Princess Sunburst

After nearly twenty-four hours, Apollonia found that she was unable to decide what she wanted to do with Ravencrest Manor. She was unable to think of it, however; she had something else – something far more important – to deal with today. Thanks to her kidnapping, Narcissa Malfoy never made it to St. Mungo’s to begin her mandatory community service. So, it was rescheduled for today. In the meantime, Apollonia was on baby-sitting duty. With Andromeda at St. Mungo’s with her sister, and Harry doing who knows what—probably working—Apollonia was the only person available who could watch over Teddy.

For the second time this week, Apollonia apparated to Malfoy Manor. This time, however, she would make certain that Narcissa made it out to St. Mungo’s; she was not about to let the events from two days ago repeat themselves. It was to her utter delight that Narcissa was already up and waiting for her. So far, so good, the teenager thought. Now all I have to do is get her over to Andromeda and things will work out as they should have two days ago. Apollonia nodded in Narcissa’s direction. “Ready to go meet your sister?” she asked.

The woman nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Apollonia really couldn’t blame her. There was just so much bad blood between the two sisters that it would take a miracle to rectify it. But, the teen wanted to try; Andromeda and Narcissa deserved to know one another. Besides, how was she ever supposed to have Teddy get to know his great-aunt and cousin? Harry was still wary of the two remaining Malfoys, so she needed to be cautious about how she went about her plan. While Harry may have accepted that Draco was a part of her life, it did not mean that he would let Teddy anywhere near either of them; it was the one thing Harry refused to budge on no matter how many times Apollonia tried to persuade him, meaning it would take a lot of work to get her brother on her side about this: to let Teddy near his great aunt and cousin. “I’m sure that things will work out for you, Narcissa,” Apollonia assured her. “I’ve spent the last few months convincing her that you aren’t like Bellatrix. However, I am unsure if it got through to her.” Apollonia wished that she could say that Andromeda would accept her younger sister, but she really couldn’t; Andromeda was not yet sold on her sister’s willingness to turn her back on all that she once believed in.

“Thank you for trying,” Narcissa said.

“I knew you both when I was growing up,” Apollonia explained to the older woman. “Not once did I ever realize that my nanny and my best friend’s mother were actually sisters. Dad’s death allowed me to realize that there was a lot more going on than I was initially led to believe…” …mainly that Dad hid a lot more secrets from me. Her father concealed many secrets from her over the years, secrets that could have altered her life for the better. It was those secrets that could have helped her – could have helped Harry. “The both of you are the part of my life. You were the one who protected me from the darkness, kept me from suffering at the hands of Voldemort.” For that, Apollonia would always be grateful; Narcissa—and Draco—protected her from having to fight her own brother. This next part was something that Apollonia was wary about. But, she had to tell Narcissa. Draco, too; whenever she found the time. “And, not only was Andromeda my nanny when I was younger, but she’s also my godson’s grandmother.”

“Dromeda has a grandson?” Narcissa asked.

Apollonia nodded. “Born a few months ago.”

“Meaning she had a child I never knew about,” Narcissa realized.

That realization made her stomach drop. Narcissa never knew about her niece. It was just another affect of the war; Narcissa and Draco never knew about Nymphadora’s existence, let alone her marriage. Harry needs to understand that. Narcissa and Draco are a part of his family. Does he really want Teddy to not know his family, no matter whether or not they were on Voldemort’s side? I need to talk to him. “You might have seen her during the battle,” Apollonia said. “She was the woman with the oddly-colored hair.”

“I never realized,” Narcissa said.

“Few did actually,” Apollonia said.

“I did,” a voice said from behind them.

To Apollonia’s surprise, Draco walked in on the conversation. Apollonia stared at him in confusion. “You knew about Tonks?” she asked. It was not something she expected.

“Yeah. Why?”

“How? How do you know of her?"

Draco nodded. “I’ve known about it for awhile now, for the majority of the year, in fact. Snape warned me that there was someone protecting you on the outside; that I was not the only one trying to keep you safe. Also mentioned that it was my cousin.”

Which makes Teddy that much more important, she decided. Apollonia looked over at Narcissa. “We need to get over to St. Mungo’s. After what happened two days ago, I don’t think that Andromeda will want to wait very long for us.” Not wanting to take any chances, the teenager took hold of Narcissa and apparated to St. Mungo’s. Andromeda—and Teddy—were waiting for them. Apollonia grinned. “As promised, your sister.”

