My dad was having a class with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, and I decided to sneak in through one of my secret passages. I was once again in one of my favorite hiding spots. Behind the shelves in the supplies room, there was a hole big enough for me to see but small enough for not to be spotted. It was weird to be hidden again and fascinating at the same time. He had a class with the fifth year, and I found it quite amazing that I already knew all the questions that he was asking. Also, the potion that they were making was pretty easy.
The class went on for an hour, but for me, it felt like a few minutes. I really enjoy listening to my dad's lectures. Towards the end of the class, I noticed that his hair was getting increasingly greasy, and I immediately started summoning up some of my shampoos and oils that I thought would work best for his type of hair. My timing was perfect because this was his last class of the day, and I could also use this opportunity to ask him about Peter Pettigrew and, of course, spend some quality time with my favorite person. As soon as everyone left the classroom I hurried out of my hiding spot. I sneaked behind my dad and hugged him from behind. He was startled for a second, but soon he realized it was me.
"Don't sneak up on me!" He said, faking his angry voice. But he was still visibly annoyed by something.
"You know that I'm the only one who is allowed to do that." I smiled widely, hugging him even tighter.
"Yeah, I know!" He turned around to put his hand on my head. The thing he liked the most was to mess with my hair, so that is what he did. After he was satisfied with the bird nest he had created, he started grinning at his work. Thanks to Merlin my hair isn't as curly as Hermione's, but it was wavy enough for it to get easily tangled.
"What is wrong?" I asked soon after.
"This dam class is wrong!" He said and left to sit down. He slumped down into the chair and rested his hand on the table.
"Why? I thought that you enjoyed it at least a bit." I said and leaned on one of the tables.
"I do. But you saw with what I'm working here." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Half of them don't know what they are doing and the other half is not even trying."
"Yeah, I saw. But there are still a few of us who like learning about this and we are actually good!" I smiled widely.
"Yes, if there were more like you, my job would be much easier." He sighed, and a strand of hair dropped on his face. "This, too, is also annoying. I can't finish one class without greasy hair."
"Well, that is why you have me!" I exclaimed, and with a flicker of my wand, I summoned the products I hid in the supply room. "So I was experimenting with combinations and spells, and I think I managed to make a perfect combination of shampoos and oils that should keep your hair safe from all evaporations that are happening in this room."
When I finished with my enthusiastic explanation, I noticed that he was smiling softly. "What?" I asked, confused.
"Thanks!" He said softly. "It seems that you learned how to read my mind."
I believed that there was much more that he wasn't telling me, but I didn't want to torture him with questions anymore. So, instead, I positioned myself behind him and prepared to do his hair. I used a mix of spells to help me with wetting his hair, but everything else from shampooing to combing his hair I did with my hands because I believed that it was the best way to apply the product. Sometimes, the muggle way was better than the wizarding one.
"I have some new information about Potter," I said somewhere in the middle of shampooing.
"Please do tell." He said closing his eyes.
"You know about the map the Potter has found?" I asked.
"Yes." He answered shortly.
"So, it turns out that that map can show you where is everyone in the castle, with name and everything."
"What?!" He jumped causing the soap to fly everywhere.
"Yes, but Lupin took it so we can't get to it," I added pushing him back down into the seat. "So, I found out that Potter was searching for a man called Peter Pettigrew. Which is weird because everyone told me that Peter has been killed by Sirius Black."
"That is indeed unusual. Peter Pettigrew was killed twelve years ago and only a finger could be found." Dad said in an emotionless tone as if he didn't care that he was killed.
"Do you know more about Pettigrew? I want to get as much information as possible, so I can use it as an advantage against Potter." I said trying to force my dad to give me some new information.
"Well, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were best friends. They were the most annoying people that I knew, similar to Potter, Granger, and Weasley. They spend all the time together and if I remember correctly they would even disappear every time Lupin would turn into a werewolf. I don't know how they managed not to get killed or turned but even then they were together." He said in a monotone voice.
"Was it ever proven that Pettigrew was dead? Potter said that map only shows alive people." I said. Something wasn't adding up, could it be that Sirius was wrongly accused?
"The night when Pettigrew was killed supposedly Sirius also killed twelve muggles, and he was the only one standing. This is what earned him a life sentence in Azkaban." He said but his answer didn't help me. Pettigrew could have easily escaped or Sirius could have been framed. I mean if they were such good friends as my dad says, then why would he betray his friends?
"Thanks, I'll look into it more," I said as I was finishing up with rinsing his hair, water falling down to the middle of the chair then disappearing into a nothingness as a swirl of soapy liquid.
"As I told you many times before, just be safe!" He said straightening up.
"You know I am always careful," I said smiling widely at him.
Since it was almost dinner time I quickly dried his hair and said bye to my dad. I rushed to Dumbledor's office wanting to catch him before he disappeared again. I wanted to catch him before dinner because I knew that he was always in his office right before he had to go to the Great Hall.
"Albus!" I exclaimed when I opened the door of Dumbledor's office, "I missed you!"
"I missed you too!" He raised his hands to hug me and I jumped in his embrace. "How are you? Do you like classes this year?" He asked patting my head.
"I like it very much!" I said now standing in front of him.
"I believe that you have a question for me since you come at this late hour." He said turning around to sit by the table on the upper level of his office, and I followed him. "Tea?" He added once he sat down. He can drink tea at any time during the day, and I nodded since his tea is the best.
