This fic tells the Flora Riddle's,story. Flora, Bellatrix's and Voldemort's daughter, is a powerful witch that was brought up by Muggles without her parents' knowledge. Lucius Malfoy finds her whereabouts and sees in it the possibility of the darkness returning what has always fascinated him. What he ignores is that she's not Voldemort. And the battle that is established is not the one he had in mind.

Chapter list:

1. The coldest day of the year
2. Mr Malfoy
3. The trip
4. At last the true
5. Meeting Draco
6. Neville and Hannah
7. Bringing the Army together
8. The Ambush
9. The Malfoy Manor
10. A wizarding Family

"This story was based on the Harry Potter series, created by JK Rowling, on which I have no property right and is not my intention to infringe any copyright.
It's a fan fiction story That Incorporate characters she created."
Translation into English: R. Migliorini & Ivana R.


1. THE COLDEST DAY OF THE YEAR



It would be a day like any other one in Flora’s life – a psychologist, married with three children –, if it were not for the sudden cold that had came to town during the night, and along with this, the news that her friend and co-worker had died.

Getting out of bed and picking up an outfit for the funeral seemed impossible. The previous day they had met briefly at the clinic and her friend seemed perfectly well, as Flora remembered while opening the window to check the weather conditions as if she did not know that the day dawned cold. Her indecision about the clothes she should wear was linked to her refusal to believe everything was real; and she knew it. She did not want to dress just as she did not want to leave home. The city looked totally unrecognizable in shades of gray and the fog that invaded her room, filled her lungs with inevitable icy reality. She closed the window without even noticing the approach of a dark figure. She shuddered and was deeply distressed. Then, she closed the curtains - the graceful and flowery curtains that her daughter had insisted on buying. That remembrance gave her a momentary joy. She did not notice, but the dark figure turned away out there. That off-season cold and the fog that covered the city, made her feel as if she would never be happy in life again. "No, it was probably only related to the circumstances. This has nothing to do with the weather", thought Flora.

She went to the funeral with her husband, Felipe, a tall and handsome man with dark hair and very pale skin - she loved him very much, but never commented on how handsome he looked to her just for him not to put on airs. As they walked side by side, hand in hand, Flora struggled to crack a smile for him. She usually was a very good-humoured person; nevertheless her good mood had vanished when she came out of bed to grab a blanket during the night, even before she received the sad news, she was devastated and feeling awkward. She was distant and barely paid attention to what she did or said, and greeted friends and strangers with sorrow.

She kept thinking the foggy day made her feel quite upset. "No, it wasn’t it”, she reasoned, “but the situation". She leaned against her husband and forced herself to move on. Flora and Felipe came near the place where the burial would take place, getting a little behind the small crowd that had come to say goodbye. Then, the final honors began. They were in the old cemetery in downtown, while the cold bit her lightly on the cheek, she idled away looking at the sculptures on the graves that had always fascinated her, especially the one of the young bride leaning over the grave of her beloved one, and it caused a big knot in her chest, so she tightened firmly her husband hand. Her attention also floated from one ancient tree to another. Then, she noticed two men gazing at her with an unusual interest. At first, she thought she was ill-dressed or something of the sort, because no matter how hard she tried, her way of dressing always disagreed to her peers’. Then, she pretended her attention was in something else while examined the men, and realized she had never seen them before.

One of them was tall, blond, had a very pale skin, and looked about 50. She was under the impression that he watched her with a certain reverence. The other one, who was accompaning him, was much younger. This one was stoutly built, looked evil, and had black hair cut very short. They dressed as if they were not from the city. Actually, they seemed foreigners. They neither spoke, among themselves, nor greeted the relatives of the deceased woman. They seemed to be there just because of Flora. "No, I'm imagining things again" Flora thought, dismissing her own perception.

It was becoming increasingly difficult for Flora to pay attention to what was happening and for a moment she had the feeling that a strange force was trying to control her actions and make her follow that old man. She shook her head as if to wave these thoughts aside. The feeling passed. The man seemed to smile as he looked at her briefly and Flora looked immediately away from him in response. However, she saw a tall, hooded figure in a dark cloak seemly slipping between the graves. Then, she glimpsed a brightness that seemed to come from under the blond man’s cloak, and the figure moved away. What was that? Certainly she was imagining things. Those men should be relatives or friends of the deceased woman and she, Flora, was too shaken, bordering on madness, perhaps, and had seen Death in person; or rather thought so. She shook her head again as if it could give back the reason into her mind. Anyway, she needed a holiday: it was certainly that, she concluded.

At the end of the funeral, it began drizzling. She left the cemetery leaning even more heavily against her husband, nearly being carried by him. She was trembling, not knowing whether it was because of the icy drops falling down hers neck or the nervousness increasing inside her. In the street, she saw those sinister figures again. Then, she decided to face them with a stare - knowing it might put people off sometimes. She looked in the eyes of the blond man so strongly that she believed his legs would collapse. He staggered and whispered satisfied to the other: “It’s her”. This makes her even scarier.

In their way back to the car, she realized her husband had not noticed anything, which left her with the feeling that everything was just fruit of her imagination. Even though, she thought that she would better walk faster, and justified it by telling him that she needed a rest.

And what if she was really imagining things? Would her mind be wavering? She shook her head once more undoing the bun on top of her head and dropping her long, black curly hair on her back and saw her reflection in the window of a car. Not only she looked paler than normal, but also her eyes seemed to have faded a bit in the last hour. "Perhaps the autumn leaves had changed colour" she thought, since she used to say that her eyes were their colour: something between dark green, brown, yellow and gray. And diving in her thoughts, she snuggled up onto her husband’s arms while they drove home in silence.

Hello and Welcome to the Epic and Adventure section! I would say to be sure to read the rules, post often and most importantly have fun, but it seems you've finished. I hope you continue posting about Flora in here.

Hey! I'm so sorry I didn't post earlier! I'm on Chapter 3 right now I think! I just wanted you to know that I'm reading!
I would like to make a suggestion tho. Maybe, I don't want to be rude (so please don't hate me for saying this), but I think that maybe you shouldn't have put out all of the chapters out at once. Maybe you should've like saved the chapters you wrote and then put out a new one each week. So then people aren't looking at this liek Too much reading! Too much reading!
But i'm really enjoying it! And I'll continue on and post more soon! Promise!

I'm glad you're enjoying my Flora.

Thank you very much for the suggestion to put out a chapter each week. I'll do it with Flora 2. Actually I didn't know how it worked here (the post of FF).

The continuation of this story is ready (Flora 2 and 3), but it's not translated yet (I write in Portuguese, a friend of mine has translated into English for me), but I think I'll have to post Flora 2 on "The High Security Vaults". I could not classify the stories and I still have not found a Beta-reader yet....

...And I hope you have patience to read my response to your comment because my English is terrible (which is a totally unnecessary comment, because you just get to the end of it!) ... and I hope you understand what I tried to write.

Don't worry about it! YOu have very fine Engish! I could never type in Portuguese (believe me).
But I have a friend from Brazil, and she sometimes speaks Portuguese to her family and her dog. It's rather funny, becuase usually what she says to it in Portuguese is "Shut up!" o really, that's the only phrase I know in Portuguese.

Portuguese it's really a complicated language. I had made more revisions in portuguese than I made in English for Flora to be ok... But I can teach you Portuguese, if you want, and then you can train with your friend ... If I am writing in English, everything is possible in this world! Believe me!


and poor dog! it's must bark a lot... I have 2 females dogs, but my "girls" are so quiet that I need not say 'shut up' (cala a boca!)... Cesar Millan (Animal Planet) would be poor if it depended on them...

I love that show! i watch it all the time!
Oh, and that would be fun. It's kind of like Spanish, right? (except different)

Yes, Portuguese is very similar to Spanish... so often foreigners speaks Spanish think it is Portuguese ... or they mix the two languages ​​and speak a kind of "portunhol", or how you would speak there, spaniguese or portanish...
Ask me anything you want and I'll teach you ...

do you finished the Flora? enjoy it till the end?

No. i haven't finished yet, but i most certainly will! Thanks.
So, here's the first question: How do you say hello?

Hello: oi ( it is pronounced like this: 'O' like the 'o' from ThOse and 'I' like 'ee' from frEE) = oee.
do you understand? You can say 'oi' or 'olá', it's the same. "olá" sounds like "olah", 'o' like 'thOse', again and 'a' like the 'a' from 'stAff'...

Try talking for your friend and see if my teaching was successful ...
Good luck! (Boa sorte!)

