My Father's Only Rule || DRACO MALFOY X SNAPE'S DAUGHTER

Chapter Thirty- News

April 1998 - Hogwarts

I don't think either one of us had fully recovered from what we saw during spring break. It's hard to come back from. But Draco didn't know I had witnessed it, and he didn't say anything, so I knew he wanted to keep me in the dark about it. So I kept pretending like nothing ever happened for his sake. Although I couldn't manage to shake the image of one of my best friends being tortured right in front of me, I had done what I set out to do. I freed Luna. And now it was time to go back to Hogwarts.

Dumbledore's Army had disappeared. Well, sort of. Neville had moved to the room of requirement, and pretty much all of DA had followed him. As an inactive non fighting member, it was my job to make sure they were all well fed, and communicate any information I may have heard throughout the castle, including any letters from Hermione. I was hugely relieved to see that Luna had made it back to Hogwarts safely.

I was sitting in the common room during our first week back when I reached into my pocket and felt a piece of parchment. Another letter.

Dear Grace,

To be honest, the three of us are lucky to be alive. We were kidnapped, taken to Malfoy Manor, and barely made it out. Thankfully we've freed Luna. So be on the lookout for her as she will be returning to Hogwarts soon.

We've had the strangest discovery. Snape had the real sword of Gryffindor and replaced the one in Bellatrix's vault with a fake. It doesn't make a lot of sense. That would mean Snape would have had to send Harry the sword to destroy the Horcrux.

We believe that there might be a Horcrux in her vault. We're going to break in using a polyjuice potion. I can't express how terrified I am. A battle is growing closer, I can tell. One event after the other has been leading to something monumental all year, and it's just around the corner. I hope all is well with Dumbledore's army. I hope you're enjoying what you can at school. It's going to end soon, and it won't be pretty when it does. I'll keep you posted.

Best wishes and lots of love,

Hermione

Dear Hermione

I'm so glad you all are alive. Luna is safe in the room of requirement with the rest of Dumbledore's Army. It's my job to make sure they have everything they need to survive while they're hiding in there, so don't worry about them. I'm taking care of them.

That is strange about the sword. Good luck in Bellatrix's vault. If I had any information you could benefit from, I would tell you. But I'm afraid I don't. I'm trying to enjoy my final days at Hogwarts, but I don't see a point. I also get the sense that it's all going to come to an end soon. Something big is going to happen. I can feel it. Please keep me posted on your whereabouts.

Love,

Grace

"Grace," I heard a voice say. I turned around to see Jane standing above me with two letters in hand. "They're here."

"Is that-"

"WADA," she said.

"Oh my god."

"Same time?" she asked, taking a seat.

"No," I said, taking my letter out of her hand. "You first."

"Why?"

"Because you definitely got in," I said. "I'm 99 percent sure that I didn't get in. But that's ok. There was never much hope."

"Grace, shut up," she said. "Have a little faith. I'm going to open mine, ok?"

"Go on then," I said. I watched Jane open her letter and I saw her face light up as she read it. "I got in," she said.

"Shut up," I said. "Really?"

"I got in!" she said again. "Ok, now you."

"I don't know if I can do this," I said, feeling queasy as I stared at my letter. "I mean...what if it's a no?"

"Then I won't go either," she said.

"What? Jane, that's ridiculous."

"We said we wanted to do this together," she said. "Either we go together or not at all."

"Jane," I said. "I will be fine if I don't have a job. I'm marrying rich. I can always just write for fun. This school is your shot at becoming an actress. You have to go no matter what."

"We go together or not at all," she repeated. "Open it." I took a deep breath and opened it.

Dear Miss Snape,

As we've discussed, our playwriting program was disbanded many years ago. We had little interest in it even when it was an active program, and there's not been a whisper of reviving it since. When Professor Gnat reached out to me about a student who could potentially bring it back, I had already made up my mind that I would humor her, but there would be no way I would take the matter seriously.

Until I read your work.

You have undeniable talent. You've managed to make our world, which I have lived in my whole life, seem truly magical, simply through the writing of a play. You've captured the very essence of life with just words on a page. I believe your style of writing is exactly what the wizarding world needs during these troubling times. We need to be reminded that even through war and tragedy, it is a blessing to be magical.

I am pleased to inform you that I am happy to offer you a spot at the Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts. I have great faith that your writing will inspire filmmakers, directors, and actors to portray our world as it is: Splendorous.

Roger Richardson

Headmaster

The Wizarding School Of The Dramatic Arts

"I," I stuttered. "I got in?"

"You got in?" Jane said. "Was that a question?"

"No," I said, a smile slowly overpowering my face. "I got in."

"Oh my god," she said. "We did it! We're going to WADA!"

"We're going to WADA," I repeated. "Oh my god, we're going to WADA!"

It was...unbelievable. Until I got this letter, I really had no plans after graduation. But now it was all lining up. Get married to the love of my life, go to uni with my best friend, and live my life as a writer. Everything was aligned. There was only one problem. I still had a war to fight.