Penny pressed her face into her pillow as the artworks on the wall played their melody. Pulling the duvet over her head she burrowed down into its warmth. Barely ten minutes later she heard her aunt enter her room.
'Penny' Narcissa said softly, gentle hands shaking her. Penny groaned wrapping herself even tighter as her aunt tried to untangle her. 'Come Penny, it's time to get up. We can't miss the Portkey.' Narcissa said firmly as Penny sighed. Reluctantly Penny had risen allowing her aunt to attack her wild hair and straighten out her robes. In the kitchen Penny, Draco, Narcissa and Lucius had eaten crumpets and scones in virtual silence as Lucius read his newspaper.
'What time is the Portkey?' Draco asked with excitement in his voice.
'Half past eight' His mother responded glancing at her husband, who took out his pocket watch.
'We have twenty minutes.' He said calmly clicking it shut.
'The World Cup means you will get to meet lots of important people from the Ministry.' Narcissa said, her eyes on Penny. 'So it is best you give a good impression.' She said pointedly. Penny glanced at her, biting back a sarcastic comment by taking a large mouthful of crumpet. She had kept her promise to Draco and been near angelic in her opinion. Narcissa had treated her with suspicion at first, but eventually seemed to take this new attitude in her stride. Draco and her seemed to have come to a silent understanding. He didn't ask about her nocturnal adventures, and she for the most part held her tongue and temper. Her facial expression needed work, she suspected, but you can't have it all, she thought peevishly.
Nearly twenty minutes later the four of them stood with a couple small trunks around a soda can. Penny eyed it sceptically, whilst she had read about Portkeys, she couldn't help but think they sounded ridiculous. They had landed and been directed to the first field to speak with a Mr Roberts. Penny saw her uncle's lip curl into a sneer, matched by Narcissa and Draco as she realised this man was clearly a Muggle. Lucius had pulled a wad of notes from his cloak, passing it to a wide eyed Penny, he was clearly unfamiliar with Muggle currency Penny thought bemused. Penny had approached to pay the man when she looked to see him staring at her. He took the money and had reached for a change tin, not taking his eyes off the young girl who shifted uncomfortably as she felt his gaze roam indecently over her. As he handed her the change she flinched slightly at his touch. As she walked away as she saw Lucius pause, hand on his cane, glaring disgustedly at the Muggle man, who looked sheepishly back. As he sneered at the muggle, clearly contemplating if it was worth it, Penny quietly shoved the wad of notes into her inner robe pocket.
Making their way into the campsite, Lucius and Narcissa leading, with Penny and Draco trailing behind, Penny looked around at the various tents. Most look almost ordinary, however the tent the Malfoys approached was far from that. Virtually a palace in tent form, Penny chuckled in disbelief to see a few of the pure white peacocks lining the path into the tent. Glancing down, Penny was almost expecting to see a red carpet beneath her feet. Inside was spacious and even bigger than the outside, with two floors.
Once they had settled in, Narcissa bustled around the kitchen preparing venison with relish on the side. Penny was surprised to find her aunt could cook, and cook well at that, although she did frequently show a knack for other domestic spells, mainly tiding up after Penny and Draco. As the day went on they had many visitors, a fair number were Ministry officials who Lucius shook hands with and exchanged pleasantries with. A few others she was sure where not official personnel as Lucius seemed to lose some of his courtesies and Penny was sure she heard the phrase Mudblood appear in jovial tones. Regardless both he and Narcissa seemed to insist on introducing her to every single one of the visitors, whereas Draco mostly got left in peace. Her aunt's advice still ringing in her ears, Penny mirrored her aunt's reserved smile and shook hands and was polite, despite feeling like a trophy being paraded around. She bit back snide comments at the frequent images of her mother that danced behind most of their eyes when they saw her, even as it grated on her nerves. A particularly unwanted visit came from Theodore and his father, whom seemed close to Lucius.
'Penny!' Theodore said happily, his bulky frame practically bouncing up to her. 'It's good to see you!' He said as Penny resisted the urge to roll her eyes. 'So..erm..' He went on, coughing nervously. Penny winched as she saw where he was going with this. 'So want to go… look at all the good on sale?' He said offering his hand to her. Penny hesitated glancing at her aunt for guidance, torn between a brutal rejection and trying to be polite. A second later though Draco stepped between them, knocking the younger boy's hand out the way.
