THE DRAGON OF HOUSE BLACK

Chapter 29: You're in Danger Girl

August 13th, 1976

It's been a little over a year since we were finally allowed to be above ground. No more basements. And I couldn't be more grateful. Wholly gleeful really.

The estate we're sequestered to now also have a lot more families in similar situations. Giving Ava darling some company has been a huge burden lifted from my shoulders.

Children are so resilient but every day we stayed in the dark my heart broke a bit more. The guilt of subjecting my child inadvertently my baby to this horrid world and their skewed views ate away at me like a disease.. it still does but less so here in the light.

Right now she's playing with her new best friend Christopher. Playing a bit of tag, and her innocent happiness means everything. There's nothing like seeing your child glowing, thriving even if not at their full potential to do so. Her laughs are the most wonderful sound in the worlds. They make me so happy I could cry sometimes.

Soon I'll join the others to help prepare for dinner. Its an action I've come to really enjoy. When you're stripped of your real life, you find that being around other women and men in this reality is much more pleasant then the 'real world.'

Life as it is leaves no time for petty gossip. I find that very refreshing after years in the 'muggle' world with silly vain, mean women.

At the root of all this is just simply to say I'm thankful to be alive. Able to kiss my husband and hug my baby girl.

-Fiona MacDonald

It's a bit absurd the amount of relief I feel at reading brighter journal entries. Doesn't erase the sense of doom that seems to be looming over me each time I open it. Knowing that at some point her life will be forever scarred by something utterly horrific.

Can't really say the mood over the house has been particularly peachy either, with the 'slayings.' It's hard to be happy when you can't help but feel that wretched pull of survivor's guilt. For a place you never were, but was surely targeted for just being in the vicinity of people we care about.

At least they didn't manage to lure Lucius out this time from the manor. The ministry official that had been under the imperius curse, was punished, of course not severely, but still heavily demoted. You can't really crack down on someone under a curse like that when they quite literally didn't know what they were doing while they were doing it.

Even though Lucius and Narcissa were both suspicious of the sudden summons to 'speak on the urgent matter of his parole,' they felt that not going would be a worse offense.

Checking the time, I've got about 15 minutes before I need to be ready to leave for the manor. The Order of the Dragon meeting on safer grounds. Since you have to have Malfoy blood, or permissions to enter, everyone is meeting here for us to floo a few groups at a time. It seems that marrying into the Malfoy line grants yours truly the blessing of being able to enter at will.

Jotting down a few notes and points to expand on further, its with 5 minutes to spare that I get up to head downstairs.

A small bout of dizziness over takes me as I stand, my hand shoots out gripping my chair. Breathing in and out a few times, it seems to pass, at least enough for me to carefully make my way to the door.

Frowning, Draco stands there with his arms crossed leaning against the door frame. His dimples no where to be found with his face donning a look of worry.

"What's happened?" I say reaching out and pulling one of his arms away enough to sidle up underneath.

"I'm taking you to a healer, we're moving the meeting to another day."