HPOV
"Mind if I steal a dance? Princess Rhoyne." I inquired, tapping my son on his shoulder to get him to turn away from his intense staring contest with his reflection in the window.
"Dad?" Al squeaked in surprise, facing me with a furious blush now blooming on her face.
It was hard to register what I felt at the sight of the stunning woman who now stood in front of me. She gripped her left arm shyly with her right hand as her gaze was forced to the floor out of embarrassment. Only silence followed.
'This is what Al would have looked like if he'd been born a girl?' I thought to myself eerily, examining the ravishing lines of the woman's features. How like Ginny in so many ways.
"So, is that a yes?"
Al lent me her delicate hand in acquiescence, still gloved in shimmering black silk. I moved us into the center of the room where the other guests were already all in motion. I had watched my son's dance with Scorpius and had marveled at her grace and balance. Doubtless her upcoming performance would be spectacular too.
"Well… this is awkward." Al noted, still looking away from me as I made contact with his waist and began to lead.
"What's it like in there?"
"So strange. Beyond strange really."
"How do you mean?"
"Well, what I think and feel right now comes naturally to me… however... my thoughts and actions that seem so natural right now, would shock or seem odd to me as a boy. Since my brain's habits are built on fifteen years of actually being a boy, I find a lot of my instincts, thoughts and desires right now to be very strange. I imagine its kind of like being a little stoned?" She supposed scientifically. Still such a thinker.
"I'm not sure I get it but at least you look amazing." I teased.
"Yes, great, my shell is beautiful. Is that all that matters?"
"Not at all. I'm just commenting on your appearance. Although i'm certain the palace's reactions tonight have already told you enough about that."
"Yes. They've all been gawking at me as though—Wait is that Mom and Draco? Again?" Al asked as he peered over my shoulder. She had scrunched her nose suspiciously at whatever she'd just witnessed behind me.
We spun finally when the music shifted and I saw the two figures dancing smoothly at the other end of the room, just as my son had noted. Joy was lit in my wife's eyes as she tilted her head back to laugh at some joke Draco must have told. The sight of her genuine emotion made me truly happy, whatever its cause.
"Are we sure that's quite kosher? You're not involved in some weird new age swingers thing right? I know you and Draco are super close these days but I really couldn't handle it if that is anything more than friendship."
I was shocked at the statement more than that he had had the idea. Before there was time to reprimand him or express my shock, Al continued to another topic.
Still the supermodular praxia rears its head…
"Oh, side note. I meant to ask earlier. Why didn't James ever come in the end? He must have been invited i'm sure." Her piercing eyes met mine and I was shocked that she had moved so quickly off the topic of his mother possibly having an affair.
I almost said something about his earlier comment but couldn't bring myself to scold Al while he looked like this. I wonder if i'm too lenient on Lily too?
"Dad?" She asked, cocking her head when i'd failed to answer.
"He's at a Knoxas concert with Connor Finnigan, Andrew Thomas and a couple other of his fifth year crew. I think James wanted to get away with his girlfriend, but we're not sure."
She blinked liked a computer having a processing error at that. It took less than three seconds before Al's telltale indignation surfaced. That, it seemed, was still the same, girl or boy.
"You mean James didn't have to come? I thought he was being punished for something? Or there was some strategic reason he was being kept from the carnival."
"You're a princess now. You literally carry an equivalent rank in the magical world to me and the bloody Emperor of Japan. You were born for this. James and I barely fit in here. You and Lily are… more refined. I don't know. This isn't James's speed."
"Not his speed? So what if it's not his speed? You're our father. Why don't you treat us fairly? Why don't I get to go to concerts? Why do I get pulled from school? Why do I have to be shipped off to scheme for Hermione and your bloody ministry?"
"You want me to be your father for a minute? Or should we just stay friends?"
"Shoot, Minister for Magic. Let's see some fathering for a change."
"Ok then. It's actually quite simple. James is my son, sure. You are my heir. Do you understand? You and Lily are… beyond your brother. He could be a great auror someday, and that's only if he works very hard. Look where you are right now. Look at the things you've accomplished already. For merlin's sake Al! You're literally performing next month at the very concert venue where James and his gang went to hang out. You're making millions off of potions and real estate and you're still only fifteen. Barely even fifteen! Christ Al! James probably had to read you were named the prince of the seventh font in the bloody papers today? Stop fucking complaining. You're not a freak ok, you're a genius. Start acting like one."
"Wow."
"Too much?"
"No that actually made perfect sense dad. So am I really that whiny?"
"You're likely to be the youngest warlock in history in the next few years and the youngest wizard to hold a ministry posting. In light of that, yeah Al, you're a little whiny."
"You'd never tell Lily off like that." He countered, ignoring the honest assessment.
"Thats because, like your mother, Lily terrifies me too much to try." I corrected, shivering.
