Chapter 54.

Magnolia felt Draco cringe next to her. Everyone in the room was deathly quiet. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for the Dark Lord to respond to Magnolia's informal introduction. Magnolia berated herself; if she was going to get home to Sirius and Harry, she had to be smarter than that. Lord Voldemort changed his name for a reason.

It was a few moments before he reacted. Magnolia couldn't look away from him in those few moments though, she was having difficulty placing the man in front of her as the same boy who had held her in the Chamber of Secrets. He was older, obviously, his dark hair had disappeared, and his eyes were red as they stared as Magnolia. He looked almost skeletal; with only snake-like slits for his nose, and a thin gaunt appearance.

Magnolia wasn't ready for his reaction, and neither it seemed was anyone else around the table. His thin lips parted into a smile and he chuckled at Magnolia, beckoning her and Draco to sit down. The pair did so without relaxing at all, Magnolia was sure that Draco was thinking the same thing as she was. Magnolia was certain that there were going to be repercussions of her calling the Dark Lord by his given name.

"Today, is a blessed day." Voldemort began, as he moved to stand behind Magnolia's chair, "Fifteen years ago, I heard a story which led me to this young lady here. Many of you wonder, I'm sure, why I had no desire- and still have no desire- to harm this talented young witch."

Magnolia felt Voldemort place his hands on her shoulders and stiffened at the touch. Beside her, she could feel the heat rolling off of Draco as he fought to stay still and quiet.

"You see, Magnolia is an incredibly special witch, who's own destiny has no bearing on that of her mother and father, or even her twin brother. Today, we welcome her. Today, we acknowledge that no matter what she chooses, she will always be free of harm from us."

Magnolia frowned slightly. The Dark Lord was promising her protection from not only him, but all of his Death Eaters, no matter what path she chose or who she chose to follow. It made no sense. Everything she had heard of Voldemort told her that he led by fear, he encouraged loyalty through fear, he didn't promise protections against himself.

"Many of you shall remember that Halloween Day so many years ago, I told you all of my plan for that evening. Many of you in this room knew of Miss Potter, and my desire to keep her safe. All of you by now must understand how I had planned to do just that. Unfortunately, my plan had gone somewhat astray that night, however now we have an opportunity to fix that."

Magnolia's mind raced. She was so confused. Voldemort sounded sincere in what he was saying, but it went against everything she thought she knew of him. A part of her rebuffed that thought; in the Chamber he had told her that he would keep her safe, in her dreams last year he did the same. Maybe he actually did want to keep her safe and well- the question was why.

Magnolia was pulled out of her thoughts as Voldemort trailed back to his seat, sitting down with the authority of a man who knew he commanded the attention of everyone in the room. With a click of his long fingers, the table in front of them was suddenly filled with different types of food. Magnolia glanced back at Voldemort, the question in her mind being spoken by one of his followers before she could even finish it herself.

"Surely, you do not expect us to remove our masks?"

"Indeed, I do, Macnair." Voldemort ordered, "I do not believe we have any reason to hide ourselves from Miss Potter."

Voldemort's eyes flitted to Magnolia's, before he flourished his hand and everyone's masks disappeared. Magnolia instantly recognised a few of the faces as parents of Hogwarts students, and Mr and Mrs Malfoy sat directly opposite her and Draco. It seemed to Magnolia, that Mr Malfoy was Voldemort's right-hand man.

Her blood boiled as she saw who was sat next to Draco's mother. Magnolia could hear her breathing quicken at the sight of the rat who had escaped her clutches at the end of her third year at Hogwarts. A hand quickly rested on hers, softly stroking her skin to soothe her. She glanced at Draco, remembering his words from his bedroom, then snuck a look at Voldemort who was watching her closely.

With a deep breath, Magnolia pushed Wormtail from her mind, along with all the horrible ways she had been thinking about making him suffer for what he had done to her and her family. Her scars itched at the thought. Magnolia took Voldemort's lead when she saw him begin eating and pulled some cheese and crackers onto her own plate. It was all she thought she would be able to stomach right now.

"Miss Potter, Draco tells me you are doing exceptionally well at school."

Magnolia jumped at the chatty tone coming from the Dark Lord and looked at Draco. She hoped it wasn't too obvious to everyone else that she was looking to him for guidance, that she was nervous, she didn't want anyone there thinking that she was anything but strong. Draco's small nod and half smile helped relax Magnolia a little.

"I don't know about exceptionally well; I think Draco is being too nice about that." Magnolia chuckled, "I'm doing well enough."

"I'm sure you're just being modest." Voldemort smiled at Magnolia, "Do you have a favourite class?"

"It changes all the time, depending on what topic we're learning about." Magnolia responded, "I think, right now, I'm probably enjoying Transfiguration the most, it's challenging me, so I feel good when I conquer the spell."

