Celestia was suddenly jolted awake by the sound of locks fluttering outside her room. Startled, she sat up in bed, her heart pounding in her chest. Glancing at the clock, she noted that it was past three in the morning. With a sense of unease settling over her, Celestia grabbed her wand as she moved cautiously toward the doorway. However, before she could react, the door flew open, revealing Mrs. Blanchard standing on the other side. Celestia couldn't fathom why the woman was there at such an hour.
"What are you doing here?" Celestia demanded, her voice laced with irritation as she cautiously raised her wand.
Mrs. Blanchard's expression was grave as she looked at Celestia's raised wand. "If you want to know the truth, you'll have to come with me," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Confusion clouded Celestia's mind, but her curiosity got the better of her. With a wary nod, she followed Mrs. Blanchard as they made their way through the dimly lit corridors of Blanchard Manor.
The silence of the night seemed to weigh heavily upon them as they ascended the staircase, their footsteps echoing in the empty halls.
As they reached the West tower, Celestia guessed that Mrs. Blanchard was leading her towards the sick woman, Seraphina. She couldn't understand why her mother hadn't allowed her to visit.
Stopping before a heavy wooden door on the second floor, Mrs. Blanchard produced a key and unlocked the door, removing the thick chain that secured it. With a creak, the door swung open, revealing a small, sparsely furnished room. Inside, there was a single bed, a wardrobe, and three chairs. The walls were plain and bare, illuminated dimly by the moonlight filtering through a small window with bars on it.
But it was the figure lying on the bed that caught Celestia's attention. A woman with red hair and pale, smooth skin lay there, her form wracked with pain. As soon as she saw Celestia, she attempted to sit up from the bed, but her efforts were in vain. Her face and body were covered with big red boils, and she looked to be in agony.
Mrs. Blanchard lit the candles, casting a flickering light across the room. Celestia's gaze was drawn to the sick woman on the bed.
"Who is she?" Celestia asked, her voice barely a whisper as she took in the sight before her.
Mrs. Blanchard's gaze hardened as she looked at the woman on the bed. "This is Seraphina," she said quietly. "Your aunt."
Celestia's eyes widened in shock as she realized the truth. This was the woman she had heard from Abraxas, the woman who had been hidden away in Blanchard Manor for so long. But nothing could have prepared her for the sight of her aunt, lying there in such a state of suffering.
"What happened to her?" Celestia asked, her voice filled with concern.
Mrs. Blanchard sighed heavily. "She's been ill for a long time," she said, her voice wasn't tinged with sadness, she almost sounded pleased, "she won't survive for long."
As Celestia looked at her aunt, she felt a surge of emotions wash over her. Here was a woman who had been cast aside and forgotten, hidden away from the world by her own family. And yet, despite her suffering, there was a flicker of defiance in Seraphina's eyes, a spark of resilience that refused to be extinguished.
Gathering her courage, Celestia stepped forward, reaching out to take Seraphina's hand in her own. But Mrs. Blanchard slapped her hand away abruptly, warning, "Don't touch her. She may be contagious."
The sick woman tried to speak, but no words came out. Celestia stood there awkwardly, debating whether to leave or not.
"You are beautiful," the woman said suddenly, her voice clear but weak.
Celestia faked a smile. "Thanks."
"Thank Lucius for giving you a name," the woman continued.
"Alright?" Celestia said, confused. Why should she thank her father?
"Thanks for coming," the woman said after a few moments of silence. "He provided me with your pictures once a year, but they didn't do justice to your beauty." After a while Seraphina continued, "You take after your father's side," the woman said, frowning. "You look so much like Bellatrix, my friend Bellatrix. Where is she?"
"In Azkaban?" Celestia answered, confused. Thinking back at the time when Sirius commented the same.
"In Azkaban?" The woman repeated to herself, her eyes glistening with tears. "Everything changed."
"Yeah," Celestia said, trying to deflect the conversation. Mrs. Blanchard offered her a chair, but Celestia shook her head, she had no plans on staying for long.
The sick woman began rummaging through her sheets and pulled out a ring from beneath a pillow, placing it on the edge of the bed. "Take it," she said to Celestia.
