After their reconciliation time flew by much quicker. It was almost nostalgic for Jasmine, as they spent their time just the two of them practicing wandless magic once more. They also had gone to Diagon Alley to buy a few more books. Due to their limited ability to cast powerful magic without a wand, Jasmine had decided that their most productive curse of action would be to continue to focus on Runes and Occlumency. Violet had already become mostly proficient in the theoretical use of Elder Futhark, and now she was able to finally start creating her own enchanted objects without making them explode. She had even gifted her a nice looking enchanted hand mirror which was able to zoom into the image to see more details.
At the same time Jasmine had started to learn with Violet the hieratic script, both so that they could eventually create their own permanent wards and so they could dismantle them if necessary. She knew that this would be a long term project, Jasmine was almost a complete novice in this language, it was Hemione the one who had actually worked on it in her spare time. Yet, with almost one thousand common signs they would need a lot of time to learn how to correctly write them all, as well as how to correctly use them. Jasmine knew that there were people who did their masteries only on this particular script, like Bill Weasley, so she knew that actually learning it well enough to be useful, would be a tall order.
Meanwhile, they had been able to make huge advancements in both their Occlumency and their wandless magic. Jasmine was sure that with the ability to create false memories and put forward false emotions Violet would be perfectly able to cast a corporeal Patronus by the end of September. Meanwhile, Violet had also mastered a lot of new spells, she now was able to not only cast simple spells such as Petrificus Totalus and Expeliarmus completely wandlessly and at a speed that it became relevant in a duel. She had also made huge strides into actually learning how to cast Stunning Spells on that same level.
Jasmine suspected that her greater level of competency in Occlumency and learning how to cast with a wand had given Violet a much deeper understanding of her magic. She wouldn't be surprised if she was using much less magic for the same effect now. Once more, Jasmine was marveled by the level of mastery over her magic that Violet showed daily, despite her young age.
But, every time she caught herself admiring Violet's skill the memories of that late afternoon couldn't help but resurface. Feeling other people's emotions was never a strict science, she knew perfectly well that everyone felt emotions slightly differently. Yet, the intensity of the emotions that Violet felt for her had been incredibly overwhelming that night, to the point where she had been a bit confused for the rest of the week, trying to decipher if they were what she thought they were. On one hand, she felt the admiration, regret, guilt, and trust she had been expecting. However, she had also felt something that had felt quite peculiar and intense, and the only thing that she could equate it to was the feelings she had felt for Susan during her fourth year before they started their relationship. But it was too early for that wasn't it? Violet was barely twelve years old, a very precocious twelve year old, but a twelve year nonetheless isn't too early for crushes?
Those musing frequently intruded on her thoughts especially when Violet displayed her brilliance with a proud smile at her. But, Jasmine did her best to just ignore it and not let it consume her mind, she was sure that it couldn't be that.
At the end they had decided that it would be better to stay in the orphanage for most of the summer. Neither of them liked the idea of staying, but it would be better to wait until next year to try to secure more permanent accommodations for their Holidays. Asking such a big favor, as housing them for over a month, was too much to ask of any of their major pureblood friends. Moreover, here at the orphanage, they had at least the option to practice their magic with much less scrutiny, Violet doubted that their friends' parents would let them do the same thing in their homes. However, that hadn't stopped them from gladly accepting Abraxas's invitation to stay with him for the last week before the start of the new year. They made a quick visit to update their wardrobe with newer pieces to showcase during their stay in the Malfoy manor and they waited until the end of the summer impatiently.
Meanwhile, the tensions of war were worsening, Muggle Germany had started to put troops near the border of Poland, and despite heavy condemnation at an international level, the path towards war was clear for anyone to see. It was sobering to know that the biggest conflict in human history was going to start in just a few weeks, and being completely unable to stop it. It contrasted heavily against the quiet state of detente that dominated the magical world.
