Summer of 1986:

SERAMORE MANOR:

The stars twinkled in the night sky.

The little balls of fire illuminated the darkness, winking down at the three wizards who sat on the rooftop of the Seramore mansion.

Ezekiel knew that his wife, as well as his best friends, would be mad that he allowed his nephews to be sitting in such a dangerous place, but luckily he had placed barriers around them so no one could fall.

He had made sure to pick the flat surface that had been created a few years ago, whenever he and his daughter would go stargazing.

He loved the night sky, it allowed him to sleep peacefully.

After all, the Astronomy tower was his favourite place to visit during his years at Hogwarts and later became the first place to take his Celeste to when they had begun courting.

The stars made him feel at home, so that is why he had taken his two little nephews to his favourite place in his house.

Draco and Blaise had trouble sleeping, due to the dragon whiskey they had secretly ingested during their dinner that Ezekiel might've accidentally given to them.

He wanted to award them with a little sip of his drink because they had passed a test on the ranges of plants that could harm a witch or wizard.

He felt guilty that they couldn't sleep so he whisked them away without his daughter or wife knowing since they slept peacefully.

The two young wizards had been staying at the manor because Ophelia, Lucius and Narcissa were still on holiday in the south of France.

The two 6-year-olds were listening to the stories and adventures Ezekiel had been on over the summer.

They were invested in the imagery their uncle created in their impressionable minds.

On either side of them, they had small treats, ranging from chocolate flies and frogs to fizzy whizzes and gummy worms.

The 32-year-old wizard was kindly gifted some of their sweets, whenever he paused his conversation and let the two boys look through his telescope.

The telescope was positioned perfectly, so they could easily see a shooting star or one of their favourite constellations.

They've already managed to catch;

Hydra

Virgo

Ursa major

Cetus

And Hercules.

"Hunter," Ezekiel's voice stopped Blaise from getting up from his position, knowing that the young wizard would purposefully jump off the roof, because he believe that he could fly, even though he didn't have his broom, "please don't move."

"Okay Uncle." he smiled wildly and shuffled closer to the Seramore wizard.

Ezekiel often called his nephews by their middle names, whenever they were alone.

He thought it was a tactic that would get them to listen, even though it would rarely be successful, but all three of them had grown to love it regardless.

"Mummy named me after a star," Draco exclaimed excitedly, his platinum locks kept falling in front of his face, he had attempted to move them out of the way, but his arms had grown tired.

Fortunately, his godbrother didn't have the same problem, since Blaise frequently got his hair shaved, so it only stood an inch and nothing more.

Ezekiel hummed and shot the grey-eyed boy a smile, "Yes she did, a great constellation, try and see if you can find it," he let his youngest godson climb onto his lap and look through the telescope.

"What did my mum name me after?" Blaise asked, turning to the Seramore wizard.

He was aware that 'Blaise' was the name given to Merlin's secretary, but many people told him other things.

Ezekiel pondered for a moment, before he responded, "Well there are different meanings to your name, little prince," Blaise grinned at him, "but you were born on a very cold day, it was raining too, but the moment you enter the world, the rain stopped and the sun shone throughout the sky, setting the horizon ablaze and that's why your mother gifted you with that name."

He remembered the day like it was yesterday, he liked to think of it as a miracle, although he would never tell Ophelia that because he knew she would never shut up about it.

"I'm named after fire?" The dark-skinned boy questioned with a mischievous glint in his eyes that only made his uncle chuckle.

"Yes, because you are a bright light in the world," they both shared an adoring smile before Ezekial nodded to the platinum-haired boy, who kept his gaze on the telescope, "just like how little Luc is a big star and my beautiful Arty is a smart goddess."

He often thought of what he would name a son if Celeste got pregnant again.

Blaise huffed, "Arty stole my chocolate frogs you know." he exclaimed with a faux frown as he dug into more of his gummy worms.

The oldest wizard suppressed a smile, "Hunter we all know you took them from her first." he pointed out.

He was aware of many of the things that happened in his house, he was extremely perceptive, just like his daughter and wife.

Whenever they all visited his father in Italy, he knew that Blaise usually snuck away with his cousins and explored the Seramore manor during the night.

