Arundel Granville and the Cursed Crown

4 Historical Maladies

Malfoy Manor had an impressive library with an even more impressive selection of books that bordered on illegal, but their truly dark arts tomes were in the hidden cellar under the house or in Arundel's highly guarded vault at Gringotts. Wrapped up in her dressing gown, Arun scanned the shelves looking for anything that might catch her eye. She settled on a book called Turners of Time, a handwritten volume from the seventeen hundreds, before the use of them was so heavily restricted.the fundamental principles of magic were based on time and space, it always surprised her how few people realised this. She took the book and settled onto a comfortable armchair by the library fire with her legs curled up under her and she flicked the book open and looked at the index. She chose a paragraph on creating alternate outcomes through manipulation of carefully observed time loops. There were a number of charts and pull out diagrams that were fun to puzzle over too. She stayed like this for most of the morning, until Narcissa joined her, collapsed into the chair opposite and pinched the bridge of her nose. "There are potions that cure hangovers," she muttered. "But they take hours to brew."

"Water cures hangovers too, down a few pints and you'll be right as rain in no time."

Narcissa wasn't convinced, her mouth curled making her look like she had smelled something bad and she sunk lower, which made her look like Belatrix in Arun's opinion. Narcissa closed her eyes and fell quiet for such a long time that Arundel thought she had gone to sleep. She turned back to her book and was halfway through trying to decipher the handwritten scrawls on the page before Narcissa spoke again.

"I argued with Lucius yesterday," she said. "When you went to bed we started to talk about school for Draco, he wants him to go to Dermstrang."

"With Igor?" Arun gave a start and turned to look at Narcissa. "That bastard who wormed his way out of Az-" she stopped talking, a lightbulb turned on in her head. Narcissa didn't notice.

"Yes with Igor Karkaroff, who stood there accusing our friends and family. Saying anything he could to get himself out of prison and Lucius wants to send our son to his school."

"He must have a reason?"

"They teach the Dark Arts," she paused and shrugged. "Lucius is very quick these days to pardon, I'm not so forgiving. He says he doesn't like Dumbledore, doesn't want his son educated by the enemy. But Dermstrang Arun-" Narcissa sniffed and shook her head in derision. "My baby is not going to some cold, damp depressing castle to be taught by a traitor. He's not going to be that far away from home, from his mother and his friends. No. and what would it say to the Dark Lord if he were to return? That Lucius is happy for those who betrayed the Dark Lord to educate the Malfoy hair?"

"I can't picture you and Lucius arguing, you always seem so settled."

"On the whole we are but Lucius is a bully when he's cornered, he'll say such rude entitled things and I get overly passionate, usually we end up laughing at each other but I was so shocked last night I slept in a different room."

"Could you educate him at home?"

"Merlin's beard no," Narcissa sunk lower. "That's cruel. Listen Arun, I thought maybe we could go out this morning, I want to clear my head and Draco could do with the space to play on his broomstick, lets have a ride and eat in the Rusty Woodpigeon on the way back." She smiled, imploring and Arun felt sorry for her and nodded to agree. Arun went to get dressed, intending to meet Narcissa in the entrance hall but when she got there she could hear raised voices.

"Of course I haven't forgiven him, but I can have some empathy."

"My sister is locked away in a cell being tormented by dementors and you want to send our son to a school run by one of the bastards who freed himself and left her there. Who would condemn her again and again should it serve his needs. Karkaroff is a coward Lucius. He's a coward and I won't have him near my son!"