2

The pounding in her head wouldn't go away. She moaned and tried to roll over which hurt even more. There was talking. She tried to listen but all she could here were incoherent whispers.

"She's waking up. Go get the kids, dear. They will want to know she is waking up." A woman's voice told someone else in the room.

There was some feet scuffling then the door opened and shut. Then all could be heard was breathing and some excited shouts. All the sudden the door burst open and people burst into the room. The noises hurt Pegasus's head even more. She tried to sit up but was forced back down. She tried again but the firm hand just pushed her back down again. She settled for just trying to open her eyes. The light stung them and she closed them tightly.

"How do you feel, dear?" A gentle voice asked.

It was the same one as before.

"Hurts..." Is all Pegasus could say without it turning into a moan.

"Where?"

Soft hands flew over her body checking for broken bones. Three ribs had been broken where the beam had hit her. She yelped in pain. She jerked up and her eyes flew open. Her whole body hurt. She found herself facing about ten people. The boy was there.

"You!" she said half scared and pointed at Harry.

"M-Me?" He stammered.

Why was everyone always looking at him like he was a movie star or something.

"You fought my father! I saw him fall. What happened to him?!" She demanded. The room was stunned. No one knew what exactly the girl meant, but they had a pretty good idea. If it was Harry that had made her father fall then it was Voldemort she was talking about.

"Who is your father, dear?" Molly Weasley asked gently.

She had been tending to the girl ever since the men had brought her back from the house they found her.

"Tom. Tom is my father." She said desperately, "Please tell me what happened to him." She looked completely distraught.

Harry gulped. He knew who she meant. So did everyone else in the room. No one knew how to tell her. She looked scared, alone, and worried.

"Dear, your father is...well...he is dead." Molly tried to break it to her gently but felt like she had failed.

"Dead?!" Pegasus shrieked, "My father could not be dead! No!" She shook her head which made it hurt worse.

Remus Lupin stepped forward, "He is. When you saw him fall...Well he didn't get back up. We're sorry for your loss, but you must understand that he had to die."

"No. He didn't. He was a good man." She protested.

The room went silent again. No one knew how to tell the girl that her father had killed a lot of people. They didn't know how to tell her the truth about the man she thought was her father. Everyone looked around at everyone else. There was a collective sigh. Tonks came up.

"Read these. You'll see how good of a man your father really was."

She handed Pegasus some old newspaper articles about Voldemort. Pegasus took them.

"He is my father. I know he is. Don't say it like he isn't." She was stubborn.

Her eyes fell on the articles and she started to read. With each line she went paler and paler if it was possible. She couldn't believe the things the papers said.

"But...Father would never do things like this," she said as she read, "Father was a good man. He told me he helped people. Why would he lie to me?"

She knew the papers weren't lying. She knew what the words said were true. She had always had a feeling that there was something he wasn't telling her. Something that was vital to who he was and to their relationship as father and daughter. She had never guessed it would be so big and gruesome.

"He probably did it to protect you. He didn't want you to think he was really that evil. And you were the only person he could make think that he was good." Lupin offered.

Lupin came and kneeled by the bed Pegasus was on. She looked so tiny and scared. Everyone in the room wanted to comfort the girl but knew it was hopeless. There would be no comfort from the truth.

"But..." she said hopelessly looking at the faces around her. "Did he lie about you as well? If he was the bad guy then you must be the good guys. Right?" She asked looking for some hope.

Hermione stepped up, "That's right. We are the good guys. The guys you can trust." She offered a smile hoping it would calm the girl. She looked young. Too young to be Voldemorts' daughter.

"I see," she nodded, "In that case what will happen to all my father's friends?"

"His...err...friends will be dealt with by the Ministry of Magic. They have ways to take care of them." Lupin explained.

Harry stepped up. "Um...What's your name?"

He already knew it but wanted to confirm it. And not freak out the girl by somehow already knowing her name. Harry felt sorry and obligated to the girl. He had killed her father. Or at least what she was convinced was her father. Anyone that looked upon her sweet face felt sorry for her loss even though it had been the most evil wizard that had lived to that date.

"Pegasus Riddle. My name is Pegasus Riddle. And who are all of you?" she asked looking around at all the different faces.