"Ok… well that makes sense… but… You're still harder on me than anyone in the family." She argued.
"You haven't guessed at the reason for that yet?" I asked chuckling. Parents aren't supposed to have favorites…
"You said I'm your heir. I get it… I have responsibilities the other two don't." She shot, resigning herself to that reason alone.
I sighed before I spoke, intent on getting it through her thick skull once and for all.
"You're my damned favorite Allie. Thats why I'm so hard on you."
Our eyes locked as we spun and the expression of shock that blossomed on her ravishing face nearly brought me to tears. Al had never once considered how much I loved him. It was so alien to him a concept that he wore his shock like a fresh battle wound.
"My elegant, ninja daughter Lily. My funny, happy go lucky son James. Yet you Albus… you are destined for a future I couldn't have dreamt of at your age. You could become the Supreme Mugwump and that would seem but trivial an accomplishment. You could be anything you wanted. Hero, Inventor, Musician, Leader, Spy, Warrior, Conqueror even. You could be a tyrant King. You could be a Sage or a Prophet. You could tame Titan class creatures from what I hear. You could be a World Cup winning Quidditch seeker or even a famous explorer. You could learn any language and move to any place in less than twelve months. Build a vast business empire. Not to mention you have your mothers beauty. Even as a boy you beyond gorgeous. The world is yours entirely. What ordinary life do you think awaits James as compared to you?"
Her hand came to cover her mouth. Was she that surprised?
"Don't you see. You're wrong to envy James. Even if you wished to be normal, to swap places, you cannot. You are now Princeps Septum. You will be Princeps Quinque after me. By the laws of magic you could probably wrest that title away from me now, purely by right of skill. Stop denying what makes you special. You think I wanted the burdens of high office or to be the Chosen One?"
"No… I rather doubt you wanted either." She countered, staring carefully at the scar on my forehead.
"The last thing i'm going to say on this matter, ever, is that even if you wanted to run away from all this, would you really do that to me and your mum?"
"How do you mean?"
"Do you know how proud I am to see you accomplish the things you have fought for? Your every achievement i've watched in wonderment. I don't care about this blood nobility crap Al. Its that my son can navigate the world like a master. Its that you can juggle school and martial training and inventing and politics. Its that you can inspire and frighten and lead wizards twice your senior. I don't always understand you or the amazing things you do… but i'm so proud at the person you're becoming. The way you push yourself to build and fight for what you want. If you want to go to concerts with James and his friends like some normal fifteen year old… I won't NOT love you. I just… I guess i'd understand that even less."
A waste. She realized. It would be a waste to live a normal life when fortune had so smiled upon her.
Al was quiet for a good long while. I could see her shrewd mind working to digest my words.
"Hmmm."
"What?" I asked, hoping for a little more than 'hmmm'.
"I just have the nagging suspicion more and more lately that I've entered an American serial drama. Everyone's so sentimental and open with their bloody feelings. Me included these days. Maybe i'm in some giant sitcom like experiment being run by Yank scientists." She mused.
"Fucking Slytherins. This isn't the Truman Show. Fine Al I'll just shut up abou—"
She surprised me by leaning in to kiss me tenderly on the cheek, interrupting me in the process. The kiss and her expression reminded me of Lily.
"Thanks for that… dad."
"No problem Al." I returned shyly as a silence filled the space between us.
"You know we're proud of you too right? You're like… father to our whole nation or something…" She exclaimed sarcastically, poking obvious fun of me.
"Oh piss off you Slytherin twerp."
"No no I meeeaaaan it… I hear they're even making statues of you now Minister. You're so bloody cooool daddy." She exclaimed, mock gushing.
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up wise guy. Careful i don't send statues of you to your house one day when i'm like eighty alright. I'll fill your yard with them."
"I think I might have a palace by then but you can try to fill its gardens with statues of me if you want."
"So droll son, so droll."
"I've already collected twelve chocolate frogs cards of you, i have it on good authority they'll be worth a fortune one day. My banker says they're high grade collectibles."
"OK, you asked for this." I was about to tickle her when I stopped myself, remembering where we were.
"Sorry dad, you can't mess up my dress but i'm sure you'll have time to get revenge on me next week. Oh wait… you have that diplomatic trip to the Germanic Union in Berlin. Too bad I guess." The twerp stuck her tongue out cheekily at me as she released me and backed away into the crowd.
DPOV
"Sorry Mum, i'm just cutting in for a moment. Need to see if Draco is any good at this." A beautiful Albus interjected, seizing my hand and virtually knocking his mother away from me.
"To what do I owe this glowing surprise?"
"I adore you fiercely Draco, however if you lay a hand on my mom…"
"I beg your pardon Albus?"
"My implication being that your, shall we say, evident familiarity, with Ginevra Weasley… might be misinterpreted by some."
