The dinner party was kinda awkward in Mirabel's opinion and her heart was beating so loudly in her chest she's sure Delores can hear it. Speaking of Delores she was clutching her wine glass tightly and nervously.
Mirabel was nervous too. She remembers how she erased Draco's memories of what she said about her family. What if he remembered? Or worse? What if he tells them what happened to her last year?
"I thank you for inviting us Ms Madrigal your home is just lovely," Narcissa complements Alma who smiles. "It is my pleasure, I am so happy you started sending me those letters Mirabel has talked about your hijo before and we have been wanting to meet one of her friends," Alma explains.
Draco was sitting to Mirabel on her left while her papa sat on her right. Speaking of her Papa he was acting really weird, all nervous and smiling oddly. She looks at him with a raised eyebrow, but then Draco got her attention. She's not really sure what to do about Draco. She avoided him after her outburst in the last week of school, she couldn't face him after what she had done to him. She hurt him badly, she nearly killed him because she couldn't handle her stupid emotions. She had to ignore it though, her family can't know anything.
"So you hate the colour green?" Narcissa asks and Alma nodded. "I hope you took no offence to it, but the colour green. Especially on our beautiful Mirabel, is not allowed," Alma said. Narcissa gives a strained look hearing that. Mirabel's not surprised she's never seen Draco without wearing something green.
"Mirabel why don't you have a glowing door? Also why are those doors glowing?" Draco asks leaning his chair back to look at the doors above. Mirabel puts on a smile and starts explaining. She hopes he doesn't find it familiar. "Well when a Madrigal child reaches the age of five we receive a gift, magic, everyone in the family have their own special power," Mirabel explains. Narcissa looks at her and said. "Really? How amazing," she comments thoughtfully. "It came from my dear departed Pedro and everyday our familia honours him by using our gifts to serve and protect," Abuela explains fondly.
"What are all the gifts?" Draco asks. "Well my mama can heal with her food, my Tia Pepa can control the weather with her emotions, you've met my sisters, Isa can control plant life, Luisa is very strong," As Mirabel mentions Luisa the strong girl starts sobbing quietly. Narcissa and Draco look at her oddly and Mirabel quickly gets their attention again. "My Primo Camilo can shape shift into anyone, Delores can hear a pin drop, and Antonio just got his gift which is talking to animals," Mirabel explains.
Antonio smiles and proudly held up a rat. "The rats are really dramatic," he said. Seeing the rat Abuela scolds him. "Antonio! Didn't I tell you to keep the animals in your room?" She asks and the boy deflates letting the animals scamper off. "Sorry about him he's still getting used to his gift," Abuela explains. Narcissa nodded a little put off by the rodents before she turns to Alma. "And what's your gift?" She asks.
This puts everyone off. No one has ever asked Alma that, that was a question they got asked often, but no one asked it to Alma. She's the leader, the matriarch.
Alma clears her throat at the unexpected question. "Well I am the candle holder, I'm in charge of protecting the miracle," she said. "So you're useless?" Draco asks bluntly. Mirabel couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her mouth and Isabela snickers. "Draco! I'm sorry Ms Madrigal," Narcissa apologises. Draco doesn't look apologetic. He turns to Mirabel and asks. "Where's your door?" He asks. "I don't have one. Because I'm a witch I already had magic so I didn't get a gift," Mirabel explains. "Really? I would have thought it was being motherly or something," Draco comments. "What makes you say that?" Julieta asks.
"Well she basically adopts all the brats in the year under us. They follow her around like ducklings and she helps teach them magic. She's like a mother to most of them if you ask me," Draco said. "Draco tells me about it all the time. Everyone adores Mirabel she's the most popular girl there. The boys practically fall at her feet," Narcissa said with a small giggle.
Alma looks at Mirabel and smiles approvingly. Mirabel feels pride in that small nod, so much that she doesn't see the concerned look Julieta sends her.
"Mirabel can you pass the cream please," Alma asks taking a sip of wine. Mirabel looks across from her and went to grab the cream when she saw Delores whispering to Camilo. He suddenly gasps and rapidly shifts into Mirabel, Bruno, and then himself with his face all messed up. Narcissa and Draco look at him confused and Felix quickly scolds him to fix his face and he does shaking it and looking at his prima is shock. Mirabel's confused, but she just assumes the worst instantly.
