Chapter Thirteen: Christmas Begins

The next day Rose, Al, and Hope all aced their astronomy test then hurried to finish packing. Together, the group rode back home on the Hogwarts Express. They played wizard chess and exploding snap, all while being perfectly polite. But there was an underlying tension like a thin sheet of ice.

When they arrived at the station, they all ran through the crowds to find their parents. Harry and Ron were waiting for their children while Draco and Astoria stood slightly apart from them. Valentina was hiding behind an archway, watching to group. The other Weasleys stood together, embracing their children, then ushered them out of the station.

Finally, Harry saw Al. He rushed forward and put his arms around his son. He had lost one boy this year and he feared more than anything that Al had not been coming home. But he was here. His boy had come home and was safe once more.

Rose nodded towards her father who placed an arm round her shoulders. Astoria stepped forward and embraced SS. She then pulled back, smoothed his hair, and straightened his red and gold tie. Draco watched from a safe distance.

Valentina then saw Hope and dashed forward, taking her daughter into her bony arms. Hope didn't respond. Her face was cool and guarded. Valentina, confused, pulled back and looked at her daughter, but Hope looked away.

"Daddy, would it be alright if our friends came to this year's party?" Rose asked Ron who grinned widely.

"Of course!" he cried out. "The more the merrier!"

"Can I go?" SS asked his mother with eagerness. Astoria laughed and stroked his head, not giving an answer.

"We should be going. Lots to do back at home," Draco told his son and clamped a steely hand on his son's shoulder. Then, without saying goodbye, he ushered his family out of the train station. Al stared after him, forlorn.

"We should go as well, Al. We still have a lot of packing to do and we have to go to Uncle Ron's place tonight," Harry told his son. Al nodded and waved goodbye to the rest of his friends as him and Harry left, Ron and Rose right on their heels. That just left a concerned Valentina and a chilly Hope.

"Hope, dearest, what's wrong?" Valentina asked as they left the station and headed to the hidden fireplace.

"Nothing," Hope replied and stepped into the stone fireplace. She didn't want to bring up the subject of her father yet. She wanted to give her mother some time to enjoy her being home.

"Why did we have to leave so soon?" SS asked his parents as they went into their home. After the war, Draco had purchased a small cottage alone on the countryside. It had a modern kitchen and dining room, a cozy living room, and five bedrooms all with a personal bath. Libby, their house elf, had her room down in the basement where the laundry room and the cleaning supplies were located.

"Son, perhaps you shouldn't be socializing with Albus Potter anymore," Draco recommended as he took off his cloak. SS flinched, shocked. He thought his father had approved of his friendship with Al.

"Why?" SS demanded, anger filling him up. Astoria, seeing this, placed a hand on his arm.

"Honey, all your father is saying is that Albus may not be a good influence," Astoria explained softly, trying to calm the storm brewing in her son's gray eyes that were identical to his father's.

"What? Al's the nicest person I know! Why would he be a bad influence," SS insisted.

"His older brother ran away," Draco barked, angry at being defied and questioned. "We don't want you getting any ideas! Do you know how many kids have run away this year?"

"Al would never encourage me to run away!" SS cried out. "James is an idiot who got humiliated. Al is nothing like him."

"He's still a Potter. And I am your father so I order you to keep your distant from Albus Potter or I will bring you right back here and I'll home school you!" Draco declared and rushed up stairs. SS growled and punched the wall, reveling in the pain racing up his knuckles.

"All anyone does is see his last name. Potter. Everyone thinks they're all the same. But they're not! Al's different!" SS ranted. Astoria sighed and tried to reach out to him but he brushed her off. "The same thing happens to us. Why can't Dad understand, maybe even sympathize? We have the same problems!"

"He's worried about you. He doesn't want you to disappear as well," Astoria explained. Watching her son go through the same thing that her husband had gone through was horrible. She wished they could connect but they were just too much alike for that to happen. "If you would like, I can take you to visit your friends over break. I know you all like to do a gift exchange."

