Chapter Twelve

The Family Business

:.:.:

When my eyes began to open, I was greeted with the blurry, but still all-too-familiar sight of the hospital wing. After a moment, my vision cleared and I was able to see Viktor, Grigor, and Finn all alongside my bed.

"She is avake!" Grigor was the first to take notice.

"Grig, don't scare the poor girl," Finn teased, keeping his voice soft.

"Are you okay, Demi?" came a concerned Viktor.

I didn't speak right away, mostly because I was trying to process what happened...but I couldn't. The last thing I remembered was being in the lake, trying to transfigure.

"Why is it that every time I go into that bloody lake, I wake up in the hospital wing?" I said, exasperated.

"It is only the second time..." Grigor offered in an attempt to help.

"What the hell happened?" I asked. "I can't remember a thing."

"We dunno much more than you, I'm afraid," said Finn gravely. "One second, Grigor was explaining what to do and you were bobbing at the surface, and then the next thing we know, you were...pulled under."

"Pulled under?" My voice came out shaky and uneven, and I wasn't sure if it was because I had just woken up, or if I was truly that scared.

Grigor certainly was.

"Gigant·ski kalmar," he whispered in fear. (Giant squid)

"No, that is nothing more than a tale," Viktor dismissed.

"Well whatever it is, it clearly doesn't like me very much," I said, only half-joking. "How am I s'posed to participate in the next task if something is waiting to kill me in that lake?"

"We don't even really know if that's what happened," said Finn. "Viktor jumped in to get you and he said he didn't see a thing down there."

Viktor didn't comment on that; he was looking down in thought, as though trying to decide something. "You vill not be able to practice in the lake," he said when his head popped back up.

"What about the task?" I inquired.

"Perhaps vhatever pulled you under is exactly vhat you are trying to transfigure into," he offered. "In vhich case, vonce you are able to become vun of them, you vill be safe."

"Yeah, maybe," I said, darkly. There was, after all, no way to know for sure. "Where am I going to practice, then?"

"I vill think of something, sestra, do not vorry," (sister) Viktor assured me, determination clearly present in his eyes. "You should continue to rest."

"How long have I been resting already?" I asked, finally realizing I had no idea what day or time it was.

"Two days," said Grigor.

"Two days?!" I parroted in disbelief.

"Well, I suppose it depends on how you count it," Finn said, casually. "You were admitted to the wing Saturday evening and just woke up now — Tuesday morning."

"You are all surprisingly calm considering I was knocked out for over 48 hours," I said, still sort of in disbelief that they weren't more worried.

"You did sort of wake up very early the next morning," he continued. "but Cedric told us you immediately went into some sort of shock and Madam Pomfrey gave you something to help, but that it would also sedate you for about two days."

"So you voke up right on time," said Grigor, cheerily.

"Cedric told you?" I repeated.

"He valked back to the ship vith me after Hogsmeade, to see you," Viktor explained. "Vhen ve brought you here, he stayed the night. Ve saw him sleeping in that chair the next morning." He pointed to a currently empty seat next to my bed. And speaking of Cedric...

"Demetria, you're up!" He appeared from behind the blokes, relieved and smiling widely. Before I could say a word, he'd wrapped his arms around me.

"Ve vill see you later, Demi," said Viktor with a knowing smirk.

"Yeah, glad you're alright," Finn added with the same look.

Grigor gave me a thumbs-up just before Cedric pulled away, the trio walking off.

"I came down as soon as I could," he told me.

"Aren't you missing breakfast?" I asked, although I didn't really care. I couldn't help but mirror his smile.

"Yes, but that's alright, because I actually have something I wanted to say — or ask, or... Well anyway —"

I sort of cut him off to laugh. We were both smiling like tosspots at one another, though, so it was perfectly fine... More than fine, really...

"I wanted to say this the night of the Hogsmeade trip but, well —"

"Did you really spend all night here with me?" I couldn't help but cut him off again, to ask. I was sure it was true, but I just wanted to see what he had to say.

"Of course," he said as though it weren't even a question. "I would've stayed the next night as well but I had classes the next day and, well, I thought a shower might be a good idea."
"I completely understand," I assured him, releasing a breath of laughter.

