Part 15
A moment later, everyone had gathered in front of the Black family tree and stared at the wall, stunned. No one could really believe what they saw there.
Under the name of Bellatrix Lestrange another branch had appeared, the branch for a child, but still the space with the name was empty. However, it could mean only one thing. One thing that was definitely not good.
"My crazy cousin had a baby," Sirius said shaking his head, still completely stunned by what was now visible to all. A child. Bellatrix's child.
Thoughtfully, Albus Dumbledore looked at the family tree before turning to Severus.
"Do you know anything about this? About a child that was just born?" questioningly, he looked at his spy. As a matter of fact, though, Severus was loyal to him - Dumbledore was sure of that. If Severus knew anything about a child, he would have told him long ago.
Severus, however, shook his head. And that wasn't even a lie. Bellatrix's daughter had already been born more than 17 years ago, not just now.
"Then you must find out, very quickly. We need to know everything about this child. We must also know who the father is," Albus urged him.
A child born to Bellatrix Lestrange was bound to be bad. Everyone knew of Bellatrix's fanatical enthusiasm for the Dark Lord, for Voldemort. Albus did not want to imagine what it would mean if the child was not her husband's, but Voldemort's. Therefore, he had to know the truth very quickly and Severus would get it for him. Thereafter, they would proceed further. But of one thing Dumbledore was certain. If there was this child, this child of Bellatrix and Voldemort, then it could no longer remain under his control. The Order would have to do something. No matter what.
After a moment, everyone gradually left the room again. No one could believe what they had just seen.
Crazy Bellatrix Lestrange had become a mother.
When the last one had left the room, Severus Snape turned to his daughter, who had stayed in the background the whole time. He guessed that the appearance of this branch could only mean one thing. Oh, and he didn't like that at all.
"What have you done?" hissed Severus angrily, grabbing Katie by the arm.
"Nothing."
"Unless your mother suddenly became pregnant within three days and gave birth to a child, it will be your name that will appear there on the family tree. So," Severus looked expectantly at his daughter.
"I haven't done anything."
"You must have-"
"Severus, please let's talk about it somewhere else, not here, where someone can come in and overhear us at any moment. If so, only a very strong Obliviate will be able to help us keep the secret hidden," Minerva interrupted him.
Minerva had been silently listening to the conversation between father and daughter.
She, too, was worried about Katie. Under no circumstances was Katie's name to appear on the family tree. Never was the name Catelyn Black allowed to appear on the family tree.
But now it was time to find out how this change had happened and if it could still be stopped. Severus knew that Bellatrix had put a spell on the family tree at the time so that Katie's name would not appear there, only it seemed that either the spell was losing its effect or someone had found a way to break the spell. In any case, they had to find out what had happened. Except not in a room in the Blacks' house, a place where there was a danger of someone walking in at any moment.
"Hogwarts?" he looked questioningly at Minerva.
"I'd rather go to my cottage up in the Highlands, where Katie grew up. You remember where it is?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll see you there in ten to twenty minutes. Do you want me to let Remus know? Maybe he has an idea on how we can stop this change," Minerva suggested.
Severus nodded and left the two women alone.
He would apparate to Scotland in a moment. But before that, he needed a moment for his anger to dissipate. Severus simply could not imagine that after all Bellatrix, Minerva and himself had done to protect Katie, she would be so stupid as to risk everything. But someone had done something. And he would find out.
After Severus left the room, Minerva turned back to Katie.
"Let's go. We should use the time until he arrives in Scotland to talk," Minerva declared.
As the two apparated to Scotland a few moments later and walked the short distance to Minerva's house, the house where Katie had spent her childhood, Minerva searched for the right words to ask Katie.
"I didn't do anything," however, Katie made the start.
"Maybe it was something that you were unaware of that you were doing. Anything that you didn't hold much importance to?"
"No, I didn't. I was in the library all the time, reading the books."
Minerva nodded.
That really didn't sound unusual. Nothing that she thought would cause Katie's name to appear on the family tree at some point.
"Let's go inside for now. I'll make us some tea and maybe some whiskey," Minerva said as she opened the door to her cottage.
But if she had foreseen what would take place in her living room a few minutes later, Minerva would certainly have foregone the tea.
"You did what?" stunned, Severus looked at his daughter.
"Searched for a solution in the books of the Blacks," Katie explained calmly.
"The books of the Blacks can only be read by someone who has Black blood."
"And I have that. The blood flows in me. I am a Black."
The look with which Severus Snape looked at his daughter was impossible for Katie to interpret.
Anger, sadness, bewilderment - it was all at once.
"Did you open the books?"
"Of course."
"With your blood?"
Surprised, Minerva now looked at Severus.
"You have to drip some blood on the books and then they can be opened," Severus said by way of explanation.
"Yes, I cut my hand and then Percy and I looked for a solution. But somehow we didn't come up with the right one, not even the spell from the-"
"What spell?" interrupted Severus.
"Something in French, Le sang de mon sang or something. It was in the Chronicle of the Blacks," she opined.
It felt like for a moment Severus' heart stopped. He couldn't believe what his ears were hearing! The books in the Blacks' library were dangerous. The Blacks family was a dangerous one. And Katie had apparently gotten herself entangled in a dangerous game.
"I want to hear this spell, one word at a time. What was in that book?"
"I don't know," Katie replied.
"Remember!"
"I don't know exactly."
"Then fucking try to remember! C'mon. I need to know what you said and did. In detail. Every single step!" he demanded.
Severus was getting more and more worked up in his anger. At the same time, he was also afraid. He was afraid for his daughter, that maybe this spell would put everything in danger, would put Katie in danger.
And that there was nothing more he could do to protect his daughter.
"Severus, enough is enough," Minerva now interjected into the conversation.
"It's not enough by a long shot. The Blacks' magic is dangerous. Bellatrix once told me about some of the spells, the protection spells of her family. Katie got into something dangerous," he then explained.
"I haven't gotten caught up in anything that hasn't been a part of my life for a long time," Katie said, "I am the daughter of a Black, after all."
"You're a stupid, naive child, risking everything for-"
Until now, Remus had been wordlessly watching the war of words between father and daughter, but it was time to intervene.
"Maybe we should get the book from the library and Katie will show us the spell. Then we'll know exactly what's in the book and what it means. Then maybe we can handle it better if we know what it is," Remus then suggested.