Chapter 22
Draco was shaking now. He clenched his hands tightly in his lap.
"No, you don't understand," he whispered. "I've met Natalya."
Marissa closed her eyes, as if in fear of what she was hearing. "I was afraid this would happen, Draco. You should not contact her; she is dead. Avenging her will not solve anyone's problems."
"You're not listening," Draco raged. "My father killed me. This is not avenging anyone; this is personal. I want to kill him!"
Hermione placed her hand on his shoulder, frightened by his outburst. "Draco, calm down!"
He seemed to begin to breath again. "Sorry," he apologized, still furious. "This is ridiculous."
Marissa nodded. "I understand, Draco. But using Natalya's anger to fuel your own fight for freedom just will not work."
"It's not just that I want revenge," Draco said. "I just want to know more about her, why she fell in love with my father, and how she let it get so out of hand."
Marissa cradled her forehead in the crook of her hand, and finally looked up. "I will tell you," she began. "But I warn you, it is not a pretty story. Natalya was delusional about the situation for so long, I'm sure she went to the grave believing she was right."
Marissa began her story.
"The problems began long after Natalya and Lucius had begun their illicit love affair.
"Lucius was ordered to marry by the Malfoy family elders, because he was the one remaining youthful heir to the infamous fortune. Natalya, of course, insisted that the family would let them marry and inherit together. However, though the family has a history of blunders and mistakes, they knew that if the two were allowed to have children, the precious Malfoy genes would be forever destroyed.
"The elders told them no. Lucius had to marry outside the Malfoy Empire. They chose a wife for him. They chose a certain Narcissa Black, of a once prosperous family, who at the time were down on their luck. This move brought the Blacks back to power, and realigned the two families through marriage.
"Natalya was furious, naturally. She insisted that Lucius put aside Narcissa and accept her as his lawfully wed wife. At the time, she was only seventeen, and her wishes were dismissed as the dreams of a child. And in a way, they were only dreams.
"I'm sure Natalya failed to tell you that she attempted to kill Narcissa many times, being foiled each time by their grandmother. As her best friend, I will admit, I was in on many of the plots. We were young and foolish; we only saw Natalya's happiness.
"Of course, gradually Natalya realized that Lucius would not put aside Narcissa. So, she allowed herself to get pregnant. She gave birth to twins on her eighteenth birthday, and three months later you were born. She saw the twins as an assurance of Lucius' love and affection. She was wrong. You were established as the legitimate heir, and as soon as the elders had doubly insured you as the only, and undeniable heir to your father's wealth, she cast the children away, as they were no longer any use.
"When Lucius once again turned her away, she went to my brother, Mihangel. Mihangel was her age, and she took up with him in the hopes that it would get Lucius jealous. Lucius got jealous, and took it out on my brother. When Mihangel died, Natalya killed herself.
"I suppose she loved them both, in her sadistic way. Her children have been raised without any knowledge of her, or their father. It is better that way, for the dead sleep, and their rest is sacred. That is why I cannot tell you the location of your half-sister." She folded her hands in her lap, as if the story had exhausted her.
"But, she said Rodolphus Lestrange killed her," Draco protested.
Marissa rolled her eyes. "She would never admit to killing herself, too messy. Natalya wanted to incriminate everyone for separating her and Lucius, and she would blame whoever happened to be on the tip of her tongue."
"And, she never said anything about twins," Draco continued. "I only found out that I had a half-sister from Andromeda. Why didn't she tell me?"
"The girl is…" Marissa paused. "Muggles would say she is insane, but she is not. She is simply…. different. She has powers that most… would deem unnatural."
"What can she do?" Hermione asked, leaning forward.
Marissa was silent for a moment. "She can commune with the dead, and not through pictures, like most of us do. She sees the future as clearly as I see you now. She can move things, without using magic. She is truly strange."
"Does she ever speak of the underworld?" Hermione asked.
Marissa cast her a strange look. "Yes, she does. She often talks about the King and Queen of the Dead."
"A Necromancer," Hermione said with a grin.
"These powers have separated her from our world," Marissa said quietly. "She lives within her dreams, but luckily, her adoptive father is understanding, and treats her normally."
"Please," Draco entreated. "Tell us where we can find her."
Marissa seemed as if she wanted to say, but could not. "You have already found Luc, do not torture Pandora."
"Pandora," Hermione whispered. "Will she open the box?"
"You know the origins of her name?" Marissa said gently, giving Hermione a kind smile. "Ah, I could never say Natalya was wise, but she gave Pandora a fitting name. She can open the box of underworld, and unleash hell."
"I do not mean to push," Draco said gently. "But she is my sister. I want to meet her. I won't mention anything about my family."
Marissa seemed reluctant. "I'm telling you against my better wishes, but…"
"But what?" Draco pressed.
"Promise you won't tell who told you," she said, "Pandora's father is a good man, but he has done his best to shield her from the world's monstrosities."
"Yes, I promise," Draco said respectfully.
"Pandora lives at Number 56 Knockturn Alley," Marissa replied quietly, as if she was afraid someone was listening.
"Number 56!" Hermione repeated, completely shocked. "That can't be! Draco and I live there."
"Her guardian is Albus Dumbledore," Marissa said with a slight shrug. "When Professor Dumbledore is involved, anything can happen."
A/N: Enter intrigue... Well, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, but my computer refused to upload the documents after the renovation... sorry. I've figured out what's wrong, and production continues!
