A/N: I do not own the passage Astoria read. It belongs to Dante's Divine Comedy.

The next morning, Astoria sat in front of Minerva, reading a book. '...Sprung suddenly up on the spot where he had plucked the first,' Astoria finished the first chapter. Minerva nodded, satisfied. 'I've given your sister, Hermione, some cakes. Why don't you go and have some, too?' suggested Minerva. 'But grandmother!' protested Astoria, 'It took me ages to learn all the words! Let me finish the next chapter!' Minerva gave her a kind smile, 'You still haven't had your breakfast. Go.' Astoria glanced at Minerva unwillingly. 'The cakes are delicious. Go try them, Lady Astoria!' Minerva's maid, Pomona, added.

Astoria bowed disappointedly and left.

The floor was littered with smashed ornaments. Astoria stood in the middle of the room, screaming, 'I don't want to go, but you made me! She's not even daddy's biological mother, and she hates you! She'll never like me!' She stomped her feet. 'I'm never going back!' 'She's your grandmother!' Daphne snapped, frustrated with her daughter, 'Even though your father doesn't want you to go, you still have to bid her a good morning!' Seeing that her daughter still refused to believe her, she growled, 'She cares for you! That's why she wanted you to go and have breakfast! But you are now acting rude and unreasonable! I can't educate you anymore. Starting from tomorrow, you'll learn with the Baroness!'

Astoria's jaw dropped as Daphne turned to leave, so she quickly ran across the room and grabbed her mother, sobbing.

'You were pretty sick last week, mother,' Lucius said to Minerva, concerned, 'The doctor told me that it was because of worriedness and sadness. You should let one of the children stay here. It might help improve your illness.' Minerva sighed, 'I'm getting old. I only want some peace. Besides, staying with me bores the kids.' 'Nonsense!' Lucius exclaimed, 'Mother, think about it!' Minerva smiled softly and nodded.

On the other hand, Daphne was trying to calm her daughter down. 'Tory,' She said, exasperated, 'You're nine already. You shouldn't throw tantrums like this. Look at all the plates! A peasant needs to work for years to buy them. Do you want to have that kind of life?' 'No!' Astoria jumped up and hugged her mother tightly, 'I'm so scared! I'm frightened when Grandmother stares at me!'

Daphne patted her daughter's back gently, 'Don't be afraid, Tory. Your grandmother is a kind-hearted person.' Astoria pulled away and gave her a watery smile. 'From now on, if your grandmother said that the weather today is nice, never tell her that it had just rained,' Daphne reminded, 'If she said that the temperate is cold, never reply that it was quite hot. Make her happy, and she'll be pleased with you.'

Astoria looked reluctant. 'Alright, Tory?' her mother questioned. Astoria bit her lip and nodded hesitantly.

Hermione sat along the corridor, her hands on a basket. Her maid, Rose, sat next to her, looking bored. Hermione, however, perked her ears up when she heard her grandmother speak.

'I've been told that you punished Cormac, which is good,' Minerva said to Lucius, 'You ought to be strict when teaching your offsprings.' 'Yes,' Lucius agreed. 'If it weren't for 'Mione, we would all be ridiculed,' Minerva continued, 'Have you been to their room?' 'Um...' Lucius cleared his throat and lied, 'I'm about to go.'

When Lucius exited the room, he was surprised to hear his youngest daughter, 'Daddy!' He turned around and saw Hermione bouncing toward him after giving her maid a basket. He laughed before asking, 'Why are you here?' 'I want to see daddy!' Hermione gave him a brilliant smile. 'I'm off to see the Baroness,' Lucius answered, 'Do you want to come with me?' Hermione rushed forward and hugged him around the middle, 'Come to see my mother, daddy!'

Lucius chuckled and crouched down, 'I have a lot of work to do. Maybe later?' 'Alright,' Hermione grinned. She then grabbed the basket from her maid and handed it to him. Lucius looked inside and smiled, 'Your grandmother gave this to you?' Hermione nodded furiously. Giving back to his daughter, he replied, 'Have them yourself. Tell your mother I'm coming soon.' Hermione nodded again and sprinted up the stairs with her maid behind her.