Lupin smiled. "This is Harry," Harry smiled, "Hermione, Ron, Molly, Arthur, Tonks, Bill, Kingsley, Mad-Eye Moody, and I am Remus Lupin."

Everyone smiled when their name was said. She looked at each as he pointed to them.

"You can learn about us later, dear, but for now you need to eat." Molly said before Pegasus could interject with another question. "Do you feel like you can stand up and walk down to the kitchen?"

Pegasus nodded, "Of course I can. I'm stronger than I look."

She threw back the blanket and moved her legs stiffly to the edge of the bed and put her feet on the floor. The floor wasn't cold like it was at home. The thought made her think of what happened to her home.

"Um...Before I do. What has happened to my home? I smelt smoke."

"It was caught on fire. Its completely burned down. I'm sorry, dear." Molly said apologetically.

"I see. Was it necessary to burn it down?" Pegasus asked quietly

"It was burning already when we broke down the front door. Your father had ordered that the house be burnt if any of your father's enemies were spotted. We're all sorry about the house. Perhaps when you have strength enough we can go there and get the things that didn't burn." Lupin explained.

"All of it would have burned. My books and everything. Wait! Did you find Dante? Is he safe?" She had just remembered the rat.

"Dante? Who is Dante?" Lupin asked as the room started muttering about who Dante could be.

"He is my pet. My rat. Did you find him?" She looked at Lupin frantically.

"That's his name? That's a good name." Bill came up and handed over the white rat.

Dante seemed happy to see her and scampered over to her immediately. It sniffed her face then licked it a little bit. It scampered up to her shoulder and sat there.

"Oh its good to see you too, Dante. Did you meet the nice people?" She asked the rat.

The rat sighed and looked around. Pegasus smiled. "Everyone this is Dante. He is my rat. I've had him ever since I can remember."

Crookshanks pounced up on the bed and went to her to sniff her then saw the rat. He just blinked at the rat. Dante scampered down and sniffed the cat. The room seemed to thicken as the cat and the rat sniffed each other. Crookshanks seemed happy and rubbed up against Pegasus then jumped off the bed and ran off.

Dante climbed back up Pegasus's shirt and settled back down on her shoulder. The room relaxed slightly as the cat ran out the door.

"Well, Dante and you must be very hungry. You looked like you were in the middle of eating when we came in. Why don't we go down and eat something?" Kingsley offered with a smile.

"Dante, are you hungry?" She asked the rat. It moved its head slightly as if nodding. "Then yes, we will go eat. And yes we had just sat down to eat breakfast when you came. Dante was still getting up," she smiled, "Thank you for taking me in. I do have money though and I'll need to go shopping and find me another place to live." she explained.

The room froze. "You can stay here with the order until school starts. Then you will go with us to Hogwarts." Harry was the one that had spoken. The house was still his after all. They just used it for meetings.

"Hogwarts? I would be able to go to a real school?" She was now excited.

"Of course you would. You would go to Hogwarts and study there." Lupin smiled and laughed.

They all liked the way her face lit up when she was excited. They all laughed and started to file out of the room to go eat. Most were hungry. All that had gone to fight were starving. She pushed herself up and wobbled. Lupin was there to help her stand. He put one arm around her waist and the other held one arm.

He helped her move slowly so she would fall and hurt herself even more. She was having difficulty breathing. It hurt each time she inhaled. She wondered what all had broken when she hit the wall. She knew the beam had been thrown by the force of the fight that her father and Harry were having.

"In the papers, I noticed that they called my father He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and You-Know-Who. Why? Did they not know his name was Tom?" She asked Lupin as he helped guide her to the kitchens.

"They only know him by one name and it's not Tom." He explained.

"I see. Then what name did they know him by? And where are we? How long have I been out? And how did you guys find Dante?" She was full of questions

"Well. They knew him by...V-Vol-Vold-Voldemort..." he shuddered, "We are at Number 12 Grimmuld Place. You have been out for only a couple of hours. And Dante found us. He ran up and bit Bill on the leg." he laughed, "Bill didn't much like it but everyone else found it funny. We soon figured the rat was yours. So we picked him up and Bill and Dante had a nice talk all the way home."

