o.o.O.o.o

Clara got off the Hogwarts express and spotted the perfectly coiffed figure of Narcissa Malfoy. She was wearing a beautiful powder blue dress, with matching pumps, and an airy grey open-fronted robe. It looked stylish and expensive to Clara's eyes. It made her instantly self-conscious in her school robes.

"Clara! It's so good to see you." Narcissa smiled warmly and approached. "How was the trip down?"

"It was fine, thank you." Clara smiled, her trunk floating behind her. "I did some of my holiday reading assignments."

"Always best to get those promptly out of the way," Narcissa said and nodded. "Take a good hold of your trunk and I'll apparate us to the Manor."

Clara did as she was instructed and the older witch wrapped an arm around her shoulders and in a heartbeat she was standing in the massive Entrance Hall of Malfoy Manor. There was a pop and a little House Elf appeared.

"Take Miss Hart's trunk to the Garden Suite," Narcissa said.

"Yes Mistress," it said and placed a hand on Clara's trunk and then they were instantly gone.

"I thought you might like to sit and relax before unpacking," she said. "Dinner will be in an hour, but I have some tea and biscuits set out for us. You can tell me all about your classes, and that nastiness back in February with the Yaxley girl." Narcissa slipped an arm through Clara's and guided her to a small, but very beautiful sitting room. Narcissa made the tea and offered Clara a plate of delicate chocolate biscuits and meringue puffs.

"School's been going well, at least as far as my classes go," Clara said. "I'm fairly confident that I'll do well on my O.W.L.s at the end of the year."

"Have you given thought to the classes you want to take through to your NEWTs?" Narcissa asked.

"I want to continue with Charms, Potions, Transfigurations, Herbology, and Ancient Runes. I'm not entirely sure yet about Arithmancy," she said.

"Arithmancy is a fascinating subject, but I never had a head for the more complex equations." Narcissa laughed a little. "I think those are excellent selections and should give you a variety of options once you finish school. Have your given much thought to that yet?"

"I would like to find an apprenticeship for Ancient Runes. It's my favourite subject and I know that Master are in high demand," she said.

"Ambitious, but certainly achievable. Now, tell me about what happened? We only received a second hand report on the matter." Narcissa raised an elegant eyebrow.

"I don't have any proof, but she poisoned me," Clara said after a long moment. "I think she stole a vial of poison from the Potions Lab and applied it to the pin on my cloak. We'd been working on antidotes that week in class, so there were live poisons on the bench to work with, and I never leave the pin open and sticking up on my cloak. Luckily, Finn was with me when it started taking effect and got me to Professor Slughorn." She rubbed her arm a little, suddenly cold.

"That must have been very frightening," Narcissa said gently, looking concerned.

"It was. I knew she hated me, I just didn't think she'd go that far." Clara swallowed thickly. "Now I know."

"You've taken precautions?" Narcissa confirmed.

"Of course, and the House has put Addie on notice that if she tries anything like that again, she'll face House Justice. Lord Abraxas sent me a toad stone, too. I should thank him in person for that while I'm here." She'd sent a letter in thanks, but it was a very expensive gift.

"He did?" Narcissa looked surprised. "Yes, I think you probably should thank him for that. He spends most evenings after dinner in his study. That would likely be the best time to approach him."

Clara nodded.

"Now, since I'll be taking charge of your introduction into society this summer, I think tomorrow we'll take a trip to Diagon Alley and visit Twilfitt & Tattings. You'll need some casual things to wear around the Manor and to a few relaxed social events," Narcissa said, moving on quickly. "I'll see if I have something that would suit you to wear for dinner this evening as well." Her blue eyes turned speculative, as if trying to decide just what to do with her.

"Can I ask why you're doing all this for me?" Clara said after a moment.

"Because you need the assistance, and I have it to give. The benefits for us are not insignificant either, considering the political climate of late," Narcissa said. "You're a project and I am quite excited to see what I can do with you."

Clara nodded, accepting it at that. It made her vaguely uncomfortable, but it was a feeling she'd been growing accustomed to of late.

o.o.O.o.o

Abraxas was still uncertain about having the girl around, though he needn't have worried. The door to the dining room opened and both he and Lucius stood politely as the witches entered. Narcissa was a picture of her usual casual elegance, motherhood hadn't changed that about her. She'd dressed the younger woman for dinner and he was somewhat surprised by the transformation. Clara Hart was wearing a dark blue dress with capped sleeves, it hit her about mid-calf and Narcissa had found some stylish flats for her to wear.

"Narcissa. Miss Hart," Abraxas said, inclining his head in greeting. As the ladies sat down, he and Lucius took their seats.

"Good evening, how is Draco?" Lucius asked.

"Very well, he loves the toy dragon you brought home for him from Brussels." Narcissa smiled. "If you have time tomorrow, I'm planning to take him out into the garden for the afternoon."

