She who walks in Darkness

After breakfast they withdrew to one of the sitting rooms overlooking the grounds. A pleasant affair, it was decked out it different shades of green with white carved borders and tall vases of lilies set upon each table. Settling herself down on one of the sofas Thea prepared herself for the inevitable, for the questions both to and from her that needed answering before they could all move on. Biting her lip gently she tapped her fingers on the arm of the sofa, a habit of nerves she had held all her life and one that seemingly hadn’t disappeared with her physical transformation. The movement didn’t go unnoticed by Draco, a glimmer of recognition flickering across his eyes as he tried to recall where he’d seen it before. Casting the thought aside he settled into an armchair slightly away from the others and let his gaze rest on the beauty before him, full of nerves and trembling. He wanted to reach out and touch her, to hold her in his arms and run his long fingers through the soft silky curls that were now cascading down her back. He felt rendered almost speechless, this pull, almost inhuman, had never occurred to him before, drawing him to this tiny woman, this beautiful being as if she was the sun that he circled around. He felt the need to protect her, to brush away her fear but he couldn’t understand why.

Breaking through the reverie of his thoughts, his father began to speak.

“My dear, try not to be so nervous, this isn’t the inquisition you know! Lucius chuckled.

His teasing broke the ice that had formed around her and she relaxed, smiling back at him, a smile that sent joints of electricity down Draco’s spine directly to his groin as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Her melodic voice began again, “I assume I am right in thinking you will not tell me the identity of my father so instead could you tell me about him? About my mother?”

She didn’t register the stiffening of Lucius’ body when she asked about the identity of her father but Draco did. He sighed internally as he thought about the time to come when she identified him for herself, it would not be an easy journey and many of her convictions would be tested, she would be torn between loyalty to her family and loyalty to her own mind. He had already been tested he thought, unconsciously rubbing his left forearm as it prickled, the pain from the announcement of her return having still not quite left. He thought jealously of his friends and their families, the open neutrality they were allowed to show. He knew his own family, being one of the highest and closest, could not be afforded that luxury, they were forced to promote a show of hatred and unity, regardless of their own individual beliefs.

The deep, low voice of Lucius filled the air as he began. “You are right my child, I could not and would not identify you father out of my loyalty and respect to him, and my desire to protect you. Know only that your father truly loved you, after the death of your mother you were the only spark in his life keeping him sane and after you had to be taken then…well…” he trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

His loving wife took over and he placed his hand gently on her knee, grateful for her support.

“Your mother, Cephy, was my best friend Thea, she was beautiful, intelligent, witty, she could charm anyone she met. She and your father deeply loved each other, they were like two parts of a perfect soul. She was pure blooded and there were those who were jealous of her, she seemed to have everything – beauty, wisdom, love and a child, you” she smiled at Thea, small crinkles appearing around her eyes on an otherwise unlined face, “A group of witches hated her for what she had, what they didn’t have and they cursed her, meaning to take away her beauty, assuming your father would leave her and she would begin to lose everything. But…” her voice began to tremble as she continued, sorrow and fury flashing in her eyes, “but they got it wrong. Their spell work wasn’t very good, they were a mixture of muggle born and half-blooded witches and you have to understand that their magic wasn’t as strong, as good as those with pure blood. Once blood begins to be diluted so does magical ability, it is not persecution, it is fact..”

This rang true to Thea, thinking back to other Muggle borns who’d attended school with her, they had found it hard, had struggled where she hadn’t, even Harry, ‘The Boy who Lived’ had had difficulty with spell work often relying on her to help him. If magical ability was the result of purity then her new blood status explained everything about her.

Narcissa continued on, “of course that is not to say that the occasional half blood or Muggle born is exceptionally gifted but it is very rare and certainly not average. Anyway, the curse they hit your mother with caused her to begin to waste away, her beauty fading, almost aging before our eyes and nothing could stop it, they had got the spell so tragically wrong that it could not be reversed” she wiped away a tear, “your father loved her until the end, staying with her, holding her in his arms as she slipped away from us and as she did so it was almost as if his soul died inside, darkness overwhelmed him and he couldn’t restrain himself, he hunted down those that had caused the death of his beloved, needing them to suffer, needing them to die. He held Veela blood in him, it’s where you get your cheekbones from my dear” a smile ghosting across her lips, “many of the pure bloodlines contain it although it only shows itself in males. Your mother was his mate, his completion and when she died, when he couldn’t protect her, he had to exact revenge, it was his nature” she finished.

“But my adoption?” Thea wondered aloud.

Lucius picked up this time, “your parents feared for you, after they cursed Cephy, after she started to waste away, they decided it was best to hide you in case you were targeted as well. And after your father’s revenge…well, it was safest to leave you where you were. You were placed with Muggles as it seemed the most unlikely people would search for you there, after all, what pure blood with such gifts would leave their child to be raised by those with no gifts at all, to perhaps be raised without reaching full potential. The glamour was placed over you as your resemblance to your parents was striking even as an infant and we knew, in the wizarding community you would be immediately discovered. Mists were placed over all images of those with you so even they could not be targeted for being close to you or as a way to get to you”,

“And now?” Thea questioned

“And now you have come home” Lucius smiled, “now our lives will start again”.

Draco couldn’t bear it for a second longer, he couldn’t breathe, she was filling his every senses, the scent of her surrounding him, drowning him in its beauty, like lilacs and honeysuckle, the sweetness bearing down on him. He had to get out, get to fresh air. Rising from his seat he strode quickly to the door, slamming it behind him without looking back leaving three stunned faces behind, looking at the space he had just exited.