Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Harry Potter universe, and this series is a fan work made for shits and giggles (Not profit)

Seven Years: Chapter 1.

May 29th, 1991.


"Mother! Mother!"

Merula Snyde winced as she turned to the excited form of her brother, her ears ringing at his excited voice.

"The letter came! The letter came!"

Narcissa Malfoy beamed as she took the letter, her hands shaking as she tore the paper.

"Lovely," Merula heard as she turned back to her breakfast. "Is there anything for your sister?"

Draco laughed as Merula resisted the urge to throw something at him, "Mother, when do we leave for Vincent's party?"

"This letter contains a shopping list as well. We can shop for your books while we pick up the cake for the party."

Merula glanced up just in time to see the stunned look on Draco's face.

"Mother!" he whined.

"Now, Draco, there is no need to complain. You'll be able to go to the party in the afternoon, but we will finish some shopping at Diagon Alley in the meanwhile."

"But mother, can't that wait? We have a party to go to!"

Narcissa frowned as she set her cup down, "Dobby, we are done here."

Merula glanced down, feeling a ebb of pride at her finished plate before she looked back up at Narcissa.

"Dobby!" Narcissa hissed, her teeth clenched.

"My lady!" the elf cried as he scrambled before Narcissa, his little face turning ashen as he saw the expression on her face.

"Dobby is sorry!"

Merula felt a giggle escape her lips as Dobby slammed his head against the wall, the action causing the wall to shake.

"Dobby!"Draco snapped. "You'll bring the house down!"

Dobby however, continued to slam his head against the wall as Merula rose from her chair.

"Enough!" Narcissa roared. "You will punish yourself only after we have finished. Now clean this mess up."

"Dobby is sorry!"

Merula swallowed as she looked at the ceiling, expecting cracks to appear from the House-Elf's apologizing. Fortunately, there weren't any.

"Could I see that?" Merula asked as she peeked under Narcissa's arm, her eyes squinting at the letter in Narcissa's hands.

"Certainly," Narcissa smiled, running a hand through Merula's hair.

"But mother!" Draco whined as Merula tried to concentrate on the shopping list. "That's my letter, not hers!"

"Now there, Draco," Narcissa rubbed a hand through Merula's hair, "There is nothing to say that Merula isn't going to get her letter later in the summer. If we go shopping together, perhaps we can avoid having two separate trips to Diagon Alley."

Draco looked aghast at the mention of shopping, turning on his heel as he left the dining room, his footsteps storming up the stairs as he escaped to his room.

"Have you chosen a gift for your brother?" Narcissa asked.

"Must I?" Merula felt a shudder of annoyance rise through her chest.

"Merula," Narcissa chided the girl before her. "What is it that we give people on their birthdays?"

"I- I'm sorry mother," Merula managed, shifting her eyes from floorboard to floorboard as she tried to come up with an excuse. "May I get something at Diagon Alley today?"

"Certainly my dear," her mother replied. "And have you prepared a gift for Vincent?"

Merula said nothing as she felt her legs freeze in place.

"Now now Merula, there's no reason to be worried," Narcissa turned to her unfinished cup of tea. "Are there any gifts you think he'll like?"

"I'm not sure he'll like a book," Merula admitted, feeling sheepish. "Perhaps some sweets?"

"I'm sure you'll find something in Diagon Alley today," Narcissa took a sip of her tea. "Why don't you make yourself look presentable? We should leave in a few minutes."

"Yes mother," Merula turned away from the dining room, stepping into the hallway. "Are we going to look at books today?"

Narcissa shook her head, "We'll set up an appointment at Twilfitt and Tattings for Draco and pick up the cake for Vincent, but we may not have enough time to squeeze into Flourish and Blotts."

Merula looked down at her shoes.

"But if you hurry, that may change," Narcissa added.

Merula spun on her heel, bolting up the stairs after her brother.


Merula sighed as she looked at the row of sweets in the brightly coloured candy shop, her eyes craning up to see the price tags attached to the boxes on the taller shelves. Why was everything in the bottom three shelves so expensive?

"Have you found something you want to buy?"

Merula turned to look her mother in the eye before shaking her head, "I- I'm not sure Gregory likes these candies."

"It's Vincent's birthday," Draco rolled his eyes. "Did you forget that already?"