"I in fact I do have one." I sat down. " A short one and then we can go to dinner." I smiled, and he ushered me to go on.
"I recently came across some information about Sirius Black and the more I think about it, I just can't connect him to the murders," I said getting suddenly serious.
He sighed loudly, " I would really like to share your opinion but there is not a shred of proof to support Black's story. A street full of eyewitnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been the Potters' Secret Keeper." Dumbledore said bowing his gray head.
"I know that very well I have heard the stories. But with whoever I spoke with they will always talk of how Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter were best friends, how they were never separated. Even my dad says the same and he clearly hates them."
"I'm well aware of the stories they were Minerva's favorite students. She often talked about how they were the most talented students she had ever had. It's a shame that this happened to them of all people." Said Dumbledore with sadness in his voice.
"Yeah, she told me the same few days ago." As I said this I remembered what I wanted to share with him. "I almost forgot. Are you familiar with Marauder's map, because Potter found it and he was actively using it?" I added.
"In fact yes!" He smiled. "That is the map that the four of them made when they were students. That is how they named their group and each of them had their nickname written down on it. James's nickname was Prongs, Sirius was Padfoot, Peter was Wormtail and Remus had a nickname Moony. But I didn't know it was in Potter's possession right now. I thought that Argus had it safely stored away." He said sounding confused for a second.
"It turned out that the Weasley brothers stole it and then later on gave it to Potter so he could go to Hogsmeade with his friends," I explained and he just nodded in understanding. "So the other day Potter told me that he has been using it to track Sirius Black's movement inside the castle and instead of him he found Peter Pettigrew walking down the hallways." Dumbledore's eyes grew twice the size. " Is it possible that Peter faked his death and that Sirius was innocent," I said hopefully.
"If you are correct then Sirius has been in Azkaban for twelve years without a reason." He slumped down into his sofa. "I'll look into it because Sirius is sentenced to get a dementor's kiss when caught because he is thought to be too dangerous since he managed to escape once. And if you are correct he will die in vain." A fear flashed through his eyes and he suddenly stood up.
"Go to dinner now! I'll tell you if I find something!" He said pushing me through the door.
"I'll try to find him. Some animals told me that he has been hiding in the woods." I said once I was in the hallway.
"Be careful, he is still highly dangerous! People become mad in Azkaban no matter how innocent they are!" He added before closing the door. Dumbledore was oddly weird. It felt like he knows something but doesn't want to tell me.
I decided to ignore it for now and instead, I rushed to the Great Hall because I promised Draco and Blaise that I'd eat with them. On the way, I started plotting how I investigate this further. My next idea was to talk with Professor Lupin, but that could be tricky.
I arrived just before the food started coming out and by the time I sat down on my spot, I was out of breath.
"Where were you?" Draco asked clearly annoyed, "You were out for the whole day!"
"I spent some time with my dad," I whispered so only he could hear.
"Aha, okay. You were greatly missed today." He grinned.
"What? You can't live without me!" I said jokingly.
"Ha, ha. Very funny! What I meant is that you missed a fight in the common room." Draco said with a sarcastic tone to this voice.
"Yes, and I came out victorious!" Blaise said raising his nose to show his smugness.
"Please do tell me what happened," I said faking interest.
"Well, you see. I was sitting minding my own business when suddenly Pansy and her friends st..." A sudden bang stopped Blaise in the middle of the sentence and forced all of us to jump. The bang was similar to the fireworks and no one knew where it came from.
For a few seconds, nothing was happening but suddenly Pansy, who was sitting few seats away from us, stood up and loudly said. "Let's see how smug will you be now!" She then raised her wand and casted a spell that I couldn't hear very well.
I was confused because I had no idea what was she talking about. But soon from the ceiling something that looked like paper started falling all over the Great Hall.
You could hear a few gasps erupting all over the room. I quickly picked up one of the papers and when I turned it over I almost passed out. My worst fear just came true because in my hand I was holding a picture where I was hugging my dad. I frantically started picking up the pictures trying to get them all as if I could hide them all. In one picture we were hugging, in the other, he was holding my hand and we were talking, and then there was one where he was spinning me around. The pictures were just coming and coming and I started shaking. I looked at my dad and when I saw his shocked face I started crying. I just couldn't stop it. Draco was also picking up the pictures shouting at stunned Blaise to do the same.
"Christine!" Draco pulled me by the hand to get my attention. "Your hair!" I took a strand of my hair while being completely out of the place, so much that I didn't even notice that he was using my real name. My hair was changing color. I looked at my dad again and now he was standing up and he was actively trying to push past all the teachers.
"Dad!?" My voice was trembling, "What is happening to me?" I said as he was getting closer. All the sounds slowly merged together. People were questioning everything. Blaise asked if Severus was my dad and spiked up more questions. And soon the whole room knew that he is my father.
By the time dad caught my arm, my hair was completely white. My beautiful black hair was now whiter than Albus's beard. He pulled me out of the room and for a split second I caught Hermione's eye and I could see that she was equally surprised as everyone else. But there was something else mixed in her look, she was hurt and I couldn't blame her. I was lying to her for almost three years to the point that she didn't even know my real name.
As I was running away with my dad it suddenly occurred to me that this might be the end of my studding in Hogwarts. Our secret was out in the open and right now I wished I could obliviate everyone's memories. I lowered my head in defeat because I knew in my soul that I didn't know how to fix this.