manoir de l'ombre
"Oh, why wouldn't those idiots listen to him!"Draco muttered to himself as he ran towards the healing wing. He had told them to stay away. He even made them understand that it wasn't Snape who was going to steal the stone, but that the real danger was somewhere else. But it was all in vain! Nothing had changed. That troublesome trio had once again done as they pleased, not even taking him with them. What if something happened? What if they got into trouble? The thought gnawed at Draco.
When he finally reached the door of the healing wing, he rushed in without hesitation. He didn't even bother to knock. Poppy Pomfrey gave him a stern look, as usual. However, when she saw Draco's anxiety, she didn't say a word and quietly left the room. Draco, grateful for this sudden departure, quickly headed towards the only occupied bed in the room.
"Harry!" he called out loudly. He grabbed the boy's arm tightly. Harry, his eyes barely open with exhaustion, struggled to open them. He seemed unable to speak. Draco gently helped him sit up and offered him a glass of water.
"D-Draco..." Harry's voice was hoarse and trembling. He broke into a coughing fit.
"I'm here, don't worry," Draco said, loosening his grip on Harry's arm and supporting his back.
"You came..." Harry looked at him with a faint smile on his face.
"Of course, I came, are you stupid? What was all that about? You could have taken me with you!" Draco raised his voice, his worry turning into anger. Harry dared to look at him with a guilty expression.
"Didn't I warn you? Listen to me for once!" Draco was even more furious when he didn't get a response from Harry. Just then, Harry reached out and took his hand, stopping his shouting.
"I'm sorry, Draco. But Dumbledore had left Hogwarts. It was the perfect time to take the stone," Harry said, looking as if he expected Draco to understand him.
Draco took a deep breath. So, the old coot wanted to play it like that. Yelling at an eleven-year-old for two hours hadn't worked.
Draco shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Maybe it was something that shouldn't change in time? But no! Was his being a death eater something that shouldn't change? Draco would change it no matter what. This time, fate had won. But Draco wouldn't allow it again.
"Did I impress you at all?" Harry looked at him with a mischievous grin.
"What?" Draco was stunned. What was wrong with this kid?
"I think I handled Voldemort's double bald head pretty well," Harry said, grinning with playful arrogance. Draco couldn't help but join him.
"Seriously, you're missing a few screws," Draco said, chuckling softly.
"But you can't deny that you're impressed, after all, we're friends, aren't we?" Harry asked, his grin unwavering.
Draco put his hand on his forehead and gently pushed him onto the bed. "We've always been friends, you idiot, I was just teasing you," he said. He could feel his face turning red. His cheeks felt like they were on fire. He quickly put his hand over Harry's face, blocking his view. Harry let out a soft chuckle.
"If I had known that, I wouldn't have waged a stone collection war against Voldemort," Harry said.
"Hahaha, funny. Weren't you trying to impress me?" Draco didn't react to the word 'Voldemort' as he used to. After all, he had died once.
"Did it work at all?" Harry asked.
"No," Draco said.
"Hey!" Harry pulled his hand away in protest.
"You already impressed me the first time I saw you," Draco said, avoiding eye contact. His voice sounded even quieter to himself. Harry took a surprised deep breath. He jumped out of his bed and wrapped his arms around Draco. Draco was caught off guard. He was sure he was beet red.
"Draco, you're amazing!" Harry said, tightening his grip on him.
"Harry, okay, that's enough, Harry..." Draco mumbled.
"You're even using my name. If I had known I had to fight a snake head for this..." Draco cut off Harry's rambling with delicate fingers placed over his lips.
He spent that evening by Harry's side. He let him eagerly tell him the whole story. He never let go of his hand while doing so. He even allowed him to hug him a few times.
Draco decided to get involved in the events no matter what happened afterwards. Staying away would only send this idiot to his death again.
The remaining time passed wonderfully. Harry had begun to focus more on his studies. He had even managed to surprise Severus. The Weasley twins, on the other hand, were proudly telling everyone about it. The cup had once again gone to Gryffindor. But Draco had also received points from the headmaster for his 'courageous' speech. The old coot had said exactly this: "30 points to Mr. Malfoy for his loyalty to his friends and his willingness to risk everything for this loyalty, for his hard work to achieve his goal!" Yes, Draco was very surprised too. At least that old man's exploding eardrums had served a purpose. After all, Draco had gone to the hospital wing for his vocal cords after that argument.
