Chapter Text
Chapter 8: Burned Letters and Bloodlines
Draco POV
We walked outside to the pitch, though we only ended up flying for a couple of hours since it was already one o’clock. We didn’t play with Seekers; instead, we ran a brutal three-on-three drill, rotating someone in and out of the goalposts to keep it fair. Harry called the game early to report back to the Ministry.
Once our gear was packed away, we walked back toward the Manor, heading for the terrace where my mother was waiting. As we approached, she looked up from her tea. “Did you boys have fun?”
We all nodded, smiling at her—even Harry.
Mother giggled to herself. “That’s good, boys. Now, where are all of you off to?”
Matteo spoke up smoothly. “Godmother, we are going for one last bike ride before we have to come back and pack our trunks for Hogwarts tomorrow.”
Mother nodded. “Be careful, but have fun. I’ll be right here. Harry and I have official business to conduct. Off you go, now.” She made a shooing motion with her hands, as if we were all five years old again.
I tipped my head toward Harry as we left for the garage, leaving him alone with my mother.
Harry POV
After the guys left, it was just Narcissa and me. She poured me a fresh glass of lemonade, and once we were settled across from one another, her calculating blue eyes pinned me in place.
“Harry, I need to be honest with you about something I just realized, and I want you to do me the common courtesy of returning that honesty. Alright?”
I arched an eyebrow. “Okay, I will certainly try. I don’t like lying, so I’m listening.”
Narcissa stopped stirring her lemonade. She set the silver spoon down, letting the silence stretch before finally blurting out, “It’s Hermione Granger, isn’t it?”
I went perfectly still for a fraction of a second. “What’s Hermione? I don’t understand what you mean.”
Narcissa continued, her voice steady and sharp. “Hermione is the brains behind the Mirrorphone, and the witch you were referring to when you spoke about the CEO changing the world. She is the lost heiress from the Dagsworth-Granger line. I have my suspicions that the ‘B’ stands for Burke, but it could be something else.”
I kept my face neutral, but my heart was pounding.
“I do know that the two faces of that company are the Brooks brothers, and they have claimed the seats of power for those two family lines. I was at the Ministry for my appointment with the DMLE and ran into Minister Shacklebolt talking to those two men about the next Wizengamot session.” Narcissa leaned forward. “Now, if one brother represents the Dagsworth-Granger line and the other manages the Burke seat, it makes me wonder if they are acting for the same person.”
I started sweating a little under my collar. I wouldn't betray my sister.
Narcissa stood up. “Harry, come with me, please. I need to show you something in my husband’s office that Draco hasn’t seen.”
I followed her, a dark, foreboding feeling settling in my gut. We stepped inside Lucius’s grand study, and I watched as Narcissa pulled a worn, old folder out of the bottom right-hand drawer of his desk.
“After you all escaped here with Dobby, Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix lost their minds and tore up the place,” she began softly. “While cleaning out my father-in-law Abraxas Malfoy’s bedroom, I stumbled upon this folder. I didn't realize its true importance at the time. But two days before the final battle, Lucius was preparing documents for Draco in the event of his death. We were both sitting down at this desk when Lucius opened this.”
I watched Narcissa open the folder. The first thing I saw was an older, magical black-and-white photograph of a young witch who looked strikingly like my sister, standing next to a young man who looked exactly like Draco.
I physically stumbled back a step, my breath catching in my throat. What the hell? I thought to myself.
Narcissa gave a dry chuckle at my expression. “It’s not Hermione and Draco, Harry. It’s a photo of her grandmother, Amalia, and Draco’s grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy.”
I gasped. She slid a thick piece of parchment out from underneath the photo. As I looked at the heavy ink, I saw the binding words of an Unbreakable Vow. I didn't recognize all the first names, but the surnames jumped off the page: Burke, Black, Malfoy, Nott, and Flint.