“I didn’t think you’d show up,” Andromeda said.

“I said I’d be here,” Apollonia argued. “The incident from two days ago was a fluke. It was not meant to happen. But, I was able to get your sister here. Please give her a chance. Your sister protected me during the war, and she protected Harry as well. Give her a chance. She’s not the same person you remember from when you were young.” She picked up Teddy. “The same goes for Teddy. He deserves to know Narcissa where Dora never did.”

Andromeda shook her head. “I still don’t trust her.”

“Just try,” Apollonia pleaded with the older woman. “She does not deserve to be treated in such a way. With her godson in hand, Apollonia introduced him to Narcissa before getting ready to do the same with Draco. It had to be done before Harry realized what she had planned; that Apollonia was trying to keep the young orphan boy in touch with a portion of his family. Teddy would never know his parents, just as Harry would never know his. Harry never even knew love. Apollonia refused to let that occur with Teddy. She would make sure that he was surrounded by family, all of it. The least he deserved was to know his aunt and cousin; he deserved to have that. Upon returning to Malfoy Manor, Apollonia called out to her friend. “Draco! I need you to come over here.”

“Back again, huh?” Draco asked.

“I have my reasons,” she said.

“You know, it’s strange,” the young Malfoy heir mused, leaning against the wall. “You do realize that this is the longest amount of time that you’ve spent here in the last two years, right?”

“The thought crossed my mind,” she admitted.

“I am sorry for how all of this affected you. I honestly never realized that any of this would affect you as much as it did. Had I known that Potter was your brother…I’d never have done this,” Draco said.

“But, if it wasn’t for you, I might be a Death Eater and things might have been a lot different,” Apollonia reminded him. “It was late September of our sixth year when I realized he was my brother. The truth is that you trying to intervene in Voldemort’s plans protected me, more than you will ever realize.” It did not take much for Apollonia to realize that Draco was the only reason that she was able to get to know her brother. Had she been marked as a Death Eater, the chances of Harry taking the time to get to know her would have diminished to near miniscule amounts. It simply wouldn’t have happened.

“I suppose,” Draco said. “So, who is that?”

Apollonia had a tight grip on her godson, so it seemed obvious as to what Draco wanted to know. It was exactly what she was hoping for; that Draco would question her about Teddy. “Him?” she asked, pointing to the blue-haired metamorphagus. Draco nodded. It’s now or never, I suppose. “Draco, this is your cousin’s son. Teddy Remus Lupin.”

“My cousin married our third-year defense teacher?” Draco asked.

“And had a child,” she reminded him. “A child you briefly met at the funeral, if you’ll recall. You had one glance of the boy and left shortly after that. I never got the chance to introduce you.”

“It felt awkward being there,” Draco said.

“I suppose,” Apollonia conceded. “But, you’ll have to get used to it. Teddy, especially. I was made the boy’s godmother thanks to my prior connection to Dora and my connection to the relatives she never knew. She wants her son to know you and Narcissa.”

“Oh,” Draco mumbled. “Why is his hair blue?”

Apollonia rolled her eyes. It seemed she was going to be answering that question a lot. However, she never expected that Draco would be one of the first to ask it. “Dora was a metamorphagus. She could change her appearance at will. She passed that ability on to Teddy.”

Silver eyes widened in shock. Apollonia snickered. Wonder what he was expecting. It sure as hell can’t have been that. “So, she was the one person who could have slipped into Hogwarts without anyone realizing it,” Draco mused, staring at the two month-old baby in her arms. “I see why Severus permitted her to be the Order member in charge of protecting you. While Severus warned me that she would be protecting you throughout the year, he had not informed me of my cousin’s little ability; I was concerned that you would not be accessible from wherever she was. Turns out she was the only one even remotely capable of coming to help you. She could have slipped in unnoticed.”

“She was also pregnant,” Apollonia reminded him. “There was very little that Dora was able to do during the war. Really, all that Dora was able to accomplish was keeping me apprised of the Order’s efforts and watching over Harry’s and my last remaining family.” She looked down sadly at her godson, as the boy’s hair started flickering every five seconds – changing to every color in the rainbow – before finally returning to its normal turquoise shade. “After what happened to Harry, I didn’t want to see Teddy suffer like this. Too many people were lost because Voldemort wanted to cleanse the world of its impurity.”