Draco had decided to keep a diary. The 'gossip book' that Pansy had given him seemed very useful. As he was examining the book, the train shook, signaling its arrival. Draco got out of the compartment where he was sitting alone. He got off the train. Then he saw her. His uniquely beautiful mother. Her wavy blonde hair reached down to her waist. She hadn't put it up in her usual bun. Her bangs framed her eyes, making her look even more ethereal by emphasizing her grey eyes.
Draco ran quickly and hugged his mother. After his mother hugged him tightly, she hurriedly threw one hand into the suitcase. She grabbed Draco's hand with her other hand.
"Sweetheart, I don't want you to be disappointed, but we're not going to the manor," his mother said, with her firm heel strikes and authoritarian voice.
"Where are we going, mother?" Draco asked innocently.
"To France."
"What about father?"
"Ah, don't worry about your father," his mother said with a sly smile.
"Your father was looking forward to our vacation in France with us. He even arranged a tea party for his partner. Unfortunately, he had a very urgent matter to attend to. He has to be in Russia in the middle of summer. You know, if two of the hosts who organized the tea party weren't there, our name would be very badly tarnished. Fortunately, we'll be at the party and we'll talk about how wonderful, how important your father is, and we'll lament about how sad he is that he couldn't attend," Narcissa said very cunningly. She had no doubt about this.
Draco grinned at his mother. His mother was a true snake. She never revealed her cards and always managed to look innocent. She was different from her sisters 'brave Andromeda' and 'outspoken Bellatrix'. She was always 'calm and innocent'. Of course, all of this was only valid while waiting for the snake's prey.
"It was you, wasn't it?" Draco asked, squeezing his clasped hands.
"Well, it's not just your father who has good connections, sweetheart. What do the Malfoys always say?"
"Don't let anyone look down on you."
"That's not it, dear."
"You are superior to everyone, show them your place?"
"No, dear."
"There is no such thing as friendship, the one with the best connections wins."
"Exactly, dear." Narcissa smiled at him childishly. She was always more beautiful when his father wasn't around. Draco smiled back at her.
"Well, what do the Blacks say?" Draco asked curiously.
Narcissa let out a gentle laugh.
"Don't let anyone who looks at you sideways live, in every sense."
Draco laughed at this too. It was like a true Black saying.
Draco's trip to France was very fast. Within seconds, they were passing through the Ministry of Magic's Floo Network and into the unique streets of France. His mother sat in the horse-drawn carriage waiting for them. Draco followed suit. He was examining the unique beauty of France's wizarding streets through the window. His mother was immediately in the mood. She performed a quick transformation spell on herself. She was now wearing an emerald green dress. On her head was a white hat tied under her chin. Draco admired his mother's appearance.
"Sweetheart, we're not going to Malfoy Manor. There are people I want you to meet," Narcissa smiled sweetly at him.
Draco felt uneasy at the beauty of this smile.
"Who, mother?"
"It's enough for you to know that we're going to Manoir de l'Ombre."
"Shadow? Like shadow figures?" Draco asked.
His mother seemed very surprised.
"Would you like to tell your mother something?" Narcissa asked as if unaware.
"Whenever mother wants to tell me," Draco replied. Narcissa smiled at his clumsy attempt to escape.
"I cut down the hawthorn trees in the garden," Narcissa suddenly changed the subject.
Draco was surprised. "I thought they were your favorite flowers?"
"They were, darling. But they made me feel bad."
The curse that killed his mother was a hawthorn flower. His mother had died with a hawthorn flower.
"Were the fairies bothering you?"
"No, I made a deal with them. They are quite tolerant creatures."
His mother scrutinized him with her eyes. She caught the end of Draco's messy front hair, which had grown down to his chin. She started twirling it around her finger.
"Mother, was it a curse?" Draco asked bravely. His mother had stopped twirling his hair. She was looking at Draco with pure shock on her face.
"Has it already started-"
"Draco, be quiet!" His mother shouted. Draco was shocked. It was the first time he had heard her shout.
"Never talk about this out loud. They can hear everything. We don't want them watching us."
"Manoir de l'Ombre, Où le temps ne peut pas nous rattraper?" Draco asked. Narcissa froze for a few seconds.
"Speaking French won't change anything." Then she stopped again. She nodded her head.
"Maman, I'm sorry." Narcissa's eyes softened. The color of mercury filled with pure love in an instant.
