Forever and Always

• Confessions •

I had this moment of utter shock.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think anything this insane could ever happen to me.

The whole room was in an uncomfortable silence. It didn't help that all the portraits had just experienced the same shock as me.

"But Headmaster!" I said with a nervous laugh.

I looked at my parents, still expecting them to start laughing and tell me this was all a twisted joke.

"This doesn't make sense," I shrieked. "Lucius Malfoy?"

My expression was started to turn into sheer panic.

"Does- does that mean Narcissa-"

"No," Dumbledore finished.

"No what?"

"She's not your biological mother!"

I looked at my mother, a glimmer of hope starting to appear...but that would also mean my mum cheated on my dad...

"It's a long story," my dad told me. "Dumbledore knows the full story, that's why he's here, so he can explain better than we can."

Tears were forming in my eyes again. I was so confused and I was receiving too much information all at once. I wanted the ground to suck me up.

But instead of the ground swallowing me whole, Dumbledore started to tell me even more information.

"17 years ago, Lucius Malfoy done something bad.

He had been with Narcissa for 5 years and he was having an affair. I'm sure it wasn't his first affair, but the first one where he messed up.

And we have reason to believe, this woman was a muggle.

Which to a family like the Malfoy's,

-Sleeping with another woman could be forgiven.

-Getting another woman pregnant could be sorted out.

-Sleeping with a muggle would be un-heard of and looked down upon.

But cheating on your wife with a muggle and getting her pregnant. Was the height of dis-honour.

Lucius was so ashamed and wanted to keep everything hushed up.

So he went to Snape, and shared his secret with him. Lucius begged Severus for help, begged Severus to not tell anyone.

Eventually Severus came to me, he asked me for advice. I knew exactly that the child deserved better. So I offered help, that would be better for everyone.

I sent Severus back to the Manor and he told Lucius that whenever the child was born, it was to be brought straight to Hogwarts where it would stay...

...9 months later a baby was left on our doorway here at Hogwarts. Whoever left the baby, sent red sparks into the sky, warning us of the babies presence.

When Severus saw the sparks, he ran to them and saw a baby girl lying in a tiny blanket.

He sought out me and Minerva.

The baby was so fragile, she looked barely a week old.

After a month of raising the baby. It became too much for the staff at Hogwarts. We needed a plan B.