Aurelia marvelled at the buildings, they were not like any sort of structure she had seen before. They were grey and square, some had carvings, pillars and sculptures that were familiar to those at Malfoy Manor and some were so high she couldn't see the top of them from the small windows of the carriage. Lucius Malfoy spoke, and she flinched in her seat.
"Those people are Muggles. Our magic is under strict laws, we must not let their simple minds know of our talents. You are not to mingle amongst them. You are forbidden to speak to anyone"
He dug the bottom end of his cane into Aurelia's foot because she wasn't looking at him when he spoke to her. She squealed, her body jolted, and her eyes lifted to meet his, his eyes were stern and menacing. He cast a spell from the wand he had removed from the cane, and their gothic carriage evaporated from the road they had travelled, and the three occupants then stood on the brick pavement facing a street of shops and empty doorways.
They walked in silence, the girl felt increasingly cold as the sun was not there to warm her. She walked at the other side of her brother Draco, to be away from her father, although her foot felt bruised she walked with enthusiasm at the new sights which greeted her. People wore bright colours. The only people she had seen about her home were clad in dark wizarding robes. These people didn't have cloaks, nor was there a floor length dress in sight. They entered a building through a narrow doorway, inside it was dark and damp, the air was smoky from a large cooking pot at the fire. Here people seemed to notice them, she expected they were staring at her father because of his notorious reputation but the inhabitants didn't stare at her master, they were looking at her. She was ushered on by the abrupt emptiness at her side when the males sauntered though a door into a yard walled by bricks.
Lucius tapped the wall and the bricks moved. Having never performed magic herself, Aurelia was in awe of such a spell. Her family kept her locked away and hidden in the mansion; she was treated differently than her brother. Although he had his fair share of abuse he couldn't ever receive the level of manipulation she had. Aurelia knew no different, but it didn't feel right to her when it would happen, the way Mr. Malfoy would make her feel especially now she was getting to an age where the human body goes through changes. She found it hard to stay present in the moment, her brain was overwhelmed with so much change and new information, and it would only get worse. Aurelia now stood in front of a bustling thin alley lined with crooked buildings, hanging signs protruded from the walls and below them was a sea of pointed hats. An owl screeched in flight above her head, compared to the street she was first faced with, this was obviously a wizarding realm. She stepped forward, the area was alive with people, animals and children, objects whizzed above their heads and sweet smells secreted from cauldrons and café doorways. The girl couldn't open her eyes wide enough to take it all in.
"Aurelia!" her own name permeated her ears as her master took her tiny hand into his own sickly warm grip. She paid no attention to Lucius, she wanted to look at all the marvellous things around her. Draco Malfoy took off into the book store which left her alone with Lucius. The girl noticed the books in the window had images that moved too, like a tiny performance stage giving a preview of what wonders the book would tell. Everywhere people forced their way into this shop and that shop as she was dragged to their own destination, upon route Aurelia saw there were posters pinned on every blank space lining the street, covered with a man who shouted at passers-by, he was chained at the wrist and neck and held a board with strange symbols on, the man gave Aurelia the shivers, his eyes were ravenous, and his hair shook like black string.
The small shop they entered was filled with robes and grey jumpers and dresses, Aurelia was thrust in front of Mr. Malfoy who explained through gritted teeth that she needed her first Hogwarts fitting. The girl suddenly felt shy and embarrassed at being stared down upon by a plump witch who wore purple and gold thick material on every inch of her body. Aurelia held her hands behind her back to be polite, Mr. Malfoys gloated with pride at her behaviour among the public.
"Perhaps your father can leave us to measure you up then, my dear" the woman had mentioned the word father. Aurelia thought about that word and can't remember the last time she called him father. If she had it would have been when she was a lot smaller, the thought made the girl feel a bit nauseous. The witch's eyes fell upon her cheek when Aurelia turned and looked up to her master.
"Very well" he stated "I'll be back to collect her in 30 minutes prompt" he turned on his heels and swished out the shop. Aurelia suddenly felt nervousness hit her square in the stomach. She had spent much of her life alone, but now she was alone and very far away from home in the company of a strange woman, yet she proved to be friendly and took Aurelia through to a podium upon which she was told to stand.
"I will need you to take your shoes off, my dear." she spoke as she watched Aurelia squat and untie her laces, she frowned as she noticed the fresh finger print bruises on this girl's thigh, not to mention her scarred face. "What is your name?" the woman questioned, but of course she knew of this girl. Many people in the wizarding world had wondered when they'd see the daughter of a well-known prisoner come to Hogwarts. Aurelia stood and kicked her shoes off the podium, she kept her head bowed, and thick black curls leaned onto her face.