"It's okay, Dragon, mother overreacted. She didn't mean to scare you." The last thing Draco felt was fear.
The horse-drawn carriage stopped in front of a large mansion. The gate was covered with huge thorns. The mansion also exuded an old-fashioned air. It was even older than Malfoy Manor, it seemed. His mother took out her wand and touched the gate. The gate immediately reacted and opened. There was a large garden and sharply pruned trees. A few sparrows were flying around. His mother swished her skirt and walked along the long cobblestones. Draco ran a little to catch up with her. His mother gave him a warning look not to do that. Draco stopped running and started walking. Very quickly.
They stopped in front of an old wooden door. The door was covered with crow carvings. There were also a few spirals. His mother knocked on the door seven times. Finally, the door was opened by an elderly woman. Draco knew she was old from her half-white, half-black hair.
"Cissy!"
"Nico!"
The woman and his mother shared a tight hug.
"Mon Dieu, I wasn't expecting you so early!" After greeting his mother, the woman bent down to Draco's height.
"If this isn't Petit Malfoy?" The woman had started squeezing his cheeks with an iron grip. She didn't seem to care about Draco's cries of pain.
"Nico en même temps Black."
"You're right, darling, but look at this blonde!" The woman seemed to have great energy. Finally, she released her iron grip.
"Senior?" Draco asked, despite the strong numbness in his cheek.
"Nicolette, but like you, ma chérie, you can call me Nico," The woman introduced herself excitedly. She took them to a large tea room and hosted them in a beautiful and social way. Draco could accept the woman's behavior for the sake of this delicious tea.
She plunged into a deep conversation with his mother. Draco finally had to interrupt the women's conversation.
"Ah, I haven't introduced myself, have I? Honte à moi." The woman calmly rested her hand on her chin. Draco fidgeted a little on the pink floral royal chair. He put the purple teacup in his hand on the lace doily. The woman started talking.
"I am Nicolette Black-Martinez."
Draco was grateful that he had put down the tea. It was clear that there were many more Blacks he didn't know about.
"How sad that your mother is only introducing you to me now. We were so close, alas, alas. Triste triste." His mother interrupted the woman's sad voices.
"I told you about Great Aunt Martinez before, didn't I, Dragon?"
"Yes, in the stories before bed."
"Cissy, did you tell my little one stories inspired by me? I am honored. J'ai été honoré."
"More like stories like 'don't be like Great Aunt Martinez or else...'" Draco replied cheekily. His mother was looking at him disapprovingly.
"Oh, ma précieuse étoile, your innocence is heartbreaking, my eyes are watering." Aunt Martinez tried to wipe away the tears in her eyes, as if there were tears in them. Draco rolled his eyes.
"Nico, you're exaggerating, Dragon, this is the family's famous thief, Nico." His mother made a reference to her aunt.
"I stole everything." Martinez was now grinning like a cat.
Draco was burning with curiosity for the story.
"It will be rude, but were you rejected? What happened?" Draco asked curiously under his mother's gaze.
"Ce n'est pas impoli du tout, ma chère. The family didn't reject me, I rejected them." The woman grinned widely. Draco could only see a few wrinkles on her cheek.
"I became the biggest nightmare of their lives. They threatened to reject me. They said either watch your behavior or the door is there. So I left. Of course, I didn't forget to slam the door. But as they say, I came back as I left. I robbed the entire mansion. Then the mansion was renovated and the doors were locked for me. Still, I robbed it again and again and again and again et encore. In the end, they had to leave this mansion to me. But I wasn't satisfied with that. I emptied all the safes." Now she was grinning slyly. Draco had underestimated the woman at first glance because of her behavior. This woman was dangerous.
"It was such an action-packed life that after a while, I had to get married for peace. But you know me, Cissy, I can never stay still. I chose my husband as someone who was also looking for action. He is fire, I am tsunami. We live and go." The topic seemed to be turning back to women's conversation.
"Aunt Martinez, it would be an honor to stay with you, but I am very tired, can I go up to my room? Avec votre permission."
"La permission est à toi ma chère. Your room is the 4th door on the right in the second corridor upstairs." His aunt shouted after him as he climbed the stairs. She was already on the stairs in the middle of the woman's speech.
"The enfants of the time." Martinez playfully shook her head and plunged back into a deep conversation with her mother.
