Ch. 20 �“ The Validating Visitor
As I made my way to Snape’s office, a curiosity surrounding the identity of my ‘visitor’ began to surface. I figured it wouldn’t be Mum or Dad because then Bry and Siri would be coming with me too. Not to mention the appearance of either parent would not require missing a Quidditch match, much less the match to determine the Cup winner. In fact, Mum and Dad would probably ask to meet me after the match.
I ran through the list of other possibilities but came up with a counter argument for each one. No family or Order member would call unexpectedly, and if that were the case, I wouldn’t be the only one required to meet with them. I had few connections to people outside my close knit social circle, which I acknowledged I should work on. The possibility of Draco Malfoy calling so shortly after being found is unlikely too, since I assumed he was still at St. Mungo’s Hospital.
My feet carried me to my destination quickly despite my lack of attention. I briefly thought about Sarah and Mack cheering happily in the stands or visiting and celebrating with our housemates in the Common Room. It was so unfair, everyone around me has the opportunity to live a relatively normal life. Did Sarah have to miss the match? No! Does Mack have horrible nightmares that turn out to be real? Not a chance! Did the school think Siri was going mad? Absolutely not! All that is reserved for me.
“How long do you plan on brooding in my doorway, Miss Potter?” Snape asked, his voice causing me to focus on my surroundings.
“Sorry, sir,” I muttered as I passed through the door he held open for me.
As I entered the Office, a bald, black man stood up from the armchair he was sitting in and turned to face me.
“Kingsley!” I said, happily. I quickened my pace and was about to hug him when I heard a slight cough coming from the left.
“Hello, you must be Lillian Potter,” the strange woman said, using a voice my mum stopped speaking in when I was about five.
I cast Kingsley a questioning glance and he motioned for me to sit down beside him. The woman crossed the room and stood behind the empty chair on my other side. I watched in awe as she gave Snape a meaningful glare that caused him to stand up from his seat behind his desk, walk over to the empty chair and pull it out for the woman to sit down.
“Thank you, Severus,” she said, smiling widely.
She was rather short for a grown witch and her caramel colored hair was long and stringy which didn’t flatter her chubby, round face. All her features seemed crammed into her face resulting in them being too close together but her eyes stood out to me. They were hazel and gazed with a piercing coldness I could not ignore. They roamed over my face and made me feel cold all over. This Beatrice Simmons was not a nice woman.
I turned back to face Kingsley, hoping he would say something to ease my confusion. I cocked an eyebrow and he nodded his head toward the unknown woman.
“Lily, this is Beatrice Simmons for the Ministry. She works in the Department of Mysteries as a Validator,” he explained.
“A what?” I asked as a frown settled on my lips.
Beatrice giggled in a way that made me blush with embarrassment. It was true I knew a lot of Ministry employees and their duties, but I had never heard of a Validator. The Unspeakables were the only people I knew of that worked in the Department of Mysteries and the fact I was being laughed at for a valid question made me like this woman even less.
“I’m a Validator, dear. I just need to ask you a few questions about the possibility of you having visions lately,” she said, still using that annoying baby voice.
“Shouldn’t my parents be here for this or something? I’m underage and all,” I pointed out, glancing at Kingsley. His expression remained serious but his eyes twinkled in amusement.
Beatrice Simmons shifted uncomfortably in her seat and glanced at Snape. “Miss Potter, I have been assured by both of these individuals that the questions being asked will not violate any rights you have,” Snape said.
I still wasn’t convinced and I told them so.
“Lily, it will be just like those practice interrogations we used to do when you were younger, remember?” Kingsley asked.
I attempted to hide confusion as I tried to recall any ‘practice interrogations’ being done at some point. We never did any such thing and moments like this cause people to believe that the Potter children were all raised in some weird, over paranoid environment. The only time we did anything that semi-related to ‘practice interrogations’ was when Kingsley sat us all down to explain certain rules about being a member of the Order. Kingsley had said ‘Strength and safety in numbers, children. Our ways of silent communication have saved us more times than I can count!’ Then he proceeded to explain to us how experienced Order members would always manage to include themselves in any situation involving a less experienced member and there were two experienced members here now. And although I knew quite a few people employed by the Ministry, Dad had always told us to be on our guard around any unknown representatives. I didn’t know this woman and her appearance didn’t exactly shout friendly. We were all told when in doubt to be vague and there was some doubt surrounding the sudden appearance of this Simmons woman.
I looked up at Snape to find him watching me intensely. Was it possible this woman was untrustworthy? I definitely didn’t like her and the reason she is here surprised me a bit too. Maybe she wasn’t being completely honest with me about why she was here. Snape suddenly nodded in what Beatrice could think was encouragement but I took it as a confirmation. I fought the urge to smirk at my sudden realization and decided to have a little fun. This woman had not been exposed to a Potter child yet and I wanted to make the encounter quite…unforgettable.