"Thank you, now then, I will be taking measurements of your body to fit you properly with a Hogwarts uniform." The rather round witch then had a spindly white string form from the end of her wand, and poked her nose about the young girl. The elder lady was intrigued, nobody had heard of or seen this girl since she was born nearly 12 years ago, and what of the life she has lived with such an evil family. The bruise on her leg, the scar on her face, what more could there be. It was at that thought that the witch had another and let curiosity get the better of her.
"That dress is rather big isn't it, I may need you to remove it" She spoke with a sweet and trusted voice, the girls dress did indeed swamp her, her tiny frame was buried in its excessive fabric. Aurelia didn't want to take her clothes off, the small girl started to feel panic bubble in her stomach.
The seamstress spoke again "What is your name dear?"
"Aurelia" her voice was barely more than a whisper "I don't want to take my clothes off" her blue eyes never moved from a spot on the fabric her toes balanced on.
The elder witch felt a twinge in her body and suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable exploiting Aurelia for her own gossip material. "Sweetheart its ok" her voice was soothing but cut short.
Aurelia's hands lifted and slid her straps from her shoulders, she closed her eyes and took a breath into her lungs before pushing her dress down to gather at her ankles whilst she lifted her shirt above her head. Her knees knocked together as she forced herself to believe that she was safe with this strange person, even if removing her garments meant painful memories flew back into her mind. The dress maker went about her work around the girl who could not stand still, Aurelia kept her eyes clamped shut and flinched if the wands' tip brushed against her skin.
The dress maker allowed her wand and quill to do her work for her while she followed the contours of the young girls' body with her greedy eyes, she observed bruises at varying stages of development from her rips to her ankles, a human bite mark had left small silver scars by her collarbone and not to mention the many bones that were without the protection of fat or sufficient nutrition. It was at that moment the lady's conscience took a hold of her decision making. This poor little girl hadn't had the life of luxury one would imagine the likes of the Malfoys would live, well having been born the way Aurelia had, there wasn't much else to expect. She promptly instructed Aurelia to dress.
"That man isn't your father is he Aurelia?" it was more of a statement than a question but before Aurelia could lift her eyes from the floor, Lucius Malfoy swept into the room, with Draco in tow. He grabbed the Aurelia roughly by her right upper arm, a small cry escaped from the girl's very dry mouth. She hadn't had time to tie her shoes, so she tripped over herself and ended up being dragged out into the street where people glanced in their direction. Mr Malfoy pulled Aurelia to her feet and bought his face down level to meet hers.
"What did she tell you?" his menacing mouth breathed, the tickle of his breath planted on her lips.
The girl pushed against his hard chest, but she failed in lengthening the space between them, she was confused by his words and the witch in the shop, and she didn't know how to make her mouth move to speak. She was slightly frightened by all the new things she had experienced that morning. Mr Malfoy's eyes flickered left and right to see that an audience had gathered to watch him, he dropped his hold of the girl and ruffled his shoulders to fix his cloak, called for his son to join him and Aurelia followed.
The rest of the day went by in a haze for Aurelia, this alley of wonders had lost its sparkle. She didn't know what was going on around her, everything she knew, or thought she knew, suddenly didn't seem to fit. She paid no attention to the shops they entered and exited. A vacant mind tinkered with the items within each door they walked through. Lastly, she felt more present when she was thrust forward to a tall bench and placed her hands up to peek over the top. There was an old wizard ahead, he had fluffy grey hair that stuck out of his ageing head like a thick layer of dust. He peered down at Aurelia who shuffled from foot to foot. Draco stepped to be at her side.
"Ah Master Malfoy, your wand serving you well?" the tone of his weathered voice implied a question.
"Sir" Draco nodded. "My sister needs her wand"
Draco Malfoy was only 1 year older than Aurelia, but he was about to enter his third year of school, while she just embarked on her journey of magical education. He was much taller than she was and his blonde hair, perfectly framed his forehead when he looked down to Aurelia. Draco hadn't paid much attention to her since he started at Hogwarts, and now the way the girl moved her hands, like she was constantly washing them, began to irritate the young Mr. Malfoy and he shifted his foot to kick her shoe.
Aurelia peeked her sapphires back over the counter; her nose brushed the smooth wood. The old mans' beady eyes locked onto her scarred face for just a moment before burying his face among his shelves. The girl noticed these shelves were filled with narrow boxes and piled high above her head, and to her side, and the other and even above the door and window. Her head whipped back around when a box clunked onto the counter in front of her and she waited patiently for the man's shaking hands to pries the contents out.
A wand. Aurelia had seen her family brandish these curious objects and she had marvelled at the many elaborate wands that had walked through the manors' doors. She felt lightheaded with excitement for now she would be handling one herself. The first wand that was placed in her hand was light in colour, and rather short.
"My name is Ollivander and my business is wands...Here you are" Mr. Ollivander stated passing the wand into the small hands of the child. "Beachwood, Phoenix tail feather" he stopped to observe "9 inches long... Point it that way". Aurelia pointed the wand towards a mirror at the end of his counter, to her amazement the mirror cracked but didn't shatter. She looked in horror between the wand she fingered and the man in front of her, she was sure she'd be punished now.
