Entering Slughorn's office was easier than dragging a luggage down into the dungeons without drawing much attention. Thankfully, a lot of students left right after lunch and the path was clearer but most Gryffindors didn't, which made sneaking out of the common room a lot harder.
Lucius was standing in front of the chimney, tapping his foot anxiously, reminding himself that all his efforts will be rewarded one day. When the door opened and in walked Ophelia, he realized the girl was not using magic for herself at all. He waved his wand and all her luggage flew towards him, letting her take a break.
"I should have done that from the beginning," she mumbled, taking a moment to regain her breath.
Lucius rolled his eyes and grabbed a little sack from inside his robes' pocket. Ophelia walked next to him and they both stared at the empty space. Ophelia took a long breath in and exhaled even slowly, nervousness eating her from the inside. Maybe staying with the Malfoys, she will see her father for longer than an hour under casual circumstances, not training like a war was coming. On the other side, Lucius was wondering if the usual Christmas dinner with the Blacks will take place this year too, because that might turn out to be very troublesome. If more people would find out about Ophelia's father, just how would that influence the rest of the purebloods? That question was nerve wracking.
"Are we going or-" the witch asked, tilting her head so she could look straight into Lucius' eyes.
The blond nodded and took a handful of powder before stepping with his luggage inside the chimney.
"Speak loud and clear, just like I do, or else who knows where you will end up." Lucius stated firmly before he gave her the sack, "Malfoy Manor."
Just like before with Cerberus, once throwing the powder, green fire erupted and the person disappeared. Next was Ophelia, who hardly pushed everything inside the chimney before she followed Lucius' example.
The place she arrived at was definitely bigger than Spinnard's cottage, maybe as big as the Scotland Yard building. The hall she stepped into was large but not well decorated; there was an enormous chandelier with what she believed were crystals hanging above the room, straight in the center; two armchairs were placed on each side of the chimney and a few feet in front was a long table where more than one family could eat. But the rest, it was empty space and empty walls showing no real affinity for details or any emotion.
"Follow me," said Lucius, who was leaning against one of the armchairs.
Looking down, Ophelia realized that suddenly she felt very empty: house elves were taking her trunk and one of them seemed to have a few issues with Willy's cage. Seeing how there was no way she could tell them she could manage by herself, she followed Lucius silently.
The mansion was a real piece of history as they moved through it. The corridors were dim lit, doors were on each and every side and so were house elves, cleaning every corner of the house. Lucius led Ophelia to the second floor where he walked a bit more until he stopped in front of a door and opened it.
"This is your room." he said.
Ophelia took a peek inside and saw the same house elves from before having an intense stare-down with Willy. Except that, the bedroom looked freshly cleaned, the bed was big enough for three people and the dresser was taller than Dumbledore. Just like the rest of the house, it was missing substance but then again, this room was probably for guests.
"Father is busy tonight so we'll have dinner separately. It will be brought to your room so unpack and-" he had no idea what else to say. He had no idea what she liked to do or how she liked to spend her free time, which may cause him trouble with her father later on.
Lucius left afterwards and Ophelia entered the bedroom with a blank mind. Luckily, she had muggle books that she brought along, though she might have to hide them from the rest.
Nothing exciting really happened for the next week. Ophelia met Lucius' parents and they were examples of the people she hated the most. Fortunately, Mr. Malfoy was incredibly busy at the ministry and he couldn't bother himself with Ophelia. Mrs. Malfoy, on the other hand, was the kind of woman that Ophelia wanted to avoid. It was one morning before breakfast when she heard the woman scream at a fragile little creature.
"I told you many times, Mildred, don't boil the water too much! And look at this mess!"
Sincerely, Ophelia couldn't see any mess as for the tea, it wasn't the elf's fault if Mrs. Malfoy didn't know how to drink her tea.
"Mildred is sorry, madame. Midred will go make tea again." The house elf mumbled in a high pitched voice.
"You better! And don't forget we'll have our special guest come on Sunday. Everything has to be perfect." Mrs. Malfoy added before finally letting Mildred leave.
"A special guest?" Ophelia mumbled, hiding behind the wall. Seeing the house elf pass her, cutely hurrying to make tea again, Ophelia wondered just how many elves did the Malfoys have.
"Many." Lucius replied when she asked that same question, later in the afternoon, "The house elves have been working for the family for generations. Even I don't know the exact number."
"And how exactly did your family enslave them?" Ophelia pestered, following the blond through the library.
