Hey everyone,
WOW! I need a breather. I'm going to try and make this chapter as light-hearted and friendly – friendly not humorous – as possible. Why the former and not the latter? Because making a joke about a fourteen year old facing a ferocious dragon is just wrong. And I know that Harry won't take well to his book-self's thoughts, but that just has to happen.
Let's try this, shall we,
Venquine1990
Shout-Out To:
Jostanos
Kirsty21
Wishfull-star
V.L. Crawford
Chapter 51
Families, Burned and Hidden
4th of November 1993
Gryffindor Common Room
Jeffrey's POV
Harry is actually the one to wake us up an hour or so before breakfast and while it takes Jessie a little longer to wake up, do I worry over him as he seems to have taken off his anklet. I take Harry apart from where everyone else is waking up and getting ready and ask: "What happened? Where is your anklet?" And to my relief does Harry answer: "I tested to see if it was still needed earlier this morning. I was able to put both feet on the floor, barren, and nothing happened.
I am still able to sense dark thoughts, but not the ones of the prisoner. These seem to be of everyone else and how much they hate everything bad that happens in the books. It's annoying, but not painful or anything." I nod at this, glad to know that Harry sensing the darkness of the prisoner's thoughts and feelings was only a stage of his powers developing and then remember something else that happened, something that makes me grimace again.
"What's wrong?""We were reading the last chapter last night and a part of it was – really bad. It happened after we finished reading about the ComC class and when you guys were waiting to enter the dungeons. Malfoy had these badges that were just stupid and then started sprouting a bunch of insults that made you draw your wand on him. He did the same, but your spells didn't hit each other; they hit Goyle and Hermione.
Snape then came out and while he did send Goyle to the Hospital Wing, he insulted Hermione, who had gotten hit in her teeth with an extension charm, making it so that her teeth just kept growing. It made her burst into tears and you got into detention for yelling at Snape over it. But while you went into class, your – your thoughts turned dark – like darker than your actual powers." This seems to really worry Harry and I whisper: "You imagined Snape – under the Cruciatus Curse."
And instantly Harry yells: "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME!" But I slap my hands on his face and hiss back: "Book-you, Harry! Book-you. And what's wrong? You're a teen, a son of someone who apparently suffers from what they call family madness and you've been suffering for days under the pressure of having suddenly been forced into the Tournament. Well, that and you can be a right prick when you want to be."
Yet my joke seems to fall on deaf ears, making me grimace as the portrait hole opens again and dad rushes in. "I heard a yell. What's going on?" The man asks and Harry turns red with embarrassment as I explain: "I told Harry about his thoughts in Potions." The man nods, calming down and turning to Harry who mumbles: "I – I just – I can't imagine myself – thinking – like that."
At which dad smiles and says: "Good. That proves you've learned your lesson and I'm sure Professor Snape will be happy to hear that. I am calling him that just for the occasion. And it also proves that we really are changing the timeline, because you are becoming someone other than the person we are reading about." And this makes Harry smile at him in relieved gratitude.
The others then finish waking up and getting ready and together with Harry's dorm mates, who all assure Harry that they don't think less of him over what they read the other night and with Ron catching Harry up on the rest of the chapter, do we leave the common room. We head for the floor with the chambers with our parents and there the adults join us.
Mum comes to walk beside dad, who is behind Harry and Ron and in front of Jessie and me and dad quickly catches the man up to speed. And as we walk, do I notice that Uncle Severus, as I personally decided to call the man last night, is walking behind the two. The man nods after hearing dad's description of what Harry is like and how he is not his book-self and I can see a look of relieved acceptance on his mostly passive face.
We enter the Great Hall and I notice that grandpa is standing at the Owl Stand in front of the Head Table. Yet this is only the first thing I notice and it actually takes me another minute before I realize what the other change is all about. The other House Tables are gone and in there place are dozens upon dozens of small side tables with couches and chairs set around them. And there seems to be a scroll of parchment lying on one of the armrests of each chair or couch as well.
"Greetings everyone. I'm sure you've noticed the change I decided to bring to the Great Hall. I have been wanting to bring this change to the interior for the last few days, I just wasn't entirely sure how to apply it. Yet last night I remembered that the House Elves are closely connected to the Great Hall and decided to enlist their help.
