Chapter Three
Seventy six. There were seventy six flowers on the canopy of Gemini's bed in Malfoy manor. Seventy six flowers, with two hundred and three leaves attached to those flowers. With eighteen birds and twenty four butterflies.
God she was bored.
Gemini sat up and dug her fingers into the skin under her hair, she wasn't sure how much longer she could cope with being caged up like this. Oh it was a very nice cage, they had acres and acres of grounds to explore, horses to ride and ponds to swim in. Her suite was lovely as well; two bedrooms and bathrooms, one of which was on-suite.
She had more clothes than she would ever need and three bookshelves filled with books. She had colouring books and the best pencils and pens that money could buy.
Gemini had never lived somewhere so beautiful. Lestrange manor could have been beautiful, it was only a little smaller and had more character in her opinion but there had been decades and decades of neglect for that building.
The Malfoys never seemed to let anything wait more than a couple of days. She'd loosened one of the banisters, no reason other than a voice in her head told her it would be a good idea, and the work men had been called the very next day.
Whenever anyone was there, the three Lestrange children were confined to their suites. Corvus and Rodolphus were sharing a four bedroomed suite, much to Rodolphus's annoyance. He had tried to bully Gemini into swapping, he was the heir and therefore more important but she'd just given him a good pinch on the ear until he wondered off muttering about her under his breath.
Gemini didn't care though, she cared about very little any more. She spent her days numb on the inside waiting for the contact her mother had promised her in the final letter to get through to them while they were still at school.
It had been one of the worst moments of her life opening the letter from Bellatrix the night after the Battle of the Ministry.
It's gone wrong, prophecy is gone and our Dark Lord is furious! Your father and uncle didn't manage to escape but I did, going under ground now. I imagine that they will send you to live with either of my sisters… I can't help you there so for god's sake behave yourselves! Look after Rodolphus and Corvus, I will hold you responsible if they mess up! Remember that above all you are a Lestrange so act like one, the world is watching you now. I imagine they will cut off all contact with me and you your father to you but don't worry, I will get in touch with you some how, just wait and try not to do anything stupid.
Lady Bellatrix. L.
Gemini had read those few, brief lines over and over again, until the parchment was starting to tear on the fold lines. There was no hint of love or affection in them but it was all she had.
There had been no word on where her mother was. The whole Ministry was out looking for her and the few others that escaped at the beginning of the summer but there hadn't been a single sighting, although there had been several disappearances and deaths that gave Gemini hope her mother was still out there fighting.
She got up and forced on her walking boots, Narcissa had bought them all new clothes and shoes, saying that their old ones were too worn to be of any use. Gemini resented her for it, for her kindness and caring and always looking in on them, it was more attention than she'd had in years at home and she hated it.
"What do you want?" Gemini snapped at the trembling house elf just outside her door.
"I was… I was just going to asks if Missy needs anythings." the house elf stammered.
"No." Gemini hissed, pushing passed her and sending the scared house elf flying into the wall, "Stop spying on me you pathetic little creature."
Gemini gave him a sharp kick before stomping down the stairs. She ignored everyone around her until she was outside and ran quickly for the forest. She ran until her legs burned and she could hardly breathe, she smacked into the wards containing her and her siblings and fell backwards, breathless on the damp ground.
Gemini tried to think but couldn't, her head was too busy and she let out a blood curdling scream, ripping at the ground with her fingers. She took her boots off and threw them at the barrier, they went though without an issue and were followed by her shredded clothes as she ripped them from her still screaming chest.
There was noise all around her, birds and water nearby and it was deafening for her. She took several deep breath, trying to drown out the world around her and pushed herself to her feet. Her slip was muddy and tattered, hanging loosely off her her slight frame.
She walked slowly towards the house, exhaustion over coming her and went in though the back entrance, her tights ripped to shreds.
"Missy Gemini! What happened!" Petal gasped, trying to wipe away some of the mud.
Gemini pushed her away, "Don't touch me! I fell, you will fix my clothes, I'll leave them outside my door."
"Whats happened to you dress? And boots?" Petal asked, shying way from Gemini's reach, all of the house elves had learned that she tended to lash out at them.
"In the forest somewhere, past the barrier." Gemini hissed, "If you want them back you'll have to send someone with their freedom."
"Hows did they get theres?" Petal asked.
Gemini spun round and glared down at her, "One more question and I'll-"
"And you'll what?" Narcissa asked, walking into the hallway.
Gemini lowered her eyes to the floor and gritted her teeth, "I'm going for a bath."
"I think that would be best." Narcissa said levelly, "Petal, I'd just come down to ask Glass if she could make apple Charlotte for pudding? We have some apples that need using up."
Gemini brushed passed her and walked straight up to her rooms, slamming the door behind her. Everything still felt too loud, too bright, too… everything.
The bathrooms here were a hundred times nicer than the ones at Lestrange manor. They were always spotlessly clean and smelled like expensive perfumes and soaps. Gemini turned the tap and ran herself a scorchingly hot bath.
She loved how hot the water was here, how it prickled her skin and left her feeling breathless and dizzy. Her skin turning from pale white to bright red. There was a loud gong throughout the house, signalling the time to begin getting ready for dinner; she ignored it and continued to relax in her scolding hot bath.
Corvus was sitting reading when the gong went, as he often was. He didn't bother to move from where he was sprawled out on his bed though, he knew that it would be a while before Rodolphus was dressed, he'd insisted that he was dressed before the others, even though the Malfoys had enough house elves to dress everyone at the same time, that wasn't the point; Rodolphus must come first.
