The train ride home had been a quiet one for Rose Potter and the Greengrass sisters. Astoria, while healed physically, was quieter than usual. She did not flinch when Daphne came near, but Rose could tell that the girl was more nervous than she had been before the attack. Her eyes would dart toward an opening door, for example, and her wand was never far from her hand.
She had begin studying shield spells with Daphne. When Rose noticed a textbook open to the "Reducto" curse, she grew a little more worried.
Hopefully, the time home will be good for her, thought Rose.
The attack on Justin Finch-Fletchley had taken any joy out of the end of term. The fact that he was attacked in exactly the same location at exactly the same time in all five worlds was a large, obvious clue - whoever was conducting these attacks, it seemed to be the same person in each world. Or, at the very least, the same method. Nearly-Headless Nick's condition, whatever it was, only added to the mystery. What sort of magic would petrify a ghost?
Rose still managed to find herself surprised that Friday, even with the chaos of that last attack. Professor Snape had held her back after a very tense potions class with the gryffindors. When she approached his desk, he looked at her for a long moment. She met his eyes - they had a tense working relationship, certainly, but he had never bullied her as his counterparts had in other worlds. His reasons were his own, and perhaps she would learn them someday, but it was not a critical issue at the moment.
She looked down at the workbench as he slid a parchment toward her.
"Do not forget your homework, Miss Potter. I hope your holidays are…. fulfilling."
Rose took the parchment, deciding not to open it immediately. "The same to you, Professor." She held up the document. "Thank you for this."
Snape nodded. "I trust you will use it wisely?"
"Of course, sir."
Another nod. "Good. You may go, then."
Rose dipped her head in thanks, then took her bag and left the potions lab. In the hallway, she found Tracey and Millicent waiting for her, making sure she was in a group of three. After Astoria, the snakes were taking no chances. As they watched, she opened the scroll - and grinned.
"Good news, I hope?" asked Tracey.
"The best," replied Rose. "Three names."
Tracey's eyes grew wide, and her hand went to her mouth. Millicent looked at the two of them. "You mean?"
Rose nodded.
"So what now?" asked Millicent.
"Now, we go to lunch. Later, I decide whether to handle them myself or let Lord Greengrass do the honors." Rose tucked the note into her bag.
"You could take them, Rose. I know you could." said Tracey.
Rose had to agree, especially now that she knew exactly which gryffindor sixth years it had been. "True. But a slytherin going around stabbing gryffindors in the neck? Well, it might cause talk." She ignored the snicker from Millicent.
As they walked to lunch, Rose sent the names to the link. No other Astorias, nor any other snakes, had been attacked as her Astoria had been, but if these three lions got it in their head to attack once, they might again. Spellforged's Astoria, being in Ravenclaw, was less of a target - but it turned out that Spellforged was probably the angriest about the attack, other than Rose.
Part of me wishes they would try something, he said. I can't just go tell them off cold, if they haven't done anything here. He sighed. I wish I had better connections with the lions.
You can fix that easy, Harry. Invite Neville over for lunch during the holidays, suggested Marigold. Pretend it's some sort of move with the Potter-Longbottom Alliance, and then just chat about nothing.
Marigold, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were letting your inner slytherin out. Rose's gentle comment was met with a chuckle from her sister. It startled Rose for a moment, having just realized that she thought of Marigold in that way.
oOoOoOoOo
For as much as he loved being at Hogwarts, Seeker had never been happier to get away. As the train pulled into King's Cross Station, he stood at the compartment door, trunk shrunk and in his pocket. He couldn't get away fast enough.
It was the whispers, all of them just loud enough for him to hear. "He controls the beast," they said. "He's a parselmouth!", spat as if the word was a curse. "He attacked Justin!" Even Susan Bones, with whom he had grown friendly, had snapped at him that morning. She said she didn't think he had attacked Justin, but the look on her face said it all - she thought he could have.
He was a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake. He was a Potter. How could he be the Heir of Slytherin? Logic, as Spellforged had pointed out repeatedly, was not common among wizarding folk, it seemed.
Seeker was probably one of the first dozen students off the train. As planned, he walked to the end of the platform, not far from the Floo point. Where was he? Then he saw his target.
"Padfoot!" shouted Seeker, as he saw Sirius Black standing at the back of the crowd of parents.
"Hey, Pup!" replied Sirius. He could say little else, for Seeker had grabbed him in a bear hug. "Whoa, kid, I'm gonna need to breathe!" Both laughed as Seeker stepped back. Sirius caught the look in his godson's eyes, and frowned a bit. "Everything ok?"