“Well, okay then,” I said, hesitantly.
Beatrice beamed causing her hazel eyes to light up in an eerie way. “Fabulous! Now Lily, can I call you Lily?” she asked.
This time I was unable to hold back a smirk as I crossed my arms across my chest. “Can I call you Beatrice?” I responded, feigning a sweetness that caused Snape’s lips to tighten and Kingsley’s expression to falter briefly.
“I do not think that is proper, dear,” she said, her eyes becoming colder.
“Well, I would prefer it if you called me Miss Potter, Miss Simmons,” I requested.
“Very well, Miss Potter. Does anyone in your family possess the Sight?” she asked, watching me intently.
“We all do. I can see you can’t I?” I snapped.
Beatrice’s eyes widened briefly before her expression turned cold.
“Miss Potter, please take this matter a bit more seriously,” Snape requested.
“Yes, sir,” I mumbled.
“Miss Simmons, perhaps you should take into account that you are speaking with a First Year student who may not have knowledge of what the Sight is,” Snape suggested, his dark eyes suddenly alight with a twinkle I had never seen before.
“That is an excellent suggestion, Headmaster. Lily, the Sight I am referring to is different than normal sight. Some people in our world are born with a special gift and this gift allows them to know something is going to happen before the incident actually does. Do you have this special gift?” she asked, returning to her sickly sweet tone.
“My Mum says everyone is special in some way, so I guess that means I’m special too,” I responded, my brain working in ways I didn’t even know it was capable of.
“Of course you are, dear. I would like to know if you are special in the way that I just referred to though,” she explained.
“Maybe, I mean, I knew my cousin Kevin was going to be an Auror before he actually became one,” I admitted after a brief pause to ‘think’.
“Well, that is interesting, but it’s not quite what I mean. Have you ever had a dream about someone getting hurt or disappearing and that happens a few days later? Or maybe you dream about a location where things can be found?”
I immediately blocked off all thoughts completely and stared blankly back at her. The examples she had chosen made me suddenly uncomfortable. “I rarely remember my dreams,” I lied.
“Lily, do you understand the importance of Seer registration with the Ministry? We monitor any bloodlines with Seer properties rather heavily. Once a new Seer has been found, all dreams and visions are to be logged and analyzed as quickly as possible. This is vital for the survival of our world because often these visions contain important information,” she explained.
“Well, if you monitor the bloodlines so closely, why would you be asking me if there are any Seers in my family? Obviously you know the answer to that,” I pointed out.
“Lily, please mind your manners,” Kingsely whispered.
“It is not unheard of for a person to develop the ability of a Seer even though no one else in their family can claim the same. When this is the case, it is imperative that we, the Ministry, discover the individual and go through the proper registration and monitoring process. I would think, coming from a family of War Heroes, you would be aware of the necessity of helping wizard-kind,”
Kingsley shifted in his seat next to me and made a motion to Miss Simmons behind my back that I couldn’t see. I hoped it was a vulgar one that involved a certain solitary finger…and then he could possibly slap her in the face for an excellent finish.
“I apologize for my last comment, Miss Potter,” she said, her tone attempting to sound meek.
“You should,” I simply stated in return. “Besides, I have never experienced anything that could remotely be considered a vision, the Sight or any of that rubbish you’re referring to,” I told her with every ounce of conviction I could muster.
Beatrice’s eyes went wide with excitement and a smirk danced across her face. “Is that so? What about knowing the location of Draco Malfoy after his disappearance?” she asked.
“What?” I snapped back. I knew it wasn’t the best response but I needed time to think of something better to say.
“The Ministry monitors all Floo communications at Hogwarts to ensure students are not leaving the premises or allowing unapproved visitors into the castle. You Flooed your mother stating, and I quote, ‘Its Draco. He’s in the cellar of the Old Riddle House and he’s going to die soon if he doesn’t get help’ end quote. How did you come across this information?” she pressed, her voice eager.
“Well, Dad told us that Bellatrix Lestrange had escaped from Azkaban and she’s Draco’s aunt. So when I heard Draco was missing I figured Bellatrix abducted him and took him to the previous home of her deceased master’s family in some sort of retaliation,” I rattled out quickly, having no idea where the words had come from.
“Really? That sounds like quite a stretch to me. Are you telling me you didn’t See his location in a dream?”
“NO! I didn’t ‘See’ his location!” I said, heatedly.
She smirked again. “Your explanation is not sufficient to me. I’m sorry, Miss Potter but if you refuse to cooperated I will have to use other methods,” Beatrice threatened.
“Well, Miss Simmons, I’m sorry if the truth isn’t what you want it to be but that doesn’t prevent it from being the truth,” I snapped.