All the little witches and wizards managed to not make a noise as they made their way through the property, but Ezekiel knew that they were up to no good, mainly because he used to do the same thing.

"Did not." he pouted, making the Seramore wizard flick his bottom lip, Blaise whined and started laughing along with his uncle.

"You did and you blamed them on Binky for the 3rd time this year."

The poor house elf had to have time off, she was so distressed by the allegations, that her master gave her paid leave.

The Seramores had gotten along swimmingly without the elf, but they still missed her.

She would soon return and they couldn't wait.

Draco shifted back to his previous position, "I would never blame Arty for anything, she's my best friend." he smiled widely, part of him wished that she was here with them, but he adored the moments that he spent with his godbrother and godfather.

He was also glad that he found his constellation in the dark sky.

It was as if when he peeked through the eyepiece, the constellation beckoned him, pulling him closer to the sky, despite him staying stationary.

"A bit more than that." his godfather mumbled, making Blaise giggle.

The Zabini wizard obviously knew about Draco's crush on his cousin, it didn't surprise or shock him.

Draco stared at the two, with furrowed eyebrows, "What?"

"Nothing." Ezekiel ruffled his platinum locks before his hand got swatted away.

"D likes Arty," Blaise spoke through his laughter.

"Of course, I do she's my best friend."

"Not in that way."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." the Zabini wizard shrugged innocently and returned to eating his gummy worms but not before he shared a knowing look with his uncle.

"Uncle, B is making fun of me," Draco whined, feeling frustrated because he had no clue what his best friend could have possibly meant.

He wanted to be on the joke, but he felt left out.

Before the Seramore wizard could respond, Blaise spoke up, "Am not." although he was frowning, laughter threatened to escape his mouth.

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

Their small voices had gotten louder and louder, Ezekiel had to put an end to it before the animals in the forest near their property would be alerted to them, "Stop fighting one another." he spoke in a stern voice, halting their argument.

"Sorry." the young wizards said in unison.

"Promise that you'll always have each other's back." his eyes darted between the two boys, he held up his pinky fingers, motioning for the boys to do the same, and they complied in seconds.

"We promise." they all kissed their hands before they started digging into their snacks again.

Ezekiel grinned at the young wizards, his words reminded him of the promise that he and Lucious once made when they were younger, a promise that they had both kept till this day.

"Good, now let's keep looking at the stars little princes."

***

November 21st 1987

EZEKIEL'S STUDY

Lucius Malfoy strolled into his best friend and confidant's study, not even bothering to knock since Ezekial didn't bother to do the same whenever he came to Malfoy manor.

He had just finished making sure that Draco and Artemis were asleep since he and his wife had agreed to look after the children because Ezekiel and Celeste were having their annual date night.

He enjoyed the time he had spent with the two young heirs before they had fallen into a deep sleep, despite the constant pleading for him to tell them an adventurous story, he wasn't in a foul mood.

He liked observing how the two interacted with one another.

His little dragon and goddess.

The future of their two houses, names and legacies.

He missed the presence of a certain Zabini wizard, but the mischievous boy was away with his mother and her new partner, who everyone knew wouldn't last long around Ophelia Zabini.

As he entered the study, he noticed how it was almost identical to his godfather's in Italy.

Septrim and Ezekial were practically twins, not physically but their characters were similar, it was eerie but oddly comforting.

Their desks were plastered in muggle books, which the Malfoy's despised but chose to keep their opinion to themselves about it.

The faint smell of bourbon and dragon whiskey drifted through the winter air and kissed Lucius' nostrils.

The light that hung from the ceiling was dim, creating a more soothing than a professional vibe.

Ezekiel sat behind his desk, his quill in hand, steadily writing away, whilst he clutched onto the glass of alcohol that was rested on the table.

A smile small tugged at his lips as the ink touch the parchment, contorting into comforting words that only one other person could ever read.

"Where is my cane?" Lucius asked as he sat opposite the blue-eyed seramore.

Ezekiel had inherited his mother's eyes, however, his complexion was only a few shades lighter than his father's.

Many people believed Artemis would end up with grey or green iris', but her parents were happy when she entered the world, brown pools swam around her eyes.

Ezekiel didn't look up from his parchment, but he clutched something under the table and pulled it out and presented it to his best friend, "What would you do without me, Luc?" he chuckled.