"Oh," Merula turned back to the candy aisle as she felt her face redden. "Perhaps a box of Chocolate Frogs then?"

"Vincent does like collecting those cards, doesn't he?" Narcissa asked.

"Can we go now?" Draco complained.

Narcissa frowned as she turned to Draco, "No, we will not."

Merula stepped back as Draco continued his complaining, wondering when the last time he had any of the candy was.

"That's unfortunate," Narcissa said from behind her.

"Mother?" Merula turned around, Draco's eyes lit with something Merula didn't like. Not at all.

"We don't have enough Galleons," Narcissa explained. "Not for the Frogs and the cake."

"Then let's just get the cake-"

"Draco," Narcissa turned to face Draco. "Gringotts is just down the street. We can retrieve some Galleons there."

"Gringotts?" Merula blurted out. "With the cart?"

Narcissa chuckled as she turned to the largest box of Chocolate Frogs within the shop. "Indeed."

"But mother!" Draco protested. "What about my gift?"

"It is a fine gift," Narcissa replied as she retrieved several Galleons from her purse, waving the shopkeeper off when he tried to hand her back a handful of Knuts.

"But why does she get to spend so many Galleons on Chocolate Frogs?"

"You could buy another box," Merula scoffed.

"Come along, we have to get more Galleons from Gringotts before we can buy the cake," Narcissa called as she hurried out of the store.

"You hold this," Draco sneered as he shoved the box of Chocolate Frogs into Merula's hands.

"Wait!" Merula cried as she chased Draco, her arms aching as she stumbled after Draco.

Draco laughed as he ran into Narcissa, his arms wrapped around her leg as he giggled.

Merula stood behind her brother and mother as Narcissa embraced Draco in a hug, her blonde brother yelling in laughter as Narcissa held her son up.

"Mom-" Merula whispered, the unguarded thought slipping past her lips as she stopped to look at the playful form of Draco running around Narcissa.

If she still had her mother- her real mother, would she hold her hand like that?

But the thought of her mother came with more memories. Painful ones. Likes the sight of her mother dead on the lawn, having been thrown from the second story window.

Merula felt a tear coming, and she wiped at her eyes, as if to smother the tears before they came.

But when it came to her mother, there was nothing to stop the tears. Merula choked back a sob. Maybe it was all a bad dream. Maybe it was really her loving mother playing with Draco in the light of the doorway.

A spring of hope rose from her heart as she looked up. Maybe.

Narcissa's face greeted her, in love with her son.

But not with her.

"Mum, can't we just leave her here?" a distant voice whined.

Merula clenched her teeth as she charged through the door, the box of Chocolate Frogs forgotten. She had to escape- Draco, Narcissa laughing- without her, the haunted look on mother's face when she plunged through the window.

But she couldn't. The darkness came to her, a hand on her collar pinned her in place. Just like the auror who had smothered her in dark robes that night.


Merula winced as Draco cheered into her ear, her annoying brother deafening her even as the goblin cart sped along the tracks, weaving and winding through the dark corridors.

"We're here," the pale goblin interrupted, the cart screeching to a stop as Merula climbed out on shaky legs. "How many Galleons do you intend to withdraw?"

"Two hundred," Narcissa ran a hand through Merula's hair. "No Sickles or Knuts."

"I understand," the goblin, with an oversized nose and a suit cleaner than anything Dobby would ever own, turned to the door. "Would you like to enter?"

Narcissa sighed as she followed the goblin, "I don't see why not. But Merula, no running off. It could be dangerous here."

Merula took one last glance at the darkness beyond what she could see in the torchlight before she stepped into the Malfoy vault, gasping at the uncountable piles of treasure within the vault.

Swords, daggers, and piles upon piles of gold reflected back at her, each reflecting her disheveled hair and unhappy eyes.

Merula tore her gaze away to look upon Draco, though a small giggle escaped her lips as he tripped on a coin, crashing headfirst into a pile of treasure.

"Draco!" Narcissa shrieked as she rushed forward, her hands grasping at her son, now facefirst in a collapsing tower of gold. "Get help!"

"It's quite alright," the goblin called from behind a small mountain of gold. "The defense mechanisms will not react to you or your son."

"Merula!" Narcissa roared as Merula staggered back, her legs frozen in place. "Help me!"

Narcissa bent down to grapple with Draco as Merula watched a tall golden tower in the distance.