“Harry, what you just read was an Unbreakable Vow executed to protect the true Burke Heiress's identity, and never betray it. If what I’m thinking is correct, that implies that Draco, Marcus, and Theo can never truly betray Hermione, or they will die.”
I stared at her, stunned.
“Lucius put two and two together about Hermione, and we never spoke about it again. He told me not to tell Draco until after the war, but only if it mattered.” Narcissa met my eyes. “I feel this matters, Harry.”
I sank into one of the leather chairs, absorbing the weight of the history. The boys had seemed genuine about wanting to get to know Hermione, but with this hanging over their heads... they literally couldn't betray her without forfeiting their lives.
I let out a heavy breath. “Fine. Yes. She is both the lost Dagsworth-Granger and Burke heiress, and she owns DG&B Inc. She is a pure-blood witch. She found out this summer.”
I rubbed my temples, deciding to give her the truth. “Her father and mother were both magical. They had their magic bound and their memories erased by a powerful witch from another country to conceal Hermione’s true lineage and keep her safe.”
Narcissa listened in stunned silence as I continued.
“Their memories started coming back the older Hermione got. They planned on taking her to run, but Hermione erased their memories first and relocated them overseas to protect them before the horcrux hunt.” My voice cracked slightly. “After the war, Hermione went to retrieve them. She discovered they died in a car crash two weeks after she sent them away. They died not knowing themselves or that they had a daughter. While trying to retrieve their bodies... that is how she found out about her blood lineage.”
I stared down at the floorboards. “When she came back to England, she was a shell of the person she once was. It freaked me out. I helped her manage the face-to-face stuff at Gringotts until they agreed to meet her in private. She found a lot of things inside the vaults, and then she started her company.”
By the time I was done, Narcissa had tears shining in her eyes. “That poor girl. Now she is alone in the world.”
“Hermione is never alone,” I said, my voice hardening instantly. “She is my sister, and I’ll always be there for her. I’ll kill anyone who tries to hurt her.”
Narcissa smiled softly, nodding. “I can respect that, Harry. You know, when we were little, Sirius and Regulus were more like brothers to me and Dora than cousins. Sirius was the one who convinced me to become an undercover agent for Dumbledore and the Order.” She stood a little taller. “I’m glad you got him vindicated at the trials. I want you to know... it was I who killed Wormtail, and I used my sister Bella’s wand to do it. I will never forgive that bastard for getting Sirius a life sentence, and I will never forgive my sister for killing him.”
I chuckled darkly. “Let’s keep that a secret between you and me, shall we?” I sighed, standing up. “But what I want to know is why you feel specifically inclined to tell Draco the truth right now.”
Narcissa looked up at me, her expression turning deadly serious. “Harry, promise me you won't repeat what I say next.”
I smiled a little, nodding. “Of course, Narcissa. You kept my secret about Pansy and me talking, and about Pansy being the person I smelled in my Amortentia.”
Narcissa chuckled. “Well, yes. How you look at Hermione is exactly how all the guys—except Matteo—look at Pansy. But Harry... I overheard those boys talking privately earlier. They told one another that they all smell the exact same thing in their Amortentia. And it’s Hermione.”
I froze.
“They plan on becoming friends with her and getting to know her,” she continued. “I have always known my son is in love with that witch. But I fear once the world knows who she is, she will have a lot of people coming from all over the world to try and manipulate her. I told the boys about the vow yesterday, but they don’t know who the heir is. They just know Hermione’s grandmother’s name.”
I stared at her as if she had grown another head. Draco, Theo, Enzo, Marcus, and Matteo all smell Hermione in their Amortentia?
“I don’t get it,” I muttered. “Matteo has never even met her face to face. How could she be his, too?”
Narcissa shook her head. “I don’t know, Harry. Maybe it’s fate. If it is fate, I won’t interfere and tell them who Hermione really is. I’ll let them figure it out for themselves.”
