Power

Chapter Four

The trio got off of the Hogwarts Express for Christmas break.
Seraphina's parents were waiting.
Her mother hugged her immediately. "Hello, darling. How are you? Are you okay?"
She thought Sera was upset about Isaiah.
Well, what she doesn't know can't hurt her, right?
Right.
Seraphina hugged her.
She didn't speak.
"Sera?" Her mother asked, pulling away to look at her.
"She hasn't been speaking." Vivian said. "Not since Isaiah died."
"You must be Tom." Seraphina's father said.
"Yes sir." Tom said, holding out his hand to shake.
Her father gave him a hug instead. "It's nice to finally meet you. We've heard so much about you. I'm Cryon."
"Nice to meet you, sir. I've heard such good things of you." Tom lied.
Seraphina had never once said a good thing about him.
She hadn't said a bad thing about him either.
She'd simply kept quiet.
After all, it was her specialty.
"This is my wife, Nebula."
"Hello, dear. It's so nice to meet you." Nebula Nott hugged the boy as well.
"Yes ma'am, it's a pleasure meeting you." Tom smiled charmingly. "I must say, you're even more beautiful in person." He took her hand and kissed it.
"Oh, Tom. Thank you." She smiled.
He already had her wrapped around his finger.
"Well. Shall we go?" Cryon asked.
"Is he her boyfriend?" Nebula whispered to Vivian.
Vivian gave her the affirmative.
"So she's not upset about Isaiah?"
Vivian told her what she thought was true. She told her that Seraphina was.
"Are you sure you wouldn't like to come home with us, Viv?" Cryon asked.
"Yes, thank you, though. Mother and Father said to get home."
"I'm sure we'll see you at some point over the break, right?" Nebula asked.
Her parents were Blacks.
"Absolutely." Vivian smiled.
The group locked arms and Cryon apparated them to the Lestrange mansion.
"Bye-bye, now, darling. We'll see you later." Nebula hugged Vivian.
"Yes, thank you." Vivian hugged the rest of the party and skipped off to the front door.
Cryon took them home.
"Why don't you show Tom to the guest room?" Neblua asked.
Seraphina led the way.
She opened the door and the two walked in.
"Your parents are charming." Tom said.
Don't get too attached. She answered, and walked out.
Sera, what are you doing? He dropped his stuff and nearly ran after her. Don't do something you'll regret, Seraphina.
I won't regret it.

A week before they were to return to school, Cryon was up late, doing something for work.
After everyone had fallen asleep, Seraphina made her way down to the living room.
Hello, Father.
Cryon jerked his head up. "Excuse me?"
I said hello.
He stood up, grabbing his wand from beside him on the table. "What the hell, Sera?"
You remember Isaiah, I'm sure.
"Y-yes."
He was perfect, right?
"Y-yes, he was the ideal. What is this, Seraphina?"
He was an asshole.
"I don't think so--"
He was a rapist.
"He was a pureblood of a highly-esteemed family--"
No!
Cryon backed up. "What are you doing, Seraphina?"
You think you know who the 'wrong sort' is, Father. I'm telling you that you're a sick bastard.
"How are you doing that?"
I wrote you, and I told you what he did. You told me he was a Pureblood! As if that makes up for anything! You sick, twisted bastard! Did you even tell Mother?
"Well, no. I didn't figure she needed to be worried--"
Why wouldn't she need to know that her daughter was defiled, Father? What do you care more about? Your daughter or blood status?
"You, of course, darling." He said, now sounding panicked.
I find that hard to believe. Isaiah was 'the wrong sort,' Father, but so are you.
Tom rushed in. "Seraphina, listen to me."
Shut up, Tom!
"No. Go to bed, Sera."
Do you want to know why I'm angry?
"Yes. I really want to know why you're angry." He said, holding out a pacifying hand as he stepped in front of Cryon.
Isaiah raped me.
"He what?"
And I wrote my father of it, and he did nothing but remind me of his high blood status.
Tom turned to look at Cryon. "You fucking asshole."
Move.
Tom moved.
Please retake your seat, Father.
Cryon sat back down.
Avada kedavra.
A green light, and Cryon fell onto the table.
Why didn't you tell me? I could have taken care of it for you. Tom said, looking at her from across the room.
Because I wanted to kill him.
I meant Isaiah.
I know.
I could have taken care of your father too.
I wanted to kill him too.
"Let's go to bed, Sera."
She led the way up the stairs and stopped outside his bedroom door.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. I'm so sorry, love.
Our little secret?
You should tell your mum.
I meant about my father. She smiled a sick, twisted smile, and Tom thought it was divine.
Our little secret.

The house was awoken the next morning to Neblua Nott screaming. "Cryon!" She yelled.
Seraphina got calmly out of bed and went downstairs.
Her mother was sobbing and shaking her husband. "Cryon!"
Seraphina cried.
Not because her father was dead, not because she had killed him, but because she hated seeing her mother upset.
She went and hugged her mother, and the two of them sobbed into each other's shoulders.
Tom came downstairs and stood idly by. He wrote a letter.
The doctor who came was nearly moved to tears himself at the sight of the two women.
Even Tom almost felt bad. If he hadn't known Seraphina had killed him, he would have been concerned for her.
At how upset she seemed, he almost forgot.
But he didn't, and he smiled.
A few days later, Seraphina Nott sat through her father's funeral, dry eyed.
Everybody thought she was in shock.
Oh, how wrong they were...