OPHELIA'S END OF YEAR EXAMINATIONS went better than she expected. Even though the past year had its ups and downs, and she had not put in the same effort as she had her previous years, she still managed to come out at the top of her year.

But Ophelia did not particularly care that she was at the top of her year. Her mind had sunk deep into the wallows of depression and darkness that bound her soul.

Whispers of Lord Voldemort had turned into rumors, which then turned into truths, instilling fear into each and every student at Hogwarts.

Even the Slytherins were quiet; for once.

In fact, all Draco had told Ophelia was to stay away from Colin, and nothing else. He had received letters from their mother every breakfast time, while Ophelia received none.

And whenever she went to ask Draco what Mummy wrote in her letters, Draco would suddenly have studying work to do.

But Ophelia knew he was lying.

Draco did not have to study; he had just completed his OWL examinations.

It was obvious he was ignoring her. For what reason? Ophelia did not know much; only that he was hiding something from her. He wasn't telling her something.

So Ophelia wrote to Narcissa and Lucius; and still, she received no response.

Of course.

She was just struck with a dark thought.

Perhaps they don't write because the Dark Lord stays at Malfoy Manor. 

Ophelia suddenly shook with fear. She did not want to stay in the same house as the Dark Lord. In fact, she did not even want to be near him.

If she had a choice, she would stay far, far away from him, perhaps in a different country, like Japan, and attend the weird wizarding school there, Mahoutokoro. Or attend Ilvermorny in Massachusetts. At least then her life would be normal. Ophelia made the mental note of asking Lucius if they could all move out of England, and go someplace where no one knew them, once she got home for the summer.

In a way, fate was wicked, destining Ophelia for eternal misery as everything went wrong with her life. She had to have a brother that hated her. She had to be sorted into Gryffindor. Her father had to be a Death Eater. She had to fall for a mudblood, didn't she? 

Couldn't fate have given her a different combination of trauma? Why did the exact combination of things have to happen to her?

Was she a bad person in her previous life? Was this the universe's way of paying her back? Ophelia didn't know. Of course, Ophelia had no control over her life's events. After all, didn't everyone deserve a second chance? 

At least the end of the school year was near. In a few days, Ophelia would be back at home, not safe, but sound, in Malfoy Manor; away from Ginny, Mariana, all the other annoying gossips at Hogwarts, Colin, and Nott. 

Ophelia had continued to ignore both Colin and Nott, as the year came to an end, and she would grudgingly admit, that, it had, in fact, been very, very difficult to avoid them both.

Although Ophelia's life had quite literally been turned upside down, from the beginning of the year, there was one good thing.

Umbridge was gone. And Dumbledore was back.

No more fluffy pink cardigans and fake smiles. Thank God Umbridge was gone. And it was all because of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.

Apparently they had convinced Umbridge that Dumbledore hid a weapon in the Forbidden Forest, causing the unsuspecting woman to follow them like a sheep. Only for her to get run over by centaurs. In Ophelia's opinion, the foul woman deserved it.

Another good things that happened was that Professor McGonagall was back, and fully healed. Albeit a little weak, but still. She was back. Ophelia had given the Professor the tightest hug, and Professor McGonagall couldn't resist giving Ophelia a hug back.

And so, they resumed their evening teas.

And when the end of year came to a close, Professor McGonagall made Ophelia swear to write to her if she needed any help, advice, or if she just wanted to talk to someone. 

Ophelia agreed, on the condition that the Professor took care of herself, and her health.

Two days before the end of the year, Ophelia finally approached Draco in the library.

"Draco," she asked softly. "Can we talk?"

"About what?" he said gruffly. 

"Uh— Is... Is Daddy coming to pick us up at the station?"

"No." Draco's answer was blunt, and two the point. He was reading up on one of the potion books from the restricted section.

Ophelia's heart broke into two. Lucius always came to pick her up. "But..." Tears sprung to her eyes.

"Mother's coming. Father is a bit... preoccupied," Draco replied curtly. "I should have thought you of all people understood; the Dark Lord is back." He looked up at her. "Oh, stop being such a baby. Do you have to cry at every little thing? Grow up!"

