Hogwarts Legacy: A Continuation of Time

Chapter Two : Liar

So the two of them sat in the Library, huddled together like old times while Kitty told Ruby all she knew so far.

Last week, after being convinced by an oil painting that her boyfriend was up to something Kitty had made a decision. The floo flames had glowed green and her mother's portrait had snapped her eyes open the second the seductive purr had thrummed through the fireplace.

"I need a favour," Kitty said, urgently into the floo.

"A favour? And here I thought you'd called to ask your old man over for a lovely meal." Malachi Gaunt smirked from the green flames. Even in the floo, his eyes penetrated Kitty's mind and she fought to put up any shred of occlumency she had left in her body.

"Come through if you must, but you can't stay long." Kitty huffed crossing her arms and straightening up as her father stepped out of the fire.

He dusted ash from his tailored suit, his tall stature towering over Kitty. Just like the rest of his family, his skin had that inward glow from Veela blood. Malachi Gaunt was a handsome man, even Kitty could see it. His angular jaw, straight long nose and grey eyes made for an alluring, albeit, intimidating appearance.

He smiled from the corner of his mouth as he pulled out a thin cigarette from his silver case, he offered the case to Kitty who shook her head before crossing to the armchair, from where she evaluated residents. Malachi shrugged replacing the case into his breast pocket before dropping himself down on the opposite couch, where residents usually sat.

Fitting.

"Love what you've done with the place." He smirked gesturing his hand round the dining room. This was of course one of the handful of properties Kitty had been left after Ominis' was murdered and Malachi stripped of his titles. She smirked back at her father, a feeling of smugness on her lips as she replied.

"Thank you."

"So-" Malachi purred, drawing from his cigarette and letting the smoke billow from his nose as he continued. "It's been years, Kitty, two if my memory serves me. You've barely responded to my owls, and now here you are-" he said gesturing toward where Kitty sat, straight as a pin in her chair. "-looking for a favour from dad."

"I told you in those owls, Malachi, I was struggling. I tried and it didn't work out with us. Can you blame me?" She snapped. Kitty swallowed back tears that hadn't been shed for this man in a long time. She had tried, but every time she looked at her father she saw her mother, cowering in a corner, fearing for her life. Kitty let her eyes flicker unwillingly toward her mother's portrait for a brief second before looking back at her father.

Malachi followed her gaze to Emerald, who had for once, placed her book in the grass and had approached the edge of her frame to observe the two. Malachi let his smirk fall, upon seeing Emerald and turned to Kitty again, not meeting her eyes.

"What is it you want, Kitty?" He hissed, flicking ash from his trousers.

"I assume you still work at the ministry?" She asked, fingers fumbling with the fringe of the blanket that rested on the arm of the chair.

"You assume correctly," Malachi responded through a puff of smoke.

"Still head of the DMLE?"

"Where is this going, Kitty? Got another cousin murdered again?" He smirked.

"That's not funny." Kitty snapped dropping the blanket in her fingers.

Her father chuckled at the memory of Ruby's brothers. Kitty still had nightmares of Ruby, in her white dress covered head to toe in blood.