Author's Note- Sorry this took so long!!! Glaz, will you please email me back? You never answered when I sent you this chap. So, peoples, please forgive all editing mistakes! Next chapter will be up as soon as I finish it! You've waited too long, so I'm going to shut up now.
Disclaimer (sorry, but it's required)- I own nothing. It all belongs to the Great Harry Potter People. Everything. I'm not getting paid, not even a cent.
Erika – The Legacy of Lily and JamesIt was December. The entire wizarding world in England and other parts of the world had their faces constantly pressed to the Daily Prophet, reading for news on the captured Snake Eyes members. They were being questioned every day. The Hogwarts students were no exception to this, reading eagerly for news.
But there was no news on the thing both Meg and I were looking the most for: her brother. It appeared he hadn't been questioned yet.
"That's strange, they've questioned everyone else," I observed after we set down another Daily Prophet with no news for us.
"It is strange," Meg agreed, "Why aren't they questioning him? You'd think they'd question him first."
I nodded, "Maybe they're waiting for something. We'll get the real news soon, though. It's almost Christmas, and Harry's bound to know something more than what the Daily Prophet's telling us."
"You're going home for Christmas, then?" Meg asked.
"Mrs. J and Sarah want to take us to look at dresses for the wedding. Only a few months left before Harry and Sarah'll be married. They're also starting to plan the building of the house. They won't actually start the building until the snow is gone, but with magic the building won't take long at all," I answered.
Meg grinned, "You're excited."
"Yeah. We're going to have a proper family now. It's going to be great. Harry and Sarah both want kids, and we're going to live in a proper house," I said, "I've only ever had Harry, and I've only had him for a few years. Now I'll have Sarah, too, and her family," I replied, grinning.
Meg laughed, and we looked up as the remainder of the owls dropped their post. One owl dropped an envelope right into Meg's lap before hooting and flying off.
"What's this?" Meg asked, "I never get mail."
I shrugged, I couldn't think of any reason for her to be getting mail. Meg read it quickly, and her hand tightend on the parchment, wrinkling it.
"They want me to talk to my brother. He's refusing to say anything until I talk with him," Meg hissed, "They want me to go to talk to him over Christmas break."
"What?" I asked, shocked.
Meg nodded, "I... I don't want to. I hate my brother."
"I know," I whispered, "Why would he want to talk to you?"
"I don't know. He thinks I'm a traitor. He hates me, I'm sure of it. Why does he want to talk to me?" Meg asked.
"They can't make you go," I reminded her.
Meg shook her head, "It's the Ministry. Dumbledore may have unofficially cut me off from them, but they're still the ones who are paying for me, giving me an allowance every month. If I don't they'll offically cut me off themselves, and I won't have any money."
"Anya'll give you some," I assured her.
"Anya's getting paid to keep me, too. And she can't get paid too much from this job," Meg said.
I shrugged, "Dumbledore won't make you go if you don't want to, Meg."
Either way I wasn't surprised when a prefect called Meg up to see Dumbledore later that day. I was, however, surprised when they asked for me to come, too.
"I know why Dumbledore needs to see you, but why does he need to see me?" I asked as we waited outside Dumbledore's office.
Meg gave me a worried look, and I knew she was thinking the same thing I was: something bad had happened. Again. Just as things were starting to calm down for me.
Anya opened the door to the office, and looked ready to walk out when she saw us, and stopped dead.
"Hi Meg, Erika," she said.
She wasn't smile, but she didn't look too troubled. That had to be good, sort of.
"Bad news?" I asked, biting my lip.
Anya smiled, "Not really, Erika. Not for you, at least. Meg already knows that she's waiting for bad news."
"I don't have to go, do I?" Meg asked, completely skipping the explination of what her bad news was.
We already knew. Her half-brother was demanding to see her, and he wouldn't talk without talking to her first.
"The Ministry is insisting, Meg," Anya whispered, "They want the information he has, and he's refusing to tell anything without talking to you first."
"Can't they just use Veritaserum?" I asked.
Anya shook her head, "The Ministry has to abide by their own laws. They set up the policy just a few months ago. Veritaserum must be used with the willingness of the person it is being admisitered on. They hammered that one out for all the wrong reasons."
"So he's refusing to take it?" I asked.
"Yes. He's promised he'll take it once he talks to Meg, but not until," Anya replied.
Meg looked angry, "He's a dirty liar. I hate him. I hate them all. Why should I have to talk to him? He probably just wants to tell me that they're trying to kill me. As if I haven't noticed. Or, better yet, he'll probably try to kill me."
