Endgame

Chapter 61

(Please play the song now, thank you!)

January 1979
Gracie Blackwell stared into the mirror as she patted down the wrinkles that were in her red velvet dress. Around her neck was a set of beautiful pearls that her father had given her for her sixteenth birthday. She had to admit, she was very apprehensive about telling Lucius her news.

They had both developed a romance fairly quickly, after the night of her father's party. Normally, she wouldn't have fell for a man as quickly as she did with Lucius, but she believed with the added weight of her father's death on her shoulders, and the lonely nature of motherhood that had burdened her, this was the reason why.

She opened the white painted door, which she had painted that summer, and walked down the dark mahogany stairs that were still lightly fragranced with polish. Standing there was Lucius, who was wearing a black suit and a devilish smile.

"You look very nice," he said, kissing her hand as she smiled like a teenage girl with a crush.

"Thank you, Lucius," she beamed. "What time are the dinner reservations at?"

"7pm sharp," he stated, looking at his watch. "Who is looking after your daughter for you?"

"Oh Enola is," Gracie smiled, grabbing her small black bag. "You don't mind if I just go and say goodbye to her, do you?"

"No, go ahead," he said, distracted.

Gracie walked down the wooden hallway and into the living room where Lara was sat on the settee playing with her Barbie dolls. Lara beamed at her mother, before giggling.

"Pretty mummy," she said, reaching her arms out for a hug.

"Thank you sweetie," Gracie gave Lara a kiss on the cheek. "You be good for Enola now, okay?"

"Where you going mummy?" Lara whimpered. "With that bad, bad, bad man?"

"Oh sweetie be nice, he's lovely!" Gracie gave her one last kiss on the head. "Bye now angel. Enola is in the kitchen."

"Enjoy yourselves!" Enola shouted as they left through the front door.

Even as a baby, Lara Blackwell had a very good predicament about what people were like.

***
As she sat in the Hufflepuff Common room going over her charms essay, Lara began to think about everything that had been going on in Hogwarts for the last few years: The triwizard competition, You-know-who's return, the ministry's obliviousness and her younger sister's discovery. Lara had been completely heartbroken whenever she had heard about Lucius Malfoy.

Lara had always found her sister very brave, as many of the challenges she had been faced with already were enough to make a sane person go crazy. Although this was the case, she often hoped that Hallie would come to her more frequently because at the end of the day, Lara knew Hallie best.

It was early March time when Lara started to question the wizarding world even more so than she had before. She always feared that something bad was brewing, but the ministry weren't doing anything to help.

"Another muggle attack," Susan Bones said to Lara as she sat in the suede armchairs that were perched by the fire. There was around 10 of them, all organised into a circle.

"Let's see?" Lara asked, gesturing towards the newspaper.

JOHN PEMBROKE'S ATTACK
Mr John Pembroke, who was walking to the post office on the day of the attack, fills us in on what occurred at the time. He speaks from The Royal London Hospital.