Malfoy Manor number 2

Tristan was torn in two. He could not decide whether to go and attempt to talk to his dazed daughter, or whether to hang back. Speculating that Estrella probably did not need any more stress, he chose the latter, deciding to watch the situation at hand from a silent point of view.
 
"Haha, neon hair," Estrella murmured, "I hope it's purple." Her head lolled, and then she started, but Liz had already pushed her down. "Where are we, Liz? Why hasn't Carlisle called us down for dinner yet... Silly guy." Her eyes drooped again, and she went back into a fidgety slumber, her drunken speech ceased for the time being.
 
Liz gaped. "Um..." she began. "Estrella? Do you remember what's happened over the past couple days?" Liz continued to hold her down, preventing her from noticing the death eaters or their surroundings.
 
Estrella did not hear the question, however, as she had fallen back asleep.
 
Tristan started, and walked over to the bed, kneeling at his daughter's side. "If Vladmir caused her to lose her memory," he growled, "He's going to suffer more than a full blown Crucio, I can tell you that." His eyes grew sad. Although it might be a mercy to her if she didn't remember what had happened over the past few days, he thought.
 
Liz looked sideways at the death eater. "I could almost say she's better off this way, but then, she'd have to learn it all over again." she sighed. "Not that we know much, anyway."

She settled herself next to Estrella. "You know, if I had any more energy, you'd be hearing every snide remark I could think of." she said to Tristan. "Less than Vladmir, but still plenty. You seem to care about your daughter, but you also seem to be ignoring the fact that you're holding her here against her will."
 
Tristan's eyes filled with knowing, but his expression hardened. "I'm sure that you've heard this numerous times, but you would understand if you knew the depths of the situation." He placed his hand under his daughter's lolling head and onto the center of the pillow. "And you're right," he sighed, "I can't ignore that fact. But it must happen."
 
Liz tried to make eye contact with Tristan. "Wouldn't it be better if we understood? Just tell us what's going on, and then we will!"
 
Tristan could only smile weakly. "I might if I had the chance, but I am not secret keeper."
 
Liz sighed. "Well, who is the secret keeper? I could probably find out simply by making a list of people who aren't!" she took a deep breath, then stood up. "I'm going to get my trunk. I will be staying with Estrella tonight." she paused, then took several slow steps to the door.
 
Tristan only nodded to Garett, who followed Liz out of the room. He stood up, staring at his surroundings. The decor was nice, but it was a prison all the same. He started as his daughter stirred again, looking down at her.
 
Her eyes flickering open once again, Estrella sat up in her bed, still finding herself in the giant dress, which was horribly stuffy and hot. "What just happened," she murmured in confusion, recalling the frightening events of the past few days, and the excruciating pain, and after that, nothing. She had woke up looking for Liz, and instead there was her father, speechless and staring at her with seemingly apologetic eyes. "Why can't you all just leave us alone?" Estrella snapped coldly. "All that you're doing is hurting us."
 
Liz continued on into her room. Upon arrival, she turned to Garett. "Um.. could you help me with my trunk? Sitting through that curse twice greatly reduces one's ability to lift anything but a balloon." she narrowed her eyes. "Especially grandfather's. He must be one hateful man. I never would have guessed from the cookies I got from him and grandmother when I was younger."

Liz hoped he'd say yes. She didn't want to spend the next 3 hours moving it over- a task which should take no more than a minute or two.
 
"Vladmir cursed you," Tristan snarled angrily at the thought, "He used the Cruciatus Curse. You were knocked out for awhile."
 
"Sure," Garett replied in Parseltongue, grabbing the other end of the trunk. "You're grandfather didn't exactly say that you two couldn't stay in the same room.. He wasn't specific, anyway." Grinning, he helped Liz move the trunk out of the room.
 
"And like you really care," Estrella retorted venemously. "You know what, there's something that's bothering me. You never really did go missing in Norway as an auror, did you, Dad?" Her voice was dripping with poison as she continued weakly, "No. You were chumming it up with your other buddy death eaters, while Mum died and I got sent halfway across the world. WEREN'T YOU?"
 
Tristan shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not going to lie to you; I admit to that." His voice became quiet and shaky. "But there's not a day that I don't regret the decisions that I made." Morosely he attempted to regain his composure, hardening his stance. "On the other hand, what I've done can't be undone."
 
Estrella turned her head, crossing her arms as she brooded in the silence. "And I guess that chasing me out of my house and locking me up is your idea of a fatherly gesture?" She glowered, waiting on his answer like a cat about to pounce upon a mouse.
 
"Thanks!" Liz grinned in return, a bit pained. "Just like a Slytherin to find a technicality like that." she grabbed her pillow and blankets from the bed, "Then again, it's like a Gryffindor to simply go for what they want, whether there's a technicality or not. My grandfather would have to take several heavy objects to the head if he tried to forbid me from staying with my friend." she winked at him.
 
"I'd watch your step around your grandfather, if I were you," Garett advised sternly, but shrugged the matter off, knowing that Liz would not take him seriously either way. He began to move the trunk but heard the raised voices from Estrella's room, realizing that the girl had woken again and now was going for a family argument with her newly arrived father.
 
Tristan winced at his daughters remark, and then thought about reprimanding her for it. Shrugging it off, he thought, My daughter really wouldn't deserve that. All it will do is cause her more pain. And he didn't want that. If there was one thing of the Death Eater teachings that he disapproved of, it was the harsh treatment of children. Instead he replied, "I'm not much of a parent, I know. But I think that we've already come to terms with that."
 
Liz sighed. "I'd watch my step if there was even a slight chance that I wouldn't land on his turf wherever my foot fell. But, I'm surrounded by the manor, so no chance of that." she grinned, and then heard Estrella's voice. "Uh oh..." she began, dropping the parseltongue. "Time for drastic measures." As soon as Liz and Garett had dropped the trunk, she opened it and pulled out several pieces of candy.

"Estrella!" she grinned, and half-pounced on the bed. "C'mon, we're having a sleepover tonight. You know what that means..." she laughed. "Candy!"

Please be distracted. she thought.
 
Estrella smiled weakly at Liz's attempt to stop the situation from becoming worse, but this was a problem that could not be averted. "I can't believe you'd give up your own family for a standing in the dark arts." Her gaze was icy and piercing.
 
Liz blinked. Okay, that didn't work.

"Er... family moment then? We'll play later?" she poked Estrella's arm playfully, and got up. She walked over to her trunk, and picked out her beater's bat. "If I promise not to hit anyone aside from Vladmir, can I practice in the next room?"
 
"I didn't give you up," Tristan muttered weakly. "It just didn't occur to me that when Lorelei died, that you would really want me around, and what child would? I was into the Circle shortly after you were born. I figured that a five year old would rather grow up with a stable family. Is that such a misdeed?"
 
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