Chapter Twenty-Two
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does and unfortunately I am not her. However, I do own the OCs and the Guardian Program and the other things that being a Guardian entails.
Summary: After the Second Wizarding War, a Guardian was given to each child of the main families that helped in the war. They were all tasked with a simple job, protect their allocated person with their life. Somehow, Freya screwed it up in the biggest way. She fell in love.
There are going to be a lot of OCs, but the focus is going to be on Freya.
Anonymous: I haven't abandoned the story! I have just been very busy as of late. I have a job as a support worker with the autistic and I have been working all the time. I have had hardly any time to myself let alone any time to actually sit down and write anything. But I am back! (Finally)
Enjoy!
HARRY POTTER
Later that same day
It was now mid-day and all the students from Hogwarts were getting off the train at Kings Cross Station onto platform 9 ¾. The station was packed with people as all families were waiting for their children to get off the train. There was no sun to be seen and it was raining heavily. There was a cold chill in the air that indicated that autumn had definitely arrived in the UK. As the train had come to complete stop; Freya just scowled and got up from her seat and exited the train. She didn't pull her coat closer to her body because unlike many people, Freya didn't mind the cold breeze, in fact, she rather liked the colder weather. She watched from a distance as the Potter/Weasley clan all ran over to their waiting families, all ushering them into hugs and kissing their cheeks because of how much they missed their children. Freya watched as Ginny squeezed James tightly into a hug and then she also grabbed Albus and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. Of course, Lily wasn't safe from Ginny's long arms either.
Freya's scowl only grew darker as she watched this public display of affection. Grabbing her trunk and Sapphie's cage, Freya walked forward and looked around the station, trying to see if her parents had actually turned up. Right behind her was Katrina, Ryan and Cordelia. They were all doing the same as her and looking for their parents.
Katrina was the first one of them to spot her father. "Make sure to write!" Katrina exclaimed with a bright smile as she ran off. No one stopped her or said anything because they all knew that she wouldn't have replied. She would have been far too focused on tackling her father to the ground into a hug. Katrina's muggle mother wasn't there because her mother and father weren't allowed to be together.
"That's if any of us have time to." Ryan smiled sadly at her comment even though she couldn't hear it. They all knew that this Christmas wasn't going to be an easy one and most of them weren't looking forward to it at all.
Cordelia sighed deeply. "I am so not looking forward to this." She also began looking around the station, waiting to see where her parents where. She was happy to go home so she can see her parents but she wasn't looking forward to the training that was going to happen.
Ryan leaned in close to Freya. "Any advice for me over the break?" He asked as he stared at Cordelia. She was far too distracted to notice what they were talking about. Ryan did trust Cordelia but he was just being overly cautious.
Freya spared him a side glance. "Look into your family history." She said before looking away from him.
Ryan grinned and nodded his head. He knew that his ancestor had left a journal – he had found it once by accident – and he couldn't wait to get his hands on it. He was hoping to find out for some information about being a True Seer.
"Hey Ryan, there's your mum!" Cordelia exclaimed, pointing in the direction of Ryan's mother. She was pointing to a very tall and thin woman who had long blonde hair that was tied up in a tight bun and blue eyes. She looked to be a very severe woman, her tight pants suite making her look intimidating.
He saw her and smiled – though it seemed tight and it didn't reach his eyes. "Hope you guys have a good Christmas," Ryan said before leaving to go over to his mother.
Freya said nothing as she glanced around the station once more and still couldn't find her parents. Freya looked at the massive clock nearby and saw that they had arrived early. This was much too early for her parents to arrive. Freya was actually glad they weren't here yet because she didn't want any other people to see her parents or to even meet them. She didn't know what her parents would say about her choice of 'friends'. Freya was waiting for Cordelia to leave and then she knew she could relax.
"Hey, Freya," Cordelia said suddenly, grabbing the Guardian's attention.
Freya turned to face her with an arched brow.
Cordelia bit her lip and looked slightly nervous. She seemed hesitant to speak but she soon picked up to the courage to say something. "If it ever gets too much at home, you're always welcome at mine," Cordelia said, her voice low and whisper-like.
