Authors Notes.
OK before I start this chapter, I just want to clarify on reviews and PM's people have been asking why Harry would go to Hermione, and why Minerva would go to Hermione, and why the DA are getting involved and not the Aurors. First of all Hermione is an amazing witch, who will jump at the chance to help her friends who are family to her, we all know this. Secondly, Minerva went to Hermione and Ron, because she knows that Hermione will be able to explain it to Harry and Ron will be there for him, to stop him from jumping into action withought thinking it through first – my reasoning for this is OOTP- and lastly it will not be full DA that are getting involved. Now on with the chapter once again, I own nothing except non canon characters. There will be a black flash in this story and it will be written in italic font.
Chapter Three
Hermione and Ron, entered Grimmauld Place through the kitchen fire once again. Coming face to face with Harry and Ginny who were ready to leave for Hogwarts. 'Harry, before we go we need to speak to you. Minerva was at our house when we arrived back.' Ron said.
'Minerva, why?' Harry asked sitting down again in the fire side chair.
'She had some information for us. Your theories were right Harry. She was told by a friend this morning that you had been in the records office, and came to our house straight away. She didn't want you to do anything rash in looking for your sister, we can still go to Hogwarts and speak to her but she has asked us to tell you what she knows. Before Severus died in the boat house, she found him there, and he spoke with her quickly, she took his memories of the last couple of years. Your sister was kidnapped by the death eaters on the night your parents were killed. She was kidnapped by them because of what she is. Voldemort thought that she could tell him things, Harry your sisters name is Novella and she is a seer. She is like Sybil Trelawney she has been tortured by the death eaters for years about you and Voldemort, and the whole battle of Hogwarts. We don't know much which is why Minerva said to carry on with plans to go to Hogwarts. But she did say that we need the DA on board. Just the people who were with us at the Ministry the night Sirius was killed. We can involve the aurors if we need to, but for now, we need to plan how we are going to rescue and protect your sister. Minerva only knows what she saw in Severus' memories. So when we get to Hogwarts we will need to read the diary together. All of us. I will contact the others for you if you want me to while you and Ginny go to Hogwarts and we will see you there.' Hermione said to him.
Harry looked at her shocked, that Minerva knew about his sister and didn't tell him, but understood that she had her reasons not to disclose the information to him. 'Its OK Hermione I'll contact Luna and maybe George tonight. They always said DA was forever. We can speak to Neville at the same time as Minerva.'
They rose from their seat, and got prepared to leave for Hogwarts, within 10 minutes they were entering the fire in Minerva's office. Headmasters and mistresses of the past slumbering peacefully in their portraits bar two Severus and Dumbledore where sitting in their chairs conversing with Minerva, when they saw the old gang entering the room. 'Harry, wonderful you could come to see us.' Dumbledore exclaimed to him.
'Albus, my dear friend, Severus, I wish this could be under different circumstances but I need you both to explain to me why there are absolutely no records of my sister, and why nobody ever told me until now.' Harry was indignant in what he wanted to know, and by any means possible he would find out the information he needed to look for his sister.
'Harry, Ginny, it is wonderful to see you both, please sit down, I will call on the kitchen for some tea and cake.' Minerva said. 'Once we have refreshments we will begin our discussion on the matter in hand. Is there anything I can do in the meantime for any of you?' She asked.
'Yes, actually could you call on Neville, he needs to be here also, you said to get the members of the DA from the ministry battle to help us with this matter. We will contact Luna ourselves, and we thought that George may help us with this as well.' Ginny said in a voice that made Ron think of their mother. Such authority in his baby sisters command, he could tell that she was angry her cheeks as red as her hair, her eyes blazing. He thought the same though, how could they put his best friend, his adopted brother through this.
'Of course, and I agree with you about George, he needs a distraction, he has been secluded for too long now, I understand the business is booming, but he rarely works in the shop.' Minerva replied. 'I understand that you are angry Ginny, but please the three of us myself, Albus and Severus will give you our reasons for keeping this matter from you all in due course. It is a matter of secrecy and importance.' She continued.
