Chapter Four
Chapter Four
September 21, 1996
Hogwarts, England
"How long am I going to have to stay here, Daphne?" Astoria Greengrass asked impatiently, her brown eyes glancing up the painfully familiar white ceiling of the hospital wing with dull, blank because there was literally nothing else for her to do right now. "Because if I have to stay another night in this awful room with their awful décor and an awful smell, I swear to Merlin I am going to scream." Not when she was stuck in this shithole because some genius thought it was absolutely marvelous idea to hide the potions she took on the daily basis for her health.
Absolutely fucking genius.
"Just another day, Astoria."
Astoria crossed her arms across her chest impatiently. "Another fucking day?" Her mother probably wouldn't approve of her language, but who really cared? She wasn't the one being stuck in the hospital in her boarding school because she'd been born with a fragile body and a health. In fact, she was willing to bet her entire inheritance her mother never even had to take a step inside the St. Mungo's in her entire fortunate life. "But I've been here forever!"
Daphne rolled her eyes dramatically at her attitude as she sat on the edge of her hospital bed, legs crossed and all. "Don't be so dramatic, Astoria. This is only your second day here." What a bitch. She was laying all sick and fragile here, and she dared to roll her eyes at her? So, what if she was being a little too dramatic? It didn't mean she had to be so rude to her. It was absolutely unnecessary.
Daphne sighed helplessly in the defeat and started to explain in a completely educative, better-than-thou voice she absolutely loathed. Just because she was older didn't mean she knew more than she did. "Astoria, Madame Pompfrey just wants to make sure you're all healthy and ready to go before she lets you leave. We can't have you collapsing in the middle of Quidditch game again, can we? So, stop complaining already."
That was so fucking rich coming from her.
Every time something tragic happened (like a few days ago when'd gotten into this huge argument with Pansy Parkinson and have said some things she probably shouldn't have), Daphne always came to her to complain. Like she didn't have a triad of friends waiting for her over there.
She really missed her best friend.
"Where's Luna?"
Astoria Greengrass had met Luna Lovegood one fine winter day when she was eleven.
It had been a Saturday evening, and she'd been going for a walk because she was the sort of a first-year who didn't have any genuine friends she had to hang out with when she saw Malfoy standing there by the tree with a very small, blond-girl by his side.
She turned out to be his paternal first cousin, Luna Lovegood. And since then, they had totally hit it off, much to Malfoy's relief. After all, if Luna had someone else there to look out for her, he didn't need to be there to ward off everyone who so much looked at her the wrong way. Sometimes, she couldn't help but to think, Malfoy could be so over-protective for those he cared about deeply.
Daphne made a surprised noise. "She didn't come to visit you?" she asked. "I thought you two were best friends."
"She did come to visit me. Because she's amazing just like that. Just not today."
"You cannot expect her to have time to visit you every day, Astoria." Daphne told her with a small sigh. "You do know her whole life doesn't revolve around you, right?" She then added thoughtfully. "Maybe she's just busy with everything that has been going around Granger those past few days."
Astoria glared at her sister confusedly. "Everything that had been happening around Granger?" She really didn't know Hermione Granger. All she knew were the never-ending complaints she would sometimes hear from Malfoy from the common room back when he used to love complaining about the other people. "What's wrong with Granger?"
"You didn't know?" Daphne asked. "She's the newest heiress to the Black fortune, Astoria. Well, if you discount Sirius Black, of course. But I really doubt he would wish to do anything to do with the family after everything they did to him throughout the years. So, they are left with our resident Gryffindor Princess for an heiress."
"I'm sorry, but what?"
Daphne sighed, as if she was really tired of having to explain everything to the people. "You know Daddy's old friend Regulus, right? Well, apparently he went off and married his muggle-born girlfriend from his Hogwarts years before he'd died, resulting in our own resident bookworm over there. Shocking, I know."
Again, Astoria glared at her sister confusedly. "Why did nobody tell me about this? Doesn't anyone in this fucking room know how important it is to me to be caught with the latest gossip?" It made sense Luna didn't tell her, however. She'd never been the type to gossip about other people. She'd only tell her about how careful she should be about crossing nargles and whatnot. "I'm in a hospital wing for one day, and this happens? Fuck my life."
Daphne rolled her eyes.
"You do know what this could mean, don't you?" Astoria spoke to her sister with an arched eyebrow. "This could be a game-changer."
Now, Daphne was interested. "Explain."
"Come on, Daphne. If Regulus Black's daughter was there to speak against him, do you really think that family would even support him anymore? Think about it. They adored Black. And regardless of her tainted blood, they would at least listen to his only daughter."
