I do not own…
Chapter Twenty-Three: Fawkes and the reveal of the True Heirs
For the last few days Vanessa has been steaming mad. Almost everyone in the school now thinks that Harry is the one that's doing the attacks. Only because he spoke Parseltongue and everyone believes that's a sign of a dark wizard. Vanessa defended her cousin of course but everyone in fear wouldn't believe her or hear it. Then another attack happened and it was Justin Finch-Fletchley and somehow the ghost of Nearly Headless Nick. With his bad luck Harry bumped into the body and Peeves the Poltergeist ran his mouth that alarmed the Professors and a few students. When Vanessa heard of this she quickly went to Headmasters Dumbledor in hopes to make sure he doesn't get expelled.
When she got to the office Harry was by himself.
"Vanessa." Harry said surprised
"Harry, what happened?" She asked
"Vanessa, you have to believe me I didn't…" He tried to explain.
"Harry, come on, you know I wouldn't believe those rumors that are being spread." She sighed "I came here to make you get a fair trial. Though I believe Dumbledore would never expel you but who knows..."
Harry sighed in relief as he was glad that his cousin still believes in him. He looked around and noticed the Sorting Hat was sitting on the top shelf.
"Bee in your bonnet, Harry Potter?" The Hat asked
"Er, yes." Harry muttered "Er...sorry to bother you...I wanted to ask…"
"You've been wondering whether I put you in the right House." The hat said "Yes...both you and your cousin were particularly difficult to place. But I stand by what I said before you two would have done well in Slytherin…"
"You're wrong." Harry said
The hat stayed still and silent after that. He continued looking around and noticed a strange looking bird. Vanessa noticed his stare and smiled when she saw Fawkes.
"Hello Fawkes. Nice to see you again." She said
The bird chirped and purred as she petted him. He has become much older than the last time she had seen him and knew what's gonna happen next. She stepped away just when the old bird burst into flames before turning to ash. The sudden flames scared Harry a little. The office door opened and Dumbledore came in.
"Professor." Harry gasped "Your bird...we couldn't do anything...he just caught fire…"
"It's okay, Harry. That's what Phoenixes do when it's' their time." Vanessa smiled
"She is right. Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes." Dumbledore chuckled
He gestured to the ashes and Harry looked down in time to see a tiny, wrinkled newborn bird poking its head out of the ashes. Pickett poked his head out of Vanessa's pocket and looked at the little bird out of curiosity. He went back in the pocket when the baby bird, remembering that it was a predator of his kind.
"Fascinating creatures, phoenixes are. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithly pets." He explained
Before Harry or Vanessa could explain why they were there Hagrid burst in with a dead rooster in his hand.
"It wasn' Harry, Professor Dumbledore!" Hagrid said "I was talkin' ter him seconds before that kid was found, he never had time, sir…"
Dumbledore tried to say something but Hagrid continued on ranting.
"...it can't 've bin him. I'll swear it in front o' the Ministry o' Magic if I have to…" Hagrid continued
"Hagrid, I…"
"...yeh've got the wrong boy, sir. I know Harry never…"
"HAGRID!" Dumbledore said loudly. "I do not think that Harry attacked those people."
"Oh." Hagrid said in surprise. "Right. I'll wait outside then, Headmaster."
He walked out, looking embarrassed.
"You don't think it was me, Professor?" Vanessa asked
"No, Vanessa, I don't." Dumbledore said "But I still want to talk to him."
He looked over at Harry with a slight curious look. Harry waited nervously wondering what it could be.
"I must ask you, Harry, whether there is anything you'd like to tell me?" Dumbledore asked "Anything at all?"
Harry didn't know how to tell him that he believed that the Malfoy's were behind this. That they were making Polyjuice Potion in Moaning Myrtles' bathroom. Not to mention the voice that he's being hearing from the walls that no one else can hear. Plus, with the rumors that everyone is saying about him and worried if he had some connection with Salazar Slytherin but he decided not too.
"No." Harry said "Nothing at all, Professor…"
Both Vanessa and Dumbledore looked at him, not believing him.
"Very well. You two may leave." Dumbledore said
The two nodded and headed back to the common room.
"Do you want to explain why you didn't tell the one person that might have helped you think?" Vanessa asked
"I'm...just trying to do what you told me last time. Think before I act. I'm just trying to get proof first." He explained
"Is this way of getting proof involving a certain Polyjuice Potion?" She asked, crossing her arms.
"What...how?" He asked
"Dawn, Rain and I have been to the third level girls' bathroom lately and Moaning Myrtle informed us of what you and your friends have been doing." She scolded "Do you know how dangerous this is? You guys are breaking more rules than you did last year. More than Fred and George, and that's saying something."
"We know that but this is the only way we could get some clue on what's happening." He said
Vanessa sighed at his stubbornness and knew he wasn't gonna stop.