"I've spoken to Dumbledore. I've told him that as your official guardian-of-sorts I refuse to let you go alone. I'm going to go with you," Anya said, "He won't try to kill you while I'm there."
"I'm coming, too," I added in.
Anya turned to look at me, an uneasy look on her face.
"Don't say it," I warned, "I'm going, even if I have to steal Harry's invisibility cloak."
Anya grinned, then said, "You'll have to ask Dumbledore."
"I will," I assured her.
"Well, he wants to see you, so I'll see you two later," Anya said, and hurried down the stairs.
Meg and I went into Dumbledore's office. He was smiling.
"As I am sure Miss Jones has already told you," he started, "It appears as though you must go and speak to your brother, Miss Riddle."
Meg nodded, "Anya did say."
"I've made all the arrangements, and I spoke with Mr. Potter. You're to meet with the prisoner over the Christmas holidays. You'll return to London with Miss Potter, and stay with her until your meeting with your brother, the day following. Miss Jones has asked to accompany you," Dumbledore told her.
I cut in, "Professor, I'd like permission to go as well."
Dumbledore examined me for a minute, thinking over the idea.
"Miss Potter, I do not know if this is a good idea," Dumbledore said, carefully.
"Meg's my best friend. I want to go with her, to help her," I protested, "Please, Professor."
Meg nodded, "I want Erika there, Professor. I want Anya and Erika there."
Dumbledore finally nodded, "All right. After the meeting you will return to the school. Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and a few other members of the Order have agreed to accompany you here."
"Yes, Professor," Meg said.
"You are, both of you, to listen to whatever Mr. Riddle may say in his meeting with you. You will tell me when you return," Dumbledore said.
We nodded, and agreed.
Dumbledore dismissed us, and we left his office. We weren't very far from the gargoyle when Meg stopped, and leaned against a wall.
"What?" I asked.
"I don't want to go. I really don't," Meg whispered.
"You only have to be there for a few minutes. Only a few words, that's all," I said, trying to offer some comfort.
Meg shook her head, and looked up at the ceiling.
"Why does he want to talk to me, anyway? He hates me. He always has. First it was because Ruth favored me, and Ruth was the favorite of Grandfather. Now he hates me because I'm a traitor. There was never any brotherly-sisterly feelings between us, between any of us. Why does he want to talk to me?" Meg asked.
I shrugged, "Maybe he's sorry."
"Yeah, right. We weren't taught to regret," Meg whispered, "I was the only one who ever regretted anything, and I regretted everything."
"But maybe now that he's been captured..." I started.
"Won't change a thing, I know it won't," Meg interuppted me, "Erika, we were taught to never, ever, regret anything we did. We were told that to regret something is to be weak. 'Never feel sorry, never, or you will be killed.' They told us that at least twice a day. And when I started to feel regret..."
She trailed off, leaving me staring. Meg swallowed, and looked at the ground.
"I found poison in my food. Just like what happened a few weeks ago," Meg whispered, "They tried to kill me, just like I was always told they would. He's not sorry for anything. Because if he thinks he feels sorry for anything, he thinks he'll be killed. Or, worse yet, he'll kill himself."
We had a Hogsmeade trip before we returned for the holidays. It was very cold out, and a lot of the students were sick. So the group making the walk through the snow to Hogsmeade was small. Avery was sick, so it was Meg, Lucy, and I. Lucy was in a cheerful mood. Meg was glum, the impending meeting with her brother constantly on her mind. I was a medium, resting somewhere between the two.
"We'll see if we can buy Avery some of those candies they have, the ones that make you feel very cold. Freezers, or something. That way, her fever'll go down," Lucy said, wrapping her arm in her scarf.
"I don't think it'll work, Lucy, or Madam Pomfrey would've tried. But we can buy them anyway," I replied, peering through the thick falling snow.
"Maybe we can get her some butterbeer, too," Lucy continued, "She's so grumpy because she can't come. I do feel sorry for her, but I'm glad I'M not sick. I hate being sick, especially just as Christmas holidays are coming up."
I pulled my cloak closer to me, trying to keep the cold out. Meg was looking in the direction of the forest, her face emotionless.
"What's wrong with you two?" Lucy asked, "Every since those Death Eaters were caught you both have been really depressed. You especially, Meg. I'd think you'd be happy, Erika, they kidnapped your brother's fiancée."
"It's nothing, Lucy," I whispered, "Where do you want to go first?"