 "Well, excuse me if I actually care about my father! Unlike you who only sees him as money and power," Ophelia said coolly. Low blow, but she had no better comeback. Secretly she knew that she was far too old to cry just because her daddy was not picking her up from the station. Her attachment to Lucius was far too unhealthy.

Draco's lip curled in annoyance at her words. "He's not going to be there all of your life. I suggest you grow up and act mature. Try to stand on your own fucking two feet for once."

Ophelia's eyes narrowed at him. "I wish I had a brother to rely on, instead of my father," she remarked finally.

Draco's eyes flickered darkly for a moment before his gaze turned hard once more. "Whatever."

Ophelia walked away, getting no further response from Draco. But as she walked out of the library, she couldn't shake of the nagging feeling that he would have replied to her comment with something more hurtful than 'whatever'. 

That was when she realized that perhaps Draco had more pressing matters to deal with. Something was bothering him. Something about the situation at home.

Ophelia couldn't help but feel that Draco was hiding something from her.

On the last day of school, Ophelia said goodbye to Professor McGonagall, and began looking for Princess Cleopatra. 

Much to her shock, she found both Cleopatra and Granger's cat, Crookshanks curled up together on an armchair in the Gryffindor common room.

Granger was there, petting both the cats.

Ophelia would have told Granger to stop touching her precious cat, but refrained from doing so, when she noticed that Cleo actually enjoyed Granger's touch. Which was rare, since Cleopatra scratched anyone she did not like.

"Your cat better have not gotten mine pregnant, Granger," Ophelia drawled, looking gorgeous in a pink mini skirt and a slim, white, satin blouse. Her blonde curls were done up in a voluminous ponytail, and she wore silver hooped earrings, and a diamond choker.

"Erm, yes, that would be disastrous," Hermione replied stiffly, quickly pulling away from Cleo, predicting that Ophelia would get furious that a mudblood was touching her cat. 

Cleo mewled angrily in response.

"She likes you," Ophelia observed. "The same can not be said for the others who tried to pet her and suffered from terrible wounds."

"Yes, erm.. I heard what happened to your dormitory, from... Ginny."

Ophelia scowled when she heard Ginny's name. "Thanks for feeding her, Granger," she replied.

And then, she picked up Cleo, put her in her cage, and headed off to the train.

"Hey, Malfoy!"

Ophelia turned around at the voice.

She was dragging her very heavy trunk to the train, and her other hand was holding Cleo's cage. She carried a backpack, and a small purse on her shoulders, and a book between her teeth.

Blaise Zabini approached her, followed closely by Theodore Nott, hands in his pockets, his feet dragging across the floor like walking was a chore.

Ophelia put her book trunk and Cleo's cage down, and her book on top. Her breath hitched as she stole a glance at Theodore. His brown hair was longer than it had ever been, almost fully covering his dark blue eyes.

His lips were dry and chapped, and Ophelia suddenly got a flashback of him kissing her; pressed against the wall of the Astronomy tower, his hands holding her waist...

"Hi." Blaise's voice interrupted her thoughts, and Ophelia was thankful for that distraction.

"Hey," Ophelia said breathlessly, straightening her hair.

"I wanted to tell you... I hope you have a good summer, and... I'll be there if you want to talk, or.. you need a quick getaway from home. You know... since—"

"Yeah," Ophelia finished his sentence, swallowing thickly.

"Your parents wouldn't mind it if you spent time at my place, since I'm... a Slytherin..." Blaise smiled at her. "And my mom's always traveling to someplace new, so it wouldn't be awkward... I would, of course, stay away from you, if you're uncomfortable—"

Ophelia interrupted him by smiling widely. Her first real smile in a month. Her pink, lush, lips curved into a smile so dazzling that it showed her teeth; and there it was, the dimple in her left cheek. Her grey eyes sparkled with warmth. "Thank you," she said softly. "It's really kind of you. But I think Draco—"

"Can suck it up," Blaise interrupted her. "He may be an ass, but he's your brother, and he'll protect you, no matter what."

Ophelia laughed dryly. "Yeah, sure."

"He'll come around, Malfoy, don't worry," Blaise said, with a reassuring pat to Ophelia's shoulder. "By the way, do you need help?" he gestured to her trunk, Cleo's cage and her backpack.

