21. Blood ties

Voldemort smiled slightly and touched gently the scar on the Auror's cheek.

'Haven't you ever wondered who your father was?' he asked softly.

Vega felt her heart sank and she shivered. No...It couldn't be truth...

Voldemort's red eyes flashed.

'Yes, Vega. You are my daughter!' he said solemnly 'The only child of Tom Marvolo Riddle. And the last heir of Salazar Slytherin.'

A deathly silence fell. No one dared to move or breathe. It was a shock. Even Snape, always so composed, looked as a man whose worst nightmares had come true.

Vega was ghastly pale, she was shaking. Her grey eyes were burning feverishly.

'NO !!!' she yelled shrilly and fell to her knees.

Voldemort was looking at her unflinchingly.

'Don't deny it, daughter' he said gently 'You know it's truth. Who could you inherit from your talent and ability to the Dark Arts? Good heavens, not from Annie ! She has never mastered the simplest dark curse. Beside, you speak Parseltongue. And that is a sign of the Slytherin's heirs.'

'But...' whispered Sirius in a shaking voice 'But Vega was at Gryffindor...'

The Dark Lord smiled mysteriously. Vega closed her eyes. She was at Hogwart again, the Sorting Ceremony was about to begin...

***(September 1st, 1972)

Professor McGonagall looked at the list and read the next name.

'Vega Starlight.'

Vega approached the three-legged stool. She put in the Sorting Hat and a broad brim fell on her eyes. Suddenly she heard a quiet voice.

'Hmm, interesting, interesting...' the Hat was muttering 'I see a great talent. Hmm... Rare talent. Unusual. I haven't met something like that for a long time. You will achieve great deeds, my girl. Yes, there is only one house for you' it paused and then shrieked loudly 'Slyth...'

It choked and broke off suddenly when Vega grasped the brim with both hands and pulled it deeper on her head.

'Shut up!' she hissed 'I will not go to Slytherin ! I want to be Gryffindor!'

'Release me ...' stammered the Hat struggling widely.

In response Vega tightened her fingers much stronger.

'Chose me to Gryffindor!' she growled through the clenched teeth.

'I cant...' the Hat was moaning in a weak voice 'You belong to Slytherin...'

'No!!!' yelled Vega.

The Sorting Hat stiffened. It was motionless for a while and then it announced in a hoarse, strangely slow voice.

'Gryffindor!' ***


Vega shuddered and pressed the hands to her feverish forehead. Her ears buzzed, bright circles were whisking in front of her eyes. Suddenly she heard a serious voice of Voldemort.

'When I look at you I see Tom Riddle as he was in the times of his study at Hogwart. The same features, the same gestures, the same manner of talking. Only eyes you inherited from your mother. Annie...' he whispered 'She was watching as you grew up and she could see me in you. And every year she was more and more afraid. It killed her.'

Vega rose her head. He eyes were empty and cold.

'The time of truth has come, daughter!' said Voldemort solemnly 'I've been waiting that moment for years. I was watching over you. It was me who saved you that night at Lupins' house when that idiot Malfoy cast the Killing Curse on you.' his face twisted in rage at very memory 'I knew the day would come when you stand in front of me and know who you really are' he smiled triumphantly 'Your place is at my side, daughter. It's your destiny. Together we will master the whole world ! No one will resist us !'

Vega's eyes flashed. She looked coldly at Voldemort coldly.

'If you think that I betray everything Dumbledore died for...' she began passionately.

'Dumbledore!' laughed the Dark Lord sneeringly 'Don't be naive! He cheated you. He was not blind. He knew me and he could see who little Vega Starlight resembled. He has been always suspecting the truth. But recently he made sure. He found an old letter Annie had written to Tom to tell him stay away from their daughter.'

Vega clenched her fists.

'It's not truth...' she whispered dully 'Dumbledore would tell me...'

Voldemort laughed sinisterly.

'You're wrong. He has been hidden the truth from you on purpose. He was afraid you could stand on my side.'

'But why...' Vega whispered hectically 'He knew me. He knew I would never betray him...' a terrible suspicion transfixed her like an icy arrow 'He didn't trust me?!'

She shivered again. Her grey eyes were burning. She felt that hatred and rage were growing in her heart. Hatred to everybody, to the whole world.

Voldmeort was watching her with a real pleasure.

'It's not the only secret of old Albus' he drawled venomously 'Not only he concealed your origin from you but also he kept secret the truth about himself.'

'What truth?' hissed Vega.

Voldemort smiled maliciously.

'Albus Dumbledore, so noble, so honest...' he sneered 'Interesting, how would the people react if it appeared that the Hogwart's Headmaster comes in straight line from the house of Salazar Slytherin.'

Harry was petrified. Dumbledore come from the Slytherin's line? It was amazing itself but it was something else that rankled his heart. Why did the old wizard conceal it? It was him who told that not the blood in our veins decided about who we were. Dumbledore was widely esteemed and respected. Why didn't he say the truth?

Judging by the expression on the wizards' faces they must have asked themselves the same question. Red eyes of the Dark Lord twinkled vindictively.

