Home, sweet home! We were finally discharged before Christmas, and we celebrated at home with my parents. We decorated a traditional Christmas tree with presents under it and burned a Yule log, my parents also participated, they found it interesting. Magic swept through the room like wind, I watched the entranced faces of mom and dad --- so they feel it too. Susan shared the next morning that it seemed to her that after burning the log, someone kissed her on the forehead. I asked if it could have been Aunt Amelia, and now Susan is sure it was exactly her, there's no one else it could be. But I just guessed, maybe it was some otherworldly magical entity altogether? But I won't tell Susan about that.
I sent several packages to England. Along with a return Christmas gift, Professor Sprout forwarded me an envelope with OWL results. Local owls don't fly to other countries, so the owl with the letter for me returned to Hogwarts, where my results were sent to the archive for collection. Pomona logically reasoned that I wasn't planning to return to England, so she decided to send the letter by international mail herself.
I open the envelope. Well, let's see.
Charms, Potions, Herbology, Runes, Numerology --- Outstanding.
Transfiguration, Astronomy, DADA --- Exceeds Expectations.
History of Magic --- Acceptable.
Well yes, I never finished writing my History exam, I handed it in mid-exam when Harry had his seizure.
I doubt that OWL results will ever be needed in France, since Defosse, when registering me as an intern, didn't even ask about English OWLs, he was more interested in what the Hogwarts mediwizard and I did and what we studied. But let them be --- as a symbol that I didn't waste five years.
On January 7th, Hagrid and Madam Maxime are having their wedding, and Hagrid is worried, he came to our house to rehearse what and how he'll say and do. He drank all the available alcohol, broke his cup three times, the chandelier twice, and crushed the sofa. Usually he's not so clumsy --- after so many years he's gotten used to his size and strength, this is all from nerves, he's afraid of ruining the most important day for his beloved woman. Ah, Hagrid, much more important isn't this day, but how everything works out afterwards, I could tell from my own experience. At my wedding it seemed to me that everything was going perfectly, but now memories of that day evoke no emotions, neither good nor bad. And if a woman has a happy family life, she'll remember even the mishaps at the ceremony with warmth. I shared this last thought with Hagrid, I hope he'll calm down a bit. After all, the more he strives to make everything perfect, the more he'll mess up. Good thing I can now use Reparo as much as I want. But my parents really asked that next time we meet with such nervous and large friends in another place.
And so, the solemn day arrived. I gave Hagrid a bottle of Sleekeazy's for Christmas, with a hint of when the gift might come in handy, and now his hair and beard look like they could advertise shampoo right now. Madam Maxime probably picked out his clothes, to match the color of her dress. An 18th-century red doublet looks a bit intimidating on Hagrid due to his enormous size, but overall, quite festive. And Madam Maxime herself is absolutely beautiful. The bride is wearing a red-white wedding dress --- unusual, but first, Madam Maxime looks like a Spaniard, and red suits her, and second, if the dress were entirely white, at such sizes it would resemble a snowdrift more.
The ceremony takes place at Beauxbatons --- Hagrid and Olympia don't have their own altars, and here is a good place of power. Students have gone home for the holidays, so the wedding doesn't bother anyone, and no one bothers the wedding. Now I've seen with my own eyes Beauxbatons' New Year decorations that Fleur talked about. Glowing ice sculptures --- this is really very beautiful. And the castle itself, or rather palace, is very good: elegant, airy, bright. Much smaller than Hogwarts, but there are advantages to this --- it's harder to get lost here.
Fleur is also present at the wedding, Madam Maxime couldn't not invite the Beauxbatons champion and her favorite. She shares news from England, the news is so-so, but Fleur herself is clearly happy. I noticed that she stopped affecting the male population in such a stunning way. Men still admire the blonde, but now they don't drool at the sight of her and don't lose all sense. Probably it was influenced by the fact that Fleur found her soulmate, and her Veela magic calmed down.
Most of the celebration I sat peacefully next to Susan, she already speaks French a little, but is shy about communicating freely. But she did dance a few dances, and one dance was exceptionally successful. I was invited by Jean de Flois --- a respectable old gentleman who, apparently, decided to dance with every lady at this wedding. He was surprisingly good dancer. There are such partners, they lead a woman so that even a klutz will dance with them. But his main virtue wasn't in that. Professor de Flois used to teach an Occlumency elective at Beauxbatons, but for the last five years, as he said, he's retired and gives private lessons so as not to be completely overgrown with cobwebs. We agreed to study once a week on Saturdays, all adult-like, with vows of non-disclosure and non-harm from both sides. I don't know if I'll ever need Occlumency. But since I haven't completely severed all ties with the wizarding world --- anything is possible.
***
Before the end of Christmas holidays I managed to meet with Malfoy. Draco introduced me to his mother, who came to visit him. Lady Malfoy is a cold but impeccably beautiful woman, you'd never say she has a sixteen-year-old son.
What happened to Lucius, according to Draco, devastated his mother, but didn't affect her appearance at all.
When the conversation turned to life on Grimmauld, I couldn't help but ask:
--- Lady Malfoy, forgive my curiosity, but why don't you move to France?
