Casualty of Love: Turning Tables

I Think We've Found Our New Family Project!

I walked slowly into the room where my mother was waiting. She was rubbing her temples at a constant pace, her eyes closed tightly as if she was in pain. My anger began to dissolve at the sight of her.

I sat down on the chair across from her and she looked up at me with sadness quickly invading her hazel eyes. My dad sat down next to her and slung his arm across her shoulders. The silence in the room was deafening. I had to speak.

"Why didn't you tell me that your dad was still alive?" I asked, looking down at my hands.

"I was trying to protect you. I didn't want you to worry... It was easier to say that he was dead, and for all I knew, he could have been."

"What's his name? Where is he? Why did he make you sick?" I asked all in one breath, utterly overwhelmed.

"His name is Ben Haven. Right now, he's across the street at the Malfoy's house. ...And he wants to see you," she paused and looked to see my reaction. I maintained a neutral facade. "He wasn't necessarily a bad father. He claimed to have loved me. But, he isn't a good man. He was, and still is, a loyal death eater. For some reason, his decision to come back made me physically sick. ...It was as if it was acting in place of my visions. I guess he just had a different effect on me."

"Why is he at the Malfoy's?"

"He doesn't have any other place to go...... You-Know-Who arranged for him to stay there."

Another question sounded off before I could even think about it. "If he wasn't a bad father, why did you lose contact with him?" 

She stayed silent and bit the inside of her cheek. What was she hiding?

"What happened?" I asked urgently.

"When your father and I got married, I found out I couldn't have children. I was devastated, and at this point I was still close to my father, so I went to tell him. He was angry at the world, he was so mad that I couldn't have children when I wanted one so badly. I told him that I had a vision about a little girl that I would eventually adopt--you.

"He got some idea in his head that the only way it would happen is if he made it happen. So, he tracked down a couple of muggles with a baby. He stalked them, watched them day and night. He started saying he knew it was meant to be--he'd gone crazy. So, one day, he broke into their house and killed them and left the baby to be taken to an orphanage until she was of age--because that's how I said it would happen in my visio--" She stopped talking abruptly, a sob strangling her from the inside.

My heart dropped. I knew who those muggles were; my parents. Her dad had killed my parents... I tried to keep my face void of any emotion but I couldn't stop the pain from invading my features. I couldn't believe that my own parents wouldn't tell me about that.

"I'm so sorry. I knew I should have told you but...I just couldn't bare it. I thought that you wouldn't have to find out. But, when he showed up on our doorstep two days ago.....there was no way around it. He wants to meet you," she attempted to say through the tears.

"He wants to meet me? After he killed my parents he thinks that he can just ask to meet me?" I said furiously, standing up and pacing back and forth. I was trying to shake off the anger and resentment that I was feeling.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. ...Only, I'm quite sure that he'll be coming over anyway. If I could stop him then I would, but he's an extremely powerful wizard...."

"How is this going to work? You're just going to let him back into your life? You're in the Order; you can't just be associating with death eaters!" I yelled exasperatedly.

"Well, I was thinking that your father and I could use it to our advantage... We could gather inside information from him and give it to the Order."

"That's way too dangerous! Are you insane?"

"It's what we have to do....."

I sat and contemplated. It was a good idea, really......but how could we associate ourselves with death eaters like that? I remembered back to a quote that was on Professor Monroe's wall back at Lumins, 'In order to truly grow, you must be willing to sacrifice what you are for what you can be.'

What I am is a stubborn girl who hasn't done anything against the evils of our world; what I can be is a cunning girl who can directly fight the evils of our world by sacrificing only a little part of me.

"Okay......only if I can spy for the Order also."

"What? That's absurd. You're only a child!" my father chimed in, raising his voice slightly.

"I'm sixteen dad! Look at the mess we're in! I can help, maybe even more than you can. Not only do I now have a death eater for a grandfather, but he's staying at my boyfriend's house!" I yelled defiantly, watching for my parents reactions to this news.

"Draco Malfoy? You're seeing a death eater's son?"

"He's not as bad as you might think. He's nothing like his father in any way shape or form, except looks of course.... But, I've been seeing him on and off since we moved here and I love him. I want to help and I'm positive that he'd be willing," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. They just had to agree, I could be the inside spy.

"As long as you think......Ben," I decided to call him by his first name after some debate, "will keep my heritage a secret. If they find out I'm a muggle born then it's over for me."

"Don't worry about that. Once he thinks that we're on his side, at least partially, then he'll keep his mouth shut. He may be an awful person but he does love his family. All you have to do is pretend that you love him back....no matter how hard that may be. It will protect you, and that's the most important thing."

I thought for a few more seconds. "Okay, I can do this." I breathed slowly. "I will do this. Where do we start? We don't have to become death eaters do we?"

"Oh gosh, honey, no. Don't be ridiculous. We'll just associate and give the information we find out to the Order."

"I'm sure I'll find out loads. I mean, Draco tells me everything."

"Okay, I think we've found our new family project!" my dad said ecstatically, clapping his hands together.

I rolled my eyes at my dad as our front door creaked open, filling the room with its ominous sound. A tall, grey headed man walked in, whom I could only assume was my grandfather.

"Hello, Allie," his smooth, deep voice filled my awaiting ears.

This was going to be quite a summer....

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BANNER MADE BY VICTORIALOOLOO!