Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy
Draco:
Bert the owl was waiting at the head of the Hufflepuff table early the next morning, looking like the King of England himself with his letter in beak. Draco was up late – because the excitement overnight had been too much – and wasn't particularly enthusiastic to see Bert. He had a feeling the owl had come bearing bad news.
He took the letter from the owl and offered it some bacon before settling down on the bench and taking some eggs and hashbrowns for himself. Then, he broke the seal of the letter. It read:
Young Draco,
Come home tonight, at eight sharp. We will discuss your performance. Bring your girlfriend. I have a problem I want to see if she can solve.
The letter was not signed, but there was no mistaking who it was from. Draco offered Bert another piece of bacon. "You're going to stay here, now," he said. "I don't want you flying back home for a bit."
Bert nipped at Draco's fingers, took the bacon, and fled the scene of the crime.
Draco looked around the room but couldn't spot any of his friends. Harry would still be in the hospital wing. Hermione and Rosalie… who knew? He pulled his phone out of his pocket, took a picture of the letter, and sent it to a group chat with the three others that was currently titled "Craziest Life Competition". He was the one who had named it, because it felt it was appropriate. Out of all of them, Granger had had the most normal life, but her ambition was probably going to take her to Mars one day, so the name was still applicable.
Rosalie sent an animated version of herself giving a thumbs-down. Since they all had iPhones, there were a lot of options of things they could text each other with.
Harry replied not long after, "Madam Pince says I'm not leaving today."
"You can't come anyway," Draco texted. "You'll blow whatever cover I've got."
Harry sent an angry face.
Hermione seemed to be absent at the moment. She may have been getting ready, putting out fires in Slytherin, or simply enjoying the morning away from her phone. But Rosalie began putting together a plan without her. "If he's asking for my help, he probably either wants to use me against you, or he's trusting me with something. Could be an excellent time to sabotage him. Let's get some emergency portkeys and some supplies and figure out how to get in and out without hurting your credibility."
Draco finished his breakfast and booked it back to the common room to get dressed before it was time to head to class. He envied Hermione's ability to make doorways to anywhere. Still, he made it to class on time. As he was sitting down, his phone buzzed. Hermione had finally gotten around to reading their messages.
"I'm not too worried about Draco's credibility, based on that message. But Rosalie… this mission isn't one for the faint of heart, y'know?"
"I know," Rosalie replied. "I'm coming up with plans now."
Snape looked more nervous than Draco had ever seen him when he picked them up from the Hufflepuff entrance a half-hour early. Rosalie was there with him. She looked very done up. Her makeup was very posh and perfect.
Now, Draco knew Rosalie was a very beautiful girl. But tonight, she looked very, very beautiful. She already had great skin and big, blue eyes. Tonight, she had powder on her face and eyeliner on perfectly. She already had very nice hair. Tonight, she'd braided it back and put a sparkly clip in it. She wore her best robes and had a little gloss on her lip. Everyone who had passed had assumed they were having dinner together somewhere because she looked so nice.
Draco felt he wasn't anything to pass over either. He'd slicked his hair back, wore his best robes, and had once again borrowed colours from Hermione, to keep up Slytherin appearances. Now that he'd decided to open the Hufflepuff door, however, he needed to hide his hand.
Snape took Draco and Rosalie by the shoulder and lined them up. "Chin up," he demanded and examined them both. "No Muggle devices? Either of you?" he asked.
"Mine can pass for wizard experiments," Rosalie said.
"Empty your pockets," Snape demanded.
Rosalie brought out several small, strange objects. Little blue balls of jelly inside glass. And little cylinders. Snape examined these and then allowed her to stow them away. "Wands?" he asked them. Both withdrew their wands and showed him. "Good… fine… now, Ms. Spinks, you will address the Dark Lord as my Lord. You will not mention any of this Muggle nonsense. He was not in a good mood… I fed him the story of Dumbledore figuring out that the attack was happening and I hope that this has cleared Mr. Malfoy's record… do not push your luck."
They walked out to the edge of the wards, with Snape occasionally peppering them with questions. "Do you both have emergency portkeys?"
"Yes," they answered at the same time.
"Good, good…" Snape muttered. "Keep them close."