"So...I was in Hogsmeade with Cho and — Well, I dunno, I just felt so...guilty," Cedric began, the smile slightly fading as he spoke seriously. "I know she has feelings for me, and she really wanted to go to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, so I took her. I dunno if you've ever been there..."

"Oh, absolutely not," I insisted. "I've heard that place is ghastly."

"It is — Frilly decorations, lacy napkins... A real nightmare," he cracked a smile to admit. "Anyway, I'm not sure if she thought we were dating but...I had to tell her — as a golden cherub sprinkled rose petals on our table —" I couldn't help but laugh once again. "— that there was someone else... Rather, that there is someone else. And I know we don't really know much about one another, so I don't want to rush things and ask you...anything, but, Demetria...there's something here, between us, and I'm hoping you feel it too."

"I do," I assured him, whole-heartedly.

"Good," he said, appearing almost unable to control his smiling; neither could I. "Well, in that case, I would really love to get to know more about you."

But, just then, the bell sounded throughout the grounds, indicating the start of classes.

"Well maybe you can come by the ship later, then," I offered.

"Last time I tried to do that, you ended up in here," he reminded. "No, I reckon I'll stay right here so that I don't lose track of you again."

"The famous Cedric Diggory is playing hookie?" I asked, amused.

"There's a first time for everything," he said. "But we'd better relocate so Madam Pomfrey doesn't catch me."

"You were so rebellious just a second ago," I teased.

"Oh, I still am," he assured me with a smirk. "Come on."

He offered me his hand as I got out of the bed and started to follow his lead toward the hospital wing exit.

"Wait, I almost forgot..."

But before I could ask what, he'd moved his hands to cup my face and embraced me in a firm, yet gentle, kiss. It was just as wonderful as the one we shared at the Yule Ball, except even better because there was no one to interrupt us...until we heard Madam Pomfrey moving about in her office.

"Right, back to escaping," said Cedric, taking my hand and leading me once again.

–

"Favorite...flavour of Bertie Bott's?" came, what had to be, the millionth question Cedric and I had asked one another. We'd spent the entire day together, trying to learn just about everything there was to know about each other.

"Oh, c'mon, that's dumb," I teased.

Cedric laughed. "Alright, fine, why don't you come up with something, then?"

"I will!" I insisted with a smile, although it didn't stay for long. "What's your family like?" There was still a trace of Cedric's grin left as well, for that was the first "deep" question either of us had asked.

"They're pretty great," he told me, beaming once again. "I haven't got any siblings, it's just me and my parents at home... I mean, I've got aunts and uncles and what-have-you, but I don't see them much. My dad is very..." he searched for the right word, and chuckled when he found it. "...enthusiastic about my accomplishments. He's always been proud of me... I actually got an owl from him when Rita Skeeter wrote that article in the Prophet about the Tournament... He was outraged that they mentioned Harry as the champion of Hogwarts and completely overlooked me..."

"That didn't bother you, though?" I felt I already knew the answer to that.

"Not at all."

Cedric was, quite possibly, the most humble and selfless person I knew. It was no wonder he was a Hufflepuff.

"What about your mum?" I inquired.

"Oh no, this isn't an interview," he said in jest. "It's your turn to answer. What's your family like?"

Silence passed for, what seemed like, forever. Part of me wanted to just make something up, to maybe tell him about the life I always wished I had... But a much larger part of me wanted to be honest with him.

Cedric placed a hand over both of mine, which were sort of squeezing one another. That was when I looked up at him and saw his bright, grey, eyes pouring out concern.

"I, erm, actually don't really know what my family is — was — like," I admitted. "It's just my grandfather and I... He's all I've got...and he's not too keen on talking about my family. All I really know for sure is that his brother was a wandmaker...my father was Chaser for the Tutshill Tornados, and... Godric, I can't tell you a thing about my mother..."

I thought, when I looked back to Cedric, he would appear sorry for me, but he didn't. He was actually looking sort of...hopeful.

"Did your parents go to Hogwarts?" he asked; I nodded. "D'you know what year they started?"

"Er, nineteen seventy...one?"

"They were in the same year as my mum, and only a year younger than my father, I'm sure they knew your parents," he fervently shared.

"You really think so?" I asked, though sort of in disbelief. Then again, perhaps I was just reluctant to hear whatever he had to say... What if they were horrible Slytherins who tormented students like Cedric's father? On the other hand...what if they weren't... It was coming to a point when I don't think I cared what I heard, as long as it was the truth. And speaking of the truth, that was when I remembered...