"I don't know. Like I said, it's been like this for generations." The blonde answered, feeling annoyed with the young witch, "They enjoy being slaves, Molley. That's their sole purpose in life: serving their masters." He emphasized seeing how bitter she was about that subject.
"How can you free them?" she continued, disregarding everything he said.
"You don't." The boy said and stopped, turning fully to her, "Don't even think of freeing any of my family's elves. They are not your business."
"But what if the elf is in great danger, on the brink of losing his life?"
Lucius sighed and gave up. She was incredibly stubborn and there was no way she'd let him read in peace, or live in peace for that matter.
"To free a house elf, the master has to provide clothes for the elf in question. We both know that won't happen so forget about it."
She could do that or she could come up with a plan to save Dylis. The latter solution was definitely better in her opinion. Now, for that to happen, Ophelia needed to get inside the Lestrange mansion and make her way into the dungeon where the house elf was being tortured. She knew her way around but she was underage and every spell done will trace back to her. Of course, there was another way. She smiled and turned to Lucius with big green eyes, looking a lot like a fox begging for food.
"No. That would be foolish from both of us. I told you, no."
But the power of those green eyes was far bigger than Lucius imagined. He could slightly understand Snape and why he was so keen on helping her when she asked. It was impossible to resist such a persistent little girl.
And so, not a week, not a few days but right the next day which was Friday, Ophelia dressed in comfortable black clothes and met Lucius in the entrance hall. He was dressed like usual which in return made her look odd.
"What are you wearing?" he asked with a scowl.
"Clothes. Why are you looking like a librarian? Where are your casual clothes?" she asked in return, seeing how he wore a green sweater with a checkered pattern over a white shirt and black pants. He was drawing attention, especially with his blond hair tied up.
"These are my casual clothes and I don't look like a librarian. Not even close." he retorted before he changed the subject, "I can't believe I'm following you into this childish scheme. Besides, you'll need Mr. Lestrange to offer something in order to free the elf."
"Food." Ophelia explained, "They give him food, which theoretically comes from the master so that the elf won't die too soon. I need to steal something from Mr. Lestrange's room and put it into the food, or at least on the trail."
Her eyes were sparkling and Lucius knew, in that moment, that he'll be very sorry tomorrow.
Getting into the Lestrange mansion was fairly easy, they used Floo Powder and stepped out of the chimney from the first floor, which was coincidentally near Rabastan's room.
"How are you going to find Mr. Lestrange's bedroom? And what makes you believe the rest of the house elves won't call him out?" Lucius whispered, the mansion being incredibly silent for that time of the day.
"I've been here before so I know my way around. I've spent the entire month before school in this torturing hell. Except Rabastan, everyone's bedrooms are upstairs. There's a statue in the form of a very ugly man and the door across leads to Lestrange's bedroom. Take anything, even a sock or anything and bring it into the kitchen." She said, looking at him with a serious expression.
"What about you? What will you do?"
"I will make sure he gets his dinner tonight with an extra-something," she answered, smiling mischievously.
As soon as the plan begun, Ophelia sneaked downstairs, through a back door hidden in between two walls. She had seen house elves go through it a few times before but she never expected the kitchen to be so wide. Fortunately, no one was there and it was difficult to foresee just what the elves will do for dinner. That until she got another idea. Sneaking out, she wandered around, searching for any type of living human being. There was noise coming from the stairs towards the basement (not the dungeons, because it seemed they had different paths) and hid under what looked to be a high end table.
"I don't know what you want me to tell you, Rabastan. We've already decided who will go to Glenmore after Christmas. Besides, you need to be at school." That was Mrs. Lestrange for sure, her voice was just as high as Mrs. Malfoy's.
"Then is Rodolphus going? He's in his last year, isn't he?"
"The Dark Lord trusts him while you haven't done anything to earn his trust."
Rabastan looked furious but he was keeping a peaceful exterior in front of his mother.
"Then what about Ophelia?" that definitely grabbed her attention, "I've been tutoring her and protecting her because he told me so. Is that not enough? Why did he even order Rodolphus to train her when I could have done it?" the boy continued.
Ophelia looked down at her hands, her ring to be exact, and sighed heavily. Her father was pushing certain people towards her and she was foolish enough to believe they were her friends. Rabastan, Lucius, maybe even Severus, they weren't her friends per say, they were helpers at best. Feeling her heart break a little, she moved her head, which in that small place made her hit the table, making more noise than she wanted to. Rabastan's head turned to her direction and ignored his mothers rant. He narrowed his eyes and noticed something moving before he turned to his mother.
"I'll discuss with father, you should go take your medicine."