Okay. Thank you! Who ever knew that your fanfiction would end up being a Portuguese class!
Boa Sorte!!!

hahahhahahahaha

could you help me? I'm seeing how to post the flora 2 and I would include links to the next chapters, but I did not understand how can I do it ... any hints?
(it is already full, but I will follow your hint to post a chapter a week)

até logo! (see you!)

Oh. Well, when you are posting a reply or editing a post, you will see above a picture of an earth. You click on it, and put in the permalink of the post, and hit OK. Hope it helps!
Ate logo!

I think I'd understood it...
shall we see...

do you said 'olá' or 'oi' to your friend? it works?

Até logo! Vou dormir. (I'm going to sleep)

Wait, so are you in the same time zone as me? Right now it's 3:02 pm. What is it for you?

I live nearby São Paulo - Brazil. Here is GMT-3, but nowadays is GMT-2 (daylight saving time)
I usually sleep late, so depending on where you live in the U.S. the hours can match...

I think it was 2:02 pm

Okay. Ilive like on New York time zones. So we are probably only an hour apart. Okay. It makes sense. Just curious.

isn't it fantastic? we're just neighbors in time zone, but we live too much distant from each other.... at least Harry Potter does exist and we can be friends thanks to him and the www.

I hope it's not scare you, isn't my intention... just make friends.

I have already sent the first chapter of my other ff (Flora 2) to the SS ... I am now waiting for authorization. I hope you enjoy it.

Unfortunately, Flora 3 I think will not be possible post it here because this is a little bit heavy story. Harry is deeply depressed in this part of history of Flora.


you don't say me if you get to learn to speak "olá" or "oi"...

até logo!

OKay! Can't wait to read it! Making friends is fun.

Next morning seemed as if nothing had happened; even the tropical sun came out in its total strength. Flora forced herself into going to work, as some of her patients were going through a crisis and couldn’t miss a week of their treatment – she tried to justify herself while she knew, in fact, that it was not true and she needed something else to occupy her thoughts to be able to resume her normal life. She was confused and did not want to feel all that pain for a few moments at least.
She drove her car through the city in "automatic mode" (without pay attention) and soon came to her office, which was a simple chamber, in the backroom of a nice clinic. It was good enough for her, as the success of her work didn’t rest in the furniture.

She worked the whole day, but took small breaks to take the children to school or to fetch them from it, have lunch, or go to the supermarket. The intense routine made her forget the gloomy experience she’d had in the cemetery.

Although she was feeling well, during the coffee break, she remembered her co-worker showed a permanent smile, and always suggested that she drank water instead of coffee since it was healthier. Her death was a mystery, since not even the medical examiner had been able to ascertain its causes. The deceased woman just seemed to have given up life and “shut down”. Thoughtfully, Flora left the coffee cup aside and poured herself a large glass of water, and realized she would still miss her friend for a long time. Then she resumed her work, there were still three patients to go.

Time passed, but she didn’t notice it. Well after the end of the working day, she was alone at her office once her last patient had left long before. Then suddenly, she felt a gust of icy wind blow into the office. Immediately after that the doorbell rung – she thought this was weird since she wasn’t waiting for anyone. Perhaps it was the night guard checking why the lights were on. To her surprise, when she opened the door she found the blonde man of the previous day. He gave her his hand, half smiled, and said:
“Dr Flora? I am Lucius Malfoy.”

Flora shuddered with fear and reacted by looking back at him with the same fixed stare of the previous day, trying to intimidate him, after she was alone and he was an unknown man. She knew her stare used to have a devastating effect on people, and in she used it sometimes to get into her patients’ minds to help them whenever the normal procedures didn’t work. It was the way through which she could access their most hidden thoughts and forgotten memories. It disturbed Mr. Malfoy for a few seconds, but he didn’t seem to want to avoid it. Actually, he seemed to understand it and wish that invasion of privacy. Flora saw in his remembrances that he had come from far away to meet her. He had learnt about her through a document, and she understood he wouldn’t do her any harm. When she tried to access his memories a bit further, she saw a woman with her hair as black as Flora’s, and also a very awkward looking man with a snake-like face. But then, Lucius deflected her gaze.

Flora believed that words of her successful work had reached him and that’s why he was there. She concluded that it was because of the strange looking persons wearing unusual costumes she had seen in that gentleman’s memories. They seemed to have some kind of madness or dementia.

Curious, she invited Lucius in and took him to her office, where she indicated an armchair for him to sit. She excused herself, grabbed the mobile in her purse, and with her back turned to man, called her husband to tell him that a last minute appointment had just turned up. If she didn’t arrive home in an hour, he should come and look for her, but otherwise he shouldn’t worry, as all was well, she completed quickly, but she was not sure whether this had indeed reassured Felipe.

She fetched them coffee and asked what had brought Mr. Malfoy there. He explained that he believed she was Tom Riddle and his sister-in-law Bellatrix Lestrange’s daughter that had been adopted soon after her birth by a Brazilian family visiting England.

Flora had been told she was adopted and brought from Europe when she was still a baby, even so she got surprised at the unexpected revelation of her parents’ names, so she paid great attention to the story. She had her heart in her throat, but took a deep breath to collect herself as she didn’t want him to note how moved she was. Pretending calm, she asked him to continue.

As far as she could understand, the Lestranges worked for this Mr. Riddle, a Lord. And after years serving and blindly admiring this man, Bellatrix’s husband looked more and more uninteresting to her.

He went on saying that she had been put up for adoption on Mr. Lestrange’s order, the betrayed husband that, in spite of his rage for the baby girl – that was a live proof of his wife’s betrayal – couldn’t kill her for both fear and admiration for her father. Mr Lestrange had no difficulty in lying to his wife, since the baby was premature and the mother had lost consciousness during the childbirth, so he said to her that their daughter had been born dead. Moreover, he also said that the baby’s birth mother didn’t want the little girl, as she believed the baby to be her husband’s, so she did not want to see the dead child anymore, which facilitated the lie.

Mr Malfoy told her that many years had passed and no one in the family knew Flora existed. Then, one day, Bellatrix’s sister and Mr. Malfoy’s wife, Narcissa, read a document written by an old family servant that had been found by her grandson, Scorpius. Flora had the impression that Mr. Malfoy had implied this servant was a home elf, but imagined she had miss-understood him. It was certainly owing to her difficulty with English. To better understand that, he let her peer into his mind again. Actually, he seemed to wish she did that again. Then, in a large and stylish living-room, she saw a blonde and tall woman showing old and stained papers to her husband.

By seeing how Narcissa told her husband the history that, in turn, her grandson had told her, Flora noted that this servant, Dobby, was greatly despised, although again he was referred to as an elf. “Would ‘elf’ be just a derogatory term?” thought Flora.

“Dobby, that useless and traitor elf, hid a stack of old papers made of newspapers and bread wrappers, which were tied up by a knot with a magical look. In these papers — see, I didn’t even know the bloody elf could write —, he wrote, in an awful writing, things he saw in our home, and some others he did on our orders. If the Ministry just got hold of these papers…”

“How did you find them?”

“Scorpius gave me that. He was playing in the cellar when, without any particular purpose, he did a magic spell that revealed a path in the wall. He followed that path and got to Dobby’s dirty room. I didn’t even know there was such a filthy place in our house. It had a tiny bed, and horrible flowers were drawn in its walls. Scorpius’ intent was to use it as his secret hiding place to meditate ant try his magic powers away from us. He’s so smart!!! However he made the wrong magic and instead of enlarging the piece of pie he had in his pocket, he made the paper wrapping appear. What a disgusting habit of registering his memories the bloody elf had – as if they were worth anything... Anyway, Scorpius found them very interesting. So, he ended up getting late for lunch and I went to look for him... But that’s not the worst. Have a look for yourself”.

Narcissa reached over and handed the sheets to her husband. Disgusted, Mr. Malfoy started reading the papers, but something called his attention and soon he went on reading them carefully sat in an arm-chair by the window to be helped by the light that came from outside. The revelation about a niece he’d never heard about excited him, so that he muttered now and then:

“Bellatrix and Lord Voldemort... Brazilian family bewitched … their holiday trip was meant for them to take home the daughter they would adopt. Mmm... Interesting..”.

He smiled. Narcissa noted a glint in her husband’s eyes. It was as if he had just won the best present in his life. She got weary when he announced:

“I’m going to Brazil. We must know if she’s still alive...”