I was just about to respond when my cell phone started ringing. The screen lit up with Sister Calling. Hermione never called me on the Muggle phone unless it was an absolute emergency.
Narcissa walked us out of the study as I answered. “Hermione, What’s wrong? You never call the mobile unless it’s immediate and urgent.”
I heard a dry chuckle from the other end. “Dear brother of mine, whatever do you mean?”
I snorted harshly. “Cut the crap, Mione. What’s going on?”
Hermione let out a massive sigh. “You’re not going to like what I’m about to drop on you, but it’s monumentally huge and life-altering. I need you to pack your things and meet me at school today. Don’t question me right now, please. I’m not in a secure area. Give me forty-five minutes to get back home, and I’ll Floo over. I’ll send word to McGonagall that you’re coming.”
I ran a hand through my hair, my mind racing. “I already hate the sound of this. I’ll pack my gear and head straight there. Stay safe, sister.”
“Always, brother,” she replied, and the line went dead.
I looked back up at Narcissa. “I need to go. Something is happening. Depending on what I find out at Hogwarts, I might not be your probation point of contact anymore. Please contact Andromeda—she thinks she has no family left except Teddy. Bye, Narcissa.”
I grabbed a handful of Floo powder, threw it into the flames, and hollered, “12 Grimmauld Place!” I stepped through the green fire, heading straight for my bedroom to pack my trunk.
Draco POV
After we left the Manor, we rode out to Stonehenge to power up our magic staves before leaving for school tomorrow. I loved riding my bike; it was the closest thing to flying when it came to a pure adrenaline rush.
After we finished charging, we started riding towards Basingstoke, pulling into the Shell garage off the Countess roundabout to fill our tanks. Over our comms, Lorenzo’s voice crackled. “When we were back at Stonehenge, did anyone else get the sense we were not alone out there? I felt eyes on me strongly.”
“Yes, I felt it too,” Matteo answered back. “That’s why I cast a Revelio. But it didn’t turn anything up.”
“Y’all ain’t crazy, I felt it too,” Blaise added.
I flipped my visor open, looking at Theo. “Dude, let’s go prepay for everyone’s gas. All of our tanks are almost empty.” I closed my visor again.
We started walking toward the building when the glass doors slid open. A female biker walked out, wearing a helmet with cat ears on it. Her dark visor was snapped down, obscuring her face completely.
She walked past us, and I couldn't help but notice the tight athletic shorts and the black leather riding chaps strapped over her long legs. Her riding top was partially unzipped, and right in the center of her chest was a vibrant tattoo of a crystallized heart.
Just as we reached the door, Theo stopped, turned around, and whistled straight into our comms. Everyone looked over.
I looked at her form and muttered into the comms, “Sweet Circe, look at that.”
She turned around, noticing us staring, before ignoring us completely and going back to her pump. Then it hit me. I’d seen that purple-and-chrome bike before.
I grabbed Theo’s shoulder and shoved him toward the cashier. “Dude, hurry your ass up! I’m almost positive that’s Hermione. It’s Queenie’s bike! I’ll pay for the gas.” I tapped my comms. “Hurry up and start pumping, we need to catch her! Matteo, is she still there?”
“You better hurry up, she’s almost done,” Matteo’s gruff voice returned.
Theo slapped his card on the counter before I could. “All the bikes outside!” he barked at the cashier.
Just as we walked back outside, I watched her swing her legs over the frame.
“Hey, Queenie!” I hollered.
She didn't react. I tried again. “Hey, Queenie!”
Still nothing. As she kicked the engine over, Matteo’s voice buzzed in my ear. “She can’t hear you. And I can’t even get a read on her mind this time. I tried to slip in and was automatically hit with a massive wall. Something serious is going on with her.”
Before I could respond, she revved the throttle. We watched in stunned amusement as she effortlessly popped a wheelie as she tore out of the lot.