Lucy returned to her chatter about Hogsmeade, and I began to seriously think about making sure she never had sugar in her breakfast again.
I bought gifts for my family and friends in Hogsmeade, as did Lucy and Meg. After we were done with our shopping, Lucy suggested we go get something to drink.
"I could go for a Butterbeer," I replied, shrugging, looking in the direction of the Three Broomsticks.
"I've got a better idea," Lucy said, "This new drink shop opened not far from Zonko's. I saw a sign for it while we were shopping. It's called Senora Garza's."
I looked over at Meg, who shrugged.
"Why not?" I answered.
So the three of us trudged off in the direction of Zonko's. It took us a few minutes to find Senora Garza's, and when we did find it we found a shop decorated with a clearly Spanish style. "Senora Garza's Drink Shop" was scrawled on the back wall in both English and Spanish.
"Five Knuts says Senora Garza is Spanish," I whispered.
Lucy knudged me, and we sat down. We weren't the only students there, there were a few other groups sitting at tables around the room.
An older woman, whom I presumed was Senora Garza, swept over to our table where bright orange and red robes.
"How can I help you?" she asked, with a fake Spanish accent.
I nearly laughed. The woman wasn't Spanish, she was English. That much was clear. You can always tell if someone is trying to speak with a foreign accent and can't.
"We'll take three butterbeers, Senora," Lucy ordered.
Senora Garza nodded, "Of course. Right away."
Once she left I buried my head in my hands so I could laugh.
"What? What's so funny?" Lucy asked.
"Senora Garza," I replied, still laughing, "She's not Spanish. She's English. Her accent's all wrong."
Lucy srunched her eyebrows and asked, "How d'you know?"
"They tried to teach us Spanish at the orphanage. Or, rather, the older kids. I never got to learn because the teacher, Senorita Something or Another, who was born and raised in Spain, quit. Something about the students being to rowdy and throwing her books out the window," I answered.
Meg wasn't looking at me, she was looking past me, her face the same, emotionless. I turned my head and saw a group of people seated at the table behind us. They weren't students, they were older, and they were staring at us. When they saw my face they started whispering.
"Now what is it?" Lucy asked.
I watched as Senora Garza delivered their drinks, and they started whispering something to her.
Lucy repeated her question, and I turned back to her.
"Nothing," I said.
"I don't believe you," Lucy told me, "You've both been acting really weird today. What's going on?"
"Nothing," I repeated, firmly, "Bad day, that's all."
Lucy still didn't look convinced.
"Excuse me, ladies," Senora Garza said, sliding up next to our table, looking very upset about something.
Her eyes flicked to Meg, then to me, then she spoke again.
"I must ask you to leave, politely. You are disturbing quite a few of my customers, and I, Senora Garza, pride myself on how calm and serene my drink shop is."
Lucy looked incredulous, and asked, "You're joking, right? You want us to leave?"
"I'm afraid so. I'm very sorry," Senora Garza said, "But as I said, you are disturbing..."
"We know, we're disturbing your customers. How? All we're doing is sitting here," Lucy pointed out.
I knew exactly why we were disturbing the customers. It was because of Meg, and most likely, me, too. Quite a few wizards and witches didn't believe our stories and thought us both spies for Voldemort. The fact that we were sitting in the drink shop probably gave them thoughts that we were going to kill them all.
"It's all right, Lucy," I said, "We'll go over to Three Broomsticks. At least we're welcome there."
Three Broomsticks was a popular spot for students on weekends, a lot of villagers didn't stop there during Hogsmeade weekends. And the students knew us, we'd be welcome there. Well, maybe not entirely welcome, but we wouldn't be shunned.
Lucy was still shocked.
"Erika, they can't just chuck us out," Lucy hissed, "We should be able to argue this."
"Lucy," I protested, "There's a completely different point behind this, that we should be arguing. But here is not the best place."
Meg knew what I was talking about, and grabbed her cloak.
"Erika's right, Lucy," Meg chimed in, "Besides, I'm not sure I want to drink here if I know I'm not welcome."
It began to dwell on Lucy what this whole thing was about. And about time, too.
I stood up, and grabbed my cloak as well. I thought about saying some comment, but figured there was no use. They'd just think worse of me, of us, if I said anything else. So I just stood there. Lucy had to surrender, and grabbed her cloak.
"How rude," she whispered, and we left the shop.
Standing outside, in the street, she turned to us.
"I can't believe it. They don't trust you enough to let you even share the same drink room with you. How terrible," Lucy said.