Draco climbed the creaky wooden stairs. He stopped in front of the fourth door. He opened the door. The door also needed maintenance. And... The room too. Still, Draco didn't want to whine about what he found. He wasn't that spoiled child anymore. At least he wasn't as spoiled as he used to be. He threw himself onto the dusty bed. He fell into a deep sleep in the sickly gray room that smelled of persistent mold.
"Draco? Welcome."
"Regulus!" Draco called out excitedly.
This time they were sitting in Draco's room.
"You were in a deep sleep, so I thought I'd come to you. And where is this place?" Regulus wrinkled his nose as he said the last sentence.
"We are at Great Aunt Martinez's mansion in France," Draco replied wearily.
"Crazy Aunt Nico?" Regulus asked in surprise. He was grinning slightly with his mouth open.
"I'm not surprised that you know her?" Draco breathed wearily as Regulus rolled his eyes.
"Aunt Nico is a very famous maniac. Sometimes they even said that Bellatrix's madness was due to her influence." Regulus began to explain as he sat on the bed.
"She was the first follower of Uncle Benard's then-modern thought, 'cleanliness is not in the blood, purity is in the mind.' That year, these words were very liberating. Many people left the Black family tree in this way. Of course, most of them were purebloods. Aunt Nico was the first person to oppose the family in those years after Uncle Benard."
"Her method is certainly unique," Draco said with a smile at the theft. Regulus winked at him.
"My mother already knew about it," Draco stated.
Regulus grinned. "I'm not surprised. Cissy has always been smarter than Lucius."
"I don't know if she knows you're alive or not."
"Probably not, it doesn't matter, show her the watch I gave you."
Draco grinned. "You'll be reunited with your body soon, how does it feel?"
"Soon? I wouldn't be so sure, but yes, I feel great, even now." Regulus gave him a sincere smile.
"Now have a dreamless sleep, this summer is going to be very tiring," Regulus waved at him as he disappeared.
When Draco woke up in the morning, he entered the plain flower-patterned kitchen, which was about to be robbed. A man was standing in front of him. His hair was white and long. His skin was also a sickly gray. Draco would have thought he was a vampire or something. The kitchen was very small, a round table was leaning against the wall. The man was sitting at the table, drinking something.
"Can you believe it, Tobby? Three murders at the same time? All of them have bite marks in different areas." It was a thick but clear male voice. It was quite proportional to the man's body.
"No, sir, Tobby believes it, but he doesn't want to believe it."
When Draco looked carefully, he saw who the man was talking to. A house elf. A house elf named Tobby was stirring a cup while shuffling through the newspaper. Draco hadn't witnessed such a scene in a long time. When the man noticed him, he quickly greeted him.
"Oh, young Malfoy, did you sleep well?"
"Yes, sir," Draco gave a noble greeting.
"Don't be so serious, won't you sit down?" He pulled back the empty chair standing between them. Draco looked at the man and the house elf. Then he gave a head nod and sat down gently.
"I am Reiner Luis Martinez." The man extended his hand to him with a loud smile. Draco immediately grabbed his hand and shook it.
"I hope I wasn't disturbing you."
"Of course not, Drago, tea? Tobby, could you refresh our teas?"
"Sir, can I leave after reading the last text?" The house elf asked anxiously. For Draco, this was unbelievable. There weren't many house elves who eagerly wanted freedom. Except for Dobby, his father had released him at the end of the second year, and he had sulked for a week. Draco would check on Dobby.
"Of course, Tobby!" The man cheerfully agreed.
Draco began to read the cut newspaper clippings they were reading. Some of them even went back to the 1800s. Everything, including the editorials, was about murder.
"You must be confused, I am a detective. The last case was a bit lengthy." The man then scratched his neck and read him a few more articles. They were all about bites.
"They usually bite muggles. They must be a group against muggles. The same way of death for hundreds of years, very interesting." The man was speaking while looking completely at Draco. Despite this, Draco did not hear an incredible tone in the man's voice. It was as if he had been aware of something for a long time.
"Were the killers a vampire?" Draco asked thoughtfully. The man's face tensed.
"Here are the famous Blacks! Great, but vampires? Who said it was plural?" The man grinned slyly at him. He was testing Draco. Draco sighed outwardly at this and laughed inwardly. He has an appearance, please.
He took a few bite photos of the victims and examined them closely. Dead bodies had long since stopped bothering him.