The scrolls you see lying around are for you to decide how you wish to adapt your seating area according to you and your partners. Please take your seats as I have more news that I wish to share with you all." Grandpa happily tells us and while quite a few students have a few issues as they are unsure as to where to sit, do they get help from either year or House Mates or even friends from other Houses, the last one making the teachers smile as they see this.
The Gang, Squad and our parents all take three groups that each have only couches and we all make sure that the couches are large enough to fit three or more people. Our parents also help us change the colors to match our various Houses or – in the case of Isaac, Joshua and Hermione – their favorite color, which is surprisingly amber brown for all three of them. And when everyone has taken their seats and the seats have been changed, do I take another look around.
"Wow, the Great Hall looks like someone tried to paint a rainbow on the street, only for a huge rainstorm to hit his work or something." I think to myself and this makes me hold back a snicker with effort before Grandpa gets everyone's attention and says: "As I promised the other night, I will now reveal why that one line from the file affected me so much. As some of you will probably remember, did Harry ask me about other potential grandparents last night.
He did not, with this, mean to ask if I have a wife or something like that. As I said, I had a sister. One who I believed, until last night, to have been killed when I myself was only a few years out of Hogwarts. However, it appears that some form of magic saved her, just like Lily's magic saved Harry back in '81. I have asked my brother, Aberforth who runs the Hogs Head, to go look for her. I also, very strongly, believe she is being held hostage by Pettigrew."
This story shocks and astounds the entire Great Hall and I notice Harry looking down, a thoughtful look on his face. "What's on your mind, little bro?" I ask him and he mutters: "Pettigrew. He liked to the play the unexpected kind of game. Meaning that, if he is the one holding grandpa's sister hostage, he probably has her somewhere no one would ever think to look for her. I'm just – I'm trying to think of places where that could be."
Yet to this grandpa smiles at the boy and says: "Just leave that to Aberforth, Harry. If anyone knows how to go against other people's expectations, it's definitely my brother. However, if any of you have a potential idea, please tell your Head of House. They will tell me at the end of the day and I will convey the most plausible ideas to Aberforth after this. For now, let us focus on the reading." Yet Harry shakes his head and says:
"Actually I – I might have – one idea." And the fact that he is hesitating on his words intrigues the Headmaster and makes me look at my little brother in concern. "Pettigrew knew. He knew about our actual relationships. He knew mum was my mum and not my dad like he made everyone believe. He was also the one who made everyone believe that Aunt Lily was my mother and that she was dead. So what if – what if he uses people who actually are dead – to hide my grandmother, who is also supposed to be dead.""Wait, like who?" Ron asks and Harry answers:
"The people who, if not for the MMB, would be my grandparents. Maybe – and I do mean maybe – Pettigrew hid Grandma somewhere near their graves? I mean, would grandpa Aberforth even think to look at the gravesite of Muggles I am only supposed to be related to, but of who he knows nothing?" And by looking at Grandpa's face do I already know that this is probably not the case. Then Aunt Lily gets up and says:
"I'll go check. Send Aberforth after me, will you?" Grandpa nods and after Aunt Lily kisses the four twins goodbye and assures Uncle Lupin that she'll be safe, does she leave. And because I am sure that others will also worry over her until her return, do I decide to put their attention elsewhere. I raise my arms and use my powers to summon the book over with a gust of wind. And while this makes Uncle Remus look at me and the book with tension, do I start to read.
Lily's POV
I actually hesitated after leaving the Great Hall as I have never actually got the chance to visit my parents' graves or be at their funerals thanks to Petunia. I did, however, thanks to a friend of mine from Primary School, who was unfortunately killed in a Death Eater Raid two months later, find out where the two were buried. Yet this fact is one I am now considering a curse instead of a blessing, even though I know I need to do this.
I'm sure that Harry remembers my story of how my parents were buried in a cemetery that was later destroyed by Voldemort and Fiendfyre, yet because of Pettigrew and how he lives to make us expect the unexpected, can I not help but think: "Where else would one look, but in a place where there is nothing left of the dead. No one would expect there to be even so much as a body, unless the body had been hidden there after the fire."
I have my wand out as I think this, part of me terrified of running into Pettigrew, yet I squish this part down by the anger I feel, not just over the fact that his escape created another prophesy, but also at remembering all of the horrible things that were caused by his MMB. I cautiously move past the wards of the school and then walk a few more feet, not just to stall until I have to Apparate, but also to make sure that I am far away enough from the wards for them not to affect me.