He took their hands and disapparated at the border with them both.
The sun had not completely set at Malfoy Manor when they appeared in front of it. Draco immediately moved to open the gate. Rosalie reached for his hand. A smile was on her face. "Wow, what a lovely place!" she said, looking up towards the house.
"I haven't let you inside the fidelius yet," Draco said. "Malfoy Manor is located at Six-Five-Two Balewood Avenue in Wiltshire, England." He took her hand and helped her over the border.
"Oh!" Rosalie gaped at the old manor. "Wow! How lovely."
"On the outside," Snape sneered. He waved them forward. "Move! Now!"
Draco and Rosalie walked up the path, hand-in-hand. Draco had worried that her presence would make it hard for him to get into character, but then he remembered she was quite an actress too, when she was thinking about it. As he walked, he pictured the defeated, nervous young man he was pretending to be, and also the proud teenager ready to show off his incredibly smart and beautiful girlfriend.
And Rosalie, beside him, touched his arm in such a perfect way. Anyone looking could automatically assume she was the fabulously wealthy pureblood socialite she was.
Draco opened the door for her and she walked in as if she was gliding. Snape entered after her, robes billowing.
Draco's mother was in the foyer, for which he was immediately grateful. "Mum!" he exclaimed as Snape hurried to the ballroom door. She and he crossed the space in two strides each and he hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry about last night," he whispered. "When are they going to break Dad out? I'd like to go if I'm out for the summer."
"Draco," His mother kissed his forehead. A little embarrassing in front of your girlfriend, but whatever. "I've missed you. I'm glad you're safe. But the Dark Lord is very angry… we don't know where your father is."
Draco gaped at her and made as if the very idea made the blood rush from his head. "We don't?" he asked.
Narcissa shook her head.
Draco looked at the floor to pretend to regain his bearings and immediately regretted it. Malfoy Manor was fast becoming a dump. Mouse droppings were everywhere and the place stank of death and defecation. It was awful.
Rosalie stepped up. She was also wrinkling her nose at the smell, the unwashed floors, and other issues. Holes in the walls, stains on the wallpaper, and a whistle through the front doors where the latch no longer closed correctly. But she sent all these disgusted expressions away when she stepped up to meet Draco's mom.
"Hello," she said, in an accent that perfectly matched Draco's. It was not one he'd heard from her before, but it was exciting! He hadn't known she could do his accent. Rosalie took his mother's hand. "My name is Rosalie. Are you Draco's mum?"
"Yes!" Narcissa looked just as excited to meet Rosalie as Draco was to learn she could do his accent. She squeezed Rosalie's hand, but then leaned forward and hugged her instead. "I'm so glad to meet you Rosalie. Draco's told us about you. He says you're American? You sound as if you live nearby."
"I am American," Rosalie confirmed. "But I've spent so much time with Draco that I think his accent's beginning to rub off on me." She reached out and touched Draco's arm with a smile.
"And you're a pureblood?" Narcissa asked. "My husband was so excited when Draco told us that."
"I am," Rosalie said. "I understand you hail from the Noble and Ancient House of Black yourself?"
Narcissa was loving this conversation. Draco hadn't seen his mom so happy in ages. It warmed his heart, even if he was glancing nervously to the ballroom and wondering when they were going to be called over.
"I have a gift for you," Rosalie said, after listening to Narcissa explain her history and marriage for a quick moment. She drew out of her robes a beautiful black velvet jewellery box and offered it to Narcissa. "Draco told me that you love emeralds, and I found this gorgeous emerald and silver bracelet. He told me that he thought it would be your style and I thought it would be a nice gift to you when I met you for the first time."
Draco didn't think his mom would mind if he announced that he and Rosalie were getting married tomorrow morning at this point. She immediately opened the box with a bright smile. "Oh my… it's lovely!" she said.
Draco looked at the bracelet and was quite impressed. Muggles were quite ingenious. Apparently, they could grow gems. Rosalie had explained the process briefly. And this gem that had been grown in a muggle laboratory was almost two inches wide and cut like a multi-pointed star. More sparkly gems made up the bracelet itself and went all the way around the star.
