I do not own Harry Potter
Chapter Fifty Two Facts Are Stubborn
Caroline spread the robes out onto the bed. She could remember the pink sparkly dresses she'd given Maia for her second birthday, the first birthday she'd spent with herself and Marius. The dresses seemed so tiny now, in retrospect. When had Maia gotten so tall?
She laughed quietly and shook her head, knowing that Maia was a perfectly normal height for her age. It seemed she had not inherited the grand height of Cassiopeia and Marius, although there was plenty of time for that. She might still catch up with them.
Because Maia would wake up.
Soon.
She traced the snake on the school robes. Maia had been so happy to go to school with her cousins, and despite the bullying at the start of the previous year, had made more good friends in her House. Her Head of House might be severe and distant, but he knew - and carried out - his duty to his students. She really couldn't fault him on that head. He had been most helpful to them, and had even written to say that he was making sure notes were being taken for Maia, so that she could later catch up on all the work she was missing.
Severus Snape really was an obliging gentleman. It surprised her, as he looked distinctly unfriendly at first sight. Though, she thought with a thin smile, Cassiopeia had been the same.
Caroline folded the robes and tidied them away in Maia's wardrobe. She was almost sad when she realised that she was getting closer to the bottom of the trunk. Then what would she do?
...
Remus Lupin couldn't help looking up to the skies when he poured his morning cup of tea. He'd taken to eating breakfast by the window. It was sad and silly, he knew, but he was missing Maia's letters. He wondered why she had stopped writing. At first he was worried that Cassiopeia had discovered their correspondence, but he was certain now that she hadn't. He wouldn't be standing here like this if she had. He'd probably be on his way to Azkaban, or whatever fate she saw fit to 'arrange' for him. His jaw clenched slightly, before he shook away the feeling. He was better than that. He had to be.
He sighed and shook his head. He had no doubt that the truth was simply that Maia had better things to do with her time than write letters to an aging, unwanted werewolf.
He sighed again as he stirred the milk into the tea. He had tried so hard to always do the right thing. He had always tried to be dutiful, responsible, honourable, and yet things never seemed to go to plan. He smiled wistfully. His life would be very different now if he had taken Maia in when he should have. He would have glamoured her and passed her off as his own.
He looked around his cramped flat.
This was no place for a child.
Maia was happy with Caroline, and had been given everything money could buy, and had been loved as a child should be loved. Who was he to think he could be a parent? No child deserved to be burdened with a werewolf for a parent; they would always be shunned.
He looked up in hope as an owl appeared, but it was only his copy of the Prophet. He opened the window handed over a couple of knuts. He was in half a mind to cancel his order; the Prophet only ever printed nonsense.
He turned the paper over anyway.
MUGGLEBORNS ATTACKED IN HOGWARTS SCHOOL
By special correspondent, Rita Skeeter
The Daily Prophet can now reveal that there have been anti-muggleborn attacks taking place in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since Hallowe'en. Attempts have been made since the night the first attack took place to conceal events from the wider wizarding community. Those responsible for this deception claim that it is to allow families to grieve in private and to protect Hogwarts students from external intrusion.
The Daily Prophet believes that the wizarding community cannot be kept safe in ignorance. These attacks – and misguided attempt to keep them secret – raise serious concerns as to the safety of Hogwarts and the competence of its staff, especially the aging Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, the one-time hero of Grindelwald's last duel in 1945.
The first attack took place on Hallowe'en, when the cat of Mr. A. Filch, Squib and roundly disliked caretaker of Hogwarts, was found Petrified and suspended from the ceiling by horrified students. This attack may have been shocking, but worse was to come. Whoever is responsible soon found that they were not satisfied with attacking pets, and swiftly moved on to attacking students.
First year muggleborn, Colin Creevey, was attacked following the Slytherin vs. Gryffindor Quidditch match in early November. Then, just last week, the school suffered a triple attack. The beloved ghost of Gryffindor House – affectionately known as Nearly Headless Nick – was found Petrified alongside muggleborn student Justin Finch-Fletchley. In a shocking twist, the third victim was none other than the half blood Heir to the House of Black and popular member of Slytherin House, Maia Black.
Remus Lupin dropped the paper and ran to the bin, relieving his stomach of his breakfast.
...
"I'm telling you, it's Malfoy." Said Ron for the hundredth time.
Hermione huffed and pulled her book up over her face, indicating that she was playing no further part in the conversation.
It was late at night in the Common Room and although all the other first and second years had long since gone to bed, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger remained seated around their favourite fireplace. The two boys lounged on the floor, having finished their homework, while Hermione was re-reading one of the school textbooks, just to be sure that she had everything memorised.
Harry scratched his head, "But why would he attack his cousin? It doesn't make sense. Does it?"
"He's evil, that's why." Said Ron, sitting up and looking indignant, "He must be Slytherin's Heir. His family have been in Slytherin since the school was built. Not to repeat the part about him being evil."
Hermione sat up again and snapped the book shut. "I'm not sure if I should correct you thematically or chronologically, Ronald. Firstly, Malfoy is a nasty, spoilt, prejudiced, unbearable little boy, but he is not the source of all that is evil. He's not even thirteen yet, for Merlin's sake. And as much as he hates us, he loves his cousin. He was devastated when she was attacked last week and any idiot could see that-"
"-maybe he's a really good actor-"
"-or maybe someone he's grown up with was found Petrified by Dark Magic. Secondly, Hogwarts was founded in 990, and the Malfoy family only came to England from France in 1192. Therefore, they haven't always been in the House of Slytherin. They haven't even married into direct line of descent from Salazar Slytherin as far as I can tell, so the likelihood of Malfoy being Slytherin's Heir is rather low."
