Before Estelle could even get her question out, Draco stepped right in and took charge of explaining everything. He stood a little taller, his eyes bright with excitement as he held up the wand for her to see clearly in the soft light of the room.
"Stelle, this is a special gift that Father gave me right after my first big magical outburst," he said with so much energy in his voice, almost bouncing on his toes. "Father told me he will give me a brand new wand in a few years, just before I head off to enroll at Hogwarts."
Estelle blinked, her voice dropping to a soft whisper. "Then... does Godfather know you brought the wand out of the Manor?"
The moment the words left her mouth, a quick flash of awkwardness crossed Draco's face. He looked caught for just a second, but he recovered fast. He did not want to seem small or silly in front of her, so he lifted his head high, his platinum blond hair catching the light like it always did when he tried to look sure of himself. "Of course he knows! After all, I have to protect you at all times. How could I do that without a wand?"
Estelle pursed her lips and thought about it quietly. She truly felt that Uncle Snape's place was safe and quiet, with no real dangers around them. Still, a tiny worry tugged at her. In the end she decided to let it go. As long as the little gem standing in front of her looked happy and proud, that was all that really mattered right now.
"What spell can you use to get that book down for us?" Estelle asked, pushing the small doubt about the wand far to the back of her mind. She looked up at Draco with wide, curious eyes, waiting to see what he would do next.
The boy's pale little face turned a soft shade of pink. He paused and thought hard for a moment. There was no way he could tell Stelle the truth that he had only learned one spell so far, and that spell was just Scourgify. He did not want to disappoint her.
"In any case, I can help you get that book," Draco said, stiffening his neck and trying to sound completely sure of himself. He refused to let the truth slip out.
Estelle nodded, her eyes full of hope and trust. They sparkled like little stars as she watched him.
Draco gave a small cough to clear his throat, raised the wand carefully, and whispered the words. "Scourgify!"
[Scourgify]
The very first spell Lucius had taught him really did have a strong and steady base. The tall bookshelf right in front of them shook gently for a second, and all the thick dust on the shelves flew off in a small cloud. It looked almost clean for a moment.
But the potion compendium stayed exactly where it was, not moving even an inch from its spot high up on the shelf.
Estelle quietly turned her gaze away and asked in a gentle but suspicious voice, "Brother, what did you just say? It sounded like..."
It was almost the exact same words he whispered every night behind her when he brushed and took care of her hair with such patience. She wondered for a quick second if her brother was really trying to use a simple cleaning spell to bring the heavy book down.
"No, no, you must have misheard me!" Draco cut in quickly, his face turning even more flustered. His eyes darted around the quiet room as he tried to think fast. "I will try a few more times, and it will work for sure. It is just that this trembling charm is still new to me, and I am not very good at it yet."
"Is that so..." Estelle's eyes lit up like stars again, full of belief in him.
"Scourgify!"
"Scourgify!"
"Scourgit..."
The tip of the wand flickered with a soft light while Draco waved it around in quick, messy circles. He did not even notice that he had said the spell wrong this time, mixing up the ending in his hurry.
Boom!
The whole bookshelf shook hard and loud, and several books from the very top shelf started to wobble and slide right off the edge. They tumbled down fast toward the floor.
Estelle's eyes grew wide with surprise, and she let out a quick gasp, her small hands flying up.
"Watch out! Stelle!" Draco cried. His body twisted in a funny but quick way, and with fast hands and sharp eyes he caught every single book just before they could crash onto the wooden floor.
For a long moment the room stayed completely quiet. The only sound was their fast, messy breathing as they stood there catching their breath. The two little kids looked straight at each other, and they could both see the same relief shining in their eyes. They had been lucky and had not made too much noise to draw anyone upstairs.
"It is still up there," Estelle said, her voice excited once more. She started to look through the books Draco was holding in his arms, flipping the covers open one by one. After checking every single one, a small look of disappointment crossed her face.
Draco kept staring at her the whole time, his mind turning quickly. A simple but clever plan started to form in his head without him even thinking too hard about it.
"Stelle, in just a moment I will do this... and then you do that..." he whispered, leaning in close to share the idea step by step.
"Ah... is that really okay?" she asked softly, a tiny bit unsure.
