was alone in the feelings of parental concern. She was losing both her baby and her husband.
As Lucius Malfoy continued to laugh and talk about the many ways this plot could go, Edgar Steele had only one thought in his mind. For the greater good. His daughter was a price he was willing to pay if he could continue the journey he started forty years ago.
For the greater good.
That night, another skeleton appeared in one of the many closets of Bellglade Manor.
A/N: This chapter was actually a lot of fun for me to write. So far, youve seen very little of Avalon's parents (most of the story takes place at school and even when it doesn't they're not that important. In fact, this was the only chapter where I've used their names) and it was interesting to show their perspectives on Avalon's condition, obviously it's very different for Edgar than it is for Isla. It was also interesting to me because many chapters ago when Avalon was at King's Cross first year, her father was cold towards her and Isla said "don't worry about him, he loves you" and we actually got to see him thinking without Avalon watching or Isla interpreting.
Anyway, there is going to probably be one more chapter of second year (since the story revolves around her I don't just want to follow Daphne and Theo and Neville around for seven more months) and then onto third. There will be big changes! New faces, new problems! Stay tuned!
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