“Must you bring that up?” Draco scowled.

“Of course I have to!” Apollonia yelled. “It’s the reason I have so little of my family left. Voldemort is the reason my brother nearly died. Harry; my cousin, Dudley; Aunt Petunia; and Uncle Vernon; they’re the only family I have left. Until they died, I never knew that there was much more to my family than I initially believed; my father’s cousin, Christophe and his three daughters: Morgan, Delaney, and Zara. That monster Selwyn killed them! He’s the reason I now have this!” With that, the glamour over her hand faded, revealing the Prince signet ring on her finger. Admittedly, she had not planned on telling Draco so soon, but he brought it up. It was only natural that she say something.

Draco stared at the ring on her finger, clearly recognizing it for what it was, of the implication of what that ring on her finger meant; her importance to the Wizarding World had just become even more apparent. Apollonia could see the gears turning, as her friend – the boy who loved her enough to protect her, even going so far as to defying his master – came to the realization of what this meant; the reason she was so upset about the war. And, just as Apollonia expected he would, Draco began sputtering at the sight of ring he never expected to see in her possession. “You’re…you’re the last of the Princes.”

“Indeed I am,” Apollonia sneered. “One of my cousins had every intention of marrying a muggleborn, much like your Aunt Andromeda did. However, Gabriel Selwyn saw fit to attack the wedding. Everyone died, with the exception of my cousin’s fiancé; he’s in a coma at St. Mungo’s. Years ago, when my grandmother married a Muggle, she was disowned from the family. During the Christmas break of our first year, Zara made sure that Dad and I were restored to our rightful places in the family. So, when Dad died, I was left the entire Prince fortune; and that included becoming Lady Prince.”

“Lady Prince,” Draco whispered.

Apollonia nodded, replacing the glamour over the signet ring. “Thanks to Voldemort’s Pureblood mania, I lost the chance at knowing the Prince side of my family; at knowing the only cousin who even gave a damn about the disowned branch of the Prince family.”

“Okay, I get it,” Draco muttered.

“Good,” Apollonia growled. “Just more incentive for you to keep on the straight and narrow.” She recalled what was said during the Malfoy trials. If Draco did anything stupid, she was to be punished twice as much for having vouched for him. It was the only reason that Draco was not in Azkaban along with his father. And, if he were to do something stupid, something related to the Death Eaters; that would drag both the Malfoy and Prince names in the mud, more so they probably already were. Can’t let that happen.

***

Apollonia stayed at Malfoy Manor with Teddy for the next few hours, until it was time for her to go retrieve Narcissa. With her godson in hand, Apollonia apparated out to St. Mungo’s, ready to exchange the infant boy for his great-aunt. “How did things go?” the teen asked.

“Surprisingly well,” Andromeda admitted.

“I told you they would,” she said.

“There are a few issues that must be dealt with, but nothing that can’t be worked out over the next few days,” Andromeda informed the younger girl. “We’ll just have to see how it goes.”

Apollonia nodded, pleased that Andromeda would at least give her younger sister the benefit of the doubt. She was worried that this day would end in an argument. But, it seemed as if Andromeda and Narcissa would get along, at least to a certain extent. It was not clear as to how long this would last, but she would take what she could get. At least it was better than nothing. “I hope that you will come to see why I trust her.” The truth was that Andromeda and Narcissa had been the maternal influences in her life; they had taken on the role that her mother left behind when she gave her life to protect Harry. The fact that they were sisters only made Apollonia want them to get along.

“Perhaps,” Andromeda said.

Teddy was handed back to his grandmother and Apollonia escorted Narcissa back to Malfoy Manor. “How did it go?” Apollonia wondered as they returned to Malfoy Manor. She was curious about Narcissa’s opinion of how it went, of what the youngest Black sister thought about the encounter with a sister she had not seen in a quarter of a century.

“It was slightly awkward,” Narcissa said.

“It will get less awkward,” Apollonia assured her. “You’ve spent half you life believing that your older sister married beneath her bloodline. Being cut off from her family has isolated her for so long. It’s going to take a long time for Andromeda’s wounds to heal.”

“I suppose,” Narcissa said.