Freya tensed as she looked at Cordelia in shock. She had never expected the girl to say something like that. Quickly, Freya snapped out of her shock. "What makes you say this?" She asked, demanding an answer. She could feel herself getting defensive and she tried to calm herself down.
Cordelia smiled sadly. "Don't think I haven't noticed. Every time you come back from any breaks you always seem to be in pain. I can see the bruises and the limping." She said softly, her voice was low as if she didn't want anyone to overhear.
Freya was about to retort, but she found that she couldn't. For once in her life, Freya felt speechless. She thought that she had done a good job in hiding what happened in her home life. She never wanted anyone to know – including Katrina – because she didn't want anyone feeling sorry for her. The thought of people looking at her with sympathy in their eyes made Freya shiver in disgust. Also, if anyone intervened then it would only make things worse and she didn't want that to happen.
Cordelia seemed to understand Freya's lost speech. She just patted Freya on the shoulder lightly and walked off to her parents who had just arrived. As Cordelia was leaving, she kept looking back at Freya until she was out of sight.
It took a few moments for Freya to snap out of it. The moment she came to her senses, she felt two familiar magical signatures walking in her direction. Turning her head, Freya saw her mother and father walking over. They both looked void of any emotion. Both of them had aged, Rupert had more grey in his beard and Vivienne had some more wrinkles on her face. They were dressed for business, Rupert in a three piece suite and Vivienne dressed in an elegant gown.
They stopped when they were a few feet away from her. "Freya," Rupert said blankly.
Freya nodded at him in acknowledgement. "Father." She answered back emotionlessly.
Vivienne curled her lip. "You're still here so I assume you've been doing your job." She said, sniffing her nose up at her own daughter. There was no warmth in her eyes – only coldness. Freya could never remember any time in her childhood that Vivienne actually looked at her with any warmth in her eyes.
Freya wordlessly nodded her head. Of course, her mother wouldn't ask her how she was or if she was well. No, Vivienne Williams didn't care about that. All she cared about was that Freya was doing her job as a Guardian. Quietly, Freya heard Sapphie hiss in her cage – something she only ever did when she was near Vivienne. However, Freya ignored Sapphie and just hoped that her mother didn't hear it.
Rupert looked down at his pocket watch. "Grab your bags, we're leaving." That was all he said before he turned his back to his daughter and began walking away.
Vivienne scoffed. "Good. Being near so many filthy mudbloods is starting to make my skin crawl." She said before turning around to follow after her husband. She began to send dirty looks at any half-bloods or muggle-born people that so much as looked her way. If someone wasn't a pureblood then it wasn't good enough for Vivienne.
Without saying a word, Freya carried her trunk and Sapphie's cage. She had cast the feather-light charm on her trunk so it wasn't heavy at all. The only time her father had helped her was in the first year and then that was it. He believed she could do it herself and refused to lift a finger after that. There was no way that her mother would help her either so Freya never bothered to look at her mother for help.
Freya spared one last glance in James' direction. He was still getting hugged by Ginny and he was looking embarrassed by the attention he was getting. Freya scowled once more and turned around. James was fine like he always was.
Using the nearby Floo network, Freya and her parents arrived back at their house. Looking around the house, Freya would say that it looked more like a mansion. The mansion really did match the Williams reputation: cold, unwelcoming and void of any emotions. There were no pictures on the walls, only expensive pieces of art that were far too flashy for anyone other than her parents would like. The Williams Mansion was large and held many rooms – some rooms that even Freya wasn't allowed in – the house had a ballroom, dining room and music room. All of which Freya found entirely unnecessary.
Once back in their living room, Vivienne sighed deeply. "Thank heavens we're away from all those muggles." She hissed lowly as a look of disgust smeared her face. She gracefully took off her coat and took out her wand and waved it. In an instant, the coat floated back and put itself in the coat closet.