Yet when I start being able to see the decorations in the windows of the first houses stationed at the front of Hogwarts, do I grimace as that proves I have been going beyond the point of it being necessary or precautious and I think: "Here goes nothing." And while strongly focusing on an ability I haven't used in over a decade and the location that is now clearly visible in my mind, do I make a sharp twist to the side.
The sensation of being pushed through the thinnest of tubes almost overwhelms me and I lose my footing a little upon landing. Yet to my relief is the whole street deserted as well as the large roundabout pathway that is build around a small ditch of water which is in front of the entrance to the cemetery. I look around and make sure to conjure a bouquet of flowers before hiding my wand within the bouquet and walking towards the entrance.
"Greetings, ma'am, may I ask who you are here to visit?" An elderly looking man asks me as I reach the entrance gate and I kindly smile at him, while casting a non-verbal spell to check him for potential weapons or a possible disguise. And while both spells come up empty, do I answer: "Good morning, my good sir. I'm here to visit my parents graves. You see, there was a long feud between me and my sister when they were killed by those terrorists of the seventies.
We only recently made up, so I feel confident in being able to come here and visit them without her wanting to get me arrested for trespassing. Yeah, it was that bad. The half of the last several years has actually been spent trying to get back my half of the inheritance they left us. And to be honest, we haven't really made up, persay, but we have come to the agreement that she doesn't have the right to take me mine. So yeah, here I am. Sorry, am I rambling?"
But while the man grins and shakes his head, have I been casting several more non-verbal spells to check the man as well as our surrounding area and he says: "No, not at all. Tell me, what are their names, dear?""Steve and Peggy Evans. My dad was born in 1939 and died in 1974 and my mum was born in 1942 and died four months later. Though, to be honest, a-another reason I haven't visited all these years is – well, you know – the fire."
The man grimaces at this and nods as he says: "Aye, I know about those, lass. We're still not able to do anything with most of the ground there. Though we have managed to actually dig out a lot of the burned ground in some parts, digging several miles underneath the burnt parts, and refill the holes with new bits of ground.
Here, give me a minute, I need to see if your parents' graves were among those we decided to do this with. If so, then I apologize. Your sister did not inform us about you and took the decision to accept this without you." At this I sigh as that does sound like something Petunia would do, with or without the MMB potentially mellowing her more hateful side down. The man goes into a small stall next to the entrance and I follow him.
I see him take a seat behind a computer and he seems to have a whole system of documents about all of the graves and their respective sites. The man scours these documents, the whole thing going much too fast for me to keep up, and after a few minutes he says:
"Ah, here it is. Steven and Peggy Evans. Hmmm, nope, it looks like we haven't done this to their graves yet. Though that's not exactly a good thing, seeing as that means there will be nothing left there. You sure you still want to go, lass?" I nod at the kind man, grateful for his care and say: "It's 20 years overdue, sir. I – I need to, for my own sake."
The man nods and says: "Very well, go through the gate, take the first left at the large courtyard path you will see behind it and then just follow that for seven paths that you will see on your right. You'll recognize when you get to the burned part and then follow the same path for six small red poles that you will see in the ground. Your parents were buried behind the sixth pole." I nod at him, grateful for his directions and wave him goodbye.
But while I opened up and even showed off some of the pain I felt over not having been able to do this for over 20 years, did I not let my guard down and I lower the arm that holds the bouquet in order to make sure I can, sneakily, twist my wand to aim at the man behind me. This to make sure I can cast a shield spell the minute I feel him about to cast a curse my way. This, luckily enough, doesn't happen and I take the turn to the left as the man instructed.
And when I turn to look at the man, do I see that he is actually laughing at something he seems to have seen on his computer screen, a genuine look of good-hearted humor on his face. "Pettigrew isn't here, Lily. Don't let your inner Alastor out right now, it's not needed – yet." I softly admonish myself as I walk the path the man told me. Yet while I say this, can I not actually get myself to do so and I constantly cast security spells at every sideroad that I pass.
It takes me only ten minutes to reach the part of the cemetery that is still burned to less than a crisp and where even the stone path and all of the marble and other headstones have been burned to ashes and black dust. I do spot small red signs standing up in the ground and pass six of them before turning right, casting a detection charm at the two small poles that I pass. I walk over what I can only assume was once the path between two rows and look around.