Lucius stood up and shook his head disbelievingly, 'Look at her! Happy because of something so simple.'

In Jean's room, Hermione stared at the ashes of carbon, horrified. Hannah stood at the side and whispered sadly, 'I don't have enough time to buy the carbon.' 'Have you been to the Lady Minerva's?' Jean asked. 'Daddy said that he'll be here soon,' Hermione ignored her mother's question. 'If your father comes, don't tell him about the carbon problem, okay?' Jean instructed. Hermione mumbled a reply and left the room, leaving a very worried Jean behind her.

Hannah walked toward the gates, her arms around a bucket of carbon. 'Stop! Who are you an' where are you goin'?' the doorman, Seamus asked. 'I am the maid of Jean Granger, surely you recognise me?' Hannah asked. 'Yes, but the feast has just ended. Many items are goin' in an' out of the castle, if somethin' got stolen, the Baron surely 'ill punish us,' he explained. Hannah glared at the head cook of Daphne's and snapped, 'This is only a bucket of coal, which does not cost a lot.' The cook sneered, 'Don't cry that you're poor, Missy. I heard that the Baron is coming to your mistress's room later.'

Hannah ignored her and gave Seamus the puppy eyes. He sighed and beckoned at the open gates. Hannah smiled, 'Thanks, Seamus! If it weren't for you, we won't have enough carbon to use when the Baron comes.' She threw a venomous look at the head cook. Seamus grinned shyly, 'Go an' buy wha' you need, Hannah. I'll wait to open the gates for you.' With one last fleeting smile, Hannah left.

Hannah was not the only person in the castle who was on the streets. On the other side of the castle, Cedric and his new friend hopped on horses and raced each other toward the lake.

'My father once saved a professor from the royal dungeons. He is now my teacher. Why don't you learn with me, Drake?' Cedric suggested. Draco looked out of the window and sighed. They were on a ship, which is slowly surrounding the lake in circles. He never felt so calm before, surrounded by hills and trees. It was almost springtime, so leaves were starting to grow from plants. He was brought back to reality sharply by a crash of plates. He almost forgot that the ship was a floating restaurant, with customers chatting loudly and servants scurrying around.

He turned and answered Cedric, who was staring at him excitedly, 'My ancestors were all warriors. I don't think I have the patience to sit down and listen to lectures.' 'That's fine! We will be a fantastic team, since you are the fighter and I'm the thinker!' Amused by his eagerness, Draco nodded and raised his goblet, 'Cheers!' 'Cheers!' They clinked goblets.

Cedric was about to speak when they heard a commotion. There was a cry of pain, and a man with a black mask burst into view. Customers screamed and ran in different directions. Draco immediately ducked as the man slashed at him. Draco jumped up and avoided the second strike. He crouched down and kicked the man in the chin, causing him to lose his balance, before quickly grabbing the table and swinging it. The man found himself flung into the air and hit the water seconds later.

A second man ran in and stabbed at Cedric. Draco grabbed Cedric by the shoulder and pulled him back as the man's sword hit a chair. Cedric tripped and found himself at swordpoint. Draco pushed him away and kicked the sword out of the man's hand. The man looked surprised. While he was distracted, Draco pushed the man out of the window, smirking as he heard a loud splash.

Just as he was about to pull Cedric up, a third man came flying through the window, sword out. Draco backed up just in time to dodge the sword. He roundhouse-kicked the man, causing him to hit his head on the floor painfully. Grabbing Cedric's hand, Draco ran towards the deck. He stopped abruptly when he saw a man waiting at the end of the corridor. The man threw punches at him, and Draco sidestepped them all. Giving the man a good kick (which sent him onto the desk), Draco once again dashed towards the exit with Cedric behind him. But he was once again stopped by a man with a mace.

Forced to retreat, Draco pushed Cedric out of harm's way and dodged the mace. He pulled out a slingshot from his robes and shot a piece of a broken plate at the man. The man gave out a cry as his left eye was blinded. Draco glanced around to find more enemies leaping out of the water. He turned around to find Cedric gone. Scanning the ship, he saw Cedric following his servant along the side of the ship, avoiding incoming arrows. Draco raced along the corridor and reached the desk, only to hear a terrified yell. He looked up and saw Cedric being pushed off the roof of the ship, a masked man following him.

