Restoration

Chapter 30

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The second bottle, however, contains a secret which I promised to take to my grave. It is meant for your and Draco's eyes only, as I trust you will remain confidential about it. And as for Draco, I know he will make a decision as to what to do with it.

-Narcissa Malfoy

s e c o n d           m e m o r y

July, 1981

A stormy night had cast onto the peaceful towns of Wiltshire, after a long and hot summer day. And as most of the non-magical folk have either celebrated another summery day in their gardens, the wizarding population locked all of their doors and set a watchman to protect their front door. The rumours of the Dark Lord recruiting members had spread, as well as the reports of deaths of everyone who dared to deny him.

Narcissa Malfoy had just put her firstborn to sleep, after having spent yet another whole day with him. They had recently celebrated his first birthday and she could've sworn she had carried him in her belly only a month ago. Every night, after Draco had fallen asleep, she would stay in his room, for hours on end sometimes.

Lucius guaranteed her they were in no danger, as he had pledged his loyalty to the Dark Lord already. Most of Narcissa's and Lucius's family members had shared similar views and eventually joined the Death Eaters. And even though it was expected of her to join them as well, she kept delaying it. And once her husband joined them, no one forced her anymore, as it became clear that she became their ally via marriage.

As light classical music played somewhere in the background, and heavy raindrops splashed against the windows, Narcissa found her inner calmness by staring at her beautiful baby boy. Even though Draco's baby bedroom had already been bigger than the size of most people's homes, Narcissa moved his crib into their bedroom after hearing the news of the first murders in the wizarding world.

Then the lighting stroke two times somewhere in the distance, and a knock echoed through the mansion. Narcissa waited for a moment, thinking she had imagined the knock until something banged against the front door. With Lucius away on a mission, Narcissa lifted her wand as she murmured a protection spell around the nursery, making sure nothing could harm her Draco.

"Narcissa, open the bloody door!" A voice cried outside the doors. She immediately recognized whom it belonged to, as the memories flashed in front of her eyes. She hadn't seen him in years, ever since they graduated from Hogwarts.

Patrick Dotson. In flesh. Standing in front of me.

"Patrick? What's the meaning of this-," Narcissa lowered her wand as the front doors opened. Soaked to the bone, his cheeks were bright red as he gasped for air, having sprinted to the place where he had once been banished from.

"He went after the McKinnons," Patrick shook his head as Narcissa observed his arms, which were covered in blood. "Jesus, are you alright?" She instinctively reached for his hand, trying to read his face. He tried searching for words, but as he stared into her eyes, he stood there, bewitched by her.

"The McKinnon's," Narcissa finally took in his words, "as in...Marlene?"

Patrick lowered his look and nodded. Narcissa's eyes widened as her mind began thinking of a solution - who to call, who to ask for help, how to bring Lucius back from the mission. She pulled Patrick inside and swung with her wand, locking the doors behind him. He had to hold onto the wall to collect his thoughts, expecting Narcissa to do the same.