Chapter Text
They had taken the train home after their first year, as Severus and Narcissa both insisted that it was tradition. Serena couldn't help but smile at the differences between her first train ride, sitting in relative solitude and plotting against Dumbledore, and this ride home in a small compartment, surrounded by her fellow Slytherins. She made Blaise promise to write her often, and he assured her that he would, and that he would visit them at the Manor whenever he could. She was sure that there would be a few of Narcissa's parties, and though she wasn't really sure what they were for, she had a feeling that they were for more than socialization.
They swapped stories and talked about their summer plans until they reached Kings Cross Station. She got her trunk down, with Blaise's help, and set Hades on her shoulder. He was still a small cat, and she figured he must have been the runt of his litter, but she didn't mind. It made him easier to carry, as he hated his carrier, and insisted on being carried. She smiled and took her trunk from Blaise. She hadn't grown more than an inch that year, and hoped she would grow some this summer, though she doubted it.
She followed them off of the train, glancing around and waving at Narcissa across the platform. She turned to hug Blaise, only to be tugged away from her friends. She left her trunk and followed Hermione to where Harry stood. She crossed her arms and glared at Harry. “What?”
“Where are you going this summer?”
“With Severus to Malfoy Manor. Why?”
“Not back to the Orphanage?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I'm not allowed to go back. I mean, now that we own it, I guess I could, but I don't intend to live there, no. Severus signed the papers, so he is my guardian.”
Harry seemed sullen. “Look, I've got to go back to the Dursley's. Dumbledore gave me no choice.”
“That's strange, considering he offered for me to stay at Hogwarts before Severus offered to be my guardian.”
“Right... well... he is a bit strange,” Hermione said. “Brilliant, but strange.”
“Anyway...” Harry began. “I thought you may wish to meet our aunt and uncle.”
“After how they've treated you?”
She saw mild looks of concern from Ronald and Hermione. Harry shrugged it off, crossing his arms. “Yeah, well, they're family.”
“Family only means so much, as I have told you on several occasions.”
He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I thought I'd offer. After everything that happened....”
“Nothing has changed between us, Harry. We thwarted Voldemort, and when the time comes, we will do so again. There is not and does not need to be anything else between us.” She glanced around, realizing she was now surrounded by gingers. She smiled at the twins, and they smiled back before she turned to Hermione. “Have a lovely summer, and write me if you wish. See you all next term.” And with that she turned on her heel, walking back to Draco and Blaise, who were looking at her with curious expressions. She rolled her eyes. “Harry's an idiot. Lets go.”
“What did he want?”
“To see if I was interested in meeting our abusive muggle Aunt, Uncle and Cousin.”
“You told him no, right?” Draco asked.
“Obviously,” She and Blaise both answered before laughing. Draco could be a little naive sometimes. When they reached Narcissa and Lucius, Serena curtsied as Narcissa had taught her to do in front of an elder to show respect. Once she was fourteen, she could claim her heir-ship ring for the Potter household, sharing the title with Harry. Then she would deem what greeting was necessary by other peoples ranks. Narcissa smiled at her for remembering, then hugged her and Draco both. Lucius graced her with a slight smile before ushering them off. She had just a moment to wave goodbye to Blaise before they were apparating, Narcissa with her and Lucius with Draco.
When they arrived outside the Manor, a house elf appeared for their trunks. Serena took a deep breath. She loved the fresh air around the Manor, since it was out in the country. They followed Narcissa through the front doors and into the parlor, where she began asking them about their second term. Lucius was listening with rapt attention. Serena glossed over most of her term, sticking to classes and her exam grades. The blond man narrowed his eyes.
“Draco mentioned something about the third floor corridor. How were you involved with that, Serena?”
She gave a sigh and kept her face blank. “Dumbledore was hiding a Sorcerer's Stone for his friend. Some of the teachers helped with the enchantments to protect it. Professor Quirrell was harbouring Voldemort under his turban, and he tried to steal it. I followed my brother and his friends into the chamber, helping them beat the protections and get the Stone before Voldemort could.” She knew that Severus had told her before to avoid the topic of Voldemort, but it would do no good to hide the truth from Lucius. The man paled drastically as she spoke, looking sickly by the time she finished.
“I see. I must say, that seems rather careless of Dumbledore. He should have gotten permission from us, the board of school governors, to do anything like that. He put all of you students in danger. Something must be done.” The man stood and retreated to his office. She exchanged a glance with Draco, who seemed to hang on every word his father said. She glanced at Narcissa and shrugged. The woman had stiffened significantly during Serena's story.
“What happened to the professor?”
It was Serena's turn to stiffen. What would Narcissa think when she told her that Quirrell burned to ash beneath her fingers? Swallowed then opened her mouth to speak before Draco stopped her. “When Voldemort left him, Quirrell's body could no longer sustain itself. He had been drinking unicorn blood to keep his master alive, and his body couldn't take it.”
She nodded. “I see. And how do you know he was drinking unicorn blood?”
“Well, he told Serena, and we saw him while we were serving detention in the forest.”
“Detention! I heard nothing about a detention!”
Draco blushed. Serena took over. “Well, Harry is friends with Hagrid, and he won a Dragon's egg off of Quirrell in exchange for telling the man, who was disguised, how to get past Hagrid's protection for the Stone. He was drunk at the pub in Hogsmede at the time. We saw the Dragon, and while I had spoken with Harry and his friends long enough to know that they were getting the Dragon placed with Charlie Weasley in Romania, Draco deemed it a good idea to follow them and try to get them in trouble.”