After writing some messages and asking his wife to send them off Mr. Malfoy said he would pack. Narcissa climbed the winding marble stairs behind him going to the bedroom. Then he said to her that he knew he could not count on his son, Draco, that preferred living in the past as if nothing had ever happened; so, since Lord Voldemort’s death he would not approve of anything like that. Therefore, Mr. Malfoy would ask to an old friend’s son, Goyle to go with him. Goyle was stupid and strong enough to accompany him in any mission. Flora could still see Mr. Malfoy accompanied by a man she recognized as the one that was with him at the cemetery. At first, they were not coming to Brazil, though; instead they were going up north, at least that was what he had told Goyle. At this moment he turned his eyes away from her as not to let her see anything anymore.

Flora focused back the office and startled, she could hardly hide her shock. But nothing was compared to what Mr. Malfoy was about to tell her: He first asked her in a paused voice whether she had ever done anything strange in her life; something the other persons could not do. She did not reply anything then, but she knew she had. In fact, she had always done strange things, although she had never mentioned that to anybody except to her husband, to her deceased friend, and to two of her girl friends that also had something different.

Then, the man took a wooden wand from his stick, pointed it to a picture in the wall, and the image in it started to move. Flora took a deep breath. She knew it couldn’t be a trick, since that picture had hung from that wall since long, and he couldn’t have had anytime to set the scene. At that, she nodded with her head: yes, she had already done many strange things. He asked her what had been that, and she replied that the strangest thing she had ever done was during a family camp, when she prevented a coral snake from leaping at them by simply talking to it. The man’s eyes glinted again, as if he had just met Santa Claus himself. Then he asked her whether she had felt anything strange in the cemetery. She replied encouraged by the enthusiasm with the news and leaving aside the caution that she had felt as if something wanted to command her, but she had managed to regain control over herself and deflect that sensation.

He clapped and said:

“It was me! I tried to cast the Imperius Curse on you, and you resisted! You’re a witch, and like your father, one of the most powerful ones I’ve ever met. You have the same, let’s say, penetrating stare he had” – and the admiring and venerating way Lucius looked at her deeply annoyed her.

To be called a witch was not a compliment, but she already knew that she was a witch. She had always known that, but had never dared use the word “witch” to justify her powers; even why for her witches were just the evil characters of children’s tales. She also knew that, in a certain way, there was evil inside her. Evil drives had always haunted her. However, she had learned to control them and didn’t have any unethical behaviour since she blew up a frog that had frightened her when she was a child (“who did she think she was to ill-treat the poor animal?”). She smiled to the man and agreed: “ok, you got me”.

She could not take her eyes off his wand-stick as she’d never had seen anything like that. For her, magic wands were only found in fairy tale. She went to touch it, but Lucius dodged her movement. He said it was a personal object and that she could buy one in London for herself. (Flora naturally did not know that, but since he was compelled to lend his wand to another wizard – Lord Voldemort, Flora’s father –, and it had been broken, he never ever let anybody else touch his new wand again as if it was a very sensitive part of his body.

“Magic wands in London? How nice? Can you find them on any corner?”

“No, there’s a particular place to buy it. It’s not in Google maps. It’s the Ollivander in Diagon Alley. Muggles are not allowed there, unless they’re accompanied by a wizarding folk. By Muggles I mean, ordinary persons without magic powers. Over there you can also buy books to help you deal with your magic and learn how to better use it.” Answered Mr. Malfoy forcing himself into being friendly, which wasn’t much like him, and which Flora did not notice due to her enormous excitement at the idea of meeting her parents, developing her magic powers and buying magic things.

This immediately fascinated her, as she had never seen a serious spell book before. The closest she’d got to it were old books of herbal medicine. She noted then that whenever she tried their prescriptions, she usually achieved a much better result than her friends, even if they had followed the same instructions. And for a few moments she was lost in daydreams, imagining herself wearing a black cloak and a witch's pointy hat, with her children in a wizarding department store buying golden spell-books and exotic objects, including cauldrons and broomsticks. Then it occurred to her to ask:

“Do my parents live in London? I’ve wanted to meet them since I was a little girl, and learned I had been adopted.”

Mr. Malfoy sorrowfully said:

“I’m afraid your parents have already passed away.”

Flora lost the enthusiasm and muscle tone, like she would sink in the chair. That meant she would never ever meet her parents. She lowered her eyes, looking at something in her bare hands, her eyes began to fill with tears. Her uncle waited for a moment and finally asked her:

“ But whenever you like, I can show you our world. I’m going back tomorrow, but I’ll leave you my address. Your aunt, my wife, would love to meet her niece. So would my son.”

In these last words, Flora noticed the forced amiability. However, she was curious, and deep down she knew she would accept his invitation, at least she would know part of her family and her people. Mr Malfoy stood up.Flora was still trying to assimilate everything he had told, so it took her a bit to realize that he was leaving. Then she tried to smile at him, got up and followed him to the exit, where they said goodbye, and she thanked her “uncle’s” visit.

She returned to her office and collapsed into her lilac armchair, where she remained for a few minutes, looking once again to her empty hands. She would never know who gave her those long and pale like the moon pianist’s fingers... Then her father was a wizard, and just as she, he could read minds. She needed to tell all that to Felipe. Felipe! Suddenly she remembered that her husband was waiting for her, so she quickly grabbed her purse and put on her coat while turning off the lights and closing the clinic. Flora got to the street in a few moments and soon was in her car. She could barely breath due to her enormous distress. By remaking the talk with Mr. Malfoy, the idea that she was really a witch was contaminating her with euphoria.

Numb and lost in her own thoughts, Flora drifted home. When she got there, she met her husband at the door-step, holding the car key..

“Who was the last-minute patient? The children were already asleep, so I hesitated to go, but I was worried about you ...”

“Oh, love…” Flora said, looking fondly at her husband. She hugged him. As he knew her very well though, he soon realized by the change in her attitude that she was excited and euphoric.

“Did you notice that blonde gentleman in Sophia’s burial?”

“I can’t remember very well ... Who was he? What did he want? You were late; I was worried.”

Then she took the key from him and pulled him by the hand into the house, excited. She sighed and said with her voice slightly sharpened because of the excitement:

“Felipe, he is my uncle! Well, actually he’s married to my birth mother’s sister... Oh, Felipe..." Flora said, lowering her voice and looking at the floor "my parents have passed away..." She paused briefly, he hugged her stronger. She wept, wetting her husband's clothes with her tears. Learning of her parents' death, she felt alone as she had never felt in her whole life. After all they were parents with whom she dreamed of for her entire life, parents who never would know the colour of her eyes, or how she was a good mother and a generous person, parents who never would feel proud of her as her Brazilians parents did... To think about her Brazilians parents calmed her down. She sniffled and continued, getting excited again: “and what would you say if I told you there’re others like us, and that there’s even a kind of shopping mall for ‘witches’ and ‘wizards’?”

She smiled and her eyes shone when she said the words ‘witches’ and ‘wizards’. Her husband was one of the few to understand her nature, as he was somewhat strange, or a wizard himself, since he, as a computing teacher, had power over broken down electronic devices that always started to work again with his ‘magic’ touch. These things were not normally mentioned, not even to her witch friends. Nevertheless, either as witch and wizard, neither Flora nor her husband had ever heard of any true instruction books meant to help them tame their power. So every spell book they had read till then had been but a fraud. Felipe raised an eyebrow. Flora tried to explain:

“Well, my uncle told me there’s a true magic world... And said I’m his sister-in-law’s daughter, born from an off-the-wedding love affair, a mess that her husband found out. So, he told his wife I had been born dead, and ordered a servant to put me for adoption. As far as I could understand, my father was a kind of Lord and my mother worked for him. Both were wizarding people. Ah! Do you know those magic wands found in fairy tales? They’re real. I’ve see one of ’em!”

Her husband put a hand on her forehead to check her temperature... It seemed normal. He looked his wife deep in the eyes and asked:

“Have you drunk anything? Is this all true indeed?”

She smiled:


“Of course it's true. Why would we be the only ones? Nevertheless, my uncle’s a bit sinister... What do you think about all of this, honey?” And she went on talking on and on in such a way that her husband could not get to his own conclusions.

Felipe tried to be rational and calm down his wife. He invited her to take a lemon balm tea (to calm the nerves), while they discussed the subject. Flora accepted it and they went to the kitchen. Felipe asked her to tell the story from the beginning so that he could understand it better. Felipe was also curious about Mr. Malfoy talk, and when she finally finished her narrative they both agreed it would be interesting to check it. However, her uncle spite for Dobby and the natural way he talked about killing a baby made them believe he may not be a good person. Therefore, she could go to London by herself, this way they would spare their kids from being seen by those people until both of them were sure they would not offer them any danger. Besides, she had not mentioned anything about her daughter and sons to Mr. Malfoy, Therefore, her travel would move these people’s focus from their family, and keep it just on her.