'Hello Theo' Draco said, peering coolly down at him. Behind him Penny stifled a snigger as the shorter boy shuffled nervously at Draco's protective intrusion.
'Hi Draco' Theo replied stiffly, glancing round to Penny, clearly thinking hard of the best way around the taller wizard. It looked painful.
'How about all three of you go?' Narcissa interjected handing Draco a small bag of coins. Theo looked like he wanted to protest and obviously thought better of it as Draco towered over him. The three of them had wondered round looking at the various carts that kept appearing. Penny chuckled as she pretended not to notice Theo trying and failing to get her alone by outmanoeuvring an unimpressed Draco. At one point Penny's eye was draw to a girl with dirty blonde hair, wearing what appeared to be a dress made entirely of leaves. A man stood next to her was dressed even more oddly, with floor length robes that looked to be made of moss. As Penny stared the girl turned and Penny immediately recognised her.
'Penny!' Luna called happily waving. The man followed her line of sight, his hand immediately grabbing Luna's wrist restraining her, as his eyes widened. 'It's ok Daddy, Penny's a nice girl' Luna reassured her father as his slightly crossed eyes continued to stare. He slowly released Luna's wrist, and walked gingerly with her to Penny. Penny felt Theo and Draco shrink away from the Lovegoods as they approached.
'Hi Luna' Penny said a smile creeping onto her face as her eyes trailed over the dress down to the brown boots she could only assume were supposed to be roots. Penny turned to Luna's father, her blue eyes critical.
'Xenophilius Lovegood' He said extending a cautious hand to Penny, who shook it briefly 'You'll be supporting Ireland I assume? Land of the first Giants and the eternal moss?' He said fanning out his awful robe as he spoke. Penny made a non-committal as Draco scowled.
'Do you like my dress?' Luna asked as Penny turned back to her 'I made it myself.' She said with a graceful twirl.
'Very…unique' Penny said slowly as Draco snorted. Luna turned her eyes to Draco with an innocent expression.
'Draco is laughing at me.' Luna stated simply, causing the tall boy to look away uncomfortably as Penny smirked. 'That's ok, the Blibbering humdingers often laugh at my outfits too.' Penny chuckled as Theo edged further back. 'It doesn't matter if they laugh as long as I think I look pretty.' Luna said happily 'You look tired Penny' She said suddenly as she looked into Penny's eyes a tad too closely 'I can see it in your eyes your dreams are troubled.' She went on as Penny's smile vanished and a hard expression replaced it.
'I'm fine thank you Luna.' Penny said sharply turning and striding off, causing the boys to jump and start after her fast pace. Draco trotted to her side first and muttered quietly.
'Just in case you wondered, we are supporting Bulgaria.' He told her with a sneer.
Eventually a loud bong sounded and Theo said a gruff goodbye as he went away with his father. Penny had stared at the size and height of the stadium, the sight making Penny queasy before she pushed her discomfort away. Penny and the Malfoys made their way to the Top Box where Penny spotted the Weasleys with Hermione and Harry sat right at the front of the box. As she opened her mouth to speak and take a step forward she felt a soft hand gripping her shoulder tightly. Glancing up Narcissa was looking down at her, a disapproving pout evident on her face. With a little shake of the head Penny looked up at her defiantly, before glancing back to Ginny and Hermione who looked between her and her aunt. A smile played on Penny's lips as she looked at Hermione. Putting her hand to her face, her little finger and thumb sticking out, she mouthed 'Call me' with a wink and got a wide smile in return. Ginny's eyes narrowed slightly looking put out as she glanced between the two smiling girls as Penny turned to sit between Draco and Narcissa in the row behind the Weasleys.
'What does that mean' Narcissa hissed as they sat down.
'What?' Penny said in mock innocent, purposely widening her eyes as she looked up at her aunt.