Seeker shrugged. "I'll tell you over dinner."
They planned to have dinner together in Muggle London, before heading over to the Burrow, where Harry would be staying for the week before Christmas. Sirius would then bring Harry with him to Longbottom Hall on Christmas Eve, where the pair would spend the remainder of the holiday. Marigold and Sirius were doing the same, only in reverse - Longbottom Hall first, then the Burrow.
Sirius gave Seeker a look, before nodding. "Alright, Pup. But you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"
Harry nodded. He knew. The pair walked to the Floo, leaving the rumors and the gossip behind, at least for a while.
oOoOoOoOo
Rose was not surprised when dinner at Greengrass Manor became a quiet affair. The term had finally caught up with the girls, and Astoria in particular was exhausted. It did not help that she would usually drive the conversation, frequently by irritating her older sister. The interplay between Daphne and Astoria never failed to bring a smile to their parents, which made its absence that much more obvious.
After dinner, Rose asked Daniel Greengrass for a word in private. Selena saw this, and quietly departed. The sisters had already gone to bed, leaving just Rose and Daniel.
Without a word, she took out the parchment she had gotten from Professor Snape. Her eyes met Daniel's as she slid it across the table.
Lord Greengrass did not open it immediately. He knew what it had to be. "Rose, I have to ask…"
"I know, sir." She said, formally. "There are no portraits in the potions hallway, and with no witnesses, the Headmaster could do little."
"So, how then?"
"It takes six minutes, at a full sprint and ignoring the moving staircases, to make it from that hallway to Gryffindor Tower. Seven minutes after the attack, the Fat Lady admitted three sixth year lions. She would not identify them by name, not to me at least, but she did complain that they had left something behind, tucked into a nearby corner. Once she said that, I searched - and found the muggle weapon they had used." She nodded toward the Lord Greengrass. "Professor Snape, it seems, can be much more persuasive than I. The three names she gave him are on that parchment."
Daniel looked down at the parchment. "Have there been reprisals?"
"No," she answered. "However much they richly deserve a beating, I did not think slytherins attacking gryffindors would do much to defuse the tensions filling the castle." She smiled softly, sipping her tea. "And if I were to be honest, attacking them directly would be the Gryffindor way, don't you think?"
Daniel nodded, absently. "Whereas, giving their names to the father of the victim…"
"...Would be the most Slytherin approach."
Daniel took a sip of his scotch, idly swirling the liquid in its glass. "A century ago, this is the sort of thing that would start a blood feud." He took another sip. "They hurt my baby girl, Rose. How do you repay that?"
Rose did her best not to shrug. "I don't know, Lord Greengrass. I am young, sir, and not much travelled."
That got a chuckle out of Daniel. "Miss Potter, sometimes I forget that you are only Daphne's age."
She drummed her fingers on the table, idly. "I had to grow up very fast, sir." Her reply was quiet, but the pain behind the statement was crystal clear.
Daniel looked down, realizing what she had said - and what she had not. "I'm sorry, Rose."
"Me too," she replied, sipping her tea. She shifted back to the topic - not wanting to dredge up more memories. "I have no advice for you, on those names. A close friend of mine would tell you to cut their tendons, and then stab them in the throat. But as much as he seems like it, sometimes, he is not a slytherin. We are."
Lord Greengrass considered that for a moment. "I assume you want to know when I do anything?"
"If possible, yes." she replied.
"Then I thank you, Rose, for this. And for looking out for Astoria." Daniel sat back in his chair, relaxing for the first time that evening. "I owe you a debt, Miss Potter."
"You most certainly do not," argued Rose. "If I had a little sister, I'd want her to be like Astoria. How could I not look after her? She's family."
The look of warmth on Daniel's face, at that moment, almost moved Rose to tears.
oOoOoOoOo
The following Wednesday, Seeker joined Sirius Black for dinner at Greengrass Manor. Rose teased him a bit about that, for she knew that Lord Greengrass would kick the children out of the room to talk business with his wife and Sirius. The idea of Seeker and Daphne having to entertain themselves made her grin.
Seeker was glad that Rose got so much amusement from his friendship with Daphne, and the reality was that he was amused by it as well. Had he not known of Rose's close friend Daphne, he would not have thought to approach the aloof and reserved Daphne of his world. Nor would he have had any hope of breaking the ice, so to speak. So far, those few times they had spoken, they had gotten along quite well - a trend he hoped would continue tonight.
