As soon as the question left his lips, Draco felt a sharp little tug on his trouser leg.
He glanced down. Mammon was staring up at him with those big round eyes, one paw still hovering where it had just swatted his ankle before settling innocently back onto the grass.
*Did he just punch me?*
"Mom and Dad…" Estelle's gaze dropped to her shiny new shoes, her voice soft and small. "I can only see them in the portrait frames now… the same as Grandfather, Great-Grandfather, and Grandma Shirley."
She swallowed. "But they're usually sleeping, so it's mostly just Mammon and Pegasus who keep me company."
Draco's eyes widened. For a second he couldn't speak.
*In portrait frames.* That meant her parents were… No wonder she was staying at Malfoy Manor for good.
The realisation hit him fast. Little Malfoy quickly wiped the shock from his face and looked at her with a gentleness he had never shown anyone before—soft, careful, and full of quiet pity.
He gave her small hand a reassuring squeeze, though his voice still sounded a little stiff. "It's alright… When you grow up, you'll be able to talk to them properly again."
It was his very first time trying to comfort someone, so it came out clumsy. Still, in a way he was right. Magical portraits often slept while the soul settled; Estelle would have to wait several more years before her parents' portraits fully woke with all their living memories.
"Then… when will I grow up?" Estelle tilted her head, misty blue eyes sparkling with hopeful curiosity.
Draco, only a year older, had no real answer to a question that big. But he refused to look clueless in front of the pretty kid. He puffed his chest a little. "Maybe… after you get your Hogwarts letter?"
He hesitated. "Of course, I don't know if Father will send you to Hogwarts or Durmstrang…"
His voice trailed off, then he asked, "Which one do you want to go to?"
Estelle had heard the portraits at home talk about Durmstrang—most Belling ancestors had studied there. But Hogwarts… She shook her head honestly. "I don't know either."
Draco's platinum head drooped. He pursed his lips, took her hand again, and kept walking. "Alright then," he muttered, "I'll just have to convince Father to let you come to Hogwarts with me. Can't have you going off to Durmstrang all alone—who would look after you…"
"What?" Estelle hadn't quite caught the last part.
Draco's ears flamed red. He spoke in a rush, trying to cover his slip. "Nothing! I just meant Hogwarts is the best wizarding school in the world!"
"Especially Slytherin House! Almost all the greatest witches and wizards come from Slytherin. It's where noble pure-blood families reach their true potential. The Malfoys have been in Slytherin for generations."
"I'm definitely getting sorted into Slytherin—and you will too, Estelle. If the Hat somehow doesn't pick Slytherin for you, Ravenclaw is fine… but please, whatever you do, don't end up in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. I don't want to spend every day hunting for you in the Lion's Den…"
"Estelle? Are you even listening?"
He had been rambling in his best aristocratic tone, desperate for her to agree with something, when he finally glanced sideways. The little girl was staring dreamily ahead, completely distracted.
A small flock of pure-white swans from the manor lake had waddled up the path and were parading back and forth in front of her, long necks arched with elegant pride.
"These silly geese…" Draco grumbled, annoyed that the birds had stolen her attention. He stepped forward, ready to shoo them away.
"Shh…" Estelle quickly pressed a finger to her lips, eyes sparkling with delight.
Draco froze, unsure what she was planning.
With a sweet smile, she took a few small steps forward and gently stroked the nearest swan's snowy head.
The swan blinked its dark eyes contentedly.
"Oh~ What a beautiful young lady," it said in a graceful, fluting voice only Estelle could truly understand. "It's a pleasure to meet you at Malfoy Manor."
"Thank you," Estelle answered in the same soft, melodic tones. "You're very beautiful too."
"You'll be staying here for a long time, won't you?"
"Yes."
"How wonderful! Please visit us often—it would be our honour. You really are lovely, little one."
"I'll come play with you lots. Are there other animals in the manor?"
"Of course—those silly horses in the stables, the white cranes by the lake, and a few other boring little creatures. But none are as friendly as us swans."
"Alright, I understand. Thank you!"
She gave the swan one last gentle stroke. Its tiny eyes half-closed in pure bliss.
When Estelle turned back to Draco, the boy was standing completely still, mouth slightly open, staring as if she had just performed real magic right in front of him.
"Brother?" She waved her small hand in front of his wide grey eyes.
Draco blinked hard, voice cracking with disbelief. "Estelle… you… you can talk to swans?"
"You can't?" She looked genuinely puzzled.
"Of course not!" he burst out, astonishment turning into rapid-fire questions. "I've never met any wizard who could talk to swans—and you're only five! Wait—besides swans, what other animals can you talk to?"
Estelle fidgeted, a little flustered by his Merlin-struck expression. She glanced at Mammon, who was calmly licking his paw and clearly not planning to help. With a small shrug, she answered honestly, "Um… I think I can talk to pretty much any animal."
Mammon shot the stunned Malfoy heir a cool, superior look and continued grooming himself without a care.
*This little stinky brat is probably wondering if Estelle's a Parselmouth. Hmph.*
But Estelle Belling's gift went far beyond speaking to snakes. She possessed the ancient Belling family talent: the innate ability to communicate with any creature that had even a spark of true intelligence. For old pure-blood houses like the Malfoys, with their millennia of hidden knowledge, this wasn't exactly a secret.
And her new godfather—Lucius Malfoy—knew more about it than he was letting on.