She smiled, "Yes, Dante can be a brute sometimes. He doesn't like seeing me hurt. He bit father once for saying a bad word in front of me. Father quickly apologized and left the room." She laughed.

Her laugh was light and musical. She leaned against Lupin lightly not wanting to put too much burden on him. She was glad that they had done what they had done. The way she had been taught was everything happens for the best of things. Even if at the time it seemed like a horrible deed.

If her father was as bad as the papers said he was then she could ask for nothing more than to know the truth and have the evil extinguished. She had barely known her father and was convinced that he didn't love her like she loved him. She knew what the papers had said were true.

And she was ready to accept that truth. When she entered the kitchens she was met by a torrent of people. All were smiling. They all seemed to introduce themselves at once. Some were students and some were adults. She was swamped by all the attention.

"Settle down everyone. She needs to eat. Then she can answer questions and ask her own." Lupin shouted over the commotion.

Every one simmered down immediately. They all went back to sitting down along the walls, at the table, near windows, and where ever else they could fit in. They all smiled and talked amongst themselves.

Pegasus wasn't use to all the attention and was a little overwhelmed by it. Lupin helped her to a seat at the table and Mrs. Weasley put some food down in front of her. The room was quieter than it should have been with this many people. They had all be rejoicing about the defeat of Voldemort.

They had become quiet when Harry, Hermione, and Ron entered. Bill had entered just behind them and explained who the mysterious girl was and what had happened up in the room. Every one got nervous at learning who the girl's father was.

"Surely we should turn her over to the Ministry." Some one yelled from the back of the room when Bill had finished.

"No. We can not do that to the girl. You-Know-Who told her horrible things about us and the Ministry. If we did that it would just further engrave those images of the Ministry and ourselves. And that is not what we want to happen. The girl is trusting. Let's not lose that trust by giving her to the dogs at the Ministry." Bill explained patently.

Shortly after he was done Lupin escorted Pegasus in with Mrs. Weasley right on their tail. Mrs. Weasley had gone right over to the stove to get leftovers from breakfast. She had handed the food to Pegasus when she sat down. Pegasus ate quietly. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat but said nothing.

Lupin looked around and asked for a glass of tea which was promptly given to him. He smiled at Pegasus and offered her a glass which she was given before she had accepted or declined. She smiled and took a sip of the tea.

"The food and tea are wonderful." she said smiling.

After her comment the room seemed to loosen up and every one relaxed. Harry like how all the attention was diverted from him. He hoped it would last. He didn't like all the attention the Order gave him. He saw that she was uncomfortable but didn't know who to break the attention she was getting with out directing it back to himself. Hermione watched the girl closely. She was intrigued by the girl.

She was strange, strong, and hidden. She had been the one who had studied all she could on Voldemort in hopes of getting closer to where he had been somehow. She had also been one of the many to look for records on the girl when Harry had mentioned the dream and that she was in it. She had been the first to rise the question about who she was.

Ron watched the birds outside the window. He only gave a few glances at the girl. It was obvious she was uncomfortable so he tried not to be part of the cause. He had thought she was just one of the Death Eaters kids but when he found out that she was Voldemort's only daughter she had somehow become a dangerous creature in his mind.

Tonks was entertaining Ginny, Fluer, and Neville with changing her face around. Lupin smiled as he watched the room carefully. He laughed at Tonks antics. And sighed when he saw how glum Ron, Harry, and Hermione were being.

They should be celebrating. Especially Harry. He did kill the most evil wizard to this date. He killed Voldemort. He shuddered. Even saying the name in his head still upset him. Pegasus turned and looked him curiously.

"Are you alright Mr. Lupin?" She asked slightly alarmed at his shivering.

The room was warm already and made far warmer by all the bodies in it. The room turned and looked at him. Her voice was hard to mistake. It was like a wind chime on a breezy day.

"Hmm…? Oh yes. I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Just thinking is all." He smiled down at Pegasus.

She reminded him of someone but he couldn't quite get the name. He could have sworn when he first saw her sleeping on the bed upstairs that she was someone as old as he was that he had gone to school with.