'This' Narcissa said trying to mimic Penny's gesture without success. Penny snorted as Narcissa did the heavy mental hand signal instead, and shoved a fist in her mouth to muffle her laughter. Narcissa frowned at her. 'I will not accept a member of my family making obscene Muggle gestures in public, even if it is only Mudbloods who understand it.' Narcissa scolded as Penny worked to suppress her giggles.
'I assure you' Penny said when she got control back 'It is not an obscene gesture by any means.'
'Then what does it mean?' Narcissa insisted.
'It means call me' Penny said.
'What?' Narcissa said frowning as Penny rolled her eyes.
'A playful way to say get in contact.' Penny said impatiently. Narcissa pursed her lips but didn't pressed anymore. Soon after the bouncy boy-like wizard had started commentating and mascots had come onto the field. Penny and Draco stared at the creatures Penny heard Mr Weasley call Veela.
'Fingers in your ears' Lucius had said to Draco. As the Veela started dancing, Penny started feeling strange, a weird fog felt like it was engulfing her brain, slowing her thoughts and making them blurry. A sudden pain shooting through her foot snapped her back to reality. Looking angrily around she saw Draco giving her a searching look as he withdrew his foot. It took her a second to realise she was on the edge of her seat and a small amount of drool had started forming. Blushing a deep shade of red she buried her face in the programme, ignoring the puzzled look her aunt gave her.
The rest of the match bored Penny senseless, the sight of the players darting around at such a height made her feel so sick she covered her face in her hands, looking a lot like the elf that had taken residence a few seats down.
Even though the famous Bulgarian Seeker Krum had caught the Snitch Ireland had still won. Penny glanced at Lucius' face to see a cruel sneer hardening on his face as the Weasleys celebrated in front of them. Back at the tent he had disappeared as Narcissa brought Penny cocoa in her room.
'How come you only had Draco?' Penny asked suddenly, her aunt looking slightly taken aback before her usual blank expression returned. 'I just wondered' Penny went on 'I mean the Weasleys have lots of children.' Penny cursed herself internally as Narcissa's nose wrinkled in disgust.
'The rich have children, the poor have litters' She sneered as an answer. 'Get some sleep.' Narcissa said, placing a gentle kiss on the top of Penny's head before retreating. Penny sighed as she pulled her Black family photo album out from under her pillow, turning the pages over gently. It had become a routine for her in the last week or so, although why mystified her, as she had memorized every detail the first time she'd given into the longing to stare into the eyes of her mother. The photo album had stayed buried the bottom of her trunk like a dirty secret for almost a year. Being back at the Manor had dragged its existence back to the front of her mind, seeping in through every crack in her attempt to block it out until she had dragged it out, angry at herself for allowing this weakness.
Some of the photos were just of her mother, some of her mother and aunt, and a couple with what could only be their parents, sat in stiff formality with very serious expressions even as they moved. Sometimes Penny could almost sense there was a gap in the photos, an emptiness where a person should have been. Penny liked looking at ones with her aunt and her mother most. Even though the two witches remained formal throughout the album, Penny could see real affection between the two as her mother would look down at her younger sister. Narcissa could almost be said to be smiling in some of these. Looking at her mother Penny often felt a pang of longing in her gut as her eyes roamed the face that felt so familiar and yet so foreign. The young Bellatrix's dark eyes had the same challenging stare Penny knew matched her own, and yet there was a hardness, a sneer Penny felt little connection with. What had those eyes seen? Penny wondered for the hundredth time.
Penny must have fallen asleep at some point as she woke to her aunt shaking her as she pulled the album from underneath her.
'Get dressed.' Narcissa had said firmly 'Now.'
'What's happening?' Penny said in a drowsy voice. The sounds around the tent seemed quieter than before but still normal to her.
'Some Bulgarian supporters are planning trouble.' Narcissa said quickly, causing Penny to almost miss the lie in her sleepy state 'Get dressed.' Narcissa repeated leaving Penny presumably to wake Draco. Penny's brow furrowed as she pulled on some loose clothing, instinctively feeling for her wand before cursing. A few minutes later Narcissa reappeared and lead her down to the front where Draco was waiting.
'Draco, take Penny into the woods, stay there, you'll be fine.' Narcissa said turning her wand to the tent, slowly dismantling it. Draco gestured for Penny to follow him, casually crossing the campsite.