And only then do I realize that I am actually the only one and that my latest Homenum Revelio Charm came up with only two signs of human life, the guard at the entrance and I myself. Instantly I pull my wand out of the bouquet and start to cast much more complicated and specific detection charms. And while I know that it's a body that I'm looking for, do I focus on other things as well.
I walk the entire path which looks to be endless meters long, once again hating the fact that I never got to see where my parents were buried before their graves were destroyed. Yet at the same time do I take a strange kind of solace at the sight of all this burned dust and ash. "At least they – they didn't suffer when it – when it happened. And – and neither was – was Voldemort able to – to use them for an Inferi Army if – if he ever wanted one." I think to myself.
Then suddenly, when I pass another bit of molten ground, does my detection charm suddenly pick up on something. This startles me and I cast the charm again, trying to determine where the spell picked up on what it detected. I turn to the left and crouch down, using my wand to gently and carefully wiping away small bits of dust and ash. And after a few swipes do my eyes widen as I spot a hint of brown amber showing itself from underneath the ash.
I instantly use my wand to lift it up, only to regret it right after as it shows a horrible disfigured and broken headstone with burn marks all over it. Yet even with all of this, is the name and some of the other text on the headstone still very much intact. Steve Evans bo… …-06-1939 death …-…-1974. Lo- fathe – hus – son a – bro –. I run my hand over this, easily able to discern the text, yet hating myself for having forgotten my dad's actual birthdate, or at least the bit that is burned away.
I close my eyes, trying to blink away the tears that prick in my eyes and regain my inner strength and need to focus. I take a few deep breaths and then open my eyes again, running my wand over every bit of text I can see. And to my shock, does my wand come up with a trace of magic being detected in the o of the last word, which I know means brother as I remember dad telling me about his older brother, who he lost in the war when dad was four years old.
Instantly I start casting every spell I know to trace and identify the magic and recognize it for a charm that seals and conceals some sort of object within the letter. Another set of spells is cast and a simple looking charm, which is made of many small metal bars binding themselves together in a diamond shape with a single piece of glass in the center and a bar of metal behind it, appears from the letter, landing in my hand after it gets sucked out.
I look at it strangely for a couple of moments, but then my inner Alastor comes out again and I think: "Pettigrew. He might have cast some kind of alerting charm to let him know if someone takes this. I need to get back to Hogwarts, now." And yet, because of the Muggle at the front entrance, do I just quickly but carefully push the headstone back underneath the ash, dust off my cloths and leave back down the path I came.
Though I do make sure to lie the flowers down before I leave, do I also just leave it at the start of the path, just to further ensure that Pettigrew won't get suspicious in case he doesn't have this charm, but does decide to check up on this place. I also cast a quick couple of spells at the flowers to make them invisible for the Muggle to see and look old and whithered to anyone else.
"Did you find them?" The Muggle asks as he sees me pass through the gate again, but I shake my head and say: "No, though seeing the charred remains actually helped as well. To be honest, one of the things my sister and I always argued about was whether we wanted to be buried or cremated upon our own deaths. Mum was always on my side and dad on hers. I know it sounds a little harsh, but it feels like a bit of a personal victory. She got her way when they were buried, I got mine when their resting place got burned. No disrespect meant, of course."
The man nods and says: "I can understand that. To be honest, you surprise me. Your sister has been causing you nothing but hardships and heartache for two decades and you still hardly say one bad word about her. You're a special young lady and don't you forget it." I smile at the man and say: "So are you, sir. Able to stay so positive in a place that others call depressing. That takes incredible strength of character." And we share a smile before I leave, the pendant in my hand.
Whew, that felt good.
And don't worry, we'll get to the Horntail. I just really wanted to do this, if only to make sure I don't forget about Arianna AGAIN! And while I know that I said I wanted to make this chapter a bit more light-hearted, do I still feel good. Especially the ending made me feel very good about myself and this chapter in general. Lily is now at peace with her parents and their death and Albus is about to be reunited with his longlost sister, through Aberforth who is now awaiting Lily in his pub.
Good times, overall,
Venquine1990
PS. Yes, the Marvel references were intentional. Blame Endgame (which I saw twice at this point).