A sizzling sound caught Merula's attention as she looked down.

"Mother-" Merula started.

The sizzling sound erupted at the side of the room as Merula glanced up. She was in time to watch half a Chocolate Frog disappear into the mountains of coins, the other half melting into a golden chair.

"Mother-" Merula gasped as the chair split into two separate chairs.

"We're going!" Narcissa snapped at the goblin as she tore Draco from the pile of gold he had been buried within, his hands limp as Narcissa hoisted him over her shoulder.

"Mother!" Merula cried as she saw something grow behind Narcissa. "Behind you!"

Narcissa spun around as the tower of gold behind her, teetering for a moment like one of Draco's creations, came crashing down, smashing the box of oh so expensive Chocolate Frogs into two, considerably worse looking pieces. .

"Borkins!" Narcissa cried, the barely lucid form of Draco slowing her down as she backed away from the fallen tower. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Your husband requested the treasure in your vault to be safeguarded by the Gemino and Flagrante curses," the goblin explained, his tone dismissive as he handed her a large cloth sack. "The treasure will react rather negatively to magic around them."

"Lucius." Narcissa growled as Merula watched the expanding pile of gold bury the box of chocolates she had intended to give to Goyle. She yelped, jerking to attention as a strong hand grabbed her collar. "Bring us thirty Galleons, away from the cursed gold."

The goblin nodded as he sidestepped an expanding pile of gold, turning the bag in his hands upside down in the process, "I do apologize for this… matter, but we thank you for this visit regardless."

Merula grimaced as the hand dragged her to door of the vault, the goblin moving with haste as he emptied most of the sack of coins into a spare pile before he hopped out of the room, slamming the doors shut behind him.

"Mother, what about my gift?" Merula asked as she felt her mother's grip loosen. She looked up, feeling her heart sink as she watched her mother grimace,

"It's lost now, but perhaps we can find something at home to bring to the party."

Merula felt a scowl develop on her face before she turned to the cart, "Can we go back to Diagon Alley?"

Narcissa looked down at Draco and sighed as she gestured for Merula to enter the cart. "We would still need to bring along the cake."

Merula nodded as the cart began to move again, picking up speed as it zipped along the tracks.

"When is father coming home?" Merula asked as the cart fell into silence.

"Your father is a busy man," Narcissa reminded her daughter. "He might be unable to make the party entirely."

Merula looked down at her scuffed shoes, silently grateful that Lucius wasn't able to see her. "Is he at Hogwarts?"

Narcissa shook her head as she wiped a lock of hair away from Draco's forehead. "He's at the Ministry, working on confirming a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor no doubt."

"A new professor?"

"There has been a certain… curse at Hogwarts for some years." Narcissa grimaced before forcing a smile. "Defense of the Dark Arts professors have a tendency to lose their jobs after one year."

"Why is that?"

"A string of… unfortunate events," Narcissa turned away from the cart as they reached the brightly lit main floor of Gringotts. "Come along now, we have to finish buying the cake."


Merula sighed as she entered her room, her eyes darting from wall to wall as she tried to figure out what to bring to the party.

"Merula?" Narcissa called from the first floor. "Are you ready for the party?"

Merula bit her lip as she turned to a signed poster at the edge of her bed, her eyes meeting the eyes of the wizard within the poster as a feeling of joy rose up in her chest. The Canadian chaser, fresh off his World Cup victory, had signed his name to her poster when she met him.

"Merula!"

"Coming!" Merula shouted back, her hands trembling as she tore the one of a kind poster from the wall.

"Did you find something for Vincent?" Narcissa asked as she landed at the bottom of the staircase, "We are going to Floo over to the Crabbe manor."

"I did," Merula admitted, the light inside the Canadian chaser's eyes flashing through her mind as she shifted over to the fireplace.

"Is that the Maple poster?" Draco gawked, his vision sharp despite his face-plant into a pile of gold in Gringotts earlier. "You're giving that to… Crabbe?"

"I wouldn't have to give it to him if you didn't drop those chocolates!" Merula protested.

"You couldn't find anything else to give him?" Draco said. "Don't you have that old broom in your room? Not like you're going to use-"

"I-" Merula staggered back as her mind flashed to the broom her mother had taken her flying for the first time on. Her mother, happy. Just the warm laugh on that beautiful afternoon.

