Unraveled
Chapter Three: Decisions
Draco came back from the meeting from Hogsmeade with his father as soon as everyone else started arriving. His father bid him a fond farewell and told him to do well in school. He wasn't exactly in the mood to obey his father at the moment though. Draco had a mixture of emotions running in him. He felt angry, scared, and confused. Draco thought that he would be free to choose who he wanted to marry. After fifteen years, Draco thought that he would decide on his own.
Worst yet, he could not even think of cheating on his future wife. His grandfather-in-law would kill him. Who was to say that the girl could not kill him if he crossed her? Draco felt betrayed by his father. His father and the Dark Lord were using him as breeding stock. He shuddered to think of how the girl looked like. Draco saw how the Dark Lord looked during the summer break. The sight nearly made him shudder on the spot. Draco thought of how the Dark Lord looked before. Tom M. Riddle was a handsome man. So, that gave Draco very little hope.
Another thought came to Draco, what about his parents-in-law? Who were they? The prospect of having a father-in-law like Lucius was not appealing. One was bad enough as far as Draco was concerned. According to Lucius, the Dark Lord's granddaughter had "some questionable attributes." What the Hell was that supposed to mean?
Draco returned to the dungeons of Hogwarts. He went to go see Professor Snape with hopes that Snape was still interested in the meeting. Draco knew that he would be. He knocked at the door. "Enter," said Snape. He looked up from his desk when Draco entered.
"I just met with my father, Professor Snape," said Draco.
Severus looked up at him. He was so absorbed in looking for Thalia that he had almost forgotten about Draco's meeting. "Please sit down," said Severus.
"My father has announced that I am to marry someone," said Draco in an impassive voice.
"I see, Mr. Malfoy," said Snape thoughtfully. It did not surprise him at all. He knew that Lucius was holding out for just the right girl to marry Draco off to.
"He arranged me to marry the granddaughter of um…" trailed off Draco. He couldn't even believe what he was saying. Severus' eyes widened in shock and he stood up abruptly, surprising Draco.
"Tell me everything your father said," ordered Severus.
Draco told Severus word for word what Lucius had said. Severus did not interrupt him. He had a bad feeling. Voldemort must have known where Thalia was. Severus knew that Thalia had to be dead because there would have been no other way for Voldemort to marry off Thalia's child. "Professor Snape," said Draco.
Severus did not say a word. It was too late to help Thalia. He promised he would help her anyway he could. He felt like he failed her. Another person he failed. A new resolve came over Severus: he could not fail Thalia's daughter. He had a goddaughter. The news came to Severus as bittersweet. "Go now, Mr. Malfoy," whispered Severus.
Draco stood up and left the room, but only after casting one last look at Severus. The moment the door closed behind Draco, Severus slumped back into his chair. An overwhelming sadness came over him. He pulled something out of his desk. It was a photo of Thalia and him after their engagement was announced. Ironically, if he had married her, she would probably be still alive.
*
Sirius was struggling with his feelings about Thalia. He hadn't heard of her in a while. During his time in prison, all he could think about was getting to Harry and protecting him. Thinking of Thalia would have only driven him into madness. However, she was all he could think of ever since Remus mentioned her.
He found out that his house was left vacant after his arrest. There was little evidence that she was ever there, but she left all the things Sirius gave her during their marriage. All the money in the bank was still there. She left without taking a cent. Thalia vanished into thin air. She did not even try to ask for visitations in Azkaban. Sirius knew that he made it clear that he never wanted to see her again. Thalia did nothing after he was arrested, or so he thought, and her lack of action confirmed what he thought of her.
Sirius remembered how he met her. She was in London, trying to get a job. Thalia had recently left her home with her father. Sirius was instantly attracted to her, despite her initial opposition. Sirius did not take no for an answer. Thalia was intrigued by his persistence. It took him a while to learn that she was a witch, but Thalia seemed timid about using her powers.
After the first night they shared together, Sirius told Thalia that she was officially his. She had laughed at him and tried to leave in the morning. He stopped her and kept her in bed with him. Thalia had said that Sirius didn't know her that well, and that it would be better if they got to know each other better. Sirius agreed to that, and he spent all his free time with her. Sirius smiled at the memory of James telling him that he was getting neglective. Sirius joked back and told James that he had Lily and a baby on the way. Sirius had been sure that he was in love with Thalia. He wasn't sure if he was or not anymore.
The door opened suddenly. Sirius looked up in mild surprise. Only Remus knew the how to get passed the wards in and out of the house. "Good afternoon, Sirius," said Remus pleasantly.
"Hello Remus," said Sirius.