'Nobody else seems to know of any trouble' Penny said glancing around at the thinning crowd. Draco shrugged, though a smile played on his lips. 'Shouldn't we warn them?' Penny said, her suspicions heightening by the second.
'Nah, where would the fun be in that?' Draco said, sniggering. Penny stopped in her tracks causing Draco to turn back to her.
'Bulgarian supporters' Penny spat 'So, your father and his friends.' She said as Draco sshhed her.
'Come on it's just a bit of fun that's all.' Draco said defensively. Penny was about to make a retort when a scream reached her ears. Turning around Penny saw a burst of flames in the distance. 'Come on' Draco said again pulling her with him.
Stood at the edge of the trees, Penny watched as people started running away from the growing flames. Squinting she could see a small group of masked people marching across the field. Above them were four shapes she couldn't quite make out. More screams cut through her like glass and she felt herself shaking as she began wringing her hands uncontrollably. Draco looked at her with concern as he saw the flashes of lights reflected in her petrified eyes.
'Its ok' He said gingerly putting his arm round her shaking shoulders. 'If anything bad happens I'll give you my wand and hide behind you' He said, causing Penny to chuckle nervously. Looking back at the field she suddenly recognised one of the puppet figures.
'Is that..?' She began.
'The filthy Muggle that couldn't keep his eyes to himself?' Draco said angrily 'Well, that'll teach people what happens when unworthy scum come anywhere near my family' He said puffing out his chest. Penny stared at him then back at the four figures.
'This…is about me?' She said in a small voice. Her insides convulsed as she watched one of the little figures spin like a top. The way its head flopped uselessly to the side suddenly caused a different face to flash before her eyes. The face that had haunted her dreams.
'Penny?' Draco said as he watched her go white as a sheet. A few seconds later a yell of pain followed by a thud made her jump out of her skin. A couple of familiar voices followed by a beam of light showed Harry Ron and Hermione had reached the forest. A few choice words were exchanged that Penny barely heard as she watched the puppets, before she caught the word Mudblood.
'They won't touch her' Penny snapped, turning away from the field and glaring at Draco, who rolled his eyes at her. Glancing nervously at the field Penny went on 'Probably should keep going though' She said as more screams tore into her.
'Penny are you ok?' Harry asked, a flash of green illuminating the thin veil of sweat on her forehead.
'She's fine' Draco snapped 'Now why don't you run home to Mummy Potter? Oh wait…' Draco paused for dramatic effect as Harry's face flushed red. Penny stepped between them.
'Just go.' Penny said pushing Harry's chest 'Take care of Hermione. Go' She whispered in Parseltongue, seeing a flicker of recognition in his eyes as he backed away, with a final glare at Draco they turned and walked away. Folding her arms, Penny mirrored Draco, leaning on the opposite tree. Chewing the inside of her cheeks as she forced herself to stop shaking and adopt the same unbothered stance of her cousin. Barely twenty minutes had past when a fresh set of screams from inside the woods erupted. As they turned they saw a glowing green skull ascend above the woods. Her father's sign, Penny thought, her eyes turning to Draco. For the first time since entering the woods Draco looked scared, his pale face looked like sour milk, his grey eyes wide as his lips parted.
'Run.' He said suddenly, spinning Penny round and shoving her into motion, running back towards the campsite. When they reached where the tent was, they found Narcissa levitating a large trunk. Penny was startled to see even her aunt's face had a look of terror.
'We are leaving. Now.' Narcissa said sharply, grabbing Penny's hand and flicking her wand at the trunk to follow them as they ran out of the field, and along to the Keeper of the Portkeys.
'We need a Portkey to Malfoy Manor. Immediately.' Narcissa demanded, her chest heaving as she caught her breath.
'Ma'am I can not…' The stubby wizard began before Narcissa impatiently tossed a small bag to him. Penny heard a chink of gold as the man glanced inside. Taking out his wand he placed a newspaper on the desk beside him and muttered a few incantations. The three of them gathered around before simultaneously touching the Portkey. Penny glanced back to the fires in the distance as the Portkey dragged her through the air.