Chapter 23
Hermione and Draco left Marissa's house, taciturn and moody.
"I can't believe she's been under our noses this entire time!" Draco burst out suddenly. "My own sister, and I had no idea!"
"Draco, let's look for her as soon as we get home," Hermione said suddenly. "I wonder if she's anything like Luc."
"Let's hope not," Draco replied nastily. "Luc was a real git."
"Don't be so rude," she said haughtily. "You were just jealous."
"Was not," Draco answered irritably. With a loud crack, the two vanished into thin air.
Hermione and Draco entered Number 56 Knockturn Alley with trepidation, as if they weren't sure what would pop out from behind a corner.
"Where do you think Dumbledore would hide her?" Hermione asked aloud, as they took off their shoes in the mudroom.
"Where do you think Dumbledore would hide what?" an amused voice came from behind them. They whirled around to find their headmaster watching them, a twinkle in his eye, and the edges of his lips twitching up.
"Nothing professor," Draco stammered suddenly. "Nothing whatsoever."
"My dear Hermione," Dumbledore said suddenly. "Has anyone ever told you that you blush furiously when someone in your vicinity lies abominably?"
"No," Hermione answered, flushing furiously. "Thank you for letting me know."
"Now," Dumbledore said with a smile, turning to Draco. "Would you care to answer my question? You don't have to of course, but I would love to know if you are speaking about me."
"It's not about you professor," Draco said nervously.
"It's about his sister," Hermione said abruptly. Draco cast her a withering look, but she ignored his apparent fury.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "You have been talking with Marissa, eh?" When neither of them answered, he continued. "Well, it's perfectly fine for you to want to know about your siblings, Draco. I believe you met your brother already."
"Yes," Draco said, his eyes darkening as he remembered his brief stint in a foreign jail. "I have."
Dumbledore sighed, as if he had been expecting this for some time, and then motioned for them to follow him.
Hermione gave Draco a worried look, but they followed him up the grand staircase, and into the Southern Wing of the house.
"Watch this," Dumbledore said with a certain degree of satisfaction and glee as he stood before an ancient portrait of an old man dressed in black robes. He addressed the portrait. "Ieuan, you can wake up."
The portrait awoke; it had been snoring lightly.
"What? What?" he said pompously. He looked down on them from over his monocle. "Oh, it's you Dumbledore. I suppose you want an entrance. What about those whippersnappers behind you eh?"
"This is Hermione Granger, and Draco Malfoy," Dumbledore introduced them. "They've come to see Pan with me."
"Malfoy, eh?" the portrait said, looking at Draco with intense interest. "One of my relatives, I assume."
"Very," Draco muttered.
"What branch?" the portrait asked loudly. "And speak up, I'm rather hard of hearing!"
"My grandfather was Asenath Malfoy," Draco replied bitterly.
"Eh," the portrait said disdainfully. "My cousin. I am the great Tarlach Malfoy, and all the decent Malfoys are descended from me."
"My father will beg to differ," Draco replied with a roll of his eyes. "Professor, can we move on? I have no desire to discuss my family lineage, currently."
"Of course," Dumbledore replied graciously. "Do let us in Tarlach, we have much to discuss."
"Indeed," Tarlach replied, giving Draco a frosty look, and then the portrait swung open, revealing a door.
Dumbledore led them into a large apartment; that included a kitchen and dining table, as well as a living room.
"Pandora?" he called. No one answered.
Suddenly, the heard the rustling of silk appeared at the bedroom door. Hermione turned around, and standing in the doorway was possibly the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. She had though that Ninian was angelic, but Pandora was like a goddess.
She was wearing an old-fashioned silk red dress, the plunging neckline making Draco blush.
"Hello," she said nervously. "Who are you?"
"Pandora," Dumbledore said with a fatherly smile. "These two are my good friends, and students at school. I wanted you to meet them." He glanced at Draco, warning him to speak nothing of his relation to her.
She glided over, and held out a hand.
Hermione shook it, and was instantly shocked by something she couldn't place. Pandora's eyes met hers, and something clicked. Hermione realized that she was holding the hand of a fellow protégé of Queen Persephone.
"Hello, Hermione," Pandora said quietly. "Goddess bless."
She turned to Draco, and shook his hand. "Hello, Draco. We meet again."
"What do you mean?" Draco stammered. "I'm sorry, I've never met you before."
She laughed, a magical sound that seemed to bubble up from within her like a fountain. "I met you in the Underworld, brother."
"Brother?" Draco repeated, "I'm not your brother."
She smiled.
"Half-children we are. We cannot identify with the real world, nor
can we be with our families. A hated fate, but one we must carry. Luc
is the only one of us three who is insane, but he is the most normal.
Isn't that ironic?"
"Pandora," Dumbledore said, worry
entering his voice. "How do you know all this? I didn't tell you
any of this."
"The goddess did," Pandora replied calmly. "The goddess and the god know all."
"I can see you've been dressing up again," Dumbledore said, patting her head affectionately. "Go back to sleep, I'm afraid that our guests have exhausted you."
Pandora wordlessly disappeared into her bedroom, the door shutting silently behind her.
"What's wrong with her?" Draco asked.
Dumbledore smiled. "Nothing. She is perfectly sane. Luc, whom you've met, has several mental problems. His parents have several spells that make him better, you can hardly tell."
"She's just so, out of it," Draco said helplessly. "I feel guilty."
"You shouldn't," Dumbledore said gently. "It is not your fault. It is partially mine. I have sheltered her from everything, to protect her from her parent's past, and I suppose, everything that would make her grow up."
"Can she use magic?" Hermione asked.
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "I have taught her everything I know, and several of the teachers help me by tutoring her occasionally. She is a brilliant witch."
"Is she going to go to school with us, one day?" Hermione asked.
"Yes," Dumbledore said, cheering up instantaneously. "She is going to be joining you next year. She'll be sorted with the first years in September."
"I hope she's in Gryffindor," Hermione said. "I need some female friends."
"I wonder if blood will win out," Draco mused aloud. "After all, all Malfoys end up in Slytherin. It's in the genes."
A/N: Enter the sister! Yay for Pandora! Expect her to make another miraculous appearance. Please review!