A pop came into the room, a small house elf dressed in a pair of shoes and a tea towel covering her appeared in front of them all, on her head was a hat with her ears poking through two holes. 'Minnie, thank you for bringing our refreshments up, I would have come down to get them but as you can see we have guests in the castle. Now if you don't mind could you please go to the staff quarters and ask Neville to come to my office.' Minerva spoke to the house elf with gratitude.
'Yes, Mrs Minerva I will do that now.' Minnie the house elf turned before popping out of the room. Suddenly she popped back in, 'Mrs Minerva before I go to see Mr Neville, could I ask you a question please.' She squeaked.
'Of course you can Minnie, what is it?' Minerva replied.
'Could I speak with Harry Potter please?' Minnie asked.
Minerva nodded as Minnie turned around, with a smile on her face and a small bob in curtsey, she greeted Harry 'Mr Potter Sir, I was a friend of Dobby the house elf, and I want to say that he was very grateful to have you in his life. After Dobby died in your arms on the beach that day we all paid our respects to him, by visiting the grave that you dug with your bare hands. Every year we lay flowers their and say thank you for Dobby being the one who taught us that not all wizards and witches are horrible nasty people. I thank Dobby every day for getting me my job here at Hogwarts. Thank you Mr Potter for being who you are. I will be forever in your debt, as will all house elves in this castle be.' Minnie curtseyed once more before popping out of the room again.
Minutes later Neville entered the room, happy to see his friends once more. It had been a while since they had got together. Throughout the school year Neville was too busy for going out, but the time during holidays was when they got together and enjoyed each others company.
They greeted each other and exchanged pleasantries and once Neville had sat on one of the many chairs in the room Minerva began to speak.
'Neville, to bring you up to date quickly Harry has just discovered he has an older sister, who is a seer like Sybil, and was kidnapped by the death eaters on the night his parents were murdered. We can fill other details in over time but for now, Harry wants to know why he was never told of his sister. I know that Albus wants to speak first about this matter, so we will start with you Albus.' She looked towards the portrait on the wall next to the large window behind her desk.
He cleared his throat, rather comically before speaking. 'Harry my dear boy, or rather man as you have become since we last met, let me start by saying I am so so sorry that I didn't tell you about Novella sooner than now, but I had to stand by your parents wishes regarding her. She is a very special woman, even more so now than she was as a child. There are questions unanswered in your mind I know, but I must start at the beginning. Your parents married straight out of school, and within just a few weeks your mother found she was expecting your sister. They were both shocked to say the least, but they took it in their stride. Your mother glowed every day of her pregnancy she took every moment and made out it was better than it actually was. I was there every day for them both, I had to be as they were under my protection against the Dark Lord. I visited them every day before and after school, and throughout the holidays I spent every day there living there if you will. It was when Lily was around 4 months pregnant that she started to notice a change in her pregnancy. I remember the day well, it was very mild even though a dusting of snow had fallen the night before the sun shone bright but low in the sky. Spring was not yet upon us. Your mother was napping in the sun room at the back of the house, when suddenly she awoke screaming. Luckily the school was on a half term holiday and I was staying at the house with your parents. James and I both went into the sun room and your father took your mother in his arms. She was hysterical, a dream had made her awaken. I asked her to tell me about it, and over a soothing cup of camomile tea she did.
I was fast asleep, dreaming about our daughter James, I was holding her in my arms. Watching her sleeping. The dream changed, I was standing in a room there were death eaters all around me but I wasn't me I looked like me but I wasn't me, the room was dark and cold but there was enough light to see what was going on, I was cold, and weeping softly. The death eaters gathered around me, leering at me tormenting me, then I blacked out. In my blacked out state I was speaking in a strange voice, it was hoarse and croaky like I was a victim of illness. I said that they would come and they would fight one day when they least expect they will win again against the evil of the magical world. They will torture and they will win. I heard a voice in the distance it sounded like Sev, he said who will come. I repeated one name only over and over for what seemed like forever. I repeated the name Harry Potter.