Draco wanted to jump into the lake and save his friend but was interrupted by a man with knives. Sidestepping the man, he grabbed the nearest object (which happened to be the leg of a table) and struck the man's head. The rest of the assassins gathered around Draco with various weapons in their hands. Draco waved his wooden stick and lept into battle.

Back in the castle, Hermione and Rose were waiting for Lucius. Hermione looked up and saw her father coming to their room. With a cry of 'Daddy!', she rushed toward Lucius, who laughed and picked her up. Hermione was about to shout for her mother, but Lucius slapped a hand over her mouth. Rose stood up and curtseyed unsteadily, 'Baron.' Lucius instantly shushed her and crept inside the room.

He smiled when he saw Jean already dressed up. 'So, you've already told your mother, eh?' Lucius asked Hermione as he put her down on a chair. 'Jean, it's a shame you weren't at the courtyard yesterday,' Lucius sat down, 'Hermione is great at throwing arrows!' 'Sounds thrilling,' Jean managed a grin, 'I regret not going.' Lucius pointed at a box of jewels, 'Narcissa asked me to bring these. She said that she'll come tomorrow to thank you properly.' Rose came forward and handed Lucius a wooden basin, 'Baron, please wash your hands here.' Seeing that her father was occupied, Hermione slipped out of the room with Hannah.

'Hannah, how much carbon did you get?' she asked enthusiastically. 'Not much,' sighed Hannah, 'Only enough for one night.' Hermione's face fell for a second before brightening up again, 'Daddy's here. We can get good carbon from now on.' Hannah nodded cheerfully and led Hermione away.

'Hermione's such a lovely girl,' Lucius told Jean after washing his hands, 'She saved our whole family from embarrassment yesterday.' 'That's only because she was with Lady Minerva these days,' Jean responded, 'I simply hope that she won't disappoint Lady Minerva and Baroness Molly.' 'It's a blessing for whichever child Lady Minerva chooses,' Lucius replied. 'Yes,' Jean agreed.

After a moment of awkward silence, Lucius continued, 'I never knew that you could throw arrows that well.' 'My late father taught me that,' Jean answered.

Just then, Hannah came in with Hermione and Rose. 'Baron, this is your wine,' she said, handing Lucius a goblet. 'We don't have a lot of carbon, so the house is pretty cold. This might help warm daddy up,' Hermione added. Jean shot her a warning look but was unseen by Hermione. 'The room is a bit chilly,' Lucius agreed. 'That's because pregnant women need to stay cool,' Jean explained quickly, 'I'm not cold at all.' 'If so, close the windows. Don't catch a cold,' Lucius reminded.

'If the Baron feels cold, why don't you leave now?' suggested Jean, 'There must be a lot of work to do.' Hermione shook her head vigorously behind Lucius, but Jean ignored her. 'Hermione and I will go and visit the Baroness, thanking Lady Narcissa for her gifts,' Jean added. Lucius put down the goblet and smiled, 'Alright.' He stood up and was leaving when Hermione dropped to her knees. 'Daddy! Mother is lying to you!' she blurted out. 'Hermione!' Jean hissed.

'She lied to me? Hermione, what did she lie about?' Lucius questioned, curious. 'We never had enough carbon! Mother was shivering in cold last night!' Hermione replied. Jean kneeled too. 'Baron, do not listen to her! She's a child! Her words are not believable!' She argued. Hermione stood up and pointed at the dying carbon ashes, 'Hannah went to the kitchens yesterday. They gave her carbon that is not suitable for burning indoors! The whole corridor was filled with smoke! This is the last bit of carbon. After tonight, we don't even know if we can have carbon tomorrow!'

