The Slytherin Gem

49

The following day Jade went back to her house. Her parents weren't there. She went straight to her room, where she found about ten letters from Draco and the Malfoy's owl waiting by the window.

She went straight to the beautiful black owl and took the letter from him. She was going to open it when a house-elf knocked on her door and told her that Raven was back.

Jade fed the owl, which flew away, and then went down to the living room, where she saw her mother and her sister-in-law with her mother.

"Jade, it's good to see you," Raven told her. "I've owled Amberie thanking her for her help and hospitality in these harsh times for us. I think it was good you went with her and her family for a bit."

"Yeah, it was very kind of Mrs. Perseus," Jade said politely. "Uh... is it okay if I ask about Lex...?"

"We are waiting to hear his sentence. He might get less than the others as this was his first time there and he is so young. Your father is trying to do everything he can to try to fix it."

"I don't know what to say," Jade admitted. She was upset at her family's choices but she loved Lexion more than her parents, he was always sort of like her hero. So it was extremely painful for her. "I wish I could see him."

"You can go to his trial before you go to Hogwarts. Jade, as you may assume, this is hard for the family. People know and we've lost some friends. And we're all being investigated. Your father, Olisca, Odette, even you."

"Me?"

"Well, yeah. That's why we've decided that you will be away from all of this until you are at least seventeen, possibly even more. I don't know how long Lexion will be in Azkaban and I don't want both my children to be locked up. So, if you get interrogated, say you had no knowledge of it, that he is a good guy and you know he wouldn't do something like that so he might have been influenced or blackmailed to join, and that you were in school when it all happened. You know?"

"Well, that's the truth, I was in school and I didn't know anything about it," Jade told her mother. "Wait... what do you mean you've decided that I'll be away from that until I'm seventen?"

"Well, it's a long story but the Dark Lord is getting stronger and he needs more followers, we were hoping for you to join this year, maybe in a couple of weeks or maybe at the end of the year... You'll be very valuable with your skills and cleverness but I think it's better for you to finish school, maybe get a job and then join. If I lose both my children, then what are the odds of our family to be great? To even continue? It's very probable that once you're in, you'll die there."

"Oh," Jade said shocked.

She wasn't joining Voldemort which was good, but it wasn't because her mother cared and worried about her it was because of the lineage, the status, continueing the family.

"I know it must be disappointing but it's better that way," Raven said. "I was thinking, Jade... Since your father decided to do your wedding earlier, you could maybe try having a kid and if it's a boy you can then join... that way we have the next generation and..."

"But that kid would be a Perseus not a Lias..." Jade said quickly, feeling sick at what she was listening.

"It's just a thought so you could join us... but I understand it must be scary to think about children at your age. And you're right, it would be a Perseus. Uh, anyway, how was your week with Cass and his family?"

Jade was forced to have brunch with the three women, who were more concerned about getting followers for Voldemort and making sure the Lias family didn't die than what really mattered, like the fact that a young man was in Azkaban when he should be out, enjoying his life. Like Cass was, like other people his age were doing.