Disclaimer: Nope not today. Should be though.
Holidays
Hermione stepped into Val's dorm room, and saw that none of the other sixth years had made it up yet. That was a good thing.
"Val. Can we talk?" Hermione asked seeing Val sitting on the floor beside the window with her back turned towards her.
"Nothing to talk about, Mione." Came the sniffling response.
"Maybe you should talk to Harry?" Hermione suggested. She knew that Val was closer to Harry than either her or Ron.
"I don't think that would be a good idea right now." Val said wiping some of the tears from her face.
"There are things you don't know about Sirius. Harry should tell you." Hermione suggested.
"If you're talking about the fact that Sirius was innocent all along, I already knew that. I heard my fath…. Lucius speaking with one of his friends concerning it a few years back. He knew all along. He gloated so over the fact that Sirius had spent so many years in Azkaban. It thoroughly disgusted me." Val said looking up at the stars.
"Val. You don't want to be a Malfoy, and you just found out that you aren't. Isn't that a good thing?" Hermione asked knowing Val was hurting horribly.
Val didn't speak for a moment. Then her voice softly said. "It should be, but my life has been turned upside down. I lost my mother when I was five. I lost any hope for a normal life at that time. But I became accustomed to the life I had. Now I find myself with a different father, who might have shown me a different type of life, but the only problem is that he's been dead for over a year now. I've lost my name. Don't get me wrong. Being a Malfoy was not something I was proud of, but it was mine for sixteen years. And to top it all off I've lost the one good thing that I had while I was growing up. I've lost my brother. So I'm sorry Hermione, at this moment, I don't think talking to you, or Ron, or even Harry, is going to take this pain away. So if you don't mind, please leave me alone."
Hermione turned and walked away. She knew that she could stay and argue with Val, but what good would it do? The pain was too new, and it would be some time before it went away.
Val continued to sit looking out at the stars, but for once in her life she felt no comfort from their glow.
"She's gone." Hermione said slumping into one of the common room chairs. After her talk with Val the night before, she had found herself unable to sleep. So at first light she had went back to Val's dorm to try and talk again. But the girl was nowhere to be found, and her dorm mates had never heard her leave.
"Gone. Gone where?" Ron asked frowning.
"I don't know. She's not in her dorm and her bed doesn't look like it was slept in." Hermione said biting her lower lip. "You don't think she'd run away, do you?"
"Where to?" Harry said skeptically. "She has never known a place that I think she'd feel safe going. I think I'll just go check my map." Harry suggested.
"We don't have time, Harry. The train will be leaving soon." Ron piped up.
"I think she needs some time, Harry. You might want to just give her until break is over." Hermione suggested.
"All right, but I still think I should stay here." Harry answered.
"You can't, Harry. Dumbledore is counting on you." Hermione said sighing deeply, "And neither Ron's nor my parents would understand us skipping Christmas because we are worried about a friend." With these words said they stood and walked from the common room heading down to the Main Hall where they would leave for Christmas Holidays.
Ron continued the conversation after they boarded the train. "From what she told you last night, I doubt she'd talk to us even if we did stay here." Ron said frowning. "Why did Malfoy have to be such a git? I was sure he cared for her after that row with Snape over her."
Harry sat silently thinking. After every thing that had happened that year he too was positive that Draco would do anything for Val. "Apparently that was before he figured out she wasn't really his sister."
"Well I know to someone like Malfoy that would mean something, but they grew up together. You'd think that would count for something." Ron said bitterly. "Damn, if I'd only have kept my mouth shut at that Quidditch match. Maybe things would be different."
"That wouldn't change the fact that she's not his blood." Harry said staring out the window.
When they reached the train station at King's Cross Harry could see Remus Lupin waiting for him. "Harry. I'm so glad to see you in good spirits." Remus had been so very worried about Harry during the months he was at school. Even though Albus and Nymphadora had assured him that Harry was very happy while at Hogwarts, Remus still remembered the night that he had mended Harry's bleeding hand. He knew that teenage emotions were sometimes extremely unstable.
"Hello, Remus." It was still very difficult for Harry to use Remus' first name, but he couldn't very well call him Professor Lupin anymore. "It's good to see you."
Harry turned giving Ron and Hermione parting hugs and receiving a very motherly hug from Molly Weasley. "Will we be seeing you for Christmas?" Molly asked hopefully.
"We'll try to make it, Molly. Harry and I have a lot to get done this holiday." Remus said smiling at her.