I squinted at the unnaturally beautiful young woman with suspicion. This wasn't like the Al i knew.
"As might be the fact that my son so frequently neglects his bed for yours, yet you hardly see me scolding you for that?"
"I… Scor and I… we're not. He's like a brother to me. Besides, neither of us is married and nobody but my mom and sister knows we're preternaturally over-disposed to cuddling for our age."
"Your mother and I are friends Albus… that is all. Like you and Scor."
"Whether or not a romance exists between you, i couldn't say. However, I seriously doubt that friendship is all that exists between the supreme founder of Britain and the most powerful ex warlock alive."
I smiled involuntarily at Al's sharp insight. I remained silent despite my amusement. Not willing to give away my alliance with his mother.
"Have you ever actually seen my mom duel? I've seen clips of her playing quidditch and I've seen some pictures from her brief modeling days, but I've never seen her fight. Is she really as strong as they say?" Albus asked, forgetting his suspicion momentarily.
"Oh yes. She's as strong as the rumors say. I'd wager there are maybe only fifteen individuals currently alive who can claim to match her martial prowess. The supreme mugwump and Augustin Valois come to mind if I were to name two."
"Valuable information that. Who else for arguments sake would you consider her equal?"
I hesitated at the question, curious what had gotten Al so distracted from his original interrogation.
"Well… Lucretia Medici, born Lucretia Maxus, for one. Her son Giovanni is dating your cousin Dominique I believe." I noted, nodding my head towards the couple at the far end of the ballroom. "Sakura Muramasa would be another, gossip has it that all three of her children share her talent for magic too."
"Go on."
"My brother in law Arcturus Greengrass is as devastating a warlock as his father Garth was in his prime. The pontifex of the Russian Ecclesiastic Church of Ashera, Ivan Lenkov, is a second and Don Rodrigo Ivrea de Castilla y León a third. Others would be the twin witchdoctors of Ghana, Jokor and Zephyr. You have in Germany, Klaus von der Graff and in Austria, Serena Kaiser and her father Richter. Gerald Grimshaw and Rick Tomkins are famed warlocks in America. There are a few others like your aunt that come to mind but i've touched on the main ones."
"If you had to rapid fire guess at those? The ones not quite class three but on the verge?"
"Hermione Granger, Alexander Sorrenson, Vivienne Le Fey, many of the Valois, Arcanis's brother Hermeus, Minerva McGonagal, Ernie MacMillan, Sylvia Slytherin, Miranda von Wuttenhoff, Ujio Toritomo, Kaneda Satsumori, Matsuda Yoshimitsu, Marius Maxus and president Liam Walker of MACUSA. Why the sudden interest in warlocks Al?"
She nodded as if suitably impressed.
"My interest isn't in warlocks Master Malfoy. My interest was in determining if your fascination with my mother was at all related to the subject. You seem to be extraordinarily well versed in the names of the most powerful magic users around. I was trying to ascertain your motivations where my mom is concerned. Or maybe even her motivations with you."
I smiled despite myself, contemplating the shrewd calculus on display by the eighteen year old Albus.
"Clever. Very Clever Albus."
"Everyone at the Carnival is playing at some political game. If you two are spending the majority of your time together... I wondered what that could be about."
She did not return my smile.
"I swear to you Albus, your mother and I are friends. We share the same interest, namely the wellbeing of our children."
She examined me carefully as we danced. Finally her face relaxed into a sort of resigned exhaustion.
"I've been on my feet all day Draco. Do you mind if we take a break? I need to sit for a moment if i'm to be ready for my performance with Scor."
"Certainly." I offered, leading us towards a bench against the far wall of the chamber. We snaked our way through the throng of endless revelers dancing beneath the glimmering lights of the Valois ballroom. Decadent and regal, the carnival would doubtless be remembered as one of the greatest celebrations of our time. As we walked I finally noticed it. There, affixed to the back of Al's head, rested the familiar hair piece that my Ella had once worn.
"Albus... where did you..." I began hesitantly, my fingers ghosting against the gold metal for barely a moment before the beauty turned and sat herself down.
"Scor didn't mention it yet I suppose. It was my belated birthday present to him. I... found it diving near the cliffs of Étretat. I hadn't realized until later when I actually found it... how... well how morbid and thoughtless my idea actually was. Scor suggested I wear it tonight while I was in this body."
I thought about that, realizing what Albus had meant. What had the boy expected to find there, in those shallow waters? I glanced at the trinket helplessly, memories returning from a second life. A life painted with my wife and daughter at my side. How had everything unravelled so dramatically?
SPOV
The enchanted blue water poured lavishly over my delicate hands, swirling in a silky dance across my skin. I was so meticulously absorbed in rinsing the pearlescent white lather from my appendages that I failed to realize I had been addressed.