And it had been sixty pounds, apparently. Draco would have placed it at the highest of triple digits, but apparently, Muggles were good at making cheap and glamourous things.
"Can I put it on you?" Rosalie asked.
"Absolutely," Narcissa agreed, and passed the box back to Rosalie. Draco glanced back at the ballroom door. They needed to work fast… it didn't sound like anyone was being tortured… which was a good thing, because Draco really was worried about Rosalie's sensitive heart. The love of his life was too caring and genuine for this world.
Rosalie fastened the bracelet onto Narcissa's wrist. Draco loved seeing the smile on his mom's face. He hoped it stayed after this meeting they were about to have.
"And you're a Ravenclaw?" his mother began in the absence of a conversation. "Draco tells me you're something of a genius."
"I am, yes. I'm very good at Arithmancy and other maths."
"I'm not familiar with maths, but I did take a year of Arithmancy at Hogwarts. What can you do with maths?"
"Oh, all sorts of things. I can determine how powerful a spell would be if cast at a certain day or time… I can calculate potion doses and volumes, I can figure out different combinations and properties. Track things." Rosalie counted on her fingers as she spoke and both Draco and his Mum caught the same detail at the same time.
"My, your nails are unique," Narcissa said, leaning in for a closer look. "Red tips?"
"Yes," Rosalie smiled. "A French tip, is what they call it, but they do it worldwide. I can do green for you, sometime?"
The ballroom door opened. Snape appeared. His face was white. He met Draco's eyes and gestured him in. Draco took Rosalie's hand. "It's time," he whispered.
Rosalie dropped her hand. "It was so nice to meet you," she whispered.
Narcissa's smile had dropped as quickly as Rosalie's hand. "Good luck," she whispered.
Snape held the door for Rosalie and Draco as they entered, hand-in-hand again. Draco wiped all traces of a smile off his face and lowered his eyes in mock shame. Beside him, Rosalie evaluated his expression, and copied perfectly. He hoped he looked half as good as she did.
They went to the centre for the room and Draco fell on the floor and bowed down, letting his nose get dangerously close to the hardwood floor. He felt Rosalie nearby him.
"Young Mr. Malfoy," the Dark Lord said. "And his companion. Please, stand up."
Draco got to his and helped Rosalie up. "Thank you, my lord. I-"
"Silence!" the word echoed off the walls and shook the room. Draco shut his mouth.
The Dark Lord was standing beside his throne today, and the chair cushion had a massive tear in it. It looked to Draco as if it was a reductor curse gone astray. Probably inflicted by the Dark Lord himself in a fit of rage.
He looked at them and in the dimming sunlight from outside, his eyes were bright, blood red. Draco swallowed and spared a glance at Rosalie. She was leaning towards him, but also angling herself towards the Dark Lord. Letting him read her facial features. Letting him see what she looked like. Probably examining him as well so she and Hermione could figure out what he'd done to himself later.
"Introduce yourself, new one," The Dark Lord said. "I understand you have been dating Young Draco here. Pity he has underperformed for us, recently. I trust he has been good for you?"
"Yes, sir," Rosalie said, and Draco cringed on her behalf. "My name is Rosalie, sir. I'm a pureblooded witch from America."
"Well, Rosalie, when my subjects address me, they do so by calling me by my title. I am a lord. I would like for you to do the same."
Draco was so tense he forgot to look at the Dark Lord. He only looked at Rosalie and wondered if she'd sooner bite off her tongue. But she didn't. Instead, she dipped into the prettiest curtsey he'd ever seen. "Please forgive me, my lord. A slip of the tongue – it won't happen again."
Voldemort hummed. "And, Rosalie, I am told that you are an extremely gifted witch."
"Yes, my lord," Rosalie said.
"Would you say," the Dark Lord dragged out his thought, "That you are more gifted than the notorious Hermione Granger?"
This again! He hoped Rosalie and Hermione had settled their differences! They seemed to get on like sisters. Draco looked to the Dark Lord. There was something… uncomfortable about his expression.
"I would not know," Rosalie said. "Hermione and I are in different years of school."
A blast of fire appeared at their feet and Draco and Rosalie jumped back. "You will address me," the Dark Lord growled, "As your lord. Do not forget again."
