A/N: The usual disclaimer apply.
Sorry for this chapter being relatively short, but it didn't go well with what comes next as a single chapter.
Ch20: Father
The children were greeted with hugs and kisses when they returned home. Both mothers seemed overjoyed to have their children back, yet the girls were anxious to see Herbert first. Even James followed them to the baby's room, trying to hide his own anxiety. Nobody seemed to notice that Narcissa seemed somewhat preoccupied.
It was hours later, after tucking the smaller children in bed, when Narcissa invited Dianna and Lillian to join the adults in the sitting room. "There's something I'd like you to know and I don't want to have to tell it more than once."
Narcissa sat on the couch besides Harry, with Hermione sitting on the other side, while the girls moved two chairs to sit close to their mothers. Narcissa was holding a small book in her hands, looking pensively at it.
"Astoria visited yesterday," she said, addressing nobody in particular. "She told me they were renovating the room which used to be Lucius' study and happened to find a secret drawer, containing various documentation of his 'entertainment' activities. He documented many acts of torture and murder as well as rape of young men and boys."
She was silent for a moment, as if trying to phrase her thoughts. "He didn't seem to be interested in women or girls, though..."
Dianna was bewildered. She already knew about her father's "fun" activities. This didn't seem to draw any different picture of the man.
"Why are you telling me?"
Narcissa sighed. "There is one incident here that may be very important to you..."
She recollected her thoughts before continuing. "You see, he had documented here the night you had been conceived, but he was not the one who took part in it."
She was now attracting the attention of all present. Narcissa sighed and opened the book to a marked page. "This diary contains the details of that night. Let me read it loudly for you."
Dianna moved to sit closer to her mother. Lilly moved closer as well, holding Dianna's hand for comfort.
"Here it goes: I told Narcissa I was going out with the gang. She didn't like it but it didn't bother me. I could do anything as long as I didn't abuse her physically – that was written in our marriage contract. I met with Avery and Yaxley at a local pub in the village, where many youngsters used to come. These were the main reason we chose that pub. There was only one group of youngsters present that night as it was extremely cold for November. We knew we couldn't all have our fun. Too many unexplained events would call the attention of the aurors and some of them could not be silenced by money. It was best if we only used one at a time. I chose a blond boy about sixteen. He seemed strong enough to give us prolonged fun and his bum seemed quite nice for some additional fun.
It went quite smoothly. Avery imperiused him as soon as he separated from his friend. We let him lead us to his family where we used body-bind curses on his parents and his two sisters. I put a compulsion charm on him which made him rape the three females and then Yaxley made him cut their throats. Yaxley killed the father with an ax, though. I then wanted to take the boy to our dungeons, but the rest wanted to celebrate with some real drinks, not the muggle imitations. I made the boy swallow some polijuice potion to look like me and sent him with one of my portkeys after stunning him. I poured some whiskey on him as well. Even if Narcissa saw him, she would think I came home drunk and keep her distance.
I came home before the potion expired and found him sound asleep on the floor with his pants down. His bum looked quite enticing. I moved him to the dungeons and tied him in position, but I wanted to check on Narcissa before continuing. I found her reading a book in her apartment. She looked curiously at me. 'Got appetite for another one?' she asked. It took me a moment to understand: that boy, looking like me, raped her as well. I couldn't show her I knew. I just sneered at her and left.
At first I thought I would kill that boy after finishing with him, but knowing what he had done changed my plans. I only oblivated his visit at the manor from his mind before leaving him with the bodies of his family.
I visited the village the next day. That boy was found hanging from the ceiling with a note confessing to murder his family in a moment of madness. He wrote he could not live with the knowledge of what he did so he killed himself as well."
Narcissa lifted her eyes from the diary to meet the equally teary eyes of Dianna. "I'm so sorry, darling!"
Dianna swallowed her tears. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm glad that monster is not my father. I only wish I knew who my father was."
Mother and daughter hugged tightly and Lillian hugged them both. They stayed that way for a few minutes.
"I believe we can find information about that family," commented Harry.
"I'll help as well," said Hermione.
Dianna smiled at them sadly.
"Can you tell me some more about that night?" she asked her mother after a long silence.
"There's not much to tell. Being polyjuiced, he looked like Lucius and I didn't even look at his clothes as they were stinking from alcohol. I found him lying on the floor, barely conscious. I came closer to see if he needed help and then he grabbed my hand and made me lie on the floor, where he took me. I understand now that it was the compulsion charm, but I'm glad I got you as a result."
They hugged once more. Hermione then took their hands and led them to their bedrooms. Lillian followed, giving Dianna another hug before they went to sleep in their own beds.
They went shopping for the coming term in the morning. After buying the books, parchments, quills and the other stuff for class they went to Madam Melkin's. Both girls had grown out of their old robes and needed new ones. Harry was glad that they had already updated their underwear for their more feminine bodies during their French vacation. He didn't think he could really help them with that.
"We also need to visit Gringotts," Harry told the girls. A goblin appeared before them as soon as they walked into the bank. "May I be of any help to you, Lord Potter-Black?" he asked.
"Yes, please. I was wondering if you could run the ancestry test for Dianna, my stepdaughter. She has recently found some new facts and she would like to verify them."
"We can do it. Please follow me."
They followed the goblin to an ornate room in the section normally closed to the general public. Another goblin welcomed them as cordially as a goblin can and then procured a large parchment and a small knife. "You should pierce your thumb and let a drop of blood fall onto the parchment. That's all."
Dianna did as advised. The empty parchment soon filled with lines and names, drawing her full ancestry as far back as there was room on the parchment. Most of it was of no interest to the girl, yet she looked wide eyed at her father's name: Nathan Armstrong. He died a few weeks after his sixteenth birthday, about nine months before Dianna was born.
She looked higher at the tree, reverently tracing the names of her ancestors with the tips of her fingers. "May I take this with me?" she asked.
"You are welcome to take it," replied the Goblin.
"I don't think you should show it to others, though," Harry told her. "You're better off letting people think you are a Malfoy or DePoitiers although Black would be just fine."
Dianna didn't like the implication although she knew Harry was mostly concerned with her well-being. "I wish I could state I'm Dianna Armstrong," she said.
"There may come a time for this, but not in the near future," Harry told her consolingly.
Once back home, both girls sat in Lillian's room and tried to find as much information about Dianna's newly discovered family using the Internet.
"You know, I was wondering why you are such a powerful witch when none of your parents is. As far as I know there are only two ways you can be so powerful: either you have at least one muggle parent or both your parents are extremely powerful. Now we know."
Please Review!