I started chuckling, shaking my head as I hurried back to my bike. Blaise was cackling like a hyena over the comms. I flipped him off.
“She is definitely right up all of your alleys,” Blaise laughed. “Used to be afraid of flying, but now she saves us on a broom. Has an amazing bike and does tricks on it like it’s nothing. Like I said... this year is gonna be something else.”
“Dude, did you see how easily she did it?” Marcus growled. “She is entirely used to the feel of that bike. I wonder where she lives? The Night Raven and The Gilded Cage are both out here, but I thought you said her place was out in Hampstead.”
I growled into the comms, “It is. I overheard Voldemort say he sent Death Eaters to her parents' house, but they couldn’t get inside. The house was a fortress of impenetrable magic. No one knows where her parents are, or if they are alive or dead. Finding her place now would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack,” I sighed, pulling my helmet on. “Because of who she is, her flat is probably under a Fidelius Charm. We could have walked right past it.”
As we pulled out of the gas station, Theo gasped over the comms. “Draco... you don’t think that has anything to do with her supposed 'troubling, very personal matters' out of the country, do you?”
I squeezed the clutch, my chest tightening. “I don’t know. I hope it isn’t, because that would mean something happened to her parents. I remember seeing them together in Diagon Alley... you could tell they adored her.”
“I hate to even think this,” Blaise said quietly, “but if she lost them, maybe the trauma fractured her magical core. When she finally started healing herself, her Patronus changed.”
It made twisted sense, but I didn't want to believe it. I used to have this secret dream that I would somehow convince my father to let me be with Hermione, and that I would formally introduce myself to her Muggle parents and beg for their blessing. Now that would never happen, because my father was gone, and maybe hers were, too.
I masked my sadness with a low growl into the mic. “This is all theory. None of us will know for sure if she is really Queenie unless we somehow get to see those wing tattoos on her back and see her cast a Patronus.”
Enzo broke the heavy tension with his usual theatrics. “I volunteer as tribute! If she wants to wrap those damn legs around my head and squeeze to distract me in a fight, I will gladly die a happy man so you all can get a peek at her back.”
Laughter erupted over the comms, breaking the gloom.
We gunned our engines, catching a tiny glimpse of her bike far ahead before she gunned it again, disappearing into the distance.
“Dude, she is flying on that thing, we won’t catch her!” I yelled.
“She has magical mods on it, she just vanished,” Matteo growled.
Marcus chuckled darkly. “Good thing our bikes are modified too. We just gotta get away from the Muggles.”
I revved my bike in response, weaving in and out of traffic until the highway cleared. We lined up in a row. Matteo signaled with his hand. “Sync our mods in three... two... one... now!”
We all slammed our mod buttons at the same time. The tires lifted off the pavement, blurring us from Muggle sight. We scanned the skies and the roads, but we couldn't find her anywhere.
Defeated, we called off the chase, heading into town to do a bit of shopping before heading back to Malfoy Manor for the evening.
By the time we walked into the kitchen at the Manor, the sun had set. We found Pansy standing by the island, talking quietly with my mother.
As soon as we entered, both women went completely silent. Pansy hopped off her stool, ran over to me, and threw her arms around my neck in a massive hug. I chuckled, hugging her back. She pulled away and went around hugging everyone except Matteo, though they offered each other an amused nod.
“While I adore our little visits, Pansy, what are you doing here?” I asked, leaning against the counter.
Pansy stuck her tongue out at me. “I came to see Aunty Cissa, and you, of course, you wanker.”
Mother giggled before lightly admonishing her. “Now, now, dear, I’ve taught you better than to speak like that in public.”
Just then, two owls flew through the open kitchen window. Mother’s house-elf, Topsy, popped into the room to collect the post. I immediately recognized one of the birds—it was Harry’s new snowy owl, Artemis.
Topsy brought a letter to Blaise. “This letter is for you, Master Blaise.”
Blaise arched an eyebrow, taking it. “Thank you, Topsy.”
