Chapter 7
A Million Questions Unanswered
The second great shock of the evening.
"What do you mean you haven't seen her?" Ron asked incredulously. "She didn't leave a letter, she doesn't owl you? Are you actually trying to tell me that your mother just randomly and utterly deserted you? Owww!" Ron added after a shift kick to the shins from Ginny.
"Yes," Cordelia said rather curtly, raising a solitary eyebrow at Ron. "That is exactly what I'm telling you. Before, my mother and I traveled all over the world, to Asia, Africa, the Americas, the West Indies. And then we went to visit my grandmother in France. My mother tucked me into bed the night we got there, and when I woke up the next morning, she was gone. And I haven't seen my mother since she kissed me goodnight nearly 11 years ago."
"You poor dear, that must have been horrible for you," Mrs. Weasley said, reaching out and patting Cordelia's hand gently.
Cordelia gave a sincere smile. "My grandmother wasn't all that worried for some reason. She said people like my mum simply needed to roam, and she probably thought that I needed some kind of stable household. My grandfather died before I was born, so it had always been the two of us after my mum left. I went to Beauxbatons during the school year and we traveled during the summer. But then she died-" Cordelia choked on the word for the second time that night- "I didn't know what to do and the Department of Offspring Survellance-"
"I've never heard of that department," Ginny cut in. "Where's that?"
Cordelia smiled. "It's under the Department of Lineage. One of the things they do is keeping track of orphaned children. But anyhow, hey had come and told me that I had been accounted for. And then Professor Snape came for me, and we met Professor Dumbledore in Paris, and he told me that I'd be living here. So here I am, the first time in my family's home." The corners of her mouth tilted up pleasantly.
"But-" Harry began and immediately stopped himself. He didn't need to proclaim that the house was his, yet.
"But what?" Ron probed.
"Well, aren't there certain complications with that idea, PROFESSOR?" He emphasized the last word harshly.
"I know about the Order, Harry," Cordelia said, never missing a beat. She raised a thin, appraising eyebrow. "And I have no problem with allowing the Order to use my home as headquarters as long as it is needed."
Harry stared back at Cordelia, his disbelief morphing into outrage. Sirius had left the house to him. The nerve of this girl, just suddenly appearing, claiming to be Sirius's daughter, walking right in and assuming the house was hers.
"Actually, Sirius left the house to me," Harry said tersely. He found himself glaring at Cordelia.
"You are both right."
The table turned towards Lupin.
"Sirius left the house to both of you," Lupin said, sensing the tension mounting between the two. "But he obviously didn't mention this to both of you. Or think that it would in anyway be a problem."
"Well, I think that's a fine introduction for tonight!" Dumbledore said, springing to life. Snape was just coming down the stairs and was surveying the group with mild interest. Harry watched him swiftly move down a corridor to the right and disappear into a room.
"You five are off to bed," Mrs. Weasley said. She hardened her glare. "And I do mean sleep. Ginny, please show Cordelia where she will be sleeping."
Ginny and Cordelia went up, followed by Hermione who managed to whisper a "meet me on the landing" to Ron and Harry. The aforementioned boys turned to go upstairs as well.
"Harry, could I have a word?" Remus asked. Dumbledore was beside him.
"Yeah." Harry felt himself slip deeper into a crummy mood.
They walked into a small room Harry had assumed was the Black family study. The bookshelves were filled to the brim with volumes of books. They all appeared to be of the Dark variety. Worn covers carried nasty titles, one of which, Effective Torture: Suitable Alternatives to Death, made him shiver. Harry sat down on the slightly faded black leather couch, which suspiciously began to shape to his form snugly.
"Why didn't Sirius tell me!" Harry exploded. It seemed more like a statement than an expression. "How could he not mention that he had a wife, let alone a daughter? Either I'm daft or she's full of it!"
Dumbledore sighed heavily. That was beginning to annoy Harry greatly.
"That is a question that we cannot answer for you completely. We have no idea what his reasons really were.
"But I can tell you this, Harry. In Azkaban, the dementors will feed off of every happy thought you have, no matter how fleeting. The ones that bring you the most joy they will devour right off. After prolonged exposure, sometimes your happiest thoughts are gone forever. That very well could have happened to Sirius."
"It was hard for him, Harry," Lupin added. "He had loved Rellivia and Cordelia so much, and after a while with no contact from them even allowed, he just lost hope. And then the most terrible thoughts about them must have flooded his head, and to be honest, he probably tried to forget about them, and succeeded.
"And then he was able to get to you, Harry, and you just became his main focus, since you needed him so much. So it was quite a shock to for him to find Cordelia again. And then it was two different people that he was trying to hold on to and look after.
"To be perfectly honest, he just never got the time to sit down and tell you. It was something he felt he couldn't do with merely word from an owl. With Voldemort and the Tri-Wizard Tournament occupying your mind in your fourth year, and again, with Lord Voldemort in your mind last year, Sirius thought that you already had enough on your mind. And of course the Order reconvened as well. It's just so unfortunate that you had to find out this way. He wasn't trying to hide it from you at all."