I shrugged, "It's hard times, and it has been for many, many years. A lot of people stopped trusting. And we need their trust because our histories are so far-fetched. But no one trusts us, so neither of us are liked."
"You know, Erika, it's amazing how fast you can go from being a normal giddy teenage girl to being a time-wizened thinker," Lucy whispered.
"I have to," I said, "Like you said, I'm time-wizened."
There was silence for a minute, then Lucy asked, "So, how about Three Broomsticks."
"I'm not thirsty anymore," Meg whispered, "Let's just go back up to the castle. I feel sick."
So we headed back up to the castle, walking in silence except for Lucy's occasional outbursts.
The Hogwarts Express came to take us all home for the holidays. It was a long ride, and Meg was more depressed then ever, her meeting with her brother constantly on her mind. I, on the other hand, was happy to be going home. I had seen Harry and Sarah twice since Sarah's kidnapping, and this holiday would be spent mostly planning the wedding. My dress would be chosen, and I would get to see the plans for the house that would be built in the spring. It was a promising holiday.
It was a long trip to London, and Meg was quiet. I talked with Lucy and Avery, who were both returning for the holidays and shared the carriage with us. It was a relief to pull up to King's Cross.
Harry and Sarah were waiting for us by Platform nine, as always. I hugged them both, and then grinned.
"Both of you? This is quite a surprise. Usually one of you is doing work for the Order," I said.
Sarah smiled, "I am. They asked me to see to it that Meg, here, is delivered safely to the Potter apartment."
"I'll get something to put your trunks on," Harry offered, "We should get out of here. Sarah's made us a nice dinner."
While Harry found us a cart I made Sarah tell us all about the meal she had made. We reached the apartment about an hour later (traffic was horrible).
Meg and I immediately settled in. Ron greeted us as normal, before rushing out for a date with his girlfriend.
"Ron's thinking about asking Lizzie to marry him," Harry told us, "And he's highly nervous, as usual."
I grinned, and asked, "When is he going to ask her?"
"Who knows? When he gets the nerve, probably," Sarah replied, pouring our drinks.
"Where's Becky and your mum?" I asked, looking around.
Sarah laughed, and said, "Oh, don't worry, they'll be back soon. Mom dragged Becky off to run errands."
Meg and I helped Sarah set the table while Harry transferred the food onto platters.
"Have you heard from your friend, Jewel? The one that went to France?" Sarah asked.
"A few times," I answered, "She's happy over there, I think. Her letters sound like she is."
"That's good. By the way, what time'll Anya be here tomorrow?" Harry asked.
Meg replied, "Nine."
"We'll be back before lunch," I added.
"I have to work tomorrow," Harry told me, "But I'll be back by dinner, though. Is Anya going to stay for dinner?"
Meg shook her head, "No, she has to get back to Hogwarts as soon as she can."
The buzzer rang, and I ran over to get it.
"It's Becky," the voice on the other end said, "Will one of you come down here and help us carry this stuff?"
"I'll be right down," I replied, then went back into the kitchen.
"Becky and your mum are back. I'm going down to help them carry some bags," I told everyone.
Without waiting for another word, I hurried out of the apartment and downstairs. Mrs. J and Becky were busy trying to keep the door open. I laughed at the sight of it.
"Need help?" I asked.
Becky turned and saw me, "Erika! I thought that was your voice. Mom kept saying it wasn't."
We carried the bags up and while we finished up dinner Mrs. J and Becky showed us all the things they'd bought, including bridal magazines. That entire night we had to sit there listening to, "Isn't that cute, Sarah? Won't that be a nice centerpiece?"
And while some of the stuff was nice, some of it was simply hideous.
Mrs. J, Becky, and Sarah left at eleven, and we all went to bed.
Anya was prompt to arrive at our apartment. The four of us were already awake, and three of us had already eaten breakfast. Meg refused to eat, saying she'd vomit it up and there was no point in that. And Ron hadn't really eaten much of anything. He'd picked at his food. Harry called it "pre-engagement nerves".
It was a pretty solemn morning, and Anya didn't brighten the mood much.
"Are you two ready?" she asked, dusting off her robes.
We both nodded. We were both in robes and had our hats in our hands.
"All right. The sooner we go the sooner we can leave," Anya said.
We flooed to the Ministry, and were met nearly immediately by a wizard, who introduced himself as Gregor Fransin, Department of Justice.
"I will be your escort. The prisoner is currently being kept downstairs, but after his questioning will be sent to Azkaban to await trial," Mr. Fransin explained, "Will you follow me?"