Freya and Rupert said nothing. Freya spared a glance at her father; he never said anything when her mother would go on about mudbloods. Sometimes it confused Freya about what Rupert's views were – she didn't know if he agreed with her mother or disagreed.
"It's a wonder that they even let mudbloods into the school." Vivienne sniffed and turned her nose up.
Completely ignoring his wife's complaints, Rupert turned to his daughter. "We've been informed about the changes that Lance is going to introduce." He said, his voice sounding stern and emotionless.
Vivienne's eyes lit up at the mention of Lance. "Ah yes. It seems as though some Guardians don't have any discipline." A wicked smirk appeared on her face, it was like she was revelling in the Guardians misfortune.
Rupert spared a glance at his wife and turned away. "As from today, your training will resume," Rupert said simply.
"And not to be outdone by anyone, your training will be increased. Can't have you falling back behind and disgracing us." Vivienne said as she glared at her daughter.
Freya nodded her head. "I understand." She said emotionlessly. She had been expecting this result so she wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Rupert nodded his head be clapped his hands once. In an instant, one house elf appeared. Freya didn't recognise this house elf at all. However, this mansion had multiple house elves and Vivienne always made sure that there was a high turnover. There had been many instances where Vivienne wasn't happy with the house elves and would then either fire them or kill them.
"Yes, master?" The house elf asked timidly. The house elf was looking at the ground and it refused to move from there. Vivienne never allowed any house elf to look her or Rupert in the eyes. Vivienne saw this as disrespectful and would punish the house elves if they were caught.
"Take Freya's stuff to her room," Rupert said.
"And don't you dare touch anything that doesn't belong to you!" Vivienne shouted as she walked into the kitchen. She was going to get herself a drink – a glass of red wine – something she loved to do most days.
Wordlessly, the nameless house elf took away Freya's stuff. She could hear Sapphie hissing in her cage because she didn't like the house elves in the mansion – or any elf in general. The hissing only stopped when her stuff was out of sight.
Rupert looked down at his daughter's clothing. "Get into some comfortable clothing. Your training will begin in ten minutes." Without another word, Rupert walked away. No doubt getting ready for the training session that was about to ensue.
Wordlessly, Freya turned around and walked to her room. She was going to get ready for the training session. The training sessions were the only time she was allowed to wear comfortable clothing. However, her version of comfortable clothing and her parent's version are completely different. They still had to be fashionable otherwise her mother would be glaring at her from far away.
HARRY POTTER
A few days later
That morning, Freya woke up sore. All her body ached from the training she had received that night before. Just because it was Christmas Eve last night didn't mean her father went easy on her training and had, in fact, pushed her even harder than usual. Using her pendant, she checked on James. He was still sound asleep and he wasn't going to be getting up any time soon. When James went back home, he would lie in a lot more and took a break from his morning jogs.
When Freya got changed and walked downstairs, all she was met with was silence. There was slight noise in the house – one that was basically undetectable – but Freya knew that those noises were from the house elves in the background. The house elves were preparing their breakfast that morning while also preparing the Christmas dinner for later that day. Freya entered the dining room – dressed in green dress robes and black kitten heels. She sat down at her usual spot at the dinner table. The dining room was a large room filled with expensive decorations that covered the entire room. There was a large dinner table that could host twenty people. Her mother and father sat at the top of the table – with her father at the head of the table and her mother at his left. Freya sat down at his right, opposite her mother.
"Good morning, Mother. Father." Freya nodded her head at each parent.
Rupert nodded his head in acknowledgement.
Vivienne was not so kind. "You're cutting it close." She snapped as she looked at the large decorative clock on the wall nearby. It was now 7:31 and in her eyes, that wasn't good enough for her.
"I apologise, mother," Freya answered back robotically. She knew that was no point in fighting her mother on this because she would just see this as defiance. Her mother wanted her to be at the dinner table for breakfast at exactly 7:30 or earlier.
"Next time, be early," Vivienne replied back dismissively.
"Yes, mother," Freya said back.
