'I'm scared' she said as they approached Malfoy manor
'It's OK I'm right here I'm not going anywhere' Severus told her
As they approached the manner it looked darker than she remembered like it lost all of its light.
'What if he doesn't like me?'
'He's going to love you.' Severus grabbed her hand intertwining their fingers and she gripped onto him. Clung to his hand for dear life as they slowly approached. She pushed open the door and walked inside. She was greeted by faces she did not recognize. Then she saw Nagini. He was huge he slithered around towards her. She bent down reaching out of hand as he approached her.
'Hello old friend' she cooed 'you've grown' she noted as he slowly wrapped around her in between her legs like a figure 8.
When she stood up she reached for Severus again needing the support now that her snake companion was slithering away.
'Lula.' Lucius said smiling over at her. 'This is my son. Draco.' Lula took a step forward releasing severuss hand.
'You look like the lucius I remember but more handsome' lula told draco as he approached. He smiled at her.
'Hello aunt lula. Its nice to finally meet you.' Draco said and lula pulled at her fingers taking a step back.
'Goodness she looked to lucius. Last I remember you were just knocking narcissa up and now you have a son. A young man.' Lula said taking another step back. She couldnt do this. She wanted to run and wanted to wake up. She was dreaming she had to be. This wasnt real. Tears formed in her eyes as she took another step back stumbling into Severus. 'I'm sorry' she said quickly her head snapping around to face him.
'There's nothing to apologize for,' he assured her
'I'm sorry...' she told Lucius, 'I can't do this I don't think I can do this, this is all too much! I don't... my head... my head feels like it's going to explode!' she told them sitting down curling her knees into her chest trying to make herself small.
'I know this is overwhelming' Lucius told his sister trying to comfort her but she pulled away from him.
'Draco why don't you tell your aunt about Hogwarts?' Severus suggested
'Yes tell her about Quidditch and your classes! Tell her how good you are at potions!' lucius prompted. Lula looked up and rested her chin on her curled up knees.
'Well aunt lula... I am a seeker on the Quidditch team for house Slytherin of course.' Draco began.
'Of course' she said smiling at him
'I am hoping to be prefect next year,' he went on
'You know your aunt was a wonderful prefect, she caused all sorts of trouble' severus told him
'Yes... well, I don't know if I would consider her a wonderful prefect,' Lucius teased smiling at his sister. 'But she certainly did have the most fun.' Still crouched down in front of her.
'We had the tri-Wizard tournament last month-' Draco went on but from the looks he was getting from his father he stopped talking.
'Did you compete?' She asked quietly
'no I'm not old enough' he told her
'Old enough?'
'They added a age limit since you last did it' Severus told her
'They actually took away the tri-Wizard tournament all together for years' Lucius added
'Why would they do that? I thought they were lying when they said it was the last one, to sell papers.' Lula told them.
'Because it was dangerous and reckless people got hurt, people died.' Severus reminded her.
'It was also so much fun. A real rush.' She said smiling. 'I competed in my sixth year at Hogwarts I still remember the two people who I beat Cersei Lannister and James Barnes. It was so much fun I became obsessed with dragons afterwards.'
'We had dragons in this tournaments' Draco told her
'You did? Are they letting the children ride them? I always wanted to ride one but I got to do is collect stupid egg.' Lula told him slowly opening up.
'That's what they had to do to' Draco informed her
'Shame' she said softly. 'Severus got me a dragon egg, a glass dragon egg when we were younger for Christmas one year,' lula remember smiling at the memory. Then she looked down to her hand frantic. Her ring. She felt around her neck. The locket.
'That's right,' Lucius said 'the first thing she asked was it real because she wanted to ride it. '
'Where is tom?' Lula questioned.
'This is narcissa.' Lucius went on ignoring the question. 'My wife. You remember narcissa?'
'Is trxi here too?' Lula asked
'Shes coming. She has missed you' narcissa told her.
'Goodness look at your hair' lula said still on the ground still curled up. 'Is that what happened when you marry into the family?' lula joked. 'A stripe of your hair turns white like ours until your whole head is...'she laughed softly closing her eyes and tucking her face back down. Severus knelt beside her rubbing her back.
