The next morning, I woke up refreshed after a surprisingly nightmare-free sleep in my own bed. I relished in it, taking my sweet time.
Finally, I got up and started digging through my beaded bag for my toiletries to begin my morning routine. As I did, a very ominous tearing sound came from within.
Immediately, I stilled my arm and started gently padding around with the tips of my fingers, trying to find whichever book or parchment I just ruined.
After a moment, I recognized the feel of leather and rough pages and carefully removed it.
To my surprise, it's the warped journal of Seraphina Thurkell, now torn nearly in two down its spine.
I certainly did not put that in my bag. I would never. Something that old and fragile would have to be transported carefully. Trixie must have done this; she, to my chagrin, had done so much to make me feel comfortable at the Manor. All the while staying frustratingly out of sight, likely to avoid any of my questions.
I carefully set the journal on my dining room table and recalled what my assistant, Jessica, had said the day before.
"There was no record of Seraphina Thurkell in the Ministry Archives. So, I searched for the last name, and that brought up one famous wizard, but he had no traceable spouses or female family members by the name Seraphina; his family line and name appear to have died out with him a few hundred years ago."
It didn't really make sense. Who was this person, and how did their journal end up at Malfoy Manor? I had yet to find an actual Malfoy family tree, but I'd started making one with our combined notes. So far, there was no trace of a Seraphina Malfoy either. Even still, I'd asked Jessica to check the archives for that name next.
Annoyed, I sat down to inspect the damage done to the journal. It's bad.
The pages were rotting off the spine and crumpled up on one side. In fact, on closer inspection, it may have lost some pages.
I returned to my bag and carefully removed every item, eventually finding several missing pages and trashing my bedroom.
I left the mess and took the pages to the kitchen table, officially deciding how to spend the rest of my day.
Mending and deciphering what I could of this nearly destroyed journal was the perfect project to keep a certain blonde off my mind.
Or so I thought.
His locks of pale gold…
…my heart yielded to his charms.
I began with the pages that had fallen free, using my wand to carefully flatten out the crumpled sheets. Then, I attempted to reverse any water damage.
Can love, dear journal, truly blossom so swiftly?
Next, I cast a few delicate repairing and restoration spells. Repairing the paper itself was tedious and nearly impossible without removing or further ruining the messily inked letters.
A twist of fate hath befallen my life.
It didn't take long to realize that repairing any full entry was unlikely, so I settled for the success of complete sentences.
This day, I met J again, but his demeanor was markedly changed. Bold and challenging, he set my soul ablaze with desire.
Sometimes, I had to hold the page up to the light to decipher some words; others, I simply had to rely on the context clues. All in all, it was a painstakingly slow process, but the more I read, the more I could not stop.
His kisses, like a dangerous enchantment, drew me into a tempestuous whirlwind of passion.
Bit by bit, I pieced together Seraphina's love story.
He whispered tender words in my ear…
All the while trying and failing to picture the man she describes as anyone but Draco Malfoy. Even though the personality of "J" reminded me a bit of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde, I still pictured Malfoy's face.
Tonight led me to the imposing Malfoy Manor…
Finally, I was getting somewhere, finally on the verge of figuring out how this journal wound up inside the Manor.
I chanced upon a family portrait that unveiled the truth… 9 15 n04 0n8 6u4 1w0 m8n, 1w0 6r04h8r5….My heart sank with the revelation that I was ensnared in a complex web of deceit.
I struggled for ages trying to make out the severely water-damaged text between these two lines, suspecting tears were the culprits for this page's destruction. It took nearly an hour before I got it, and I gasped as it clicked.
"J" is not one but two men, two brothers.
With my hand clasped to my mouth, I continued with renewed interest, determined to find out what Seraphina did next.
His gaze pierced my very soul as he confessed his knowledge of my clandestine meetings with his brother…
Fear gripped my heart as he pled that we continue our tryst and keep this our secret, vowing to protect our love at any cost.
I am ensnared in a perilous dance with these brothers.
It was nearly dinner time when I pulled myself away from entries that bordered on smut as Seraphina brazenly continued her secret and separate love affairs with the two brothers. It was only too easy to imagine myself in her shoes as she described the various dark corners and alcoves of Malfoy Manor.
One twin wooed her with his compassion, sweetness, love of poetry, and musical talent; he composed and performed beautiful piano music for her weekly before tenderly proving his growing adoration for her.
The other twin was the devil to his brother's angelic ways, luring her in with risqué meetings just under the other's nose, exciting her with danger, and tempting her with impropriety.
After a short break, I dove back into my work and was rewarded by uncovering several legible sentences.
Two men, two affections, and a heart pulled in two directions. How can a woman bear the weight of such emotions? My secret dalliance remains hidden in the shadows of this grand estate, but how long can I continue this delicate balancing act before the world discovers the truth? How astonishing it is that not one but two individuals of such impeccable wizarding lineage have found it within their hearts to hold affection for a mere squib such as myself.
I nearly fell out of my chair at the last line. A squib? No way… knowing everything I know about the Malfoy family, there was no possible way a union with a squib would have been allowed.
But it would explain why the Ministry Archives had no record of Seraphina Thurkell. Birth records of squibs are only maintained by hospitals, not by the Ministry. In fact, historically, it was common practice to remove a squib from a family tree and disown it entirely. Often, they were banished to the muggle world. Seraphina's journals vaguely referenced her father and brothers, specifically caring for her brothers in her father's absence. If they hadn't disowned her, they must have taken great care to keep her existence a secret.
I recalled the burned patches on the Black family tree at Grimmauld Place and made a mental note to ask Malfoy again about his.
With each passing day, my triangle of love deepens. My beloved remains oblivious to his twin's involvement, and my heart aches for the betrayal that looms. The weight of this secret threatens to consume me.
It's late before I manage to mend the last couple of entries. My dining room table is a virtual storyboard of Seraphina's summer ménage a trois .
A storm brews within the Malfoy family, and I find myself at its epicenter. As my love for one flourishes, so does the other's jealousy and resentment. He waits impatiently for his brother to sever our ties while I struggle to unravel this intricate tapestry of deception.
Oh, Cruel Fate…I have made my choice, driven by love and a longing for a life with James. Though the repercussions may be dire, I must sever ties with the one who has made me a liar, a foul deception to my true love. My beloved deserves the truth, and our child - Oh, be it his, as something as precious as this babe in my womb could only be conceived by his tender love - deserves a loving family. Courage be mine and do not forsake me, for he who I must confront is consumed by jealousy, and I am his obsession, his secret prized possession, and I tremble to imagine his reaction.
I hardly slept a wink that night, tossing and turning over the information I'd discovered.
A Malfoy heir conceived out of wedlock by a squib! Two brothers, twin Malfoys, are vying for her affection, and a confession and a breakup loom on the horizon.
If only Seraphina had written more in this journal! I needed to know what happened when she told James about her affair with his twin and the baby on the way. I was desperate to understand how his unnamed twin took the news when she broke it off.
I had yet to uncover a Malfoy set of twins, nor anyone named James Malfoy, or J, in my reading so far. But I was more than eager to return to Malfoy Manor and continue my investigation.