Her mother was happy. Her mother was happy. Her mother was-

Dead. The memory of her mother's lifeless face, sprawled against the black grass rose up like a ghost.

"I'm not giving the Cleansweep up," Merula growled, her hands clenched into fists as she resisted the urge to throw him into the fire. Or to stab him with the poker.

"It's a useless Cleansweep Six," Draco scoffed. "Crabbe isn't going to be able to tell it from his backside."

"It's your fault that I even have to give the poster up!" Merula screamed, storming in her brother's face. "If you didn't drop the chocolates-"

"It-s just a Cleansweep Six!" Draco screamed as he turned to the stairs, finger extended. "Why are you so attached to that thing?"

Merula felt a tightness in her chest as Draco pointed up the stairs, "It's just a Six! It's been outdated for years! Why are you giving him a poster signed by Maple? Are you stupid?"

Merula blinked as she turned her gaze to the poker behind Draco. What would he say then?

"Mum, can we just give Crabbe the old Cleansweep?" Draco pleaded to his mother. "Please?"

Merula couldn't take it anymore, a scream escaping her lips as she charged into Draco.

Or had attempted to, as Merula slammed into the floor behind him, her head shuddering against the wall.

"Draco!" a voice- perhaps Narcissa cried as Merula clawed at the ground. "That's enough!"

Merula blinked as she pushed herself to her knees, the words of the woman distant as she tried to wipe the tears away from her face.

"Draco!" the voice screamed again, somewhere distant as Merula let herself go, crumpling to the floor as the pain in her head overwhelmed her. "Apologize to your sister!"

"But mum!" another voice, distorted through the pain, protested. "It's just an old broom!"

A woosh lifted the room as Merula rolled to her side, the tears gushing even as she tried to put a lid on her emotions and the pain in her head.

"What's going on here?" a different voice, deeper and angier than the ones before, bellowed.

Merula blinked through her pain to look up at the wavering figure of Lucius, his face furious as what must have been Narcissa leaned close, his face turning to disappointment as he turned to Draco.

"We'll deal with this later," the shape of Lucius ordered. "Take Draco to the party, I'll follow up."

Merula tried to stand as Lucius guided her away from the fireplace, but her legs failed to respond. And so he carried her. Not like Narcissa with Draco at the bank, but as the black robed auror did, seven years prior. And, like seven years prior, the darkness came for her again.


A distant whoosh took Merula from the darkness. She sat in the dining hall of Malfoy Manor, a moving shape to her right.

"Dobby!" Lucius roared over his shoulder. "Pumpkin juice! Now! And clean up the floor!"

"Yes master!" a distant voice managed as Merula felt a cup pressed against her lips.

"Drink," Lucius ordered, his voice firm.

Merula felt a hiccup forming as she gazed into the face of Lucius Malfoy, his hands pressing the drink closer to her lips as the first hiccup escaped. "Drink the juice," Lucius repeated. "It will make your hiccups go away."

Merula swallowed as she reached for the bottom of the cup, taking a moment to sip the sweet juice before she raised her head to look at her father. "Tell me about what happened," Lucius reached for a goblet of pumpkin juice himself, taking a sip as he leaned back into his chair.

"Draco- Draco wanted the broom." Merula managed.

"What did he want it for?" Lucius continued as he leaned back into his seat, his eyes staring into hers, his gaze snatching her will to lie away.

"He- he wanted me to give it to Vincent for his birthday. Said it was just an old Cleansweep Six."

"This is your mother's broom, yes?" Lucius asked, his voice more gentle than before.

Merula nodded as she focused back onto the toes of her shoes.

"Take another drink of your pumpkin juice," Lucius said. Merula swallowed before she swirled the cup, a tightness rising through her chest.

Then Merula hiccupped. Feeling her face grow red, Merula downed the bright orange liquid, taking two small sips of the overly sweet liquid.

"I'm rather disappointed today," Lucius turned his gaze to Merula.

Merula sunk into her chair, her eyes looking down at the scuffed leather of her shoes.

"First of all, I'm disappointed in Draco," Lucius explained. "For not understanding what that broom meant to you." Merula looked up at Lucius as he looked her in the eyes. "But I'm also disappointed in you," Lucius continued as Merula felt shame rising in her body. How could six little words do that to her?