"Erm, no, thanks, I'll man—"

"Just fucking help her," Theodore snarled, and grabbed Ophelia's trunk with one hand, taking quick strides to the train.

Ophelia's jaw dropped slightly. She could see the pulsing muscles tense as he lifted that heavy trunk with one hand. And he didn't even stagger. She swallowed thickly before turning to pick up Cleo's cage, and her backpack, but Blaise had already carried them both.

"Come on," he smiled, tilting his head to the train.

Theodore had taken Ophelia's trunk to an empty compartment, and Ophelia entered the compartment just in time to see Theodore lifting the heavy trunk up, and into the luggage rack, both his arms displaying his contracted muscles. A breath of air was knocked out of her lungs, as she found herself frozen in the doorway, her grey eyes fixated on his back.

From his white shirt, Ophelia noticed the outline of all his muscles, and then... She caught a sliver of his tanned skin, as his shirt rode up by an inch, while he secured her trunk in place.

Standing there like a fish, she let out a soft puff of air, trying to shake away these thoughts from her head. This was Nott. The boy who's stolen both, her first and second kisses from her, and insulted her for four years.

Theodore turned around, and was coming out of the compartment, when he bumped into Ophelia at the doorway. 

All the breath left her lungs, and she stared into his dark eyes for a millisecond, closing her eyes as she drove the picture of him out of her head.

Theodore dipped his head down, his mouth close to her ear. "Take a picture, Baby Malfoy," his warm breath hit the shell of her ear. "It'll last longer."

And then, he walked away, wearing a proud smirk on his arrogant face.

Ophelia's breath hitched, and after he left, her cheeks flushed darkly. Blaise had caught up to her, wearing a bigger smile than previously. 

"Sorry, got caught up with... a friend..." he remarked, before setting her bag and Cleo's cage on one of the seats. "Jeez, Malfoy, you're all flushed, what happened?"

"Nothing," she shook her head. "It's the summer heat..."

"Ah." He nodded. "Well, see you then."

"Bye," Ophelia said awkwardly, before sitting next to the window and immersing herself in her book, for the next eight hours.

She didn't move at all, until the train came to an immediate stop at King's Cross station. When Ophelia got off the train, she couldn't help but feel a strange sort of hope, that perhaps Lucius would pick her up.

He came to pick her up, every single year. It was tradition.

The only stability in Ophelia's life.

But her hope was crushed, when she saw two platinum blonde haired figures in the distance.

Ophelia's heart sunk. She knew Lucius wouldn't come; Draco had told her. But she couldn't help but feel disappointed that he wasn't there at King's Cross.

Slowly, she dragged her trunk, and Cleo's cage to where Narcissa and Draco stood, away from the rest of the crowd.

She reached her mother, who gave her a hug, but Ophelia did not reciprocate. All throughout the car ride home, Ophelia said nothing. Not even a word.

When the Ministry of Magic emblazoned car made the familiar turning into Wiltshire, Ophelia's heart throbbed in nervousness at the thought of seeing all the Death Eaters in her home.

Of seeing Aunt Bellatrix, of whom she had only heard stories of.

Of seeing Lucius.

The chauffer opened the door of the car for her, and the blonde did not bother to thank him, or look at her luggage. 

Instead, she made a beeline for the heavy oak doors of Malfoy Manor. They opened automatically for her, the creaking sound echoing through the silent walls.

"Daddy?" Ophelia called softly, her own quiet voice ringing through her ears.

No answer. 

She climbed up the stairs, to his study.

"Daddy?" she knocked on the door.

But there was no answer.

She looked everywhere. From the bedroom, to the library, and.... oh.

There was one place she hadn't looked yet.

The dungeons.

Ophelia would never go down there if she could help it. Lucius had prohibited her from going down there ever again after she saw a skeleton preserved in a jar, and got nightmares for months after.

He had to obliviate the memory from her mind, but she was told never to go down to the dungeons. When she turned ten, she accidentally found a secret passage leading to the dungeons from the kitchen.

The dungeons were dark, cold, eerie, and creepy.