Topsy handed the other letter to Pansy, and with a crack, the elf was gone.
I watched as Blaise and Pansy opened their letters. Blaise read his, cursed under his breath, and growled, “I never thought I’d say this, but tomorrow needs to hurry up. I need to get to school.”
Before I could ask what that meant, Pansy let out a suspicious squeak, showing her letter to my mother.
Mother read it, sighed aloud, and addressed the room. “I fear you are all in for a chaotic year.”
Then, to my absolute shock, Pansy drew her wand and lit the letter on fire right in front of us.
“Okay, what the hell is going on?” I growled, crossing my arms. “Blaise receives a letter and suddenly wants to hurry up and get to school. Pansy gets a letter from Harry Potter—yes, I know it's from him, that owl delivers his mail here constantly—and she burns it after a cryptic message from my mother? That seems just a tad suspicious.”
I glared at Pansy. “What did that letter say?”
Pansy’s face shifted from stunned, to scared, to furious. I knew that look. She wasn't going down easy.
“I don’t have to tell you jack squat about my personal letters,” she scoffed harshly. “But if you must know, Harry has been helping me with some personal matters regarding my father's case. He was writing to let me know he won’t be able to help me anymore, because he is going to the Ministry with Headmistress McGonagall first thing tomorrow morning. He is quitting his job, coming back to school, and graduating with all of us.”
Before I could process that bombshell, Pansy whirled on Blaise. “Why don’t you ask Blaise about his letter from Ginny Weasley, since she is already at Hogwarts? That owl was a school bird!”
Without giving us a chance to respond, she sashayed out of the kitchen, my mother following right behind her, laughing.
Blaise groaned. “Way to throw me under the bus, Pansy! What did I do wrong?”
I stared at Blaise, waiting. Finally, he huffed out a sigh. “Fine. Yes, my letter is from Ginny. She was letting me know she wouldn’t be on the train tomorrow because she is already at Hogwarts. She said she had a lot to tell me, but that she was safe, and most importantly, she was with Harry and Hermione.”
He whispered Hermione's name, looking up at all of us.
I was stunned. Hermione was at Hogwarts. Ginny was too. Harry was quitting the Aurors to go back to school, sticking close to his sister.
“Something big is going on, and we need to find out what it is,” Matteo growled. “I agree with Blaise. We need to get to the school.”
We all nodded in agreement. Marcus, Theo, and Enzo left to head home and pack, while Matteo went to gather his things, leaving Blaise and me in the sitting room. I found Pansy and my mother talking quietly again. Pansy looked like she had been crying.
I walked over, lifting Pansy right off the couch. “Come on, Pansy. Let’s go to my room. I’ll let you go through my closet and pick out my clothes for school tomorrow.”
That got her attention. She smiled, looking back at my mother. “You're right, Aunty Cissa. Everything will work out as it should. I’m going to stay the night in my guest room and leave with you guys tomorrow.”
We headed upstairs. Once inside my room, Pansy immediately opened my trunk and started aggressively sorting through my things. Blaise and Matteo walked over to my private liquor cabinet in the adjoining parlor, pouring drinks.
“Pansy,” I said softly, stepping closer to her. “Why do I feel as if you’re keeping something from me?”
She huffed, her shoulders dropping. “Well, for starters, you don’t have to know everything about me, Draco.”
“I agree,” I said. “But you aren't telling me something. How do you know Harry’s owl? Why did he help you with your dad’s arrest?”
Pansy sighed, her tough exterior finally crumbling as she sniffled. “Draco, you went MIA there for a short stint after the war. I get it, we all went through it... but one night after the trials, my father went completely crazy.” She wrapped her arms around herself, staring at the floor. “He started brutally attacking me.”
My breath hitched.