I knew then that your mother was carrying a special child, that night, I explained my thoughts to them, and we decided that as your mother only left the house with your father's protection under the invisibility cloak the only people who were to know of your mothers pregnancy where the people who already knew myself James Lily and Sirius. No one else was to know about it. As time went on your mother had more visions of the future so to speak. But she didn't know who this Harry was who was spoken of in them. I gave them the diary which you now hold in your hand. I wanted them to document every moment in their life that they could. Your mother wrote in in constantly throughout her whole pregnancy. She told us that she felt like she was writing for the future of her child. I told her she needed to cast the spell with James upon the diary that way if anything ever happened god forbid and the diary fell into the wrong hands, they wouldn't be able to read it. It wasn't until you found the diary that the spell dear Hermione placed upon it worked. If it had been someone else who found it the spell would not have worked. It had to feel the touch of a true Potter. It is blood to blood magic, family magic.' Albus stopped speaking, and waited for the questions from Harry to start. When Harry remained silent he continued to speak. 'When it came time for your mother to give birth, she came to Hogwarts and your sister was born in the hospital wing of the school. As it was the summer holidays for the students of Hogwarts the school was empty apart from the staff at that time Severus didn't work at Hogwarts at that time, he was a fully fledged member of the dark lords inner circle and studying potions. I wanted her to stay in the confines of the school for extra protection but she insisted that your sister be brought up in Godrics Hollow, so your parents went home after a few days. Your sister was named Novella after a great Aunt on your fathers side of the family, but her birth was never recorded. She was kept secret from everyone. A beautiful little girl, who looked so much like your mother. When Novella had not long had her first birthday your parents found out they were expecting you it was at the end of October when they discovered you where on your way and the prophecy that set your life in stone was told.' Albus finished telling what he knew to Harry, who looked at Severus waiting for him to tell him what he knew about the whole thing.
'Severus, please before you start' Harry spoke. 'I don't want you to leave anything out, just tell me everything, I respect that you did everything you could to protect me in my mothers name. Please for my mother and my sisters sake don't leave anything out.'
Severus's portrait nodded as he listened to Harry. 'Don't worry Harry I will tell you everything that I can, for all I know they have moved your sister since the battle of Hogwarts since my death, because they knew at the end that I was faithful to Dumbledore and not to the dark lord. Now, from the second I met your mother Harry I knew I loved her. We were both the same in Petunias eyes a Freak! But that didn't matter. Your mother was my life and my soul. We grew up together until we received our letters for Hogwarts. Life was was so different for both of us after that, Lily met and fell in love with your father and I was sorted into Slytherin. Things changed completely after that as you already know, you saw my memories the night of the battle.
But now even after all of the bitterness I look over it all and I remember the loving friendship I had with Lily. When the time came for us to leave school and pursue our adult lives, I left Hogwarts in bitterness, as I became a potions master and a death eater, your parents were marrying and starting their lives together. Although I lived in hope that they would eventually split up and Lily would find love and comfort with me and grow to love me the way that I continued to love her. Even though I knew that my thoughts were futile.
I knew nothing of your sister until that night she was a very well kept secret because of what she was. After the prophecy was told a plan was set in place for you to be killed on Halloween night. The Dark Lord knew everything from Pettigrew he was his spy, his rat so to speak. He knew where you lived because he was secret keeper at the time of their death, but Pettigrew knew nothing of your sister for she had been kept away from him. I myself used legilmency to read his memories of his time at Godrics Hollow and saw nothing of your sister in his head.
Halloween came and the Dark Lord prepared himself for what was going to be his ultimate take over of the wizarding world, he knew nothing of what was inevitably going to be his downfall. He knew he could go undetected through the village as the children who lived there went about the infernal tradition of trick or treating.
