"How the heck do you turn this thing on?" Ron said, pushing every button on the computer in Harry's living room.
"Maybe try the power button," Harry said, turning the computer on for Ron.
"Oh…So where's this chess thing you were talking about?"
"Just let me do it before you give it some sort of virus," Harry said, bringing up the chess game.
"Computers can get colds?"
Harry rolled his eyes.
"Dad," Lily said, running downstairs with Hugo at her heels. "Can we go catch gnomes by the lake out back?"
"Yes, but come in when it starts to get dark," Harry answered.
"How do I move the pieces?" Ron asked from the computer.
"Just click on them."
"Oh…"
"It's freezing out there," Ginny said, apperating into the living room.
"How was the game?" Harry asked, giving his wife a quick kiss.
"Not much to report on," she replied, taking off her cloak. "Hippogriffs crushed the Horntails 320 to 40."
"Cannons only lost to the Hippogriffs 290 to 30," Ron pointed out from the computer.
"Yes, but the Hippogriffs were playing with five players from their reserve team, now weren't they? Anyway, I'm going to start dinner. Stew alright with you?"
"Sounds good," Harry said.
"I think I'm starting to get this," Ron said. "Wow, you're really got to hand it to those muggles; they've made a way to play chess without any other person! Too bad I didn't have that as a kid. The only one who'd ever play with me was Charlie, and when he would lose he's curse the pieces to chase after me."
"Must've been quite a show," Harry said, sitting down with the Evening Prophet. "Hey, Ron, you'll never believe this…"
"What?" Ron asked.
"Lockheart died; last night."
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered. "Bloke was, what, in his fifties?"
"Fifty-two," Harry said.
"Do people even still remember him? I mean, it's been years since he wrote anything, or rather, lied about anything."
"There's going to be some sort of memorial service at Florish and Blotts this Saturday," Harry said.
"Huh," Ron nodded, turning back to the computer.
"Harry, Harry, guess what," Teddy exclaimed suddenly, apperating into the living room.
"Teddy?" Harry frowned. "I thought you were in London with your grandmother for the weekend."
"That was yesterday. You'll never believe what I found out!"
"Tell us then," Harry said.
"Well," Teddy said. "It's sort of actually just a theory…there's a few holes in it but-"
"Let's hear it," Ron said.
"We know Claridina killed Kremolton Gaunt, but we don't know why, right?"
"Right."
"Well, I've been looking at everything else we've found out about Claridina, and trying to connect some of the dots," Teddy explained. "The Healers estimated that Gaunt was killed in June of 2002. Around that same time, Claridina got pregnant with her child, the one who died. And you lot found out last year that at that same time, Claridina had Kate Dane use the Embrotrans potion to have her carry another child."
"I'm not following," Harry said.
"Just wait," Teddy told him. "I began thinking, why would Claridina want to have Kate have a child for her when she was pregnant herself? And then it hit me. Claridina's obsessed with blood! She's a huge supporter of Pure Blood superiority and family lineage!"
"Are you saying," Harry said slowly. "That-"
"You said you found a love potion in a wine bottle at Kremolton Gaunt's house, right?"
"Right."
"Well…I figured that Claridina used that family tree we found in her hideout to track him down because he was the last living descendent of Voldemort and Slytherin. She could've used the love potion to make him fall in love with her and gotten, well, the necessary items to have his child, and then killed him, hence making her son the only descendent of Voldemort and Slytherin."
"That's-that's brilliant," Harry stuttered. "But we'd have to make sure that-"
"I realized that the whole idea could be far fetched," Teddy cut in. "Especially since Kate Dane was killed last year. So I went to her flat and-"
"You went to he flat?" Harry exclaimed. "Without anyone? Do you have any idea how dangerous that could've-"
"Not nearly as dangerous as half the stuff you did when you were younger than I am," Teddy pointed out. "And besides, no one was there and I made sure there were no curses or enchantments at the place. I found a stack of letters that were hidden in a box under her bed. I found out a lot about her. The reason she even agreed to have the baby for Claridina was because she was being threatened. Claridina wanted someone who wouldn't attract a lot of attention to have the baby, and when she found Kate at that bookstore she worked at, she picked her. She told Kate she had to do it or she would kill her and her sister. And then I found some letters shortly before she died. It-it looked like she was getting tired of keeping Claridina's secret. She said that she was disgusted that the child she helped bring into this world was turning into a monster like his mother, and she was going to tell the Ministry about her son. And, well, you know what Claridina had done to her."
"Teddy-you're-you're-my God, you're sharper than every other Auror in the department!" Harry said.
"Yeah, you could give Hermione a fair run for her money," Ron nodded. "Honestly, my brain hurts from just listening to you explain all that."
"There's only one thing I don't understand," Teddy said. "Claridina's lost baby…if she went to all that trouble to make sure she had a child with Voldemort's and Slytherin's blood, who's baby was she carrying one her own? It had to have been the child of someone with just as much rank as those two."
"You're right," Harry nodded. "But that's not important; the baby died."
"True," Teddy sighed.
"I've got to go tell Kinsley about this," Harry said. He turned to Teddy. "Come on, then."
"What?"
"I'm not going to take the credit for this," Harry said. "You did all the work, you can tell Kingsley."
"Really?" Teddy grinned, his hair changing to a light purple.
"Really."