Flora rang her uncle up in the following week, and asked him whether his invitation was still standing. Unable to hide his excitement, he replied that yes, he was waiting for her.

Her feelings were as confused as they could be. On the one hand she was very excited with the possibility of getting to know the magical world, a world that also belonged to her family and herself, although they had been totally unaware of it till then. But on the other hand, she was also scared because there was something very sinister involving Mr. Malfoy. She felt that what she had grasped in his recollections about the elf meant little compared to the potential evil in him. But she was sure she could stand to whatever he would present her. She felt as if she could fight it, although this might be pure naivety.

*

The trip to London was all right, such as the flight that was as smooth and fluid as her thoughts. At the airport her uncle and aunt, who made a smartly dressed couple with dark clothes, were already waiting for her. For a moment she felt she could be ill-clothed, but tried to compensate it with a very upward posture through which she tried to show she was very self-assured. This seemed to work, because they did not express any displeasure at seeing her, quite the contrary; her aunt hugged her and said smiling, although she seemed sad:

“You have my sister’s build. You don’t quite look like her, though, as you’re much prettier. However, if I had looked at your shadow, I would’ve said it was Bella who had arrived. Nice to meet you, I’m Narcissa Malfoy.”

Her apparently cordial and friendly speech hid fears that Flora could not understand at the moment. Flora had the impression that her expression was more than missing her sister, it seemed, in fact, that Narcissa had feared Bellatrix.

Mr. Malfoy came forth and took her luggage; a behaviour that was not compatible with his arrogant way of being. Flora noticed it, but didn’t say anything. She looked at her aunt and uncle with affection while followed them through the crowded airport.

In the parking lot, they got in a posh car. In their way, her hosts, just like tour guides, explained whatever they’d pass through in their way. They looked kind of awkward, as if they did not know about what to talk with her. An hour later, they arrived at the Malfoy Manor, ‘a place of much fanfare and little joy,’ noticed Flora without commenting anything. She was so impressed as asked in thought, who would be those people, the Malfoys? Would this house belong to her father, the lord Riddle? Or would he have been even richer than Malfoys were? If Lestranges were like Malfoys and they worked or served the Riddle, he should be millionaire... She did not dare ask or say anything as she did not want them to think she was interested in their money, she was just curious.

Mrs. Malfoy said she had invited over her son Draco, his wife and son to have dinner with them. Her purpose was to introduce Flora to Draco and his family. Flora went to take a rest in the guest room until dinner, on second floor of the manor, which should be at least five times greater than her own home. Breathless with excitement, and trying to absorb all the information gathered up to the moment, Flora rang her husband up to tell him where she was. She also did it as a precaution to activate the GPS of her mobile phone. After taking a shower and dressed herself to dinner, she was undoing her bags when, she heard the sound of a discussion that was coming from the other side of the house. Draco Malfoy had arrived. The sound attracted her like a magnet. Uncertain of what to do, but very curious because she had noticed that she was the subject of the discussion, Flora hesitated in the doorway for a moment before came down the stairs and followed it. They were still in the entrance hall, she noted from her hideout in the darkness of the hallway. They, on the contrary, did not notice her, as they had their backs to her.

“Why did you bring her here, Dad? Hadn’t we already given up old habits? Why put the family at risk? Do you really know who she is? My mark is tingling, father, it can’t be good.”

Then, Draco showed his father his black mark now visible again. It was kind of a magic tattoo with a skull and a snake going through it. Draco’s father also showed his son his own mark and said:

“Isn’t it wonderful? My mark has also come back! She’s got the power, son! And as we‘ve found her, we will be rewarded. Listen to what I'm telling you.”

Flora, who couldn’t contain her curiosity to see the marks, caught both of them by surprise when she got silently in the living-room saying disguising her anxious voice, however she was betrayed by the movements of her chest rising and falling rapidly::

“Excuse me. I hope not to be disturbing you both.”

Draco took a deep breath, lowered his eyes and resigned, introduced himself stretching out his hand to greet her. She noted that when she tried to look at him in the eyes, he looked away. After a short while, he excused himself, and said he would have to leave because he had got an urgent call from work. Nevertheless, he promised her they would meet at another time. He had come alone, having left his family at home. She noticed that and considered a care very interesting. Her uncle apologized to her for his son's behaviour, saying that sometimes he gave more importance to the work than to the family. Then he smiled at her, and offered his arm to escort her to the dining room. Flora accepted the gesture and said they would still have time to get to know each other, there was no hurry.

The dining-room was somewhat oppressive with its huge table and dark furniture, as well as the long corridors they passed, with their high ceiling and so formal wallpapers. That table seemed that there was a sinister vibe in the wood, as if there had occurred rather more than family dinners in that room. The table set for six persons was quickly rearranged by magic to accommodate the remaining three. While Flora was still standing beside a chair, she closely watched her aunt do agile movements with her wand, she repeated them mentally. Lucius came out through a side door, saying he would choose a good wine. Narcissa said:

“Sorry, I forgot that you are not used to using the wand. We need to take you to Diagon Alley for you to purchase one. Mr. Ollivander passed all his knowledge on to his nephew that seems to have even more dexterity than him in making magic wands. I wonder how it’s like to be an adult witch without any basic knowledge of magic. It's almost like being a Muggle!”

Flora was uncomfortable with this comment, she lowered her head and looked at her bare hands, taking a long breath. Her aunt realized it and tried to fix her remark.

“You surely don’t know what is to be a Muggle... Muggles; well…They’re the people without magic powers. But of course, being the daughter of who you are, you’d never be like a Muggle, ain’t it so? You must have developed a natural technique to let out the magic that flows within you. Oh, sit down, dear.”

The aunt said pulling a chair for herself and gesturing towards the chair in front of her niece, smiling slightly. Flora sat upright, smoothing her clothes, sheepish. Narcissa smiled at her again, while examining her manner - which made her even more uncomfortable. Finally Flora decided to relax and continue talking. For no use she pretend an elegance to resemble her aunt, they were clearly very different. Flora finally agreed and told her aunt a little about how she used it to get into the mind of her patients to help them better understand their own problems. Her aunt was delighted and exclaimed, looking at her husband who had just returned and was sitting down while cleaning a dusty bottle with a white napkin:

“Legilimens!”

“Just as her father.” Added Malfoy nodding satisfied.

Her aunt's eyes couldn’t disguise the horror that her husband's comment caused on her. She swallowed, however, her tone of voice didn’t change, as if they were just chattering away

Flora pretended not to notice it and asked them about her mother. She wondered how and who she was.
“Oh, sure... Bella...” Narcissa's eyes lost focus for a moment, then she raised her eyebrows, and gazed intently at Flora, examining her features as she spoke:

“Your mother was beautiful, though one could say that she was not impressive in comparison to you. She wasn’t a very kind person, was a person - practical - so to speak... But she was very dedicated and very loyal ... However, not to her husband, as we now know.” Narcissa giggled.

“And my father?”
Lucius smiled broadly, his eyes sparkled with excitement. He replied proudly, as he served her the wine:

“Your father was a great man. Very dedicated and committed to defend our world from any threat. He was a great wizard, very intelligent and powerful.” Lucius excitedly said.

“Did they ever suspect of my existence?” Flora ventured.
Said Narcissa, submissively looking at her husband, as if asking for his approval:

“We don’t think so. He was too absorbed in fighting for our cause, so fatherhood was the last thing he would dream of... And my sister believed that you had been born dead ... Don’t think about it dear. The important thing is that you are here and that tomorrow we are going to take you to Diagon Alley to show you a little more about our world; and to do some shopping as well. I believe you want to get some magical objects, don’t you?”
“Oh, yes. Nevertheless, I haven’t brought much money with me this time...” Flora replied.

“Don’t worry about it, honey. Your mother left a good inheritance for you in Gringotts, the wizarding bank. Nobody could access it because the bank vaults only allow withdrawals from their owners. We found it strange in the beginning, because if Lestrange had no heirs as we thought he didn’t, Draco should have access to the money. As it didn’t happen, we started to believe that my brother-in-law might have a ******* child. We’d never imagined it was Bellatrix instead.”