"But, Astoria, don't you remember? People listened to him not because they loved him per se, but because he had a way of making people believe his way was the only way. It had nothing to do with a blood. It had everything to do with him."
"And who's to say Granger didn't inherit her father's unique talent?" Astoria grinned knowingly. "We could finally have the chance to make the purebloods to fight against him, Daphne. We could finally have the chance to win. And I don't know about you, but I really don't wish to live under his rule. I'd rather commit suicide."
When she closed her eyes for a minute, she saw her dark-haired cousin as clearly as the day she had seen him the last. It had been the summer of 1978, and he had only recently dropped from Hogwarts. No time for studying when there was a war going on around, he had said with that sheepish little smile as he casually fell down the wooden chair tiredly; this little boy who she thought she could trust more than she could either of her elder sisters.
Foolishly, she had believed his every word. But that was the thing about Regulus. He was charming and persuasive. He worded things in such a way that one would never even consider doubting his carefully chosen, fancy words. It was the only reason why nobody in the family had even considered the possibility that their favorite, prodigal son could ever be one of the cursed blood-traitors they loved to loathe so much.
The possibility he had betrayed them all in the end by siding with the likes of Albus Dumbledore, had never even been loyal to their cause in the first fucking place. He had fooled them all with one charming smile and few fancy words to reassure them of the pretty lies they all wished to believe.
Regulus Black wasn't anything like his foolish traitorous brother. He was intelligent and charming, manipulative and cunning. And don't get her wrong. He was every one of those things. Just not in the way she had hoped for in the end.
The front door to the Headmaster's office split open with a slight noise suddenly and an unfamiliar, dark-haired witch entered the room with the slight tap of her shoes.
She looked so much like her father. It made her wish she could just scream at her in the anger, to make him explain why he didn't think he could have trusted her. After all, they were close, weren't they? Almost siblings. But in the end, he had lied to her face shamelessly for who knows how long while he played family with the rest of them, with his pretty red-haired bride he had adored so much over his own family. So much he had dared to marry her despite all of their sacred traditions and vows. It made her angrier than anything else. The fact he had thrown away their centuries-long traditions for them. Just like his foolish older brother.
Before Cissa could open her mouth to say anything, Andromeda had already thrown her arms around the girl, happily murmuring about the things she cared very little about. "Hope, I hope you know if your parents could see you now, they would be really proud of the young woman you had become." She was saying, tears falling down her sister's eyes as if she didn't think she would ever see this little girl ever again. "Oh, honey. I am so glad you are alive. When I've heard they couldn't find you anywhere in the house after the fire in the McKinnon house, we had all been so devastated."
If she had known Andy was going to get so overly emotional over the girl, she wouldn't have brought her sister along. "Andy, you're choking the poor girl." She told her sister casually. "A minute more, and you might have nobody to hug."
Honestly.
Immediately, Andy released the girl at once, this painful reminder of everything her baby cousin had done to betray their family. Now, the only heiress they had. Unless, she was willing to count Sirius, of course. Which she wasn't. She would die sooner than leave this family's fate to that child of a man. She'd rather have her cousin's half-blood daughter leading them than Sirius Black.
Unlike her paternal uncle, the girl didn't seem to be a complete dolt. "Now, if you are done getting overly emotional over nothing, we have an important matter to discuss." She began. "We have to prepare the ceremony as soon as we can, to introduce her to everyone. Before Bellatrix tries to manipulate everyone into her side, anyway."
After what she had done to her son, that bitch can rot in the hell. There was no way she was willing to leave Draco's fate in her hands. She would sooner murder him than to save him. After all, she had tried to murder Sirius, had she? Who was to say she won't do the same thing to her son?
Hope glanced at them both with a dumbfounded look on her face. "Ceremony?" Maybe she hadn't inherited her father's wit, after all. "What ceremony?"
"Look, if we wish to get everyone on our side, we have to have someone to lead them. Someone they would listen to. And regardless of your blood, you are still his only daughter. They would listen to you." They were betting so much here. But it was better than nothing. "We have to give it a try, at least. Worst-case scenario, they remain neutral."
"Worst-case scenario, he would discover your loyalties." Hope corrected. "He would have your head, Mrs. Malfoy."
"They wouldn't tell." She then corrected, "They couldn't tell, even if they wished to. Everyone who attends the meeting would have to sign a charmed contract, which would make it impossible to speak a word about the meeting to anyone, much less you-know-who. Or, well, even think about the meeting after it's all done and over with." She then clapped her hand, and gave them a wide, excited smile. "Now then, shall we begin the preparation?"