Chapter 8 - Christmas Eve

December 24th 1991

It was Christmas eve and Rayna had been home from Hogwarts for a couple of days now. She didn't mind Christmas, but she was never that excited for it. Since her mother died when she was young they didn't really celebrate it much. There was no tree or expensive feasts of food and Christmas pudding. Rayna only received few gifts from her friends and occasionally a present from her father and aunt.

This year Rayna found herself home alone. Her Father and Aunt had left a couple hours ago claiming they had a very important meeting to attend which would take all day.

Rayna wasn't really bothered. She would rather spend Christmas eve alone than have to sit in a room with her Aunt.

Since she had been at Hogwarts her Fathers mansion looked like it hadn't been lived in much. It was dusty and cold. The house elves hadn't cleaned which was rather odd to her.

"Dyllan" Rayna called the Carrows family house elf. He appeared in a couple seconds.

"yes mistress Carrow"

"why is it so dusty everywhere?" she asked looking at the house elf curiously.

"Master Amycus told Dyllan not to clean so Dyllan has not cleaned" he replied looking down at the floor.

"that's unusual" she replied frowning. "sorry to bother you" Rayna apologized.

"Dyllan is not bothered Mistress Rayna, Dyllan lives to serve the Carrows, Dyllan likes Mistress Rayna and does not mind talking to her"

"thank you Dyllan" she said smiling at the elf before leaving the room.

The loud sound of the mansion door bell could be heard echoing through the empty entrance hall. Rayna wasn't expecting any one and couldn't think who it must be.

She made her way to front door, her wand at her side as she opened the door just in case.

"Adrian?" she asked as her eyes landed on him.

He had a bag with him, his hood pulled up over his hair. He was looking down at the floor. However as he heard Rayna's voice he looked up and met her eyes, sighing in relief that she answered the door.

"I-I didn't know where to go" he stuttered, voice shaky. Only now did Rayna see how red and blotchy his face was, there were dark bags under his eyes indicating he hadn't had much sleep. But the worst thing was the giant cut across the side of his forehead that was bleeding and starting to form a purple and green bruise.

"oh god, Adrian" Rayna gasped, taking his arm and pulling him inside. She hugged him tightly as he started to cry.

"I couldn't stay there any more" he cried hugging her back.

"it's fine, everything will be okay, you can stay here for the rest of Christmas" Rayna said comforting him.

After Adrian had recovered enough to speak he told Rayna everything.

"My Father is horrible person" he started "My Mother walked out on us when I was 11, she didn't love him anymore and couldn't stand to be with him. But he won't accept that as the truth. He likes to drown himself in firewhiskey and then blame me. He said she left because I was sorted into Slytherin. They're both Gryffindors and apparently I was a disappointment to her." he said shaking his head slowly and then chuckling spitefully " I don't see how he was a Gryffindor, he's a coward, he can't face the truth and he never will. I hate him" he spat clenching his fists.

Rayna calmed him down, patting his shoulder.

"Dyllan" she called and the elf appeared before her. "could you make us some tea please and fetch some bandages and water please"

"certainly, Misstress Rayna, Dyllan would love to make Misstress Rayna and her friend some tea"

"thank you" she called after him.

"you're not a dissapointment, to either of them" Rayna said " they're both cowards, they don't deserve to have you as there son."

"you're the only one I could go to about this" he said genuinely thankful that Rayna was such a good friend. "everyone else would laugh. They think having Gryffindors as parents is easy because they think all Gryffindors are good. But how can they be good when one walks away from their own child and the other blames him for his problems." Adrian said.

After Rayna helped clean Adrians cut with a couple spells she learn't, she wrapped the bandages that Dyllan gave her around his head.

"so how come you're alone on Christmas eve?" he asked her curious as to why her Father wasn't there.

"him and my Aunt had a meeting somewhere" she replied obviously not wanting to really talk about it. "I can show you around if you want" she said.

"okay" he shrugged not really minding what they did.

Rayna had never seen the mansion so empty. They made there way up several stairs, all the ornaments from the shelves were gone and all the pictures that once hung above the wall were no where to be seen.

"I don't know why everywhere is so bare, it never used to be like this" Rayna said concerned. They made their way to the top floor where the attic was. It was stacked with boxes full of all the things that used to be around the mansion. "I don't understand"she said, Picking up one of her favorite pictures that used to hang directly in the middle of the stairs wall. It was a simple pictures of stars reflecting over a lake. Trees silhouetted in black against the blueish colors used.

They moved out of the attic and Rayna was feeling curious and slightly uneasy about everything.

She tried to open the door to where she knew her Farther's study was. She rattled the door handle but it wouldn't open.

"Alohmora" she whispered flicking her wand at it. It unlocked and she moved to open it.

Adrian stopped her, holding her wrist.

"do you think you should go in there? It was locked, it could be dangerous" he said in worry.

She ignored him, opening the door with a creak.

It was dark and messy, but she didn't want to open the blinds.

"lumos" Adrian whispered and a light appeared at the tip of his wand.

"lumos" Rayna copied him.

"it looks like someones turned this room over" Adrian said

"I've never been allowed in here" she said, her free hand moving some papers on the table.

It was odd as she noticed they were all old newspaper articles. She brought her wand closer, squinting her eyes to try and read the headlines.

Murder? Or Accident? The Ministry appeal on the case of Jolie Carrow.

A witness has come forward and re opened the case of Jolie Carrow. The Ministry had put the case to rest with the outcome of a natural death. However, in recent events and the dark powers that try to infiltrate the ministry, a witness who has come forward has raised concerns that this case was a cause from dark magic.

Rayna's heart stopped. She never knew this. She had been told that her Mother died of a heart attack. But it was possible that she could have been murdered.

She moved the article away feeling sick.

Adrian took it off her, reading what she had just read as she carried on looking through the papers. They all had similar headlines.

She opened the middle draw of the desk, searching for more. She moved stacks of letters, flipping through them until one caught her eye.

It was addressed to her.

She turned it over to look at the seel, finding it had already been opened.

Rayna,

Find OoP if you think you are in trouble, they will help you. I want you to go searching for the answers of the questions that I know you have. Minerva McGonagle will help you if you ask, you can trust her. Be Careful. I love you.

Mum

"Adrian" Rayna asked shakily "Whar's OoP?"

Adrian took the letter off of her reading it quickly.

"I don't know" he said looking at her to make sure she was okay.

The slam of the front door made them both jump.

Rayna hid the letter back where she found it before thy both ran out of the room, locking the door behind them and running down the stairs to the third floor.

Composing themselves, they both walked down to the ground floor where thy came face to face with Rayna's father and aunt.

"whose this?" her Father asked

"Adrian Pucey, a friend from school, he's on the same Quidditch team" Rayna spoke

Her Father nodded at him before dismissing himself to go to his room.

Rayna's aunt stared at her curiously as Rayna smiled. She always felt uneasy around her Aunt, there was something about the way she hardly spoke to Rayna, instead staring at her in silence before leaving.

Once they were out of sight Rayna's smile fell. The letter from her mother was overwhelming.

"what do you think McGonagle knows?" Adrain asked Rayna once they were in her room.

"I-I don't know" she said "I'm more curious about what Oop means and I'm confused as to why or how they would help me when I don't even need help" she said.

"everything's never as it seems Rayna" Adrian spoke "you have to be careful"