Seven Years. Chapter 2.


"Raise your arms please, Miss Malfoy."

"Snyde," Merula hissed, a bitter feeling rising in her throat. Was it so hard to remember her name? "My name is Merula Snyde."

"Ah." The man looked sheepish, though there was an emotion in his eyes that she didn't understand. Sorrow? Longing? Was that look in his eyes… pity?

"Right," the man said, a gentle smile on his lips. "Please raise your arms. We'll be done soon."

"Merula," Narcissa's voice called from the other side of the door. "Behave."

Merula gritted her teeth as she raised her arms, her eyes boring a hole into the dusty floor of the shop.

"Ah, there we are," the man said, his voice cheerful. "All done."

Merula pouted as she turned to the door.

"Miss Malfoy?" the man called. "Your son may come in now!"

The door to the room burst open as Narcissa marched into the room, dragging Draco along with her.

"You couldn't be any quicker?" Draco groaned as he stood before the man. "You're so slow."

"I do apologize, Mr. Tattings." Narcissa gave Merula an unhappy look before she turned to the man in the shop. "Please excuse my daughter for being uncooperative."

Mr. Tattings blinked. "Actually, Miss Malfoy, your daughter was very respectful. It's been many months since I've been able to finish a measurement so quickly."

Merula felt a jolt of pride as she smirked at Draco.

"Now now." Narcissa turned to Merula. "Wait outside, but don't you dare wander off!"

Merula grimaced as she turned to the door of the room, sighing as she stepped into the wider shop as Draco began screaming about chocolate ice cream.


"Hello?"

Merula glanced up from underneath the soft wizarding hat she had picked up, watching the three figures at the doors to the store. The sun cutting through the windows made it impossible to see their faces.

"Look!" a high pitched voice cried. "Mum! Dad! Look! It's a mannequin! And it looks so real!"

"Honey," a man called. "We're just here to ask for directions, nothing more. We need to find Grin- gri- whatever it was."

Gringotts. Merula hid a chuckle as the source of the voice popped out from behind the reservation table.

"Look mom!" the wild-haired girl cried as she ran up to Merula. "Look at how real the mannequins are here, look!"

"I'm not a mannequin," Merula informed the strangely dressed girl. "I'm a witch."

"Gah!" the girl yelped, jumping back. "You- you're not a mannequin?"

"Oh hello-" Mr. Tatting's voice came from the open door of the dressing room. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Sorry, we're just lost," the man called back. "Do you know where grin- grin-"

"I'll be with you in just a moment!" Mr. Tattings called as the dressing room door slammed shut, cutting out Draco's screaming voice in the process.

Merula turned her gaze back at the strangely dressed girl.

"Hi!" the girl said, sticking a hand out. "I'm Hermione Granger."

Merula blinked. Granger certainly wasn't a member of the twenty eight. The girl didn't seem to notice, pushing her hand forward, the smile still on her face.

Merula looked down at the girl's hand as the door behind her opened again.

"Hello there," Mr. Tatting said, a large smile on his face as he looked at the three strangers. "Are you the Flint family by any chance? Because you would be several hours early."

"Ah," the woman said. "We're the Grangers. We're not looking to buy anything."

Mr Tatting blinked as the smile slid off his face. "Well, if you would excuse me, I'd like to finish with my business here."

"We just need to know where Grin-" the man stammered, looking down at a ragged piece of paper. "The bank."

"Out the doors," Mr Tatting said, his tone cold. "End of the second street to the left."

"Ah," the man said as he turned to leave. "Thank you then."

"Mr Tatting?" Narcissa called.

"Ah, my apologies." Mr Tatting had turned his smile back on as he faced Narcissa. "These clothes will take a few weeks to make, but they'll be ready by Miss Snyde's birthday."

Merula pouted as the green hat was pulled off her head. "Who were those people?"

Mr Tatting scowled. "Mudbloods."

Merula felt relief as she looked down at the hand the mudblood girl had almost touched.