"What were you doing?" asked Remus. He looked more tired than usual.
"Nothing. Just waiting," said Sirius, sensing that Remus was going to say something important. Something that Sirius did not want to hear.
"Well, if it should interest you, Professor Dumbledore summoned me to his office today. Snape was there," said Remus.
"Is it about the Order?" asked Sirius with interest.
"No," answered Remus. He sat down and faced Sirius directly. "It's about Thalia."
Sirius' shoulders stiffened as he looked away from Remus. "I don't want to hear it," he said angrily.
"You should. Snape believes that Voldemort murdered Thalia," whispered Remus.
Sirius looked back at Remus who looked straight at him without wavering. "What do you mean?" demanded Sirius.
"Snape got the news from a very good source. He was ordered by Professor Dumbledore to find Thalia. I have some more news," said Remus.
"What?" asked Sirius.
"Thalia left for America because she was pregnant, and she wanted to protect the baby from Voldemort. She wanted to protect your baby," answered Remus with a sigh.
Sirius' jaw dropped open. It was a good thing he was sitting down. "W-what?" stammered Sirius.
"You're a father. It's a girl. We don't have her name yet. She's almost fourteen. About a year younger than Harry," replied Remus.
"And she left like that! With my daughter!" shouted Sirius angrily.
"Sirius, listen to yourself. For God's sake, stop being so blind. Thalia protected your daughter. She's dead," whispered Remus.
The fact that Thalia was dead finally sank in and Sirius felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest. The last time he felt like that was the night that James and Lily were killed. Sirius also had the realization that Thalia was telling him the truth. "Oh my God, Thalia," whispered Sirius.
Remus stood up and placed a comforting hand on Sirius' shoulder. "She wasn't lying about who she was loyal to. Oh my God, I was so stupid. I should have been there. He killed Thalia. How could he kill Thalia?" whispered Sirius as he buried his head into his hands.
"Because he's evil," replied Remus angrily. "Look, Snape hasn't had a chance to find the child. Snape said that Thalia told him before she left for America. He was the last person she saw before she left. She named him one of the baby's godfather, and Snape admitted begrudgingly that I was also named as the baby's godfather."
"How did Snape find out? Tell me," said Sirius in a dangerous tone as he looked up at Remus.
"One of his students whose father is a Death Eater told him. Voldemort arranged that his granddaughter will marry this student," said Remus with some hesitation. It was too much news at once to tell Sirius.
"WHAT?! HOW CAN THAT SNAKE MARRY MY DAUGHTER OFF?!" roared Sirius.
"That's why Snape thinks Thalia is dead. The only way Thalia wouldn't oppose it is if she's not alive to," said Remus.
"We have to find her. I don't care if I have to go to America myself. He could kill her," said Sirius. "And I will not allow Voldemort to marry my daughter off to some future Death Eater."
"Well, it's a good thing that Snape did not reveal the name of the student. Otherwise, you probably would be more anger. Although, it's not hard to figure out. It has to be someone in Slytherin. I'll see if I can find out who it is," said Remus.
"Never mind. It doesn't matter because I won't stand for it. First, I find out my wife's been murdered. Second, I find out that I have a daughter. Third, I find out that I have a potential son-in-law who might become a Death Eater," said Sirius.
"I thought that you were more shocked about Thalia's past," said Remus.
Sirius stood up. He was a fool. He should have believed Thalia. He should have listened to her when she pleaded with him not to go out after Peter. He accused of her working for Voldemort. Because of his decision, he forced Thalia into hiding and raising their child on her own.
The thought of fatherhood was overwhelming. His daughter was almost fourteen. He missed had fourteen years. All the time, he spent making up for not being there for Harry, Sirius had had no idea that he had a daughter of his own. "Voldemort. He's after her. I can't let him take her. She's the only thing I've got left of Thalia," said Sirius softly.
*
Fiona looked around her. It was less than a week and she was moving away from the only place she knew. She felt hollow inside. She packed her backpack with her laptop, a black stuffed dog that her mother gave her when she was younger, and a book that she had received when she was three. Nell had announced that they were leaving for West Coast. They were moving to San Francisco. Fiona was born in Washington, D.C. She spent had most of her life in a town just outside of Norfolk and Falls Church.
Fiona's other things were packed away. Her martial arts uniform and belts were packed along with her archery set. She had no idea how they were going to get it passed airport security, but she did not know about the charms that Nell put on them. Nell was packing most of her stuff and put her car in storage. Nell packed the important papers with her.
"It's time to go," said Nell.
"I don't want to leave Mom," whispered Fiona. She was talking about the grave.