"Sure." It was a hollow reply. It was all that Harry could muster.
"Another thing. Sirius had hoped that by leaving the house to the two of you, it might somehow foster a friendship-"
"Friendship?" Harry laughed sarcastically. "She seems a little too impertinent."
"Harry, people seem to be a lot of things," Remus pointed out. "Give her a chance. She is probably a little irritable from the journey."
"Okay, I'll try," Harry said half-heartedly, rising from his seat and moving towards the door.
"Harry, one more-"
But he had already shut the door. Harry walked silently up the stairs, partially fuming, partially pondering.
How could Sirius think that it was better not to tell him about his family? Why wouldn't he share something so important with him? Something that could affect his life so greatly?
But then again, why would he have to tell you at all, a second voice in his head spoke. They were Sirius's family, not his. Anything he said about then was his business, and totally optional. Some things are a little too personal to share, and Harry could relate to that. In the end, it was just shocking to Harry. He felt a bit betrayed somehow.
Harry glanced the clock on the wall. It read 12:30 AM. The portraits of Sirius's dark ancestors were sleeping soundly. Harry shivered when he passed the heads of house elves on the wall. He was surprised to see a plaque next to the youngest head.
'Kreacher' it read. And that was it.
"Served him right," Harry mumbled.
He reached the landing where he had slept last year. Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be seen. A single message hung in the air, in loopy silvery writing that shone in the moonlight: 'They'll see you in the morning, dear,' it read. Harry walked through the misty writing and it instantly vaporized. Harry thought of knocking on Hermione's door, but thought better against it. As he put his hand on his own doorknob, he heard a sound from the door across from his. Harry walked over and put his ear against the door. He heard muffled crying. He was almost positive that it was Cordelia.
Serves her right, came into his mind, and immediately he regretted the thought. Out of all people he knew exactly how she felt, feeling so alone and abandoned.
Harry silently trudged into his room. Ron was sleeping fully-clothed on top of his own bed. He had been trying to stay up and wait for Harry, but had obviously failed.
Harry threw on his pajamas and jumped into bed. His mind was heaping with various thoughts.
First, it was of Sirius, who had failed to tell him something so important, which left him feeling betrayed.
Then, there were Dumbledore and Remus, who seemed to know a lot more than they were letting on.
And finally, Cordelia, who had never angered him more than any person, nor intrigued him more so.
It was a while before Harry fell into a fitful sleep.
A Million Questions Unanswered
The second great shock of the evening.
"What do you mean you haven't seen her?" Ron asked incredulously. "She didn't leave a letter, she doesn't owl you? Are you actually trying to tell me that your mother just randomly and utterly deserted you? Owww!" Ron added after a shift kick to the shins from Ginny.
"Yes," Cordelia said rather curtly, raising a solitary eyebrow at Ron. "That is exactly what I'm telling you. Before, my mother and I traveled all over the world, to Asia, Africa, the Americas, the West Indies. And then we went to visit my grandmother in France. My mother tucked me into bed the night we got there, and when I woke up the next morning, she was gone. And I haven't seen my mother since she kissed me goodnight nearly 11 years ago."
"You poor dear, that must have been horrible for you," Mrs. Weasley said, reaching out and patting Cordelia's hand gently.
Cordelia gave a sincere smile. "My grandmother wasn't all that worried for some reason. She said people like my mum simply needed to roam, and she probably thought that I needed some kind of stable household. My grandfather died before I was born, so it had always been the two of us after my mum left. I went to Beauxbatons during the school year and we traveled during the summer. But then she died-" Cordelia choked on the word for the second time that night- "I didn't know what to do and the Department of Offspring Survellance-"
"I've never heard of that department," Ginny cut in. "Where's that?"
Cordelia smiled. "It's under the Department of Lineage. One of the things they do is keeping track of orphaned children. But anyhow, hey had come and told me that I had been accounted for. And then Professor Snape came for me, and we met Professor Dumbledore in Paris, and he told me that I'd be living here. So here I am, the first time in my family's home." The corners of her mouth tilted up pleasantly.
"But-" Harry began and immediately stopped himself. He didn't need to proclaim that the house was his, yet.
"But what?" Ron probed.
"Well, aren't there certain complications with that idea, PROFESSOR?" He emphasized the last word harshly.
"I know about the Order, Harry," Cordelia said, never missing a beat. She raised a thin, appraising eyebrow. "And I have no problem with allowing the Order to use my home as headquarters as long as it is needed."
Harry stared back at Cordelia, his disbelief morphing into outrage. Sirius had left the house to him. The nerve of this girl, just suddenly appearing, claiming to be Sirius's daughter, walking right in and assuming the house was hers.
"Actually, Sirius left the house to me," Harry said tersely. He found himself glaring at Cordelia.
"You are both right."
The table turned towards Lupin.