"Ah yes, I quite enjoyed Transfiguration when I was at school also. Being able to turn something mundane into something extraordinary, or the other way around, fascinated me. Minerva McGonagall teaches that subject if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yes, she does. She's an excellent professor."

"Indeed, she is talented."

Around the table, Magnolia could hear other hushed conversations, although she could also feel everyone desperately listening and watching her and Voldemort. It was a strange lunch, Voldemort continued to chat with her, even involving Draco in the conversation, but Magnolia was sure he must have ulterior motives.

"Do you have an idea of what you would like to do after Hogwarts, Miss Potter?"

"I'd like to be a Healer." Magnolia answered immediately, "When we were growing up, I was always bandaging Harry, or helping some sort of injury he'd received from the Muggles we live with. I knew from then that I'd like to do something like that."

"Ah, yes Draco has informed us about the Muggles you live with."

Magnolia's skin crawled at the subtle delight in his tone and noticed that a hush had fallen over the table at his words. She knew that she would have to be careful what she said now and wished she had been more careful with her previous answer.

"He tells us that they are not treating you in the way you deserve to be treated."

"Erm, yeah, yeah they could treat us better." Magnolia stumbled over her reply, "It's been better the past few years though."

"Since you started Hogwarts?"

"Since the end of my third year mainly. After I was scratched, they received a letter informing them of my scars and what happened. They weren't so quick to punish me after that."

Next to Magnolia, Draco ducked his head to hide the smirk she could see growing on his face at the mention of the letter her aunt and uncle had received. The letter had been one of the first real olive branches between Magnolia and Draco, back when they could barely stand each other.

"A letter from Hogwarts?" Magnolia could see Voldemort's eye flitting between her and Draco as he questioned her.

"Not exactly."

"I see. Tell me, Draco, why you felt the need to write such a letter to Magnolia's muggle guardians?"

His tone was biting; Magnolia couldn't be sure whether it was towards Draco or her aunt and uncle. She could see his eyes narrow as he focused on Draco, and she felt like her breath was caught in her throat.

"They were monsters to her, my Lord. I was just making sure they knew not to mess with her anymore."

Magnolia could see in Draco's eyes that he was thinking back on the times they had returned to Hogwarts after the Summer breaks. He had always seen how skinny she looked, how tired she had been, he had heard some of the stories she had told the girls. Magnolia saw Voldemort's lips turn up slightly for the smallest moment.

Voldemort's smile sent a jolt through Magnolia, although she couldn't tell if it was a good or bad feeling. The lunch had been strange; she was nervous of course, but a part of her felt comfortable. More than that, a part of her felt like she was where she belonged.

"My Lord, perhaps now is the time for something sweeter. I made sure the House Elves prepared something especially for Miss Potter." Mrs Malfoy interrupted Magnolia's thoughts.

"A wonderful idea, Narcissa." Voldemort nodded, and with a wave of his hand the food in front of them disappeared, replaced with all of Magnolia's favourite desserts, "We shall eat our desserts, and then Miss Potter and I will take a walk around the grounds."

Magnolia froze, her hand mid air after reaching for some Banoffee Pie. She couldn't have heard that properly. Beside her, Draco had turned grey, his entire body rigid. Magnolia glanced at him, trying to catch his attention and pull it away from the Dark Lord. Draco was staring at him, mouth agape and eyes burning with fury.

"Lia will need to be getting home, she has been here for a while already." Draco spoke through gritted teeth as Magnolia placed her hand on his thigh.

"I'm sure a small amount of more time won't do any harm."

Magnolia could tell that Draco was trying to drag out the rest of the lunch from then on. He was pulling Magnolia into conversations with his parents, especially his mother who seemed more then happy to discuss anything and everything with Magnolia. She couldn't force herself to dislike Mrs Malfoy at all, and easily forgot where she was and what she was doing when talking to the Malfoy matriarch.

The time flew by for Magnolia, which was both a blessing and a curse. Much sooner then Magnolia was ready for, the desserts disappeared, and Lord Voldemort rose from his chair at the head of the table and gestured for Magnolia to follow his lead. Draco grasped Magnolia's hand as she stood, kissing the back of her hand, and fixing her with a stern look.

Magnolia sent him a small smile back, knowing everything that he was trying to convey with the glance. He was reminding her to stay calm, to keep herself protected from Tom's mental intrusion and to come back to him safely.

As Magnolia followed Lord Voldemort out of the room and along the hall, she tried to control her emotions, but her heart was thundering. As they stepped out of the Manor and into the grounds, Magnolia heard Tom take a deep breath.

"I've always enjoyed the outdoors." He began, "After being shut in the Orphanage in the city for such a long time when I was young, I craved fresh air. I imagine that you can understand that."

