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IT HAS BEEN

two months since Celeste last saw Narcissa, and since she quite literally broke Narcissa's heart. It has also been little over a month since Beth and Nathan left. It was hard at first and there are moments when Celeste looked over her shoulder to see her two best friends laughing with her ― only to realize that they were gone. Luckily Celeste had Leo and their relationship has flourished.

Celeste hasn't said a word to Narcissa since she last saw her and told her about her decision. Draco doesn't talk to her and turns his head around every time she's around, just so he can't see her. Celeste didn't blame him, he was quite upset when Celeste told him that she wants to live her life without him and their family, and he was even more upset when he found out about Leo. Or he didn't exactly found out about him, but he surely does know. 

"Nothing," Leo sighed and sat next to Celeste who had her nose in her book.

Celeste snapped and dropped her book on the floor. "Thanks," she sneered before giving Leo a kiss on his cheek. "What nothing?"

"I tried to follow the lead, on who took you but I didn't find anything," Leo explained frowning. "And it seems like you haven't even tried to find out."

"Maybe I don't want to," Celeste said matter of factly. "I'm not going to have any sort of a relationship with the Malfoys', so why should I find out about what happened."

"Cause you wanted to," Leo frowned even harder. "Unless you don't want anymore."

"I don't," Celeste said and picked her book. She took a deep breath in and exhaled. "I do, I do want to find out but there's nothing, really. No reliable leads or anything. I just don't want to waist time on it."

Leo nodded, he understood Celeste's point. "I have one more lead and after that we can stop."

Celeste smiled gratefully, she was grateful. Leo has been a great help with everything but even greater help was William who was working at the Ministry of Magic and was able to provide information to Leo and Celeste. Not too much was known, Celeste was found in front of an orphanage by the sisters and spent the next few months there before the Starlings adopted her. The only leads they had were the people who spent few days in America after Celeste was left by the orphanage. 

"So who is it? The last one?" Celeste asked curiously. 

"Barty Crouch Junior," Leo said, his eyes fixated at his girlfriend who looked like she could had pass out. "He's dead now so we can't really ask him but I'm sure we can do something."

Celeste's eyes widened when she heard the name, she has heard it before and not only because Crouch Junior was a well-known Death Eater but because Hermione had mentioned him before. 

"Really? Crouch Junior?" Celeste frowned. "What did he have against my parents? Why would he take me?"

"He was insane, and your father avoided Azkaban while he didn't."

That was understandable, Lucius Malfoy avoided Azkaban meaning that he was highly hated by some of his fellow Death Eaters who ended up in that dreadful place. But Celeste couldn't understand how someone could just steal a child. Someone's young child. 

"Super..." Celeste muttered. "So my kidnapper was some fool man who hated my father. And his dead."

"Yeah...we just need to figure out how to be sure," Leo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "We can't ask him, obviously but I don't think there's really anyone else who could."

Then it hit Celeste, Barty Crouch Junior had disguised himself as Professor Alastor Moody just couple years ago, meaning that Dumbledore must know something. He was quite famous on collecting memories, so maybe, just maybe he had collected Barty's before he died. 

"I have to go," Celeste said and jumped up, to find Dumbledore. 

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CELESTE STOOD

in front of Dumbledore's office, unsure should she proceed her plan and talk with him. 

"Professor?" Celeste asked but no one answered. She leaned against the big door and for her surprise it was open. Celeste has never been a rule-breaker but right now she needed to know what happened on the night she was taken.

 Did Barty Crouch Junior really take her and why? Albus Dumbledore wasn't someone Celeste knew, or her family either but she knew that he has been pointed to be one of the greatest wizards of all time. Surely he could at least help her. She slightly opened the door a little more so she could fit in, tiptoeing further in she was sure she was alone.

"Miss Starling," Dumbledore's low voice reached her ears and she stopped on her tracks. 

"P-professor," Celeste stuttered and turned around to face the old man with half-moon spectacles and long white and grey hair and beard. "I'm sorry, I was looking for you and then the door was open and I just thought... I actually don't know what I thought. I'm so sorry. But I came here just to...."

"I know what you came for," Dumbledore sighed heavily and walked over to a stone tabletop, the Pensieve and he removes the bowl from it and throws it in the air, where it levitates on its own. "You want to know what happened when you were four."

Celeste blinked twice before pinching herself. "You knew?" She asked in shock.

Dumbledore simply nodded.

"W-what?" Celeste stuttered. "How long have you known?"

"Let's just say that for awhile."

"For awhile!" Celeste exclaimed. "And you didn't bother to tell me!"

"I understand you're upset Miss Starling but I simply couldn't hand you those memories," Dumbledore sighed heavily. "I wish I could had but I couldn't."

"I don't follow. Why couldn't you?" Celeste questioned and walked closer to Dumbledore and the stone tabletop.

"Because they're your memories, not mine to share. And after you find out, you will know why."

Celeste took in the words Dumbledore had just said. "What could had happened? If you had told me?"

