Chapter 11

"Oh Hermione!" Mrs. Weasley gushed happily. "You look simply wonderful!" She hugged her foster-daughter with great abandon.

"Goodness," Mr. Weasley said, standing enthusiastically. "Everyone's here! I am simply overjoyed to hear that everyone will be staying the rest of the summer!"

Hermione laughed good-naturedly. "Yes, well I've brought Draco along, and Harry should be coming in just a few weeks."

Mr. Weasley stuck out his hand at Draco, surprising Hermione greatly. "Good afternoon, Draco."

"Mr. Weasley," Draco said uneasily, shaking the elder Weasley's hand with great trepidation.

Mr. Weasley cleared his throat. "I believe apologies are in order."

"There's no need for that," Draco replied hastily, holding out his hands. "I owe you an apology."

"Hush child," Mrs. Weasley scolded. "We've let our prejudices get in the way. Our Ronald says you are a good boy, and that you have changed, and I believe him."

"Thank you for interrupting Molly," Mr. Weasley said with a roll of his eyes. "Now, Draco. We've let our prejudices get in the way. Our Ronald says you are a good boy, and that you have changed, and we believe him."

"I just said that," Mrs. Weasley said, her hands on her hip, tapping her spoon against the back of her husband's head. "There is no excuse for plagiarizing, Arthur."

"I wasn't plagiarizing," Mr. Weasley replied. "I was simply taking the words out of your mouth."

Draco grinned, and realized with a great deal of regret, that this was how his family was supposed to be.


That night, as Hermione was sleeping soundly, Draco awoke with an unsettling feeling in the back of his head. He lit a candle and walked over to the desk in the corner of the room.

He lifted the desktop and stared at the relics of a bygone era. He opened the left drawer and pulled out a stack of photos. He stared at the first one, tears welling in his eyes as he stared at the portrait of a young girl in black and white, her pale eyes staring at him solemnly.

Suddenly, she stood.

"Hello Draco," she said.

Draco dropped the picture in fright, the voice disturbing his soul.

"Don't be frightened," the girl said, sitting down again. He picked up the flimsy photo, wanting her pale stare to disappear.

"I'm not," he said, his voice quavering slightly. "Why would I be afraid? Who are you?"

"Guess," she replied mischievously.

"Are you the daughter of Talfryn Malfoy?" he asked, his voice quavering slightly. Her pretty face twisted into a horrendous scowl.

"Talfryn Malfoy was my uncle, the stupid wretch," she replied.

"How do you know my name?" he asked, almost afraid of what she would answer.

She smiled, and a glint appeared in her eyes. "Because I, Draco, am your aunt."

"My aunt?" Draco asked in disbelief. "I don't have an aunt. My father is an only child."

"That's what they want you to think," the girl replied coldly. "And as you should know, having been dead for an hour or two, things to do not always appear as they are."

Draco groaned, and pulled up a chair, knowing that this would be somewhat of a long story.

"I was born four years after your father, the perfect child of an elderly couple," the girl said. "My parents called me Natalya, and I was beloved by all. Including my brother."

"My father?" Draco ventured.

Natalya nodded. "However, problems arose, and I was carted off to live with my uncle, Talfryn. Lucius remained behind to guard the family estate."

"Are you the girl mentioned in the letter from Talfryn to my father?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

Natalya smiled. "Yes, I am."

"Wait, how does-"

"Let me continue," she said. "As I was saying. Things are never as they appear. Look at the letter."

Draco pulled out the letter from the desk, and held it out.

"Pour the wax from your candle over the letter."

He did so, and suddenly, bright red letters glowed in the yellowing parchment.

"Read it aloud," Natalya ordered smugly.

"Dear Natalya," Draco read aloud. "Beloved sister. Things are not going well at Malfoy Mansion. Mudbloods-" At this, Draco turned and looked over his shoulder at the sleeping Hermione.

"Continue," Natalya replied gently, seeing where his worried eyes strayed.

"Mudbloods are stirring up trouble with Our Lord." Draco flinched, but continued."Wife is doing well, but she suspects something. Love, Lucius."

"Love?" Draco asked, his voice shaking.

"Love," Natalya replied scornfully. "Look where it got us. Of course, it wasn't very accepted, us being brother and sister, after all. But Arthur and Morgan le Fey got away with it, why shouldn't have we? But no, Lucius had to get married to Narcissa. Hah. She never even suspected something was going on, right under her pretty nose."

"Are you-?"

"No," Natalya replied harshly. "I am not your mother. I certainly wanted a child like you. Beautiful, strong, magically gifted."

"What happened?"

"I got pregnant," Natalya said with a careless shrug. "The boy wasn't all there. I gave him to a friend who desperately wanted a child. She didn't care that he was the product of inbreeding. She didn't care that he was stupider than a cow."

"What did you name him?" Draco asked, already knowing the answer, but needing some confirmation that he was horribly wrong.

"After his father, of course," Natalya said.

Draco's stomach sank, but he allowed his aunt to continue.

"Well, of course, Narcissa heard, and was of course, furious. She ensured that when you were born three months later, that you were the legitimate heir to all of the Malfoy property and fortune. She made a blood pact with your father, so, my child cannot claim the name or the money. That will remain with you for eternity, even though your father did try to knock you off. Stupid man."

Natalya looked at him, her youth tearing at his heart. "But I have not finished with my story."

"Go on," Draco said tensely.

"Well, despite this, Naricssa knew that I was too dangerous. She knew that I loved my brother more than life itself, and that I would do anything to insure my hold over him. In a way, I don't blame Narcissa," Natalya continued with a sigh. "She loved him too, and for that, I cannot incriminate her. Anyhow, she had her brother-in-law kill me."

Draco nearly fell out of his chair. "Kill you?"

"I'm dead," Natalya said casually. "By Rodolphus Lestrange's hand. He used the Avada Kedavra curse."

"So, you want me to kill my mother for killing you?"

"No," Natalya said, a maniacal glint entering her pale eyes. "I want you to kill Lucius. He could have saved me, but he chose the path of least resistance. His death will only seal his fate."

Draco's gut sank even further when he heard this.

"And I've been trying so desperately to escape this family," he choked out. "This name, this face, it hangs around my neck like an executioner's rope, dragging me down. I cannot escape from the clutches of this damned family. It is trapped in my blood."


Draco climbed into bed after blowing out the candle out and putting the picture away. As he curled up, with Hermione's warmth against his back, he wondered if she was asleep.

After Draco closed his eyes, and his breathing set into a rhythmic pattern, Hermione's eyes flew open, and her hand went to her thundering heart. She had heard everything.


A/N: Yeah, I know. Incest isn't all that well liked, but I had to stay true to the plot, even if some parts are a bit... gross. But life isn't there to make you happy. Please review, tell me if you hated it, I won't change the chapter, but if it makes you feel better to scream at me, by all means, do it.