Rosalie was squeezing Draco's fingers. "Yes, my lord," she said, and her tone gave away no anxiety.
Lord Voldemort stood tall another moment, and then he took a seat in his chair. "Now, Rosalie, Draco has failed me dismally. But I had heard tell of your skills… I was wondering if… perhaps you could write me an equation?"
Draco's brow furrowed. An equation? What need would the Dark Lord have for an equation? He was surprised the Dark lord would even use the word – Muggle as it was.
"Tell me more, my lord," Rosalie said. If she found this request odd, she didn't show it in her face. "I'm sure I can accomplish this for you."
"I want you to write me an equation," the Dark Lord said, twirling his wand in his hand – still Draco's father's wand… what wand had Lucius fought with last night? "That can tell me… how much of a soul is in existence."
If Draco had not been so deep in character, he would have gone stiff. As if was, he only looked at Rosalie with confidence and encouragement. Both emotions which died when he heard a hissing behind him.
He glanced and noticed Nagini making her way to the feet of the Dark Lord. Her underbelly was rubbed raw. She was missing many scales and had cuts and nicks all over her. But she was alive and here.
The Dark Lord reached out a hand and hissed in Parseltongue. Draco's mind made several horrible connections all at once. He looked at Rosalie. She was not looking at him though, and there was no way for him to signal to her that their cover was about to be blown.
"I would need to conduct some significant research," Rosalie said, deep in the lie. "But I'm sure I can find out for you."
"Are you certain…" Voldemort got to his feet. "That you don't already know the answer? Perhaps you don't need to draw up any equation. Perhaps you can answer the question right now?"
Rosalie glanced over, finally, and he knew she'd realised it.
"I don't know the answer," she said. "But let me figure out what I'll need, and-"
"You lie," Voldemort hissed. "Nagini arrived this morning. She has told me everything." He pointed at Draco. "You were there, at Privet Drive. You captured her. And for this, you will die!"
He raised his wand above his head and Draco whipped his out of his pocket. But then Rosalie got in the middle of them. And she did not have a wand in her hand. She had a machine that made a "ch-ch" sound when she pulled on it.
Death Eaters appeared from around the room. Not many. Maybe… ten. Made sense, given that a bunch of them were probably sitting in the ministry's cells right now. But no one moved. They just looked at the thing in Rosalie's hand.
She had pulled it out of her pocket. It was black and had a curved space for a finger and a revolving cylinder. And it smelled like smoke, even from behind her.
The Dark Lord stared at it. "I've been told you're quite soft-hearted, Ms. Spinks…" He dragged out the S's in her name into a hiss. "Are you sure you want to shoot?"
"I'm American," Rosalie said, her pretty Wiltshire accent gone. "Go ahead and try me."
There was a pause where everyone weighed the risk of moving. Rosalie fired before they could try. And as she fired, a smoke screen went up around them for ten feet in every direction. She had crushed a smoke bomb from Uncle Rudolphus's pockets in the same hand that held the gun. And then she seized Draco's hand and pulled him out of the line of fire. All of the death eaters began to cast spells in their former direction.
Draco cast a stupefy towards a Death Eater that sounded close by, then told Rosalie, "Portkey."
"Not yet!" Rosalie was digging in her pockets. "I've got to – Bombarda!" She withdrew and flicked her wand and a massive explosion rocked the room nearby. Death Eaters yelled. "Where are the prisoners?" She asked.
Draco stared. "You can't be serious."
Rosalie aimed her wand in another place. "Bombarda!" she yelled and another explosion rocked the room. More death eaters were yelling. And the debris was throwing up quite a bit of cover as well.
"You're going to bring the house down!" Draco said.
"You'll need a new one to get rid of this smell anyway," Rosalie replied. She was not wrong.
She was still pulling things out of her pockets. The next thing to come out was Harry's knife that could unlock any door. Whether she'd nicked it or he'd told her where to get it, Draco didn't know. But he recognised her plan immediately. "Fine!" he said. "Any more smoke cover? We need to go there!" He pointed in the direction of the hallway he'd seen last time.
"Fumos," Rosalie said, and more smoke appeared between them and the hallway. Draco grabbed her wrist because her hands were full and hauled her over. They narrowly dodged a pillar but made it over.