"You will understand that all the bites are different." He lifted a photo. In the photo, a woman was found dead in an armchair with two large bites on her neck. The woman's blood was flowing from her neck to the ground. "For example, the vampire who killed this woman was very clumsy. Large and careless bites, blood still found on the woman's body. Certain things that even I can notice." Draco said arrogantly as he slammed the photo in his hand on the table.
The man snapped his fingers at him "And here is the Malfoy arrogance, but I must congratulate you, son. It was great, compared to the first one."
"Who said it was the first time?" Draco grinned like he was looking for a race. The man's eyes lit up.
"How many times do I have to tell you, there is no murder on my table!"
As house elf disappeared with a crackling sound, Mr. Martinez stood up in stress. Like a wandless wizard, he opened his hands and showed them to Mrs. Martinez. His aunt did not look relieved at all. On the contrary, she seemed even more angry.
"Oh ces journaux. Ils sont dégoûtants. Dégoûtant. Tirez-les! Tchèque! Sortez de ma vue!" The woman screamed and took the man who was collecting the newspapers out of the kitchen.
"Oh mon petit, don't let them confuse you." The woman said as she leaned over his neck and stroked his hair. Then she stormed out of the kitchen.
"Eh bien mec! Que montrerais-tu à un petit enfant?" His aunt's shouts were coming from afar.
"Je ne l'ai pas montré! Il s'est demandé et a regardé!" The man was responding with a trembling voice.
"Tais-toi adulte!"
"Ma Camille, l'amour de ma vie-" Draco couldn't hear them anymore. He chuckled and found milk and cereal in the fridge and ate them. He quickly went to his room and put on more appropriate clothes. He went down to the garden in the mansion and tried to go out as soon as he put a quick kiss on his mother's cheek, but a hand stopped him. His mother had put her hand on his shoulder. Her snake ring was shining sharply with its emerald stone.
"I don't remember giving you permission to go out, Draco." There was disappointment in her voice.
"Mom, we're in France, there's no danger here."
"I don't believe that, and I know you don't believe it either. Now tell me what you're trying to do to mother."
"You told me not to speak loudly in the carriage."
Narcissa turned as white as a sheet at his words.
"Don't tell me you've been following them."
"Are they in France?" Draco tried to hold back his triumphant smile. Narcissa pressed her lips together.
"Draco, I know what you're trying to do, but I can't let you die on this path."
"Mother, everything has changed, I know you realize it, time has changed. Death is on our side. You don't have to be afraid."
Narcissa's face was covered in anger. Her pale skin, like her father's, was beginning to turn red. Draco wondered if Regulus also turned red like this when he got angry.
"Drago, don't give your mother a hard time, my dear." His aunt came to their side, holding her fuchsia-colored dress that covered her feet and stretched to the ground.
"Aunt, I was just going for a walk." Draco tried to look as innocent as possible.
"Ah, poor Petit. Narcissa, you must spoil your only son. Go, Draco, enjoy France." His aunt waved him off as if she was shooing him away. His mother's face lit up in shock. Then she quickly composed herself. Draco, taking this opportunity, ran quickly.
"Nico! Comment peux-tu! Draco come back!" His aunt was laughing as she had already reached the middle of the garden. Narcissa gave a loss of breath.
"Don't run! Be careful! Don't take anything from anyone, don't talk to strangers! Don't get into the mud, don't upset your mother." His mother was shouting behind him. Aunt Martinez tried to calm her down.
"Cissy, Cissy, Cissy, tch tch tch. Don't drown the child in such rules. You would do more than that at his age. Thé?"
"S'il te plaît."
Draco had been looking for an empty carriage for half an hour. He was starting to get bored. He was going to the mansion that Regulus last remembered before fainting (dying). The house elf and his friend had teleported there. He saw a horse in the distance. It was pulling a beautiful white carriage with pink frills. Draco stopped it. He got in. There was someone else in the cabin. A girl with white skin like him, with more blonde hair. Her ice-blue eyes were focused on him. Draco hesitantly sat next to her. The girl shifted uncomfortably. Both the girl and Draco were looking forward. There was a very strange atmosphere in the environment. When Draco glanced at the girl from the side, he noticed that she was watching him with her eyes. The girl quickly turned her head. She parted the curtain and pretended to be looking outside.
"Je suis désolé, je ne voulais pas vous déranger. C'était la seule voiture que j'ai pu trouver."
(I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. This was the only carriage I could find.)
Draco smiled gently at the girl. The girl turned to him with her eyes popping out.