When they arrived, Seeker was surprised to see another guest in the entrance hall - Lord Joseph Hillyer. Daniel Greengrass had invited the Potter Proxy to dinner in order to talk a bit of politics with Sirius, who had yet to take up the Black seat on the Wizengamot. It also gave Harry another chance to chat with his house's proxy - something they had not had many opportunities to do over the past year.
His other reason for inviting Hillyer came out during dinner.
Conversation had been light, mainly centered on the children and their studies. Sirius and Harry had both agreed not to bring up the petrifications, at least not during the meal. Harry had not had much chance to interact with Astoria, and found her as delightful as Rose and Spellforged did - the girl was one of the most sarcastic he had ever met, and she knew just when to sass her sister for maximum effect. Much to Daphne's consternation, and all to the amusement of the room.
After dessert had been served, Daniel stood up. "I have an announcement, if you will all indulge me." He raised his wine glass with a grin, before using it to salute Lord Hillyer. "I'd like to be the first to congratulate our friend, Lord Joseph Hillyer, the designer of the new Atrium at ICW Headquarters in The Hague."
Hillyer looked embarrassed at the praise, though his grin told all who could see just how proud he was. "Daniel, they just named me the designer, I haven't even filed my drawings yet."
"Oh, nonsense." Daniel replied. "By summer, the ICW will have a world-class atrium and entrance hall, together with reworked offices and a caucus pavilion for the members. Those structures will stand for a long time, and the most powerful and influential wizards and witches in the entire world will walk through those doors - into a space you designed." He raised his glass again. "When this is all done, the wizarding world will hail you as one of its finest Builders, Joseph."
Hillyer nodded and acknowledged the toast, not wanting to hijack the dinner more than he already had. "Thank you, Daniel. I hope you all are able to come to the grand opening, if and when."
"When, certainly." Said Selena Greengrass, with a smile. She would have none of her friend's uncertainty here.
"As our hostess says, sir. I'll be there as well." Sirius, seated next to Hillyer, reached over to shake his hand. Hillyer had a grin of his own, and took Sirius' hand with his own gloved right hand.
oOoOoOoOo
Later, as the group was making its way to a sitting room for after dinner drinks, Seeker spoke with Lord Hillyer.
"Joseph, something you said over the summer stuck with me, and I hope you'll help me understand."
"Of course, Harry," replied Hillyer.
"When we met with Sirius at Saint Mungo's, you said your family owed the Blacks a debt that couldn't be paid." Harry looked up at the Potter Proxy. "If you don't mind me asking, sir, what did they do? Sirius says that it isn't his story to tell."
Hillyer paused in a doorway, then turned to Seeker. Leaning against the door frame, he considered his future head of house. "It's not that interesting of a story, honestly."
"From what Sirius has told me, the Black family wasn't one to give aid to other families. Certainly not light ones, from the way he was talking." Harry sat in a nearby chair. "Please, sir."
A nod. "Alright. Well, you know about Grindelwald, in the thirties and forties, yes? Good. And you know about Voldemort in the seventies." Harry nodded, impressed at the use of Voldemort's name. "What isn't talked about very often is the fact that many followers of Grindelwald escaped justice, and continued to cause trouble here and there between the two wars."
Hillyer got a faraway look as he told the tale. "One day, my grandparents were attacked in their home. Both were killed, though not without putting up a fight. My grandmother, in her final moments, disillusioned her daughter with a powerful charm - so that while the attackers eventually found her, they did not find the daughter."
Harry leaned forward, hanging on every word. "The daughter, then?"
Hillyer smiled. "My mother. She was found some hours later, when the spell wore off. Scared the auror half to death, it did, a baby appearing in the middle of a battle-damaged house. But who would take her in? My grandmother had been technically muggleborn, but was actually the first magical child in her line after generations of unknowing squibs. My grandfather was the last of his house as well, so there was no magical family to seek out. It seemed as if my mother, this little baby girl, would end up in an orphanage."
Harry suppressed a shudder. The Dursleys had been hard enough to handle, he could only imagine how bad an orphanage would have been. "So what happened?"
"Lord Arcturus Black, Sirius' grandfather, learned of the attack and stepped in. He arranged for an adoption with a family in the United States, and stood as one of my mother's guardians." He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "That simple act of kindness ensured that my mother grew up in a loving home, surrounded by magic. In turn, it eventually brought my family in contact with the Potters, and led to me being here, with you and Sirius and the others."