"Salut cousin." I heard repeated from behind me, the soft voice shaking me from the winding halls of my mind.
My gaze rose from the faucet to the mirror as the figure of an eerily familiar face appeared to the sink at my right. It was weird looking back and forth between myself at eighteen and then to my strangely identical cousin at fifteen. His grandmother Lucinda Malfoy was my grandfathers fraternal twin I remembered, thinking about Cyrille's parentage and my Valois cousins.
"Salut Cyrille." I replied, returning a smile to the blond as he began to wash his own hands. "Enjoying your father's celebration?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm. The boy eyed a Danish Nobleman as he exited the bathroom, leaving us alone in the exquisite marbled chamber. Light glowed beneath the onyx stone, just transparent enough to radiate a soft luminousness of whatever spells worked beneath their surface.
"C'est affreux, il y a trop de drame qui ce passe ce soire. Franchement ca me rend mal au ventre." (It's awful Scor, there's too much drama going on tonight. Frankly it's making me nauseous.)
"If tonight's festivities are stressing you so badly, why not run away? If your dad hadn't recruited me for the Aria I'd suggest we both ditch and go out in Paris for a night on the town."
Cyrille leant against the side wall as he dried his hands with a white towel. "J'apprécie l'offre, mais nous savons bien que nos parents nous assassineraient si nous abandonnions ce soir." (I appreciate the offer, but we both know full well that our parents would murder us if we ditched tonight.)
The young french noble crumpled his spent wash cloth and tossed it into the adjacent bin, turning once more to the mirror to observe his appearance. The Scorpius clone used his thumb to gently graze the skin on each side of his face, tinging his cheeks with a splash of highlighting makeup. There was an iridescent sheen in the product that accentuated the shape of his cheekbones prettily. Many had often commented on the strange way my cousin and I resembled one another. As I stared at the androgynous boy and his beautiful features I wondered if I really did look as radiant as that.
"You're staring cousin. Not that I mind."
"Sorry. I'm just out of sorts with the performance so near at hand. I'm honestly a little nervous now that it comes to it." I offered as excuse.
"You and Al will do great. You've rehearsed all day and you're in sync enough to pull this off. Don't take it so seriously."
"We both know how serious this really is. Not that I mind your reassurance."
"It will turn out however it turns out. No use fretting over what's yet to come." It was wise enough advice.
"Tell me cousin. Why is it we barely see each other? Aside from the odd Christmas or easter?"
"Why? Do you miss me?"
I nodded honestly.
"Papa doesn't like for me to leave the palace these days, let alone to leave the french mainland. I'm lucky i get to see any of you at all."
A knock came at the door then. "Occupé!" Cyrille shot a little petulantly over his shoulder. The door creaked open and a tall black witchdoctor slipped in. "Zephyr? Is everything alright?"
"Sorry to intrude Obataye. Your doctor says you forgot to take your medicine. You know you cannot miss more than one dose." The imposing guard chastised, holding out a vial, a large golden spherical pill and what looked like a gelatinous bubble of purple syrup that squished and jiggled in the mans palm.
"Must you always fuss over me so? I'm not a child anymore."
"Runako... please. Do no be difficult." He pleaded, kneeling low next to my cousin so that they were nearly face to face. Cyrille rolled his eyes and reached for the medicine, downing the objects hastily as he fought to suppress a blush. "Thank you Girma. Apologies again for the intrusion. Your grace."
I eyed the blond as his guard retreated from the room, not daring to acknowledge the intimate exchange I'd observed. To his credit Cyrille did so himself.
"I'm told my condition could kill me if i don't stick to the regimen Papa's band of quacks prescribes. In all the confusion of the festivities I guess I forgot to take my daily supplements."
"Your guard seems nice. But honestly... Girma? Runako? Obataye?"
"Just some pet names." Cyr deflected quickly.
"Runako?" I queried again, brushing the boys face delicately. Handsome...
"You speak Asante?" Cyr balked, suddenly embarrassed at the implication.
"Some. Enough to know that your father would have that man's tongue if he caught him calling you Girma or Obataye." Girma meant majesty, a title reserved for a king or prince. Obataye meanwhile was an alexander. One who would conquer the entire world. It would not do for the boys father to know the extent of his guards loyalty to his son. A loyalty that Augustin doubtless expected should belong to him instead of the boy.
"You won't say anything will you cousin?" There was a hint of fear lodged in my cousins throat as the question escaped it like a hoarse croaking.
"Who do you take me for? One of your siblings? I wouldn't breathe a word of your malady to anyone... nor for that matter the depths of your guards devotion..."
"You have no idea how valuable having a true friend is in this nest of spiders. Zephyr has saved me more times than you know. One day i will tell you the tale of how we met. For now though I think we should get back. Its nearly time for the Aria
