It had been a long time since the death of Ronald Billius Weasley.
Albus Dumbledore had cooked up a cover story for the reasons behind Ron's death and Hermione's mysterious disappearance, so coping with all the loss alone was extremely difficult. Harry refused to call Hermione by her given name and their fallout fueled his personal vendetta against the Dark. With the Light on his side, he purged Wizarding Britain of most of the deatheaters that he could find... starting with the Dolohovs.
Harry couldn't wait to be rid of the people who spawned a certain girl who used to be his best friend.
Although he was able to liberate the world from the clutches of evil, some dark followers slipped through his fingertips.
The Malfoys and Severus Snape to be exact.
Lucius and Narcissa got house arrest of all things. However, after Dumbledore cursed his school nemesis, Draco Malfoy, he was in the wind. Another of his old headmaster's cover stories worked and the public ate it all up.
As for Snape, Harry always suspected him of being loyal to the Dark, but the information he fed the Light as a spy was invaluable and that eliminated him as a genuine deatheater in the eyes of the ministry.
Using the eradication of evil as a method of distraction from his grief did wonders for Harry.
It worked so well that he felt no hurt or pain due to the missing presence at his wedding to Ginevra Molly Weasley and other family events. They all had moved on but Harry always had a little thought at the back of his head because he knew the exact reason behind the absences of certain people.
Tap Tap.
The light sound of a beak tapping against a window brought his attention to an owl carrying his subscription to the Daily Prophet. He gave the bird a couple biscuits and watched it fly away.
Ginny was away at training as a professional Quidditch player for the Chudley Cannons and his two children, James and Zane, were at Hogwarts starting their third and fourth year of schooling. Harry was therefore accustomed to the silence of his home and even welcomed it.
Opening the paper, he noticed a couple of flyers had fallen to the floor. Among them was a bookstore advertisement.
Picking it up, what he saw shocked him to his very core. Harry almost had a heart attack.
Hermione opened a bookstore and apparently, she was having a grand opening for it today! He hadn't heard a peep from her in years since Dumbledore cursed her. And she's going by that Gods forsaken name. Surely her last name will cause gossip and people would question the true destruction of evil. Harry decided at once to contact Dumbledore before unrest settled into the hearts and minds of those loyal to the Light.
Months turned into years and as time passed the dark duo continued to grow closer.
Draco helped Mya adjust to life on land for longer periods of time, such that she was able to go for days on end without touching a drop of water. She was even able to retreat to a water source of her choice.
Mya helped Draco with his condition and somehow figured out a way to alter the nature of his curse. He was now an animagus and had the ability to shift at will. Such accomplishments enabled them to do the much needed research in order to carry out Mya's long-term plans for revenge and quietly reenter society.
After reaching out to Draco's parents they found out that the Lord and Lady of Malfoy Manor had only been put under house arrest for two years as they had finessed their way out of some serious charges. Despite Potter's insistent claims, there wasn't any concrete evidence to hold over them. Following those two years, both of them decided to put their energies into something other than assisting the rise of a dark wizard. Lucius put his mind and smart mouth toward law and ended up as a successful lawyer with his own law firm, using his own experiences as a loose testimony to inspire his employees. Narcissa oversaw a chain of high end clothing boutiques and both of them hired many witches and wizards from questionable backgrounds hoping to gain some semblance of a normal lifestyle.
However, the heads of the Malfoy household weren't the only ones to skate their way through weak sentencing.
Severus Snape used his connections and his good deeds during his time with the Light as a cover to disguise his true allegiance. A mere slap on the wrist was all he received and he continued to lay low until he too started a business specializing in potions. His exceptional knowledge had many people of all backgrounds coming to him for aid.
While the small family reunion was short lived as a result of Mya's presence, the Malfoys and Snape welcomed her into their lives when it was clear who she was and how Draco apparently felt about her. They knew that once Draco set his mind to it, nothing would ever stop him from getting what or whom he wanted. That sentiment definitely rang true in the way he acted around Mya. It was as if they were intrinsically connected, when one moved the other shifted slightly and vice versa. Lucius and Narcissa certainly noticed while Severus always looked amused at the pair. They all couldn't help but smile as Draco found someone who he would spend the rest of his days with.
After discovering their newfound liberties within the bounds of their respective curses proved to be a non-issue, they young lovers moved into Malfoy Manor. Lucius and Narcissa made the necessary renovations to assist their slightly bigger family.
Because Mya and Draco didn't want their presence in the wizarding world known until it precisely coincided with their timeline, Draco's parents and godfather were totally onboard with their plans and agreed to help in any way they could.
When the time did come for Mya and Draco to reenter society, it certainly made a splash. While Mya opened a new bookstore on the outskirts of Diagon Alley, Severus welcomed Draco into the fold of his potions making business...
"Thank you so much for all your help with this store!" Mya exclaimed.
"Oh please, it's nothing. I'm just a silent partner. You're the one making all the noise," Narcissa replied with a wink.
"I'm pleasantly surprised with the turnout though," Mya said while looking around. "I didn't really think that many people would come with Flourish & Blotts on the other side of the alley."
"Of course people would come, Mya, look at this place." The older woman gestured to the sight before them.
The grand opening of the shop equipped with all the books anyone would want to read was a huge success. Genres ranging from A to Z, including the finest collection of rare books in the world made their temporary home in this place. Mya had to admit if there was anything the muggles were good for, it was storytelling. Despite renouncing most ties to her muggle upbringing, her love for magical and muggle literature never faded, thus the inclusion of all books.
"Welcome to Braylee's Place, may all your dreams and desires come true," Mya said as she welcomed more patrons into the shop with a warm smile. "My name is Mya. Please, don't hesitate to ask if you need any assistance."
"I think I already know what I'm looking for, thank you very much," a voice teased behind her. She turned around to see Draco standing there with flowers and wine looking like a typical supportive boyfriend.
She accepted the gifts and laughed heartily. "I thought you were still busy with work."
"We ended early at the orientation and besides, Father and Severus were eager to come here actually. They love what you've done with this place," he said bending over to give her a kiss on the cheek.
Mya cocked her eyebrow. "Oh really now."
"Yes really. Blimey Mya, give me a break. I cracked one joke that day!" Lucius exclaimed.
She burst into a fit of giggles. "Dear Lucius, I was only kidding."
"Do you have them?" She asked, leaning in closer to whisper.
Lucius nodded while tapping his temple with his forefinger.
Mya's smile grew as she relished in the fact that her plans were coming together nicely. All she needed to do was wait. News of her store and Draco's new work ethic would surely garner the attention of some people she'd been dying to see for a while now.
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