"Au contraire, je n'étais pas du tout contrarié! Tu es un étranger. Tu parles couramment le français aussi, j'étais juste nerveux à l'idée de savoir quoi dire."
(On the contrary, I wasn't upset at all! You are a foreigner. You also speak French fluently, I was just nervous about what to say.)
She was smiling at him shyly. Draco thought this girl was familiar.
"Draco Black-Malfoy" He extended his hand to the girl in a friendly manner. The girl grabbed his hand with both hands with a huge smile.
"Fleur Isabelle Delacour, Heureux de vous rencontrer" (Nice to meet you)
Draco's eyes widened with realization. The champion of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in the Triwizard Tournament.
...
The journey was very enjoyable for Draco. They talked about Beauxbatons and Hogwarts. Draco warmed up to the girl very much. He already felt like he had made a close friend in the 3-hour carriage ride. Although Fleur seemed very cold from the outside, she was very delicate, energetic and playful. Draco realized that he had even missed the place where he had to go to talk. He gave her his address for this. There was no harm in being pen pals. When Draco arrived at his destination, he reluctantly parted from the girl. A sadness filled him. Still, he got out of the carriage. He entered an old, almost collapsed villa. It was two stories and half of the roof was missing. The villa was strangely covered with ivy, as if it was swallowing the house. He pushed the iron door. The door was not locked, it opened all the way despite the small push. The house smelled of mold, Draco entered with his nose closed. He avoided a few cobwebs. The house was full of broken and shattered lumber. There was a broken red armchair in front of the dim stone fireplace. Something hit Draco. Draco fell face down on the dusty, furry carpet. All the air in his chest was released. He couldn't move.
"Who are you! What are you doing here!" A loud, animalistic old woman's voice was screaming at him from above.
"I'm Draco, Draco. I didn't come for anything! Ah, it hurts!"
The woman didn't let go of her sharp-clawed grip, she only reduced the pressure a little. Draco turned his head and looked. The woman was completely old and wrinkled. A hatred filled him.
"Get off, you old hag!"
"Shut up, you dwarf!"
"Wrinkled pea!"
"Corn flea!"
"To the graveyard!"
"You impudent dwarf, don't you know how to talk to the elderly, didn't anyone teach you anything?"
"You old hag, who should be in the ground, is strangling me on top of me." The woman twisted his wrist.
"Ahhh! It hurts! Let go!"
"I did it to hurt you, I'm going to put hot pepper on your mouth!"
"Just try and see!"
The old hag twisted his wrist again. Draco let out a miserable scream. He was exaggerating the scream a bit, but the woman didn't seem to be getting off him.
"Get up!" As Draco was preparing to utter various colorful curses from his mouth, the woman got off him. As soon as she grabbed her coat, she stuck him to the red armchair.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she tried to reach for her cane on the floor, holding her waist. Draco watched the old woman's movements in shock.
"Who are you, what are you doing in this dilapidated place?"
The old woman was still trying to reach for her cane.
"Ornamental dwarf, this is my sugar, my nest." The woman replied without looking at him. Her voice was full of a sweet tremor peculiar to old people. Draco wouldn't fall for this, the old hag was literally breaking his arm just now.
"Look, lady, I came here to find something." Draco said as he took slow, heavy breaths into his lungs.
"There's nothing here, suger hid everything."
"Look, ma'am, it's very important-"
"Go back to the well you came out of, shoo!" The woman waved her hand as if to tell him to get lost, then struggled again for the cane.
"More like a corpse, your sugar couldn't have hidden it." The woman froze at his words.
"Corpse?"
"Yes, corpse, belonging to Regulus Arcturus Black." Draco said as if trying to convince her.
"Arcturus Black?" The woman's voice was extra trembling, it seemed.
"Yes, Regulus." Draco watched the woman patiently. He saw a glimmer in her eye. The old woman's eyes were filled with tears. She was crying. She had stopped trying to get the cane. Draco gathered his strength with difficulty and went to the woman's side. He took the cane from the ground and handed it to the short woman, who was almost the same height as him. The woman looked at him with bright, watery eyes. She grabbed the cane with trembling hands.
"Who are you, little one?"
"Draconis Lucius Black Malfoy."
"Black and Malfoy, huh?" The woman passed by him, trembling. She smiled at him. When the woman smiled, she looked like a corpse. Draco's eyes also started to fill with tears. Something about this woman was making his heart ache. Something inside him was screaming loneliness.
