The Disgraced of the House of Black - A Multi-Character Fanfiction - Part Two

241. Ice

The moment Althea stepped onto the platform and spotted her mother waiting for her, she rushed forward, wrapping her arms around her tightly. She felt tears spring to her eyes as she held on tightly.

"It's good to see you, Althea," Eliana said softly, a smile crossing her face.

As she pulled away, Eliana was surprised to see the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked anxiously.

"Nothing," Althea whispered, shaking her head slightly as she wiped away her tears. "I'm just happy to see you."

Eliana had a worried look but said nothing as they turned, following the large group of Weasleys that had come for Harry, Ron, and Ginny.

"What's the plan for break?" Althea asked.

"Remus is still working, so it'll just be us," Eliana replied. "But Molly did offer to house us at the Burrow so we can all be together. Whatever you'd like to do, Althea."

"Let's just go home for now," Althea replied.

.

"Yeah, well, passing over Fred's left buttock-" Harry was saying as Althea entered the kitchen with the twins.

"I beg your pardon?" Fred said with an amused, yet admittedly confused smile. "Aaaah, George, look at this. They're using knives and everything. Bless them."

"I'll be seventeen in two and a bit month's time," Ron said bitterly, continuing to peel the large pile of sprouts he and Harry were getting through.

"Harry, can I talk to you for a minute?" Althea interrupted.

Nodding, he set aside his knife, wiped off his hands, and followed her into the other room, the sound of Fred and George teasing Ron about Lavender echoing in their ears.

"What's up?" Harry asked.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Althea asked, "Harry, did you talk to Neville at all before we left?"

"Not really. Why?" Harry asked, his brows furrowed.

"Nothing," she said quickly, letting out a long sigh. "It's a long story. I'm going to go see if Mrs Weasley needs any help with anything."

But just as these words left her mouth, Mrs Weasley herself appeared, slipping into the kitchen just in time to see Ron hurl a knife at Fred. With a lazy flick of his wand, he transfigured it into a paper airplane.

"Ron!" she shouted. "Don't let me ever see you throwing knives again!"

"I won't," Ron said before adding under his breath, "let you see."

"Fred, George, I'm sorry, dears, but Remus and Eliana are arriving tonight, so Bill will have to squeeze in with you two. Althea, dear, you'll have to share with your parents since Fleur will be staying with Sadie and Ginny."

"That'll make Ginny and Sadie's Christmas," Fred muttered.

"Everyone should be comfortable," Mrs Weasley said. "Well, they'll have a bed, anyway."

"Percy definitely not showing his ugly face, then?" Fred asked.

"No, he's busy, I expect, at the Ministry," Mrs Weasley replied, turning away to leave again.

"Or he's the world's biggest prat," Fred muttered as Mrs Weasley left the room. "One of the two. Well, let's get going, then, George."

"What are you two up to?" Ron asked as Althea left the room.

.

"This is an outrage!" Sadie snapped, rounding on Kingsley, ignoring the many curious eyes of the aurors through the window of his office. "Kingsley, I-"

"This is not a question of your skills, Sadie!" Kingsley shouted. "The fact of the matter is-"

"You don't care enough to let me-" she began.

"Sadie-" Kingsley tried.

"I have worked here for nearly-"

"Sadie-" Kingsley tried again.

"And yet here you are, acting like I-"

"SADIE!" he roared.

Finally, she fell silent, her chest heaving as her lips pursed.

"We do not have the resources to protect you and continue our fight against You-Know-Who," Kingsley said heavily.

"I do not need-" Sadie began angrily.

"YES YOU DO!" Kingsley roared. "Lyra Malfoy has attempted to take your life three times now and yet you continue to try and sneak off on unapproved missions. You are endangering everyone here!"

"Kingsley, I-" Sadie began quietly before breaking off.

With a faint sigh, Sadie turned and quit the room, ignoring the many looks of those around her.

.

"How can you have made so little progress!" Lyra snarled, glaring at her little brother with flaming eyes.

"I've been trying, I just-" Draco began feebly.

"I TOLD you how to fix it and you just-"

"IT DIDN'T WORK!" Draco shouted, his anger rising up within him like wildfire. "I have been trying with increasing desperation to fix the stupid vanishing cabinet and all you have to say is that I need to try harder? I KNOW! I know the cost, I know the punishment, I don't need you to show up for the first time in my life to do nothing but lecture and ridicule me!"

Lyra stared at him, her eyes blazing with icy fire before her hand flew, backhanding him across the face. Draco cried out, falling into the back of a chair, his cheek stinging and already turning bright red.

Grabbing hold of him by the throat, Lyra hissed, "One of these days you will learn respect, little brother. Just hope that lesson won't come from me."

Draco's already unnaturally pale face had begun to turn slightly purple before she let go, sending him gasping and coughing for breath on the floor. He couldn't remember ever hating someone as much as he hated her in that moment.

He could hear the sound of her heels clicking as she stormed away, the door closing behind her with a slam.

"Are you all right?" a hoarse voice asked.

Draco looked up to see Ellis Lestrange. He looked worse than Draco had ever seen him.

"Fine," Draco snapped, forcing himself to his feet. Glaring after where she had disappeared, he asked, "How do you stomach her?"

"I don't," Ellis admitted, his voice cracking slightly. "Or your aunt."

Realizing what he had just said, Ellis' eyes grew wide as he quickly looked over at Draco.

"I won't say a word," Draco muttered.