With Love, || N.B.

𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒚-𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒆

"You shouldn't have done that!" she shouted, her voice thick with emotion. "I told you that in confidence! You deliberately went behind my back!"

__________

"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" Nora shouted. She slammed the copy of The Daily Prophet she held down onto the table, fuming. "IT'S ALWAYS RITA!"

Printed on the crumpled cover page was a moving picture of Eleonora and Narcissa, hand-in-hand as they walked through Paddington Station. Below was the bold caption that read:

THE MALFOYS MAKING A SCANDAL

It is now apparent that Lucius Malfoy's claim of his wife's absence was not, in fact, due to a family member's ill health, but rather for a muggle-born affair with none other than the ministry's Deputy Head Auror, Eleonora Murphy. The couple were spotted at Paddington Station holding hands and smiling as they boarded a train (no doubt for a romantic weekend getaway together).

However, Narcissa Malfoy is no stranger to scandal as a member of the House of Black. Many of you will recall the muggle-born affair between Andromeda Black and Ted Tonks that resulted in their elopement. The most recent one would be Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban, and there's no forgetting the notorious Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange who is now serving a life sentence in Azkaban after the fall of You-Know-Who in 1981. It was only a matter of time before Narcissa was thrown into the pot. But how long has this been going on? Is this more than just an affair? And will this end like any fairy tale with a happily-ever-after?

"Remus I can't go down there!" Nora hissed, standing up from her desk. "Everyone will have seen this by now and breakfast has only just started! And I can't imagine how Narcissa feels..." She paused at the mantle, thinking for a moment before she gasped and then groaned. "Oh, Christ! I didn't even think about Draco! His friends must be...giving him...a really-Remus I have no idea what to do..."

Remus stuck his hands in his pockets before sighing and shrugging his shoulders. "I don't think there is anything you can do, Elle. As shitty as it is, I think the only thing to do is take the blow and then wait it out..."

Nora picked her head up from her hands. "Wow, my pessimism is really rubbing off on you, huh?"

"It's not pessimism," Remus chuckled. "It's realism."

__________

A feeling of dread as heavy as a boulder sat in the pit of Eleonora's stomach as she went through her day. She was met with stares and murmurs as she walked down the corridors, and students hesitated to answer questions in her class, which then prompted her to let Mad-Eye take the reins for the next few weeks. That night's dinner was particularly eventful as well.

Draco clutched a copy of The Daily Prophet in his fist as he strutted down the entrance hall.

"Weasley!" he called, grinning as Crabbe and Goyle tried to keep up with him. "Hey, Weasley!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned around, Harry and Ron looking particularly heated after bickering with each other.

"What?" Ron responded curtly, glaring at Malfoy.

Draco snickered. "Your father's in the paper, Weasley!" He opened the paper, completely skipping over the front page where his own mother was being exposed for taking part in an affair. "Look! They misspelt his name! Arnold Weasley! It's almost as if he's a complete nonentity!" By now everyone who was in the entrance hall lining up for dinner was listening in on the conversation. Draco scanned the page again. "Oh look! There are your parents! They're standing outside of your house-if you can even call it that! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"