Remus and Harry pushed through the barrier, and Harry soon found himself in a Muggle car and pulling away from the station as he watched Ron and Hermione waving at him brightly.
"So, Harry. How has school been?" Remus asked smiling brightly.
"Good, but…" Harry started but wasn't sure what to say.
"Is something wrong, Harry?" Remus asked frowning at Harry's uncharacteristic inability to finish his thoughts.
"Have you spoken to anyone from the school recently?" Harry asked, not sure if maybe Remus would already know about Val.
"Not for a few days. Has something happened?" Remus asked still not used to Harry beating around the bush.
"Do you know anything about Lucius Malfoy's first wife?" Harry answered his question with yet another question.
"Ah, Helena Maxwell. Yes, I knew her well. Her death was a very sad thing." Remus said realizing that Harry must want to talk about the new friend he had made in Valissa Malfoy. Tonks had told him all about the girl and her friendship with Harry. "So what is her daughter like?"
"From what I've been told she's exactly like her mother. She's kind, compassionate, loving and she's not a Malfoy." Harry said staring at Remus.
"Well no those are not normal Malfoy qualities, now are they, Harry?" Remus laughed slightly but his laughter died as he saw the serious look on Harry's face. "What is it, Harry?"
"Draco found Helena's private journal. It said that Val isn't Lucius Malfoy's child." Harry answered.
Remus nearly swerved from the road. He looked quite strange to Harry and at that moment Harry realized that Remus understood. "Why that dog." Remus said shaking his head and chuckling slightly.
"Sirius never mentioned a woman." Harry said smiling at the ironic reference to his godfather.
"Oh, Harry. This is a very long story. One that I can not tell you in a short car ride." Remus explained.
"But you will tell me?" Harry asked not wanting to be shut off from information again.
"Yes, I think I should. Your friend Val will need to know this story too, eventually." Remus said nodding. "How is she taking it?"
"Not well. She disappeared this morning. I almost didn't come today. I thought maybe I should stay at the school and find her." Harry said honestly.
"Well, I wouldn't have blamed you if you had. But I'm glad you came." Remus noticed that Harry was much more relaxed about going back to Black Manor since he had someone else to worry about. "Will you be okay, going back to Black Manor I mean?"
"I think maybe I need to." Harry said smiling at the older man, whom he had been very fond of at one time. He had been thinking during the entire train ride. He knew he couldn't go on the way he had the summer before. He dearly missed Sirius, but life had to continue, and he needed to learn as much about Sirius as he could, not only for his own sake, but for Val's also.
He remembered Remus' words from the summer also. He looked over to him and saw the strained, wearied look that was common for him. He knew that Remus had been staying at the Order Headquarters all alone during school. And Remus had said how alone he was with Sirius and James gone. It wasn't fair for Harry to think of just himself.
"I'm glad to see you are thinking again." Remus said as a true smile crossed his face and lighted his eyes, making him look so much younger.
"Yeah, It's about time." Harry said relaxing into his seat more.
As soon as they entered the Manor Harry felt a sort of depression try to swamp over him. How could one place feel so evil and foreboding? "I feel it too, you know." Remus said helping Harry to remove his coat.
Harry was surprised at his words. He turned a questioning glance to Remus. "What is it about this place that makes your skin crawl. It's almost like a Dementor's Kiss. I enter this house and I feel as if I will never be happy again." Harry said shivering at the thought.
"Sirius felt it too. Only those that have truly faced a Dementor or worse can feel it though. Arthur and Molly don't feel it when they are here. I've discussed it with Albus before. He thinks that there is some sort of dark magic woven into the house itself, by some of the original members of the Black family. But it can only be sensed by those that have been the most deeply affected by dark magic already." Remus explained for Harry. These were things that the Order had thought he was too young to know yet, until now. But he was not a child anymore. He was a man, and would soon be an active member of the Order.
"Is there any way to remove the dark magic?" Harry asked with a slight amount of relief. It was a relief to know that his behavior from the summer had been partly due to his environment, and not just his own juvenile attitude.
"We have not found a way as yet, but Dumbledore still searches." Remus answered leading him into the kitchen. "Now, Harry. Sit. I'll make us a small bite to eat and we can talk about a few things."
Author's Note: An evil plot bunny just snuck up on me, and now this story will be a little bit longer than I originally intended, but then again, that always happens to me. What else can I do? Next chapter, a lot of information about Sirius and Helena.