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and the stars may shine
but the earth
the flowers and trees and grass
they breathe and live
their very existence into us
⇸ |13| earth and sky
"My brother tells me you come from a pretty important family in the wizarding world."
Narcissa's hands stilled hesitantly from icing the small gingerbread men, which happened to be cookies, their little bodies blackened around the edges from being left in the oven too long.
Margo had assigned them each tasks to do. Narcissa was icing the cookies, Caius was stirring the stew so it didn't burn, and Cathal had been delegated to chopping wood outside -not that he seemed to mind in the slightest. Narcissa could see him now from where she sat at the table, his image blurry from the frost that clung to the window.
"Did he?" Narcissa asked, attempting to keep her voice light as she resumed her decorating of the cookies. She didn't want to talk about her family, to taint the image of this home by thinking about something that could only make her feel horrible. She didn't want any of the Donovan's to think less of her, for what she had been raised in, for what she had been raised to believe.
"He did," Caius pursed his lips, his eyes focused on the ladle he was stirring, "he mentioned something that has me slightly worried."
"Oh?" Narcissa hummed, her heart hammering against her chest. She didn't want this peaceful bubble she had so comfortably wrapped herself within to burst.
"Your family," his words were like knives piercing her skin, despite the lack of hostility in his tone, they threatened to slice away every protection she had managed to cloak around herself, "they don't like people like us, muggles? That's what Cathal said you wizards call humans, but they especially don't like people like Cathal, do they?"
Chewing her lip, Narcissa's hands shook as she added the gumdrops to her latest creation, the candies creating buttons down the body.
"No, they don't."
Honestly, what other choice did she have? She couldn't lie, couldn't pretend that everything was okay. This family had been vulnerable, open with her and now she felt the need to reciprocate that with Caius, no matter how much it scared her.
"What do you believe?"
The question caught Narcissa off guard, her eyes lifting to realize Caius was already looking at her. His gaze was unreadable. Gone was the goofy boy, instead a solemn seriousness encased him, a need for answers.
"I used to agree with them." Chewing her lip, Narcissa saw Caius raise an eyebrow as if to say, used to? "Something happened over the summer, that had me questioning my families beliefs, had me questioning myself," Narcissa closed her eyes briefly, tucking away the pain that always surfaced when she thought of Andromeda, "and then I met your brother."