"Truly disgusting." Narcissa placed the hat back on the shelf. "Still, come along now. We have our wands to pick up."

"Are you sure you don't need anything else?" Mr Tatting asked. "The hat perhaps?"

Merula glanced at the green hat again. Would it be possible?

"No, we can purchase the accessories once we pick up our order." Narcissa said as she walked to the door.

Merula pouted as she turned away from the comfortable hat.

"Do owl us a message when the uniforms are ready," Narcissa said as she turned to the bustling street outside.

"Mother, can we get ice cream?" Draco asked, a grin on his face as he grabbed his mother's hand.

"We'll need to find each of you a wand before we can break for lunch." Narcissa said, grabbing Merula's hand as she stepped into the crowded street. "Now-"

Merula winced as the bright midday sun blinded her, the bustle of Diagon Alley drowning Narcissa's voice out as she clung onto Narcissa's hand.

"Mother!" Merula yelped as Narcissa's grip tightened on her wrist, killing all feeling in her hand. "Mother!"

Her voice was drowned out, however, as Narcissa tightened her grip even harder as Merula was dragged between a pair of furious witches, their voices like shrieking harpies as Narcissa pulled her to a quiet alleyway.

"Mother?" Merula asked as she pulled free of Narcissa's iron grip, her other hand massaging her sore wrist.

"Draco!" Narcissa's voice shouted. "What were you doing?"

"Mum, I told you I wanted ice cream!" Draco yelled back.

Merula sighed as feeling returned to her hand. "Draco, can you go ten minutes without complaining?"

Draco blew a raspberry.

"Merula!" Narcissa snapped. Her tone made Merula wince. "Enough! You will not fight with your brother!"

"He started it!" Merula protested.

Narcissa gritted her teeth as she turned away. "The crowds here are too heavy. We'll never be able to find wands at this rate."

"Really?" Draco sounded far too hopeful for Merula's liking.

"Yes," Narcissa sighed. "We'll have to come another day then. It's simply not worth it to wait for hours on end today, especially if there's no guarantee that we'll meet Mr. Ollivander today."

"Can we get ice cream?" Draco asked.

Narcissa sighed. "We still need to pick up the books you'll need for school."

Draco's face fell as Merula grinned.

"That being said," Narcissa continued. The smile on her face made Merula's heart sink. "We will Floo over to the bookshop after we buy ice cream."

"But mother, why?" Merula asked. "Can't we just buy the books and go home?"

"Don't you want ice cream?" Narcissa asked. "Mr. Tattings said very good things about you."

"Mother, I still want ice cream." Draco chimed in from behind Narcissa, a wide, toothy grin on his face.

Narcissa smiled as she rubbed his head.

Merula bit back a sigh. "Fine. Let's go then."

"The ice cream shop isn't far from here," Narcissa's voice droned on as Merula tuned her out. "We can get ice cream before we buy the books."

Merula sighed and crossed her arms as Draco cheered. Through the corner of her eye, she watched him turn from Narcissa to run, only for Narcissa to grab him by the collar.

"Come on now." Narcissa's distant voice sounded angry. "Haven't you caused enough trouble today?"

"Yeah Draco-" Merula started, freezing in place as Narcissa slowly turned around.

"Not one more word from you," Narcissa ordered as Merula felt her mouth dry up. "Not one."

Draco failed to suppress a giggle as Narcissa dragged Merula forward, her hand tighter on her wrist than ever before.


Merula sighed as she finished the chapter, reaching for the silk ribbon she kept as a bookmark.

"Master?"

Merula yelped as she fell back, her hand reaching for her pounding heart as she tried to find the voice in the darkness.

"Dobby is sorry!" the voice squealed somewhere to her right, followed by an unmistakable thud as Dobby brought his head against the wall.

"Enough!" Merula shouted. "Get out of my room!"

"Dobby is sorry!"

"I said-" Merula screamed, louder so the stupid house-elf could hear. "Get out of my room!"