“While he was beating me, he kept hollering about wishing his sons were still alive to continue our family line,” she whispered, tears spilling over her lashes. “He said the only use I was to him was being sold for money. I had my suspicions about this. I overheard him telling my brothers he wanted to marry me off to some old, perverted pure-blood wizard. My brothers talked him out of it. They told him their best friend was interested in me.”
She wiped furiously at her cheeks. “My mother, my brothers, and their friend... they all died because of my father. He told them to go relay a message to Fenrir Greyback's pack during the battle, but the werewolves were feral and killed them just to punish my father for not showing up himself.”
I stepped forward, pulling her into a tight hug. She buried her face in my chest, her voice muffled but steady.
“I reached out to your mother for help. She put me in contact with an Auror to help me catch my father in the act. We communicated by unsigned letters. He sent me a magical bracelet. He said if my father attacked me again, to squeeze it, and he would come.” Pansy pulled back, looking up at me. “When my father was beating me that night, I squeezed the bracelet. Seconds later, my house was swarming with Aurors, led by Harry Potter. I didn't know it was him until he broke down the door.”
I stood there, absolutely floored.
“We stayed in touch,” she confessed, her cheeks flushing. “I apologized to him, and told him I plan on apologizing to Hermione and Ginny this year, too. I am starting to really like him, Draco. If he changed his mind about quitting his job to finish school, we both know it’s not because he suddenly loves reading. He returned for Hermione. And he told me flat out that Hermione and Ginny are package deals for him.”
She poked me hard in the chest. “I’m not stupid. I know you have always cared about Hermione. You're my best friend, Draco, please don’t screw this up for me. I feel it in my bones that Harry is going to be a big part of my life, and I feel Hermione will be in yours. But you better play nice. And Blaise...” She shot a glare over my shoulder at the parlor. “He thinks he’s slick, but I caught him kissing Ginny during the final battle!”
A glass violently shattered in the adjoining parlor.
Blaise came sprinting into my bedroom, his eyes wide in panic. With Theo, Marcus, and Enzo all apparently back, amusedly following behind Blaise. “What did you just say, Pansy?! You saw me kiss Ginny?”
Pansy giggled, her tears forgotten. “Calm down. Harry doesn't know. But if I were you, I’d sleep with one eye open this year.” She crossed her arms, looking at all of us. “I mean it, guys. All of you better get along with Harry and Hermione this year, or I’ll kill every single one of you. Don’t forget, I still have that picture of all of us naked in our nappies, covered in glitter mudpies, and I am not afraid to show it to the entire school.”
I gasped in horror. “Now, Pansy, is it really necessary to go that far? I was covered head-to-toe in neon pink! No problems from me, I swear.”
Matteo started laughing hysterically from the doorway. I shot him a death glare. “Shut up! If she had a picture of you in neon pink glitter, you’d cave instantly too!”
“Real men wear pink, Draco!” Pansy cackled, flipping her hair.
I flipped her off. “Screw you.”
“You love me!”
“That’s debatable,” I shot back, though I couldn't help but laugh with the rest of them.
A few hours later, the games and drinking had died down, and Topsy appeared in the room with a sharp crack.
“Master Draco,” the elf squeaked. “My Mistress is in need of you to come see her right now, out on the terrace overlooking the fountain.”
I frowned, looking at the guys before following Topsy downstairs. When I walked outside, the night air was freezing. I saw my mother sitting at a wrought-iron table near the koi pond. On the table sat a small package and the Malfoy family Pensieve.
I walked over, pulling my mother into an embrace. She laid her head on my shoulder, and we stood there in the quiet until a guttural caw echoed above us. I looked up. A massive, pitch-black raven was sitting on a tree limb, watching us intently.
Mother looked up at the bird, then turned to me. “Dragon... I just received this package from Harry. He sent a letter saying we need to trust him. He witnessed these memory vials being extracted in front of legal counsel today. He said we needed to watch them alone.”
