A year in the life of Harry Potter
Chapter 21: August, 17
A/N: sorry for not updating yesterday, but my mind had been elsewhere and I couldn't concentrate on writing...
Harry, Quentin, Severus and Lucy went to breakfast early as the bus to Den Haag would leave at half past nine. From there they'd take the train to Rotterdam where they'd take the next train to the Hoek van Holland.
"It's weird going back to London," Quentin sighed, looking out of the window of the bus. "But at the same time I can't wait to be at school again!"
"I'm already nervous how we're going to be selected," Harry muttered.
"One thing you should remember," Severus said, "is not to listen to other students who've been told by their older siblings what the routine is, especially not if the student is called Weasley by surname."
"Why not?"
"Older siblings always exaggerate greatly," Lucy explained. "The Weasley twins are known to be great jokers, so don't believe everything they say."
Harry nodded.
"Once we're home I've gotta talk to Audrey about going shopping for the new year," Quentin announced.
"Won't be necessary," Severus replied, shaking his head. "Lucius went with her and Draco while we were on holiday, together with Narcissa."
"Oh, Auntie Cissa did that on purpose," his daughter said sulkily.
"I can't blame her," Severus murmured. "You always seem to get other people into trouble."
Quentin glared at him and didn't speak to him again until they reached the ship.
"Oh Daddy," she said, hugging him. "I could never stay mad at you for long."
Severus grunted. "We should hurry up and find a table to sit at, otherwise they're all occupied when we're there," he said.
After they checked in and found a table to sit at Severus went to get drinks while Quentin unpacked her cards.
Half an hour later the ship started moving.
"Come Harry, let's go up to the deck!" Quentin exclaimed.
"He seems to be alright," Lucy said, watching them go outside.
"Maybe it were these melon pieces you gave him," Severus chuckled.
"Are you trying to say -"
"No, course not."
The remainder of the ship cruise went by without any incidents. Harry didn't get seasick again. They played cards most of the time, sometimes paused to buy something to drink or eat or go up to the deck.
"I love the sunset," Quentin told Harry, leaning over the banister of the deck. They could already see the coast of England in the distance. Severus and Lucy were downstairs, playing cards. "I love it because it symbolises the end of the day to me, the end of everything that happened. If I fought with someone then the sunset would be the end of that fight. If I was mad at someone then the sunset would make me forget all about it."
"I know what you mean," Harry whispered, looking out at the sea. "And the sunrise gives you the chance to start new. It gives you the chance to forgive and forget."
Quentin sighed, turning around.
"What's the matter?"
"Oh, it's just that when we're back at Hogwarts it means back to acting as if Daddy wasn't my father, as if I hated him like everyone else who isn't in Slytherin."
"Then why didn't you go to Slytherin where you could be you?"
She shook her head. "Professor Dumbledore had worked everything out, Harry. I'd change my identity and be safe. If I was in Slytherin and made one mistake or if Daddy did something fatherly to me, then everything would be over. I'd be in danger. So I sweet-talked the hat to put me into Ravenclaw. That way it'd be easier for both of us to keep our roles up. But I don't want to do it anymore. It makes my heart ache, wants me to tell everyone that I'm his daughter, but I can't. I can't because otherwise I wouldn't be safe anymore."
"What do you mean, you'd be in danger if everyone found out?"
"Oh, Harry, you're so lucky you don't know," Quentin sobbed, not able to hold her tears back. "You're so lucky."
"Why would you call me lucky? My parents are dead, I don't even know anything about my oh-so-famous past, and even less about Voldemort."
Quentin couldn't hold it back anymore. "It's because of him, You-Know-Who," she blurted out without thinking. "If he found out that Daddy has a daughter, he'd kill all of us. Only the Malfoys and Dumbledore know about it."
"Wait a minute," Harry said. "Are you trying to say that Severus is - is one of Voldemort's followers?"
"He was, but people believe he still is," Quentin whispered, rubbing her blood-shot eyes. "And - and once You-Know-Who is back, he'll be a spy for Dumbledore. Oh, I hate that old fool so much for making Daddy do all this! If he wanted to he could have given all of us new identities as soon as it had come out that Daddy and Mummy were to be married, so that they didn't have to live in fear, but no, he can only think of himself and said that Daddy was the only help the wizarding world has left. He said that he has to be a spy, to risk his life for information about You-Know-Who!"
Harry hugged her tight, staying silent. He couldn't think of anything reassuring to say, and even if something had crossed his mind, he knew it wouldn't help. He looked out at the sea, listening to Quentin cry her heart out on his shoulder, as he thought about what she had said. Severus had been one of Voldemort's followers. Maybe it had been partially his fault that his parents had been killed.
A/N: By September 1 all the August chapters will be updated, so in the next few days I might update twice a day