A moment later, the thuds against the wall stopped, leaving Merula alone. A few moments later, the door opened.

"Merula," Lucius's voice called from beyond the open door. "Come down for dinner."

Merula groaned as she glanced at the unfinished pile of books still on the bed. "Yes, father."

"Did you enjoy your trip to Diagon Alley today?" Lucius asked as Merula left her room.

"No," Merula replied, her eyes focusing on her shoes as she tried to step by Lucius. "Draco took a long time to get fitted."

"I see," Lucius replied, his tone even. "And was that all? Was the trip pleasant apart from that?"

"No," Merula muttered. "We saw a family of mudbloods. And Draco ate my ice cream."

"Mudbloods?" Lucius sounded furious, enough so that Merula saw a flash of hate in his eyes when she looked up. "Where did you meet them?"

Merula shrugged as she smelled the dinner being made. "They seemed lost. Tried to get into Twilfitt and Tattings without an appointment."

Lucius scoffed. "Mudbloods have no place in our society. Today you've seen that firsthand."

"I understand-" Merula started, though her complaining stomach cut her short.

"Head down to dinner," Lucius said as Merula felt her blood rushing to her cheeks. "I will be down in a moment."

Merula sighed as she turned to the dinner table, taking a seat opposing Draco.

"Well, Merula," Narcissa said from the head of the oversized table. "What is it that you have learned from those books?"

Merula glanced up at Draco, his face sweaty from his flying practice outside. "Nothing yet. A goblin rebellion, but that's all that was interesting."

"Have you thought of a gift for your brother's birthday?" Narcissa continued as a grin split open Draco's face.

"I want her broom." Draco's voice piped up as Merula reached for a slice of bread.

Merula gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to stab Draco with her fork.

"Draco, that's enough." Narcissa called from the head of the table. "That broom is old. You'll never be able to play Quidditch with it. Merula will buy you a better one when we next visit Diagon Alley."

Despite her hunger, Merula felt a cold, hollow feeling rise in her stomach, the piece of bread forgotten as she sank into her seat.

"I trust today went smoothly?" Lucius asked as he stepped behind Draco's chair, taking a moment to place a hand on Draco's shoulder as he sat next to his son.

"It did." A distant voice, perhaps Narcissa, replied.

Merula distracted herself by watching the hand on Draco's shoulder, a slow hunger rising through her as she realized Lucius was rubbing his son's shoulder.

Not unlike how her mother used to tease her father. Her mother- dead on the grass.

"And the mudblood that Merula encountered was not a hindrance?"

The stunned, lifeless face of her mother disappeared as Merula glanced up. Narcissa gave her a dark, irritated look.

"It was nothing," Narcissa said. "Three mudbloods walked into Twilfitt and Tattings to look for directions to Gringotts. Mudbloods are such stupid creatures."

"And what are your plans tomorrow?" Lucius asked.

"Draco is enjoying his flying lessons. We can continue those."

"Could I come?" Merula blurted out.

"I'm not sure if that would serve any purpose," Lucius said as he exchanged a glance with Narcissa. "There is little we have left to teach you about the fundamentals of flying."

Merula nodded as she looked down at her empty plate.

"That being said, I want you to come to Diagon Alley with me tomorrow," Lucius continued. "I want your opinion on a broom purchase."

"Why can't I come?" Draco whined.

"Because you have yet to master handling brooms." Lucius turned to his son, ruffling Draco's hair. "Your sister on the other hand, is more than capable of flying."

Merula felt a slight smirk rise to her face as she looked up at Draco, now fuming in his seat.

"I'm done!" Draco declared as he tore himself from the chair, hopping off before he ran from the hall.

Merula cast her gaze lower as she watched Lucius slowly lower his hand. She knew the look on his face, even without having to look up.

Narcissa sighed as she stood up. "I'll take care of this." She stood up, placing a hand on her husband's shoulder before she followed Draco.

Merula looked down at her plate as Narcissa walked out, finishing her dinner in silence.