Magnolia cringed at the knowing look Tom sent her way; a part of her was elated that he could understand how she felt, another part was terrified at the same thought. It would be just another thing that she and her parent's murderer had in common- not something that was ideal for Magnolia.

"You have questions for me."

It wasn't a question, Magnolia noticed. She wasn't sure if he knew because he was reading her mind, or if she was just that obvious. She knew which she wanted it to be. She also knew that he was right, she did have questions, a lot of them, and right now Tom seemed receptive enough that he might answer them.

As they walked through the gardens, Magnolia sifted through her mind to decide which of her many, many questions she most wanted answered. She glanced at Tom, he was staring straightforward as they walked, patiently waiting for her to speak.

"Why haven't you hurt me?"

"You're special."

"But why?"

"You are meant for great things, Miss Potter, and therefore you are to be protected."

Magnolia could tell that she wasn't going to get anymore answers to that particular question by the resolute tone of Tom's voice. So, instead she chose to move on to a different thought that had been plaguing her thoughts.

"Why haven't you asked me about Harry?" She asked timidly, gazing at the peacock that strut past the pair.

"I'm interested in you, not your brother." Tom replied easily, "I may not have had my own family, but I can understand the difficulties you must have from your brother forcing his own beliefs on you."

"How much has Draco told you exactly?"

A ghost of a smile graced Tom's face, "That, Miss Potter, was my own assumption. It cannot be easy to be a Slytherin with your brother; I only imagine that is why Draco had such an intricate plan to get you here today."

"It can be difficult sometimes." Magnolia admitted, "Sometimes it feels like people don't want me to be my own person. I can see it in their eyes when I say or do something that Harry wouldn't. I like that we aren't in the same House at school, having my own friends helps."

"Indeed. The Slytherin House is incredibly loyal to their own, I remember."

"They are, I'm lucky to have my friends in Slytherin." Magnolia chuckled, "Has Draco told you about the time in First Year when our entire House was organising a man hunt to find me when a Mountain Troll was in the Castle?"

Magnolia couldn't believe how well the conversation flowed from there, her guard slowly lowered around Tom as they walked through the Gardens, especially when she spotted Kaida running towards her. Magnolia cuddled Kaida in her arms, revelling in the feeling of her soft fur once again. Eventually though, Magnolia and Tom made their way back to the Manor, where Draco was pacing the hallway.

"Miss Potter, this has been a most enjoyable afternoon. I do hope the rest of your term goes well."

The Dark Lord disappeared then, into a room Magnolia had yet to see the inside of. She turned to Draco, who was watching her intently. She could feel his eyes wandering her body, searching for any sign that her walk with Tom had been anything but pleasant. Magnolia reached out to grasp Draco's hand, bringing his searching gaze back to her own eyes.

"I'm fine." She told him, "We just walked around, your gardens are beautiful."

Draco pulled Magnolia closer to him, pressing his lips to her forehead, "I was worried. I'm sorry I couldn't keep you away from him enough."

"Draco, you wouldn't have been able to. We both know that when he makes up his mind about something, there is no way to dissuade him."

"You should be getting home." Draco mumbled, holding her closer.

"I know." Magnolia muttered back, her fingers clenching into Draco's shirt.

The pair stood holding each other close for minutes more in silence, both just breathing in the other. Magnolia couldn't believe how calm she felt in that moment, stood with Draco in his home after having walked around the gardens with Lord Voldemort. She knew that the moment she left his side she would feel the crushing guilt overcome her.

She was right. As she scooped a handful of Floo Powder out of the ornate bowl atop the fireplace, she could already feel her body beginning to shake. Magnolia sent a small smile to Draco before she threw the powder into the fire and started her journey home.

Magnolia stumbled out of the fireplace into the Drawing Room of Grimmauld Place. As she glanced around at the room a sense of relief washed over her body. All she wanted now was to let Sirius know she was home and hide in her room for as long as she could. She couldn't face the guests in the house after her day. Slowly, Magnolia wandered out of the Drawing Room, trying to guess where her Godfather could be. She started to walk up the stairs, but heard her name being called from behind her by Mrs Weasley.

"There you are, dear. You're needed in the kitchen."

"Erm, actually Mrs Weasley, I was just looking for Sirius."

"Well, that's good then, because he's in the kitchen waiting for you."

Mrs Weasley's tone left no room for argument or further discussion, so Magnolia nodded and turned towards the kitchen wondering what was so important. She froze when she walked through the door and saw Harry, Sirius and Professor Snape sat around the kitchen table glaring at each other. Sirius was the first one to realise she had joined them and jumped up from his chair to envelope her in a hug.

