Circi | 2

FORTY FOUR

"Truce"

Mica led Circi back inside where Leslie and Francis were the only living bodies in the hall. They were perched against a wall, ducked behind a bench, as Leslie wound a bandage around Leslie's hand. Taking a seat in front of them on the bench, Circi and Mica greet them and share the news.

"It's over?" Francis asked. Circi nods, smiling. "Is Hagrid okay? He said he would be but he also said Clarence would be as well and..." The Ravenclaw girl looks down at her silver-stained knees.

"The unicorn was called Clarence?" Circi regretted asking when she saw Francis' defences go up. She hadn't meant any offence, she'd seen the creature and would have been honoured to see it living. Her question had been genuine, she didn't know a witch could gain the trust of such a creature and had only heard rumours of Francis' affinity for creatures. The girl was closing up, tugging her sleeves down and over her hands despite her injuries.

Everyone was starting to file back into the hall to finally rest properly and Circi looked around.

The Riers had gathered on one of the front benches where Erin could comfortably sit while Madame Pomfrey tended to her ankle. She briefly saw bone where her foot had once been connected and felt her dinner stir once again.

Serenity dropped onto the bench a little way away from her family, taking time to be away from everyone but inadvertently sitting in front of the Malfoys. Circi could see that Lucius had seen her first. He frowned, looking at Narcissa who merely nodded at him and turned back to Draco. Leaning forward, Lucius tapped Serenity's shoulder and she raised a fist as if she was about to punch him. Her arm faltered as she turned around and Circi hated that she could not see her mother's face. But, her father's usual stone-hard face softened.

Christian was watching them carefully from his seat next to Erin, eyebrows knitted close together and eyes narrowed.

Excusing herself, Circi approaches her parents, climbing over the benches to approach on the path between them. She could see Serenity chuckle slightly and her heart leaped in her chest as Lucius' lip twitched upwards.

"Oh, Circini," Serenity said softly upon seeing her and shifted so that Circi could join them.

"What are you talking about?" Circi's eyes flitted between them, feeling her nerves jittering as she remembered Lucius kicking her out of the greenhouse the last time the three of them were near each other. She wondered if they would shut her out anymore.

"Your mother and I were discussing how brave you were today," Lucius said matter-of-factly, sitting straighter and Circi only just realised he no longer had his cane- only the wand and the cane-head attached to it.

"Yes," Serenity agreed, "we're so proud of you."

Tears welled up in her eyes, a never ending stream as it seemed, but Circi sat straighter and allowed herself a moment to hear those words. We're so proud of you. Her mother was proud of her. The woman she had yearned to know about her entire life, a woman of legend in her family... proud. She was drawn from her thoughts when Serenity caressed her chin with a soft smile.

The three of them looked up when someone cleared their breath. Christian stood above Serenity, rocking on his feet as he nodded to Lucius in greeting.

"Malfoy," he greeted in a tone none of them could not quite place.

"Mr Rier," Lucius greeted.

"I just wanted to thank you for looking after my Granddaughter." Christian looks down at Circi, who smiles up at him but gripping her hands between her knees and leaning forward slightly.