"Are you interested in any of these brooms?" Lucius asked Merula as they walked down the most expensive aisle in the store.

Merula grimaced as she looked back at the overly cheerful employee in the store, who hounded her and Lucius like a vulture.

"Draco is interested in brooms that are quick," Merula whispered to her father as he crouched down to observe a particular broom. "Maybe we should ask him for the fastest broom here?"

Lucius frowned as he stood up, gesturing for the employee to leave before he turned to his daughter. "Merula, I'm not here for Draco. A Nimbus 2000 has already been ordered for him. I'm here for you. What is it that you want here?"

Merula glanced at the beautiful, well made brooms that lined the aisle before she turned back to Lucius. "I- I don't really want anything here."

"Is there a reason for this?" Lucius asked, still eye to eye with Merula.

"First years aren't allowed their own broomstick at Hogwarts," Merula lied, her eyes darting to a silvery broom to her left. Maybe Lucius wouldn't ask questions?

"Merula," Lucius continued, his tone drowning her hopes. "Tell me the real reason. Is this about your mother's broom?"

Merula looked down at her shoes, the well polished patent reflecting back the sadness in the two miniature versions of her. "It is. I- I don't want to lose her memory. I don't want to forget her."

"Do you have anything that you remember her for?" Lucius asked.

The look on her mother's lifeless face rose up again as Merula felt her knees weaken, her hands clenching into fists as Lucius placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Think about when you were happy," Lucius said. "Birthdays, celebrations, the Quidditch World Cup you attended with them."

As she listened to his words, a single memory, somehow forgotten, floated up from the darkness, past the memory of her mother's dead body. She had been two, and her mother laughed as tiny, sweet snowflakes landed around them. It had been the first time her mother had shown her magic. The first time that her mother had done something silly, harmless...

Merula blinked as she slipped out of the world of her memories, realizing that tears had fallen from her face as Lucius waved his wand.

"I remember something," Merula whispered. "Mother- she cast a spell that caused snow to fall."

Lucius smiled. "I think I know what you are talking about. But you will need a wand to know how to cast it."

"Is there a place where I can find a wand?" Merula asked, suddenly hopeful.

Lucius frowned. "Ollivanders is rather full this time of the year. Still, I may know a place. We'll need to Floo over, however."

Merula nodded as Lucius turned to leave, her father throwing a Galleon at the disappointed salesman as he marched out of the room.


Merula blinked at the unfamiliar signage of the market as she followed Lucius, his hand firm and steady as he led her through the long, wide streets.

"Here we are," Lucius said as he stopped before a large, pale building. "Gregorovitch Wands."

"It's beautiful," Merula whispered, her eyes looking up at the tall, clean building that towered over her. "Where are we?"

"Paris," Lucius replied. "The ancestral home of the Malfoy family."

"Why can't Diagon Alley be this open?" Merula asked, her eyes searching the long streets.

Lucius chuckled as he pulled open the door.

Merula blinked as she entered the large, clean room, her eyes wandering past the long rows of wands in cases around the room. "Hello there." The woman behind the counter smiled. "Welcome to Gregorovitch Zauberstäbe."

Merula blinked at the woman's heavy accent before she turned to her father.

"Go with her," Lucius urged Merula. "I will wait here."

"What's your name?" the woman asked as Merula stepped into a dim and crowded backroom.

"Merula, Merula Snyde."

"Pleased to meet you," the woman said, her cheerful smile infectious as Merula looked at the room around her. "Please don't touch the wands just yet, many of them are missing their cores."

Merula nodded as the woman reached into an old wooden chest. "Are those wands finished?"

"Indeed," the woman replied. "These are the wands made by Gregorovitch himself."

Merula strained her mind to remember the long name. "I haven't heard of him before."

"You are British, yes?" the woman asked.

"I am," Merula replied, confusion rising through her as she looked at the woman. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm told that is not well known outside his native land." The witch frowned as she pulled a wand out of the chest. "Try this. Cherry with unicorn hair, nine and a quarter inch."

