Intrinsic ▷ Draco Malfoy

ZERO

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ZERO; AFTERMATH

     THE DAILY PROPHET was the first to publish the article informing the Wizarding World of Alia and Ian Abberdon's sudden attack. Four Death Eaters were arrested and taken to Azkaban, and Lucius Malfoy escaped before he could grab ahold of the child and destroy Alia's last letter.

     Ian Abberdon was declared dead on arrival. His body had bled out on the floor, the Dark Mark on his arm piercing through his skin. Alia was able to be saved, but perhaps if she could still speak a few words, she would request for them to kill her on the spot. She was permanently incapacitated and sent to St. Mungo's, where she would live out the rest of her life. She resided next to Frank and Alice Longbottom, who were both tortured into insanity a few hours before Alia's experience.

     Based on the last words Alia would ever write, Stella Abberdon, her only child, was placed in the care of the Weasley family. Arthur and Molly accepted the bundle of joy with open arms, even if both were confused by the fact that Alia chose them to become Stella's legal guardians.

     Alia Everley was never a girl who relied on others. She was deemed the intelligent Hufflepuff who could solve mysteries and make friends along the way. Molly Weasley would say she was corrupted by Ian Abberdon, a Slytherin who was carved out of stone and ice. His only weakness seemed to be his ever-so-cheerful girlfriend, and he promised he would do whatever possible to make her happy.

     During their school years at Hogwarts, Ian slowly began fading away from that promise. His father was pressuring him to join Voldemort's side and Ian had no objections. He eventually dragged Alia into the whole mess, and she became a Death Eater just like him, never realizing what would become of her for accepting the offer.

     Molly Weasley had never spoken one word to the Hufflepuff. She was a beautiful girl that never came in contact with her or Arthur. However, Molly gladly raised her child as one of her own. There came many obstacles in raising Stella — Narcissa Malfoy fought to gain custody of the child with all of her might, but was only granted a compromise from Molly herself. Stella was allowed to stay at the Malfoy Manor during the summers until she no longer wished to do so. Narcissa, who was best friends with Alia and Ian at Hogwarts, kept her pride and accepted the deal.

     Stella was an avid thinker. She enjoyed complex puzzles and riddles that kept her guessing for days. Arthur swore his daughter was a natural-born Ravenclaw, so it came as a surprise when Stella was sorted into Slytherin.

     Molly and Arthur were terrified for Stella's future. The girl was bright and full of imagination, but sometimes, you could see the anger sprouting from her parents' traits. If Fred and George, her favorite siblings, were giving her grief, she would scream until they both stopped. If Ron was simply teasing his sister by flicking her forehead, she would push him against the wall. These kinds of actions sent a shiver down Molly's spine, but she kept faith that she raised her daughter well, no matter who conceived her.

     Another sinking feeling stirred inside of her when Stella returned home after her fourth year at Hogwarts, declaring she had fallen in love with Draco Malfoy. This was initially understood, since Stella spent so many days at Malfoy Manor that it was nearly impossible for her and Draco not to become smitten with one another. Her siblings sent her odd looks whenever she mentioned his name at the dinner table, and Ron had to bite his tongue in case he said something crude towards his sister's boyfriend. Molly and Arthur — not having Draco in mind as a first choice for a suitable partner — held back their true feelings and approved the relationship.

     Anyone who knew Alia and Ian would say history was repeating itself with Stella and Draco.

     Fred and George kept a sharp eye on their sister and her new beau. Draco was nothing less than a gentleman towards Stella, but as soon as she rounded the corner and left his sight, he had turned into a completely different person. The twins expressed their concern to their younger sibling, but she frowned and told them they hadn't gotten a chance to properly meet him yet.

     There were multiple situations like this. For example, Draco would tease Harry Potter one day and Stella would drag him to the Gryffindor table and force him to apologize. And Draco, head over heels for the girl almighty, would easily comply.

     The two were polar opposites, but Stella couldn't stay away from him. He wasn't what people originally believed he was. He was her best friend. The person who comforts her when she's lonely or sad. He was a boy full of words, but shut down immediately by his father, who silenced him at every moment possible. Stella understood how hard he had it.

     Everyday, she constantly thought of her birth mother. She had only seen Alia once in St. Mungo's, but that visit was enough for her. Her whole family accompanied her on the trip but it ended with Stella breaking down on the hospital floor in tears. Alia was a lifeless zombie — a human corpse barely breathing.

      Stella wondered if her mother ever deserved what she had gotten. Bellatrix Lestrange didn't hold anything back when it came to torturing the people who betrayed Voldemort at the height of the war. She was his most loyal follower, of course. Stella thought about what would've compelled Alia enough to betray her beliefs and join Voldemort's ranks.

     But as she observed her boyfriend's breakdowns from his father's extremely high demands, she understood. She would do anything and everything for Draco Malfoy, like Alia Everley had done for Ian Abberdon.

i've been wanting to write this fanfic for so long oml