--- I still hope that they'll return Lucius to me. Now I correspond a lot with the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and my lawyers. You know, Miss Granger, how Dementors appear? Though, how would you know, this information isn't publicly available. These are the dead who lost their souls while alive. I must ensure they return the body to me, and bury it in the family crypt after performing all the rites. Lucius Malfoy was a worthy man, a talented wizard, a strong head of family, he least of all deserves to become after death...
She didn't finish.
--- I'm sorry, --- I whispered. Now it's clear why Narcissa stays there. This is horrible.
--- You have nothing to do with it, --- she said coldly.
For some time we were silent, each staring into our own cup.
--- Allow me to satisfy my curiosity as well. Draco said you're planning to return to the Muggle world. Why?
--- I'm planning to use the advantages of both worlds. Lady Malfoy, don't you share the viewpoint that Muggle-borns don't belong in the wizarding world?
--- I would express it differently. Muggle-borns in the wizarding world should know their place, --- Narcissa said harshly, --- and are you sure, Miss Granger, that you're Muggle-born? --- she added in a completely different tone, --- Muggle-borns don't have such elemental outbursts.
I don't want to tell about the goblin test. I don't know why. Just in case.
Thanks to Narcissa, she steered the conversation to more social topics, we discussed Christmas in Paris, the future addition to the Black family, the difference in English and French magical education. I told her in general terms about my internship at Saint Nicholas Hospital.
Finally, we decided to touch on the most difficult topic. About Nymphadora.
I already knew from Black's letters that Nymph was married off in autumn to Magnus Nott, Theodore's father. Voldemort chose someone who already has a magically strong child, the damn experimenter.
I shouldn't have killed Pettigrew. I should have let him resurrect Voldemort. Perhaps by this I doomed all of magical England, because the local Dark Lord is the devil himself. The book one was somehow simpler. Perhaps more cruel, but more primitive, he simply wouldn't have thought of what this Voldemort did to Tonks. Snape told how he forced Nymph to give consent. He erased her memory piece by piece about loved ones, without touching short-term memory. That is, she remembered and understood that she was now losing memories of a beloved person, of father, of mother. Probably Dumbledore could have restored part of her memories, but Dumbledore is far away. Moreover, the more that's erased, the harder it is to restore later, since all associative connections are also destroyed. First the Dark Lord erased Alastor Moody --- her beloved mentor. Just to show what he meant. Voldemort also completely erased Lupin, memory of father and mother --- halfway. And Tonks agreed to take marriage vows. You can't put the Death Eater mark on her this way, because that's only possible voluntarily. But you can enter marriage with any feelings. An unequal marriage, in some ways such a union variant is worse than slavery, the husband can say: "don't breathe," and Nymphadora will stop breathing. True, the husband will get a serious backlash for such things. He might lose most of his magical powers or gifts of magic, if any, so he won't kill his wife, at least not without good reason. But such power over a person in itself --- this is horrible.
And now Nymphadora is pregnant. By a Death Eater. Nightmare, how hasn't she gone crazy from all this yet? Although maybe she already has, since no one around her cares about her personally, no one would notice. Draco learned partly about Tonks' life from letters from Theodore Nott, who returned home for Christmas. Nott senior, when he learned about the pregnancy, forbade Nymph to leave the estate, harm herself, the child, Theodore, servants, write letters and left her alone after that. Since Tonks can't change anything fundamentally, she swears dirty at her husband, Death Eaters, Voldemort every time she finds a listener, and tries to destroy as much as possible: breaks glass, breaks furniture, loves to throw dishes --- preferably at Nott senior. And all this without a wand. Well, at least her fighting spirit is still alive. But I don't even know whether to rejoice or grieve about this. Theodore already hates her for all this. She can't cause him real harm, but she makes life unbearable, starting with the fact that Tonks burned his textbooks and essays in the fireplace. After that Theodore was also forbidden to harm Tonks. In addition, Voldemort visited them several times to dig around in Tonks' head for "in case something useful was missed," and since she now fears nothing, she tried to break a chair over Voldy's head. We sing songs to the madness of the brave! If Nymph herself is no longer afraid for herself, then I'm very afraid for her. The attempt was unsuccessful, but Voldemort got angry. Since you can't torture a pregnant witch, Nott senior received prolonged Cruciatus, because he can't train his wife. Another reason for Theodore's hatred toward Tonks.
Lady Malfoy very much disapproves of Tonks' behavior, she's afraid that just a little more and her niece will get into big trouble. There's no love between them, but Narcissa doesn't wish evil on her relative either. They might completely erase her personality, like Lockhart, and such global damage is already irreversible. The danger is more than real, they only need Nymph as an incubator, and reproductive function won't suffer from memory loss. Death would be better than that.
This conversation made my mood terrible again, and guilt fell on me with new force. Still, it's a pity I don't have Snape's recipe for a calming potion without addiction. Although psychological dependence hasn't been canceled either. I think the guilt before Nymphadora is now with me for life. And it doesn't matter how justified it is. Or until she becomes a widow. It's war, after all, who knows what might happen to Nott.