"You attacked him as a squib would," Lucius stated. "Instead of using magic, you used your hands." Merula looked down at her scruffy hands in turn, unable to look Lucius in the eye. "I expect better from you next time," Lucius continued. "To solve your problems as a pureblood witch should."

"But- but I haven't-"

"Merula," Lucius interrupted, his voice firm as he reached into the folds of his cloak. "Do you know what I was doing at work today?"

The voice of Narcissa floated into her mind as she squeezed her eyes shut, though the words came slowly.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"Ah," Lucius sounded impressed. "She told you after all." Merula nodded as she looked up at the emotionless face of Lucius. "I received a letter today." Lucius filled her goblet with more pumpkin juice. "It's for you."

Merula gasped at the mention of Draco's school as Lucius pulled a letter from the folds of his cloak, the paper embroidered with the unmistakable sigil of Hogwarts.

"I would like you to read it to me."

Merula nodded as she tore the letter open, her eyes darting to the first line as her fingers began to tremble. "Dear Ms. Snyde," Merula read from the letter, her lips savouring every word. "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Merula whispered the line as she glanced up at Lucius.

"Go on, the letter isn't finished yet," Lucius said.

"Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment," Merula continued, her voice louder as she mentally repeated the first line. "Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July."

"Are you happy?" Lucius asked.

"Very happy." Merula hugged Lucius, her arms around his chest. "Thank you."

Lucius nodded as Merula pulled away. "Once we are ready, we'll head for the party."

Merula pouted at the prospect of seeing her poster in the filthy hands of Vincent Crabbe. "Must we?"

"Yes we do," Lucius stated, his eyes turned to her tear-soaked blouse. "Go change make yourself look acceptable."

"Yes father," Merula muttered as she clasped the letter to her chest, her legs lighter than ever before as she burst into her room.


"It looks like we are late to the party," Lucius observed as he stepped from the fireplace, his eyes darting from one door to the next. "Now, where is it that they're hosting the party?"

"Oh, Lucius, it's good to see you!"

Merula turned to the large, dark haired man who had entered from the door to the left. "Olivier," Lucius greeted the other man. "We do apologize for being late. Merula received her Hogwarts papers just now."

The man smiled, revealing a dozen loose, yellowed teeth. "Congratulations to you then."

Merula swallowed as she looked away from the balding man. "Thank you Mr. Crabbe."

"Please, come in." The man turned around, gesturing Merula and Lucius into the room behind him. "Dinner should be served shortly."

"Come along now, we wouldn't want to be rude." Lucius pushed Merula forward. Merula nodded as she stepped into the main hall of the smaller estate. "You'll be sitting with the others."

"Can't I sit with you?" Merula turned to Lucius.

Lucius grimaced as he shook his head, "No. We have some… adult business that needs to be taken care of."

"I see." Merula looked down at her shoes as she felt a frown break out across her face.

"You'll like the party," Lucius promised as a door opened.

"There you are!" Narcissa exclaimed as she rushed Lucius. "The meeting is about to start!"

"We took some time to get ready," Lucius explained as he closed with Narcissa.

Narcissa nodded as she smiled at Merula, "I know you'll enjoy the party. Don't you remember Pansy from the Christmas party?"

Merula grimaced at the mention of the pug-faced girl, holding her tongue about the Chocolate Frog she had slid under her jumper at the previous party.

"Go along with your brother," Lucius urged Merula as he stepped out of the room. "We're late enough already."

"Yes father," Merula whispered to the empty room.


"Snyde," Pansy sneered as Merula approached the table.

Merula bit her lip as she glared down the pug-faced girl, her eyes darting to the dollop of frosting on Pansy's nose. How was it that she didn't see that?

"It's Snyde!"

"Happy Birthday, Vincent," Merula managed as she sat down, her eyes unwilling to make contact with his eyes or the precious poster scrunched in his pocket.

"Snyde," Draco repeated with a smile on his face. "I like that name."

"I don't," Merula muttered as she turned to her brother. She looked down at her clenched hands and wondered if it would be too squib-like to punch him. "Can't you just call me Merula?"

"No!" Draco laughed. "Why are you even here? You're just a squib."

Merula wondered why she hadn't brought the poker with her as she glanced at the half-eaten dinner on the table before her. Maybe the mashed potatoes were still edible.

Vincent laughed as he grabbed the plate of mashed potatoes and threw it, the sound of shattering china making Merula wince.