Magnolia wriggled out of his hold, looking away from the worried frown that swept over his face, and looked at the other two who were still sat at table. She couldn't let herself sink into her Godfather's hug yet, she didn't know how she would react. Her stomach was still turning from the events of the day. So instead, she focussed on her Head of House who was watching her with a knowing gaze.

"What's going on?" Magnolia asked.

"Apparently," Harry grunted, "Dumbledore wants Snape to teach us Occlumency. It's a way to-"

"I know what Occlumency is, Harry." Magnolia interrupted, turning her attention to her Professor, "Why?"

"Because the Headmaster thinks it's a good idea." Snape drawled, leaving Magnolia knowing there was more to the story, "Monday evenings, six o'clock."

Snape moved to leave the kitchen then, stopping only when Sirius stepped in front of him with a determined look on his face.

"If I hear you're using these Occlumency lessons to give Harry a hard time, you'll have me to answer to."

"How touching. But surely you noticed that Potter is very like his father?"

Magnolia cringed; this wasn't going to go well.

Sirius stood proudly, "Yes, I have."

"Well then, you'll know he's so arrogant that criticism simply bounces off of him." Snape sneered.

Magnolia stepped next to her Godfather when she saw him whip his wand out of his pocket and clench his fist around it hard. Snape glanced down, almost looking bored, at the wand.

"I've warned you, Snivellus. I don't care if Dumbledore thinks you've reformed-"

"Oh, but why don't you tell him you believe different?" Snape hissed, "Or are you afraid he might not take very seriously the advice of a man who has been hiding in his mother's house for six months?"

"Tell me, how is Lucius Malfoy these days?" Sirius snapped back, "I bet he's delighted his lapdog's working at Hogwarts, isn't he?"

"Speaking of dogs, did you know that Lucius recognised you last time you risked a little jaunt outside?" Snape mocked, "Maybe that's why Dumbledore is so reluctant to take any of your advice… or fears… on board."

Magnolia and Harry both pounced at the same time when they saw Sirius raise his wand, his face filled with fury. Magnolia grabbed his arm, stepping in between him and Professor Snape before he could do anything he'd regret.

"No!"

"Stop!"

Sirius was trying to push the twins off of him, but they were both standing strong, until the kitchen door opened and the Weasley's bound into the kitchen with Mr Weasley.

"Cured!" Mr Weasley cried, "Completely cured!"

Magnolia's heart pounded in her chest as her eyes swept over the Weasley family, resting for a moment too long on George who she knew could instantly tell something was wrong with her. Mr Weasley's smile dropped as he took in the scene in front of him.

"Merlin's beard. What's going on here?"

Behind Magnolia, Professor Snape swept past her, pausing only to glance at her and her brother and remind them of the date and time of their first lesson. Magnolia briefly watched him walk away before she called his name and followed him out into the hall.

"Professor!" Magnolia called again as she stepped next to him, "I already know Occlumency."

"What!?"

Magnolia span around to see Sirius had followed her out of the kitchen, leaving everyone else behind.

"How do you know Occlumency?"

"A friend taught me, last year… I was worried about Moody- or who we thought was Moody."

"Very well, Miss Potter." Snape brought Magnolia's attention back to him, "We will see how well your friend taught you on Monday."

"Yes, sir."

Magnolia turned back to her Godfather, frowning when she saw the pained look on his face. She stepped towards him, then back again, knowing she couldn't be vulnerable right now. Magnolia glanced down at the floor, taking a deep breath, before moving past Sirius and towards the stairs.

"I, I'm going to go have a shower."

A few hours later, after a scalding shower that left Magnolia's skin burning, she was sat at the foot of her bed in Draco's quidditch top, staring at the photo of her parents in her hands. Her mind was still whirling from the day; Snape and the Occlumency lessons, Sirius's strange behaviour, Malfoy Manor, Tom… Voldemort.

Magnolia felt torn; her parents would be so disappointed in her if she knew what she had done today. Her entire family would be disappointed with her. Magnolia clenched her fists as she thought how relaxed she had been towards the end of her lunch, how she hadn't realised how much time had flown by whilst she had been in her parent's murderer's presence, how her mind had begun to darken so easily towards their old friend and the delight on Voldemort's face when it had.

With an anguished scream, Magnolia launched her parents' photo across the room towards the door where the glass smashed apart. It was only moments later that she heard the tell-tale footsteps of someone running towards her room. The tears she had been trying to hold back since she had returned to Grimmauld Place broke through when Sirius ran into her room.

He took one look at her, and the glass on the floor, before he shut the door behind him and joined Magnolia on the floor. As he wrapped his arms around Magnolia, she melted into him, sobbing uncontrollably.

"It's ok, Princess." Sirius murmured into her hair, "You're ok, I promise… Just breathe… You're ok… You're going to be ok… No one will hurt you… You're ok…"