"I can say, without hyperbole, that Arcturus Black saved my mother's life, and mine as well, with that one simple act. He never told me why, either - when I would bring it up with him, he would smile softly to himself and say that the debt was paid." Hillyer shook his head. "I never understood that. As I said this summer, from my seat at the table, this is a debt that cannot be repaid in full."
"It sounds almost like a Potter thing to do, actually." said Harry. "What was it, on our crest? 'To do the right thing, to see that it is done?'"
Hillyer grinned, impressed. "Wisely said, Heir Potter. Perhaps some of old Charlus rubbed off on Arcturus, in that moment." He offered his gloved hand to Harry. "But enough of old ghosts, Harry - our hosts are surely wondering where I've taken you."
Harry took the offered hand, and its firm grip, and stood. "Daphne will want me to distract her sister, I suspect."
"In that case, this may help." Hillyer reached into his robes, and pulled out a small package. As Harry took them, he saw that it was a deck of muggle playing cards.
"Do you play Euchre, by any chance?"
oOoOoOoOo
Molly Weasley had put together a lavish feast for Christmas Eve. She did not say that it was in honor of Marigold and Sirius coming to the Burrow for the holiday, but they all knew. Molly loved to cook for an audience.
Marigold's offers of assistance were swiftly rebuffed, as were everyone else's.
After the meal, and the seemingly endless pies and tarts that followed, the family adjourned to the living room, which seemed to have expanded to encompass the entire Weasley clan. It was the first time in years that all seven children were home, and the conversation was lively.
Sirius grilled Charlie on his job overseas as a dragon handler, while a fascinated Marigold listened closely. She turned away only when she heard the twins quietly asking Bill about his job with Gringotts, and if he could help them get funding for a joke shop someday. Sirius and Marigold shared a look at that.
When Fred suggested that they wanted to follow in the footsteps of the Marauders, Sirius chuckled to himself - and resolved to tell them about Padfoot someday.
Eventually, the food and the hour caught up to them, and the family went to bed. Marigold gave Sirius a hug before he floo'ed to his cousin Andromeda's home. The Tonks family had invited her over for lunch after Boxing Day, and Marigold was eager to meet more of her 'family'.
Ginny was already asleep when Marigold sat down on the folding cot in her room. A light still shone over the girl's desk, and on it she saw the diary.
Marigold stood over the desk, looking at the leather volume. It seemed old, much older than a girl's diary really should be. The gold embossed lettering on the cover caught her eye, less for its style and more for the name it displayed - which was not G M Weasley, as she had expected.
She gently nudged the link with her thoughts - no need to wake anyone at this hour. Does anyone know who T M Riddle is?
Only Spellforged was awake, which did not surprise her - she was uncertain if the ravenclaw ever slept. It rings a bell, but I can't place it. Why?
Ginny has a diary that she's been writing in all term, almost to the point that she's a little weird about it. It has that name on its cover.
She opened the cover, just to see the first page - she did not want to read her friend's diary, but she was worried. Ginny had been bright and fun-loving over the summer, but ever since they had gotten to Hogwarts, she had withdrawn into herself. Her brothers had not noticed, as they all had their own concerns - but she had. After Platform 9 and three quarters, she had watched Ginny closely. Once you paid attention, the changes were obvious.
It's blank. She stared at the first page of the diary, before flipping to the next one. Then the next. The entire diary was blank.
Really? Asked Spellforged.
Marigold leaned forward, preparing to write on the first page. She looked at her hand, realizing that she held a quill that she didn't remember picking up. With her left hand, she closed the diary, before backing away.
I almost wrote in it. It felt like I had to. Marigold sat down on her bed, her hand now shaking. I can still feel it from here.
A compulsion. The distaste in Spellforged's voice was real.
Yeah, agreed Marigold. What the hell kind of diary is this?
The kind you avoid, Marigold. There it was, Spellforged's 'Don't argue with me' voice.
No kidding, really? Marigold shook her head. But what do we do about Gin?
Marigold looked across the room to her friend, who seemed to be sleeping soundly, a soft smile on her face.
A/N: No need for #justiceforastoria, folks, Rose is on it. But as with everything she's done this year, even more than the last, she is looking at it through the lens of what it means to be Slytherin - and what it should mean.
Meanwhile, by request, welcome back Lord Hillyer. Wizarding architecture fascinates me, so expect a visit to The Hague over the summer holidays.
(We'll also have about 15k words detailing the five going trunk shopping, because I realize - to my horror - that I forgot that almost mandatory scene. Should they get trunks with seven rooms, or eleven? Are two potions labs enough?)
Feedback, as always, is welcome.