"Do not worry at all. Godfather will not find out anything. He is busy making potions down on the first floor right now. As long as we stay careful and quiet, nothing will go wrong."
"Alright..."
· First Floor
Snape narrowed his eyes and stared hard at the medicine bottle sitting on the table in front of him. He measured everything with slow care. Belladonna, rue, and only a tiny amount of dittany. No, even less dittany than that. That little troll upstairs could not handle a big dose just yet.
"Brother! I want to see too!"
*Buzz*
"You can't... *buzz*, you do not understand it yet, Stelle."
*Buzz*... "But I do not know what to do. It is so boring!"
"Take a nap, Stelle. I will read a storybook to you (*buzz*)!"
The loud and playful voices of the two little monsters upstairs floated down clearly and filled his ears. Snape's lips pressed together tightly right away. There seemed to be a faint buzzing sound mixed in with their words. What could that strange noise be?
His brow pulled into an even deeper frown. This was the most important part of brewing the skin hunger inhibitor, and he needed every bit of focus. He hoped with all his heart that the two little trolls would not find the courage to cause any real trouble while he worked.
Just hold on a little longer, Severus, he told himself. After all, Lucius had promised a whole cabinet of rare potions in exchange for this. It would be worth it.
"Stelle (*buzz*), how about this story? Do you like it!"
"Of course!"
*Buzz*
Snape kept his eyes locked on the bubbling and smoking cauldron right in front of him. His fists stayed clenched tight at his sides as he tried to stay calm and keep working.
Second Floor
Draco moved fast. He put his wand away carefully and pushed all the fallen books under the table, stacking them neatly so they would stay hidden. Yes, after that smart little trick of hiding everything out of sight, the bookshelf now looked empty and clear, just the way they needed it.
Estelle stood right there, holding the potion compendium in her small hands. She read through the pages with real interest, her eyes moving slowly over every word and picture.
If Merlin had known that the simple Scourgify spell could be used in such a clever way, he probably would have climbed right out of his grave to give the young Malfoy boy a big thumbs up of approval.
"Alright, alright, we have to stay very quiet now," Draco said, walking carefully on his tiptoes across the floor.
Ever since Estelle had come to live at Malfoy Manor with him, sharing every meal and every day, the young noble master had slowly started to talk more and more. He felt happier and more open around her.
"Although I still do not know how to put all these books back in their exact spots yet, Stelle, you can finish reading this one first."
As he spoke, Draco looked down at the thick pile of books hidden under the table. His face showed he was ready to face whatever came next, even if it meant trouble later.
"Eh..."
"What is wrong, Stelle?"
Draco walked over to her side right away and glanced at the page she had stopped on. He saw the content at the very end of the book in one quick look.
Estelle had not expected that a simple flip through the pages would show her something so familiar. Her breath caught for a moment.
"This is..."
Draco's eyes grew wide with shock. He pointed straight at the round, pitch-black fruit drawn right in the middle of the page and could not speak for a few seconds.
This was the birthday gift that Mammon and Pegasus had given to Estelle! They had even been very kind and brought one for Draco too, wrapped up nicely.
[jinsi fruit]
[Effect: An ancient fruit from the Age of Dragons. Rumored to be able to enhance, solidify, and broaden the lower limit of a Wizard's magic storage (unconfirmed). Taste unknown, survival conditions unknown, extinct.]
"Jinsi fruit?!" Draco's pale gray eyes opened round and wide with surprise.
"Could it be... that what we ate back then was really jinsi fruit?"
"Merlin... where in the world did your cat find something like this?! From Belling Manor?!"
Estelle did not know the full story either. She answered in a soft, gentle voice, "I... I do not know... I have to look further back in the book."
It was truly a wonderful compendium collected by a real master of potions. Soon Stelle found several other plants inside that felt very familiar to her. She turned the pages carefully and read the notes beside each one.
Dailan Grass—increases the upper limit of magic power.
Fiels Flower—enhances the body's self-healing ability.
Abiddon Fruit—makes skin translucent and flawless.
All of them were ancient plants marked as "extinct" in the book, and Estelle had tasted every single one of them, thanks to the thoughtful gifts from Mammon and Pegasus.