Finally, as August approached its end, they went to the nearby park, where they usually practiced their dueling, with their trunks. They had asked the Malfoys to come to get them there, as Violet didn't want them to see where they lived. There they waited until they heard the loud pop of someone apparating nearby. Soon enough they saw a rather tall blond woman wearing an elegant and expensive looking dress approaching them, besides her was Abraxas looking particularly happy. The two of them made quite an odd pair compared to their mundane surroundings.
"Good morning Lady Malfoy, I'm honored to meet you, I'm heiress Jasmine Potter, this is my close friend Miss Violet Riddle." greeted Jasmine while they both made a short curtsey.
"Good morning heiress Potter, Miss Riddle, it's a pleasure to meet you, as my son has surely told you I'm Lady Stella Malfoy." said the refined woman politely. "Word of your magical prowess has reached every pureblood circle, entering the dueling club in your first year, by nothing else than beating a sixth year. It's clear that the Potter name is in good hands, we are expecting much from you."
"Thank you for your kind words Lady Malfoy, I'll strive to meet your expectations, although it was my friend Miss Riddle who beat the sixth year not me."
"Oh, sorry Miss Riddle I must have gotten confused on the details. I have no doubts that both of you will achieve great things. Now, my dear Abraxas has insisted for the whole summer that we need to invite you to our home, you have certainly made quite an impression on him. Now take my hand we will apparate directly there." she said while extending her hand. Promptly Jasmine took her hand while Abraxas locked shoulders with his mother's other arm while taking Jasmine's trunk, Violet took hold of Jasmine's own hand. The moment they were all connected Jasmine felt the horrible feeling of being compressed into a tight tube.
When their quick teleportation ended Violet and Jasmine found themselves quite nauseous because of the uncomfortable method of transportation. They appeared in front of a manor that looked more like a palace than a mansion. It was quite big surrounded by primly maintained gardens, and the blue and white manor looked quite inviting and regal. It had two short towers at the end of each side. Connected to them there was in the center, a structure reminiscent of a keep if the keep was a finely decorated building with blue roofs, dozens of windows and finely decorated spires at the top of each of its towers. All in all, the building was a true example of grandiose architecture, that despite its size and decor felt more beautiful than pretentious
"Welcome to Malfoy manor." said Lady Malfoy proudly while a pair of house elves took their trunks. "Now Malfoy manor was built in 1597 to serve as the main property from where we administer our land. Its design was inspired by the palaces built all along the Loire riverside. You will later see that on the other side of the river behind the manor there are our famous vineyards, we are proud to produce the best wine in all of England." she said while leading them inside of the manor.
The entrance was as spectacular as the outside, with a wide entrance that led them towards a grand chamber with tall roofs decorated by reliefs enchanted so that they could move, another display of Malfoy's wealth. The chamber led them towards a central marble staircase. Everything was clearly illuminated by the natural light coming from the big windows. "Now if you see on the roof there is a relief depicting the many famous noble acts made by House Malfoy during its long history. I would be delighted to give you a full tour later on, but for wow, Abraxas can you please show them their rooms."
Abraxas dutifully nodded, he led them up the central staircase, while Jasmine idly noticed the many paintings decorating the hallway. "Sorry if my mother was a bit overeager, she is just really proud of her family. I swear to you every time we have guests she basically starts recounting the whole history of our family."
"Don't worry it was quite interesting," said Violet. "So where will we be sleeping?"
"RIght here." he said while opening the door to a massive bedroom, much bigger than the ones we had in Hogwarts. It was finely decorated with a wooden wardrobe, a desk with a comfortable looking chair, a large white vanity, and a four poster bed. There also was a colorful painting depicting a couple of young women having a picnic in the middle of the forest. "Violet's room is the one next to this one and the library is at the end of the hallway. Now that all the essentials are done would you like to go out to the back gardens? We could fly for a bit." he eagerly said with a wide smile.
Jasmine smiled nervously but the other two were already eagerly walking towards the garden, Violet with a mischievous smile on her face. They spent the rest of the morning flying around the estate, or in Jasmine's case trying not to fall. As with everything else, Violet excelled on the broom, flying gracefully and even daring to do a couple of tricks from here on there, smiling cheekily at her friend. Jasmine was green with envy at how simple she made it look, at least Malfoy had been chivalrous enough to stay behind with her, although it may be because he was scared she would fall down for real.
