Chapter Text
Hey! So this is obviously going to follow the same outlay as the other book (which if you haven't read you should probably read before you read this)
Which if you did read the last book's A/N you should know but not everyone does so it's going here too.
So again, years 6 and 7 are going to follow more of the film than the book, but there are going to be a few things from the books that I can remember and deleted scenes from the movies that I've seen and liked (yes probably the one you're thinking about)
So without further ramblings on my part, I'll just dive right into late July 1996/ Natalia's first NEWT year.
Hope you enjoy!
Muggle coffee shops had become Natalia's safe place to be without any Death Eaters in danger of walking in on her practising curses or hexes or jinxes or looking at the muggle newspapers she bought as often as they changed.
As much as she had tried to distance herself from the muggle world, her father was still a part of it, and even if she didn't know where, she liked to know what was going on in it. Even if he wasn't in the country, she decided it was better to know who Death Eaters were taking, and they seemed to be picking up a fair few muggles.
She shuddered as she remembered what happened when her mother caught wind of Natalia having her dagger.
"Talia-Delphine, oh this is perfect! I can teach you all I know, we can go hunting together, we can take down the whole world, us two together."
Natalia stared at her, hoping her horror wasn't showing on her face. "I think it would probably be best for me to focus on my studies. So that when we win I can become a master of the dark arts and poisons."
It didn't take much for her mother to completely focus on literally anything else, so all Natalia had to do was direct the conversation or even just her mother's gaze to anything else. Usually, it was her studies, where Daphne would promptly go on about her own studies, what Hogwarts was like in her day.
She blinked a few times. There were only two weeks before she was on the train back home to Hogwarts.
Well, it wasn't her home. Not really. Nowhere felt safe enough for her to call home.
The newspaper she was reading (The Times, the one her father used to get sometimes) had a page dedicated to new missing people, to those that fell victim to the "tragic accident of the Millenium Bridge" with people often trying to theories what exactly happened that day.
Natalia knew. She'd heard her mother laughing about it with Bellatrix afterwards.
OWL results were coming today. She knew hers would be waiting for her when she returned to the Manor, but with so many people missing - so many muggles missing - Nat was starting to wonder if she'd been so completely blind to everything. If her mother had been involved. if. More like which ones.
Natalia may be naive, but she wasn't blind, wasn't tied by loyalty to her mother. She knew who she was, knew what she had done, and Natalia despised her for it. But she wasn't ready yet to completely disown her from her life.
Not even for George.
**
There was the letter, waiting for her.
She'd had to do some explaining when she turned up on the front step, but Narcissa was mostly grateful she'd come back at all.
Natalia wasn't stupid; she wouldn't put Narcissa's life in danger. The Dark Lord may have released her mother, but Nat knew he still held Narcissa and Draco responsible for her. Even if Draco was only her age himself.
Natalia wasn't sure Voldemort cared, not with the whisperings of Draco's special task. Voldemort had 'chosen' him for something, made him become more of a recluse than before, turned him against his own mind. At first, Natalia had thought he'd got into Draco's mind, twisted his memories, was driving him insane. And then she saw the black ink. Only a slither, only a tiny part of it when he'd worn the wrong shirt and lifted his hand too high, but it was enough for her to know he'd taken the mark.
It made her blood run cold.
Natalia blinked, tearing herself out of her own mind, trying to remember what she'd read about protection from occlumency, about creating a fortress around her mind, but she wasn't sure she could even focus on that with her results in her hands. She carefully opened the envelope with her nails, taking a breath before pulling out the piece of paper.
HISTORY OF MAGIC: O
TRANSFIGURATION: A
CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES: E
ANCIENT RUNES: O
HERBOLOGY: O
POTIONS: E
DEFENCE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS: E
CHARMS: A
Natalia stared at the piece of paper in shock. She'd passed Charms! By some miracle, she'd actually passed charms!
She made a note to tell George as soon as she could (being at Malfoy Manor came with more downsides than she'd ever imagined, one being very limited contact with George.) and raced to tell Draco.
And then she remembered he didn't want anything to do with her. Either that or he was shutting her out...
Natalia preferred not to think about it. She knew she'd just end up getting hurt if she did. besides, last year, Draco and Natalia hadn't always been on the best of terms, and it had put more of a strain on their relationship than either of them had realised.
She stopped outside his bedroom door, looking down at the certificate in her hand. She turned it over in her hands, not really sure what to do now, but the decision was made for her when Draco opened the door dressed to go out.
"Nat?"
She smiled weakly.
"What are you doing here?" His voice was softer than it usually was now, as though he was allowed to let his guard down when no one else was around
"I- I passed charms." She managed to stutter out.
Draco smiled, "well done! I knew you could." He moved forward as though to hug her before seeming to remember himself, taking half a step back. The smile fell off his face.
Natalia faltered, looking down. "I don't... I don't know what's happened with us." She looked up to meet his gaze, "but I don't think... you're still family to me. You'll always be family to me."
He didn't respond, but she could read everything from his expression. She stepped out of his way, watching him disappear down the stairs and out of the front door with Narcissa and Bellatrix, and she felt as though he was closing the door on more than one thing.