"No?" the aged wizard questioned and furrowed his thick brow. He reached behind him and pulled out an even longer box, to Aurelia this box was glowing. She was fidgety with eagerness to see the contents of this one; she wanted to see what else she could do with a wand. She knew she was about to burst with excitement if he didn't hurry up. No one else appeared to be in the room now, accept for her and this wand, its handle now poised at her head. Her fingers laced around the black wood. Circles that intertwined with one another were carved into the handle, like lace that then got smaller towards the tip.
"Ebony, Dragon heart string, 12 and a quarter inches" The wizard breathed his words out, he was both mentally and physically tired after a demanding day. This wand did look huge for her, almost too big, maybe a bit ambitious. But Aurelia savoured it. Aurelia didn't know how to make her face smile, her cheeks just twitched and shivered but she pointed it towards the broken mirror without instruction to do so and the reflective glass twisted and fused back together. Any tarnishes were also gone as well as the scratches. Aurelia's top lip curled into a smirk and her eyes glittered with gloat.
Draco frowned and eyed the girl suspiciously. He then rather rudely threw some coins at Mr Ollivander behind the counter and grabbed Aurelia by the wrist which still held her wand. "We have to get home" he warned. Aurelia was still in awe of her new possession; she observed its beauty in her hand and clasped it tightly as she was pulled through the crowds back in the busied street. This time she noticed its wonder again, she didn't want to leave, she wanted to scream into the community and inform them of her new possession. She desperately looked for another mirror on her way back out the room with the large pot, but her small feet struggled to keep up with the powerful strides of her brother. The girls' hair floated behind her in the cool breeze of the evening air as they entered the streets of London. They reached Mr. Malfoy who stood on a corner of a dark alley. Draco Malfoy quickened as he noticed his father's evil glare, Lucius got angrier as they got nearer, he plucked Aurelia's wrist from his sons' and violently pummelled the boy into the carriage which waited just around the corner in the dark. He held the girls' wrist in his thumb and forefinger, as though it was something nasty, he whipped her wand from her fingers and placed it into his sleeve. Aurelia felt the now freezing wind curl around her uncloaked body. she felt anger in the pit of her stomach, she wanted to hurt her father. She was treated the same as Draco and forced into the carriage, she sat opposite her brother but quickly realised this was a mistake to make, but didn't have time to move before the small carriage was plunged into pitch blackness by the large man and his cane that entered the carriage.
"Draco, you must not bring anything that possesses that amount of magical quality out, into this filthy Muggle world" he watched his son. Aurelia froze in her seat when Lucius placed his cane towards her, he leant it between her legs and it rested against the wall of their carriage. She knew this was his warning. Her hands reached forward and fondled the cold wood between her fingertips. Aurelia could feel his body heat as he took up the seat next to her, it was very squashed with the three of them inside.
"Yes father" Draco finally replied, his icy blue eyes watched Aurelia's fingers, he felt pity for her, he raised his eyes to view her face but her dark locks hid it from sight. He trailed his eyes back down her torso, stopped briefly to her hands that wrapped around the cane, and down onto her legs that were now exposed by sagging socks, her shoes were still untied. She looked so much like a child, he thought. He very quickly felt queasy and wished he could remove himself from the presence of such a sinful man, his own father.
They reached their destination, The Malfoy Manor. Aurelia jumped from the carriage and gasped at its beauty in the dark; it loomed over her, shadowy and mysterious. She ran to her bedroom, wanting to escape any further time alone with her father. She buried her head in her bed after slamming her giant bedroom door, she yearned for her wand and wondered when or if she would see it again.
She heard the familiar click of her door being opened and lifted her head to see who entered. The lights flickered on which made Aurelia blink and adjust her eyes to see who had entered. It was her mother, Narcissa.
"My husband" she swallowed "has just informed me that your trunks will be waiting in the entrance hall tomorrow, ready for your trip to the..."
Aurelia didn't wait for her to finish and interrupted boldly "and my wand?"
"That too" the graceful witch nodded, finally looking to Aurelia. Silence took hold in the two sets of eyes that locked onto one another's gaze "I'm sorry my darling" she finally exhaled and took a step forward with outstretched arms.
Aurelia shook her head slowly and edged herself away from the witch who was her mother, she didn't know why she was apologising but also didn't care for the answer. This woman had ignored Aurelia and the obvious abuse which had happened under her roof and watchful eyes. This woman was supposed to protect her beyond all means. Like she did Draco. Undoubtedly, she was an excellent and devoted mother to him. Mrs. Malfoy took a sharp intake of breath at her daughter's rejection, turned with defeat and left the bedroom, she used her magic to lock the door and took herself to bed.