"I will see if I can rearrange my meetings." Lucius nodded, a small smile on his lips.

"You're looking well, Miss Hart. I hope there were no other attempts on your life this spring?" Abraxas asked, his tone somewhat bored.

"No sir, thankfully nothing else," Clara said, swallowing a little under the rather intense look from the elder Malfoy.

"Good. Attempted murder in the dormitories, what has Hogwarts come to?" He shook his head. "That fool is going to bring the school to ruin if he continues as he has been, mark my words." Abraxas looked to his son. "I've arranged for you to take my seat on the Board of Governors for the school. It will be to your advantage to focus on that over some of your usual concerns at the Ministry for the time being."

"Do you really think that this is an appropriate conversation for dinner?" Lucius looked over to their guest.

"Miss Hart is a Slytherin. I would imagine she understand the value of not speaking out of turn. Do you not, my dear?" Abraxas looked over to the girl.

"I wouldn't share anything I overheard in your home; it would be rude," Clara said after a moment.

"It would indeed, besides…Narcissa seems eager to teach her about the wider world, and politics are a very large part of that." Abraxas sipped his wine, as the first course was served. "I hear that Slughorn is retiring this year, has he informed the House yet?" he asked the girl.

"Not the House, but he did let me know earlier this year. His replacement is Master Snape," she said.

"Severus? A teacher?" Lucius looked surprised.

"I saw them speaking and it was heavily hinted at." Clara nodded.

"I'll have to give him my congratulations. Head of Slytherin and Potions Master is quite impressive at his age," Lucius said.

"He was always clever, your friend," Abraxas said, his expression more guarded. "You should invite him to the summer ball. He hates those events, but it would do him good."

"I'll make certain he receives the invitation," Narcissa said.

The meal was delicious and Clara listened respectfully to the conversation at the table, centered around current events and the very public Death Eater trials. She gave her opinion when it was asked for, but mostly just kept quiet. The Malfoys were interesting, both individually and as a group. Narcissa clearly worked very hard to be a buffer between father and son, and Lucius seemed still rather worse for wear like he had been at Yule. Abraxas was undisputed Lord of the manor, and dominated the conversations. She was left with the distinct feeling that both Lucius and Narcissa were moderately afraid of him.

"Narcissa, dinner was lovely. If I'm needed, I will be in my study." Abraxas stood and nodded.

As he left, the tension in the room seemed to immediately ease. Lucius stood and went over to kiss Narcissa's cheek.

"I'm going to go and check on Draco. I'll be in our rooms when you've settled your guest," he said softly and left the room.

"Abraxas rarely dines with us," Narcissa said apologetically. "He's rather old fashioned and set in his ways. Don't take his cool demeanor personally."

"It's fine. I didn't really imagine he'd be thrilled with me being here," Clara said, thinking about the different warnings she'd been given about the older Malfoy.

"He'll get used to you," Narcissa said with a small smile. "In the meantime, I'll show you up to your room. It overlooks the garden, and is one of my favourite rooms in the whole Manor." She stood and waited for Clara.

"Thank you." Clara walked with her, trying to memorize the different turns and hallways.

"For the first while, if you get lost just call for Itsy. She can guide you easily enough," Narcissa said.

"It's a little bit of a maze." Clara laughed as they reached the guest wing and Narcissa opened the door to a suite of rooms.

Lamps flared to life around the room and Clara smiled. The bed reminded her of the beds in the Slytherin dorms, but it was hung in soft shades of blue and cream. There were various woodland animals carved around the posts and a pair of unicorns in a glade carved in stunning relief on the headboard.

In matching dark mahogany, a desk sat beside the French door that looked like they lead out to a balcony. There was also a sitting area by the fireplace.

"There's a bathroom just through there for your use. Breakfast is at 8 and Itsy will make sure there's something laid out for you to wear. After breakfast, we'll head to Diagon Alley," Narcissa said.

"I'll see you in the morning, and thank you again." Clara smiled.

"You're very welcome. Sweet dreams, Clara," Narcissa said and left the room.

Clara took a moment to explore the room, opening up the doors to the balcony and stepping out onto it. The garden below was bathed in moonlight, most of it still dormant…not really awake yet. She didn't stay outside long, the chilly night air drove her back inside. She went and found her trunk sitting neatly at the foot of the bed, and found her pajamas and bath robe. She carried them into the bathroom, her jaw nearly hitting the floor as she saw the lavish decor. There was a claw-foot tub sitting under the window, gauzy curtains draped over the heavy curtain rod. There were fresh flowers in a vase on the vanity, and a plush mat on the floor. It was like something out of a magazine. She undressed and got into her pajamas. She'd have a bath in the morning, so she was ready for the day.