The woman took them to a dilapidated kitchen.
"I am Morgana Fiore Black-Martini." She looked at him with a corpse-like smile. Every bone in Draco's body trembled. He was getting deeper and deeper into this Black family drama. She washed a dusty cup with water from the suspicious tap. She put it in front of him and, shaking her cane that looked close to breaking, put tea in it. Draco was definitely not going to drink this thing.
"What are you doing here, young Draconis?"
"Draco, ma'am, and as I said before, I'm looking for a corpse."
"Don't slander my sugar, he doesn't hide any corpses, does he, my sugar?" The woman rubbed her hand on the table. It was as if she was caressing it. The weak magic inside the house shone. Draco felt it. The house was answering the old woman.
"What about you?"
"I am an old hag." Draco grumbled at this word.
"Old Morgana, please just-"
"My great-great-great-great-grandson Arcturus Black locked me in this house. Since then, there is only me and my sugar. I don't know anyone else."
"Didn't anyone come to visit?"
The woman thought. Draco was sure she was senile. Then she suddenly came out of her dream world.
"There was a girl. Something yellow. She always said she came for her friend. She was sweet, we wouldn't get angry with her, but she would only have tea with me and leave."
Draco wrinkled his face at the tea. This person being talked about must be the friend who took Regulus out of the cave.
"Where is she now?"
"The girl stopped coming a long time ago, what was her name, my sugar, ah, yes, Pandora. You're great, my boy." The senile woman caressed the table again.
Pandora, Pandora Lovegood. She had died a long time ago. Draco's mind shifted towards another blonde. The girl with the empty gaze and small smile. Draco quickly shook his head and pushed his thoughts away.
"What about her friend?"
"The curly-haired boy? He looked just like you."
"Do you remember him?"
"Ah, I've forgotten already." Draco looked at the woman sternly. He kept reminding himself that she was old. A powerful old woman. But still old.
"The girl once left with a large wooden box. She had taken it from my sugar. My sugar had made it specially." The woman smacked her toothless mouth a few times, then raised her finger as if remembering something.
"He said he would leave it to a relative. A crazy aunt."
Draco turned and froze. Everything had gone back to the beginning. From the very beginning, Aunt Martinez knew everything. Or was she trying to test him like Reiner Luis Martinez? Draco, without even drinking the tea, remained still with the pain stabbing his leg as he put it back down. The old hag had hit him with her cane.
"Who are you, corn flea!?" she screamed.
Great, the woman was really senile. Draco hurriedly got up and fled from the villa. The old hag had followed him to the door, waving her cane. As he got into the first carriage he found, Draco felt that he had developed a phobia of old women. The Blacks were really prone to madness.
When he returned home, he couldn't find Great Aunt Martinez anywhere. He saw Reiner in the library. He was again reading a few newspapers and shuffling through files. Draco went to his side and, grabbing a random book, sat next to him. The man acknowledged his presence with a nod. He seemed very engrossed in his work. Draco examined the book he had randomly picked. It was clearly a muggle affair. He quickly opened the pages. It was a detective novel. Murder on the Orient Express. The novel caught Draco's attention quite a bit. He was a fast reader. But there was a puffing man who was constantly distracting him. Draco stopped reading because of this. He tried to read all the notes without being noticed. Half an hour had passed in this way.
"It would be better if you told me what's on your mind, Petit."
Draco grumbled at the French nickname.
"The one who killed the man is his wife's sister," Draco replied after a long period of examination. Uncle Reiner curiously lifted his head and started watching him. He seemed to be waiting for an explanation.
"Although the bruised fingerprints on Irithel's neck after her husband's death, which were a sign of a struggle, seem like a completely separate matter. The woman did not try to hide these bruises at all, nor did she make an explanation. This makes her innocent. You are so focused on Irithel being guilty that you are missing other things," Draco arrogantly poked his nose.
The man looked at him with surprised amusement. "Where did you get that from? Why do you think those marks prove that she is not the killer?"
Draco grinned. "Irithel was cheating on her husband from the very beginning."
His uncle looked at him in surprise. Draco quickly explained his deductions about the incident.
"Irithel did not marry her husband willingly. She had a lover before. Her family probably did not approve. You know, purebloods are very obsessed with this. She continued to live her love secretly. Those bruise marks were not from her husband. Irithel realized that her family was right. Her secret love turned out to be abusive. When her husband found out about this, her secret love was already trying to strangle Irithel." Draco leaned against the old wooden chair with his arms crossed.