'That's not true!' snapped Jean. Hermione went over to the cupboard and pulled open the lowest drawer, 'Daddy, come and look!' She pointed at a basket, 'This is Grandmother's cakes. We have to save them up for guests! We don't have enough food to feed ourselves!' Lucius frowned, 'You never told me about that, Jean.' 'Mother says that Father is too busy with work, so she did not allow us to speak of this,' Hermione explained. 'Baron, I'm sorry for Hermione's behaviour. Her words are not believable!' Jean hastily answered. 'This there really such thing?' Lucius asked, doubtful. 'No,' Jean denied. 'Say that again with your eyes on me,' he tried again. Jean opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

Lucius sighed and helped Jean up. 'I'm sorry,' he apologised. 'No need to apologise, Baron,' Jean smiled, 'I only hope that you won't have to disturb other people.' 'I'm still the master of this castle!' barked Lucius before leaving in a huff. Hannah and Rose were startled as their master left the room seething. Looking at his expression, Hannah can probably guess why he was so mad. 'Why is the Baron so angry?' Rose asked timidly. Hannah grinned. 'Prepare the buckets, Rose. We can get more carbon very soon,' she responded.

'I wonder how that Riddle kid can convince our Cedric to step outside of the castle,' Molly said to Pansy, who asked, 'Do I have to send Alice to find out more about the kid, Mistress?' Molly was about to answer when Lucius stormed inside the room. Glancing warily at the Baron, Molly nodded at Pansy, signalling that her request was approved. Lucius sat down near the hearth and turned to look at Molly, 'I thought you would start yelling at me. Never knew that you'll pretend as nothing has happened.' When she didn't respond, he added, 'Have you ever seen a Baroness as vicious as you?'

Molly sat up straighter and glared at Lucius, who continued, 'I used to have only one mistress in my castle, but you have to get me another one. Now, you're jealous of her! You won't even give her enough food!' Molly stood up. 'What's wrong with her? She's the one who's jealous of Daphne! Now she's trying to slander me just because her daughter has shown off in front of the guests? This is ridiculous!' she snarled.

'You don't have to scream at me!' Lucius snapped, 'If you have a bit of conscience—' 'Conscience? What do you know about conscience?' Molly cut him off. 'I've been to her room. It was freezing! Can't you even give her some carbon? She's pregnant for Christ's sake!' Lucius roared. 'Um, Baron,' Pansy interrupted, 'I remember that the Baroness was busy organising Lady Narcissa's wedding, she asked Lady Daphne to run the castle...' Her voice trailed off as she raised her eyebrows.

Lucius cleared his throat, cheeks slightly pink. Molly rolled her eyes and scoffed loudly.

'Thank you for telling me about it, you're most helpful,' Daphne smiled as Dean bowed. 'Padma, show him the way out,' she continued, giving Padma a meaningful look. Padma curtseyed and left. Daphne turned back to her daughter and gestured for her to continue reading.

In the corridor, Padma secretly shoved a piece of silver into Dean's hands and returned to her mistress's room. Dean glanced around and went down the stairs.

Back in Molly's room, Lucius and Molly sat in silence. Daphne entered the room and curtseyed, sitting down before Molly could say anything. Molly waited for Lucius to start, but he avoided her gaze. Clearing her throat, she began, 'Your son nearly lost Narcissa's dowry yesterday. You yourself didn't give Jean enough carbon. Very impressive.' 'That is not true, Baroness!' Daphne argued, 'Please don't slander me!' 'Slander you?' Molly laughed coldly, 'If the Baron didn't go to her room today, she and her child will freeze to death one day! Are you trying to kill her, and the unborn child in her stomach?'

Daphne stood up, 'Baroness, I've written down everything that was given away and received in the account book! You may check it if you want!' Padma came to the front, 'Lady Daphne knew that Lady Jean is pregnant, so she told us to give her two more buckets of carbon! Our mistress even bought medicine for her using her own money!' 'So, you've given Jean enough carbon?' Lucius questioned doubtfully. 'Yes, Baron,' Daphne answered tearfully.

'So, you're accusing Lady Jean of slandering you?' Molly glowered. 'No! Lady Jean is considerate and easygoing. There must be some misunderstanding!' Daphne immediately suggested. Hearing her mistress, Padma quickly piped up, 'Baroness, I have a rather stupid idea. 'And you still want to say it, even though you know it's stupid?' Molly shot back. 'Baroness, please! Let me explain for my mistress!' Padma begged. 'Speak!' Lucius barked.

