Bloodlines || A Draco Malfoy Romance Fanfiction

A Start - 134

Aphry

Once the unbreakable vow had been made, we didn't linger long. Narcissa, Bellatrix, and I returned to the riverbank and apparated to Malfoy Manor.

We walked up the long driveway in silence, up the entrance stairs, and through the large black door of the house. A handful of Death Eaters loitered on the grounds but paid little mind to us as we passed. They'd gotten busier over the summer, so there were fewer in the house at any given time.

Once in the foyer, Narcissa took off her cloak and handed it to a house elf. "Let Mr Cytheria and Draco know we're back," she ordered the elf, who nodded and quickly set to their task. She then pulled off her black gloves, finger by finger. Her expression told me she was particularly annoyed by her sister's intrusion in her affairs this afternoon, with crimson lips set in a harsh line.

Bellatrix seemed oblivious to her sister's mood. "I see somebody finally took your shopping to your rooms," she said, breaking the silence.

Neither Narcissa nor I responded. Narcissa and Mother always told me if I couldn't say anything complimentary, at least word it to make it sound complimentary. Narcissa's silence must have meant she couldn't even manage that for her sister.

As for me, my mind was processing and reprocessing the incredibly eventful day I'd had throughout just a handful of hours. I began unfastening my cloak, absently staring at a large painting on the opposite side of the foyer.

I felt a pair of hands grasp my cloak from behind and whipped my head around. Draco stood behind me with a charming smirk on his face. I was so caught up in my own thoughts I hadn't even heard him walk into the foyer. "Welcome back, Miss Cytheria," he said as he helped remove the cloak from my shoulders.

My cheeks heated, evidence of a wild blush spreading on them. "Thank you, Mr Malfoy," I said, matching his smirk.

"Did you all enjoy your outing?" He asked, looking between the three of us as he draped the cloak over his arms. His gaze rested on his mother, clearly recognizing her cold demeanour.

Nobody responded for a second, so I answered for the three of us. "We were successful in getting everything we needed," I said, forcing a smile. "Were you able to make progress with your research?" I asked. It felt odd, being at a home I considered private for so long and having to talk in code. But the fewer individuals, even Death Eaters, knew the details of Draco's task, the better.

He looked suspicious, seeing clearly through my attempt to subvert the question. He knew his mother and me too well. But he also knew it wasn't best to press the issue here. He nodded. "I actually have. Care to join me in your father's study?"

I responded with a nod, then turned to Narcissa, "Do you need anything from me before I go?" Draco looked at her, waiting for her answer as well.

"No, go ahead, dear."

Draco and I looked at each other, and he offered his arm to me. I placed my hand in the crook of it, and we headed out of the foyer and down the hall.

When we entered Father's study, he was working diligently at his desk. He looked up when I entered, smiling brightly once he recognized me. He stood, rounding the desk to greet me and give me a hug. "Did you enjoy your trip?" He asked.

"Yes," I lied against his chest. Draco, who had moved over to the seating area and into my field of vision, raised an unconvinced eyebrow.

If my father felt the same or noticed Draco, he didn't let on. "Wonderful, dear," he responded, releasing me from the hug. He looked down at me. "Unfortunately, I have quite a bit to finish before dinner and can't talk for long."

I smiled lightly. "That's quite alright. Draco's told me he's found something that might help with his task and he wanted to show me."

Father nodded. "Well, I'll leave you to it."

He returned to his desk, and I went to the sitting area and sat next to one of the side tables with a small stack of books. Draco sat at the chair on the other side of the table. "Alright, darling. What do you have?" I asked.

"I'm going to bring the other Death Eaters into the school." He said, grabbing a book and opening it.

My brow furrowed in confusion. "Draco, you know there are many defensive charms to protect the school grounds. And I suspect the staff will be keeping a sharper eye on things, now that he is very clearly back."

He nodded, "Yes, but there's at least one way I don't think any of those teachers have realized." He set the book on the table, which was opened to a section on vanishing cabinets. "You remember what happened to Montague a few months ago?"

"How could I forget? It was horrifying," I responded. My mind went back to the weeks he was in the hospital. Nobody had a clue about what had happened to him at the time, only that he'd disappeard and wound up stuck inside a toilet days later, nearly dying from the injuries sustained.

He nodded. "He told me what happened while he was in the cabinet. Said sometimes he could hear what was going on at Hogwarts, but then somewhere else. He heard the name Borgin multiple times."

"As in Mr Borgin from Borgin and Burke's shop?" I asked. Draco nodded.

"How exactly are you aware of that shop, Aphrodite?" My father said firmly from his desk. "I've never taken you down Knockturn Alley."

My eyes widened as I looked at Draco, concerned I was in trouble. So Father didn't know Lucius had taken us down there all this time. Draco looked at Father and spoke for both of us, "Father's taken us down there. I believe it was only the once several years back."

I looked at my father, who sat at his desk with an irritated glare. He turned back to his paperwork, mumbling something along the lines of, "Lucius should be thankful I can't throttle him."

Draco turned back to me, and we shared amused smiles. "Anyway, I think there's another vanishing cabinet at Borgin and Burkes. They create a passage."

"No, they don't!" I argued. "They create a deathtrap." Was he thinking about trying to get into the school before the start of term? Catch Dumbledore by surprise? Does Dumbledore even stay at the school during the summer?

He nodded in agreement. "In the Hogwarts cabinet's current stage, you're correct. It's damaged. But I'm thinking I might be able to mend it. Then we can let them in, and also have an escape route after I..."

Draco didn't have to finish what he was saying as a pit formed in my stomach. At least this was a start.