A Blessing In Disguise
By the time the 7th of December had arrived, Abraxas had brought Scarlett to the Malfoy Manor to meet his aunt and uncle, who could also potentially be her parents. “The Malfoy Manor? I thought you said your uncle had been disowned?” Scarlett had asked when Abraxas told her they were going to the Malfoy Manor.
“Oh yes, Uncle Dearest was burnt off the Malfoy family tapestry and everything. Still keeping the Malfoy name, he built another Malfoy Manor from nothing. Although I wouldn’t say he built it from nothing, he was already pretty loaded even without his former family backing him up. He’s a reputable figure in the wizarding community, Head Auror of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.” he had told her. It was impressive how Abraxas’ uncle had still managed to become successful and create a new legacy under the same family name despite having been disowned.
“Ready?” Abraxas asked as Scarlett nodded when they reached Malfoy Manor 2.0. It was a magnificent manor surrounded by intricate gardens, including a fountain. Scarlett looked around in wonder, the gates swinging open to admit them.
Upon walking through the gates, a man with the spitting image of Abraxas, pale skin and platinum blonde hair, met them halfway. “Abraxas,” Malfoy senior greeted, before turning his gaze to Scarlett, an unreadable emotion crossed his face as his lips thinned. Scarlett shifted nervously, unsure what to make of the man’s reaction to her presence. “Come on,” he said, turning towards the manor, prompting the two to follow him.
Scarlett shot Abraxas an anxious look and he gave her a reassuring nod. Entering the manor, the older Malfoy yelled loudly. “Love, we have guests!”
At his call, a bushy brown-haired woman made her way towards them. “There was no need to yell, I was in the kitchen,” she said playfully to her husband, before freezing in shock as she caught sight of Scarlett.
Scarlett stared at the floor, suddenly finding it fascinating. First, with Mr. Malfoy’s reaction and now Mrs. Malfoy seemed to recognize her as well. Her parents had known of her existence. Why did they give her up to the orphanage?
“Love, you’re scaring her.” Mr. Malfoy softly said to his wife, who at her husband's voice, had overcome her shock and threw her arms around Scarlett, wrapping her in a tight hug. Scarlett, shocked, wasn’t quite sure what to do in this situation.
Scarlett craved physical touch, having grown up with a lack of parental figures and yet, now experiencing it, her hands stayed awkwardly at her sides as she contemplated what to do. “You’re back. I always knew you would eventually return to us,” Mrs. Malfoy- no- her mother whispered before breaking into sobs. Her mother eventually pulled away before Scarlett’s father took her mother’s place, pulling her into a brief hug, his eyes glittering with unsaid emotions.
“I’m sorry, we haven’t even introduced ourselves. I’m Hermione Malfoy,” Scarlett’s mother said, gracefully wiping away her tears.
“And I’m Malfoy. Draco Malfoy,” Scarlett’s father said, rather dramatically and she had the strangest urge to burst out laughing. Scarlett could see her mother not even bothering to conceal her amusement and her father’s lips twitched, trying not to smile in an attempt to look serious. It seemed like an ongoing inside joke between her parents.
It was then Scarlett realized she recognized their names, Draco Malfoy she already knew as Abraxas had told her he was the Head Auror of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Hermione Granger, Scarlett was recognized as the Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Her parents were both reputable figures in the wizarding world and she looked at them, awed.
Her mother softly smiled at her daughter. “I take it you know of us?” she asked warmly as Scarlett nodded enthusiastically.
“Don’t forget about me, Abraxas Malfoy, also your cousin.” A voice airily said and they all turned to Abraxas Malfoy, whom Scarlett had admittedly forgotten as she looked at him guiltily. He gave a curtsy in jest, grinning at Scarlett to assure her that he didn’t blame her. “Well, it’s definitely been confirmed now, we’re cousins,” Abraxas said cheerfully, trying to look unaffected by their family reunion.
“Yes, and it seems like you guys have been well acquainted with each other too,” Draco quipped, playing along by stating the obvious in response to his nephew’s statement.
“Let’s all have a seat, I’m sure you have questions,” Hermione said, looking at her daughter and placing her hands on Scarlett’s shoulders as she guided her to the dining room. Abraxas took off to the living room, giving the family some privacy as they migrated to the drawing room where two chandeliers were glimmering as they hung from the ceiling, a long table with more seats than they would probably ever need and a majestic fireplace that cracked and sizzled every few moments, making the atmosphere feel very warm and cozy.
Once they had all settled down, Scarlett wasted no time in addressing the elephant in the room. “Why was I raised at an orphanage when you all seem to live in luxury?” she asked, not in an accusing tone with genuine curiosity. She wasn’t exactly sure what emotions she was feeling, but anger wasn’t one of them. A strange part of her felt grateful for having been raised at Wool’s Orphanage, otherwise, she never would have met Tom. Though they would have met a Hogwarts either way, there was no telling if they would have become friends under different circumstances.
Her parents exchanged a glance that spoke volumes. “Scarlett, there are a lot of things we would love to tell you but can’t at the moment because the time is not yet right. We want you to know that we love you very much. We never stopped loving you, even when you were sent to the orphanage.” Her father said gently. Scarlett knew her parents knew more than they were letting on, but she wouldn’t push it until they were ready to tell her. But it didn’t mean she would stop with the investigation of her past.
Scarlett wanted to inquire about her godfather. It could help her discover more about her past if her parents were able to answer it. It was silent for a beat as she thought about how to ask the question. “What can you tell me about my godfather?” she asked, waiting to see if her parents would answer.