He entered the house and heard James shouting for Lily to take the children and run. James fell first as the green light flashed from the wand. He fell hard against the banister on the stairs, smacking his head against the wood, and falling suddenly to the ground. Walking up the stairs to the nursery he spelled the door to open forcefully Lily standing in front of two wooden cribs one white one brown, a sleeping child in the white one dressed in pink, and a little boy in blue in the brown one. Lily shouting 'you can't have my children.' Laughter as green lights flew across the room hitting her forcefully in the chest she flew backwards against the crib, and both children started screaming. I was outside listening confused as to why I could hear two children. Another green light flashed, and then all was silent. No children crying all I heard was one little voice calling 'Mama' a little girls voice saying mama over and over again. Bursting into the house I saw James on the floor blood seeping from his head, the little girls voice was coming from upstairs, so I slowly walked up them with my wand out. I saw the hair before I saw anything else. Lily's beautiful auburn hair spilling out of the doorway. Kneeling on the floor next to her lifeless body I checked for a pulse, feeling nothing my soul dead my life seeping out from around me, it was then I decided that He couldn't have a hold over me any longer, Lily had been my life I looked over at the cribs in the room two of them. Confused I looked again two cribs seeing a little girl standing up in her crib holding her arms out to me, then a little boy sitting there silently with a scar on his forehead shaped like a lightening bolt. I heard a noise downstairs a motorbike Sirius Black. A loud pop entered the room and I saw Lucius standing in front of me, he picked up the girl in his arms she struggled to try and get away from him flailing her arms around pushing away from him, with a pop he was gone. I had to get away. Kissing Lily on the head with one last look at the lone child I apparated away and went to the only person I knew to go to I appeared at the gates of Hogwarts.
After I got to Albus, Harry he knew what had happened, the news was everywhere, he told me to wait in the dungeons barricade myself in if I had to. Upon his return from leaving you with Petunia in Surrey, he asked me what I wanted to do. I told him everything. The whole truth about my love for Lily, he asked me to turn my life around become the person that Lily wanted me to be. So I did. Before we parted he asked me if Novella had survived the attack, he left the house with only one child, and was curious as to where her body was. I was confused as to who Novella was, and he told me she was Lily's first born child. Then we sat down and he told me everything about her, how she was a seer, and a very powerful one at that. It was then that it made sense in my head. Somehow He had known about Novella and he had made a plan with Lucius if things went wrong he was to take her and hide her. Knowing one day he would return and she would be all powerful and the weapon he would need to defeat the light. Novella was kept hidden for many years until she was around 10 years old. The death eaters gathered in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor, we formed a circle, and she was in the middle, she was in some sort of trance saying the words He will come and he will defeat continuously repeating your name.
The last time I saw anything of your sister was the week before the Hogwarts battle, there was a meeting at Malfoy Manor, and she was brought from the dungeons underneath the basement. I must say before I carry on, she is a beautiful woman Harry, she looks like Lily, when she was younger. I don't know what happened after the battle for obvious reasons, I lived my life to protect you I wanted to protect her as well. The others they leered over her in a horrible way a rapist leers over his victim. I had to protect this child. She gave a short but distinct prophecy of the battle I myself think it may have been a fake prophecy as she seemed to be growing agitated like she knew what would happen but wanted to give a false statement. The Dark Lord insisted that I look into her mind he had no idea what I was and I knew how to protect my mind from him. I took Novella into a chamber off the dungeon and we were alone for a few hours as I gently probed her brain for thoughts and memories of everything over the years she had been held captive. I knew that He wanted everything so it took me a while. I went from the time that she was brought there as a toddler to the very day in question. I saw what she didn't want to divulge in her prophecies. I saw the demise of the Dark Lord, under your hand. Sadly as you know after the battle I lost my life, I don't know what happened to your Novella but the best place for you to start would be Malfoy Manor.'
The room was silent after Severus finished his piece. Somehow his face had a softer look to it, not as sharp as it previously was. Like telling his part of the story had softened him and given him peace.
Harry sighed deeply before speaking. 'Severus I knew that you loved my mother, but I never knew how deeply you loved her. Thank you for telling me your part, I have forgiven you for many things over the years and this is just one more I need to add to my list of forgiveness. But one thing I am angry at you for is for not telling me about this sooner. I understand that you felt the need to not only protect me through my life but you needed to protect my sister as well.' He finished.
'Harry, I spent my adult life pining for a woman I would never have, the only way to have her in my life would be to protect her children to the best of my ability. I only did what I thought was best. I tried to protect both of you, but in some ways I failed. I picked on you purposely throughout school, but any time that you where in danger I stood up and fought against it. On the night Albus died, I knew that the elder wand would become yours but even so I lost my life because He thought it was mine as I had done what Albus wanted me to do. I did everything in the name of Lily.'
Authors Notes.
Sorry it took a while I had to brush up on the softer side of Severus before writing the rest of this chapter. Next chapter we will meet Novella Potter.