Draco ignores this and looks at Mirabel again. "How are you feeling after last year? I wanted to say sorry for scaring you. You were dealing with a lot," he said. "Dealing with what?" Alma asks confused.
Mirabel glances back at Camilo and saw him whispering into Isabela's ear. Her eyes go wide and cactus flowers appear in her hair, but no one pays this any attention as Isabela looks at Mirabel in shock. Her jaw was dropped and looking under her feet Mirabel saw moss growing.
"Exams, I always get overworked because I help everyone prepare for them," Mirabel explains quickly and it was not a lie.
Felix spat out his water while Isabela was leaning over to whisper to him. Narcissa makes a face and looks disgusted. "Umm sorry just helping with exams sounds hard," he coughs. Mirabel looks below and heard cracking and saw cracks forming from under her. Her eyes widened and her breathing picks up. She bends down to get a closer look. "Mirabel are you okay?" Draco asks. She bangs her head on the counter rubbing it and she looks at him. "Yep I'm fine," she assures.
Narcissa was talking with Alma and Julieta while Felix whispered something into Pepa's ear. "Really? Because," he began. "Anyway did you get the prefect reports yet? Gryffindor is a little behind, but I hear the other houses have been announced," Mirabel said.
Draco nodded smiling. "Yep! Guess who's a prefect for Slytherin," he said. "Crab?" She asks. He looks annoyed until he saw her joking face. Playing along he says. "No," "Goyle?" "No," Mirabel pretends to look astonished. "Snape didn't choose himself did he?" "Why would he choose himself?" Draco asks. "You know he'd take any chance to have a reason to give out detentions and as a prefect he doesn't need to many reasons now does he?" Mirabel said. Draco nods in agreement before smirking. "I'm the prefect of Slytherin," he announces. Mirabel smiles and says. "That's great Draco! I better be careful shouldn't I?" Mirabel asks. "Well your obviously going to be a prefect too so it's mainly everyone else who should be careful," He says. Mirabel's smile twitches as a cloud thunders and they look up seeing Pepa was staring at Mirabel with a shocked expression. Narcissa was looking up at the cloud in confusion and apprehension. "It's not going to rain is it?" She asks.
"Pepa the cloud," Alma said and Pepa tries to calm down, but she's thundering meaning she's angry, but her face conveys pure shock. Mirabel looks away and turns to her papa. For some reason he was wrestling with some coaties over something in his pockets and... wait are those the vision shards?
Mirabel hears her mama gasp and look at her with Pepa whispering in her ear. "So Draco? How did you meet Mirabel?" Alma asks not realizing the tension from the family. "She helped me with making a strength potion and we've been friends since even though she spends time with that annoying Potter," Draco explains.
Suddenly Luisa jumps up from her chair and was grabbed Mirabel's shoulders. "You can make a strength potion?! Give me! Make me one now!" She demands began shaking Mirabel insistently. "Luisa!" Alma yells outraged. Luisa got down on her knees and pulled Mirabel's arm desperately. "Please!" She begs.
She ripped Mirabel's sleeve and before she could stop it her arm marks were revealed in front of everyone.
The family was quiet looking at them before Narcissa asks. "Oh I was hoping if I could see those, Draco said you got them after you nearly died fighting Petigrew and crouch junior. Is it true he put you under the torture curse?" She asks.
All hell broke loose at those words. Pepa storms uncontrollably, Luisa was on the ground crying and begging, cracks were now visibly going up the walls, Mirabel was panicking trying to keep the obscure from getting out, Antonio was hiding under the table fearfully as his birds flew around the room in a panic, and the gifts were going haywire. Delores was clutching her ears, Camilo was shifting erratically without control, Pepa couldn't get the storm under control, Augustine grabbed Mirabel's arm and inspects the marks with a unreadable expression, and from the cracks Isa's plants sprung up and punched Draco in the nose.
"Draco my baby!" Narcissa exclaims fearfully as he held the bleeding nose. "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" Narcissa screeches and that's when Delores shouts out. "MIRABEL FOUND BRUNO'S VISION SHE'S IN IT AND SHE'S DYING AND SHE'S ALSO BEEN TALKING TO BRUNO USING LETTERS, AND SHE'S BEEN HIDING HER MARKINGS ALL YEAR AFTER SHE NEARLY DIED AND NOW WE'RE ALL DOOMED!" She blurts out.