The effect was immediate, her mother tensing as her father’s expression went blank. Draco quickly grabbed his wife’s hand to offer comfort. All this happened under the watchful eye of Scarlett, serving to make her confused. Was her godfather even alive anymore? Her brows furrowed as she tried to remember the dreams she’d had in the past, never remembering the dreams for long after she woke up.
Her father sighed, looking grim. “We can’t say much,” he said with a grimace, seeing her brows furrowing deeper. “But know that your godfather is not who you think he is. He’s…” Draco trailed off, looking at his wife, a pained expression on her face.
It was clear that the topic of Scarlett’s godfather was a sore subject for her mother, so she decided to accept the answer her father gave for now. But what did her father mean by her godfather is not who she thought he was? Before she could think of a response, her mother had changed the subject.
“What do you think of your last name? Would you… want to be a Malfoy?” Hermione asked, her mother’s eyes were as sincere and gentle as her voice and Scarlett could see the same expression on her father’s face.
Seeing the surprised expression on her daughter’s face, Hermione rushed to explain. “You don’t have to make a decision now of course, and whatever decision you make, we’ll support you.”
Scarlett’s mind echoed with thoughts of appreciation and she felt warm all over. They were leaving the decision up to her, and that alone made her appreciate her newfound parents even more. Her face held a soft smile. “I would love to be a Malfoy,”
Her parents exchanged happy glances before turning to her with a warm expression. Her father nodded, returning the smile. “In that case, I’ll make the necessary arrangements to Hogwarts to have your last name changed,” he declared.
Scarlett Malfoy. Having her last name changed felt more real, she had a family. A family who accepted her. Although deep down, Scarlett had always been a Malfoy. The name had just been waiting for the perfect time to claim her.
With that, the conversation shifted to the topic of the Christmas holidays and her parents had invited her to the manor for Yule. It would be the first Christmas Scarlett would spend with her family, but it would also be the first Christmas with Tom in six years. She didn’t want to leave Tom to spend Christmas alone while she had her newfound family.
Scarlett shifted in her seat, feeling conflicted. “Would you guys mind if I invited a friend over to spend the Christmas holidays with us as well?” she asked, biting her lip as she considered how to explain. “My friend usually stays at Hogwarts during the holidays and I don’t want him to feel alone, so I thought it would be nice for him to join us. But of course, I wouldn’t want to impose.” She hastily explained, not wanting to seem ungrateful as Malfoy Manor wasn’t her home.
“Of course. We plan on hosting a Yule ball at the manor where we will announce you as our daughter,” Draco said, making Scarlett look at her parents in surprise.
Her mother grabbed her hand from where she was sitting across the table. “I know we have been absent for most of your life, but this is your home now if you would like,” Hermione said in a soft voice, her expression warm as she regarded her daughter.
Scarlett felt happiness brimming in her chest at the thought of having a place called ‘home’. For the longest time before Hogwarts, she had resided at the Leaky Cauldron, a place which she could never have called her. Now looking across the table at her mother and father’s warm expression as they welcomed her with open arms, she couldn’t help the happy smile spreading across her face as she responded. “I would love to get to know you both and form a relationship,”
Her mother smiled at her, happiness in her eyes. “We’re happy to hear that,” Hermione said, before adding, “Now, we’ll show you your room,”
Scarlett’s eyebrows jumped in surprise. “I have a room here?” she asked in wonder.
Her father looked almost offended at her question. “Of course you do, darling. We reserved a room for you with your things already set up, knowing you would one day come back to us.”
Scarlett shifted, feeling happy. Her parents had always thought of her, even when she hadn’t known who her parents were. “Oh,”
Her mother smiled at that, standing up from her seat. “Come along now,” Hermione said as her husband got up as well.
At that, Scarlett got out of her seat and then they started making their way toward the stairs. When they passed by the living room, Abraxas poked his head out with a grin, a book in hand. “Done with deep conversation?”
Draco shook his head fondly at his nephew. “Yes. We’re showing Scarlett her room now,”
Abraxas lit up, he placed a bookmark on the page he was on before closing the book and placing it on the table, stepping over the threshold. “Let’s,”
The four made their way upstairs, stopping outside of a room on the left side not too far away from the stairs. Abraxas rolled his eyes, looking playful. “There’s no need to dawdle,” he said, opening the door with a bang. The door slammed on the wall with a loud bang, and his aunt looked at him with a stern look. The motion reminded Scarlett of all the times she did almost the same thing when entering Tom’s room back at the Orphanage years ago.
“There’s no need for dramatics,” Hermione chastened, shaking her head in amusement.
Draco on the other hand, looked at his nephew with pride. “We’re Malfoys. It is in our nature to be dramatic.”
“So Scar’s room,” Abraxas coughed, interrupting what could be the start of his aunt and uncle’s banter.
Scarlett grinned, finding the interaction fascinating. Despite her cousin not residing at this Malfoy Manor, she admired how he was able to join in on the banter with ease. She noticed how Abraxas was always able to make conversation wherever he went. Her cousin’s charisma could rival Tom’s.
In response to her parents' warm expressions and her cousin's inviting gesture, Scarlett crossed the threshold into her new room, marvelling at her surroundings. The room enveloped her in the scent of old books, with fairy lights adorning the walls and multiple bookshelves. A pristine desk stood by the window and a neatly made double bed was positioned nearby.
Scarlett looked around her new room in awe, walking up to the bookshelves and running her hand over the spines of the books. When her parents had told her they had reserved a room for her, she hadn’t expected her room to have personal touches. She felt touched by her parents' effort in trying to make her room as welcoming as possible. A smile spread across her face. She was home.