"Don't bother him with your selfish requests, son. Try more in order for the Dark Lord to take notice of your efforts."
That was everything before silence filled the first floor. Ophelia was standing like a fetus under the table when she moved in order to see if the path was clear. Unfortunately, she met a pair of shoes and a poker faced Hogwarts student, staring down at her with one eyebrow raised. Ophelia rolled her eyes and got out, annoyed after what she heard.
"What are you doing here?" he asked in his usual calm tone.
"Making your mission easier. I'm just a responsibility- no, a way for the Dark Lord to notice how much of a loyal dog you are." she answered irritated. "Who's this Dark Lord anyway? Why is he so important and what connection does he have to me?"
Rabastan looked to the side, his mind working quickly to find a response.
"If my father finds you here, the Dark Lord will be the last of your worries."
"It doesn't matter," she mumbled, passing him on her way towards the stairs. She was annoyed and hurt and having those thoughts, she walked and hid as close to the kitchen as possible.
By the time she met Lucius, he had a sock and she had nothing. It seemed that dinner was coming soon because house elves started to gather in the kitchen and Mr. Lestrange returned home with Rodolphus on his trail. Seeing how they also had to return to the Malfoy Manor in time and Lucius was pissing himself now that so many people were swarming through every corner of the house, Ophelia chose the simplest way to sort everything out.
They were cramped in a corner of the kitchen when a house elf passed them towards the cupboard. Ophelia decided she might as well use her fingers since she didn't have her wand with her. Legilimence, she whispered and the elf suddenly stopped. Lucius watched silently as the elf started to prepare soup. She turned around and Ophelia nudged Lucius for the piece of clothing. The older boy levitated the sock and let it fall straight into the cauldron of soup before the elf walked back to it. Mrs. Lestrange barged in a few minutes later to order the elves to make her husband's favorite pie because he was in a bad mood. Ophelia glanced around before she whispered again, Legilimence.
"What is that, Alfie?" Mrs. Lestrange asked, walking towards the cauldron of soup.
"Chicken soup, madame. Minnie's cooking it."
Mrs. Lestrange scoffed but nevertheless tasted the soup. Her eyes widened and face scrunched in disgust.
"It's horrible! Throw it away or give it to that filthy friend of yours," she said and stormed out of the kitchen. Alfie rubbed his hands together nervously and turned to Minnie. They nodded at each other and the female elf poured all that soup in smaller bowls, that sincerely looked very old and rusty.
"Let's go. I want to witness it." She told Lucius before they also sneaked out of the kitchen.
Unfortunately, they were two steps from the stairs towards the dungeons when an air of hostility surrounded them. Lucius stopped her and glanced over his shoulder, meeting the heavy gaze of Rodolphus Lestrange. The blond pushed Ophelia behind him so that her face won't be shown. As Rodolphus was approaching, Lucius pushed Ophelia down the stairs, not hard enough to make her fall and crumble but enough to make her hide in the darkness.
"Lucius, what do I owe the pleasure?" asked the stiff boy, looking like he could torture the blond on the spot without an answer needed.
"I am here to have a chat about Christmas." Lucius started, having no idea where he was going with that idea. "Will you still join my family for dinner, I suppose?"
"Of course. Pleasantries have to be kept during these times." Rodolphus answered, subtly glancing at the space behind Lucius. "Is there something else?"
"No. Only, this dinner will be special. We'll have have an honor guest join us." Lucius started, knowing it will draw him in, "Ophelia is spending Christmas with my family."
"Then maybe we'll see the Dark Lord sooner than expected." The dark haired boy said with a pleasant smile. "Would you like to spend dinner here or do you need to return to your babysitter deeds?
Lucius licked his lips, aware that Ophelia could hear every word. He smiled politely and shook his head, trying to pose into a relaxed young wizard.
"No need. I'll return to my duty and you should return to your father. I'm sure you have important business to talk about. It seems a dozen new muggles have strangely disappeared and Greyback's name has been cleared by your father."
"The army's growing, Lucius. We need to protect what is rightfully ours, don't you believe so?" he asked with a superior tone, as if he was far more involved than any other wizard at Hogwarts. He might have been, for all Lucius knew.
Rodolphus raised an eyebrow, questioning the blond with a heavy gaze. He looked at his classmate from head to toe before going back into the dining room.
Lucius sighed and leaned against the wall for support, his legs feeling like someone tried to curse them. He turned towards Ophelia, whose eyes were sparkling in the darkness of the corridor and felt a knot form in his stomach. She dragged him on the hill and almost pushed him off and broke his neck.