The Malfoy wizard tutted and grabbed the cane and placed it in between his legs as his knees met the sides of his chair, "Good thing I won't have to find out." he hummed.

He eyed the silver snakehead that was situated at the top of his cane, it's green eyes were wide open, similar to the mouth that revealed sharp fangs that would've been harmful if the animal were alive.

It parodied the Seramore Sigil, the same sigil that was hung behind Ezekial. However, in this case, the serpent was biting and consuming a brain, devouring its knowledge for its own malice.

"Exactly." The Seramore wizard nodded along, glancing at his cuff links that he just fixed a couple of moments prior.

He was ready for his wife to be finished getting dressed since all he had to put on was a three-piece suit she had picked out for him.

Le menté had made it just for him, well due to Celeste's request, but oh well.

Lucius leaned closer, trying to read the words that decorated the parchment, "Who is this letter to Zeke?"

He was aware that his best friend had been spending his time trying to help Harry potter find a better guardian other than his awful muggle family.

Why? Lucius had no clue.

In his eyes, the boy had ruined and killed the one person who could change the wizarding world in the right way.

He just hoped that Ezekial wasn't writing this letter for that, especially since many death eaters could easily intercept it or other people.

"Your son." The seramore wizard responded, pulling the parchment closer to himself, so his best friend couldn't see.

"What has he done now?" Lucius sighed, sitting back in his chair and rolling up his sleeves.

The dark mark that he once wore proudly on his forearm, had been concealed by a spell, after the death of Lord Voldemort.

To escape trial and imprisonment, Ezekial had advised him to say that he was under the imperius curse, which obviously worked in both of their favours.

The Seramores were not followers of the dark lord, for reasons only known to a few.

But since they were a respected wizarding family, no one questioned where their loyalty lay.

Many wanted them on their side because winning a battle or a war without warriors was just a losing game.

Ezekiel narrowed his eyes at the man, "Nothing, why must you think the worst about him?" he quickly scanned over the letter, before signing it off with his initials.

"I don't."

"You do."

"Im worried for him," Lucius exclaimed, obviously gripped onto the handle of his cane as he watched his best friend seal the letter.

"Why?"

"He's extremely too stubborn." Draco was an extremely intelligent boy, even for a 7-year-old.

But his father noticed how easily he would give up on a task if he didn't get it straight away or get his way. 

It frustrated Lucius but he did try and be patient and not how his father was with him.

Tough love was a Malfoy trait, one that Lucius didn't want to conform to, but only time would tell.

"So he's like you." Ezekiel teased, making the platinum-haired man playfully roll his eyes.

"And little Artemis- Joelle." they both chuckled.

The Seramore wizard smiled at the mention of his child, "My daughter is too smart for her own good." he pondered for a moment before continuing, "And if you must now, this letter is to future Draco." he announced, making his best friend scrunch up his face in bafflement.

Lucius rolled his shoulders back, "And what are the contents of the letter may I ask?"

"That is for him and him only," Ezekiel said wearing an amused expression and passed the letter to Malfoy wizard, who cautiously clasped it.

"I hate when you speak cryptically." he pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched the Seramore wizard stood up from his chair and walk around his desk.

"You hate a lot of things."

Lucius shrugged, "So?"

"It's not good for the soul my dear boy." Ezekiel teased and gave the man a glass of dragon whiskey, which he happily accepted.

"Shut up."

Ezekiel tapped his chin as if he was thinking, "Never."

"I don't know how Celly puts up with you."

The Seramore wizard went to reply but he was interrupted by the sound of his study door opening, both turned to look at the person who was entering.

"I don't know how I do Luc," Celeste commented as she strolled in an emerald silk dress that clung to her curves, her straps sat comfortably on her shoulders.

Her hair was styled up in a bun, some loose pieces escaped but managed to accentuate her famous cheekbones.

She didn't bother with a jacket, since she knew she was going to take her husband's blazer later during the night.

Speaking of her husband, the moment she stepped into the room, his stone blue eyes didn't leave his wife's face.

He was utterly in love with the woman, she had his full attention whenever she entered a room or left one, providing that he wasn't leaving with her.

He couldn't help to just stop and stare at the beauty that he called 'His Celly'.