Apollonia said her goodbyes to Narcissa and Draco before apparating to Ravencrest Manor for the remainder of the day. She wanted to spend all her free times here, trying to figure out what she wanted to do. Periwinkle and Pumpkin had taken care of the house for the last two years, preserving it until their master returned. But, Apollonia could not keep the house this way. It was too much of a reminder that her family was dead. “Pumpkin!” she called.

“Yes, Mistress?” the elf asked, popping in.

“Could you please clean out Christophe and Tabitha’s room; Morgan’s room; and Delaney’s room? I need to go through their possession, see what I want to keep and what I can sell.” Very little of it would be kept. Especially Delaney’s things. But, she needed to go through everything in the house before the redecorating process commenced. And, the young Slytherin decided that it would be best to part with their personal possessions.

“Of course Mistress,” Pumpkin agreed.

“Please start with Delaney’s, would you?”

“Certainly,” the elf said.

Within ten minutes, only the furniture from Delaney’s room, which Apollonia could sort through later, remained. All of Delaney Persephone Prince’s private possessions were sitting in the parlor. Out of everything that was once Delaney’s, the young Snape kept only three items; an encyclopedia of all magical objects; a small jewel-encrusted mirror; and a snow globe. Everything else was sent up to the attic, ready to be sold or given away. “Next up! Bring me, the contents of Morgan’s room,” Apollonia requested.

Going through Morgan’s things was a much more difficult process. She had to sort through all the items, for Apollonia had every intention of sending a few things to the one person that might want them. Once all of that was sorted into a separate pile, Apollonia began going through the eldest Prince sister’s possessions, trying to decide what she would keep in remembrance of her cousin. Finally, the teenager decided on the items she’d keep in remembrance of one Morgan Christine Prince. Of her cousin’s belongings, Apollonia kept a few books – three; Moste Potente Potions, a book not even her father—a Potions Master—owned; Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes; and Sites of Historical Sorcery – that might interest her; a photo album she found of the family she never knew; and a small sculpture of a tiger. For some reason, that statue just called out to the Lady Prince; however, she was unsure as to why that might be.

“Is Missy Apple finished here?” Pumpkin asked.

“Take everything to the attic, would you?” Apollonia requested of the young elf. “I’ll deal with it later. Christophe and Tabitha’s room should be handled next. Could you please empty it?”

“Of course,” the elf said.

Within moments, Apollonia was looking at the contents of Christophe and Tabitha Prince’s room. The young Snape was wary of Tabitha’s possession, though that was only because her brother was a Death Eater. Even if it turned out that Tabitha Prince was not as bad as her brother or half-sister ever were, Apollonia was still wary of the woman; she, after all, possessed a few items filled with some very dark magic. Therefore, Apollonia tried to keep the items she chose from Tabitha’s possessions limited.

Apollonia stepped forward to start looking through her father’s cousin’s possessions. Immediately, the teenager set aside the Pensieve he owned. There was no way she could ever bring herself to get rid of that. As she was moving it, Apollonia saw a letter sitting on top of it; a letter that was addressed to Lady Prince: her. The young Snape stared at the letter in confusion. How could Christophe Prince have left her a letter like this? How would he have known that Apollonia would be the one to claim the title rather than her father? It was one of the reasons that Apollonia abandoned going through everything in the room in favor of looking at her cousin’s letter. She wanted to know what was going on; and, it seemed as if Christophe Prince might be the only one who could help her, whether that help was from beyond the grave or not. Help was help.

Apollonia opened the letter and began to look it over.

To the new Lady Prince,
You might be wondering how I knew it would be you to claim the title rather than your father. Well, to put it very simply, I believed him to be too immersed in the darkness to survive the battle. As for what would happen to my own family, it did not take long for me to realize that my brother-in-law might try something. I was sure that the title would fall into your possession.

Now that explanations have been taken care of, there is a portrait of me somewhere in the house. I have no idea where. The portraits simply appear somewhere in the house. One should exist for each Lord or Lady that takes over the Head of House responsibilities. Find that portrait and we will have a nice long chat about everything you would like to know

Christophe Prince

Apollonia dropped the letter from the previous Lord Prince and called out to one of the elves. She needed that portrait. It was her one chance at getting to know at least one person from the Prince family, whether it was a portrait or not. “Periwinkle!” she called. It’s my only chance, Apollonia realized. It’s the only way I’ll ever know any of them. Periwinkle appeared and nodded in Apollonia’s direction. Taking that as her cue, Apollonia informed the wizened old elf of what she wanted. “Periwinkle, I need you to find your old master’s portrait. It’s somewhere in this house, I’m not sure where it might be.”