So, that was it, Flora thought. The fear that had rounded her went away, since now she believed that the Malfoys sought her in order to access her mother’s legacy. For that matter, she had no intention of keeping any money she hadn’t helped anybody to win. She’d give everything to her aunt and would have nothing else to do with these people. However, she immediately got sorry about having had this thought: her aunt was being so kind. She didn’t seem as nearly as sinister as Mr. Malfoy. With half a smile on her face, Flora excused herself:

“Well, then tomorrow we go shopping ... Now I’m going to sleep. I’m tired.”

Flora left the room and went to her bedroom.

In her room, Flora couldn’t sleep because of her great excitement. She looked through the window at the beautiful garden outside. Nothing moved in the breezeless night. She started to seek for something in the room that could amuse her. Perhaps a book to read. In a small trunk which she found ajar, some old school books with Draco’s name on the back cover. Her eyes twinkled when she saw they were witchcraft books. She got The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk and started reading it while still walking about the room with the purple nightdress dragging on the ground. She mentally imagined the wand movements described there, trying to get everything. At first, she didn’t see much use for some of the spells found in it like spells to levitate objects; to give a shoe lace; to enlarge an object, and so on. Still, she had fun imitating the gestures described there with the imaginary wand in her hand. She sat on her bed a few hours later, without taking her eyes off the book. Still holding the book and sitting on the bed, she fell asleep when the sun was almost rising.

Next morning was calm and it took Flora some time to remember that everything that had happened in the recent days was true. In fact, she really was in her aunt and uncle’s house in a London suburb. Her body was aching because of the awkward night-sleep. She stood up and stretched slowly like a cat. Through the window, she admired the size of the garden. It seemed odd to her that those wealthy persons could be interested in more money. She gave a big yawn. Then, it occurred to her that they could have lost everything, and that the wealthy world they lived in was a fake one, as this happened with some frequency in Brazil.

She dressed slowly with a light clothing, although was still thinking it would a bit of heat, since the previous day had been rather sultry. She did not hear any noise from the house, and then assumed that the uncles were still asleep. So Flora thought it best to wait in the room until they called her. While sending ‘so far, so good’ messages to her husband through her Smartphone, somebody knocked on the door. It was her aunt calling her for breakfast.

They went downstairs to a room closer to the kitchen than the dinning-room of the previous night. It also looked lighter than the dinning-room, since its furniture was painted in clearer colours. Therefore, it was better suited for a breakfast. She laughed at herself for noticing that.

Her aunt told that her uncle had left early because of business matters. Then, the ladies would go to Diagon Alley, bank, and shops by themselves Narcissa smiled and Flora smiled in response. While eating a slice of toast with honey, Flora asked, curiously and apprehensive, how they would go to Diagon Alley, just imagining the two of them mounted on broomsticks. Narcissa said:
"There are Several means of transport, but this time we’ll go by car , because I'm afraid you're not used to them and you might get a little sick. Is it alright for you, dear?"

Flora nodded and returned to the room to get her handbag, while her aunt waited in the hall. After a little trip and a lot of chattering away, they got to the Leaky Caldron in London. It was an uncared and dark pub. A metal plate hung in its facade. The image of a witch stirring something in a leaked caldron was engraved in it. Flora marvelled at the plate. She would like to have one in her house, perhaps in the kitchen. The barman nodded his head greeting Mrs. Malfoy and looked at Flora with a curious look. Flora nodded in return before going with her aunt to the back of the bar. Once in there, her aunt opened a portal in the wall with her wand by lightly touching the bricks. Startled, Flora understood she was in the famous Diagon Alley, a sinuous and narrow street, with shops on both sides, and packed with persons dressed like... like her! She was astonished at seeing that wizarding people do not adopt Muggles’ fashion. She must have inherited it genetically as she never understood all those different looks or the purpose of matching so many different colours. So, she always opted for something more sensible.

The two women walked side by side, Narcissa showed the stores to Flora while she told to her niece what might be found in each of them in a very formal and polite way. The day was pleasantly warm and sunny, there was a slight breeze cooling the surroundings, which seemed a little different than it was a few yards away, before entering the bar, but Flora saw no fan or something like that. While walking, she noted that it would be an ordinary business street if the shops did not sell the oddest goods, as one could see from the signs in front of them. Flora, wondering at all that, said to her aunt that she did not know what to do first. Her aunt smiled and suggested that they should start in the bank to enjoy the shopping later on with money in their purses.

The Gringotts Bank stood majestically at the end of the street. It was a mighty building that did not look at all like the other ones. Flora’s aunt warned her niece not to feel unease in the presence of the bank workers, since they were goblins.

“Try to behave naturally and all will be well.”

After walking all the way through the alley, certainly, nothing else could astonish her. Flora thought, and she would not be at all surprised with the bank goblins.

After went up a big white marble staircase, they entered the bank through two huge doors that were guarded by goblins - ugly little men, dressed in red and gold uniform, who barely looked at the two witches as they passed, as noted Flora . The doors opened into a large hall where there were hundreds of these ugly little men at working, serving wizards and witches with exotic looks. Few seemed to notice their entry. Flora thought the Gringotts looked very similar to a Swiss bank, even though she had never entered one before. Distracted she looked in all directions when, shortly at the entrance a goblin come to meet them, and gave her a mistrustful look; he then asked Mrs. Malfoy whether she would do any withdrawal.

“No, thanks I’m only helping Mrs. Flora, my niece. She is the one that is going to do a withdrawal from my sister’s vault.”

He examined Flora from top to toe and replied:

“Naturally. Please ladies, follow me. I’ll take you down to the vault.”

The three of them went to the back of the bank, went through over a large double door and followed in a kind of little wagon trough a kind of an underground roller coaster until they got to a vault. Flora was urged to climb down, get in the vault which opened with her hand touch, and pick as much money as she wanted. Although admired with the fortune lying over there, she got only five golden coins. With a smile of kindness and amusement, her aunt told her to fill up her bag: “we’re women and we’re going shopping”.

Flora realized she had passed a sort of test, because if she weren’t the true heir of the fortune, she wouldn’t have been able to do that withdrawal. Narcissa's eyes on her had changed, she seemed more relaxed and affectionate as should be a real aunt, Flora thought. After leaving the bank, the ladies seemed old friends laughing and chatting in high-spirit.

They got in just about every shop, while her aunt excitedly told her a number of possibilities of each strange object they saw. She also, repeated all the time that she didn’t believe how her niece had survived without all that. At her aunt’s unusual happiness, Flora was sure that the English lady had never had a day like that before.

Finally, they got in the wand shop. The store seemed empty. It had its walls covered with shelves with boxes and boxes of identical appearance and labelled with yellow labels whose text was not possible to identify the distance that they were. Flora felt as if she was a child about to live a dream come true. She felt her hands in a cold sweat at the same time she could not undo the smile on her face - and those two things seemed incompatible. "And if no wand work with me? If I don't have enough magic to turn it on?" Thought Flora, looking at her aunt and almost suggesting to return at another time. At this moment, a young, tall, and lanky man, with very clear eyes, black and long hair tied in a ponytail, and wearing on top of his clothes a long cloak and a working apron that had an only pocket full of things, came to serve them. He introduced himself as Petrus Ollivander, and like everyone in the Alley, he already knew Narcissa. Flora introduced herself by her first name and he started to show her wands. He noticed she had never bought a wand before, so he gave her explanations about the material they were made of, their magic core and everything else that might interest her. Flora tested a lot of wands by trying to reproduce in her mind some of the spells she had learned from reading the book the night before. She was not very successful until she found her very wand.

“Willow with a core made of unicorn hairs, swishy, 9 inches long. A great wand for casting spells.”

Flora picked it in her hand, and then it flashed silver sparks. Excited, she immediately tested a spell by making the wand box float in the air. She used non-verbal command to do that, as she would be ashamed if she said the words Wingardium Leviosa and no actual effects were produced.

“It works!!!!”

Then, it was true, thought Flora, they’re not just tricks of illusionism, it was real magic... She was caught in her thoughts, admiring the wand in her hand, and its box floating in the air, when came in a very old and hunched man with silver eyes and little hair from among the shelves. He smiled and said:

“Of course it works, my dear...Mrs?”

“Mrs. Flora... Riddle, sir...”

Flora was so excited with the wand that she did not even notice she had used for the first time her birth surname. It came out very naturally, probably due to the thrill of that moment when she finally was experiencing the sense of being a real witch.

However, the man went uneasy just with the reference to that name. Narcissa came forward and said to him that Flora was from overseas. He seemed to relax, but just a bit. His silver eyes examined Flora that looked back at him with kindness to dissolve that uneasiness.

“The same eyes...” remarked old Ollivander. Then, he looked at Narcissa and asked her:

“Is she your niece?”