"Ophelia," Narcissa came into the old drawing room, just as Ophelia was about to go down into the dungeons. "I hope you're not planning to go down there."

Ophelia looked up at her mother. It was then that she noticed Narcissa did not look like herself. Polished, kept, graceful Narcissa, who was known for her beauty, charm and elegance. Her eyes bore dark bags underneath, and her blonde hair wasn't shiny as it normally was. The woman was only thirty five, yet she looked like she had aged ten years since the last time Ophelia saw her.

"Mummy, you don't look well," Ophelia remarked. "What happened?"

"Nothing, my dear, it's just stress..."

Narcissa's eyes were red-rimmed, and Ophelia guessed that she had probably been crying a lot too. "Has Daddy noticed?" she asked softly. 

Ophelia knew that Lucius could not take it if Narcissa or Ophelia were stressed or unwell. He would spend millions of galleons if it meant both his girls were in perfect health.

"No, he's been... too busy," Narcissa plastered half a smile across her face; a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Is he in the dungeons?" Ophelia suddenly asked, remembering that she was on a quest, searching for Lucius.

"Ophelia, don't go there," Narcissa warned her. "There's a meeting..."

"I don't care," she said boldly, before wrenching the metal door open and going down the stairs, ignoring the calls of her mother above the stairs.

The Malfoy heiress remembered why she despised the dungeons. A long corridor, alit with the dying light of ancient torches lay before her eyes. The torch holders looked like skinny, hunched figures when the dim firelight casted shadows across the walls, traumatizing its stone walls with the ghosts of its haunted memories.

Ophelia felt her blood curdle, her stomach twisting into a blob that grew bigger with every step she took. 

Her ancestors had no sense of decoration. Each wall had a shelf that possessed some sort of creepy, dark, artefact, such as old skulls, and jars that contained what looked like preserved body parts.

And then, she heard voices. A high pitched voice, that spewed out orders, followed by the rambunctious cackling of a woman.

And then, there was a door in front of her. Before she touched the handle, she heard a sound behind her.

"Ophelia," Narcissa was catching up to her.

But nothing would stop the little girl, who was still searching for her daddy.

And then, she pushed the heavy door forward with a loud creak, and entered the room.

Almost instantaneously, the entire atmosphere of the room changed. It was uncomfortable silence, worse than how it felt when Ophelia told Colin she loved him.

Worse than being alone in a room with Umbridge.

All eyes were set on her.

Ophelia's eyes raked each and every one of the figures seated at the table. None of them had blonde hair. Before she could open her mouth to speak, her eyes fell on the man—no—creature at the head of the table.

Ophelia's eyes widened, and her heart stopped. 

He wore a snake around his neck. The hairs at the back of her neck prickled, when his cold, lipless mouth curved into an entertained smirk, and his piercing, red eyes set itself on her.

He has no nose! Ophelia thought. His eyes were red, and vertical slits, like those of a snake, and his skin was pale; pale enough that Ophelia was sure if he was cut, his blood would be black.

He was Lord Voldemort; the infamous Dark Lord.

"We have a visitor, ladies and gentlemen," Lord Voldemort spoke, his high-pitched hiss nearly causing Ophelia to faint. "Do introduce yourself, little girl."

"Ophelia," the blonde murmured, her voice shaky, her throat dry.

"Ophelia," Lord Voldemort hissed with an approving smile and a nod. "Ophelia?"

"Ophelia Malfoy," she replied, her feet rooted to the spot, preventing her from moving.

"Ah, this must be Lucius Malfoy's daughter, hmm?" he continued, his long fingers stroking the head of his snake. "Bellatrix, I believe this is your niece..."

The woman to Lord Voldemort's right suddenly looked interested. Ophelia's throat ran dry. The woman was obviously beautiful, but her features were gothic. She wore a long-sleeved black dress that exploited her curves, made of leather and a heavy fabric that Ophelia didn't know the name of. Her teeth were half rotten, and her dark eyes held some sort of insanity in them. 

"Y-yes," Ophelia stammered slightly, intimidated. 

The Dark Lord's eyes glittered with amusement. "What brings you here, my dear Ophelia? As you can see... you interrupted my meeting... And unless you have a genuine reason for interrupting my meeting... you shall face my wrath."