'My mistress did give Lady Jean enough carbon, but she must've not used it! It does not disappear into smoke, so someone must've stolen it!' Padma explained. Lucius's eyes narrowed.

Late at night, a few fishermen rowed their boats toward a large ship. When they reached the ship, they pointed at a boy on their boat and whispered to the men on the ship. The men nodded and handed to fishermen some coins. The boy opened his eyes and sat up straight. 'Drake! Drake! Where are you?' The boy yelled at the lake. 'It's too dark! We can't find anyone except you and that boy, Sir Cedric,' the men replied.

There was another boy on the boat, who was in ragged clothes and looked like a servant. The boy was unconscious, his eyes closed and face deathly pale.

Cedric's eyes widened and he screamed, 'DRAKE! WHERE ARE YOU?' The lake was calm with a few ripples occasionally. A few other fisher boats were rowing around aimlessly, trying to find other victims. Cedric tried to stand up, only to fall because of his weak legs. One of the men caught him and whispered, 'Sir Cedric, let's go back to the castle. Maybe the fishermen will find your friend tomorrow.' Cedric nodded mutely, but a sinking feeling told him that he might never see his friend again.

Back in the castle, maids searched every single room, trying to find the 'stolen' carbon.

Regulus Black was sitting in his room, sipping wine while his new wife, Narcissa, was sewing quietly in the corner of the room. 'Sir,' a servant came in, 'The Grangers are trying to catch a thieve. They're now searching the rooms.' Regulus chuckled, 'Alright, you can leave.' The servant bowed and left.

In the courtyard, the whole family waited as the maids searched the rooms. Lucius paced around anxiously. Molly sat on the chair, staring at Daphne distastefully. Daphne stood a few feet away, looking bored. Jean glanced around nervously. Hannah huffed, 'Why are they searching our room? We are the victims!'

In the maid's room, Parvati was searching Hannah's bed when she found a big bag and some boxes She showed it to Padma, who nodded and took it to the courtyard.

Jean watched in horror as two maids grabbed Hannah and pulled her away. 'Hannah! Hannah!' Hermione cried. 'What are you doing? Let me go!' Hannah tried to yank out of the maids' grip but was forced to kneel. Lucius walked toward her, eyes on the bag and the boxes. Realisation dawned on her as Hannah saw Lucius's gaze. 'They're not mine!' She shouted.

Lucius ignored her cries and his gaze hardened. 'There really is a thieve in my castle,' he said, fury barely contained. 'You filthy thieve!' Padma spat, 'You stole your mistress's carbon, and then it blamed it on Lady Daphne!' 'All thanks to the Baron and Baroness, or else we'll never catch the thieve,' Daphne simpered.

'It's not Hannah! She'll never do such a thing!' Jean argued. There was a 'thump' and a voice spoke, trembling, 'Baron, I...I 'ave opened the gates for Hannah this mornin'.' Lucius turned around to see Seamus kneeling on the floor, 'I saw her carryin' a basket o' carbon...' 'Daddy! I told her to sell the carbon to get some better ones,' Hermione explained, 'Or else the room will be even colder when you come!'

'Hermione, you're deceived by her,' Daphne hastily interrupted, 'She took many items today. You wouldn't know about every single one of them.' Hermione glared at Daphne. 'I've never seen them until now!' Hannah argued. 'She stole items and slandered Lady Daphne. She ought to be punished severely!' Padma snarled. 'She's my maid,' snapped Jean, 'You don't have the right to speak about her punishments.'

She then walked toward Lucius and Molly. 'Hannah is loyal to me,' She said solemnly, 'She has taken good care of me. This must be a mistake! Baroness, you're clever and insightful. Please find out the truth about this incident!' 'Jean, you're always so softhearted. She dared to steal today, she might hurt you tomorrow!' Daphne persuaded. 'I'm always faithful to my mistress! You all have wronged me!' Hannah cried.