"Draco, I want you to seal this entrance," she commanded. There was a little shake in her breath now, but she hadn't stopped yet. She was juggling objects. Unlatching the knife, stowing the gun and her wand and pulling out a little black square. She opened the first cell while Draco erected a quick shield between them and the ballroom. "Hello?" She said to the prisoner inside – Draco recognised the father of the daughter, though his wife and child were nowhere to be seen. "I'm with the police. Everything is going to be fine. Take this paperclip – there you are – and say "Activate" and hold on tightly to it, yeah?"
She went to the next one. "Hi, Police. Take this paperclip and-"
The first prisoner disappeared from his cell and Draco cast bombarda at the wall, hoping to get some debris he could pile up. Not a lot happened. "Rosalie!" he said. "Destroy this wall for me."
Rosalie turned. "We need more out, first!" she said.
Draco snatched the knife from her and hurried down, opening the next three cells. He saw starved people, people in pain, elderly people, young people… it was awful. But he had to rush back. Rosalie was getting choked up. "Police," she said, displaying an identification in the black square she had. "Take this, hold on tight, and say activate. Police…" Draco snatched a bunch of paperclips and began tossing them. "Say activate and hold on!" he called when all were passed out.
It turned out, they didn't need to destroy the wall. They were able to get everyone out. The death eaters in the next room over might have thought that they'd simply fled the scene. They needed to, but they hadn't yet.
Draco drew out of his pocket a spoon they'd enchanted for this. "Spinks," he said, and it activated. They whooshed away through space and time and landed outside the grounds to Hogwarts. The sun was setting. They were home.
Rosalie leaned against Draco and held up the spoon again. "Malfoy," she said, and waited.
Not too far away, there was a pop, and Narcissa Malfoy appeared with her hands over her eyes, terrified. She was in a position as if she'd been crouched behind something. But the sudden quiet startled her, and she looked up, shocked. "D-Draco? Draco? What's going on? Where am I?"
"You're at Hogwarts, Mom," Draco said softly. "It's all part of the plan."
Narcissa swayed on her feet. "Then it's true," she whispered. "You did betray the Dark Lord."
Draco nodded and looked up at the castle. "Yes," he said. "But Rosalie really is my girlfriend, if that helps."
"Draco, he will kill you and us and-"
"No, he won't." Draco shook his head. "Come on. Dad's inside. I'll explain everything. You might not like it… but I did it for you. I don't want to live knowing your life is in that madman's hands."
Narcissa was relaxing. Draco hoped he stood a chance of convincing her. His father… that would be a hard one.
Rosalie took his mother's hand and helped her over the border. Narcissa continued to ask questions. "You knew where your father was? You asked me and you knew?"
"I'll explain inside," Draco said. "Let's hurry."
Lucius Malfoy was being kept in a cell made by Hermione down the same hallway that Pansy Parkinson had released Nagini. Draco had half a mind to go and smack Pansy. She'd almost gotten them killed! But instead, he just put tickled the door in a certain way and it let them into a small hallway. They shut the door behind them and then Draco leaned in and gave the password softly to the second.
Lucius Malfoy and Rudolphus were sitting and sharing tea made from a metal Muggle kettle. They sat in wooden chairs and had blankets over their shoulders. And when the door opened, they both hurriedly put their teacups down and stood.
The room was moderately sized, with small windows too narrow to climb through and with glass too thick to break. There were two beds, slightly bigger than the beds in the student rooms and slightly smaller than a full size. There were chairs and parchment and quills here and there.
When Draco walked in, their mouths fell open. Then Narcissa followed him, and Lucius began to weep in relief.
Rosalie let Narcissa go but took her wand out of her pocket as she passed. She stuck it into her own nonchalantly. Draco felt she was holding herself together remarkably well. She looked exhausted and had a tremor in her hand, but was overall fine.
Rudolphus stared at Draco. "The last thing I remember is leaving Gringotts," he said. "I wake up here… no wand… where are we?"
Draco looked to each of them in turn. When had he decided to tell his parents, he wasn't sure. But that was obviously the next step. "I betrayed the Dark Lord," he admitted.