“Them being?”
“Harry and his friends. Though if he really wanted to get someone in trouble, he should have gone to the Headmaster. But, then again, the headmaster hid the Stone in the school in the first place. It was a right mess, you see, but we both did well on exams.”
Narcissa was also pale now. “I should have listened and sent you to Durmstrang, Draco.”
“No, mother. I like Hogwarts.”
“Durmstrang?”
“A school that has no reservations in teaching their children the Dark Arts. But it is quite far away.”
Serena felt herself freeze at those words. Why would they want for Draco to learn the Dark Arts? The very form of magic that had killed her parents? She knew the others were watching her, waiting for her reaction. “Please excuse me, I'm feeling rather tired.” She stood and fled, heading for her rooms and locking herself inside. She immediately began pacing.
This had been a bad idea. That hadn't been home for more than maybe two hours, and already she felt out of place. Lucius was planning something, Narcissa had just stated her approval of the Dark arts, and Severus wouldn't be joining them for a few days. She stopped her pacing, sure they would hear her footsteps, and moved to curl up on her bed, burrowing under the covers with Hades.
She didn't want to imagine Draco learning the Dark Arts. She associated them to strongly with Voldemort, with Death. It brought all of her fears to the surface. If he followed Lucius' beliefs, he would surely become one of the Death Eaters, Voldemort's followers. It was no secret in the Slytherin dorms what they were, or what families had supported him. She knew that the Malfoy's had, as well as most of the Black's, and most of the other families as well. There was plenty of speculation surrounding Severus and his position. In her year, only Tracey, Blaise, and Serena herself had parents who were neutral or opposed to Voldemort.
But surely people could change. Lucius had claimed that he had been under the imperious curse, and that he didn't truly support Voldemort. But was that the truth? Or was it a lie to keep himself from persecution. Draco believed it was the truth, but Serena wasn't so sure. She heard a knock on the door and chose not answer. She didn't acknowledge Narcissa when she entered, or when she sat on the bed.
“Serena, dear, I understand why you are upset. And yes, I am a supporter of the Dark Arts. But there is much more to it than that.” Serena didn't answer, and didn't respond when Narcissa began to stroke her hair. “Yes, the Dark Arts can be used for great evil. But for me, they are the best protection I have between a madman and my family.”
“Does Lucius support him?”
She felt Narcissa stiffen. “Yes. Yes, he did. Yes, he does.”
“And he has Draco believing that he doesn't?”
“Yes.”
“I'll have to fight him, you know. I can't just sit back and let the man who murdered my parents roam free. I've known since that night in the corridor that it will be me or Harry that takes him down. Maybe both of us.”
The older woman sighed. “You are to young to worry of such things.”
“I'm old enough to recognize that I have no choice but to acknowledge what my future holds.”
Narcissa was quiet for a while. She raised her wand. “Muffilatio. There, no one can listen in. Serena, I do not support my husband. But I cannot leave him, or he would take Draco, and surely a girl as perceptive as yourself can see the harm that would bring.”
Serena just stared at her, nose peaking out from the blankets. “Why did you marry him, then??”
“Because we were married before he fell in with the Dark Lord, and our marriage was arranged before we turned ten. Lucius was not always this way. He and I were both in the top of our class, and while we both could recognize the value in the dark arts, neither of us were liberal in their use. When... When Voldemort rose to power, he preyed on the fears of the most strict and narrow minded purebloods. I had managed to make some friends outside of just the pureblood circle I was raised in. So I knew better than to think that muggles were a true threat to us. I knew better than to think that I was better than any half blood or muggle born.”
“But Lucius has always followed the teachings of Abraxas, his father. The only Half blood he befriended is Severus, and Severus was enamoured with the Dark Arts when we were young. Together, they turned to the man who promised them power and glory. They worked for him, yes, both of them, as Death Eaters. Severus realized his mistake when your family was targeted, and has repented since. But Lucius still holds his misguided beliefs. He still believes that Pure-bloods are better than the rest.”
“But why? Why does that belief even exist?”
“Because Pure-blood families are dying out. More and more witches and wizards are marrying with muggles, and wizarding traditions, like arranged marriages, and the power they used to hold, are being lost as the wizarding world becomes more diverse.”
“But isn't that a good thing?”
“I believe so. But others, like Lucius, do not. I stay by my husbands side because I must to keep my family together. And because despite his misguided ideals, I do love Lucius. If I was sure that Draco would come with me, and not be left alone to the beliefs of Lucius, I may consider leaving. But as it is, I know he would not. I just hope that I can raise Draco to believe as you and I do. And I want to thank you, because you have already made quite a difference. Trust me when I say that Malfoy men are not easy to deal with. Neither were the Black men. Draco may not be easy, and he may still believe in things that are no good for him, but you make him question what he believes simply by knowing him. Please do not think less of me for my weaknesses. If you were to walk out of his life, I fear that Draco will have a very dangerous future ahead of him, as Lucius would likely get his way.”
“I know. But I don't like it. I don't like knowing that Draco is being lied to, or that he believes it. And I have a strong feeling that Lucius is up to something.”
“Then we will just have to keep an eye out, won't we?” Narcissa gave her a kind smile, which Serena returned.
“I wasn't kidding when I said I was tired. Travel tends to wear me out.”
“I understand that, my dear. Sleep well, we will see you at breakfast.” She dropped the silencing charm, which Serena was determined she would learn soon, and shut the door behind her. Serena fell into a troubled sleep.