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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 207: A Devious Ploy
"Bella is here?" James glanced at his elf with a look of incredulity. That girl was not one to visit without warning, and much less at this hour.
"Miss Black appeared to be distressed about something," the house elf added.
"Distressed?" James repeated. "Okay, take me to where she is right now."
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He found the girl in the kitchen, speaking to his mother. Much like Loory had said before, she looked distressed while his mother, Euphemia, tried to calm her down.
"There you are." Euphemia turned to look at him as he entered the room. "What were you doing all day cooped up in that tower?"
"James!" Bella exclaimed the moment she spotted him.
"What happened?" He was now sure that some misfortune had struck the House of Black.
"She is gone! I think the Malfoys got her… I—"
"Hold, go back." James interrupted her and approached. "Who is gone?"
She grabbed onto his robes. "My sister, Narcissa… she has disappeared from the house."
"Disappeared? You mean that someone took her?" James was aware of how secure the Black Manor was. The idea of someone sneaking inside to kidnap that girl was hard to believe.
Bella shook her head and pulled a few pieces of parchment from her pocket. "I found these on her desk."
James took them and gave them a quick read. They were letters from Lucius Malfoy. There were two, and in them, Lucius appeared to be very apologetic about the way he had treated Narcissa after their breakup.
Lucius then offered her a chance to rekindle their flame and perhaps restart their relationship where they had left it, with even the possibility of another marriage contract. At the end, he suggested meeting in person and mentioned having sent her a portkey, alongside the last letter, so Narcissa could come visit him.
"Did you find anything else next to these letters?" James asked.
Bella shook her head, already knowing what he was referring to. "It wasn't there… the portkey."
"So your sister left of her own will, to see Lucius again," James stated.
It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Narcissa was still obsessed with the Malfoy heir and was completely distraught after their engagement was broken.
If Lucius gave her a chance to try again, she would no doubt jump at the opportunity.
Bella pointed at the letter. "You don't know Lucius Malfoy as well as I do. He would never write something like that to her."
James would not say it out loud, but he did know Lucius better than Bella could imagine, and he agreed that the boy was too proud to ever suggest something like this.
Not to mention, he would know that a marriage contract could not happen without the consent of the House Patriarch. For Narcissa to marry without Lord Pollux's seal of approval, she would need to give up her name as a Black, losing all status.
And her status was all that the Malfoy House cared about. A marriage without that would have no meaning for them.
"James… I think someone has tricked her into leaving the house," Bella said.
"Tricked her? Oh dear…" Euphemia covered her mouth. "Shouldn't we call the Aurors?"
James glanced back at the letters. There was something that didn't add up.
'Why would the Malfoys want Narcissa? It could be a simple case of wanting revenge by harming the only member of the House of Black they could get their hands on.'
Had this happened a month prior, this would be the conclusion that James would reach. And this was probably what Bella was also concerned about.
But now James was thinking about another possibility. If this was more than just Lucius Malfoy's plan for revenge and instead a scheme from someone much more devious…
'Narcissa's status has no value without the support of her house, but her blood does,' James thought.
Just then, his father walked inside the kitchen at a brisk pace. "What is going on here? The elves told me we have guests…" His eyes moved to Bella.
"The girl's sister is missing," Euphemia told her husband. "Poor thing… we have to do something."
"Missing?" His father looked confused.
"Bella." James glanced at the girl. "Is the rest of your family at home tonight?"
"Huh?… I mean, yes. Why do you ask? They already know about this," Bella responded. The only ones in her family who had shown some concern for Narcissa had been her other sister and grandfather. Her parents were just angry that she left without warning.
"Father." James turned to Fleamont. "Could blood magic be used to break down the wards of an ancient house like the Blacks?"
"What?!" Bella and his mother exclaimed.
Fleamont looked shocked by the question. Blood magic was one of the most forbidden branches of magic, and people even avoided talking about it in public.
"Merlin, James… what are you even suggesting?"
Unfortunately, the branches of warding and blood magic were far from his specialty, so he couldn't answer this question himself.
But the moment he thought about the possibility of Voldemort being involved in this case, he could not help but think about it.
What if Narcissa was not kidnapped for her status, but because of the family blood that runs through her veins?
"Is it possible or not?" James repeated the question.
Fleamont noted how serious his son was and decided to consider it for a moment. "I'm far from an expert in something like blood magic. But you ask me if it's possible?… the answer is… perhaps."
"James…" Bella pulled his robes. "Are you saying that…"
He did not want to say it out loud, but every scenario he played in his head led to Narcissa already being dead.
"Can you contact your house? If not, we will have to go there in person. I believe they are all in danger right now."
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