Amortentia

Chapter Forty-Three

Malfoy Manor
Wiltshire, England
Date: Friday, 24th of December 2021

"Happy Christmas, Draco!"

"Happy Christmas, Elliot!"

  Astoria and Pansy greeted each other with a hug as the boys continued to speak to one another. It was too early for their parents to be up. There grandparents had returned to their respective manors. For the next few hours, it was their time to relax. Let the stress of the past few months melt away.

"Boys, HAPPY CHRISTMAS!" greeted Cygnus as he and Druella stepped through the Floo.

"Damn it," Elliot whispered. Pansy slapped him lightly on the shoulder and glared. Her grandparents had died shortly after she turned five. She would do anything to see them again. So, to hear Elliot and Draco treat their's horribly angered her. "My apologies, love,"

"Are your mother and father still asleep?" asked Andromeda, who was placing the presents in front of the tree.

"Leo kept them all night. Not to mention, they were fighting about you know who," Draco responded before drinking from his glass of pumpkin juice.

"She hasn't returned!?" Druella questioned. She was sure that the holiday would make Jenna see the light. Apparently, she was incorrect.

Narcissa and Lucius came down moments later. The two Black sisters seemed lost in their own world as they allowed Teddy to play with Leo. Druella would have thought the moment was special had one of their not been missing from the scene.

Andromeda examined her sister, "Cissy, what happened last night?" she said low enough for no one to hear.

"I don't know, Andy. She looked at me with such hatred in her eyes. I couldn't help myself. I wanted her to feel the pain that I was feeling," Narcissa explained.

"Okay, but now what? She's gone, Narcissa. What if she doesn't come back? Isn't the feeling of knowing that she's out there worse than not knowing if she's alive or not?" Andromeda asked, hoping to cut through her sister's stubbornness.

"How do—,"

"Oh, great heavens,"

"Evelyn, move out of the way,"

The Malfoy family turned to see an older couple standing in the living room. A woman with dark curly hair stood tall and brushed dust off of a rather tall man with grey hair.

"Nanna! Pawpaw!" Elliot stood from the table and rushed to the pair, pulling them into a bear hug. Evelyn beamed and greeted Elliot with the same level of affection. James gave a small smile before pulling away. Elliot didn't mind, he was never one for affection. "What are you two doing here?"

  Druella and Anita looked at one another with the same grief-struck expression. Never had Elliot ever sounded so happy greeting them or their husbands. Envy struck them both in their hearts.

"What do you think they're doing here?" Jenna stepped out from behind Evelyn with her arms crossed.

"Please tell your sister that she is more stubborn than a bull, and she should stop before she ruins her life," Evelyn instructed.

Elliot smirked, "Have you ever been able to tell her what to do?"

"Not really," James answered. He turned to face the Malfoys and smiled. "Hello, we have heard so much about y'all from Jennifer,"

"Jennifer?" Astoria asked.

Jenna shook her head, "He believes it's my name. We can't tell him otherwise or he gets cranky,"

Evelyn DuBaer had classic Hollywood looks. To Jenna and Elliot, even at the age of 70, she looked like she should star alongside Marilyn Monroe. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room as they all stared at her in awe.

"I believe," she took Jenna by the shoulders and held her still in front of her. "this little one has something she would like to say to her mother,"

Jenna stared at the ground and didn't respond. She could feel Evelyn's pale pink nails digging into her shoulders the longer she stood there. Her beautiful honey-brown eyes practically burned a hole into the back of her head.

"Jenna Elizabeth," Evelyn warned, her voice dropping an octave.

"I have nothing to say," She answered, sticking her nose in the air. James, who stood beside her, slapped her lightly on the back of the head and glared at her. "Ow, you know it doesn't get better no matter how many times you do it,"

"Arabella," Narcissa spoke up, interrupting her daughter's short rant. "Come," she held out her pale hand for her daughter to take. She watched Jenna look up at Evelyn for confirmation, which stung. When the other woman nodded Jenna took her hand and allowed her to take her to the garden.

"That girl will be the death of me," Evelyn said.

"Well, our jobs here are done. How do we return home?" asked James. He looked toward the older group in the room. His eyes holding the gaze of both men before redirecting them. So, these were the people she left them behind for? He didn't see much to be jealous of.

"So, you've helped take care of Ara for the past year?" Lucius asked, ignoring the older man's question.

"We've taken care of her for nearly four. Our son and his wife were practically absent to her. She made them look good at important events and that's about it," Evelyn explained, wrapping an arm around husband to help him relax.

"To make them look good?" Cygnus asked.

"Yes, Jen received great grades and is amazingly educated for her age. She'll graduate high school at the top of her class. She's an amazing person," explained a tense James. He felt odd leaving her behind with them. They barely knew her.

"When you get to know her in the correct way, you'll see what we see," Evelyn said. "and I only say that because your daughter is stubborn. It takes a while for her to allow you into her heart,"

  No one responded to Evelyn. It hurt them all to see that strangers knew Jenna more than them. Evelyn sensed the tension and handed the gift bag she had at her feet to Lucius.

"I can only assume that your her father. This is for you and her mother. Most of it came from before we met her. However, James and I tried to fill it up for her during her high school years," she smiled proudly as she thought of the gift. It has taken time, and she knew Jenna's parents would be grateful.

  James approached her grandparents and shook everyone's hand with a small smile. Cygnus returned the favor as Abraxas judged the man silently. However, there wasn't much to judge. Evelyn and James could easily fit in with them if they had magic. There wasn't much of a difference between them.

"Thank you," Lucius wrapped an arm around the older woman. "for the gift and taking care of my daughter,"

"It's been a pleasure. I love her with all my heart,"