Chapter Text
Soon enough, June came, and Pandora passed all her classes with full marks. She and Xeno studied together, which enabled both of them to ace their finals easily.
Meanwhile, Lucius was only half-satisfied with how the year went. Slytherin had won the Quidditch Cup; Weasley and his obnoxious girlfriend Prewett were mortified. He could still picture them fuming on the field while Dumbledore presented the Cup to Lucius.
However, Narcissa had barely talked to him since December. Lucius wasn’t at all sorry for what he’d said; Black was a nasty girl and deserved to hear it. But why did he feel so empty without her?
Her chiding voice, drilling a hole in his ears. Her fiery eyes and red face when she was angry with him. The way she focused so hard in study hall…
“Malfoy.”
Lucius turned and there she was. “Black. I suppose my insult stung so badly that you’ve refused to speak to me until now.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Narcissa snapped. “I’m just here to convey a message.”
“And what might that be?”
"Andy wants you to know that you can owl her any time.”
Well, Lucius already knew that. “What’s the real reason?”
“Are you deaf, dingbat? I just told you!”
Their petty argument was interrupted by the loud roar of the train coming to a stop. Lucius and the Blacks all boarded the train. Pandora stopped to peck Xeno’s lips before joining the others. Xeno was taking a later train.
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When Pandora and Lucius arrived, Abraxas was waiting for them. He greeted them curtly before they began the journey home.
When the siblings tried to inquire about their mother, they were promptly shut down by Abraxas. Pandora assumed he was just in a strange mood; it wouldn’t be unusual.
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The family arrived home, and Pandora was excited to tell her mother about the exams. Eleonore had always valued intelligence, and made sure to begin educating Pandora at a very young age.
She would always correct her grammar.
“Me and Luci are gonna—” Pandora would say.
“Luci and I,” Eleonore corrected.
“Me and Bella want to—”
“Bella and I.”
At first, Pandora had found it annoying, but she knew it was important to her mother. Born on the border of Belgium and France, Eleonore Moonshine came to England as a child. She was sorted into Ravenclaw House and caught the attention of Abraxas right away. She was quiet, dignified, and very beautiful.
“Mother!” Pandora exclaimed, bounding up the manor’s stairs.
But she wasn’t upstairs.
“Mother!” Pandora called again, running back downstairs.
Luci joined in. “Mooooootheerrrrr!”
Abraxas came up from behind them. “Your mother’s not here.” “
Well, when will she be back?” Pandora asked. It was unlike their mother to go out when she knew her children would be coming home.
“Never,” said Abraxas.
Confusion—and terror—clouded the siblings’ faces.
“Pandora, Luci, your mother died,” said Abraxas, still maintaining his composure. “She passed away two months ago, and I didn’t want to inform you; I feared it would interfere with your studies.”
Pandora felt like there was a block of ice in her chest. She was frozen. But then, suddenly, that ice cube melted into a raging fire. “MOTHER DIED?! AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN TELL US?!”
“Now, now, Pandora. It’s much better this way. You’ll have all summer to grieve.”
A billion questions fluttered in Pandora’s head, but none of them could escape her mouth. “Father…how could…how could you be so…so…”
Luci had been silent this whole time. Angry tears sprouted out Pandora’s eyes. She pulled out her wand.
Of course it was now that Luci decided to speak. “Pandora, no!”
Pandora ignored him. “Silencio! Crucio!” She cried, pointing her wand directly at her father. Abraxas lay on the floor, completely defenseless. Pandora left the room.
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The funeral was a quiet, somber affair. Eleonore’s brother, Peregrine, and his little son Jacob attended. The Black family was there too. Cygnus and Druella with their three daughters; Cygnus’s sister Walburga, and her husband Orion; their two sons, Sirius and Regulus; and Cygnus’s aunt, Cassiopeia. Pandora and Luci liked to call her ‘Old Maid Black’ because she never got married or had children, which was quite unusual for purebloods.
But the Malfoy siblings weren’t in a humorous mood that day. Eleonore Moonshine Malfoy had been a loving mother, a devoted wife, and a kind woman in general. She even cared for the house elf, Pandora thought during the service, trying not to tear up. Even in mourning, it wasn’t appropriate to cry in public. Pandora didn’t think she’d ever seen her father cry. It was a strange thing to even imagine; she couldn’t seem to conjure that image in her mind. Even after the death of his wife, Abraxas Malfoy never shed a tear.
After the service, the Blacks offered their condolences. Lucius, whose eyes were filled with tears, didn’t even care that Narcissa Black was seeing him like this; emotional, vulnerable. As their parents talked, Narcissa approached Lucius and did the unthinkable. She wrapped Lucius into a hug. Lucius blinked in surprise, then returned the hug. He desperately latched onto the girl, and a few stray tears rolled down his face.
When they pulled apart, they both looked at each other. Lucius stared into her eyes…those beautiful eyes of hers…and then, Cygnus and Druella bid goodbye and led their daughters away.
Lucius couldn’t move. Though impulsive, Narcissa’s embrace made him feel much warmer. But it was confusing; did she forget that she hated him? Did she do it out of pity, since Lucius lost his mother? Or did she…fancy him?
Lucius ruled out the last option. After all, he was only thirteen, and she was twelve. It would be inappropriate to have any type of courtship. But…that didn’t mean she couldn’t fancy him. Did he fancy her? All those jumbled thoughts swarmed in his brain until Pandora nudged him. All the guests were gone, and it was time for them to go home. Without their mother.
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“Miss Pandora Malfoy?”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“You may come in.”
Pandora sat down.
“You turned fifteen in April, correct?” The Dark Lord asked her.
“Yes, my Lord.”
“And we postponed this meeting due to your mother’s untimely death, am I correct?”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Voldemort clasped his bony fingers together. “I presume you’ve put this off for long enough, then.”
“I suppose so,” said Pandora, clenching her fists under the table. She admits she wasn’t completely keen about this meeting, but she didn’t try to put it off. Merlin’s foot, she was in mourning! A teenager who’d lost her mother!
“Well, Miss Malfoy, I’ll get straight to the point,” said Voldemort. “Your father is one of my most loyal and most proficient Death Eaters. He has informed me of your progess in school, and your many strengths. Why, just the other day you used an Unforgivable Curse on him.”
Pandora’s heart sank. She didn’t want to be reminded of that. She had acted out on impulse, and never wished to do that again.
Voldemort continued, “I say, Miss Pandora, your father seems to think you’re quite an extraordinary witch for your age, and I quite agree. I’d be honored to have a bright, strong, intelligent girl like you in my ranks.” He smiled wickedly. “So what do you say, Pandora?”
Pandora knew this day would come. Her father was a Death Eater; Pandora and Lucius were expected to become Death Eaters too. It only made sense. She was about to say yes when she remembered something. Herself. And her school and her classmates. After all, mudbloods didn’t choose to be mudbloods. And how would she have time to achieve her goals if she was busy murdering innocent people? An image of herself as a Death Eater crossed her mind. She had blood dripping from her teeth, a fizzle of magic spouting from her wand, and a big, permenant, horrific Dark Mark on her arm.
“NO!” Pandora cried, standing up so violently that her chair went flying.
The Dark Lord’s smile vanished. “Excuse me?”
“You asked me a question, and the answer is no! No, no, no! I’ll never be one of them!”
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Pandora teleported to Malfoy Manor. She collapsed on the spacious lawn and started sobbing noisily. She cried. Howled. Wailed. Wept. All the emotion from the year poured out right there on the grass. She couldn’t take it anymore.