"I.." Ophelia stuttered, then broke off. She took a deep breath, and mustered all her courage to continue. "I'm... I was... looking for... my father..."

At those words, Lord Voldemort let out a high-pitched laugh, one that made Ophelia's blood boil as it ricocheted off the heavy dungeon walls.

The rest of the Death Eaters laughed. Aunt Bellatrix cackled, before she spoke. "Oh, you poor, little princess..."

Lord Voldemort silenced the room with a single wave of his hand. "As Bellatrix put it," he remarked. His lipless mouth was etched into a malfunctioning grin. "You poor, innocent, little princess," he cooed, his voice upholstering false sympathy.

Ophelia's face drained of color.

"Lucius is in Azkaban, sweet princess," Lord Voldemort remarked. "Punished for disobeying me."

All emotion and rational thinking left the blonde's mind. Her face turned so pale that it was nearly see through, and she felt like she was being choked to death by one of the torch holders in the dungeons.

"Wh-what?" she rasped, struggling to breathe. The walls seemed to be closing in on her, and all the death eaters at the table were shaking. "N-no... n-no..."

Tears spilled down her cheeks, as she sunk down to her knees, as screams reverberated throughout the walls of Malfoy Manor.

Ophelia did not know the screams belonged to her. Her face felt hot, and her throat felt constricted, and she didn't even hear the laughs of the death eaters.

She didn't feel Narcissa dragging her out of the Death Eater's meeting, and shouting for Draco to help her.

Pain. She felt pain. Hot, gut-wrenching pain all over her body. Her heart felt like it was being stabbed over and over, and she couldn't feel any pain as her knees scraped against the stone floors of the dungeons while Narcissa dragged her, until Draco had to call the butler to carry her to her room.

She screamed loud enough that her cries could be heard by anyone in the manor, and in the forest around the manor.

Shrill cries, the song of a heartbroken girl, with a shattered spirit. The universe, the heavens, the moon and the stars all pitied the girl who's only stability in life was gone.

Her throat was sore from screaming for Lucius. But no amount of screaming would bring him back. 

Lucius was far, far away, with no clue that his daughter had lost the will to live.

The blonde screamed for three hours straight, until her pillow was soaked with her tears. Her House Elf tried to help, and her mother stroked her back. Draco stood awkwardly, staring at her as she lay on her bed, and Cleopatra was huddled by her side.

But nothing made her stop crying.

It was only when Narcissa picked her daughter up and lay her in her lap that the screaming subsided. But she still shook with tears.

She was shaking, and sobbing uncontrollably, unable to stop even if she wanted to.

Only Lucius could help her when she was in this state. But he was not there. Gone was the comforting, fatherly presence; the man who tucked her into bed regardless of how tired or stressed he was.

Gone was the man who spoiled his daughter and bought the world for her. Gone was the man who would kill for her; and kill anyone who touched her.

He was gone. Ophelia's hero.

The only person whom Ophelia would burn down the world for.

She cried because she missed him; his touch, his voice, his smell... 

All that she was, was Daddy's Little Girl.

But without her daddy.

No, now she was just a girl, with a broken heart, left with nobody to care for her.

{ this chapter broke my heart. 💔💔
it was so sad to write. i did not want to end ootp because of this. because i couldn't bear the heartbreak of ophelia finding out that lucius was in azkaban.
please, please spam me with your comments.
if you're enjoying the story don't forget to share, vote, comment, and follow.
also, part iii is coming up next. along with more songs added to the playlist (prepare to see lots of taylor swift and harry styles) and new aesthetics. for the past two parts, i've used the same aesthetics, because ophelia's personality hadn't changed. now, it'll change, and i hope you like the new aesthetics :))
anyway, i'll try to update again soon, but i'm really busy as my mom just got surgery, and i've got exams coming up.
but, anyway, please, please follow my on spotify (dessertoholic), and i hope you're enjoying this book.
p.s: what's your favorite book? at the moment, i'm really, really enjoying the twisted series... (🙈)
but anyway, take care of yourselves, eat healthy, and drink water.
lot's of love, jasmine.}

{OCT 26. 2023}