“Of course Mistress,” Periwinkle said.

As the elf disappeared, Apollonia returned to what she was doing, trying to sort through everything she wished to keep, trying to decide which items she did not need cluttering the house. “This is exactly why I wanted to do this room last,” she muttered. “I have no idea what I want to do with any of this; what might be important and what I can get rid of.”

“That’s why I’m here to help,” an unfamiliar voice said.

The young Snape turned to find that Christophe Prince’s portrait was being propped up to face her. “Cousin,” Apollonia greeted the portrait, nodding politely to the dark-haired man. “I don’t suppose you could explain a few things, like how you knew it would be me.”

“You were the most logical choice to receive the title, my dear,” Christophe explained. “Your father had too many obligations to the darkness. Zara kept me informed of my cousin’s activities throughout the years, leading me to believe that Severus Snape would not survive whatever war was fought; I was right, it seems. And, if my brother-in-law had his way, which he did, we would not survive. You were the only choice. Only Zara and I knew that you and your father were returned to the family; Tabitha, Morgan, and Delaney were clueless. They knew nothing about my plan, for they knew nothing of you or your father being a part of the disowned branch; Zara was the only one to know that you would get the Ladyship if anything happened to any of us, simply because she was the one to realize that my grandparents did not want a Muggle for an in-law.”

“Of course she knew,” Apollonia mused.

“She protected you,” Christophe acknowledged. “You were the one thing she cared about more than school. The war was coming, and Zara wanted to make sure that you were safe.”

“Do you know who they were?” Apollonia wondered.

The portrait gave the negative. “No, I’m afraid not. I only know that it was two boys and two girls that she had befriended over the years. Their identities are a mystery even to me.”

“I was afraid of that,” Apollonia scowled. Christophe might have been the only one who would know the four people that Zara was working with to protect her. All she knew was that they were not in Ravenclaw and that there were two of each gender helping. “Christophe, what do you know of your other two daughters; of Morgan and Delaney?”

And so, Apollonia Lily Evans Snape, the Lady Prince, began hearing what her cousins were like, for the first time in her life. It shouldn’t have been this way, Apollonia snarled. I should have known them as a little girl. “Morgan was the cynical type,” Christophe remembered. “She was always looking at the downside of things. Perhaps that’s why she chose to become a Healer, because she knew that they would be needed in the coming years. Delaney mostly kept to herself while she was growing up. She would spend hours in her bedroom, doing who knows what. I believe the only time that she would come out of her room was to see family or to visit her best friend; Posey Parkinson.”

Emerald eyes widened at that. It could only mean one thing; Pansy Parkinson, the girl who spent years torturing her, had a connection to her cousin, one that Apollonia never would. “That is just my luck,” Apollonia scowled. “It just had to be that family.”

“What do you mean?” Christophe wondered.

“Posey Parkinson is the older sister of a girl who tortured me during school,” Apollonia informed the previous Lord Prince. “Pansy Parkinson was pissed off at me for being a nobody, even though I was actually our Head of House’s—later Headmaster—daughter. And, of course, the boy she thought was hers was in love with me.”

“You don’t seem fond of the Parkinson family,” Christophe noted.

“You’re right; I’m not,” Apollonia agreed. “In fact, I never will. For the first six years of my Hogwarts career, I went by the name Apollonia Evans; so that no one would learn that I was the daughter of a Death Eater. And, it was thanks to my father’s decision to hide my identity that I had to suffer through years of torture from Pansy. Had Zara not protected me from a distance, my teenage years might have gone a bit smoother.”

“What do you mean?” Christophe asked.

“I was invisible for much of my life,” Apollonia said. “Few people ever noticed that I was around. As far as I know, that was Draco Malfoy, Zara, and her little band of protectors; they were the only ones who knew I existed—aside from the professors—during my first five years at Hogwarts. After the O.W.L.s, classes thinned out and I was noticed more, right around the same time that Narcissa Malfoy made the request that I watch over her son. But, my first five years were spent as the Invisible Slytherin; years that I know Zara was in school for. It was only after she left – after she died – that I made friends with my brother and one of his friends: the brightest witch of our generation; and reconnected with three of my old baby-sitters. My sixth and seventh years; the only bright spot was knowing that I had found my brother; Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived.”