Everyone stares at Delores and as this was revealed the coatis put the vision in front of Antonio on the table. "No!" Mirabel yells trying to grab it, but instead she sent it to the front of the table for Alma to see and Narcissa peers at it too with Draco. Alma looks at it in horror. Her darling neita surrounded by a cracked Casita and was clearly in pain. She looks up at Mirabel with a shocked expression. More cracks appeared behind Mirabel and up to the roof as it started raining badly and soaking them all.
At this moment Lupin enter the kitchen saying. "Excuse me Julieta can I?" Then he saw the state of room and without a word he turned around muttering. "I'll leave this to the family," he said and exits.
Narcissa coughs and stands up. "Family drama is always very hard to deal with. I'll be taking Draco home now," Narcissa said with Draco still holding his nose in pain. "Let Julieta," Alma began. "You've done enough," Narcissa says and as she leaves she looks at Mirabel. "None of this is your fault dear your always welcomed at Malfoy Manor if things don't go well here," she says and walks out with her Draco who was holding his likely broken nose.
Everyone looks at them leaving then at Mirabel. "Children leave," Alma said. "But," Isabela began. "OUT NOW! Alma yells and all the grandchildren run out in varying states of glitching gifts. Delores ran to her room, Camilo runs to his room where he found the twins hanging out having overheard downstairs, Antonio had already run out, and Isabela ran after a sobbing Luisa. If she couldn't help one sister she could at least help the other.
Mirabel tries running too, but was grabbed by her mama and Tia Pepa and dragged back to the kitchen.
Felix was running around and for once he didn't know what to do. He didn't know if he should run after Camilo, check on Delores, calm Pepa, or figure out where Antonio had left too. He didn't go to his room and was probably hiding now.
Mirabel tried getting away, but Pepa pushes her into a chair and yells. "WHERE IS BRUNO!?" She thunders. How did they find out about her talking to Bruno? "What happened to your arms? How long have you been hiding them!?" Pepa also asks. Mirabel cowers under the yelling from her Tia. She looks at her mama who had her back to her and was leaning on a stool.
"Mama?" She asks. Pepa looks and her cloud quiets seeing Her sister like that. "Julie?" She asks. "What else are you hiding from us?" Julieta asks quietly. "Mama I," Mirabel tries to explain. "NO!" Julieta turns around angry and vicious eyes and Mirabel's scared. "You hid Bruno! You lied! You lied about your school! You lied about everything! You lied about what you are! You lied about the cracks! WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU BEEN LYING TO US ABOUT!?" She screams at Mirabel. Mirabel had never heard her mama scream before, it was terrifying.
Quickly Pepa got between the two of them putting herself in front of Mirabel with her hands up. "Julieta calm down!" Pepa shouts at her sister. "No! I always have to be the calm one! I AM NOT BEING CALM RIGHT NOW! MY HIJA HAS BEEN TORTURED AND IS..... is," Julieta's screams fade off as she finally remembers what Delores also told them and turns to Mirabel. "Mirabel are you dying?" She asks.
Mirabel knew the effects. She knew the thing was slowly going to kill her. She doesn't look at Julieta and stays silent which was enough of a answer for her. Julieta looks aghast. "But my food it," Mirabel shakes her head. Julieta and Pepa shared a look of complete disrepair.
Alma and Augustine enter back into the kitchen and quickly Augustine ran to Julieta. "Amore please," Augustine pleads with her. "Mirabel how could you let this happen?" Alma asks her neita who was now crying. "I didn't! I," she tries explaining herself. Everyone started talking to her at once.
"Where's Bruno!"
"How long have you been talking to him?"
"Where are the cracks coming from!?"
"What's wrong with you?"
"How do we fix this!"
"STOP!"
Mirabel screams and the black mist escapes her. Casita was quick and covered all the adults with glass it created and it protected them all. Mirabel was on the ground convulsing as the thing swirls around her. Alma gasps and started praying rapidly while all the grownups are in shock and horror. The black mist bangs against the glass trying to get through it trying to hurt them. Mirabel pulls it back trying to stop it. It turns on her and she screams in pain cracking the tiles under her as the adults watch in horror and concern. Eventually Mirabel got the thing back inside her and under control. She hefts herself up and looks at the adults. Who looked at her in horror.
Alma than whispers something that absolutely crushes her youngest neita. "Demon,"
Mirabel's eyes widening in her own horror and tears blurting her vision at her secret being revealed she ran away. She needed to go, she needed to leave! She was just hurting them she had always been hurting them and it was all her fault! She needs to go, she needs to leave!