'Wronged you?' Padma sneered, 'Gag her! We don't want the Baron and the Baroness to get headaches from her screams.' Tears blurred Jean's eyesight. 'Let's take it to the court if we can't resolve this problem,' she suggested. 'Yes, it's a good idea,' Molly agreed. 'Go to the court? I'm the justiciar!' Lucius growled, 'Do you want everyone in the castle town to know?'

'I think this is quite fishy,' Molly shot a look of loathing at Daphne, 'If we investigate clearly, we might not have a thieve in the castle.' 'The Blacks are still in the castle!' Lucius sighed, 'We can't let investigate without them spreading the news to everyone!' 'Please, Baron! Please investigate again!' Jean begged, 'This has never happened before! It's very suspicious—' 'It's not suspicious!' Lucius cut her off, 'Your things were missing, and they were found in her room. You're the one who wanted to get your things back.'

He paused before snapping, 'We're a joke now all because of you.' Molly glared at him. He quickly added, 'And you, Daphne. You're responsible for running the entire castle!' Daphne curtseyed, 'You're right, Baron.'

Molly sneered, 'A joke? I'm the joke!' 'Be quieter!' Lucius shushed her. Molly ignored him. 'I'm the biggest joke in the whole castle town!' she barked, 'Which mistress is as slut-like as this bitch?' She pointed at Daphne. 'The Grangers are already a joke in the town!' Molly finished.

'Baroness, please calm down,' Daphne bowed her head and shuffled towards Molly, 'I love the Baron! And he only made me his mistress because of my poor origin...' She tugged Molly's sleeves, eyes brimmed with tears. Molly flung her away and stood up. 'Your son nearly lost all of my daughter's dowry!' she spat, 'He was only hit a few times in the back!' 'You shrew!' Lucius fired back, 'Cormac was nearly hitten to death!'

'I—' Molly was too furious to speak. 'This whole fiasco started from her!' Lucius pointed at Hannah. 'It's not me!' she shouted, 'Baron! It really isn't me!' 'Get her out of this courtyard and kill her! I don't care how!' Lucius roared. 'Mistress! It really isn't me! Please, help!' Hannah screamed as she was dragged away by two servants.

Jean fell to her knees and grabbed Lucius. 'Even though she did something wrong—' she started. 'Mistress! It's not me!' Hannah cried. Jean took a deep breath and continued, voice cracking, 'She did something wrong, but Lady Minerva has just healed from her sickness, Lady Narcissa was married yesterday, and I'm still pregnant! Killing her is nothing, but annoying Lady Minerva and Narcissa is something!'

Lucius tried helping her up, but Jean refused. 'Please, Baron!' she begged, 'Don't kill her! Just drive her away from the castle!' Hermione also kneeled, 'Daddy! Don't kill Hannah!' she shouted, 'I'm scared!' 'I've told you that the Blacks are arrogant, but you ignored me,' Molly piped up, 'The Blacks are still in the castle! They will only leave in a week! You're now going to kill someone when my daughter has just gotten married?!'

Lucius opened his mouth to speak, but Molly was on a roll. 'There's no such father like you!' she stood up, seething, 'You're afraid of getting humiliated, but I'm not! Go to the court! Now!' 'Are you out of your mind?' Lucius hissed. 'Baron, go to the court or call the ministers!' A servant shouted. Lucius grabbed the nearest object (which happened to be a goblet) and threw it at the servant. The servant dodged and explained, 'Sir Cedric was hurt!' 'What?!' Molly shrieked. Lucius's jaw dropped.

All the ministers and lords gathered in a room. Most were murmuring in low voices, while Regulus has collapsed into a chair. Lucius hurried into the room. 'Lucius, this is terrible!' A minister grabbed Lucius's hands, 'We—' 'Minister, ' Regulus interrupted, stammering, 'The kid who's gone missing is...is the second son of Marquess Antonin!' A series of collective gasps sounded around the room. 'His real name is Dra...Draco Antonin Malfoy. He didn't want anyone to...to recognise him, so he changed his name to Draco Abraxas Ri...Riddle!' Regulus explained, 'If he's hurt, I'm...I'm dead meat! Please help me f...find him! The Blacks will be grateful forever!'