While the family was feasting, the dungeons were freezing cold. Ophelia and Lucius were waiting in front of the door, having a clear view if someone were to come from upstairs or from inside.
"Are they going to feed him or not?" she asked, holding her arms in front of her chest and pacing anxiously.
"Who taught you legilimency?" Lucius asked, being bothered for the past hour by that reason alone.
"Professor Knowingall. I'm in Occlumency lessons, in case you didn't know." She answered as if that was obvious.
"No. That level of legilimency is above what we are taught at school. You did it with so much ease, besides the fact that you did it without a wand."
"Desperate times, desperate measures." She mumbled grumpily.
"How can you control magic so well without a wand? That rarely occurs and even then, it eats the wizard alive and changes him into a monster. Too much power is hard to contain and when it explodes, you cease to exist." Lucius explained from his spot against the cold wall.
"Dad wouldn't let that happen."
It was surprising how she stated that without the slightest bit of doubt. She must have trusted her father more than anyone if she was so sure of his intentions. But then, if she knew the truth about him, would she still hand her life to him? Lucius didn't have time to ponder on that possibility because Ophelia noticed something and barged inside the dungeons.
It seemed dinner has been delivered to the hurt Dylis while they were waiting. The elf could barely eat but something made him jolt. His eyes widened as he found something both disgusting and wonderful in his soup. Ophelia approached the cell with anticipation and witnessed happiness engulf the little creature.
Dylis looked up at the girl and smiled. To be sincere, he looked so skinny that he could barely stand on his feet and his face was just as bloody as the last time she had seen him.
"What's wrong, Dylis?" she asked with hope.
"Dy-Dylis found a piece of clothing in his soup," the elf muttered, his voice hoarse, "A present from the master," he added before he took a long look at his surroundings. "Dylis is free~" he said, happiness filling his little heart.
He was still in a fragile state but could easily break the chains. Such a power was amazing and it was prohibited because he was a slave. It was so frustrating, especially after Ophelia's sight over law and justice. Her muggle parents have taught her well in those two domains so seeing slavery up close took a toll on her opinion about the wizarding community.
"Are you alright, Dylis?" she asked, "Let's get you out of here,"
"And where exactly will you take him?" asked Lucius, watching with a bitter taste in his mouth.
"He's in an awful state and the safest place is-" she stopped, thinking about her plan. Ophelia tried the door to see if it was locked or not; it wasn't, not that the elf could waltz out of there anyway. She grabbed the elf and smiled at him, a genuinely kind smile. "Home. I'll take him home."
Firstly, Lucius believed she meant his home since she was staying over for the holidays but then he remembered she was living with her new guardian in an enchanted house.
"How will we get out of here with an injured elf?"
"Dylis will help. Dylis is thankful." The elf mumbled, taking a tight grasp on Ophelia's arm.
"Come and grab me already, or maybe you want to have a chat with Mr. Lestrange?" Ophelia taunted the boy, forcing him to come and grab her other arm tightly.
With one pop sound, they were gone. The place they apparated in was the front lawn of Spinnard's cottage and surprisingly enough, Lucius was not dead or assaulted.
"Help me carry him inside," she mumbled, her eyes mesmerizing Lucius into actually doing a good deed for once in his life.
When she opened the door, she expected the ghosts of the Spinnard family to woo Lucius out but again, nothing happened. The house seemed quite happy that she returned so soon. She placed Dylis on the couch, being more than enough space for him and turned to Lucius. At the same time, down the stairs walked Cerberus and once he saw the two kids and the bloody elf, he made a turn for the kitchen.
With Cerberus' help, it seemed like Dylis was recuperating well. He was eating and his face regained its usual dimensions. He was still wounded all over but those huge blue eyes were lively.
"I can't believe you freed a house elf but more than that, I can't believe you, Lucius, helped her." Cerberus was really blunt.
"We should return already. If my father finds out, the punishment will be severe." Lucius changed the subject completely, annoyed by the professor. "The elf seems fine now, not that anyone would care,"
"I do. Can he stay here until he's better?" Ophelia asked Cerberus but the owl man shrugged.
"It's your house. You decide."
That answer made her feel really good and proud. The witch turned to Dylis and bent so she could look into his eyes, showing her sincerity. The house elf was drinking tea from a clean glass and the blanket over his frail body was colorful and smelled like vanilla.
"You're welcome to stay here for how long you want, Dylis. This house will always be open for you."
Lucius scoffed in the back and rolled his eyes at the antics of a child. If only her father would know about their adventure, the blond would become food for trolls.
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