•His English Rose• {Harry Potter X Twilight crossover}

•Eleven•

Chapter Eleven - Flashbacks and Secrets

1990 - Summer before Hogwarts begins.

MALFOY MANOR is grand, dark and the childhood home of Draco and Nova Malfoy. The high walls had kept the twins from seeing the outside world, they had everything they could dream of inside the manor. Nova only had one place in the whole house that was her favourite part and that was the library. The endless shelves and books meant that the girl could escape her reality and fall into another. The endless tales of heroes and heroines meant that Nova could ignore the scary and bleak home life. The library boasted over a hundred thousand books, rumoured to be bigger than that of Hogwarts - not that the witch had seen it yet. The ceiling was her favourite and what she would miss the most. It was magical, literally opening up to the sky above, not like Hogwarts which mirrored the weather, the one at Malfoy Manor would mirror the stars and galaxies above them, something Narcissa Malfoy added at the beginning of her marriage, something that to reminded the witch of her favourite place on earth - not that Nova's mother would admit it. 

"Nova, honey?" Narcissa called softly inside the dim library. She was searching for her daughter. The house elves hadn't seen Nova, but Narcissa knew her daughter's usual hiding spot. "Nov?" Nova startled as her mother's hand touched her shoulder. She looked up, and Narcissa's heart ached at Nova's expression. A nasty handprint marred Nova's cheek, with imprints from a silver ring. Narcissa let out a gentle sigh as tears filled her young daughter's eyes.

"Why, Mother?" she muttered softly. "Why did he hit me? All I did was play with them?" Nova couldn't understand why her father had gone berserk at her; all she did was play with a small child outside a shop her father visited. 

"It's because they were Mudbloods, my dear. You know how he gets, you should have known better"

"But how are we to tell the purity of one's blood mother" Nova argued softly Narcissa sighed at her not answering the question before reaching for the book her daughter held in her lap, she didn't even know that they owned a book like this, - she wasn't familiar with the title but she was with the author. 

"If your father catches you with this - he'll do more than a simple smack" Narcissa waved the copy of Romeo and Juliet. "hide it and hide it well" Narcissa glided out of the library, leaning the book and a confused daughter behind. 

•••

Present day

"My mother," Nova spat, "did what she could." Nova and Carlisle were in the sitting room. The tea had long been drunk, and Nova was snuggled in a thick blanket that Carlisle had pulled from the loveseat across the room. "It wasn't enough to protect us, but she made sure her husband didn't kill me." 

"Why?" Carlisle asked, the air was chilly, and dark as Nova explained her story. "Why did he hit you and not Draco?"

"Draco is his heir. Carlisle, you need to understand that my name is ancient and distinguished. We come from a legacy of wealth and power. That name carries significant weight...The weight that only sons carry - when I was born my father wanted me to be thrown from the tallest tower of the manor" Carlisle sighed as he looked to Nova "Draco saved my life by being born thirteen minutes after me, father was ever so pleased" Nova sighed softly 

"Our childhood was sheltered, rooted in a belief in blood supremacy. When my father noticed I had the Malfoy looks, he saw me as a prized asset. He spared no expense on my training and education. If I made mistakes, he would hit me, knowing exactly how to avoid leaving marks, When I arrived at Hogwarts I was relieved to be free from him, Hogwarts was my haven when it came to my father, but still I had to keep up the work, the appearances of a spoilt rich kid  - I played the part well" Nova smiled, Carlisle could see the memories swimming behind her eyes. the guy swirling like an emotional storm.