'Tell your aunt the other challenges Draco,' Severus told him.
'They had to swim with the merpeople in the black lake, and a maze which lead to the cup.' Draco told her.
'Swimming with the merpeople.' Lula said softly, 'that must have been quite the adventure.'
'I heard you played quidditch' draco went on. 'That you were a chaser.'
'Thats right' lula said not lifting her head. Finding comfort in severuss touch.
'Lu?'
'Trouble?' She lifted her head at the sound of her friends running in.
'Its me. Its bellatrix' she said inching closer
'Theodore nott pleased to make your acquaintance again after 14 fucking years!' He screamed with a smile on his face. She looked between them panicked before she smiled.
'Trixi! theo!' She exclaimed jumping up they still looked like themselves just a bit aged.
'The worlds all screwed up without you!' trixi told her
'Thats right up is down and down is left!' theo confirmed.
'Now that everyone is here i think its best we fill lula in properly.' Lucius said offering her a hand but she clung to trixi and theo. Lucius was hurt that she was finding comfort in everyone but him. When for years all he wanted was his sister back and now that she was she couldnt look at him. 'Lula,' lucius said softly as everyone entered the dining room with its long table filling the whole room it could fit 2 dozen people comfortably.
'Im sorry luci. Im sorry'. Lula said hugging him.
'Im sorry i couldnt get you back soon lula' he said crying into her.
'Ive missed so much. Havent i?' lula sobbed into him.
'You have so much more life to live lula. Dont worry. You will see everything else. I will drag you to every quidditch game and every show every restaurant until youre sick of me and then a few more to make up for lost time.' Lucius told her.
'I would like that luci.' She said kissing his cheek.
'Come on, vol- tom wants to see you...' lula expected him to bring her to the dining room but he brought her to the balcony. 'Ill just be right inside,' he told her kissing her cheek before closing the door.
'Tom?' She asked softly and he turned to her. She took a step back.
'Im hideous i know,' he said turning his back to her.
'Tom. What happened?' She took careful steps forward until she was next to him. He looked down at her. Same eyes she knew and loved looked down at her. But she didn't recognize him. She didn't recognize the man she loved. The man she was going to marry. She brought a gentle hand up to his cheek. He closed his eyes at her touch. He missed holding her. She let her hand drop down to her side as she looked out over the yard. Heavy breaths filling her lungs.
'I have missed you.' He said after a heavy silence consumed them. 'I have done many things. All for the sake of getting you back.' Tom told her. 'I even died trying to bring you back.'
'You died?'
'I used your ring and necklace the diadem, nagini and a few other things to hold my soul. Your body, the gifts i gave you held pieces of me while i was regaining the strength to come back.' She looked down at her ring and her fingers moved to her necklace the locket. 'Everything i did. I did for you. To get you back. But only when i took the power that was taken from me. The potter boy.'
'Potter?'
'James and lily potter'
'I knew them,' she said more to herself. 'James was a shit that bullied severus'
'Thats right. Him and his friends poisoned you. Put that awful curse on you. ' Tom informed her.
'Why?'
'Dombeldore told them too' Tom told her.
'Why?' She asked again
'Because he was scared of your potential,' tom informed her. She hadnt even noticed that he was holding her hands until he brought her finger up to his mouth and kissed them. 'I have missed you so much.' He told her
'How did i wake up. How did you break the curse?' Lula questioned.
'When i got my body back you woke up. It was as if you felt me in the world again... mostly whole.' he gestured to his nose '-and needed to be with me.' Tom told her.
'James son?'
'Hes alive. For now.' Tom told her.
'Tom-' but he kissed her pulling her close wrapping his arms around her. She closed her eyes. It felt like her tom. Tasted like her tom but when she opened her eyes...
'I know' he said taking a step back. 'Im not as pretty as i once was.' He noted but she grabbed his hand keeping him with her.
'Lets figure this out together,' she told him and he nodded kissing her again. Her body was stiff but her lips were loose trying to find a sense or normal.