Narcissa nodded. He raised his eyebrows and nodded as he commented:
“Very interesting ... Riddle, aren't you?”

Narcissa smiled confirming that she could no longer deny or hide and they paid for the wand. Her aunt pulled Flora's hand and took her out of the shop almost hurriedly without mentioning anything else.

Away from the shop, Narcissa talked briefly in a low voice:

“Although everyone knew your parents, our people never understand them well. Many a time your father made use of...how will I put it? Unethical means to get his aims.”

Flora understood everything. She should not be proud of her origin as her parents had not been good people, but criminals, perhaps. She felt as if someone had punched in the stomach and was without air for a few moments. Disgusted, she looked at all the shopping bags and money she was carrying. She did not want any dirty money. She almost dropped everything on the pavement. She regretted having said the name Riddle. But it was too late. Apparently someone at the bank, perhaps that witch dressed in green-blue talking to a goblin…someone she had not paid much attention to, but that had stopped a moment her conversation when Narcissa mentioned the word "niece" ... Yes, it was her! As Flora noted, the same witch who went from shop to shop gossiping. And right now she was leaving Ollivander with a look of amazement. Within minutes everyone on the street looked at Flora showing a variety of emotions: shock, horror; some of them revered her, or winked and smiled at her. A woman prevented her little child from getting near Flora by crossing the street to the opposite footpath when she walked by.

Her aunt caught her by the hand, saying:

“Come, baby.”

She felt her stomach tug, and the world spun in turmoil. In the blink of an eye she was back to her the Malfoy Manor. Her aunt did not tell her anything, walked quickly to order an employee who was tending the garden to fetch the car in London. Flora noted Narcissa’s silence, still feeling some nausea and stomach pain, without knowing for sure if it was due the way they had returned or those conditions which made them out in a hurry. For a moment, Flora was out of control, and started screaming at her aunt. Then sorry about her attitude, she lowered her voice and added:

“Please we need to talk.”

Instinctively, Flora, afraid of what her aunt would say, touched the wand that was still in its box. However, she knew that it would have little or no use, since she only had memorized some basic spells that were taught to children.

Her aunt took her to a small but very beautiful winter garden. There, she invited her nice to sit in a purple iron swing. Flora could not disguise her anxiety, and panted. It was as if she had rushed to get there.

She sat down, and apologized.

“It is me that have to apologize to you”, her aunt answered. “You shouldn’t have come. Nevertheless, my husband was too excited when he learned that Voldemort had left a daughter. He was curious ... Tom Riddle, better known as Lord Voldemort, had a great aversion to Muggles, the ordinary persons.” Narcissa said whispering and looking scared, but with a firm voice. “ He saw them as inferior beings that had no reason to exist. What if he knew his daughter was raised like a Muggle? He was very powerful, and put off of his way all those that were against him.”

She paused briefly, then continued as if not noticing Flora' startled eyes:

“Yes, very powerful... My sister, her husband, my husband, and many others stood to him and followed him. I’ve always stood aloof, since I thought I shouldn’t poke about these matters.However, Lord Voldemort met a wizard that was his match. When this wizard was still a baby, he weakened Voldemort to the point that everyone thought he was dead. This must have been shortly after your birth - I guess, though I hadn't kept up with my sister's pregnancy, as she didn't have acted like she was pregnant ... Well, after the supposed death of Voldemort, his followers, like my sister and her husband went to prison. Lucius managed to deny his involvement and was let free. It seemed everything would be all right ... That boy I told you about is called Harry Potter. Potter grew up just like you, away from our world. He learnt magic when he was 11 at school, Hogwarts, and soon he was persecuted for his fame and his fate, poor thing…”

Narcissa paused briefly once again with her stare lost sometime in the past. Then, as if waking up, she continued:

“Ahn, well… Meanwhile, Voldemort returned even stronger; formed a new army, and freed the Death Eaters, as the followers of Lord Voldemort were called. He was obsessed with the idea of destroying whoever had defeated him, so that he could reassert his power. Our people were divided. Some were very afraid, as a few of them that had openly opposed Lord Voldemort vanished or went crazy. Even so, a group of people who believed they could live peacefully with the Muggles joined Harry Potter. They were the remnants of a group of wizards and witches who had opposed the Lord in the past, and called themselves the Order of the Phoenix. I was already involved in all this, since my husband was a Death Eater. As Voldemort didn’t forgive defectors, so I feared for my family. With that I had no choice than to join the Death Eaters..

“Times were hard then. There was a battle at Hogwarts School, many died on both sides. Finally, Harry Potter and his supporters won. Harry saved Draco’s life. I am very grateful to him. My sister and Voldemort, her lover and your father, died in that battle. After the Dark Lord’s fall, we were all jailed in Azkaban. My brother-in-law died there. I got a shorter sentence – just two weeks - because I didn’t participate directly in it all. Draco also had his sentence reduced – it was just over a month, thanks to the testimony of Harry Potter, who made it clear that my son had had no choice, since he had been forced to take part in it because of Lucius’ involvement. Lucius, though, got the longest sentence: fifteen years. He just didn’t get a longer sentence for having been accused of cowardice by the other Death Eaters – that said he didn’t use to kill, but only to injure or torture his opponents. Lucius showed repentance… However, this time there will be no return, even if I have to fight against it." She concluded firmly.

Flora was shocked, and for the first time in her life she had nothing to say. Her aunt took her breath and went on:

“It was many years ago, but we’ve lived in peace ever since. Lucius became a quiet, simple, and home loving man. He retired and has avoided going out. But since he learned of you, he got interested in doing “business” again, and started going out every day, as when he was working. Before going to Brazil, he spent a long time travelling, although we don’t know where to. He doesn’t seem to be sane. I'm terrified.”

“Draco is right to be angry with his father. My son owes much to Potter, including his employment in the ministry. He didn’t want to accept it at first, because he can’t bear being in anybody’s debt. Nevertheless, Potter persuaded him into accepting it by saying that someone who’s grown up watching his father tinker with the dark arts is better able to identify them than anybody else – Potter said he needed my son’s help. Therefore, Draco took the job at the ministry. Nevertheless, he thinks Potter placed him there to watch him closely, which wouldn’t be necessary, as we want to live in peace with everyone else.”

Flora swallowed. The words she wanted to say would not come out. She took a deep breath and tears began to streak down her face. Her shock was too great. She took the hand of her aunt who also got emotional, looked deep in her eyes and said:

“On my part, nothing will disturb your peace.”

Flora reasoned that perhaps the best way of preventing such a disaster was to forget it altogether: "I’ll renounce the magical world, to protect it from all the evil power latent in me" she thought but had not commented on anything with Narcissa, because she wanted time to think about that.

They heard Lucius arrive at home. Excitedly, he told them he had called some friends for dinner. The two women exchanged glances. Flora soothed her aunt:

“Quiet down, I think I know what to do.”

5.1 An apprentice witch

They had lunch in silence. Flora’s uncle went out just after it. Narcissa proposed a walk in the garden. Flora then went upstairs to store her purchases and change clothes, because it was really too hot.
She came up to the guest room quickly and let the carrier bag on the bed. She chose a green flowered dress, a light fabric and quickly she pull on it as she was almost out the door of the room to go downstairs and meet her aunt when she saw the box on the bed in which was her wand. She hesitated for a moment with her hand on the doorknob and then returned. She sat on the bed, opened the box carefully, her breathing quickened and she felt her heart beating faster and faster while unwrapped the turquoise silk which covered her wand . She spent her fingertips along the full extent of the object, feeling every inch, every vein almost imperceptible on the polished wood. She took the wand at the ends, with her both hands and sniffed it. The smell was good, wood mixed with something she cannot recognize, a new smell, "scent of magic," concluded Flora. Finally picked up her wand, then reached over and moved the wrist, admiring the object. She got up and went to Draco's old trunk, took the book of spells and opened on any page and tested the incantation:
“Wadiwasi!”
A small piece of crumpled paper was suddenly released into the air toward the bedroom door, at the same time Narcissa came to call Flora to come down and it was hit her belly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Mrs. Narcissa. It was not my intention."
Flora said really distressed. Her aunt raised her eyebrow in response and said with a grin on her face:
“Let's see what your wand can do. I noticed in Ollivander that you fooled me when you said that you’d never had any training ...”
Flora felt the heat blushing cheeks and admitted, a little embarrassed, pointing to the book with her head:
"I was trying..."
Then she got up and left the room in the company of her aunt to the entrance of the house.
Flora tried to explain herself:
“Well, actually I spent the night reading old books I found in Draco's room. I just tested some spells in the shop. They only worked with my wand.”