She settled down into bed, and tried to calm her mind enough to sleep. It was going to be a busy day tomorrow and she still had to track down old Lord Malfoy to thank him for her gift. It had honestly slipped her mind earlier, and it would be very bad manners to not say thank you.

o.o.O.o.o

Shopping with Narcissa had been physically demanding in a way she could never have imagined. She'd been honestly relieved to get back to the Manor and have the afternoon to decompress. Her room was full of bags and boxes, and other things had been ordered. Apparently, Narcissa's definition of 'a few' and hers were very different.

She grabbed her Runes text and decided to head outside to soak up a little sunshine. As she stepped out on the terrace, she could see Narcissa over in the more structured part of the garden with her son and husband. They made a beautiful picture, relaxing on a large blue blanket in the sunshine. Instinctively she angled toward the wilder part of the gardens.

Her feet led her to a circular clearing. The little hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she approached the massive stone brazier standing at the center of the circle. Beneath it was a large fountain and spread equally around the outside of the circle were four pillars with basins on top of them. Something about this space sang with magic, a trembling power that made her heart quicken and her skin ache. She wanted to reach out and touch the brazier, something drawing her to it.

She reached out, her fingertips just grazing the weathered metal and with a brilliant flash, flames flickered into being. A wash of magic swept over her and stole her breath. Her books fell to the ground, forgotten in that first taste of power.

"You should not be here." A voice jolted her from the kind of daze that she was in, and Clara whirled to see the stoic form of Abraxas at the edge of the circle.

"I'm sorry, I was just looking for a quiet place to read." Clara stumbled over her words, paling a little at the intense look on his face. The little jump of muscle in his jaw left her with the impression that he was furious.

"Do you even know what this circle is?" he asked.

"No." Clara shook her head. "Is it some kind of a ritual circle?"

"Not precisely, though rituals have been done here." He narrowed his eyes a little, as if considering something. "Are you familiar with elemental magic, Miss Hart?"

"It's an ancient form of magic that fell out of common usage after the widespread production of wands," she said.

"Simplistic, but correct. Elemental magic was the beginnings of our culture, our society. People who could harness certain natural energies, and channel them, were the very first witches and wizards. Even now, with our wands and potions…knowing where your elemental affinity lies is important. It lets you structure your magic to your strengths, and avoid your weaknesses." He began to walk the circle and as he did, light flared from each of the basins. Blue, Yellow, Red and Green.

"The four houses, the four elements…" Clara said.

"Hogwarts was built on an understanding of elemental magic, and that is the true strength at its core. Everything in harmony and balance," he said and came to stand in front of her. "Would you like to know where yours lies?"

"If I'm a Slytherin, shouldn't I be water?" She frowned.

"Is your House all you are? Are all Slytherins exactly the same?" Abraxas chuckled. "No. There are many different kinds of Slytherins, just as there are many different shades of every other House. It is part of who you are, but not all of it. We each of us bring something unique to the table, that intangible spark that is us." He smiled then, the upturn of his lips softening his stern expression. He reached out and tipped her chin up with his fingertips, gazing deep into her eyes. It was the barest touch, but it froze her in place. "You are clever, cunning, resourceful, ambitious, and most of all opportunistic. All hallmarks of our House, but under it…there is that flicker of defiance. The heart of a rebel. You attack when you sense an opening, because you're afraid of being forced to defend. You feel everything deeply, though you hide it from most. You don't get along well with most others in your House, because Slytherins with an affinity for fire are rare. That is why you were drawn to the brazier and not the fountain. It burns in your veins and nothing will ever be able to smother that ember. They might quiet you for a time, but you will always return. Renewed and hungry." He released her chin.

Clara shivered and felt in that moment stripped completely bare in front of the older wizard. It was like he could see into her heart and that terrified her.

"What about you?" she asked, trying to deflect the charged silence.

"Earth. We are both fixed elements, you and I. It's not in either of us to bend; we'd happily be broken into a hundred pieces, before we'd compromise ourselves. You should do some reading on the subject. I would not be averse to expanding your education in this area, should you have questions. There is ample reading material in the Library, things that you will most assuredly not find at Hogwarts."

"I wanted to thank you, for sending me the toadstone." Clara said.

"Jealousy has killed promising young witches and wizards before, I would hate to see it kill you. Especially over something as unimportant as a boy. You should go, and find somewhere else to read your school books. This is not somewhere you should be on your own, not until you understand what this really is." Abraxas reached down and grabbed her Runes text and handed it to her.

"Yes sir," Clara said and hugged it to her chest. She turned and obediently headed back up to the house. It took a lot of effort to not run, something about that circle both frightened and exhilarated her. Once back inside, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. For just a moment, she replayed the instant her fingers had brushed the brazier and the way the magic had sung under her skin. That was a feeling that she'd never forget, and she didn't want to.