The Forging of the Bonds

LunaIsCool

Story Summary:
Arthur and Lucius, Ron and Draco... the enmity betweent the Weasleys and the Malfoys has not ended with the defeat of Voldemort. But as Michael Weasley and Elizabeth Malfoy are start their sixth year, they begin to learn more than they ever knew about the past and about themselves, with the aid of their new DADA teacher... a hero unseen in wizarding Britain since the war ended...

Chapter 39 - Family Matters

Posted:
09/26/2007
Hits:
1,070


Chapter 39. Family Matters.

"Always a show-off, Potter," her father said disapprovingly.

"Good evening, Draco," Potter said. "Hello, Elizabeth."

"You?" was all she managed to get out. "Why?"

"A number of reasons. One of them is that I was the only one your father trusted after the death of Pansy."

"Because you--"

Potter nodded. "Because I understood exactly what he was going through. Blaise Zabini could have formed a third member of the group, but he chose to blame me."

"I never told you this, Elizabeth, but you look just like your mother, except for the hair color," her father said.

"Uhm... thanks, Dad." Elizabeth couldn't think of anything else to say. This was simply too much information.

"Come in." Potter motioned them into this office. "Let's have a drink."

"Elizabeth--" her father began.

"--is an adult, Draco, as I have pointed out to you many times this year," Potter finished. He poured something out of an old bottle into three small goblets.

"To a safe future," he said. They drank.

Her father looked at Potter. "Are you--"

"I've answered that question often enough. I'll tell her. With or without your input!"

Her father looked resigned. "Go ahead."

"It is bad," Potter began, "when you are the subject of a prophecy. I should know that. It is worse still if someone you care about is, as your father is aware. I can't lie to you, Elizabeth. You happen to be in both situations."

"What?" Elizabeth asked, not understanding. Prophecies?

"A prophecy was made, shortly before your birth. It concerned you and a child you'll give birth to."

"But I may not have children!"

"No, you might not," Potter said. "Then the prophecy will go unfulfilled."

"And you want it to be fulfilled? Is that it?"

"Elizabeth, please hear us out before you draw conclusions, otherwise, you'll draw wrong ones!" Potter exclaimed. "As I said, a prophecy was made. When I showed you your mother's rescue in New Mexico, I left a bit out of our encounter with Lavender Brown."

Potter took out the Pensieve and waved his wand over it. A ghostly figure of Lavender appeared.

"What've you done to him?" she shouted, kneeling next to what Elizabeth knew to be Andrew Seward's body. Then, she suddenly straightened and began speaking in a new, melodic tone.

From those born into a darkness

Will come a child of the light.

The father shall bear witness towards

The Dark Lord's passing into night.

The daughter's own future offspring

Shall have the strength to see for good

That ancient magic of Poseidon

Is opened and understood.

Potter looked up at her. "Prophecies rarely rhyme," he said. "Lavender, though, was always somewhat of a poet, and even if the prophecy is made involuntarily, as it was here, the personality of the Seer is imprinted on it. This was the prophecy, and as the events soon proved, it could have only referred to you, and your child--or children, since the word 'offspring' can be plural."

"What is 'the ancient magic of Poseidon'?"

"We are not sure," Potter admitted, "but we have a good guess. We thought it referred to the secret of Atlantis."

"What? But that's--"

"A legend? Legends tend to have a basis in fact. In this case, there are many legends, some contradictory. I have traveled around the world over the past seventeen years, looking for information about Atlantis and anything connected to it."

"But why? I mean, I may not have children. The prophecy--"

"Legends agree that the magic involved in Atlantis--and we're pretty sure that a place like that existed, even though details may have been misremembered or idealized--was very powerful. Where the power came from is uncertain, but it's not a good idea to let a future Voldemort get access to it. We wanted to reduce that chance, without resorting to barbarism."

"What?"

"Well, Voldemort or a like-minded person would have done one of two things. Either kill you as a baby, to make sure his enemies never wielded that power, or, if he intended to use it himself, he'd seek out your parents, kill them, raise you himself, provide you with a mate of his choice, kill both you and him as soon as the baby was born, and raise that child in his ways. Naturally, neither of us would do even one one-hundredth of this."

Elizabeth sat silent, pondering the pronouncement.

"What does 'born into the darkness' mean?"

"We are not sure. If it just referred to Draco, it could be interpreted that he was born into a family known for practicing Dark magic. The Parkinsons, however, were not such a family, and as you well know, a Parkinson had married into the Bones family, which was never known to be involved in the Dark Arts. So that obvious interpretation is problematic. It could also be taken literally--as I found over the course of my searches, both of your parents were born on moonless nights."

"And why 'for good'?"

"The reason we even know of Atlantis is that some people, both wizards and Muggles, have had encounters with its remnants. So small glimpses were brought out. Some were done so long ago that these sources were forgotten. Freezing charms, and a score of related spells, I am quite certain, have their origin in Atlantis. But there are protections around it, and those that delved too deep most often didn't come back--or were useless if they did. I think I got the farthest, and when the defenses activated, I nearly got killed. That was about eight years ago, if you recall."

"Oh, I recall it perfectly, Potter," her father said. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking it was a good lead," he said. "But you're right. I could only think of two wizards, other than myself, powerful enough to escape that trap--and both of them are dead."

"Who?"

"Care to guess?"

"The Dark Lord," Elizabeth said.

Potter nodded. "Draco, can't--"

"I can't, and--"

"Never mind. Dumbledore is the other. The point is, the magic of Atlantis had not been completely sealed off."

"And my child--"

"Or children," Potter interrupted.

"--or children will open it?"

"They will be able to."

"So what--"

"So what did we do? Well, there is no foolproof way, but the only way to reduce the appeal of the Dark Arts is love."

"Love?"

"That's right. It's very important that you and any children you have are raised in love."

"How do you make sure of that?"

"You can't. But one thing we couldn't afford is something many wizarding families--including the Malfoys--traditionally practiced."

"Arranged marriages." Elizabeth's understood.

"More semi-arranged, as your parents were. No one forced them to, but they were encouraged to see and date each other, and discouraged otherwise.

"Elizabeth, it's very important that you marry, if you do, for love. It's also very important that the father of your children knows about this before he becomes one."

"Are you mad at us?" her father asked. "That we kept you in the dark?"

Elizabeth was surprised. "No, Dad," she answered truthfully enough. "You took a big risk. For all you know, I already--"

"Why do you think I taught you the birth control spell?"

"What if I didn't use it?"

"I trusted you wouldn't forget."

"Thanks, Dad. And he's my godfather--"

"Mostly to make sure that, if something happened to your father--and there were those, immediately after the war, who might have taken retribution on families of known Death Eaters once the hard work was done--you would be raised by someone with full knowledge of the prophecy and what it entails."

"The only people in the world today who know that are in this room."

"That's not quite true, Draco."

"What?"

"Well, one other person knows."

"How?"

"I told her."

"Why?"

"A backup for a backup, and a second pair of eyeballs for research."

"What? Not--"

"Who are you talking about?" Elizabeth demanded.

"Potter, why--"

"I knew you wouldn't approve."

"Of course not! My daughter with that--"

"Care to finish that sentence, Draco?"

"You would have--"

"Who?" Elizabeth shouted.

"Granger," her father said.

"It's Granger-Weasley," Potter corrected.

"That makes it worse," her father replied.

Elizabeth suddenly realized who they were talking about. "You mean--"

"That's right, Elizabeth," Potter said. "Mike's mother."