The estate was ample and magnificent. On one side of the river, there was a large garden full of fruit trees, plants that moved around almost as if they were greeting them, and a gigantic greenhouse which was surely full of more exotic plants and other potions ingredients and many more things. Malfoy even told them that they have a string of Abraxans and white peacocks roaming somewhere around here. It certainly showed the massive wealth the Malfoy family possessed.
On the other side of the river there were massive plantations, most of them consisting of large vineyards although there were other crops planted here and there and everything was surrounded by even more fruit trees. Jasmine wondered if this was the origin of the famous Malfoy fortune. The whole estate was truly massive, Jasmine thought that it was quite easy to understand how someone as arrogant as Draco Malfoy could have grown up in a place like this.
They soon were called back to eat lunch by a house elf that appeared just under where they were flying. They took quite a long time returning, due to Jasmine's lack of flying skills. When they finally arrived they saw Lady Malfoy waiting for them sitting in the parlor while reading a book.
"At last you arrive, I've been waiting for you three."
"Sorry mother, I think we flew a bit too far."
"Don't worry my dear. Now let's go in, your father should arrive soon enough."
"Lady Malfoy, may I know what you were reading?" asked Violet politely, while the older woman led them through the manor.
"Of course, it is the latest book by Master Takhashi. It is an in depth study of the kitsune's shapeshifting abilities, it is quite an interesting read through."
"I see that Abraxas wasn't exaggerating regarding your love for transformation."
"I'm glad that he speaks about me." she said while smiling fondly at her son, who looked a bit embarrassed. "And yes it was by far my favorite subject when I went to Hogwarts. Sadly, I didn't have the chance to receive classes with Professor Dumbledore, his work is truly groundbreaking. Although, right now I'm enjoying the free time I have while Abraxas is in Hogwarts to get my mastery in human to animal transformation." she explained, her passion for the subject clear in her eyes.
"And very well you did my dear, your talents couldn't be lost to the academic community." said a strong voice as a dark haired man with a strong complexion entered the dining hall. "Good afternoon Heiress Potter, Miss Riddle, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Lord Tiwaz Malfoy. It's delightful to have you staying in our home."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Malfoy." said Jasmine while slightly bowing her head.
"Well let's eat something before I have to return to the Ministry."
The lunch was less extravagant than Jasmine had expected. Of course, the food was much more appetizing than what they had given them at the orphanage, but Jasmine was half expecting them to give them caviar on golden plates. They had quite a pleasant conversation with the older Malfoys. They were quite curious about their thoughts on Hogwarts and magic. It seemed that Abraxas had talked quite a lot about them, as they seemed quite informed about their most impressive achievement.
"So, are you planning on participating in the international dueling competition in your third year?" asked Lord Malfoy who apparently was quite a big fan of the sport.
"We haven't really talked about it but we would be very excited to participate." said Violet while Jasmine nodded.
"Now, is it true that you two were able to beat a sixth year Miss Potter?" asked Lord Malfoy curiously, apparently quite interested.
"Well I didn't, but Violet did. She was always more talented than me in dueling. Although, I had to almost carry her all the way to the dormitories afterward." said Jasmine making the older pair chuckle, Violet launched her a murderous glare at her words, making Jasmine smile even more widely.
"You two really have a great deal of talent then. I expect you to win a few competitions for Britain. Merlin knows it has been way too long since someone, other than the Black heiress, has won an international dueling competition, as Arcturus loves to remind me."
"Also children, we would like you to know that we are going to be hosting a ball at the end of the month to celebrate the end of summer. Tomorrow, I will take our young two visitors personally to buy new gowns for the occasion. You should accompany us, Abraxas. I don't think you have any new pieces in your wardrobe right now." said Lady Malfoy.
