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The Heaviest Burden of All	By : InfernalParadise Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 4587 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter 4

Hidden answers

Sheryl awoke to the sound of rain hitting the window glass. It was gray outside, and definitely not morning. A glance at the old clock next to the bed told her that she had slept for more than eighteen hours since it was near four in the afternoon. She wondered if Malfoy had maybe cast a sleeping spell on her yesterday evening, but whatever it had been, at least she felt well rested.

After some very late breakfast down in the dining room, she considered herself too lazy to actually read in the library, so she took the first corridor she spotted and simply went on until she found new rooms and other ways in the Manor she surely hadn�t seen before. The second floor bore some very old portraits of people that had long, blond hair and an arrogant sneer on their face. Malfoy is nothing more than a victim of his ancestors� genes then, she thought with a grin before she decided to take a staircase that led down again and to her joy into a big garden. Whatever was wrong about Lucius, at least he really couldn�t be blamed for lack of good taste and not taking care of his property. Even in the cool autumn air, the garden looked lovely in a proud way, with its big, old trees and the dark lake. She wondered if Malfoy used it for swimming in summer. He definitely looked like someone who didn�t mind a bit of sport to stay in shape, but the imagination of Lucius in bathing shorts was just too funny to think further about it.

On her way back to her room, she finally got lost and suddenly found herself in a corridor that appeared alien to her. A little clueless as to what to do now, she simply opened the first door she spotted and stepped into the room. It was Malfoy�s study. And somehow she instinctively knew the very moment that she wasn�t supposed to be in here. The room resembled a smaller version of the library downstairs, but there were many strange things on the shelves and behind glasses that would have made a person�s heart jump in joy, given the fact that you either dealt with items of dark magic or simply loved them. Since Sheryl did neither of those, however, she felt more than just uneasy in Lucius� study. When curiosity finally took over, she reached for her wand only to find out that it wasn�t in her pocket. She couldn�t remember having lost it, but she couldn�t remember already having seen it since her arrival at the Manor, either. Thankful for those few wandless spells she commanded, she used the "Lumos" to take a closer look at the various sheets, books and other items that lay on the antique wooden desk. One writing caught her eye the moment she spotted it since the page it was on had obviously been torn out of its book. The paper looked old, almost faded, and the writing was hard to read because of its many curves.

The closest you have

The most faithful you get

The first blood of possession

The highest light in the dark near decay

If this was meant to be a poem, it was no wonder its creator had died a death in poverty, Sheryl thought in amusement, but somehow those four lines made her feel even more uneasy than the room she was in. Deciding that Malfoy definitely shouldn�t ever find out about her visit to his study, she carefully went back onto the corridor and closed the door behind her. She was relieved of not having touched anything, but if there was anything Snape had taught them more than once, then it was that you never ever touched anything magical unless you were sure that it�d neither bite, kill nor turn you.

As promised, Lucius returned in the evening and even had dinner with her. He asked about her day and she told him the truth save for her little trip into his study. From reading his smug expression, she could tell that he was content with what he heard.

"Did you like the garden?"

"How could someone not?"

He laughed.

"My wife detests it."

Sheryl almost choked on her soup. Of course, Narcissa Malfoy. She had absolutely forgotten about her. An amused smile appeared on Lucius� face as he seemed to read her thoughts.

"You won�t have any encounters with her here, don�t worry. Narcissa and I may be married, but she hardly ever sets her foot into the Manor. To put it mildly, Narcissa is a very� difficult person."

He could have said she�s a stupid bitch as well, Sheryl realized at the choice of his words. His distaste for his wife was too evident in his voice.

"We are not quite close to each other."

"May I ask you something?", she hesitantly said while lowering her spoon.

Malfoy nodded with an arrogant smile.

"How close are you to Voldemort?"

He stared at her in mute bewilderment, his eyes narrowing as he finally opened his mouth to speak.

"I have been in his service for many years by now."

"That�s not really the answer to my question", Sheryl hesitantly remarked.

Was there truly fear in his eyes? His behavior reminded her of someone who wanted to desperately hide the truth. But how wrong could it be wanting to know his exact connection to Voldemort, especially since she had gotten involved in it somehow in the meantime? All she actually knew about Malfoy were thousands of rumors that were told in town and at Hogwarts.

"I�m afraid I can�t answer your question, then. Not yet", he added with a thoughtful smile.

"Does that mean you will answer it one day?"

"You will find out yourself."

If there was one thing she absolutely hated about him, it was his cryptic answers and the feeling he left her with after giving them.

"You are not allowed to, right?"

"No. It�s simply easier for you not to know yet."

"So it�s about the prophecy", she leaned back in fake satisfaction and those words didn�t fail Lucius� astonished look. For a silent moment he gazed at her until he finally showed a little smile.

"Very clever."

"Am I right, then?"

"I believe you know the answer to that question yourself", he replied and got up. Before he left the dining room, however, he turned around once more.

"All that matters at the moment is that there�s no one closer to the dark Lord than you, Sheryl� you will find out the rest eventually."
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The Heaviest Burden of All