"I know why you're doing this but you need to understand, if you three get caught I can't save you. Nor can mom or dad or Ben." She warned
"I know but don't worry, Hermione has it all handled." He said
"Yeah, you should be grateful. Be careful. If you three can't find anything that connects this to the Malfoys'. Drop it. Don't do anything more until I come back from Christmas break. Which reminds me, what's your excuse to Mom and Dad for not coming for Christmas this year?"
Harry gulped as he completely forgot that he had planned to have a normal Christmas holiday at Auradon this year.
.
.
.
Christmas break came and almost everyone hurried to the station. Vanessa rolled her eyes at this but did follow in a slow pace with her friends. She looked back at the castle and saw the twins, Harry and his friends watching and waving goodbye. The witch princess waved back but was still doubtful about their plan. She just wished she had a chance to tell them that she had a plan of her own and it was much easier than theirs. When the train arrived at Platform 9 3/4 she was met by her parents and Hunter. She was a bit surprised but happy to see her boyfriend. From what Ben, Mal and Evie have informed her Hunter was doing his best and a good impression. So alone with just her parents for an hour or so could only be awkward and made him nervous. After hugging her parents she quickly hugged her boyfriend.
"So what happened to Harry? I thought he was coming this Christmas?" Bell asked
"Ron and Hermione were staying this year and he wanted to stay with them." Vanessa said "He said that he's really sorry and promised to come for Easter."
"He's not getting into trouble again, is he?" Adam asked
"No. Of course not, daddy." Vanessa said quickly.
Hunter noticed her quick response with that nervous smile. Her parents seemed to believe her but as a villain kid he knew it was a lie. So he was gonna ask her later when they were alone. They arrived at her parents castel from floo powder and she released Dude from his crate before going up to her room. The curp waged his tails and let out a few barks in happiness before following her. Hunter did too as he was helping her with suitcases.
"You want to explain why you lied to your parents?" Hunter asked as he placed her bags down on the floor.
"Because if they knew the truth about what he and friends are doing he would be expelled and grounded till the end of the century." She sighed
She has told him about the adventures they had last year and how much her cousin and his friends liked getting into danger when they shouldn't.
"So what's going on?" He asked
"I'll tell you later. Where's Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos?" She asked
"Mal is with Ben on some royal couple business with King Naveen and QueenTiana. Evie finishing up her latest designs she's supposed to ship out." He explained "Carlos is trying to finish up some late project. And Jay...I think he's off on some date with one of the girls in Auradon. But you'll see them tonight for dinner, as Ben invited all of us to spend christmas break at your place."
"Really? My parents never mention that." She said surprise.
"It was Ben's gift to you and us." He shrugged
"So how far are your's and Mals' room from mine and Bens'?" She teased
"Right next to your parents." He huffs
Vanessa giggled a little when she saw the pout on his face before hugging him.
"Do you wanna come with me to the Library? There's something that I need to get before they close." She asked
He nodded as he wanted to spend time with her. So he drove her to the store on the motorbike that he got. It was a lot faster than her bike but they had to be careful as there was a christmas rush in the kingdom. When they were able to find parking space they entered the store. Like always the Library wasn't that crowded and they saw the librarian, Mr. Wiskens, putting some books away.
"Happy holidays, Mr. Wiskens." Vanessa greeted
"Oh, happy holidays, Ms. Potter. And I see you brought a new friend with you." Mr. Wiskens smile "How can I help you?"
"You wouldn't happen to have the books that I asked for a week ago?" She asked
"Oh yes, those books." Wisken said
He went into the back where his magic books are and came back with three books.
"I have to admit I was a bit surprised you asked for books on this man." Wisken muttered
"Its' for a biography report on the four founders of Hogwarts for History of Magic." Vanessa said "And I couldn't find much on him."
The library seems to have bought it and gave her the book. Hunter looked at one of the books and saw the name Salazar Slytherin. Professor Lupin has talked about the four founders and from he could remember Salazar Slytherin was pureblood purites and wanted rid the school of muggle-borns.
'Why would Vanessa want a book about this guy?' He thought
When they got back to the castle Vanessa quickly looked through the books.
"Ah, Vanessa, do you mind explaining why you're reading about a purties ass like Salazar?" He asked
The princess nodded before looking out her door, making sure no one could be listening. She didn't want any of the servants to over hear her. When she saw that no one was around she closed the door and explained what had been happening.
"Wow, and everyone blames your cousin just because he speaks Parselmouth." He said
"Because Salazar Slytherin, spoke Parselmouth. It's such a rare gift that many believe you can only be born with it. Now thanks for the Chambers of Secret being open and attacking the students, people started to think Harry is the heir." Vanessa explained "So I'm trying to figure out Salazars' bloodline in hope to prove that it's not him."