He sighed. He wished he could remember who it was. Pegasus just nodded and went back to slowly eating. The way Pegasus moved reminded Molly of someone as well. She had a distinct feeling about the girl. She sat drinking some tea and eating a few pieces of toast.

"Who was your mother, dear?" Molly asked when Pegasus had finished her food. Pegasus looked up.

"My mother's name was Allora Riddle. Her maiden name was Coffman though." She explained, "Why did you know her?"

The room went silent. All the adults knew Allora. They had all been friends with her in school. Lupin coughed a bit, but other than that remained silent. Pegasus looked around confused. She didn't know why every one had gone quite all the sudden.

Hermione looked up. In her studies she had come across Allora Coffman once or twice when looking for information on Voldemort. The only thing it showed they were associated in was Slughorn and Hogwarts.

Slughorn had picked her as a favorite. And she had attended Hogwarts about the same time as Voldemort. Allora Coffman had been excellent at spells and potions that hide one's identity and location.

"We all knew Allora. Or at least the adults do. Most of us went to school with her. She was wonderful in Potions and in Defense Against the Dark Arts. She could hide herself without the use of a cloak or anything. She was very smart, very beautiful, and rich." Molly explained.

"Yes, I knew mother was all of those," she acted like it was plain fact, "but then again father was good looking, smart, and became rich as well. Why do you ask anyway?"

"You look like her." Mad-Eye Moody said.

Moody had been silent ever since he had yelled to Kingsley to get Pegasus out of the room.

Pegasus looked up, "I do?" She was slightly shocked.

"Yep. You do," his voice was gruff, "Not much of your father in you. As a matter of fact I don't see any of your father in you.

She blushed, "My eyes are like his and my skin color." She explained.

She thought it was obvious that she was related to her father. Or at least more so than her mother. She fell silent. She had never known her mother. All she ever knew of her was what her caretaker had told her and what her father had told her. Neither of which was much.

No one talked about her mother or father very much. She had to ask to get any information and still they would give short simple answers. It was as if everyone was afraid of her parents. She hoped no one feared her.

She didn't want to be feared. There was no reason for anyone to fear her. She only wanted to help people not hurt them. She realized how much unlike her father she was. He had wanted to hurt people. She wanted to help them and make them better.

Her thoughts must have been obvious because Moody said, "We didn't mean any harm, girl. We were just saying is all." His voice still gruff.

She looked up at him. "Oh no….You didn't do anything," she smiled "I was just thinking is all."

"Thinking about what, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked gently.

"Mother and Father." She said calmly.

She didn't want them to think she was being too hurt by what they said or anything.

"Did you know your mother?" Harry asked.

"No. Mother died three months after I was born. Then father went into that limbo a year after I was born. When he came back I was fourteen," she explained, "I've not really known either of my parents. Mother won't come and this time neither will father."

When she heard herself say those words she went deathly pale. "Excuse me."

She stood up and left the room. She didn't know where at in the house to go and didn't want to seem rude but she didn't want anyone to see her like this either. She went into a sitting room and found the tapestry of the Black family tree. She stayed in that room and looked around.

Everyone in the room was quiet when she left. No one wanted to stop her and everyone felt bad for her. She hadn't known her parents and now would never get that chance. Harry knew how she felt. He had never known his parents either, but he did know his were good people.

Pegasus's parents had been evil. Her mother must have been pretty if she looks just like her. He thought. There was no hiding it Pegasus was a pretty girl, but no one dared trust her. Her last name would hinder her as Harry's hindered him. She would be stopped on the street and be gawked at.

He wanted to make her feel welcome in the house. She had no where to go. He had offered that she stay here until school starts and unless the Weasleys decided to go home all of the sudden and take him with them then he would be here the rest of the summer as well. Ron watched her go and looked at Harry then Hermione.

Harry looked like he was fighting demons in his head. Hermione looked like she was studying with no book. And both of them were watching the door swing gentle where Pegasus had just left. Her hair was the last thing that anyone saw.

It was long and gold and curled into ringlets so loose it was just like a wave in her hair. Everyone in the room remained quiet. They didn't know what to say or what to do. Moody stood up and went to the sink and got him a drink of water.