Merula frowned as she took the wand, waving the pale wand around as she studied it. "Am I supposed to feel something?"

The woman frowned as she took the wand from Merula. "Do you not feel anything?"

Merula shook her head. "Was I supposed to?"

The woman turned back to the old box. "Well then, Merula, perhaps you can tell me something about yourself. Maybe what kind of spell you want to cast with your wand."

"There is a spell that casts snow…" Merula trailed off, unwilling to reveal her mother's spell to the stranger.

"Nix Minor?" the woman asked as she waved her hand, a swirl of snowflakes surrounding Merula as the woman looked back into the box. "It's a beautiful charm."

Merula felt her jaw drop as she grasped at the teasing snowflakes, a giggle escaping her lips as she caught one of the slender snowflakes in her hand. "Yes!"

"Aspen, excellent for charmwork, unicorn hair, ten and-"

Merula didn't wait for the woman to finish before she snatched the wand from her hands, her hands shaking as she clutched the wand.

But the wand did nothing, and Merula felt her heart sink as the tiny snowflakes fell to the ground. No spark of inspiration, no snowflakes bursting from the end of the wand.

Merula felt her knees give out as she clung to the wand. Maybe it was tricking her? A test?

A distant voice murmured something as Merula felt a pressure against the point of the wand, and through her tears, she fought the force. A moment later, the force ceased as Merula slid to her side on the cool floor, clinging to the cool stone as the first tears came.

She wasn't sure how long she lay there, or how many tears she had cried when strong hands carried her up. Through teary eyes, she looked upon a distorted, pale face.

"Merula," Lucius said, his echoing voice hiding what must have been anger. "I am very disappointed in you."

The words brought a hollow feeling into Merula's heart as Lucius let her down, the emptiness spreading as a hand tugged the Aspen wand away.

"I'm rather hesitant to do this," the woman said as Merula felt another wand was pressed into her fingers. "Gregorovitch did say that Hawthorn wands are for the conflicted wizard going through a time of turmoil."

Merula looked down at the dark, beautiful wand in her hands.

"It very well may be it," Lucius said. "Her birthday falls within Hawthorn. Just like her brother."

Merula glanced up at Lucius before she looked up at the wandmaker, who had a sadness to her gaze now.

"Go on," Lucius urged her. "Is this the wand you want?"

She hesitated. Would this beautiful wand fail her just like the last wand had?

"Remember." The woman's voice was distant as Merula looked upon the wand. "Nix Minor."

Merula felt her lips moving as she focused her gaze on the wand in her hands. And then a tiny snowflake slipped from the tip of the wand.

A laugh of triumph tumbled from Merula as she clung to the wand, her grin widening as she brought the slender wand to her heart. The cool magic around the tip of the wand spread to her body as she let out a long breath.

"Hawthorn, ten and a quarter inch," a distant voice droned on as Merula felt a strong hand wipe away a lock of her hair. "Dragon heartstring."

"Come along now," Lucius said as he took Merula's hand, his larger hand firm as he led her out of the wand room. "I think that's enough excitement for one day."


Merula sighed as she slid into bed, her stomach happily filled with fish and chips as she found her wand on the nightstand. She could feel a smile on her lips as she traced the gold thread that lined the grey silk of the box. Perhaps she still had enough energy left for one more snowflake.

Merula yawned as she opened the wooden box, her fingers grazing the wand within before she pulled out the dark wand.

"Nix Minor." Merula whispered as she focused on the silver tip of the wand, a slight grin spreading across her face as a single snowflake formed just above the wand tip, hovering and spinning as sleep overtook Merula.

For a brief moment, she could feel joy in her heart, just before sleep claimed her.


AN: A shorter chapter than usual (I tend to aim for 4000-500 words), but I felt like Merula getting her wand was a good place to end off this chapter.

Read, Review, Follow, yada yada.

Next chapter: Children are petty.

As always, thanks to my beta chocolateowl for reading over this chapter.