Lucius's face went pale. He took several deep breaths. Rudolphus also looked terrified. "Oh… oh no…" he gasped.
"We… we can figure this out, Draco," Lucius said. "Your mother and I… we won't let anything happen to you." Draco watched Lucius take Narcissa's hand.
"Father…" Draco stared at him. "You haven't heard the full story yet."
"How bad is it?" Rudolphus said. "That thing from Gringotts – was that part of it?"
"Yes, but I couldn't let you sit in a cell afterward. Or take the Dark Lord's wrath for me!" Draco grabbed a chair, not to sit down, but to hold onto the back of it. He took several deep breaths. "I'm not sure yet… why I did it. But I have decided to join the other side. And I want him to be destroyed."
"You can't destroy him," Lucius said. He seemed to be grasping that this was a conscious choice that Draco had made and not a mistake. He became very angry. "You have thrown away your life, Draco! Does he know yet? Is it too late?"
"Well, yes," Draco said. "Which is why we portkeyed Mom out." He pointed at her wrist. "That bracelet we put on you is a portkey. If anything went wrong, we wanted you out safely. You're now at Hogwarts."
Lucius fell into a chair. Narcissa looked at the beautiful bracelet on her wrist and then dropped her hand. "We've lost everything," she said. "Our home is destroyed. The Dark Lord will hunt us all."
"We have a plan," Draco said. "Though I won't share it all with you. And… you haven't lost everything. You're out alive, and I'm fine. Though… I know you're very disappointed in me."
"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," Rosalie said, "I know that you've made decisions to get ahead and you've made decisions to keep yourselves safe. But I think we all can agree that the situation was far out of control. I saw the state of your home. I know how afraid you were of the Dark Lord."
"Hogwarts has been taken out of the Ministry's control," Draco explained. "The ghosts of the Founders have been appearing and the place is now a stronghold. No one can get you here, or at the place we're arranging for you to stay… that you will not be able to leave."
"So, what's your plan?" Lucius asked. "Stay here over the summer? You've got two weeks left until you're supposed to leave."
This, Draco didn't know. He looked at Rosalie. She shrugged. "I mean, I suppose we'll need to talk with Harry and Hermio-"
"Ah!" Draco tried to cut her off, but it was too late.
"Harry?" Rudolphus demanded. "Harry Potter? And Hermione Granger?"
"Thanks, love," Draco sighed. He felt like shrinking into himself and couldn't meet his parent's eyes. "Yes… I'm friends with Harry Potter now. Hermione Granger as well."
Lucius, to be fair, was taking this news a lot better than Draco had pictured he might, but was no longer looking at Draco. He sat at the little table he'd first been at when they entered and covered his eyes with a hand. Narcissa was still standing and she was looking at them. She did not seem supportive, but she didn't seem ready to shout at him either. Uncle Rudolphus looked ready to hex Draco. If they got to the point where he decided to attempt a wandless attack, then they'd have to beat a hasty retreat.
"I know this is a lot to take in," Draco said. "I know there's a lot I haven't put in my letters home. But after hearing Potter's plan, I realised that if we don't stop Voldemort, the Malfoy family name will be nothing."
"We would have been Kings, Draco!" Lucius shouted. He picked up his saucer and threw it on the floor. The tea went everywhere. The handle of his cup skittered across the floor and landed underneath a table. "You've ruined everything! The Dark Lord would have treated us like royalty!"
"Have you seen our house?" Draco raised his voice. "You are living like pigs!"
"You know how powerful he is!" Lucius was advancing now – the only thing between him and Draco was two feet and a chair. "We'll never be able to show our faces in public again!"
"I couldn't show my face knowing I stood by and let him destroy the world!" Draco yelled back. Then he put a finger in his father's face. "You're the one who gave him all the money and the house! You made us penniless! You're a King who doesn't own his castle or anything else!"
"What was I supposed to do, Draco?" Lucius yelled. "I betrayed him – this was our shot at redemption! And you've destroyed it!"
For a moment, Draco thought his father was going to punch him. Then Rosalie did the single most brave thing she'd ever done. She sat down in the chair in between them. "Mr. Malfoy," she said, "There are systems in place for people to leave dangerous situations."
