Undeniable Truths

54~Tapestry

I used to take pride in this tapestry. I would sit and trace the intertwining lines for hours upon hours as a child. It fascinated me how each line represented a new life, a new marriage, and ultimately death until I came to be.

I would take pride in the fact that, for the most part, they were all clear lines. The story starts at one wizard, moves to another and then the next. As I grew older, I began to wonder how many of those marriage lines were forced. Were all of them happy?

I run my finger over the different burn marks. We're those the ones that were truly happy? They lost their family, sure, but they fell in love and found happiness. Isn't that what's important? I wish I could make Lucius see just how happy the Granger girl makes our son.

I started to question how important the pure blood values really were when I was attending Hogwarts. In my fifth year, I fell in love with a half-blood boy from Ravenclaw. He was handsome, charming, and smart, but I knew my parents would never approve. We snuck around for over a year until the Christmas of our sixth year when I went home for the holidays. That was when my parents informed me they had signed a marriage contract and I was to marry into the Malfoy family.

I wanted so bad to stomp my feet, scream, yell, cry, anything. Instead, I simply nodded my head and kept silent so I wouldn't end up like Andromeda did the year before.

Once I got back to school, I broke it off with my love and never spoke to him again. I never even told him the reason why or how much I truly loved him. I often wonder how much my life would've been different if I wouldn't have married Lucius. Do I regret it? No, I love my son and I learned to love Lucius as well, but that question is always in the back of my mind.

I continue to trace my finger down the tapestry until I reach my grandparents. I don't remember much of them. They passed away when I was very young and my father never spoke of them. I follow the line down to my aunt and uncle, then to where Sirius' face used to be. There's a dotted line signifying that Harry Potter is his godson and only heir. I smile at the fact that the boy is on our family tree, even if it's only because he got Sirius' inheritance. I tap Harry's picture and the tapestry draws a line from him to the Lovegood girl and then connects to a picture of a baby with the name James Sirius. I can't help but smile at the name and the thought of how proud my cousin would have been of his godson and the man he's grown into.

When I tap the fabric again, Harry's family disappears. I follow the line a little further until I reach my name next to Bella and where Andromeda should have been. I feel tears fill my eyes at the red letters spelling my youngest sister's name. Bella was disturbed, but I still miss her every day. She was never right after she found she could not conceive a child. All she ever wanted was torn from her and she lost her mind trying to fill the void.

I find my name neatly printed next to Lucius. From him I can trace the Malfoy family tree all the way back to the beginning. It's strange to see how many places the Black and Malfoy family trees connect and then break apart again. I tend not to linger on that thought too long.

I smile at the picture of my son on the fabric. He seems so much younger in pictures than he does in real life. You can't see how haunted he is in pictures or the scars that decorate his skin. Sometimes I forget just how young my son really is.

As I look at my family, I notice something is different. It takes me a while before, "Oh, Merlin, I need to speak with Draco."

I rush out of the drawing room, only to hear my sons voice echoing down the corridor from the parlor. I hear Lucius reply, and I realize that they must be arguing. I rush down the long corridor until I reach them. I see them both standing in the middle of the parlor with their fists clenched and cheeks flushed.

They've been yelling, you can tell by the way Draco's voice cracks when he exclaims, "You can't disinherit me just because you don't agree with whom I wish to marry. I'm your only heir, your precious manor and money would go into the custody of the ministry until they can figure out what to do with it. You're far too proud to let that happen."

I watch as my husband's eyes go dark, "No son of mine is going to marry a muggle-born. It would tarnish our name, our blood, everything we are. It's unacceptable."

"Lucius, Draco, I think there's something you should see," I interrupt before Draco can reply.

I lead them both to the drawing room and wait for them to stop glaring at each other before I speak again. "Both of you, look at the family tapestry," I demand.

I watch as they both study the fabric with puzzled looks until Draco speaks up, "I don't know what you want me to see. It looks the same as it always has. What're you on about?"

I tap my wand on Draco's picture to take the charm off his name to reveal three lines going down from his picture.

As the realization hits Draco and Lucius, I watch both their eyes go wide.

"I have a daughter," Draco whispers.

Lucius sneers, "Granger is pregnant with twins."