"Al and Rose invited Hope and I to their family's party. It's at Rose's house on Christmas Eve," SS admitted.

"I'll take you. And don't worry. Your father will come around," Astoria assured SS.

"Welcome to our humble home," Hugo called out to his Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur as they ushered their children up the grassy slope that led to Hugo's family's house. It was a three-story building with five chimneys sticking out of the roof and a chicken coop sitting in the yard, full of roosters.

"Thank you, Hugo," Fleur laughed in her pretty French accent a she pinched his cheek. Louis laughed as Hugo batted her away. The fourteen-year-old boy had become lost, ever since his favorite cousin had run away. But Freddy was waiting inside to cheer him up.

"Victorie!" Teddy cried and ran out of the chicken coop, scooping her up into his arms. She had been doing much better. Her insomnia was almost gone and her nightmares had receded with the help of anti-dream potions.

"Is Roxy here yet?" Dominique asked Hugo with a smile. She handed him a piece of chocolate and winked at him, her short spiky red hair sparkling in the fading December sunlight. She was the only one of her siblings to inherit her father's auburn locks.

"Yeah. She's out back practicing her flying," Hugo responded and shoved the chocolate into his pocket, eager to bite into it when he was alone. Dominique ruffled his hair and ran to the back of the house. Just then, a bright light glowed at the bottom of hill and the Potter family appeared.

"Hugo!" Lily screamed and raced up the hill, tripping over her feet, giggling with glee. Hugo hopped off the front stoop and raced to his favorite cousin. Hermione came out of the door, an apron covering her faded green dress, followed her husband to greet the Potter's. She embraced Ginny and Harry, knowing they were suffering. Al dragged his trunk up the hill when it suddenly began to float. Rose was smiling at him from the top of the hill, her wand raised.

"How are your parents?" Rose whispered to him when he reached her front door.

"Depressed. Mum keeps crying. She never cries," Al replied and cast a worried glance towards his family. Lily's laughter sounded forced and Ginny was dabbing her eyes as Harry tried to comfort her. "I think they're going to ask me about him soon. They know I know something."

"We can't tell them the truth. It's too dangerous," Rose advised him. Al nodded miserably.

"I know. I won't tell them more than they need to know," Al muttered. Rose frowned slightly and looped her arm through his.

"Come on! You get to sleep in Hugo's room with all of the boys!" Rose declared and marched him into her house, trying to lift his spirits.

Hope slowly unpacked her trunk, wanting to stall as long as possible. It was strange. On the train ride she couldn't wait to get home and confront her mother. But now she was unsure. Rose had once told her that ignorance was bliss. Was Hope ready to hear the truth? Would it help her or destroy her?

Valentina poured herself a glass of butterbeer and stared out of the windows of her safe house. After the attack last fall, Valentina had moved all of her personal things to the safe house. It was a small, one floor cottage, surrounded by woods, with a red door and two small bedrooms right next to each other. The tiny kitchen ran into the dining room and the living room only had two chairs in front of an old fireplace. The home hadn't been used in years. Valenina was fearful that Asphodel would be back for her daughter. Although Hope clearly didn't like it here, it was for her safety.

Worry began to fester inside Valentina's heart. Ever since Hope had gotten home, she had seemed different. Colder. Not herself. Valentina worried that she was wrong in letting Hope go back to Hogwarts, even though she had done so very unwillingly.

"Mother?" Hope called as she came out of her new, extremely tiny, bedroom. Valentina turned and smiled, the wrinkles in her tan skin stretching.

"Yes darling?" Valentina answered and walked towards her daughter who glanced away.

"I... I," Hope stuttered. She wanted the truth but looking at the face of her mother, the weathered skin, the thin graying hair, the sorrow filled blue eyes, Hope couldn't do it. She couldn't crush her mother yet. She knew if she brought up her father then her mother would become depressed and distraught. Hope couldn't do that to her. Yet. "I was wondering if I could go to Rose's family's Christmas party."