Nothing more was said after this. The house elves brought out breakfast – a simple eggs benedict with toast. Her mother was drinking herbal tea and her father was drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. Like her father, Freya was also drinking coffee. The whole breakfast was eaten a silence, not one thing was said to each other. However, this was what every breakfast in the Williams household was like and it didn't matter that it was Christmas morning. Once they were all done, the house elves slipped in silently and took away the plates. It was only when the house elves were gone again that Rupert spoke.
"Training will resume as normal today," Rupert said blankly.
Freya nodded her head.
Rupert reached into his pocket and brought out his wand. He waved his wand and in an instant, a wrapped package appeared in front of Freya. Freya nodded her head in thanks, this was how her parents would give presents, in a very cold and detached manner. Her mother didn't like Christmas because she believed that it was more of a muggle holiday and she hated muggles with a passion. She accepted some traditions but completely rejected other traditions – such as decorations and a Christmas tree.
Opening the present, Freya saw that it was a wand cleaning kit. Her other one was getting old so she knew she was going to need a new one soon. Freya nodded her head in appreciation. Freya took her own wand out and waved it, making two presents appear in front of her mother and father. Freya had bought her father a black tie with green ascents and she bought her mother an emerald green brooch, shaped into a snake. Rupert and Vivienne said nothing as they took the items out the box and they never showed if they liked it or not.
Just then, a house elf appeared in the dining room, holding a parcel. "Please excuse my rudeness Master and Mistress. A package has arrived from Lance Johnson." The house elf said in a small voice as she looked at the ground.
Vivienne's eyes lit up in an instant. She immediately jumped up and snatched the parcel from the house elf's hand. Her eyes scanned the present and the smiled dropped. "It's for Freya." She said, her voice sounding like a hiss. She thrust the parcel back into the house elves hands and marched back into her seat.
Freya motioned the house elf forward and she timidly brought the present forward. When she was close enough, Freya reached over and gently took the present, noticing when the house elf flinched back. Briefly glancing over at her mother, Freya noticed that her mother was completely ignoring the house elf. Vivienne was one of those people who didn't believe house-elves deserved respect and completely ignored the change in legislation where house elves were to be treated with respect.
Taking the present, she examined it. It was a small box but it felt extremely heavy. Freya opened it carefully and saw that it was a box – with a logo from a high-end jewellery shop in the wizarding community. She could feel the eyes of her mother just glaring into her but she made sure to ignore it. Opening the box, Freya saw a large bracelet. It was chunky and was made of white gold and was covered in large and small emeralds. Upon seeing it, Freya felt repulsed. Emerald was her most hated stone and it wasn't lost on her that Lance had sent her the Slytherin colours. Freya hated anything that was gaudy and showy – she much preferred things to be subtle and smaller.
"Make sure you thank Lance tomorrow," Rupert said without needing to look at the present. He knew it would be something expensive and showy like it always was. It didn't seem to bother him that a grown man who had no relation to the family was buying his daughter expensive presents.
Freya nodded her head. "Of course." She was completely used to this treatment from Lance. Every year – ever since she became a Guardian at age eleven – Lance had sent her expensive gifts. He had sent her earrings, rings, bracelets and a tiara. All of them made with emeralds which were her parent's favourite stone. He had been the one to send her the mirrors that she had planted in McGonagall's office.
"How kind of him to send you something so lovely," Vivienne said, her eyes narrowed in jealousy. She staring at the bracelet in want as her fists clenched tightly under the table.
Freya wasn't surprised in the slightest. She knew that her mother didn't like the attention that Lance gave her. Vivienne seemed to worship the ground that Lance walked on. Freya also knew that this bracelet wouldn't be with her long because her mother was going to take it from her when she thought she wasn't looking. However, Freya was more than happy to let her mother do this because Freya certainly didn't want any of Lance's gifts. Vivienne would usually wait until Freya had thanked Lance for the gift and then take it. Although, Vivienne would be careful to make sure that Lance never saw her with the jewellery that had been intended for Freya.
Rupert cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "We will be going out later tonight and you will be joining us." He said, looking directly at Freya as he spoke.