For a moment, Lucius just stood and took deep breaths. "It doesn't matter," he said. "No matter where I go, where any of us goes-"
"Brazil," Draco said. "It's far, isn't it? Like… three hours or so?"
Rosalie snorted and bent over. He heard her laugh and she came back up with a hand over her face. "Sorry," she said. "Your sense of distance is… something else."
"What's Brazil?" Lucius asked. "A city?"
"A country," Rosalie said. "In South America."
"Where's that?"
Rosalie stared and stared and stared some more. "Maybe I need to become a Hogwarts Professor," she said. "British Wizards need Geography. Do you realise that there are other countries in the world? And continents?"
"I've read about it," Draco told his parents. "You can go to the moon!"
"The moon?" Narcissa repeated. "The moon is just an optical illusion. It's not a place."
"People have been there!" Draco said, careful not to mention that those people were Muggles. "The Americans left a colourful flag there."
"But you will not go to the moon," Rosalie said. "Brazil is… a dramatic option. But I suppose it's an option."
"Right, I didn't mean that they would live on the moon," Draco said, feeling foolish again.
Rosalie folded her hands in her lap. "The Dark Lord has never traveled so far," she said. If you want, you can leave and there are places you can go to where you will never be found."
"They can find us anywhere," Lucius whispered, quite helplessly. "We'll have Galleons on our heads soon enough."
Rosalie stood up and sighed. "Mr. Malfoy… I don't mean to call you an idiot… with all due respect… I think you just don't understand exactly how big the world is. You're not Taylor Swift or Donald Trump or King Charles. There are eight billion people on the planet. If Edward Snowden is still alive and well in Russia, despite all of the American government - and I know you don't understand how big that is – hating him, then you can leave England if you really don't feel that Hogwarts is safe and no one will know any better."
"Who are those people?" Lucius demanded. He put his fingertips to his chest. "I don't think you understand! I am Lucius Malfoy!"
"No one knows who you are outside of the British Magical Community," Rosalie said, very bluntly. "But I've been to twenty-five countries and I could still find Beyoncé clothing in Indonesia."
"What's Beyoncé?" Lucius asked.
"I can't believe you'd think of leaving!" Uncle Rudolphus got to his feet. "After everything the Dark Lord has done for you!"
Lucius began to yell back and Rosalie turned around and mouthed, "Should I say it?" to Draco.
"What?" he mouthed back. Then he remembered too late that Rosalie couldn't read lips.
"I am loyal!" Rudolphus showed at Lucius, three inches from his face. "My wife and I-"
"The Dark Lord is screwing your wife, by the way," Rosalie interrupted.
"Oh, Rosalie," Draco grabbed her arm. "I wasn't going to…"
"I thought you said yes?"
"You can't read lips, darling. Hermione's tried with you."
"You must be mistaken," Narcissa said, looking green. "Bella loves the Dark Lord, but not like-"
"No, I'm aware," Uncle Rudolphus interrupted. "They discussed it with me."
Draco wasn't sure which happened first – if his stomach panicked or his throat constricted, but all of the sudden he was choking on his own vomit. Rosalie was smacking him on the back. Narcissa had finally sat down in shock and Lucius and Uncle Rudolphus were shouting at each other.
Sounds weren't what he was focusing on while he was trying to get air, but he heard Uncle Rudolphus call him a traitor. And that stung.
"I think it's time to leave," Rosalie whispered. "We need to let the dust settle."
Draco finally managed to catch his breath, though his nose was running now and that was embarrassing. "Okay," he whispered, and they backed towards the door. Lucius and Rudolphus were too busy screaming at each other. They were going blue in the face. But Narcissa was just there, on her chair, in shock.
Draco opened the door and looked back at her. There was so much going on right now. He didn't want to abandon her in here. But she waved and nodded and mouthed, "Go."
Draco waved back. "I love you," he mouthed.
Her brows went together. She held up her hand and tapped her index finger against her palm. Draco looked at his hand and saw the Hufflepuff mark across his thumb line. His stomach twisted.
"Later," He mouthed at her, and closed the door.
The next chapter will be called Godric Gryffindor's Visit.