I picked up the vials. They were numbered one to three. My heart hammered in my chest. We poured the first vial into the stone basin, and together, we lowered our faces into the silver liquid.
The world spun, and suddenly, we were standing in a giant, blurred-out hall. The only face I could see clearly was my father's. Lucius Malfoy looked haggard, but his voice was steady as he spoke to an unseen presence.
“I know I don’t have the best history with you, and I haven’t done right by my wife or son. But my last act of love was to protect the witch who is my son's savior. I died by Yaxley's hand when I stepped in front of that witch while she was checking on my wife’s cousin, Nymphadora Tonks. I couldn’t bear to see my son in pain if she died... so I did the only honorable thing I could do. I protected her.”
The memory faded, ripping us back to the terrace. I stared at the Pensieve, paralyzed. My father admitted he died protecting Hermione... because of me?
Before I could ask questions, Mother poured the second vial. We went under again.
This time, my cousin, Nymphadora Tonks, was standing beside my father.
“Remind my mother that I died for love above all else,” Tonks said clearly. “Remind her she has other family still living that she can depend on.”
Then, my father stepped forward. “I need you to remind my wife and son that I died for love. I need you to remind my son that despite my actions, I have always loved him, and I am incredibly proud of the man he is becoming.”
When we resurfaced, my breath hitched. A single tear slipped down my cheek. My father had never, ever told me he was proud of me while he was alive. I didn't want to believe this was real. It felt like a cruel prank.
But Mother poured the final vial, her hands trembling.
The memory formed, showing my father standing in his study at the Manor. He looked directly at us.
“Narcissa... to prove these are truly my memories, I will give you a truth only we know. When we first started courting, I built our water fountain. When you were pregnant with Draco, I built the koi pond. You told me you wanted our koi fish and Draco to grow up together.”
Mother let out a broken sob next to me.
“Son,” my father continued, “when you were six years old, you asked me if we named any of the fish. I told you no, and you proceeded to name every single one. I remember what you named your favorite koi. The big, pinkish-orange one. You named it Peaches.”
I stumbled back, nearly tripping over the stone bench. No one knew that. None of my friends knew the fish had names. It was real.
“The person these memories belong to has a very good reason for doing it this way to protect themselves,” Lucius finished. “Fate always wins out. Son... keep following your heart, no matter where it leads. You are the head of the family now. I am proud of the man you are becoming.”
We were pulled out of the Pensieve for the final time. I didn't realize Mother was fully crying until I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly as she wept into my chest.
After a few minutes, a sudden, loud burst of laughter echoed from the patio doors. The rest of the group—Pansy, Theo, Marcus, Blaise, Lorenzo, and Matteo—stumbled out onto the terrace, clearly a little tipsy still from earlier.
Matteo stopped dead, looking at me, then at my mother's blotchy face. He walked straight over to check on her.
“Godmother, why were you crying? Are you okay?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her.
“I am perfectly fine, Matteo, dear,” Mother lied smoothly, hugging him back as I swiftly vanished the projection from the Pensieve. “Lucius simply left some old family accounts for Draco and me to review. Head inside to bed, children. It's an early day tomorrow.”
She safely ushered the teenagers back inside, ensuring the perimeter was entirely clear before she called Topsy to lock the Pensieve and the package in her safe.
I walked back up to my bedroom in complete silence, my mind a chaotic storm of grief, shock, and desperate hope. Matteo followed me to my door, studying my face.
“I know you want to know what's going on, Matt,” I sighed, running a hand over my face. “And believe me, so do I. But my mind is a giant clusterfuck right now. I need to sleep on all of this. I’ll tell you when I’m ready.”
Matteo gave a single, understanding nod, and walked to his own room.
I shut my door, stripped out of my clothes, and climbed into bed. I reached over to my nightstand, grabbed a vial of Dreamless Sleep, and downed it in one gulp. I let the heavy, thick darkness drag me under, completely unaware of how much my world was about to change tomorrow.