Vivienne's eyes widened. "What?"
Freya looked at her father in surprise. Every year her parents would leave on Christmas night and return much later in the night. Her parents would never tell her where they went and Freya didn't care enough to ask. They would always come back after a few hours and they never spoke about where they went in front of her. So, to hear that Rupert wanted her to come with them made her feel unnerved but also very curious.
"But Rupert!" Vivienne protested loudly.
Rupert stared at his wife. "She is coming and that is final." His tone became stern and slightly louder than usual. Vivienne immediately quieted down but was she frowning. She didn't agree with the decision but she couldn't say anything against her husband.
HARRY POTTER
Later that night
Freya and her parents left their house at the dead of night. The night was chilly and the cold wind seemed to bite at any exposed skin. Freya was wearing her thickest coat and Vivienne was wearing her large thick coat that was made from real fur. Freya didn't know why she was coming along with them. So, when they told her that she was coming with them, Freya felt surprised and slightly suspicious. The journey there took a little while and not once did Freya question anything. Even when Freya and her parents got on a boat, she never once questioned where they were going. However, it was only when Freya noticed that she was in the North Sea did she know where she was. This was only solidified when she saw a rectangular tower in the distance. Near the tower were a large graveyard and some more land.
This was Azkaban.
Even facing the Wizarding community's most fearful prison, Freya felt nothing. If it had been before Kingsley Shacklebolt's rise to power than Freya would have felt scared. However, ever since Kingsley had become the Minister of Magic, Azkaban had been purged of Dementors. While it remained in use as a prison, the guards were now Aurors, who were regularly rotated from the mainland. There had been no more breakouts since this new system had been introduced.
Freya turned her head to glance at her parents. However, both her parents ignored her. Rupert looked emotionless and Vivienne appeared to be smug. For a moment, Freya did want to ask why they were there, but she held herself back because she didn't want to face her mother's wrath for questioning her. Once they landed on Azkaban, Rupert and Vivienne immediately set off at a fast pace. They seemed to know where they were going and wasn't deterred at all by how many Auror were roaming the high-security prison. They even managed to walk past the front desk of the prison and didn't need any escorting into the cells that held thousands of criminals.
Freya followed behind, looking into cells as she passed. As she passed one particular cell, she noticed a short squat woman resembling a large pale toad. She had a broad, flabby face, a wide, slack mouth, and little neck. Her eyes were bulging and pouchy and her mousy brown hair was dishevelled and unkempt. This woman was Dolores Umbridge who had been sent to prison for her crimes against Muggleborns. However, Freya quickly looked away from the woman and continued to follow after her parents.
They walked on for a few moments more before coming to a complete stop. They had entered a separate part of the building – where all the Death Eaters were kept. Freya peaked from behind her parents of who they were seeing and saw a man who looked to be around sixty years old who had a pale, pointed face, with long pale blond hair and cold grey eyes. This man had a beard which seemed whiter than pale blond – but in the dark light, it was hard to tell the difference.
It was Lucius Malfoy.
Freya immediately knew who it was. Lucius and Draco looked very similar, it almost seemed like Freya was looking at an older and haggard version of Draco.
"Hello, Lucius," Vivienne said, a smug smirk on her face.
Lucius was leaning against the wall, not once looking in their direction. "What do you want?" He asked, his tone sounding tired.
"Oh, just coming to see if you were still alive is all," Vivienne said with a vindictive smile.
Rupert elected to stay silent and just watched this interaction.
Lucius sighed deeply and then his chest seemed to stutter. It was almost like he was trying to stifle a cough. At this, Freya examined him more closely. Lucius was thin and the bags under his eyes only made his grey eyes stand out. His skin was deathly pale and his posture slouched. Just watching him for a few moments Freya knew that he was sick – the cold conditions in the prison certainly weren't doing his health any favour.
"And you couldn't have asked an Auror for an update?" Lucius asked in an exasperation.
