✔️OBSIDIAN HEART (Draco Malfoy) BOOK 1 |WATTYS 2021 SHORTLIST

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•Hogwarts, Library,•

Lavinia pawed easily through a thick volume, surrounded in a caking of dust as she sat across from Hermione. The two of them had taken the opportunity -- while Draco, Ron (and therefore Harry) were at Quidditch Practice. It didn't matter that Harry had a life ban from actually playing, he was using his newfound position in the bleachers to help train Ron from the bench. Allegedly, Ginny was set to be the new Gryffindor Seeker but it wasn't a topic Lavinia paid much mind to.

Scanning her eyes over a page of ancient runes-- she found her muscles tensing at one particular Rune, one she had seen only once before-- and most certainly not in a textbook. A sideways slanted half-moon. The one time Lavinia had seen it, it had a sun in its shadow but it was undoubtedly the same one and she trailed her eyes over the Latin words beside it, gobbling them up eagerly. Lavinia did not realise Hermione was staring at her until she sighed and leant back in her seat.

"You can read Latin?" Hermione questioned and Lavinia froze for a second before turning her eyes to the girl. She could but it did not seem to be a particularly common trait and so she shrugged slightly.

"Some of it, not very much," she explained, an outright lie but there was no use mentioning it. For three months when she was six, her Ravenclaw mother would only speak to her in Latin. There continued to be the same trend with every language Lavinia learned. Hermione seemed highly contemplative before standing in a flourish and heading away--presumably to retrieve a book. Lavinia just turned her eyes back to the rune. Allegedly, it meant 'Strength' though more than that... Lavinia remembered a lesson she'd spent on Runes with Rowena.

It was the symbol for the Muggle-born saint, Elentiya. She carried half-moon banners as symbolism. The waxing, full and waning moons referred to the maiden, mother and crone-- Elentiya had considered herself to be a warrior, none of the three categories of a witch. And thus, she flew beneath the half-moon banner. But what had that to do with the sun? Lavinia's head was positively splitting with thoughts and opinions, ideas.

The Daughter of Hogwarts traced the symbol easily onto a slither of parchment. It would make sense to have Elentiya's symbol carved beneath where her head would rest-- though Lavinia did not remember it from the night she had been laid to rest, she had been understandably distracted. But what did that have to do with the sun? Lavinia had been modelled in the image of Elentiya, the witch warrior, or so her parents had told her though her hair had always seemed to be symbolic of Helga, nearly the exact same shade.

"I've been thinking-" Hermione started, dropping a heavy book on top of the pile of parchment they'd collated. Dust kicked up and Lavinia waved her hand in the air to dispel it. The book had to be even older than the one Lavinia poured over, and likely, hadn't been touched in an impressively long time, if the dust was anything to go by. Hermione's jaw was set and expression contemplative-- as though she had just been partial to a startling revelation and was still reeling from the shock. What was this about? Lavinia was understandably cautious, especially considering Hermione's mind-- always carefully closed-- was bursting to be let free. What was she thinking of?

"What have you been thinking?" Lavinia frowned when Hermione stopped talking, instead choosing to paw through the pages of the unmarked book. This couldn't possibly end well. Lavinia had a sense that something bad was about to happen but no matter how hard she tried, her brain couldn't summon what darkness could possibly attack them in the unusually calm Library.

"I've been thinking about what Professor Binns said, in a History of Magic, about the Founders all having an heir, somebody who they told of their magical experiments, who they trained," Hermione started and Lavinia was forced to use every ounce of energy within her to stop herself from outwardly expressing a reaction, Hermione was glancing at her as though expecting one. "And then I remembered this book I read in year one when I was looking for information on Nicholas Flammel," this continued to get worse and worse. "This is a diary of a student called Claria George," Lavinia couldn't recall ever hearing that name.