Hermione sat back and picked up her book, glaring at Ron. After her conversation with Black in the library, Hermione had read through a number of books on wizarding genealogy and made a number of interesting discoveries. For example, the Malfoy family came to England after a marriage scandal when the Head of House married a Veela. She had always known that Malfoy's hair was unnaturally blonde. She'd also read about the House of Black and come to the conclusion that, judging by the standards of her relatives, Black was absolutely delightful.
"So you aren't going to brew the Bolyjuice potion?"
"It's Polyjuice, Ron, and no, I'm not. I'm not wasting my time and risking detention to illegally brew a potion that won't help us at all. We have no need to spy on Malfoy, and just sneaking into the Slytherin Dungeons with no other agenda than to have a look just in case is absolutely futile."
Ron looked mightily annoyed.
Harry sighed, "I guess we're back to square one then. How did you know that about Malfoy anyway?"
Hermione frowned. She'd never lied to the boys before, but she didn't feel she could tell them about her conversations with Black. Ron hated her so much that he wouldn't understand, and neither of them would like it. Instead, she told a half-truth. "I decided to look into wizarding genealogy."
"Only stuck up purebloods care about stuff like that." Said Ron.
Hermione shrugged, "I thought it might be helpful. Whoever's behind this is, probably, a stuck-up pureblood, after all. I did find something out that was interesting, as it happens."
"Oh?"
She smiled. She wouldn't tell Harry that he was distantly related to Black; that was Black's business. However, there was nothing to stop her lightening the mood and winding Ron up at the same time.
"I found out that Ron is related to Maia."
"NO!"
"Oh yes you are, second cousins twice removed." She said smugly, disappearing behind her book once again.
...
Caroline had almost reached the bottom of the trunk, when her hands grasped around a bundle of letters, tied with string. They had been tucked into a corner, as if Maia had been trying to hide them.
She tugged at them. They were half-stuck under a heavy book. With a final pull, they were free. She lifted them out and frowned. She walked over to the creamy-coloured chair next to the floor-length curtains and sat down
Her hands rested over the knot that held them together.
She took a deep breath.
And pulled the string.
...
The headline had been bad enough, but what could one expect from that piece of low-blood filth, Rita Skeeter? No matter that she, she Cassiopeia Andromeda Black, had demanded this incident stay out of the papers until she, she Cassiopeia Andromeda Black, had decided how it would be played. No, no matter at all to Skeeter. Cassiopeia snarled as she continued to read the front page of the Daily Prophet.
In a shocking twist, the third victim was none other than the half blood Heir to the House of Black and popular member of Slytherin House, Maia Black.
My sources inform me that Maia Black has previously been a victim of blood-related bullying, and that this incident was allowed to continue, unchecked and unnoticed, for almost two months. Maia Black - the daughter of the recently deceased Squib, Marius Black, and his muggle wife, Caroline Black - was repeatedly corned and tormented with the slur 'm*dblood' by a fellow first year. It is stories such as these which raise concerns regarding Albus Dumbledore's competency as Headmaster of Hogwarts School. After all, if a man who claims to stand for the Light cannot control blood-purist tendencies among young children, how can he deal with a Dark Witch or Wizard who is clearly running amok in his school?
Relatives of the two muggle students were not available for comment, as their fireplaces didn't seem to function with Floo Calls, however, this reporter did manage to get in touch with the Acting Head of the House of Black, Cassiopeia Black. A noted intellectual with blood-purist tendencies herself, Cassiopeia Black is an imposing and unfriendly woman. When asked how she felt regarding the attack on her niece, Madam Black threatened to make her niece's Petrification "look like pleasant slumber" if your journalist did not immediately remove herself from the vicinity.
When pressed further, Madam Black snapped, "Any fool already knows how I feel about Hogwarts and Dumbledore, given that I took great delight in blowing up his property. I have many concerns regarding Hogwarts School, but I don't generally share my personal business with petty hacks. As for my niece, as soon as she's awakened, I will be giving her advanced duelling lessons so that she can better defend herself in the future and so that she doesn't have to put up with the company of scum and filth such as yourself."
There is also the irony that the Heir to the House of Black should be victim of an anti-muggle attack, when the actual Head of House, Sirius Orion Black, is currently imprisoned in Azkaban for crimes against muggles...
Cassiopeia rolled her eyes as Skeeter recycled the old story about poor Sirius once again.
Whoever was behind these attacks had to be incompetent; anyone with any ability would have been able to recognise Maia as the aristocratic pureblood that she was. This concerned Cassiopeia far more than the way Skeeter had portrayed her. The Daily Prophet would sing to her tune eventually. But Dark Magic running amok in the hands of a fool in the school where a number of her protégées dwelled was deeply disconcerting. Nevertheless, between them, she and Lucius would be able to address the situation.
She sighed and tossed the paper aside. She leant back in her chair, crossed her hands in front of herself, and stared at them as she went over her thoughts.
A cough from the doorway caused her to look up. Caroline was holding a bundle of letters and the expression on her face was unreadable.
Cassiopeia frowned.
Caroline walked into the room and tossed the letters down on the low coffee table between them.
"Cassiopeia, I think we need to talk."
...
