THE FURIES ▸ Draco Malfoy

Chapter Eleven: IPHIGENIA

"Maybe she can See murderers," Sirius retorted quickly, frowning once he realized that he had let his previous feelings slip through again. Alastiare went to comment, most likely mentioning his own Mark, but he was stopped. "You are not one of them, Alastiare, and through it all...I know you never will be."

The man glanced down as his daughter. "It is not what it once was, Sirius. Things are changing. I fear it will not be much longer before this ends with only one of us standing. Either your Order survives the Dark Lord's reign...or he destroys everything and everyone between him."

"You can still choose, you know. There is still time. The Order could help. You could play both sides and help us to fight him," he rushed out, desperate in his attempts to persuade him. "You have everything you need to convince him of your loyalty need it be―your Occlumency, your Legilimency...we could fight this together, Alastiare. You, me, Celicia, Dumbledore, the Potters..."

Alastiare only smiled sadly at his friend. "There is no more time for me. I have accepted my mistakes, just as I will accept whatever befalls me after this war ends...but Celicia did not choose this. This little one," he glanced down at his daughter, "does not even know the difference between her own hands and feet...that is why I have only one thing to ask of you."

"You speak like you know you are going to die―"

"No," Alastiare dismissed. "But it will happen one day. In this life or another, my daughter will lose her father and we are both familiar with the absence that it leaves. I never want her to feel that. You have been my closest friend through it all, Sirius...I know that we have turned up on opposite sides of this battle, but you always remain by my side in the end. I will make a promise to you―that I will never harm you or anyone you love as long as I fight for the Dark Lord, that I will protect you as fiercely as I can, so long as you promise to protect my daughter in the event I die."

Sirius was enraged, his nose flaring with unspoken emotion as he stared at his friend for simply accepting his own demise and not fighting it―but then there was a gentle tug on his finger, and he realized that the little girl, little Mia, was still gripping onto it with the strength of a Bowtruckle. And he nodded moments after that, their own form of an Unbreakable Vow administered on that cold and dreary February night, the small fingers of Andromeda Erebus binding the two men to a promise they would take to their deaths sixteen years later.

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November 6, 1996

"Today we are going to discuss common misconceptions regarding the Dark Arts, as most of you have been taught various concepts about this malignant sort of magic over the course of your schooling here...not everything you believe is always true. It is important to acknowledge these misconceptions to keep away blinding judgements that could, if ever in the face of them, be the deciding factor of you living or dying."

Lecture days during Defense class were becoming Andromeda's least favorite, especially since the class was so early in the morning. The practical lessons when she could actually use defensive magic were what she was best at, but the days where Snape droned on and on about a particular topic or subject were definitely not her favorite―especially knowing that he would assign a lengthy essay for homework about the day's discussion (where was she meant to find the time for that). No, Mia did not enjoy it at all. Instead, she was doodling in her journal as the boy next to her played with the loose string on her left robe arm. Had it been anyone other that Draco so close to her Mark, she would have yanked away with force. Instead, she barely flinched when he accidentally grazed its location.