“Did you perform non-verbal spells you had just learnt over there?” Her aunt laughed. “You’ve really taken after your father. I’ve never seen anyone learn so fast. Although your father was mean, he was brilliant. You’ve certainly inherited that from him.”

Flora did not answer, just continued to walk beside her aunt. They descended the steps of the house entrance and went towards the hedges. Behind the edges, besides a small lake with swans, there was a mini-maze made of well trimmed bushes. The slightly dry grass, in Flora's perception, produced music at the touch of rhythmic steps of the two witches. Then she began to patter on the wand. In doing so, she looked at her long fingers and said:

"These fingers of a pianist I inherited from my mother, I suppose ..."

"Oh, no. Bellatrix's hands were as thin as yours, but her fingers were shorter. Your hands look much like those of your father ..."

Flora tried to ignore the reference to her father, as she wanted to forget her origin; at least while she was having such a good time. She tried to change the subject once they entered the maze of walls whose height did not exceed a yard, so the two women continued to see each other as they took different paths:

“Don’t people usually imagine out their spells? Do they need to speak them aloud?”

“Yes, they do that when they’re learning; and some go through life without being able to do anything whatsoever when their mouths are shut. It’s really impressive what you're already getting to do.”
Narcissa said, nodding. Flora was a little embarrassed.

“Aunt, Can I call you like that, can’t It?” Narcissa nodded again. “Could you teach me some "adult” spells? I only found things apparently useless in that book.”

Her aunt suggested she could teach Flora basic defence, and told her about the unforgivable curses, disarming and stunning spells. Flora smiled, amused, as she mentally asked herself, why she would need to know about defence and attack; then she asked her if she could also learn how to tidy up and clean the house, do the dishes, sew and cook through magic …

“You see; I don’t intend to fight other battles but those of everyday life, such as cleaning the house.”

Her aunt smiled and said she could teach Flora all of that, although she thought her niece could have a servant to do these things:

“Or even hire an elf. Despite they’re now free; they haven’t lost their taste for housework.”

Her niece replied that she preferred doing these household chores alone to make sure they were well done. She believed her aunt would look her down if she knew about her niece’s rather modest life.

So they spent the afternoon, having fun, and trying to forget a bit who they were and what was expect from them. Narcissa taught her various spells and hexes, as they walked and hid behind the bushes, playing like children. Flora’s aunt didn’t forget to teach her the protective spells, defence and attack. “To know how to disarm someone has never hurt,” she explained.

Night came and they did not even realize it, since they were very excited: Flora in learning and testing herself, and her aunt in teaching so bright a student. They got surprised when the night lights were turned on.

“Wow! I love magic!”

Her aunt laughed:

“Well, actually they are light sensors and electric lights. Draco installed them to show Scorpius the respect he developed for the Muggles and their inventions. It’s very useful indeed. This was a spell that we often forgot to keep on casting as necessary because it became weaker or lasted very little. Dinner! We're late!”

As they walked into the house, Narcissa said, happy:

"I haven't enjoyed myself so since Draco was a kid! Scorpius prefers to play alone, a pity..."

Flora thanked her aunt saying:

"Thank you, aunt Narcissa, the afternoon was great... I don't have fun like this since I’m a kid and play magic with my imaginary friends ..."

Her aunt smiled in response and did not say anything as she knew that children wizards and witches can cast spells while playing.

The two went into the house to get ready for dinner. Flora chose some clothes she had bought that morning; an almost black green dress skin-tight to the waist, long sleeved, and with buttons in its front. She also wore an iridescent green cloak that had a great fit. It was made of a very thin fabric, and had blue sparkles. Wizarding clothes, she thought examining herself in the mirror and approved what she saw: at last she had found a look that matched her inner self. Witchcraft suited her. She smiled as she walked to the dining room, whe


5.2. Meeting Draco

Mr. Malfoy’s friends did not take long to arrive. They looked at Flora with the same reverence and interest of their host. Some walked around the table looking for their seats as if they had been assigned. Mr. Malfoy seemed to introduce her like she was a trophy indeed. Flora forgave her uncle, now that she understood his strange behaviour and knew about his past history.

Flora greeted everyone and heard one by one of their stories. After dinner, she got up, rested her hands on the table, and started talking. They all fell silent.

“Gentlemen, I understand the admiration you all had for my father, and how much you miss him. However, I am afraid I’m going to disappoint you, since I don’t intend to take his place.”

At the end of her speech, she barely had time to notice the smile fading on the face of her uncle when Draco got into the room and saw that scene: some long known Death Eaters around the table – who, as his father, managed to be let free; Flora at the centre of it, standing up as if she had just talked or was about to do it. Her very pale face reflected in the dark table, and she was wearing a green cloak. It seemed a déjà vu to him. She was Lord Voldemort himself, or his continuity. In an attempt to nip it in the bud, Draco pulled his wand. Flora saw his movement and disarmed him.

Some Death Eaters got paralyzed at such a demonstration, some others, pointed their wands at Draco, who had his blood frozen. Flora walked slowly towards her cousin, never taking her eyes off him, grabbed his wand from the floor, as if bowing to him, gave it back to him, and apologized. Then, she excused herself to everyone and left.

She went to her room intending to pack, while her aunt rushed after her, followed by Draco that without understanding anything, demanded explanations.

Flora sent a last message to her husband, asking him to be careful and hide the children until she was back.

At this moment her aunt got in the room and tried to stop her from packing. Flora said she was going back home, but wanted to talk to Draco before.

“I am here.”

Draco got in the room, still weary. Flora said in explanation:

“I have no intention of replacing my father. Your mother has told me briefly about the horrors he promoted, and she didn’t have to detail them for me to know I don’t approve of them. I was raised among Muggles and they are not any different from me. I'm just weirder. I just wanted to learn a little more about our people to teach my children. I want to live in peace.

“Sorry, Flora. Now it's too late. My father’s friends won’t let you go , not after your demonstration. You are very agile and they all know that what they saw was the result of one-day training. They have realized your potential, and are talking about it very excitedly. They believe it's only a matter of time and of right words before you accept what they believe to be your fate. My mother has explained me everything, and I saw I had got it all wrong. I beg your pardon again.”

“Don’t worry. What can I do now?”

“I see no other option but to hide you for a while in a friend’s house: or perhaps even better, in a former rival’ house if you went home. I guess that they’d follow you”

Draco was a quiet man with few friends or acquaintances. In their most, they were, somehow, related to the former Death Eaters. So, he would have to ask for others to help him. The holidays at Hogwarts came in handy, Draco thought. He decided to take her to Neville Longbottom’s home, the professor of Herbology from the school of magic. He believed that if he went to look for Ron Wesley there would be a great argument, because Ron had never forgiven him for his wrong deeds of the past. Harry Potter, he knew, as both of them worked in the ministry, was out of town and his wife, Ginny, would not receive him.

Neville lived with his wife Hannah in the small inn upstairs the Leaky Cauldron. The two of them were lying on the sofa of a small room, Hannah nestled the lap of her husband, a big man with a round face of features quiet. She was reading a poetry book and he was reading a novel of his favourite writer, titled The Casual Vacancy. He kept the book afloat while waving his wand and with his free hand he stroked the golden hair of his wife. From time to time one of them read aloud an excerpt to the other, or surprised the other with a tender kiss. There is almost ten years since their marriage and now their lives would change completely, they both knew it and were waiting this change with their hearts filled by good expectations.

Suddenly, the sound of someone arriving by Apparition caught their attention. Hannah then stood up and walked slowly to the balcony to see who had come so late at night, Neville followed behind her dragging his slippers and fastening a tattered red robe that had a golden lion embroidered in the front. When they turn on the lights outside, Neville immediately recognized Draco:

“What are you doing here, Draco?” Neville spoke looking annoyed.

Although neither Draco nor Flora were wielding their wands, they did not have a very friendly reception. Hannah, though, signalled her husband a kindly look as if spoke to him to lower his guard, because she felt there was nothing to fear.

“I need your help, Longbottom.” Said Draco, firmly.

Hannah gazing at Flora, said to Neville: “Let them come in, dear. They look tired.”

Neville waved them to come up to his apartment. Draco put his arm behind Flora's back, supporting her when they entered the nearly empty pub and saw Neville at the foot of the stairs, waiting for them as seemed bored. Flora tried to keep her head down when passing by people who were eating soup while talking lively at the table in a corner.
They came upstairs quickly and came into Longbotton's apartment. Without many words, Neville pointed a couple of red armchairs. Flora soon sat up, still felt nauseous because of the apparition, but Draco hesitated, then looked at his cousin and imitated her gesture..
Hannah and Neville’s house was very different from the Malfoys’s as it was decorated with bright and cheerful colors and was full of little souvenirs-like things. There were also many strange plants and curious objects around. Flora felt at easy in there. She smiled and thanked Hannah for the tea she had offered them. Draco started the introduction:

“This is my cousin, Flora.”