It was the most movement anyone in the room did. It was as if the girl had left a spell on them. They remembered her eyes. They were the eyes of her father, but the color of her mothers. Everything else was purely Allora. Allora had the same hair, the same mouth, the same nose, the same everything. Except Allora had a nice peach color to her skin where Pegasus had a pale creamy white that her father had when he was her age.

Moody had thought he had seen Allora, but knew it couldn't be. He was there when Allora died beside her husband trying to fight with him instead of against him. She had been in the Order of the Phoenix when it first came around.

Then something happened and Voldemort had somehow captured her heart and she willingly gave it to him. Moody remembered the day she told them that she would not be attending any more meetings. The glint in her eyes when she said she had found love and couldn't be in the Order anymore.

Then the day that he had seen her walking down the street with a well known Death Eater. It was bright in his mind. It was in Diagon Alley. She was wearing a dark green summer dress and the Death Eater was wearing black robes. She was smiling and laughing as she passed by a small group of members from the Order. She didn't even look at them. Moody had smiled at her but she didn’t turn his way.

"Allora! It's good to see you again. How have you been?" Lily Potter had called out.

At the time no one knew who Allora's husband was. Allora stopped and turned around. "Oh, Lily, I didn't see you there. I've been wonderful."

She gave the same wonderful smile she always had. "What about you?" Lily smiled, "I'm fine. I hear you got married." Lily and James had been away from the Order at the time Allora left because Lily had been sick.

"Yes, I did. And it was to a great wonderful man." Allora seemed so vivid and lively.

"Good. I'm glad you settled down. Maybe someday our children can play together." Lily offered.

"No. That won't happen." Allora just turned and left with the Death Eater.

Lily was crushed. It was then that everyone noticed the Dark Mark on Allora's left arm. The last thing they heard was her laughter and the last thing they saw was her hair as she went around corner.

Moody shook himself from the memory as another one came.

It was the day that Allora had died. Lily, James, Lupin, Sirius, and himself were fighting Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy, and Bellatrix. All the sudden Allora was there. Every one from the Order thought she was fighting with them when all the sudden she sent a curse at Mad-Eye and kept up the assault.

Moody had been hit in the chest and just threw a knife hoping to get one of them with a wound to draw blood at least. Allora had jumped up next to Voldemort and was now attacking Sirius when the knife hit her chest and pierced her lung. She fell forward and the room froze.

No one had ever wanted to harm Allora. It was Voldemort they were after. Allora fell slowly. She turned as she did and landed on her back. She looked up at Voldemort and offered her warm smile.

"Allora!" Voldemort swooped down. "Allora!" She touched his face gently.

"I'll see you when you reach the other side, love." She smiled.

She didn't even fight anymore. Voldemort looked up outraged.

"You killed my wife!" he roared, "You will pay for this!"

And Voldemort had made them pay. He had killed almost every last one of them. The only ones left standing were Lupin and Moody. And Moody paid in his own way.

He watched as Allora slowly drew her last breath then wasted it on saying, "Tell her I love her. I love you, my husband." She kissed him and was still.

She had died in his arms. No one had strength left to fight. The Death Eaters and Voldemort disappeared in a plum of smoke taking Allora's body with them. The Order left soon after and returned to Headquarters. Moody didn't sleep for two years, because every time he would he would see Allora die by his knife and hear her final words. No one had known what she meant when she said

"Tell her I love her." but now it was obvious. She had meant Pegasus their three month old child. When he was able to shake himself from the memory he sank down into a chair and didn't say a word. Everyone knew what he was thinking.

When James, Lily, Sirius, Lupin, and Moody had returned they told what had happened. Moody didn't sleep much for the next two years even after Voldemort's first death. No one had thought to look for a child. No one had any reason to believe that there was one.

They all thought Allora would have told them even if they weren't on the same side anymore. They could see Allora in Pegasus's eyes and voice. Allora still lived in her daughter. Tonks stood up.

"Well what do we do now? We can't let her go on hurting like that. Can we?"

"You're right, we can't." Lupin said. He cast a glance at Moody. "Alastor, why don't you go talk to her. You owe her that at least."

None of the younger people in the room knew what Lupin meant. Only those who had gone to school with Allora had known what happened. Moody just stood up. He nodded once then disappeared down the hall.