Mrs. Blanchard tried to snatch it, but Celestia pushed her hand away and quickly grasped the ring. Shooting a glare at the short lanky witch, she examined it closely, noting it's expensive look.
"It looks expensive," Celestia said, staring at the sick woman in confusion. Celestia sat on the nearest chair.
"Your dad proposed to me with this ring," Seraphina said slowly, she was staring at the ceiling "I kept it with me all these years in hopes of passing it to you."
Celestia raised her eyebrows. "My dad? Your brother proposed to you marriage? You guys...?" She made a disgusted face, trailing off.
Mrs Blanchard laughed softly.
"No!" Seraphina said, coughing. Her voice is weak, Celestia had to lean closer to listen, "I'm your mother. Your dad proposed to me with this ring — I recognised it to be goblin made, I suspected him but there was a misunderstanding — He abandoned me. I gave birth to you — but he didn't believe me. Lucius and Narcissa took you in as their own — I am thankful, I tried to make it right, went to regulus but he was missing. He called for me but I didn't go —" Seraphina was crying now, her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, "It was my fault, I knew he was after something, he talked about a cave — but I don't know maybe I imagined everything — I went to look for him but there was no cave, nothing was there, the elf told to leave and I was caught by Walburga, she handed me to my father and here I came — this is my mother's house, she was killed — so naive —"
"What are you talking about?" Celestia exclaimed, standing up abruptly. "I don't know what you're trying to pull here, but it won't work. I have a twin brother, for Merlin's sake, I can't be your daughter. You are imagining shit"
"A twin brother who looks nothing like you?" Seraphina questioned, her face softening. Her eyes are still on the ceiling, "Draco, my nephew, was born on 5th June. You, my dear, I gave birth to you on 19th May. Same year. My father took you from me, locked me here, and made Lucius register you as Draco's twin."
Celestia stood up abruptly, fed up with the nonsense. "I don't know what you're talking about. I am leaving," she said, dropping the ring on the edge of the bed.
"Take it with you," Seraphina said pleadingly, "Amelia will steal it now anyway. I want you to keep it."
Mrs Blanchard let out a roar, but didn't say anything further, Celestia took the ring and was about to turn to leave when, "don't look for him" Seraphina said, causing Celestia to freeze on the spot.
"What?"
"Don't look for your father," said Seraphina weakly, "he will only disappoint you, live your life as Draco's twin at fullest... And don't risk loving someone who won't offer you a future, I wish you happiness and success"
Without another word, Celestia left, she didn't know what to reply, clutching the ring tightly in her fist, She could hear Mrs. Blanchard calling Seraphina insulting names, telling her to die in silence, but Celestia couldn't bring herself to defend the sick woman. She ran back toward the guest room and locked herself in.
The next morning, Celestia awoke to the dim light filtering through the curtains, casting a somber atmosphere over the room. As she stirred from her sleep, the events of the previous night flooded back to her, and she couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered in the air.
As she rose from her bed and began to prepare for the day ahead, there was a knock at the door. Celestia's heart skipped a beat, wondering who could be visiting at such an early hour. With a sense of trepidation, she approached the door and opened it to reveal Narcissa standing in the hallway, dressed in black robes.
"Good morning, Celestia," Narcissa said softly, her voice tinged with sadness. "I'm afraid I have some news to share with you."
Celestia's stomach churned with apprehension as she listened to Narcissa's words. She couldn't help but feel a sense of dread creeping over her, fearing what news she was about to receive.
"I'm sorry to inform you that Seraphina, your aunt, passed away last night," Narcissa continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "She succumbed to her illness, and there was nothing more that could be done."
Celestia's heart sank at the news, a wave of sadness washing over her as she processed the information. She was alive last night, she talked and they had a conversation, how can she be dead so suddenly? Despite the strained relationship she had with Seraphina, she couldn't help but feel a pang of grief at the thought of her aunt's passing. Was she telling the truth? Or she was imagining things?
Celestia nodded silently, her mind swirling with conflicting emotions. She knew that Seraphina's death would have far-reaching consequences for the family, she could still hear seraphina's warning echoing in her mind.
As she followed Narcissa out of the room, Celestia couldn't help but wonder what would become of Blanchard Manor now that Seraphina was gone. Would the secrets hidden within its walls finally come to light, or would they remain buried forever?