"We would love to attend your ball Lady Malfoy." affirmed Violet with a sweet smile.
"Then it is settled, I will see you later tonight. Heiress Potter, Miss Riddle, it has been a pleasure." said Lord Malfoy before rising up and taking the floo back to the ministry.
The next day was spent trying multiple gowns and generally spending time exploring Diagon and the other nearby Alleys. They ended up having quite a lot of fun, discussing magical theory with Lady Malfoy. In Jasmine's opinion, the woman was a genius and she even offered to help them to get their animagi transformation when they were ready. Jasmine was quite excited about the prospect of becoming an animagus. Sirius had offered to teach her how to do it during the summer before her fourth year, but the return of Voldemort and the war had made them focus more on dueling and fighting, leaving other topics aside.
Jasmine was quite surprised to discover that apparently, Abraxas had quite an eye for fashion, he eagerly helped them get their gowns and select matching accessories for them. The boy even gave her an incredibly detailed bracelet in the form of a snake as a late birthday gift. By the end of the long day, they were all completely exhausted and Jasmine gladly let herself drop to her incredibly comfortable bed.
Their time in the Malfoy manor quickly flew by, divided between the library and the extensive outdoors. Before they even realized it they saw Lord Malfoy diligently ordering the house elves around to prepare the manor for the grand ball. According to Lady Malfoy, many of the higher ups of the ministry and other influential figures would be attending. She made sure to carefully brief the two young prodigies to be sure that they knew who was who.
That night they were quite impressed by how elegantly decorated the already luxurious looking ballroom of the manor was. There were many moving statues, colorful decorations that made Jasmine think of the leaves of the trees in summer, and even an almost full orchestra of enchanted instruments that played by themselves. People started to come through the massive fireplace located in the reception room that led directly to the ballroom, everyone was wearing finely decorated robes and dresses. It was definitely the biggest showcase of wealth and luxury Jasmine had ever seen. Compared to this, the Yule ball she attended in her fourth year looked like a party made for little children.
She marveled at the sight of Violet who was wearing a magnificent white and burgundy dress, her hair done in an elegant updo. They quickly started charming the many guests as they strode through the ballroom being introduced by the Malfoys to the many influential figures that were present at the event. Their greetings to Slughorn were especially memorable, as the fat professor started to loudly boast about their incredible talent and how they were the twin emeralds of Slytherin. Jasmine had to almost physically drag Violet and Abraxas when a couple of reputed French enchanters started talking with them about the intricacies of broom manufacturing.
The last ones to arrive were the Blacks, who arrived all together. The severe looking Lord Sirius Black headed the procedure; he had definitely an imposing cold aura, standing tall and intimidating. The rest of the notorious family follows right behind him. Jasmine saw who she supposed was her Sirius grandfather's arms linked with a short blonde woman, beside them was the elegantly dressed Lucretia, her expression as cold as her grandfather's. Then came the branch family and with them Dorea who was sporting a friendly smile that contrasted with the rest of her family.
The moment she saw them she made a beeline towards them, almost completely forgetting to greet their host. As she had finally come, Jasmine and Violet decided to take a break from their socialization by going to a more isolated corner to catch up with her and their other friends.
"So, how's your summer been?" asked Jasmine.
"Pretty entertaining, I went to Germany with my father. We frequently visited Prussia during the summer because my father has been working on the continent for a good part of the last decade. It was interesting to see the differences now that Germany is united. There seems to have been quite an explosion in the number of enchanters in the area, we even bought a new pensive, this one is able to be used by multiple people at the same time." said Theodore enthusiastically. "We then went on a trip with one of my father's business associates to the German Alps, to go skiing. The views up there are really magnificent, you truly feel like a small ant in the middle of stone giants."
"I love skiing! We should go together next summer!" exclaimed Dorea excitedly. "But you know I think I prefer what I did. My family went to a Dragon reserve in Romania! They even let me fly near a pack of Common Welsh Green! It was beautiful, they are so massive and graceful in the air, you can barely believe they are alive, we should also go there all together."