"Nothing but as I said, they're not mine to share," Dumbledore repeated and gestured Celeste to get closer until she reached the tabletop. "This is the Pensieve of Hogwarts. You can see others' memories from this, if you have taken them."

"You can show me what happened?" Celeste questioned and looked up to Dumbledore who nodded. "I want to see it."

⋆*·ﾟ:⋆*·ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:·ﾟ .: ⋆*·ﾟ: .⋆

Celeste tried to fight her way out of the man's arms but for nothing, he held her too tight. Finally after an very uncomfortable trip of apparition, they landed on a solid ground but as far as Celeste saw, she had no idea where they were.

"I want my mommy and daddy!" She cried and kicked but the man just smirked. Celeste slowly turned her head so she could finally face her kidnapper.

 He was a skinny man, with the most hollow eyes you had ever seen. His strawberry blonde hair was a mess and it seemed like he hasn't taken a shower in ages. "Please, I want to go home," she cried even more.

"Shut up you stupid child!" He barked and took out his wand. "Let me think."

Celeste bit her lip from shedding anymore tears but a loud crack scared her and she bursted into another wail of cries. "Please mister, I-I wa-want my---"

"---mommy and daddy. I heard you, you insolent brat!" The man screamed but immediately went quiet when a tall figure approached him. He hid his wand and backed away a little bit. When the figure was close enough, the man spoke. 

"I have the Malfoy girl," he said proudly.

"She's not hurt, is she?" The figure asked.

"No she's not, although if I have to spend any more time with this spoiled brat, I might do something," the man snorted and looked down at Celeste in disgust. 

Celeste opened her eyes slightly when the other person started to talk, his voice was very different from her kidnapper's. It was soft, almost like a sound of an cello. Celeste wiped her tears from her eyes so she could take a better look at the man. He was tall, had glasses on and his hair was long. He had a sad smile on his face, like he had to do something but he didn't want to.

"I don't normally question my mission, but why did you want the girl?" The man spoke and glanced at Celeste again.

"I have no doubt that the Malfoys aren't good parents but I also know where their loyalties stand, this way I can save the girl and it will save our world," the figure spoke softly, his eye filled with sadness. "It's your Voldemort who I'm afraid will use and harm the girl if he ever comes back."

The man's eyes flamed and he dropped Celeste on the ground, who whimpered out of pain. "Are you saying that I just--I just defined my master? If he wants the girl--"

"---the girl has the same abilities as a seer, Mr Crouch Junior. I can't have Tom getting her, so getting her from her family and to block her magic are only ways to make sure."

The man looked at the older one with hatred in his eyes. He took out his wand but before he had a chance to do anything, the older man waved his wand. 

"Stupefy!" He shouted and the man hit the ground, unconsciously.

Celeste looked at the older man with fear, making him kneel on her level and taking her hand. "I am so sorry for this Celeste. But if Tom ever gets you, we're all doomed," he explained, although Celeste couldn't really understand anything what he was saying.

"I want my mommy and daddy," Celeste sniffed again.

"I know but I can't have that. I don't doubt your parents love for you but they are Tom's followers, and I can't risk them letting him use you and destroy this world."

Celeste shook her head, her blonde locks bouncing on her shoulders. "I don't understand."

"It's alright, you don't have to."

"W-who are you?"

The man sighed. "I am going to tell you my name but after that, I'm afraid I have to take your memories. I am Albus Dumbledore," he said but before Celeste could had said anything, he pointed his wand at Celeste and whispered. "Obliviate."

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Celeste stumbled away from the Penisive and Dumbledore, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She grabbed her hair, her breathing starting to get uneven and her mouth dry. She glanced at Dumbledore through her teary eyes, the man looked at her with guilt shining all over him. But it didn't make her feel any better, no amount of guilt would ever make her feel better again.

"Y-you---" Celeste began but the words got stuck in her throat.

"You must understand, I did it for your own good," Dumbledore said.

"My own good?" Celeste repeated in shock and shook her head. 

Dumbledore nodded and took a step closer to Celeste. "Like I kept Harry with the Dursleys, for his own good. I knew they weren't the nicest of people but he was safe there. You were safe in America, away from everything. Tom would had made you his own personal weapon."

Celeste ran her palm against her face, and then it hit her. "So you just hired someone to take me away from my family, to block a magical part of me?" Her voice broke just by the thought of her parents. "Then why did you let me come back?"

"We need you," said Dumbledore.

A silence took over the room. "I can't---I didn't even know that I have those kind of powers. For Merlin's sake, I can't even have because I didn't remember my own past."

"I wiped out your memories," reminded Dumbledore, earning a very Malfoy alike look from Celeste. "An as far as your powers come, you might had not known them but your hunch has always been right, hasn't it? You've always known, deep inside."

Celeste chuckled dryly, like she was actually going to kill someone.

"I have to go. And if I'll ever see you again. You'll be deeply sorry for taking me from my mother and father!" She screamed and stormed out of the room, into the corridors and fell on the floor, crying hysterically over the betrayal but also over her parents. She needed to talk to them.

you did not see that coming, did you?