"Honey, you have a piece of your mother with you. You always will. You're a part of her," said Nell softly. She hoped it would work. She did not want to stay in the area any longer than she had to. She knew that they were just sitting ducks.
Fiona gave her a pained look, then a brief nod, and a swallowed. It was not normal for a child to just choke down her feelings, and Nell knew it. They were getting on an airplane. Nell would have preferred to travel by magic, but Fiona knew nothing about magic. As far as Fiona knew, magic only existed in storybooks. Even though Nell did not want to go by plane, she still had to.
The magic that was in Fiona's veins was a concern to Nell. Like England, Americans had their children trained at the age of eleven, and Fiona was already fourteen years old. She was four years behind every other wizard and witch her age, yet she was advance in the Muggle schools. Nell knew that her goddaughter could catch up with the magic, but how was she supposed to explain it to Fiona? Fiona already suspected that there was something abnormal about Nell, Thalia, and herself. Nell had to also wrestle with her conscious: she made a promise to Thalia that she would protect Fiona. However, the promise did not include not telling Fiona about her magical heritage.
How would Fiona take it? How was Nell supposed to tell Fiona that her father was in prison and is currently an escaped convict? How could Nell explain the evil that was in Fiona's bloodlines? Fiona was probably going to be angry. Nell could predict that; Thalia always said that Fiona had Sirius Black's temper. Fiona was living in a world where her mother told her nothing. It was all a grand lie of omission. Nell always felt that Thalia handled the whole thing wrong. As far as she was concerned, Fiona should have been aware of the danger that she was in.
"Aunt Nell, are you okay?" asked Fiona with concern.
She gets that from her mother. "Yeah, I'm fine, honey. I just don't like flying that much," replied Nell. In all the time she was thinking, the plane had taken off.
"I'm not scared of flying. I'm scared of snakes," said Fiona.
Of course, Nell already knew that. It was strange that Fiona was afraid of snakes. Considering, Fiona had inherited the ability to communicate with snakes, Parseltongue. Her mother had the same ability, which she inherited from her father. Nell remembered an incident that occurred when Fiona was only four-years-old.
Fiona was playing around the woods that were close to the first house that Thalia and she had lived in in America. She slipped along a ridge and tumbled down. She was too small to help herself. "Mommy!" she called out. Her mommy told her to stop wandering off by herself, but she couldn't help it.
"MOMMY!" cried Fiona as tears started forming in her ruby colored eyes. She heard a sound in her ear. It was a hissing voice, "We'll help you, child."
"MOMMY!" sobbed Fiona. She realized that the sound was coming from snakes. There were snakes. "MOMMY!"
"There is no need to be afraid, child. We will find your mother," hissed the snake.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" shouted Fiona. She did not notice that she was responding in Parseltongue.
Meanwhile back at the house Thalia and Nell were getting ready to have a tea party. "Well, this should make Fiona happy," said Thalia. She made some pastries and tea for the party. Her daughter kept saying that they should have a tea party. Nell finally got some time off from her rotation at the hospital.
"Where is the little angel?" asked Nell.
"She should be outside. She was bothering me earlier. She kept asking when you were coming," said Thalia.
"She's not out there, Thalia," said Nell with concerned.
"What?" asked Thalia as she set the teapot down and went to the window to find her baby gone.
"Oh Merlin! Where did she go?" said Thalia as she made it to the back door and opened to go look for Fiona.
"Stop, Thalia. It's a snake," said Nell. She was about to draw her wand to get rid of it, but Thalia held up her hand. Nell watched the strangest conversation. Thalia was talking in Parseltongue with the snake.
"The snake said that Fiona slipped and she's been down over there," said Thalia as she pointed to the direction the snake was slithering off to. Nell said nothing, but she was reminded that Thalia was well versed in the dark arts. She followed Thalia until they got to the place where heard Fiona crying. "Mommy!" she called out.
Thalia went down to her. She picked up the crying child who hugged her for dear life. "Fiona, are you all right?" asked Thalia.
"Snakes. They were here. Mommy, I don't like snakes," whispered Fiona. She looked terrified.
"Baby, the snakes weren't going to hurt you," said Thalia calmly. She thanked the snake who had told her where her daughter was. She also told the snake to thank the others.
Nell handed a black stuff dog to Thalia to give to Fiona. "Here's Scruffy," said Thalia as she handed the precious toy to her daughter. Fiona grabbed it and held on to it.
It took a while to calm Fiona down. After that, Fiona had a fear of snakes.
Nell sighed. What was she going to do? Fiona was in danger. She decided that Fiona would get the training she required, but Nell couldn't put her in the schools. Nell decided that it would be best to home school Fiona in magic or find a teacher who would be willing to take her on.