"Shite!" I'd cut off Cedric before he could assure me of anything. "I'm so sorry, I just remembered... I owled my grandad with an important letter a few days ago, but I've been in the hospital wing..."

"Oh! That's absolutely fine, you should go check," Cedric insisted, not at all crestfallen. "It's not as though you're canceling a date to Hogsmeade or anything, this time."

"I said I was sorry!" I laughed when stating. We began to make our way down the multiple staircases.

"You're right, and I forgive you," he assured me, laughing as well. "Go ahead, I can probably still make it to the Great Hall for a quick dinner, anyway."

"Or you could just sneak into the kitchens like I do," I told him, smirking.

"A-ha, a confession," he teased, smiling and pointing his finger at me. "If you went to this school, I would have to take this up with your Head of House and get you a detention."

"You mean I don't get any perks from dating a prefect?" I asked, slipping my hand into his, lacing my fingers in between his own.

"Oh so now we're dating?" I expected him to be wearing a smirk, but he was smiling at me so genuinely...

"Aren't we?" I mirrored it.

"If we were, I s'pose I could give you the password to the Prefects' Bathroom, y'know, as a perk," he said. "I'm sure sharing facilities on the ship with those blokes isn't much of a luxury."

We stopped just before the entrance to the Great Hall, hands still interlocked. "That would be a rather nice perk...if we were dating," I told him, playfully. "I'll see you."

But as I went to turn, Cedric pulled me back and placed a rather long kiss on my lips before saying, "Pine fresh." And at first, I thought he meant my breath or something...but then it hit me — the password.

I was dating Cedric Diggory.

—

Demetria —

You're right. I apologize for putting this off for as long as I have. Let's meet tonight at the Three Broomsticks, say nine o'clock?

— Grandad

That was the letter which had been waiting for me back on the ship. But due to my being in the hospital wing, I wasn't able to show up on the night that Grandad arranged to meet. So when he sent a second, and very concerned letter, Viktor told me he sent one back, telling my grandad about how I was in the hospital wing and would be alright to meet him on Tuesday night instead...except he said that my being there was for a different reason.

"Demetria!" I immediately spotted Grandad, practically leaping up from his table to catch my attention. "You're absolutely certain you're not still sick? Dragon Pox is very contagious..."

"I'm good as new, promise," I assured him. "I'm sure Viktor mentioned it was a mild case."

"Right, just making certain," he said before planting a kiss on my cheek and holding out my chair for me. "I considered the Hog's Head at first, but there's hardly ever anyone in there... I thought a crowded spot would be best." He took his seat across from me, two butterbeers that he must've ordered were already on the table.

"Grandad, let's not put this off any longer..." I said rather gravely. And although I felt bad after seeing how much that made his face fall, I knew that meant there was something he'd been keeping from me.

"Very well," he said, solemnly. "What is it you would like to know?"

"Everything," I said as though it were obvious. "But I s'pose we could start with who my parents are, considering I don't know a bloody thing about them."

Grandad released a long sigh before speaking. "Before I can answer that, there is something you must know... I love you, Demetria. You are my only grandchild, my only remaining family... There isn't a thing on this earth that I wouldn't do in order to keep you safe."

"Why don't I like where this is going...?" They were such kind words and yet, the horrible knot in my stomach made me hear them as nothing more than an excuse for whatever Grandad was about to tell me he'd done.

"Once upon a time, as it were, Aiden was my pride and joy," he began. "He was exactly what you are to me now — my world, my very reason for living. His mother — your grandmother — Evelyn, passed just moments after he was born...so it was always just the two of us. I wanted for him to attend Durmstrang, but he insisted on going to Hogwarts like his mother... He was sorted into Slytherin but, from what he told me, he seemed to be friendly with everyone, probably because everyone loved to watch him play Quidditch."

Grandad smiled fondly at the memory, and that was when I noticed I had been smiling already.

"He became the Captain for Slytherin's team, of course, and...well, somewhere around his sixth year, he began dating your mother," he continued. "Lucy White — Gryffindor."

I couldn't remember if Grandad had told me that both of my parents had been Slytherins, or if I'd just assumed it...but hearing that my mother wasn't, didn't surprise me all that much.