We had to have our wands inspected, and then followed Mr. Fransin to the lifts. Poor Meg was shaking, and was holding her hands together tight so no one could see. But they were turning white because of how tight she was holding them.
"It's only a few minutes, Meg," I whispered, "And Anya and I will be there the whole time."
Meg spoke through her teeth, and said, "I still don't want to see him. I hate him. I broke off all contact with him years ago! I never wanted to see him again, and I still don't."
Our lift was not touched, whether by coincidence or the Minister's order. When the door to the lift opened and a voice announced the floor. I couldn't hear it because Mr. Fransin was already speaking.
"Down those stairs there," he told us.
Our group trooped down the stairs and then down a hallway led by Mr. Fransin. Finally, he stopped in front of a door.
"The prisoner is through there," Mr. Fransin said, "I will wait outside for you, but there are others inside the room."
He knocked on the door and it opened. I couldn't see behind the wizard who opened the door, but we were quickly ushered in.
It was a small, dank, room. Meg's brother sat in a chair against one wall. His hands and legs were bound to the chair with metal restraints. Four other wizards stood in the room, waiting for us. Anya and I were directed to a bench against a wall. Meg was left alone.
"Ralph," she whispered, "You wanted to see me."
He stared at Meg for a few seconds, then nodded, "Megan. My long-lost-half-sister... what a pleasure."
He scowled at her.
"Why did you want to see me, Ralph?" Meg asked.
"They're trying to kill you, you know," he sneered, "You and your friends over there, Potter and Jones. I recognize them."
"We've noticed, Ralph," Meg replied.
He laughed, a hollow, evil, laugh.
"I'm sure you have, but you don't know how deep it lies. There is a traitor at Hogwarts, Megan. He's working hard to destroy you, and all the others our grandfather sees fit to die. And there's a great many of them. The poison might have failed, but his mind is always turning, always scheming. I'd watch your back, Megan, or you might end up like Adrienne."
Meg closed her eyes, and Ralph saw her discomfort. He grinned.
"Oh, I know all about Adrienne. I was there, you see. Grandfather thought it would be a good idea for me to watch Ruth. How victorious! One of the traitor grand-daughters dead! Now Grandfather won't settle until the other is dead," Ralph hissed.
Meg opened her eyes and asked, "Why are you telling me all this, Ralph?"
"Ruth asked me to drop you some hints. She says she likes chasing a little," Ralph said, "But you would know that, wouldn't you, Megan?"
"Who's the traitor in Hogwarts, Ralph? They're going to find out when they question you as it is," Meg said.
Ralph laughed again, "I wouldn't know."
He glanced around the room, and continued, "You know what's funny about this world, Megan? These... people... trust people with their lives, the same people who would stab them in the back just because they're a little scared. It's really such a stupid world. Ours is so much better, Megan. Why didn't you come back when you had the chance?"
"I will never, ever, go back, Ralph. YOUR world is a joke. You have no trust and you'll stab anyone in the back if you think it will make your own position higher. At least there are honest people in this world, even if they are a minority. There are none in your world," Meg hissed.
Ralph grinned, "So many people have lost their lives because they believed in that. People like your friend's parents, the Potters."
He glanced over at me. I felt like smashing his face in, and would have jumped up to do so if Anya hadn't grabbed my arm.
"Erika, it's not worth it. He's going to suffer so much more. It's not worth it," Anya whispered to me.
Ralph was laughing.
"Do you want to hurt me, Potter? Do you really think you could get that close to me, a grandson of Lord Voldemort? Your entire family was stupid. Your parents, and now your idiot brother and you. Your brother and Johnson deserve each other, those stupid idiots. So trusting. Do you know what Johnson sounds like when she screams? It's very enjoyable..."
It was getting harder and harder to listen to Anya's whisperings. I wanted nothing more than to cause pain, great pain...
The other wizards in the room were rushing forward, saying something about "provoking violence".
"You may go," one of them said to us.
The three of us left the room. Ralph saw us leave.
"Watch your back, Megan! Trust is a façade, Megan, remember that or you'll end up like..."
But we never found out who Ralph said Meg would end up as, because the wizards silenced Ralph. As we left we saw someone rush past us with a vial of Veritaserum.
Author's Notes- So, how did everyone like it? Does everyone like the title for the sixth book "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"? Wonder who it is! And can someone please tell me how I can preserve the seperations (for lack of a better word)??? Well, that's it. Review, now! Please!