“Your brother is Harry Potter?” Christophe asked.

“Half-brother,” Apollonia corrected. “But, yes.”

“Same mother, I would guess,” he mused.

“Indeed. That was the point of my middle name,” Apollonia said.

“I knew your step-father, you know,” the portrait admitted.

“You knew James?” she questioned.

“Vaguely. His parents were at my wedding to Tabitha, when James was still a young boy; not yet in Hogwarts,” Christophe said. “And, there were times in which I would see him at Ministry functions he was forced to attend while he was growing up. Actually, that was where I first heard the name Severus Snape, though I had no idea he was my cousin; James was busy complaining about him taking all the time with the girl he had a crush on, a girl I assume is your mother.” Apollonia nodded. “Yes; well, I gave him advice on how to get her attention.”

Once again, emerald eyes widened in realization. Christophe’s little admission made Apollonia realize something; Christophe Prince was the reason that everything happened the way that it did. It was his advice that led to the prophecy’s discovery. “You’re the reason that Harry exists. The reason my father gave into Lucius Malfoy and became a Death Eater.”

“I had no idea,” Christophe said. “All I did was give a boy advice.”

“It was inadvertent, but, yes; the advice you gave James on how to woo my mother is ultimately what caused my father to turn to the darkness. Dad was crushed when he realized that Mum agreed to date – and later marry – James. It was the day they got engaged that my father told Lucius Malfoy that he would take the mark. A year and a half later; Harry and I were both conceived around Halloween; and Dad became Dumbledore’s spy in early 1980.”

“Who knew that one piece of advice would cause so much trouble?” Christophe said to himself. He looked up at the new Lady Prince. “I am sorry for what happened. That was never my intent.”

Apollonia held up a hand. “I don’t blame you. You didn’t know what would happen; that my father would look to the darkness. No, I blame Lucius Abraxas Malfoy for that. Actually, it was because of you that my brother was born; that the world had hope that Voldemort would be destroyed.”

“I suppose,” Christophe mused.

“And, I don’t know if you’re aware of it, considering how isolated she made herself over the years, but Delaney was interested in the dark arts.” While Apollonia was unsure of how the portrait would react, she needed to tell him. Christophe needed to know that his middle daughter was following in her uncle’s footsteps. If not for her death, Delaney Prince would have been on her way to becoming a Death Eater. Her father – even if he only existed as a portrait – needed to know what Delaney had been up to over the years.

The portrait shook his head. “You know about that, huh?”

“You knew?” Apollonia wondered.

“I only realized it during the wedding. Delaney, of all people, was the one to let them in,” Christophe told her. “Apparently, it would be much too obvious for Gabriel to let the Death Eaters in, so my daughter was the one to commit the deed. She was the one to cause our deaths.”

Apollonia’s eyes narrowed. “She caused your deaths?”

“I’m afraid so,” Christophe said.

Meaning she’s the reason I never got to know my family, Apollonia realized. My own cousin is reason why Thaddeus Carmichael is in a coma and lost his fiancée. Unbelievable! How could she do that to her own family? The teenager looked over at her father’s cousin’s portrait. “I think we need to get off this topic. Tell me, Christophe; aside from the Pensieve and this portrait, what items should I keep in remembrance of you and your wife?”

“You are getting rid of everything?” Christophe asked.

“I only plan on keeping a few items from each family member; I have three from Delaney and five from Morgan,” Apollonia informed her cousin. “No, that’s not true. I don’t plan on throwing any that once belonged to Zara away; I’ve already had her room preserved. After all that she’s done for me over the years – especially protecting me when no one else would – there was no way that I could bring myself to take anything from her room. But, for everyone else, I need to clean house. I thought you might be able to help me with that. And, afterwards, I need to figure out how I plan on redecorating the house.” If Christophe’s portrait was in the house, then Apollonia should ask his opinion. Besides, it was once his house. Surely he would know what would work best in the house.

“You’re sure?” Christophe asked.

“Very,” Apollonia nodded.

“I’ll help you,” he replied.