Hera

{Chapter Sixteen}

QOTD: Who do you guys see Hera as?

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Narcissa Malfoy sat on the loveseat, legs crossed and eyes narrowed as she watched Corban Yaxley, an official in the Ministry of Magic, pace in front of the fireplace, whilst her husband, Lucius, stood by the window that overlooked the manor's garden.

The doors of Lucius' study burst open, revealing Bartemius Crouch Jr., carrying a bundle of cloth in his arms. Silence covered the room, only the Barty's shoes tapped on the wooden floor. Gently, Barty placed the bundle on the grand armchair that faced the rest of the Death Eaters in the room.

Instead of hearing a scratchy voice, Narcissa heard her husband speak. "What is the meaning of this, Crouch?!"

The blonde woman looked up, expecting to see the Dark Lord but was met with a log wrapped in bundles of cloth. Barty flopped on the seat, looking disheveled as he gave Lucius a pointed look. "It's part of the Dark Lord's plan. Now if you traitors don't mind, I would rather finish this quick."

Bartemius Crouch Jr. sneered at the others. It was evident that he had a strong dislike for those in the room besides himself. When the Dark Lord fell, only those who weren't afraid of incarceration for supporting the Dark Lord stood as faithful servants by his side, while the cowards claimed that they were under the imperius curse, such as Malfoy and Yaxley.

"The Dark Lord has a plan that is to be set in motion immediately." He started, giving a short hard glance at Lucius, his tongue flickered out of his mouth. "He knows of the two children in this household that currently attend Hogwarts, one of them being Bellatrix's daughter and your son."

At the mention of Bellatrix, Narcissa was reminded of Cassiopeia-Hera because of the physical similarities between both mother and daughter, making her reminisce about the younger innocent years she shared with her two older sisters. Yet, as time moved forward Hera seemed to resemble their disowned sister, Andromeda, especially in her first year when she had befriended the half-blood Zabini boy, whose mother had a scandalous reputation. And so, the moment she arrived back at the manor, Narcissa did what she thought was right to make her stray away from that past that lead her sister astray.

Years have past, and sure enough, Narcissa was positive that Cassiopeia-Hera was safe from the clutches of muggles and blood-traitors alike. She dedicated her time spent with Hera for 'lady lessons' as she'd call it, but in truth, it was time spent on almost brainwashing, no, teaching the young girl just so she doesn't end up like her blood traitor of a sister, Andromeda.

Narcissa still could not believe that her sister would betray their family, for a poor muggle-born, trading her luxurious life in the process when she could have married a well-respected pure-blood and have had a good life. It was not too late for Narcissa to change Hera's path. The differences between Hera and Andromeda's younger self were not as vast as Narcissa had hoped.

The sound of a wand whipping through the air and a string of muttered words caught Narcissa's attention, dragging her focus from the fireplace to the large piece of wood that was propped up in the armchair. Leaning forward, the blond woman watched as the log started changing shape and fur started sprouting all over the wooden surface of the log.

"A fox?" Yaxley breathed out in confusion as he watched the critter sit elegantly on the arm chair, watching the adults with glossy, intimidating eyes.

Barty's tongue flicked out of the corner of his mouth as a sly smirk grew on his thin lips. "Ah, so you see, it is not long until the Dark Lord rises again, but he does need an extra," He paused, eyes flickering to the Malfoy couple. "He needs an extra set of eyes and ears in Hogwarts, so that no... obstructions will stop the Dark Lord's path to revival."