"Oh, well," Valentina hesitated. Her daughter was hiding something. But Valentina didn't want to pry. Her daughter's anger was deadly and dangerous so she let the matter lay. "Of course. I can accompany you and I'll even by you a new dress for the occasion."

"Thank you," Hope replied, stunned. She hadn't expected her mother to agree so easily. "I'm going to take a nap. I'm really tired."

"Of course," Valentina sighed. Hope smiled and returned to her room. Valentina sighed and ran her finger along the wall. Something was wrong. But she didn't want to further upset her daughter. Oh, the woes of being a mother.

Rose's house was very cramped over Christmas. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron all slept in the master bedroom. Fleur, Bill, Charlie, George, and Angelina slept in the living room while Percy, Aubrey, and their daughters, Molly and Lucy, slept in the guest room. Rose had dragged cots into her room so she could share it with Victorie, Dominique, Roxy, and Lily. Hugo was ecstatic to be sharing his room with Teddy, Louis, Al, and Freddy. While preparing for the holiday they tripped over each other and got on each other's nerves constantly. But that was how Christmas always was for her family.

Rose pulled Al away from the festivities for a just a moment to tell him what she had learned about their ancestors. He took it surprisingly well. He said it made sense and asked if that was why his magic was so chaotic. Rose told him that that was her hypothesis. So Al accepted who he was, a Hufflepuff to the core, and became even jollier as Christmas drew nearer.

Christmas Eve had finally arrived. Valentina had purchased her daughter a lovely green dress that made her eyes look like kaleidoscopes. But Hope was fraught with worry. She knew the time had come to get her answers. So, that morning, she got dressed early and went outside where she found her mother sitting in the snow, lost in thought.

"Mother," Hope called, trying to feel strong. But that began to crumble when she saw her mother's smiling face as she turned.

"Hope! Why are you up so early?" Valentina asked cheerfully. "Come and watch the sunrise with me."

"Mother, I want to ask you something. It's about my father," Hope forced out, the words sounding like knives. Valentina's smile fell and misery returned to her blue eyes.

"I already told you about him," she replied with a curt voice. Her limbs were still.

"I don't think you told me the truth," Hope protested. "I think I found out who he is."

"Did you?" Valentina mused.

"Should my last name actually be Riddle instead of Fawley?" Hope demanded, her voice rising. Valentina froze for a few moments before she spun around sharply, dragged Hope inside, and locked the door.

"What in Merlin's name are you talking about?" Valentina hissed, her voice worried and fearful, her eyes darting to the open windows, searching for eavesdroppers.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Hope barked back. Now that she had started, all her emotions were coming into sharper focus. She could tell that her mother was evading the question. She knew she was right. Anger ran through Hope, anger at her mother for never telling her the truth, for keeping her hidden, for lying to her. "The Dark Lord is my father."

"Why on earth would you think that?" Valentina laughed, but it sounded false. Her fear was almost touchable.

"I can speak parseltounge. I opened the Chamber of Secrets. I don't know who my father is but I'm almost certain that he was my father," Hope explained, almost yelling now. Valentina shushed her quickly. "Is that why you hid me away? So no one would find out that you bore his daughter?"

"No," Valentina sobbed. She slumped to the ground, tears falling from her eyes. "I was praying you would never find out."

"Well, I did. So spill," Hope growled, inching towards her mother. Valentina cried into her hands for a few more moments before she spoke again.

"I was one of his favorite attendants, always able to calm his nerves. When I was eighteen, a year before we attacked Hogwarts, the Dark Lord said he had a job for me," Valentina started. "He gave me a cauldron, big enough to fit a small child, with a tiny nugget of flesh inside in the shape of a tiny baby. The thing was suspended in a clear potion and it was clearly alive. The Dark Lord told me to take care of it, to raise it."

"What was it?" Hope wondered. Valentina's eyes shone with tears when she looked at her daughter.

"You."