"Personally I have no desire to see those deathly mountains of flesh and fire up close." said Jasmine, remembering her last experience with dragons with a slight shudder.
"Don't be like that, they are perfectly safe and when they breathe fire it is so spectacular! It is like seeing a storm made out of the fire."
"You aren't doing a good job at selling your idea you know."
"Of course, you would prefer a trip to Alexandria's library or seeing the amazing sights of Prussia's national library to see all those militaristic spells." mocked Abraxas. "Actually what did you two do before you came here, I think you already spent most of the time here in the library."
Jasmine was left silent as she didn't want to admit that they had spent most of their time just studying. Apparently, her silence was telling as Abraxas quickly picked up the opportunity to tease them.
"You actually spent the whole summer studying! You two are insane, you know? The worst part is that I'm not even surprised."
"At least for us, learning about magic is fun." defended Violet.
"Only for you two writing a complete essay on the different ways an upward wand movement may be used in a transformation can be fun." said Nott drily. "I think that not even masters would be as excited as you two on that."
Violet was going to continue the argument, when Lady Malfoy asked the guests to clear the ballroom, as the magic instruments started playing a waltz and people started to dance.
"It seems that it is time to dance. Let's go little fiancée, let's show the other heirs how do you really dance the waltz." said Dorea energetically, dragging Abraxas directly towards the dance floor.
Their little group quickly dispersed while they took their time to dance with the rest of the guests. After a while, Jasmine went to the side to take a bit of a breather and drink something. So she had a front seat to Violet's dance with some pureblood heir or ministry official she didn't recognize. She didn't know who he was and she didn't care, as she was too entranced by the regal spectacle of her best friend dancing.
"You have a good eye." suddenly said a voice next to her, Jasmine was so startled that she almost let her glass drop. Next to her was Lucretia Black, holding a glass of wine and looking at the people dancing without a care in the world.
"You are right, he is quite charming" responded nervously, the younger girl.
"Not him, he is just an incompetent second son of some Lord or another. We both know who I'm talking about, she is a true beauty." she said while taking a sip of her glass of wine.
"Are you insinuating that I'm interested in Violet? How presumptuous we are…"
"Just great friends, we are always together and we disappear frequently just the two of us." abruptly interrupted the older heiress. "Don't worry my friend Renata and I also had our few little hidden places. Sad thing that she had to go study abroad, although she still is sponsored by my family." she said with a dry chuckle.
Jasmine's eyes widened at the implication. "Was your family close to her?"
"Not really, she was too much of a forward thinker to fit in a Most Noble and Ancient House, despite her noble heritage. After all, we have to leave the future to the next generation." she said with bitterness creeping into her disinterested voice.
"Wasn't there any way to make them realize that both aims weren't incompatible?"
"Magic may solve many issues, but sometimes even that powerful force can't beat nature." she sighed sadly. "Talking about family, I did a few inquiries with the DMLE, there aren't many Hit-Wizards that graduated around the same time as your parents, just five really. You were lucky that your parents were friends with one of them."
Jasmine immediately knew that she had already discovered her lie. Has she told anyone? Has she already informed a ministry official? Were they going to go to the orphanage only to discover traces of magic all over the place? Were they…
"You are very lucky indeed, I wonder if your sponsor came tonight or if he is too occupied with matters in the continent."
Jasmine tried to calm her storming thoughts and tried to give a sensible answer. "I didn't know anyone from the continent until tonight."
Lucretia turned to look directly into her eyes, she braced herself to put into action her Occlumency but the intrusion never came. At the end, Lucretia smiled enigmatically.
"You are a really interesting witch, Jasmine Potter." she said before walking back into the dance floor.
The rest of the night passed by as a blur of dances, introductions, and conversations, but Jasmine's mind stayed behind on that conversation she had with the Black Heiress. She stayed up that night remembering a similar conversation that Amelia Bones had given her years before.
The next day on the front page of Lord Malfoy newspaper there was a single headline 'Commonwealth's Ministry Bombarded'. War had begun.