"Sirius left the house to both of you," Lupin said, sensing the tension mounting between the two. "But he obviously didn't mention this to both of you. Or think that it would in anyway be a problem."
"Well, I think that's a fine introduction for tonight!" Dumbledore said, springing to life. Snape was just coming down the stairs and was surveying the group with mild interest. Harry watched him swiftly move down a corridor to the right and disappear into a room.
"You five are off to bed," Mrs. Weasley said. She hardened her glare. "And I do mean sleep. Ginny, please show Cordelia where she will be sleeping."
Ginny and Cordelia went up, followed by Hermione who managed to whisper a "meet me on the landing" to Ron and Harry. The aforementioned boys turned to go upstairs as well.
"Harry, could I have a word?" Remus asked. Dumbledore was beside him.
"Yeah." Harry felt himself slip deeper into a crummy mood.
They walked into a small room Harry had assumed was the Black family study. The bookshelves were filled to the brim with volumes of books. They all appeared to be of the Dark variety. Worn covers carried nasty titles, one of which, Effective Torture: Suitable Alternatives to Death, made him shiver. Harry sat down on the slightly faded black leather couch, which suspiciously began to shape to his form snugly.
"Why didn't Sirius tell me!" Harry exploded. It seemed more like a statement than an expression. "How could he not mention that he had a wife, let alone a daughter? Either I'm daft or she's full of it!"
Dumbledore sighed heavily. That was beginning to annoy Harry greatly.
"That is a question that we cannot answer for you completely. We have no idea what his reasons really were.
"But I can tell you this, Harry. In Azkaban, the dementors will feed off of every happy thought you have, no matter how fleeting. The ones that bring you the most joy they will devour right off. After prolonged exposure, sometimes your happiest thoughts are gone forever. That very well could have happened to Sirius."
"It was hard for him, Harry," Lupin added. "He had loved Rellivia and Cordelia so much, and after a while with no contact from them even allowed, he just lost hope. And then the most terrible thoughts about them must have flooded his head, and to be honest, he probably tried to forget about them, and succeeded.
"And then he was able to get to you, Harry, and you just became his main focus, since you needed him so much. So it was quite a shock to for him to find Cordelia again. And then it was two different people that he was trying to hold on to and look after.
"To be perfectly honest, he just never got the time to sit down and tell you. It was something he felt he couldn't do with merely word from an owl. With Voldemort and the Tri-Wizard Tournament occupying your mind in your fourth year, and again, with Lord Voldemort in your mind last year, Sirius thought that you already had enough on your mind. And of course the Order reconvened as well. It's just so unfortunate that you had to find out this way. He wasn't trying to hide it from you at all."
"Sure." It was a hollow reply. It was all that Harry could muster.
"Another thing. Sirius had hoped that by leaving the house to the two of you, it might somehow foster a friendship-"
"Friendship?" Harry laughed sarcastically. "She seems a little too impertinent."
"Harry, people seem to be a lot of things," Remus pointed out. "Give her a chance. She is probably a little irritable from the journey."
"Okay, I'll try," Harry said half-heartedly, rising from his seat and moving towards the door.
"Harry, one more-"
But he had already shut the door. Harry walked silently up the stairs, partially fuming, partially pondering.
How could Sirius think that it was better not to tell him about his family? Why wouldn't he share something so important with him? Something that could affect his life so greatly?
But then again, why would he have to tell you at all, a second voice in his head spoke. They were Sirius's family, not his. Anything he said about then was his business, and totally optional. Some things are a little too personal to share, and Harry could relate to that. In the end, it was just shocking to Harry. He felt a bit betrayed somehow.
Harry glanced the clock on the wall. It read 12:30 AM. The portraits of Sirius's dark ancestors were sleeping soundly. Harry shivered when he passed the heads of house elves on the wall. He was surprised to see a plaque next to the youngest head.
'Kreacher' it read. And that was it.
"Served him right," Harry mumbled.
He reached the landing where he had slept last year. Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be seen. A single message hung in the air, in loopy silvery writing that shone in the moonlight: 'They'll see you in the morning, dear,' it read. Harry walked through the misty writing and it instantly vaporized. Harry thought of knocking on Hermione's door, but thought better against it. As he put his hand on his own doorknob, he heard a sound from the door across from his. Harry walked over and put his ear against the door. He heard muffled crying. He was almost positive that it was Cordelia.
Serves her right, came into his mind, and immediately he regretted the thought. Out of all people he knew exactly how she felt, feeling so alone and abandoned.
Harry silently trudged into his room. Ron was sleeping fully-clothed on top of his own bed. He had been trying to stay up and wait for Harry, but had obviously failed.
Harry threw on his pajamas and jumped into bed. His mind was heaping with various thoughts.
First, it was of Sirius, who had failed to tell him something so important, which left him feeling betrayed.
Then, there were Dumbledore and Remus, who seemed to know a lot more than they were letting on.
And finally, Cordelia, who had never angered him more than any person, nor intrigued him more so.
It was a while before Harry fell into a fitful sleep.