'What did you say?' a minister asked, not quite believing his ears. 'That kid is going to inherit the Marquess title when he's older!' Lucius said urgently, 'Wha...what should we do?' 'Close the town gates! Close the town gates!' a minister shouted. The lords and ministers ran for the exit. Regulus shouted after them, 'He's about 13 to 14 years old! And he has the signature grey eyes!'

On the streets of the town, soldiers were everywhere, patrolling the city holding torches. Padma led a doctor along the streets, toward the Grangers' castle. The doctor was a bit shocked when he saw just as many soldiers in the castle as there were on the streets. He quickened his footsteps.

Padma led the doctor to her mistress's room. 'Mistress, I've invited a doctor to come over,' she said. Daphne looked up from her sewing. She smiled tiredly and looked at the doctor, 'We have a mistress in the castle who is pregnant. Would you care to take a look at her?' The doctor nodded, 'That's my duty.' 'Maybe you can prescribe some medicine for her? And please tell me what she needs. I'm responsible for running the castle, after all,' Daphne added. 'Of course,' the doctor agreed.

Daphne then turned to Padma, 'Send a few maids to Lady Jean. She might not be able to take care of herself well with her maid gone.' Padma bowed and answered, 'I think Demelza and Eloise are smart enough to do the job.' 'Very well, send them over first thing in the morning,' Daphne nodded, satisfied. Padma curtseyed and stood up. 'I'll show you to Lady Jean, Dr Derwent.' The doctor bowed and left the room with her.

The next morning, Rose went to a small house close to the castle. She watched in silence as Hannah washed a wine-purple robe alone. 'Leave, now,' Hannah warned, 'The people here are rude tough. You won't want to be kidnapped.' 'Mistress told me to give you this,' she handed her a bracelet, 'Mistress is guilty about what happened to you. She wanted you to have a better life.' Hannah hesitated, 'Does Mistress believe in me?' 'Yes, she does!' Rose replied.

Hannah held back tears as she stood up, 'Look, I'm perfectly happy, and I don't need any money. Can you leave now?' 'No, no!' Rose refused to bulge, 'Mistress told me that if I can't give you this bracelet, I can never go back to the castle.' 'She's softhearted, Don't take her threats seriously,' Hannah pushed Rose towards the door, 'Now, leave!' She slammed the door after Rose stumbled onto the streets.

'Tell Mistress that I don't regret serving her!' Hannah shouted through the closed doors. 'But,' Rose started. 'Go!' Hannah broke down, tears streaming down her face. Rose was also crying. 'Take care!' she said before slipping the bracelet through the crack of the door and running back to the castle, sobbing along the way. Hannah looked down to find the bracelet on the ground. She picked it up and wiped away her tears.

Hermione looked at all the carbon and food her daddy gave them and turned to look at her mother. 'Is Hannah coming back?' she asked Jean. Jean shook her head and continued sewing. 'She told me to tell Mistress that she doesn't regret serving you,' Rose said. 'We implicated Hannah,' Jean sighed. Not understanding the word, Hermione nodded and crouched down and grabbed a basket of fruits. She was about to take them to Jean's room when a maid came rushing forward.

'Lady Hermione, leave the work to me!' The maid said, taking the basket out of Hermione's hands. She then ushered Rose and Hermione to the garden, and grinned at Jean, 'Mistress, from now on, let me do all the work. My name is Demelza.' Jean smiled gratefully.

Regulus held his nose as he listened to the forensic. '...was hurt in many places,' the forensic explained, 'He struggled for a while when he went under and was drowned. The body was in the water for a long time, so his face is unrecognisable.' Regulus glanced at the body before pushing his way out. He barely made it to the nearest privy chamber when the ministers heard a sound of retching.

Regulus came back into the room a few minutes later, his face pale and sweaty while his normally neat hair was all over the place. His legs were shaking as he croaked, 'Yes, it's him.' 'We're all dead meat,' Lucius muttered.

On the other side of the town, a man kneeled in front of a black stone coffin. He handed a bag of coins to the buff man next to him. The muscular man bowed stiffly before leaving. The man stood up and announced, 'Tomorrow will be the funeral. A few ministers and lords are coming. Prepare yourselves.'

To be continued...