Fragments | A Draco Malfoy Story

02. Treasures

31 August, 1995

Sera felt a sharp jab on her arm, the memory of the Dementors still vivid in her mind. She could hear her mother's desperate pleas, but the jab on her arm persisted. Opening her bleary eyes, Sera found herself face to face with a spotted owl with deep black eyes, pecking at her arm.

"Alright, alright," she groggily waved the owl away. "I'm awake."

She rubbed her eyes and wiped away the residual emotions from the dream she had of a very real memory - the day her family was completely torn apart. Her mother; still alive, but locked away in Azkaban ever since... her younger brother, left soulless and empty after a Dementor's kiss. Only her father and her half-sister were left now. The owl cooed beside her, as if to remind her that he was waiting rather impatiently.

"Yes, Hugo, calm down," Sera poked Hugo, her half-sister's owl. "What do you have for me?" Hugo gave a quick huff of annoyance and moved a few steps away from her pillow.

"Okay, okay, sorry for shoving you off," Sera sighed. She gave Hugo a loving pat on the head, and he closed his eyes, humming in approval. The owl tilted his head expectedly. Sera rolled her eyes with a smile, grabbed a frozen mouse treat from the jar on her nightstand, and tossed it to him. He caught it and, immediately satisfied, withdrew his leg - revealing a note from her sister.

Sera,

Happy birthday! Hugo has a small package for you, but I have another gift for later today. Be sure you're home - and that dear ol' dad isn't. See ya soon, kiddo.

-Iz

Sera folded the note and placed it in the drawer of her bedside table, mulling over her sister's words. It was Izzy's usual pattern to only show up when their father was away. Izzy was the result of their father's secret, brief relationship with a muggle - a mistake that he very evidently regretted. Izzy had been ostracized by the Avery family pure-blood line, and now had only Sera for family.

Shaking off her thoughts, Sera gave Hugo another gentle poke.

"Hugo," she began, "This note says you're missing something." The owl glanced up from his treat with his large, black eyes and emitted a rather human-like groan. He flew to the opposite side of Sera's room and returned with a small, square package.

"Lovely, thank you for doing your job," Sera commented sarcastically, tossing Hugo another small frozen treat, to which he purred and continued to eat. She eagerly ripped open the brown wrapping and uncovered an exquisite gold hourglass-shaped pendant, dangling from a delicate chain. Sera could feel the warmth of magic emanating from it. She was cautious about wearing the pendant, aware of its power, yet not completely certain of its meaning. She tried to distract herself from the weight of its magic she felt in her hand, turning back to Hugo.

"When is she coming?" Sera asked the owl eagerly, rushing downstairs to the main floor to welcome her sister. She heard a loud POP, assuming Izzy had apparated, but there was no sign of her.

"It's okay, Iz, dad's not around," Sera reassured her.

"Oh, wonderful," Izzy replied, and lifted her disillusionment charm, appearing suddenly before Sera. "You know I absolutely loathe that man," she said with a scowl.

"Yeah, yeah, now where's my gift?" Sera joked with a smirk. Izzy stood before her, empty-handed, but with a smile from ear to ear. In that moment, Sera couldn't help but notice that she was growing taller than her older sister, but both shared the very distinct Avery traits - as much as their father denied it - dark hair, and deep grey eyes. Izzy's skin was usually more tan and olive-toned than Sera's, but today she was paler than usual, with a worried expression and an unusual tension under her eyes. "Is everything alright?" Sera asked her.