"It was also around this time that... Well, Aiden's housemates were all discussing joining the...family business," He didn't need to say 'Death Eaters' for me to know what he was talking about. "They'd all gone to the gatherings and...word had gotten around that Harris was a wealthy, pure-blood name...very renowned, especially in parts of Bulgaria. Our family had powerful witches and wizards with no record of associating with anyone who could potentially taint the bloodline... But we weren't supporters."

Grandad spoke softer then.

"Aiden's mates began telling him that he was being...asked for by You-Know-Who, himself. Your father came to me with this immediately and...when I told him to simply ignore them, we began receiving threats. I will not go into detail," he told me, sternly. "Eventually, in an effort to protect Aiden, I offered to take his place. I was not at all proud, but it needed to be done, and it seemed to satisfy...him...for the time being. After your father signed on with the Tornados, graduated school, and married your mother...they demanded his allegiance once again, but he continuily refused. He was too stubborn to see that the sacrifice needed to be made...and so one night, about a year after you were born, he was away at a Quidditch tournament and...you and Lucy were visited by one of his followers."

I immediately thought back to the dream I had, not long ago...

"It was true," was all I could manage to say for a moment.

"What was true?" Grandad asked.

"I thought it was just a dream..." I said, still distracted. "It was a Death Eater —" Grandad tried to quiet me, but the pub was far too crowded for anyone to hear what I'd said. "— he came for me and when my mother tried to protect me, he killed her."

I thought Grandad might've been a bit surprised to hear that I knew that, but he was far too upset, I s'pose. All that I could detect in his once-vibrantly green eyes was devastation. Finally, he nodded.

"I never found out which of them it was that did it... No one would tell me, not even Lucius, though I suspect he was trying to keep me from doing something...stupid," He spat out the word in a way which told me that perhaps Lucius, himself, had used it and Grandad didn't agree; as though he thought it was ridiculous that avenging your son could be considered stupid. "You were left unharmed, and Aiden was informed of Lucy's passing and came home straight away. He agreed to join...but he grew stubborn once again when you were brought back into the question... And so, two months after your mother...Aiden sacrificed himself, and they...killed him, as well...

"Demetria, I had no choice but to raise you in this manner —"

"You always have a choice," I said shortly. I thought I would be in some sort of shock after finally hearing the story of my parents, but all I really felt was anger. "Not everyone decides to take the coward's way out."

"Your life was at stake, as was mine," Grandad said in a scolding way. "You don't think I tried to refuse? They killed my brother — It would've been selfish to continue that way — I had to give in!" He began raising his voice in order to be heard above the pub's constant buzz, but also because he was growing visibly upset with me.

"Alright, fine, y'know what, maybe that was the best decision," I said it, but I wasn't entirely sure yet if I believed it. I'd only just received this large amount of information, and to process it and decide how I felt about it right then and there felt sort of impossible. "but d'you know what wasn't? Lying to me about it my entire life!"

"I know I should've told you the truth, but I was waiting for the right time and...when you would be old enough to understand, but it just seemed as though that time never came and —"

"That time never came or you just never wanted it to?!"

"What d'you want me to say, Demetria?" he said, pleadingly. "I apologize sincerely and truly from the bottom of my heart, but I made a mistake a long time ago and — Yes, at the time, it was much easier to simply say that this was what your parents wanted and it was expected of you to follow in the Harris footsteps."

"But you never told me the truth!" I persisted. "And if I hadn't asked, I don't reckon you ever would've."

Grandad took a pause...and I knew I was right.

"Demetria, please —"

"No," I told him, darkly, standing up. "I've heard enough... Goodbye, Grandad."

And with that, I left. I made my way back to Hogwarts using the secret tunnel passageway which Ginny and I once used, and tried my very best not to cry. I wasn't even entirely sure why I wanted to...I wasn't sure of anything at that time. Sure, I finally had the answers I'd always been longing for, but they brought me no clarity, only more confusion. I couldn't decipher how I felt... I knew I was feeling betrayed and hurt, but part of me could also understand why Grandad didn't tell me...and why he would want to put off ever telling me... I was also having trouble deciding whether or not I could forgive him...

Thank you so much for the overwhelmingly positive response to my update! I didn't realize how many people still cared about this story, but I will definitely keep updating!