He was knocked out of his thoughts when his best friend nudged him.

Ezekiel quickly made his way over to his wife and gently rubbed her stomach, although her baby bump wasn't showing he was convinced there was a slight incline.

The two were thinking of the name Apollo, according to Greek mythology he was the twin brother of Artemis.

The greek god also had been associated with constellations which was also a bonus for the happily married couple.

They had just recently found out she was carrying a boy, they were both so excited.

Her pregnancy wasn't prominent since she was only starting at the beginning of her second trimester.

Only their inner circle knew about their pregnancy, the children had been too busy or innocent to notice the changes happening to Celeste and the adults wanted to keep it that way.

"Come on Darling, we don't want to be late." she placed her hand over his as he continued to rub her stomach, her heart warmed whenever they touched.

She always craved the presence of her husband, no matter the form it came in.

Lucius obnoxiously cleared his throat, making the couple snap their gazes to him, "You look nice Celly." he said as a warm smile appeared on his face.

He was itching to join his wife in bed soon, seeing Ezekiel and Celestes together was enough to make anyone want to find love.

He was lucky to have that with Narcissa.

"She looks better than nice, she looks ethereal" Ezekiel pressed a kiss on her lips, "stunning, beautiful." he continued to kiss all over her face, making his wife giggle and best friend fake gag.

Celeste playfully shoved her husband back, "Stop you'll ruin my makeup and I don't want to have to curse you," his hands rested on her waist, and she noticed a lustful glint in his eyes, "now come along."

"Whatever you want my love," he promised, she smiled bashfully.

"You two are disgusting." Lucius passed the man his blazer.

"Shut up Luc." the couple said in unison, resulting in laughs all around.

***

December 1st 1987:

SERAMORE KITCHEN:

It was only three more weeks until Christmas day.

Ezekiel had been looking forward to the day so he could spend it with his girls.

He sadly had to go on a business trip in a couple of days, leaving them alone for a while.

He didn't like being far from his family, but he knew that Lucius would care for his girls whilst he was away.

So he sat in the kitchen, the light hung low, illuminating the information in front of him.

He had notes about the Potters, The Order, Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and more.

He stood over the dozens of parchments in a white wifebeater, black sweatpants and slippers that warmed his feet.

He had just sent Binky off to bed, so he was bothered by anyone, the house-elf insisted that he should get some rest but he waved her off.

Ezekiel had to be sure that his suspicions were correct, He didn't like The Order and he had his reasons.

He felt like most of them were hypocrites, the only one he had some respect for was Remus Lupin.

Since Ezekial was 6 years older than him, they had only interacted with each other a couple of times.

He had also known that the man was a wizard/ wolf hybrid, and most of his friendship group did.

Ezekiel felt bad for Remus since he had lost two of his closest friends, he couldn't imagine what that would feel like.

He didn't even want to think about losing Lucius, and vice versa.

He toyed with the wedding ring that perfectly encircled his finger, a sly smirk appeared on his face as he thought of his sleeping pregnant wife.

He couldn't wait to meet their son, he was just as excited when Artemis was born.

His eyes trailed over a letter that his father sent him, he cocked his head to the side when he realised that it wasn't in Italian.

Small hisses escaped his mouth as he began to read its content.

He was so enticed by the information that he failed to notice his daughter enter the room.

She had trouble sleeping so she decided to go and find her father, knowing he would be awake as well.

So when she descended their large staircases, she quietly walked through her house in her pyjamas.

She had a silk scarf wrapped around her head, protecting her cornrows from whenever she moved in her sleep.

Ezekiel snapped her head towards her small figure, he could easily sense his daughter, whether she was in the next room or outside.

"What are you doing up, beautiful?" he asked, smiling as she ran up to him.

He quickly placed her on the counter, not caring that she was preventing him from seeing his work.

He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, she jokily wiped it off, making them both laugh.

"Daddy, what was that noise?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Her voice sounded tired since she hadn't gotten much sleep.

He chuckled and shook his head, he wasn't surprised that he had heard him speaking parseltongue, his daughter caught everything, "Something that I'll teach you in the future." he bopped her nose.

"Was it a language?" she asked cautiously, to her it sounded like gibberish.

"Yes." he looked around and searched for glass.