“Cousin? Whose daughter is she?” Neville broke in suspiciously.

Draco knew that lying was not an option, he needed Longbottom's help and knew that being honest it could facilitate the task..

“Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange’s.” said Draco, firmly looking into Neville’s eye.

A stunned silence took over the house. The noise of the wind and the humming of insects were the only sounds that could be heard. Flora reached for Hannah’ hands, and asked for forgiveness. She was not sure why she did it, but she sensed those two were some of the persons that suffered horrible things in her parents’ hands. It seemed to relieve the tension between them.

Draco told them how they found out about their cousin, as well as his father’s and the other Death Eater’s intentions. Dumbfounded, both Neville and Hannah listened to Draco when Flora broke:

“Mr. Longbottom, I have spent all my life as a Muggle in Brazil. In that country I have a job and a modest house, besides being married and having three beautiful children. So you see, I'm no longer a child. I came to England with the intention of learning more about our people, That’s because up to some days ago I didn’t even know such a people existed, so that my husband and I believed we were the only wizarding people on Earth. No wonder! We’ve never attended special schools as the ones you have here, and the magic books to which we had access were only pseudo-magic ones written by Muggles that could do tricks.”

Neville gave her a disapproving look. Flora continued:

“But don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved and have had fun with these tricks and with all that the Muggle world has offered me. I’ve lived very well in it. Then, although everything I’ve experienced here is very exciting to me, I want to go home. Nevertheless, I don’t want to forget any of the things I learnt over here because they’re not pretended. Actually, they’re all very real and I want to take part of them back with me. For instance, I want to tell my kids about everything I’ve seen and heard over here; just as I want them to attend school in your country, if this is what they wish, of course. (I don’t really know if they want to develop this facet, since sometimes my daughter, for instance, is embarrassed for being different from the other children. Studying at Hogwarts and living as wizarding people would reinforce this difference). But now I fear that if I go back to Brazil at once as I wish, I will put my family at risk. Sorry for my being so straightforward, Draco, but your father and his friends are crazy. They are in a blind pursuit of someone to play the leader and guide them. However, I'm not this one. I'm not who they think I am, and I won't ever be!”

“How do I know you’re speaking the truth?” Asked Neville, looking Flora throughly.

“Honey, she’s speaking the truth. Look at her” Spoke Hannah.

Flora rummaged in her things for her cell phone. As she had her family’s pictures in it, she wanted to show them to Neville. She believed that if he saw them, he would not be suspicious anymore. Unfortunately, though, she had forgotten it in her aunt's house. Then, she remembered her husband had not replied her messages yet, which was very odd, and made her fear for them. Worried, she mentioned that to Draco.

“Okay, then, what do you hope us to do?” Neville spoke, still not sure whether or not to believe all that absurd story and, even more, receiving the daughter of those who had caused so much harm both to him and his wife. Also he could not believe in Draco, however he had demonstrated he was a good person in recent years, contrary to the expectations of all who had known him in his school days.

"I would be grateful if you could hide my cousin for a while, until I can make sure all is well for her to come back home."

“ Let’s see what we can do. I won’t be able to hide you for long, because soon my holiday ends, and I will have to go back to work and to my classes. I’m a Hogwart’s teacher.” Neville explained looking at Flora.

“Thank you very much,” Flora said, bowing her head.

Draco also thanked Neville and took the opportunity to say goodbye. He instructed them to get in touch with him if they needed to.

“Draco, please. Contact my husband. You’d better use e-mail or phone, so he won't be surprised to receive an owl, beyond it should be faster and since wizarding people don’t habitually make use of the internet; so your mother told me, then no one should be able to intercept your message. I need to know if they are fine, and please tell my husband not to worry about me. Here you are his email address.”

Then she conjured up a piece of paper and a pen and quickly wrote her husband’s email address and his phone number.

“Okay, I'll do it.”

Draco thought about telling her he had not even thought to send an owl, but decided to say nothing, as they were in a hurry. Seeing Hannah and Neville’s surprise, he explained:

“She learns very fast, it's scary. Well, I gotta go.”

Draco went to the apartment balcony and Disappeared into the darkness. Hannah went to the balcony, tied her long blonde hair in a knot, rolled up the sleeves of her robe and made a number of protection spells as "the night is too dark." While watching Mrs. Longbottom, Flora realized that she was in the very beginning of a pregnancy. Flora was sad at the thought of being possibly putting another family and another innocent life in danger. All Flora wanted was to go home, and nothing of this to happen. She missed her family; her young children’s smiles, their plays ... Tears ran down her face. She just sat in the couch sunk in despair.

Hannah went back inside and tried to calm her down, saying she was among friends.

“You are tired. The inn is full for the holidays, but I have a room for you up here in my house, we just need to make some arrangements. Are you hungry? I can pick up something for you to eat at the bar and I also made pumpkin pudding today.”

Flora accepted the pudding as she needed some sugar to feel less miserable. The two women went to a small room close to the main bedroom. It was crammed full of objects, books and papers that gave it the appearance of a place where unused things were kept. With agile movements of her wand Hannah drove the scattered objects to various chests that floated in the air. Then, she finished off by fixing golden name tags in them with information of the chest owner and of what was inside them. She looked like a conductor with a baton. Flora was thrilled:

“I need to train these spells at home, my children’s room needs a good tiding up... You're so good at that!”

“I learned from Madam Pince, the school librarian. I don’t often tidy things up this way, but it helps a lot sometimes. I spend a lot of time out taking care of business, and Neville spends his time in the school. Yet, every summer we come back here, for it’s here that we keep our dreams ... Apparently a lot of mess has piled up along many summers ...”

And while saying that, she finished driving the last objects to the chests, and finally a small single bed came up on the floor and below the floating chests:

“Thank you, Mrs. Longbottom. Pardon me for my making you tidy everything up unexpectedly.”

“Call me Hannah. Don’t worry, but we're moving; so, I would have to do this any time, actually. Do you need anything else? Would you like to go to bed straight away? Neville should go to bed soon, I usually go later, and if you want, I can stay here with you ...”

“I don’t need anything, thank you, just a little company, if it'll not bother you. To be honest, I'm a little scared with this story. Until last week I was just an ordinary woman with something special that I shared just with my family and some few friends. Now all this fuss...”

Flora started to cry again.

Hannah hugged trying to comfort her.
“Hannah, do just you and your husband live here?” Flora asked that as she was worried about involving anyone else in this story.

“My father also does. He is overseeing the Leaky Cauldron for me because I need a rest now.” Hannah said that gently stroking her own belly. “My daughter is going to be born in four months from now. We are considering moving to Hogsmeade, a wizarding community next to the school. Over there, she’ll be able to grow close to her father. He spends much time in the school, and it’s too far from here, 7 hours away up north. I’ll help my father remotely from there as I’ve done since the start of Neville’s holidays.”

“Are you the owner of the Leaky Cauldron? It’s a fantastic place!

Hannah smiled and nodded.

Flora calmed down a bit and thanked Hannah again for what her husband and her were doing. Hannah asked Flora if her guest would like to go to bed. As she replied that she did not want to do it yet, and Hannah did not feel tired, she sat up on bed to talk to Flora, who was also sitting. The two women went on talking. Flora, then, asked Hannah how it was like to be a witch since childhood, and later on go to a wizarding school.

Hannah detailed to Flora how her life had been up to then. Flora got thrilled and also told Hannah about her life. Then it was Hannah’s turn to get thrilled.

Time flew, and just when the dawn came and the two of them went to bed. In the morning Neville was friendlier. Flora had a hint that his wife should have calmed him down.

Encouraged and taught by Hannah, Flora used magic to prepare breakfast. While they were eating, there came over the table a flash that took a wolf form and spoke with Draco’s voice:

“Flora, you were right. My dad's gone crazy. I don’t know how, but he is counting on the help of dementors and other Death Eaters to look for you. Your family is in danger, I’m going to Brazil to protect them; there are dementors there. Look for Harry Potter. Beware of mail. Nothing else is safe.”

The cookie that she was eating got stuck in her throat. Her body went limp and she began to slip from her chair. It had been too much for her. Flora fainted and was helped by the Longbottoms.