Corvus didn't really care though, he enjoyed the few extra minutes of reading or studying; he'd even tried his hand at drawing for a while although that wasn't very successful, and Gemini had been less than kind when Draco had pointed out that Harry also liked to draw.
In truth Corvus had bloomed over the summer. He was loving the clean house, fresh sheets everyday and good food. Never having to worry about who was coming or going or where his parents were. He missed them of course but he knew his father was locked up out of the way of hurting anyone and goodness knows where his mother was but they'd had no contact; and to his confusion it was a huge relief for him
It was awful sitting in the Great Hall, reading about what had happened and having to ignore the whispers around them until the Ministry worker finally arrived to explain to them what was going on and that they would be staying with their aunt Narcissa, with no contact with anyone.
Mostly he missed his friends. One of the good things about home and no one caring what he was up to was that no one noticed he wrote to Thomas Longbottom nearly everyday and had just as many letters back, he missed that contact.
A young house elf called Button popped into his room and bowed deeply.
"Is master Corvus ready to be dresseded?" Button asked, his long nose almost touching the ground.
Corvus nodded, "Yep. Sorry yes."
He liked getting changed for dinner, it had only come about because of a dig from Rodolphus about them leading a more 'structured' life at home. In truth they normally ate either in silence around the battered dinning table or more often than not, on trays in their rooms. Corvus was sure they'd never actually changed for dinner whatever his siblings said.
It didn't take him long to slip into the dress robes and follow Button down to the large dinning room. It was so lovely and bright, a fresh white table runner highlighting the table. Lucius was already at at one end, Narcissa to his right and Draco, looking less than happy. Corvus slid into his chair, leaving space for Rodolphus who despite being the first to be dressed, was always the last to arrive.
Corvus faced the table and tried not to look at his glaring sister. Gemini felt like she couldn't breathe in the dress the stupid house elf had put her in, and lace sleeves were not her thing on the best of days.
Narcissa waited until they had all been served before taking a sip of her wine and looking pointedly to Gemini.
"I heard you went for a walk today, Gemini." Narcissa said carefully.
Gemini glared down into her bowl and slowly chewed a bit of bread, "Yes."
"I'm glad you're enjoying the grounds." Narcissa said.
Draco snorted a laugh, earning him a stern look from his parents. He continued to smirk, focusing on his soup.
"I do have a few concerns though, Petal said you were in a bit of a state when you came back." Lucius added in, "I do hope nothing happened?"
Gemini slammed her spoon down, "Why do you even care?"
"That is quite enough young lady!" Narcissa hissed, she had had more than enough of Gemini sulking around the place all the time, it had been a long a difficult summer. "You will not throw your clothes around the forest and come back having destroyed your clothing again. Stop taking advantage of our kindness or you will be refined to your rooms from now on. And while we are on the topic, we do not hit members of this family, that includes the house elves."
"They're hardly family." Rodolphus sniffed, "Staff, at best."
"And you can stop ordering them around as well." Lucius told him, "You are our guests here, and you could start acting like it. We've given you weeks to settle in, you need to start acting a little less spoiled. Corvus seems to be managing."
Corvus wished the floor could give way underneath him as his siblings turned their glares towards him.
"Well I'm so glad Corvus is settling in soooo well." Gemini hissed, scraping the bottom of her bowl with her spoon.
"It's hard." Corvus said quietly, not daring to meet their eyes.
"So it seems." Rodolphus snarled, "Just not for you."
Draco shifted uncomfortably in his seat, he felt so bad for Corvus right now, "I think you've all struggled to… adjust. It's always going to be difficult moving home."
"We've not moved home!" Gemini huffed, "We've been… kidnapped!"
"We hardly kidnapped you." Draco snorted, "I mean, we were hardly over the moon with you being dumped on us either!"
"Draco!" Narcissa chided, "Now, we are happy to offer you shelter, it's just been an adjustment for us all."
So not only are they keeping you away from your family they are laughing about not wanting you here as well. They're always, all laughing at you! "Well, we don't want to be here!" Gemini yelled, picking up her bowl of soup and smashing it on the table to stop the noise in her head, "I want to go home! With my family! Not you filthy mudblood loving-"
Lucius stood up and glared her down, "I think it would be best if we all went to our rooms to finish our meals separately. We will speak no more of your shameful outburst. Petal would you please move everyone's meals?"
Gemini shoved her chair back and stormed from the room, ignoring everyone around her. Her room was cold when she arrived, having left the window wide open before she left, slamming the door so hard behind her that the walls would of shaken back home.
They didn't here though, nothing ever moved here; like an iron cage.
Her food had already arrived, including a fresh bowl of soup. Gemini wasn't hungry though and threw the tray out of the window, watching the shattering china and gently floating down napkin. She walked into her bedroom to curl up on her bed for a moment when she spotted a folded envelope sitting on the middle of her perfectly folded down bed.
"What the…" Gemini mused, walking over.
Expecting a bitchy note from Rodolphus, probably containing some half thought out plan to play a childish prank on Corvus which Gemini really couldn't be bothered with right now she went to rip it up before seeing the familiar writing.
Gemini tore it open, her heart beating loudly in her chest.
I found a way in. Wait for further instruction and stop throwing your clothes around for goodness sakes you stupid child!
This was it! She reread it again, ignoring the bit about her being stupid. Gemini breathed deeply, she thought about going to tell Rodolphus that it had arrived, not Corvus of course, he didn't need to know anyway but Rodolphus would just ruin it as well, he'd act all smug or let something slip; no it was best to keep this to herself.
Her mother would be back in contact with instructions soon, Gemini was sure, and that was what mattered.