He quickly filled it up with cold water after hearing how strained her voice was.

"A very special language that your grandfather taught me," he added, then placed the glass into her hands, she immediately started drinking the water, her fingers barely wrapped around the drink.

His father had started to teach him in the 1970s, he knew that Parselmouths were usually part of the Slytherin bloodline, but how Septrim leant this obscure language was a mystery to him.

Whenever he would ask, his father would say a friend taught him and left it that.

Septrim wanted his son to be ahead of all of his peers because even though they were extremely wealthy and respected in the wizarding community that didn't mean the rest of society would treat a black man in that way.

She removed the glass from her mouth and placed it away from her father's work, "Like Italian?" she hiccuped after feeling the water make its way through her body.

She had already learnt how to speak the language since she spent most of her summers in Milan and Rome with her family.

She often dabbled in French, but she didn't bother to speak it, only understand it, especially if she was around her best friend and godparents.

"Not quite the same, it's harder to learn than Italian." he wiped away the water that trickled down her chin.

He had first discovered the language when he had found the notes stuffed into a box in Mente Strae in his second year and he immediately recognised his father's handwriting.

When he visited the man on yule break he told him about his findings, Septrim told him that he would teach him about it on a later date.

A later date actually meant years later.

"When will you teach it to me?" Artemis asked and played with her father's wedding ring before she slipped it off and placed it on her finger.

Ezekiel laughed when it didn't fit her slender fingers, he kept his hand under hers in case the ring fell off.

"When I get back from my trip," he promised her.

She tilted her head to the side, "When is that?" she didn't like when he was away on trips, despite enjoying the stories that he told her whenever he got back.

She felt like something was off about this time though, she couldn't place the feeling, but she didn't like it.

"A couple of days before Christmas." he played with one of her fallen braids, attempting to distract her after noticing the sullen expression on her face, "Are you looking forward to Christmas?"

"Yes," she nodded excitedly.

"I've already got you all your presents my lovely."

"I've got you some as well." she smiled warmly, remembering all the gifts she had hidden under her bed.

His eyes widened in faux surprise, "Oh, really what are they?" he leaned closer.

She shook her head, a giggle escaped her lips, "I can't tell you that, mummy told me not to tell you."

"And you should always listen to your mummy." he pinched his daughter's cheeks.

She grinned before pushing his hands away, "Exactly." she went back to playing with his wedding ring.

"Because she's an amazing, talented and beautiful woman, just like you will be." he grabbed her hands and pressed a kiss to them.

She playfully rolled her eyes, "Obviously." she looked forward to spending the day with her mother tomorrow.

She had noticed that Celeste had seemed more lethargic recently but she just assumed she was tired.

"Just like your mummy," he teased.

"And you." she pointed out quickly.

"Really?" he faked a shocked expression.

"Yes, but I don't have blue eyes like you," she muttered and stared up at him.

"You don't, you have brown ones and I like them better." he placed his hand over his eyes, making her laugh before he pulled his hand away.

"Same," she replied through her laugh.

He pulled her in for a warm embrace, "Good." his voice was muffled as he kissed the top of her head.

Her hands wrapped around his waist, "Can you hurry back from your trip?" she asked quietly, she didn't want him to be gone for too long.

"I promise I will be back for you and mummy." he grinned down at his daughter. "Ti amerò per sempre," I love you forever.

"Ti amo, papà per sempre" I love you forever, Daddy.

***

a/n:

jesse williams as 𝗲𝘇𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲

definitely my favourite chapter of this act even though I practically cried when I wrote it.

what did you guys think of Ezekiel? I like to think of him as the calmer version of Septrim.

i mentioned him many times, but you've never actually met the man. also, the last scene was set 20 days before his death.

I know you probably have questions about certain things, so ask away, especially about celeste's pregnancy.

Ezekiel had a lot going on before he died, he was planning a lot, so that could possibly play into his death.

what do you think he wrote in the letter for draco?

who do you like his relationship with the most? because he was one of the few likeable father figures blaise had. Lucius was broken after his best friend died and that resulted in a drastic personality change, especially in his parenting style, meaning draco was impacted by it alot.

celeste changed in many different ways as did artemis. And if you didn't notice, that was one of the last few times artemis said the words "I love you."