Estelle had no idea at all what Pansy had just said, or how bad and angry the other girl had felt while saying sorry. None of that reached her. Every single bit of her attention stayed fixed on Draco's pale, cool neck. It felt so soft under her cheek, so nice and comfortable, like the perfect spot to rest. A quiet little moan slipped out of the girl's throat without her even knowing. Draco's fingers shook a little, and he quickly put his hand over her mouth to hide the sound. He had to stay very still and just bear the tickly feeling that kept brushing against his neck.
He took a fast peek out from behind his father's big black coat. Blaise, Theodore, and the other kids nearby seemed to have caught the strange noise. They were turning their heads this way and that, looking confused and trying to find where it came from. No, Draco thought, Estelle really should not be making sounds like that where other people could hear. A strange warm feeling rose up inside him. He gently rubbed her back in slow circles, hoping it would help calm her down and ease the discomfort she was feeling.
But Lucius acted even faster than that. He gave Pansy one quick look, clearly wanting to wrap up the whole messy situation right away. "In that case, the two of you will take good care of Miss Pansy Parkinson," he said. "Narcissa, take Estelle away first."
"Yes," Narcissa answered straight away. She pulled the little girl close into her arms, and together with Draco they made sure to keep Estelle hidden from all the staring eyes around the lake. They moved carefully so no one else could see her face or hear her soft sounds.
"I'm terribly sorry, Lucius, we…" Hector started to say. His face showed some fear that had come a bit too late, and his words came out in a nervous stumble.
Before he could finish the sentence, Lucius gave a short laugh that was hard to read. "It's nothing," he said. "The Parkinson family has always been the Malfoy family's most loyal ally, hasn't it?"
"Ah… of course," Hector replied. He suddenly looked a lot more at ease, like a weight had lifted off his shoulders. He caught a quick look at his daughter's face and tried to speak up for her a little more. "I think… what just happened was only a small misunderstanding. A bit of rough play between children is quite normal, after all."
Even Daphne's eyes showed a flash of surprise when she heard those words. Uncle Hector really cared about Pansy a lot. To say something like that at a time like this! He must not have noticed how deep the scratches on Bellin's arm were from Pansy's nails. Calling that just normal kids' play seemed like a stretch.
The other kids standing nearby all had different looks on their faces, some shocked, some thoughtful. But Lucius kept his own face completely calm and still. "Well said," he answered. His light grey eyes showed no feeling at all. "So, for the sake of the long friendship between the Parkinsons and the Malfoys, I'm sure Miss Pansy would also be very happy to receive a Memory Charm."
"A Memory Charm?!" Hector's eyes grew wide with shock, and he spoke so loud he did not even notice.
Pansy shook where she stood as she looked up at Lucius. Her quick little mind put the pieces together in a flash. He knows about Estelle's special way of talking to animals. And it was very clear that Lucius wanted to keep that secret inside the Malfoy family only. No one else needed to hear about it.
"Lucius, Pansy is still young…" Hector's face looked like he had tasted something sour, and he kept trying to get the words out while his voice shook.
"Obliviate!"
"Obliviate!"
Lucius did not wait for the Parkinsons to say anything else. He reached into his snake-headed cane, pulled out his thin wand in one smooth move, and pointed it right at Pansy. The spell hit fast. In the next second Pansy stood completely still in the same spot. Her eyes looked empty, her mouth hung open just a little, and her face showed nothing.
"Malfoy, you…" Hector said through tight teeth. He was working hard to hold back the anger in his eyes.
Lucius did not pay any attention to him at all. When he saw Pansy's blank and silly expression, a small smile touched the man's lips. "Hector, I'm sure Miss Pansy needs to rest now," he said. "I will let everyone know that the Parkinson family had to leave early."
"Father, what happened? Why are we leaving so soon?" Pansy asked. She looked shocked as she turned to her parents standing beside her.
"Be quiet!" Hector snapped at her in an angry voice.
Pansy shrank back right away and did not dare move even an inch.
"Then we will take our leave," Hector said. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "Please tell Miss Bellin once more how sorry we are." After that he quickly took his wife's arm and pulled her and Pansy away from the lakeside, walking fast through the grass and past the groups of people still standing around.
Lucius Malfoy gave one last quick glance at the confused Zabini, Nott, and Greengrass children who were still watching from a short distance. Then he turned and started walking toward the castle. His steps moved a little quicker than they usually did on the stone path that led uphill.
"What was wrong with Pansy today?" Crabbe asked, sounding puzzled. He kept watching Lucius walk away. "It was like she had swallowed something bad the moment she saw Bellin."
Blaise gave a light snort. "Of course she did. She felt Estelle was a threat to her future spot as Mrs. Malfoy."
"Clearly, that spot now belongs to Estelle," he added in the same slow, easy way.
No one expected the usually quiet Theodore to speak up, but he did, in a soft voice. "But Bellin is just Draco's sister, isn't she? She will go back to Belling Manor eventually."
"Sister?" Blaise turned to look at him. He started to say something back but then stopped himself.
It was true, after all. In the pure-blood world, it had been a long time since an outsider was named the goddaughter of a Malfoy head. Maybe Lucius Malfoy was only looking after Estelle for a short while because Brian Belling had asked him to. After all, he had never made any official promise about joining the two families through marriage. So in that way there was no real tie between Estelle and Draco. They were more like brother and sister at most.
Blaise Zabini stood there thinking about the little girl's smooth silver hair and her bright sparkling eyes. His own eyes narrowed just a little. He did not notice that Theodore standing right beside him was also lost in his own thoughts about the same thing.
Later, back inside the castle, Estelle was gently placed by Narcissa onto the large bed that she shared with Draco. Several long bluish-purple scratches ran across the girl's arm. The edges of the wounds showed rough marks from nails, and some spots were still leaking tiny drops of blood. She lay there on the soft covers with her brows pulled tight together. Her face looked very pale and her lips had lost all their color. Her mind felt fuzzy and unclear. Every little while she let out a soft whimper. She looked so small and miserable on the big bed.
The medicine had not started working all the way yet.
"Mother, why aren't we treating Da'er's wounds first?" Draco sat right beside the bed. He held Estelle's hand tightly in his own. His voice did not have any crying left in it, but it was full of worry and hurry.
Narcissa let out a long sigh. Her eyes were full of love and sadness for the little girl. "We can't, Draco," she said gently. "The special medicine cannot be used at the same time as healing spells."
This was something Snape had warned them about very clearly. Ever since Brian had given Lucius the recipe for the medicine along with that letter, Lucius had asked Severus Snape to prepare the potion for Estelle every month. That potions master who worked down in the school dungeons had still not found a way to make the old recipe work any faster or with fewer bad effects. So every single time Lucius went all the way to Spinner's End to pick up the small bottle, he always came back with a grumpy look from Snape.
"Then… does that mean Da'er has to feel all the pain the whole time until the symptoms finally go away?" The corners of Draco's eyes turned a little red as he asked. He was clearly heartbroken for her and wished he could take the hurt away himself. He kept holding her hand and did not let go even for a second.