'Old Albus had a reason to keep his origin secret' he chuckled devilishly 'A very interesting reason...Do you know how Lord Voldemort was born?' he asked suddenly.

He waved his wand and opalescent letters appeared n the air forming an inscription:

DUMBLEDORE

The Dark Lord was staring at it thoughtfully.

'In the Muggle orphanage I heard many fairy-tales' he said 'Many of them tell about the witches and wizards. Of course, they have nothing to do with us. Usually they are old and ugly.' he laughed silently 'When they want to cast a spell they say a magic formula: "Abrakadabra". I was really surprised when I knew in Hogwart that it's very similar to the incantation of the most dangerous curse, the Killing one. You should only change "b" into "v". I thought that a son of Muggle and the witch should use somehow that amazing fact. Let's make similar change in the name of dear Albus...' he waved his wand 'and let's see what we get...'

The letters whirled and formed a new inscription:

VOLDEMURDE

The Dark Lord laughed cynically.

'Albus' daughter, Felicia, fell in love with Muggle' he said 'Shame for the Slytherin's house! Her father renounced her. But Muggle was a scoundrel and he left his wife when he knew that she was a witch. Felicia died giving birth to her son. Strangely familiar story, isn't it...?' he smiled gloomily.

Harry was staring at the burning letters thunderstruck. Did it mean...?

'Felicia Dumbledore was your mother?' whispered Vega.

'And your grandmother' assented Voldemort 'Dear grandpa has never taken care of me. Then he had qualms of conscience, of course. But it was too late ...' he whispered sinisterly 'His grandson became the most powerful Dark Wizard of the world!'

'Unfortunately,' somebody said with a bitter irony 'And I could never forgiven myself for that.'

Everybody turned round surprised and stood paralysed, thoroughly shocked. At the door of the hall Albus Dumbledore was standing.

'YOU!!!' shrieked Voldemort, his red eyes were burning 'It's impossible! You are dead! Unless...' his face twisted in the expression of wild fury, he slowly turned round his head and fixed murderous gaze on pale Snape 'You lousy traitor!' he hissed with hatred.

A gloomy smile appeared on Severus' thin lips. He was free. Finally he could take off his mask!

Voldemort looked horribly. His pale face twisted in terrible grimace and sinister, icy hiss came through his clenched teeth.

'Traitor !!!' he howled furiously 'And what about Grindelwald? What about your inheritance ?! What about your revenge?!'

'Revenge...' Dumbledore smiled sadly 'Yes, revenge is a luxury of gods...and demons. Demons like you. You desire nothing more then revenge on me. And that's why you believed Severus.' irony twinkled in his light-blue eyes 'I have known for years that Severus is Grindelwald's grandson. I knew well his mother, Hekate.' he smiled with melancholy 'Yes, I defeated Grindelwald and I believe I had done a right thing. We used to be friends but he loved the Dark Arts too much. It destroyed him and he was past help....' he sighed heavily 'But when he was dying in my arms, arms of the man who had killed him, he forgave me and begged me to take care on his daughter. And I fulfilled that promise. I was the one who gave to Hekate Aranus, Grindelwald sign, that now belongs to his grandson.'

'But the poison...?' whispered Vega 'Minerva saw everything...She saw Snape bending over your body...'

'That's true' said Severus calmly 'not to kill him, however, but to save his life. Impostor didn't mention that he caught up Albus first and pricked him with a poisoned dagger. He had stolen several drops of the Morsanguis potion from my office, he wanted to be sure that the task would be executed. He didn't know however,' he smiled sneeringly staring at Sirius with hatred 'that the poison would not kill Dumbledore. There wasn't the blood of the Dark Lord in it. It was still very powerful potion, but I had an antidote. I didn't prepare that potion to destroy Dumbledore 'Snape's black eyes flashed widely 'But YOU!'

With lighting speed he pulled out from his sleeve a little knife of a thin, cylindrical blade and cast it at Voldemort. The Dark Lord didn't move. He was staring hypnotised at the steel flying towards him. But suddenly, when the blade almost touched his heart, McNair lunged forward and shielded the wizard with his own body. The knife stuck in his throat up to its helve. The Death Eater groaned hoarsely and fell to the ground.

Next second Dumbledore said loudly an incantation and the ropes, binding Vega's hands, untied. The Auror bent immediately and pulled out a wand, hidden in her boot. The Death Eaters stood paralysed.

'Killed them!!!' roared Voldemort and he had hardly managed to dodged a fiery disc cast in his direction by Dumbledore.

Sirius turned round to Snape, his dark eyes were burning with the purest loathing.

'Avada Kedavra !' he sceamed laughing madly.

Severus clenched his teeth and rose his wand but in the same moment Vega appeared in front of him, yelling: 'Reflectio!'

A blinding light flashed, somebody howled shrilly. Snape closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Sirius Black was lying on the stone floor, motionless, dead.

Vega staggered and she would fall down if Severus hadn't hold her up.

'Are you all right ?' he asked anxiously but before the witch could answer, a Death Wave swooped on them.

'Protectio !' the called in unison.

The stroke pushed them several steps backwards but the shield resisted. Vega and Severus looked at each other, smiled and attacked the Death Eaters like two angels of death, sowing terror and death.