"Her husband saved her from her love. The woman had no reason to hide her bruises, but she was too ashamed to tell. A approving understanding passed through his uncle's eyes.
"What about the killer sister?" He asked, curious about his explanation.
"Her husband and sister wanted to marry from the very beginning. But her family wanted the eldest to marry first. They punished both of their daughters at the same time. You must have noticed that she did not speak of her sister with much love in her interrogation. The younger sister resented Irithel. She blamed her. Her ex-lover married Irithel and got used to the elder sister, even if he did not love her. Over time, he began to fall in love. But his wife, like him, wanted someone else. The younger brother learned of the feud between them. This is where the incident falls on you."
When Draco finished explaining, he looked at his great-uncle, who was watching him in surprise.
"Wow and Dragon! You have excellent knowledge of dramas." The man applauded him. Draco made a fake reference.
"You were almost taking off your hat to me." The man smiled broadly. Then he put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. His smile narrowed. His light brown eyes were watching him deeply.
"You are smart. I appreciate it." The man got up without saying anything after that. He gathered the papers.
"Where to?"
"I just solved a case. Of course, I'm going to work. There is a killer sister who needs to be interrogated." The man nodded to him. He turned and looked back before leaving the door.
"Maybe I'll need your help in the vampire case." His great-uncle winked and exited the door. The door quietly clicked behind him.
After that day, Draco helped his uncle. They solved most of the cases together. His uncle would even give him some cases to test him and listen to his deductions without saying a word.
Over time, his uncle explained his strategic thinking styles and the steps to reach the target, and unknowingly began to give him wisdom lessons like old grandfathers.
His uncle would constantly say, "A good observer, when he reaches a single clue, should see not only them but also what can happen in the future."
Draco began to suspect that he had stolen this word from someone.
His uncle was giving him books to read. Most of them were muggle stories. Draco would read those books quickly and crave for a new one. He had always been a bookworm. When he couldn't get out of the mansion, which was most of the time, he would read books to distract himself. He had quickly begun to devour the Martinez's library.
His mother was a little sulky with him. But they were attending tea hours without any problems and taking care of the flowers in the garden together. More than triangular trees had begun to grow in the garden.
He had only seen Aunt Martinez at breakfasts. The woman was just as cheerful and just as distant.
Finally, a week passed. Draco was enjoying the summer vacation and allowing himself to be spoiled by his uncle and mother with the joy of being a child again. No matter how much he hadn't seen his aunt, he would always be sure that the woman had left a macaroni basket for him.
This time, Draco decided to really enjoy France. Wrestling with old women was not planned at all. He had corresponded with Fleur and they had gone for a walk in the park and had coffee. Draco was very pleased with the girl's friendship.
As Draco stepped out of the carriage, his heart was racing. He had returned to Shadow Manor, but his mind was still on the words of old Morgana and the unsolved mysteries. The disappearance of his aunt Martinez was also worrying him.
When he entered the gate of the mansion, he was greeted by the usual silence and dimness. But this time, this silence felt more eerie to Draco. Looking around, he began to search for his aunt.
"Aunt?" he called, his voice echoing. But there was no answer.
Draco wandered through the rooms of the mansion one by one. Everything was messy, as if something had happened. Finally, he came to his aunt's room. The door was ajar and a faint light was leaking from inside.
When he entered, he found his aunt sitting on her bed. But his aunt was not her usual cheerful and talkative self. Her face was pale and her eyes were vacant.
"Aunt, are you okay?" Draco asked, worried.
His aunt nodded. "I'm fine, Draco," she said, her voice trembling. "I'm just a little tired."
Draco knew his aunt was lying. Something had happened, but his aunt was not telling him.
"Aunt, can you tell me what happened?" Draco asked, insistently. "Did something happen to you?"
His aunt paused for a moment. Then, taking a deep breath, she began to speak.
"Draco," she said, "I'm going to tell you a secret. But you must promise not to tell anyone this secret."
Draco nodded in surprise.
His aunt began, "I'm actually..." but her words were cut short. Her eyes welled up and she fell silent.
"Aunt, what happened?" Draco asked, curiously.
His aunt, wiping away her tears, continued to speak.
"Why don't we go somewhere where time can't catch us?"
Draco was stunned by these words. The time had come.
Regulus.