𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘬

Artemis: I

I sighed, drawing my knees up to my chest in the chair. It was cold, that godforsaken air conditioning washing over me. The Ministry worker's owl watched me judgmentally from behind the desk as I rested my head between my legs, ignoring the sick feeling in my stomach. I'd never even met my uncle before, but seeing as he hadn't even known I existed, at least I had a one-up on the somewhat infamous Draco Malfoy.

"Oh, bug off," I snapped at the owl. She ruffled her feathers indignantly, hooting angrily and glaring at me. I spun my wand absentmindedly between my fingers, leaping from the chair and pacing in a useless attempt to relieve my anxiety. All of my belongings were packed in a couple of trunks in the back of the room, but it was still hard to cope with the reality of the situation.

I was finally getting out of that house. 15 years as of a month ago, and I was finally going to be free. Don't get ahead of yourself, I reminded myself. He might not be any better.

"You have a son about her age, don't you, Mr. Malfoy?" I heard the Ministry wizard's mousy voice returning and I nearly dropped my wand, smoothing my hair desperately in the mirrored door and trying to look unbothered.

"Yes," Draco said as the door opened. His voice was brisk but not hateful. As the door opened, both Draco and the Ministry wizard fell silent.

"Hello," I said. "I'm Artemis Malfoy. Your niece."

"So I heard."

"I'll leave you two to it," said the Ministry wizard. The room was silent as death but for the click of the door.

"You do that," I said distantly. I thought I saw the barest flicker of a smile across Draco's face.

Once the wizard was out of earshot, I sat down with a poisonous look at the owl. Draco sat down as well. "So," he said. "I had a sister."

"Have," I corrected nervously.

"I thought-"

"Yeah, well. Don't believe everything you hear." I crossed my arms, leaning back. "My mother, unfortunately, is very much alive."

"You seem displeased by that."

"There's a reason I was taken out of her custody." I paused. "What should I even call you? 'Sir' feels too formal, but 'uncle' is definitely wrong."

"Draco will suffice, I suppose. And never mind the situation with your parents. Explain about my sister."

"Right. See, your charming father had a kid out of wedlock. Illegitimate and very secret. He was having an affair, but he cut it off not long after you were born. However, he was with the other woman just long enough for her to get pregnant, and that child was my mother, Hera."

"Ah."

"That's not where it ends," I continued. "He was paying off my side of the family to keep quiet right up until he died, and keep quiet we did. Regardless of that, I kept your family name in order to claim my throne, so to speak, if I ever needed to." I rolled my eyes. "Not like I give a damn about that."

"I see." I fidgeted with my wand, scraping a bit of dried blood off of the tip. The Muggle Child Protective Services worker I'd Confunded hadn't taken too well to the spell. Luckily only his nose was bleeding, not his brain, and he'd been fine, if not a bit confused when I'd been transferred into Ministry care. "So, who else knows about your parents not being dead?"

"No one. I initially called the Muggle CPS, and had them bring me to the Ministry. Other than that Muggle worker, everyone thinks I'm an orphan, and he won't be telling anyone."