Fiona would not be accepted because of her linage in the school. Perhaps, she would be able to attend Hogwarts, Nell had heard nothing but good things about the headmaster. However, it was too dangerous in England for Fiona. There was also a chance that Fiona would not be safe in Hogwarts. Not from the outside, but the inside. Nell was afraid that Fiona would be judged even before she could prove that she was good or bad. Nell thought of the way Sirius Black reacted towards Thalia after finding out about her past. Nell was not about to put Fiona through it.
Sirius Black had escaped from the wizarding prison in England, Azkaban. Even Thalia could not explain it. He was a wanted criminal, and Nell did not want to even think of what he could do to Fiona. Nell felt like she was protecting Fiona from the two men that should be Fiona's family.
*
Professor Dumbledore was faced with the problem of locating Thalia's daughter. His fears were that Voldemort would come after her. The child held power that was unknown to Dumbledore, and he was sure that Voldemort did not know either. He looked up when the door opened - and Professor Lupin walked in with a large black dog.
As soon as the door closed, Sirius Black appeared where the dog had been. He was wearing some new clothes that Remus had insisted upon and his hair was clean. He looked tired and sad at the same time. What could Dumbledore say to the man who had lost so much and could not stand to lose more? "I am sorry, Sirius," he said softly.
"What happened to Thalia is no one's fault, but mine. I need to find my daughter," said Sirius. He took a big risk coming to the school, but he had no choice. His wife had taken a bigger one.
"We do not have anymore information, but I've instructed Severus to look into the Muggles to see. You see Thalia was very careful to hide in plain sight in the Muggle worldm just in case. She knew Voldemort better than anyone. She would have been a great asset," said Dumbledore.
"We should find a way to get to America," said Remus. "I can't take any time off from my students because you know that they'd be suspicious. Severus can't do it either. He has to go back to Voldemort at a moment's notice."
"I'll find my own way," said Sirius. He was not going to give up so easily.
"It would be easier to send someone over there. Someone with some magical skill to assist you, Sirius," said Dumbledore thoughtfully.
"I don't want to endanger anyone else," said Sirius.
"You are still wanted around the world," said Dumbledore.
"I'll take the risk," insisted Sirius.
"The guardian that Thalia selected for the child is most likely well trained and ready to defend her at all cost. We must be careful," said Dumbledore.
The door opened again. Severus strode in, looking like he had something important to say. He was carrying a bit of parchment. "I have news. It's from the Muggles like you said it would be, Professor Dumbledore," he said, ignoring Sirius and Remus all together as if they weren't even there.
"Read it, Severus," said Dumbledore.
"'Woman Found Dead. A victim was found dead in her home yesterday afternoon. There is no evidence of any bodily injury other than bruising in her lower and upper extremities. The statement from the autopsy said that it appeared that the attacker threw the victim around. There is no medical evidence as to how the victim died. Any witnesses to this murder or with any information leading to the arrest of a suspect are urged to call the police. The victim is survived in one daughter.' That was all I could find. This newspaper is from Virginia close to the American capital," said Severus.
He was much more subdued than usual. Usually he would be close to hexing Sirius, who sat down during the reading of the article. Sirius could not believe it. "He used the killing curse," whispered Sirius as he rubbed his temple. He blinked back tears.
"Should I go and look for the child, Professor Dumbledore?" asked Severus in a brisk, businesslike manner that hid his concern for his goddaughter.
"We were just discussing that. I think we should allow Sirius to go look for her. We should bring her back to Hogwarts. The Order will protect her," said Dumbledore.
"Who are you sending with Sirius, Professor Dumbledore?" asked Remus.
"A student," said Professor Dumbledore. "The only person who can probably defeat Voldemort."
"No, I can't do that. I will not put in anyone else into danger just to help me," said Sirius immediately. He did not want his godson in danger.
"Perhaps, we should ask Mr. Potter," said Severus. He was all for not having Harry around.
"No, don't even think of asking him. He's too much like his father. He'll want to help me," growled Sirius. "This is my problem. I will handle it."
"I agree with him, Professor Dumbledore. Perhaps, we can contact someone in America to help us," suggested Remus calmly.
"Harry knows almost nothing about your past, Sirius. At least tell him about your life before Azkaban," said Dumbledore.
Sirius could only nod. He knew all about Harry's life, but Harry knew nothing about Sirius'.
*
Draco did not like the idea of getting married. He was sick and tired of accepting things for what they were. He was bored of the same routine everyday. It was starting to get harder and harder to come up with insults for Potter, Weasley, and Granger. Draco still hated them, but they were far too predictable.
