''𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚, 𝙨𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙖𝙡𝙡. 𝙄'𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬- 𝙨𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣.'' Loving you was the most exquisite form of self destruction.
- VOLUME I of the HOUSE OF B...
''You know I came here to be with you when you opened that howler.''
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• ── ≪ ✧ ◦《✩》◦✧ ≫ ── •
EVAN DID NOT COME AGAIN IN THE TWO DAYS Estella remained in the infirmary. Despite her minor injuries, Pomfrey had insisted on keeping her there. The broken nose was easy enough to fix with an episkey spell yet... other things had been broken- made not quite whole.
Regulus came by every few hours with the classwork Estella had missed, Bellatrix visited once, Andromeda and Narcissa came with Pandora, Nancy sat by Estella's beside for a good few hours, ever the devoted follower, yet neither James or Sirius set foot in the hospital wing again per Estella's request.
In the two days she'd spent in the infirmary, Estella had plenty of time to ruminate and drown in her thoughts, yet as Nancy had giddily reminded her, the Yule Ball was in three weeks. The news was a welcome distraction and allowed Estella brief reprieve from her own self chastising.
Alongside the many visits she received from the Ten, to her horror, Estella also received mail- or more accurately a howler. She'd left it sitting unopened on her nightstand, yet as her two days in the infirmary drew to a rapid end, she knew she had to face the music sooner or later.
''You know who it's from, don't you?'' Andromeda spoke quietly.
The youngest Black sister had always been so demure, so obedient. Yet Estella knew there was something that burned deep inside her- a buried insolence and boldness that she didn't think Andromeda herself had yet discovered.
''I'm not stupid, Andromeda.'' Estella snapped.
Her gaze shifted to the crimson envelope. With each passing hour it lay there, untouched, it's startling colour seemed to grow more vivid, more explosive.
There was a reason why howlers were never left unopened. The longer you left them the worse the message inside grew, until it no longer waited for you to open it but instead burst open in a fiery mass of shredded paper, covering everything within a ten metre radius in a thick blanket of char.
''Lucius is fuming.'' Andromeda continued. Her eyes were narrowed and her lip worried between her teeth. ''So is Abraxas I hear.''
''So they should be.'' Estella hissed. ''I was never informed of such a match- no less with a Malfoy! What could our house have to gain from them. Their ruined.''
Andromeda jolted out of her chair. ''Hush your mouth sister!'' She whispered harshly. ''It's not public knowledge yet.''
Estella said nothing and merely stared stonily past Andromeda.