Vivienne's smirk became vicious. "And what's the fun in that? We are family after all." She made sure to emphasise the 'family' part and it only seemed to make Lucius frown deeper. It seemed that any reminder made him cringe. The Malfoys and the Williams were related – but most Pureblood families were related one way or another. However, the Malfoys and Williams spanned back years to where Abraxas – Lucius' father – married Rupert's aunt.
"Don't remind me," Lucius muttered lowly. Then, his grey eyes travelled past Vivienne and Rupert and landed on the youngest person there. "Who's this?" His tone was indifferent, but his eyes had sparked in curiosity. It wasn't often he ever got visitors.
"Freya, our daughter," Rupert said, speaking up for the first time that night.
Freya nearly jumped at her father's voice. She had been surprised that they were even introducing her. Usually, her parent's guests would ignore her and pretend she wasn't there. But Lucius seemed genuinely interested in who she was – something she certainly wasn't used to.
Lucius frowned and examined the young girl before him. Freya stared back at him with no emotion. After a few seconds of staring at one another, Lucius spoke. "A young child shouldn't be in a place like this. Why is she here?" He asked, looking up to Rupert. He seemed to make a point in ignoring Vivienne.
However, Vivienne answered. "She is here to remind you of the life you could have had. If you had just given into Lance and allowed your grandson to be part of the Guardian Program, you wouldn't be here. You could have been on the other side of the cell instead of rotting here." She sneered at the end as she looked at the cell in disgust.
Lucius' grey eyes turned cold. "I made the mistake of selling out my family once. I refuse to make that mistake again." If there was one thing in his life that he regretted, it was allowing his family to be involved in the Death Eaters. He had enough time to brood and think of what went wrong. If only he had turned away from Voldemort all those years ago, then he would have been with his family now.
Freya watched Lucius, feeling surprised. From what she had heard from her parents and everyone else; Lucius had always been a coward. He had joined the Death Eaters because he was a coward and he was scared. Lucius had chosen what he thought was the winning side of the war – but his loyalty wavered when he saw the turn in the war against Voldemort. Freya would have thought that he would have jumped at the chance to regain some of his honour and have a chance to climb up the social ladder – something her parents did by practically selling her to Lance Johnson.
Vivienne's eyes flashed in anger. "You're pathetic." She hissed venomously.
"No, I just can see the similarities between the Death Eaters and the Guardians. And I can confidently say that I want nothing to do with it." Lucius replied back strongly, glaring at Vivienne with a fire in his grey eyes.
Vivienne snarled and was about to reach for her wand.
"Lucius," Rupert said suddenly.
Freya eyes immediately landed on her father, and so did the eyes of Vivienne and Lucius. They all stared at him and waited for him to speak once more. Vivienne seemed to have come to her senses and had put her wand away.
"Lance is offering you another chance. If you join him, he can get you out of Azkaban and return you to your former glory." Rupert said.
Lucius was silent for a moment and then his gaze darted to Freya and back. "No." He replied back softly.
Rupert nodded his head. Without another word, he turned around and began walking away with Vivienne right behind him. Freya was about to follow them when a voice stopped her.
"How is he?" Lucius asked suddenly.
Freya turned her head and looked at him with a blank expression.
"How are Draco and Scorpius?" Lucius asked, desperation in his tone. He was now kneeling at the edge of the cell, holding onto the steel bars with a tight grip.
Freya was silent and watched him.
"Please," Lucius whispered softly.
Wetting her lips, Freya answered his desperate plea. "Draco is going well and has just become the department leader of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Scorpius is excelling in all his work and is fitting in very well." Freya said, remembering all the information Ryan had told her. Ryan had to watch the people around Scorpius carefully because there had been people who still held a stigma against the Malfoy family but Ryan and Scorpius' previous Guardians had eradicated that threat. Every now and again, one or two people pop up and try to bad-mouth the Malfoy name.
Lucius sighed in relief and relaxed in his cell. "Good."
Seeing no other reason to be there, Freya walked off and followed after her parents. She quickly caught up to them and they didn't seem to notice that she hadn't been right behind them.
HARRY POTTER