Just when he thought that his life was getting boring, he found out that he was about to be married off to Voldemort's heir. The girl would fit right in Slytherin. She was the Slytherin girl. She had a direct blood link the founder of the house. Draco did not like the idea of a girl being better than him like that. It was one thing for her to have excellent bloodlines, but for her to have a better pedigree than him was worse.
There was also the mention of "questionable attributes." Where was this girl? It sounded like even Voldemort did not know. Voldemort had a child, but this was the first time Draco ever heard of it. He noticed that Professor Snape did not seem that surprised at the news of Voldemor having a child, but the news of a granddaughter came as a surprise.
Did Professor Snape know something more than he was letting on? Even to the Dark Lord and the rest of the Death Eaters? Draco was never completely sure, but Snape was always hard to read. Draco prided himself in his ability to read people and manipulate them. He always suspected that Snape was a spy for Dumbledore. Oddly enough that was the reason why Draco trusted him. Snape wasn't blindly following the Dark Lord.
Despite all the things that Draco thought Dumbledore did wrong, at least he allowed freedom of will and thought. The main thing that Draco did not like about the way that Dumbledore ran things was the fact that they did not have adequate classes in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He thought that Snape should teach it because he had the experience. Draco even thought that teaching the Dark Arts would have been better than defense. God knew that he needed a good hex to use against his father.
His father made it sound like it was the match of the century. Draco was not happy with the match at all. The only way out that Draco knew was to run away. It was his life to live and his father did not have the right to tell him how to do it.
Draco was not only bored with the rut that his life was in, he was also tired of living a lie. It was all some kind of joke. It was all meaningless. The only other way, other than running way, was to kill himself.
I could kill myself. Yes, that would be an easy way out. That would also be stupid. I haven't lived a day in my life. Damn Father. Damn the Dark Lord. Damn his granddaughter. Damn this whole thing. I can't breathe. I'm dead if I stay and wait to get married. Or I could live a little and then get killed. I don't like my options. I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't. I can't use my magic on the outside. I'd get caught on that stupid law for underage wizards, but if I wait I'll be married right after graduation. Knowing, Father, he'd probably marry me off on the day I graduate. And where would I go? With the damn Muggles? I don't think I can do that. Bumping elbows with those filthy things? Hell no.
He sat up in bed. He couldn't sleep with all the thoughts that were spinning in his head. He had to make a decision about his life. Was he going to take the chance and live it? Or was he going to just wait and have fate be decided for him? Draco realized that the only other person who was stuck in the same place as him was probably the Dark Lord's granddaughter. If she wasn't just a doll or a vassal for more heirs, then she would be trapped like he was.
Draco had two paths in front of him. Either one posed a certain amount of danger for him. He could run away and risk the wrath of his father, the rest of the Death Eaters, and the Dark Lord. Or he could take his chances out in the Muggle world. They could not possible harm him, except for the fact that he could get sick from disgust. He was more concerned about trying to live like a Muggle. He had no idea how to do that. The only Muggles he saw were at the station at Platform 9 ¾ and a few more here and there. Draco also wanted to give his father a harder time to look for him. He knew that his father would not think of looking for him in the Muggle World.
He decided that he had to get out of the castle first. Draco climbed out of bed and opened the dark green curtains surrounding it. He noticed that all his roommates were all sound asleep. He did not need to use a spell to keep them asleep. He needed to find clothes in his trunk that looked nearly Muggle. He choose a shirt and a pair of slacks. He took his cloak, thinking that he could just take it off later. Draco was cursing at the fact that he should have paid attention to what the damn Muggles were wearing.
He managed to get close the entrance of the Slytherin common room when someone stopped him. "Where do you think you are going, Mr. Malfoy?" asked Professor Snape.
AN: Fiona has the ability to talk to snakes. I thought it would be an interesting twist for her to be afraid of snakes. Okay, I did some behavior modification on Draco. Why shouldn't he question things? Most teenagers do, and he's around the right age to do so. Besides, he really does not want to get married. Fiona has a lot of untapped potential. And one has to wonder who was the mother of Thalia? Who would seriously mate with Voldemort? Why did Thalia turn out the way she did?
Anyway, more comments in the LJ. My fanfiction site with riona is up now. It's http://dreamelf.yoll.net. Anyway, this is to hold you people until my test is done. See, I'm nice. Now give me ten reviews. ^_^ You don't have to, but it makes me happy. And I need to feel loved. I am going to be a support member soon, so people can have author alerts. I got tired of doing e-mails to people. ^_~ Thanks to IvyDragon for beta reading.
Disclaimer: Same as always, I don't own Harry Potter.