SMILE » n. longbottom

lxxxvi

"COUNSEL"

The car ride back to the Wallace mansion was in utter silence. Alana was remembering the chaos that just unfolded at the Malfoy Manor. She was almost a hundred percent certain that at least a few people died during that chaos, even though it was probably a few Snatchers or some of the Malfoys' servants.

Alana looked up to see her parents sitting across from her, they were each holding each other's hands in the silence.

She thought about the possibility of her finding love — any kind of love in this world after the inevitable collapse of the wizarding world. Maybe she would actually be forced to marry Draco, and take the Dark Mark. Maybe she would end up exactly like her parents, trying to grasp onto happiness and trying to protect her family during dark times.

"Should we ..." she began to say, "Should we talk about what just happened?"

Her parents looked up, but they all knew what just happened. They were all uncertain about the future, if their lives are going to be more endangered than they already are. Her father grasped her mother's hand more firmly than he had been, and sighed, "We can. It's finally coming down to it. A war might actually happen — soon."

Her parents exchanged a look between each other, as if there was some unspoken subject that they had not mentioned to Alana. It was her mother to speak up next: "We haven't told you this, but, there has been word by Him, a war will take place very soon, perhaps within the year."

Her father spoke, "There will be deaths inevitably, and it's possible that any one of us could die when that time does come. The Malfoy's have only just seen the beginning of it."

"The worst is yet to come," her mother stated, rather matter-of-factly. "If things happen like how our side would expect, there plans for you to join our family and the Malfoy family will commence, and we'll still be loyal to the Dark Forces that will rule the Wizarding World. If things don't end like how our side wants, it's a possibility that our family will be damaged from the results of the war."

Alana thought about how she could be safe during the war, running away from everything, it's something that would ultimately put a target on her back and her family. She would just have to be like a fly on the wall. She knew Neville had some obvious connection to the other side of things, possibly more than she knows.

"How would I be safe during ... the war?" She asked aloud.

Her father looked out the window, "At Hogwarts, that's the safest you would be. The war could happen anywhere, Hogwarts has a chance of surviving. It survived during the last war, it by now must have enough fortifications to survive again especially after Headmaster Dumbledore's passing. Besides, it's practically on the 'enemy front', and you are practically the most safest there. If things turn bad, your safety will be protected by Hogwarts and its staff."

Alana nodded, perhaps in understanding and agreement.

They had rode on the way to the mansion in silence now, and retired to their own respective rooms. But there was one thing that Alana had a feeling that she had failed to mention to her parents.

She made her way to her father's office where he must have been. She opened the door, and saw her father looking out onto their property. He turned silently, looking at her appearance from the corner of his eye but turned back to the window where he had been looking.

"I forgot to mention something," Alana stated.

"Hmm?"

"I wanted to express my gratitude for what you and Mum have done during this time, protecting us."

"Of course, you do not need to thank me."

"I feel like I do."

"The protection of this family is something that's expected, it's my duty as a father to protect us all."