"Draco said you haven't even received your letter to Hogwarts yet," Pansy chimed in. "I bet it's because you're secretly a squib."

Merula eyed an empty plate as she shifted in her seat. Yet Lucius's disappointed face rose up in her mind as she turned to Vincent, a fake smile plastered over her face.

"Vincent, how was the gift I got you?" Merula asked as the dumb boy choked down a fork of cake.

Vincent coughed and sputtered cake in turn, a splattering of white showering Pansy as she shrieked.

"Serves you right," Merula sneered to herself as the pug-faced girl fled, screaming.

"Your gift stinks!" Vincent announced.

"Are you really a dunderhead?" Merula spat, the untouched cake she had stolen from Pansy forgotten as she felt her jaw drop. "You think my gift stinks?"

Vincent's jaw dropped, "It's my birthday!"

"How could your gift be better than Draco's gift?" the other buffoon cried. "He gave Vincent a poster signed by Maple himself!"

"Wait," Merula hissed, turning on Draco. "You lied to him about my gift?"

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," Draco replied, his lying face smiling. "I did give him the better gift though. Better than that old book you gave him."

"Yeah!" Vincent added. "What was that book anyways? The bee and the bar?"

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard," Merula corrected the idiot.

"See!" Vincent exclaimed. "You know it! It's your book after all."

Merula clenched her teeth as she turned to her brother and the trumpant look on his face.

Merula looked at the slice of cake on the plate and wondered how good it would look in Draco's face. Would he be laughing then?

"Squib," the little Lucius in her head reminded her.

Her hands grew cold as she looked at the plate again. Why was it that feeding Draco the plate no longer was interesting?

Maybe- maybe it was a good idea to find a quiet place. Alone.

Merula ignored the laughing idiots behind her as she ran from the room.


"And so Death took the second brother," Merula read from the book, placing a finger on the plain, unillustrated page, though she remembered the story by heart. "As for the third brother, Death searched for him for many years but was never able to find him."

Merula smiled as she reached the climax of the story, her fingers tracing each word on the page, "Only when he attained a great age did the youngest brother shed the cloak of invisibility and give it to his son. He then greeted death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, departing this life as equals."

"You know the story by heart," Lucius observed from the room.

Merula flinched as she scrambled to her feet, her heart pounding as she imagined Death gliding down to claim her. "Father!"

"You don't need the book, and yet you still read it." Lucius observed. "Did you enjoy your evening?"

Merula shifted her gaze back to the book as she lied, "Of course."

Naturally, her stomach made its disagreement known.

"Dobby will make something for you when we return," Lucius ordered. "Be up early tomorrow. You have an appointment at Twilfitt and Tattings."

"I understand, father," Merula whispered as she placed the book down, leaving it in the pile of gifts left by the other guests.


"But mother!" Draco whined as Merula slipped into the room behind her father, his voice grating Merula's ears. "We just got here!"

"You'll see each other more once the school year starts," Narcissa replied. "After all, you'll all be going to Hogwarts together."

"Indeed," Lucius agreed as he turned to the fire. "Now come along. Your appointment tomorrow might be after your sister's fitting, but I expect you to leave the manor alongside her."

"Why is she going with Draco?" Pansy asked, the dollop of frosting on her nose having grown since Merula had last seen her.

"Merula will join you at Hogwarts this year," Lucius said. "I received the letter at the Ministry."

Draco made a face of horror as he fell back into his seat. "She- she's coming to Hogwarts with us?"

"She's not a squib?" the other dumb boy stammered, his frosting covered jaw having almost fallen from his face.

Lucius scrunched his face, as if he had smelt a potion gone bad.

"No," Narcissa said, turning to her husband. "She did receive her letter today, yes?"

"She did," Lucius confirmed. "She is to go to Hogwarts, the same as any of you."

One of the boys laughed, spluttering food and pumpkin juice over the floor.

Merula clenched her teeth and looked away.

She would have to spend a year around them?

"Come along now." Narcissa chided Draco as she turned to the fireplace.

She was going to have to spend a year around Draco?

As the flames began to change colour, Merula couldn't decide which was worse.


AN: To my readers, I do apologize. This chapter took a while to edit. The first draft was... terrible.

Crimson Flower Post-Game Series still coming next Tuesday.

Beta Reader: chocolateowl.

Next chapter: Book lover, muggle hater.