"Isn't there a easier way, like going to the Ministry of Magic or something?" He asked
"I'm not old enough to look through my family's records. And only members of the family open their own family records." She explained "I was hoping to use Evie's Magic Mirror but Mal texted me saying that Evie gave it to Fairy Godmother. Meaning it's at the Museum of Cultural History."
"Really now." Hunter smirked
Vanessa looked up at him with a raised brow wondering what he was up to. He didn't get to explain his plan yet as the rest of the VK's and Ben had arrived. Decided to leave the quest alone the two headed down and mingled with their friends. They were able to catch up with each other before dinner started. When it got dark everybody headed to their rooms getting ready for bed. Vanessa was still trying to do some research on Salazar until she saw Dude get out of his bed and walked over towards the balcony doors. Seeing that his tails were wagging happily she knew it was someone he knew. So she got up to open the curtains and saw that it was Hunter.
"Okay. What are you planning?" She asked
"You said that you need the magic mirror. And I know how to get into the museum without getting caught." He smirked "So, do you want to try and break in tonight. Or would you rather go through the borning and very long way."
She hummed as she looked at the books before looking at Hunter with a mischief smile and grabbed her jacket, long with her map. Why should her cousin have all the fun.
"Let's go." She whispered
They couldn't take his motorbike as it would be hard tossing it over the wall. So they took her broom and flew towards the museum. It was much faster and quieter. Hunter was able to use his thievery skills to get in and they got to the security room. They saw two security guards on watch and Hunter took out a box with two cupcakes in it.
"I thought this may happen. So I filled these with Sleeping Draught potion." He said "Simple but powerful."
Vanessa nodded and used wandless magic to teleport the cupcakes to where the guards are. It didn't take long for them to smell the cupcakes and started eating them. After taking two bites the guards fell back into their chairs and fell asleep.
"Your parents really need to hire better guards." He whispered
Vanessa couldn't agree more but didn't care right now. The two walked over towards the cameras and shut off the ones with rooms that they'll be going into. Then the two hurried to where the villain artifacts are and looked for the Evil Queens' Magic Mirror. When they found it the mirror was next to Maleficent's spector. Hunter looked at the spector with a glare before focusing on the mirror. It was in a glass box but it was triggered by a sensitive touch system. He opened the pedestals that had the alarms switch inside. After finding the right wire he was able to unplug the system. He gave Vanessa the nod to lift the box and grabbed the mirror.
"Hopefully this works." He mutters
"This mirror is the oldest magical object around. It might be the only thing that can help." Vanessa explained "Magic mirror in my hand, who is the true heir of Salazar Slytherin in this...land."
The magic mirror glowed a little before relieving who the heir is. Hunter looked over her shoulder to see who it was and they were all surprised with who they saw. The mirror showed both Hunter and Lucas's faces.
"What?" Hunter asked in surprise. "How?"
"I don't know. But the real question is why is Lucas in here too?" Vanessa asked "I mean I'll admit you two would look alike if it wasn't for the hair color."
Hunter looked at the blonde hair guy that looked liked him. Then he remembered that memory of him when he was a toddler.
"I think he could have been my twin brother." Hunter mentioned "When I first came here I had a small memory of my past. And let's' just say I prefer the ones I have on the Isle. In the memory I had a twin brother named Lucas but we both had the same hair color. And something tells me that my blood dad might get along with Maleficent as he was just as dark and cruel if not worse."
"Do you know why you two were separated?" Vanessa asked
"No, that's still blacked out." Hunter said "And I'm not planning to open up anymore doors. I've spent years trying to not remember them."
Vanessa knew how much his past bothered him more than what his real mother did to him. She believed that his past was much worse than the Isle as he did everything he could to block them out and never once mention them. Vanessa placed her hand into his and gave him a comforting squeeze. He looked at her with a smile as the gesture helped a little.
"Well, if it's true or not, Harry was kind of right. Only one of the Malfoys' is the heir." Vanessa said as she looked in the magic mirror.
It was strange that Hunter and Lucas could be related in some way. She placed the mirror back in the box as Hunter wired up the system and turned back on the cameras before heading back to the castle.
During Christmas and the whole holiday break the witch princess has been hanging out with Hunter and the VK's. She tried hanging out with her brother but he was too busy with king stuff. The princess also wanted to talk to him since he hasn't brought anymore VK's coming over like he had promised. Hunter told her that he has tried to as well with both Mal and Ben but they were always too busy. It was really irritating to him as he knew some kids that deserved the same chance as them. Then one day one of their dates Hunter told her about the letters he had received over the last few weeks from a woman named Andromeda Tonks. She wrote that she is a cousin of his from his mothers' side and he quickly threw it away. Mal and Evie found the letter and asked Lupin if he knew the woman. He did and when he told them the truth about the woman the girls persuaded Hunter to reconsider writing back. When they told him about her story he decided to give her a chance. He even met up with the woman and her family with Mal in London. They were actually kind and good people. She didn't even talk about his mother and for that he was grateful.