“There is no reason to be ashamed if you are really a Seer, that is unless you are hiding your gift because you plan to use it against the Ministry,” she replied through gritted teeth.
“Beatrice!” Kingsley warned.
I rolled my eyes and stood up. “Look, just because my friends and I were able to figure something out that a bunch of Ministry wizards were unable to doesn’t mean that some sort of…of…conspiracy is going on! I am not a Seer!” I shouted.
“Miss Potter, sit down and calm yourself,” Snape ordered from behind his desk.
I sat down and crossed my arms across my chest again. “I’m done talking to you until my parents are with me,” I said, stubbornly.
Beatrice towered over me now and it took every ounce of my strength not to cower and crawl onto Kingsley’s lap.
“This interview is over when I say it is! If you refuse to continue I’ll be forced to administer Veritaserum,” she cried, her face alight with madness.
“You will do no such thing to my daughter!” a voice boomed from the doorway.
All three of us turned to see my Dad crossing the room and I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. The surrounding portraits began whispering excitedly and even Dumbledore diverted from his sleeping pose. In that moment, I understood why my father was regarded so highly in our society. I could feel his power radiating around him and his green eyes were so bright, looking at them caused my own eyes to tear up. He was glaring at Beatrice with an amount of hatred greater than that of Snape, which was quite disturbing. She had the decency to return to her seat and look slightly ashamed of herself. Well, I wasn’t about to comfort her after what how she had acted toward me.
As soon as Dad reached us I jumped off my chair and hugged him tightly. I fought back tears of happiness as he scooped me up and wrapped his arms around me. I knew that no person could harm me now, I was safe…I was protected. Within the embrace of my father I was untouchable and I knew it.
“I’m telling you, as this girl’s father, that this highly illegal interview is over. Kingsley, Severus…how could you agree to such a thing?”
“I was assured that things wouldn’t get out of hand, Potter. Obviously the conversation took an unexpected turn and the situation got a bit out of control,” Snape drawled.
“Beatrice, perhaps it would be best if we left now. Nothing more can be discovered with both you and Miss Potter in such an agitated state. You go ahead while I attempt to calm Mr. Potter,” Kingsley suggested.
“I will be paying close attention to you, Miss Potter,” Beatrice promised.
“The Lily Potter Fan Club meets bi-monthly in the Great Hall. I’m sure you could pop in for an update or two,” I replied.
“Lillian,” Dad said in a warning tone. I wasn’t too worried though since I saw the smile tugging at his lips.
“Thank you for those parting words, Miss Simmons. Oh, and do tell the Minister I say hello,” Dad said, pointedly.
Beatrice Simmons pursed her lips before silently stalking out the door. As soon as the door shut behind her, Kingsley turned to face me.
“Lily, watch who you talk to about anything from now on. Don’t underestimate where she can get her information from because she most likely has sources in places you wouldn’t expect. And Harry, you may want to sit Lily down and go over the proper way to deal with Ministry officials,” he advised, a small smile escaping his lips.
I waved and flashed him a cheeky smile. “Mum already taught me, can’t you tell?”
Shaking his head, Kingsley walked out the door.
Dad set me down and smiled thinly. “How rude were you?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Not horribly,” I responded.
Snape arched an eyebrow and a cough came from one of the portraits on the wall. “You could have handled the situation much better, Miss Potter,” Snape pointed out.
“Why didn’t you speak up and tell me I was out of line then?” I asked.
Snape merely smirked and waved Dad and I out of his office.
“Where are we going?” I asked as Dad took my hand and led me down the staircase and through the corridors.
“We need to go find your brothers,” he said, simply.
“To find out the results of the match?” I asked, hopefully.
He nodded with a small smile. “Yes, and to explain to you exactly who Beatrice Simmons is and why she is not to be trusted,” Dad explained.
“I thought you didn’t want to burden us with information in order to…what was it? Preserve our innocence?”
Dad shook his head and fought back another smile. “Well, it’s becoming quite obvious that I need to share certain pieces of information with you and anything I choose to withhold you all will figure out on your own anyway,”
I smiled and squeezed his hand. “Doesn’t that make you a little proud?”
Dad stopped just short of the Entrance Hall and turned to pierce me with an intense look. “Lily, I am more than a little proud of my children, you all continue to amaze me every day, in ways that never cease to surprise me,”
My father suddenly disappeared as three boys tackled him to the ground.
“WE WON THE CUP!” I heard Siri’s voice call from the heap at my feet.
Bry stood next to me but his gaze was on the three boys pulling the older man up off the ground. “I see Dad decided to come by, how nice,” he observed with a straight face.
I laughed and nodded.
“Why is Uncle Harry here?” Molly asked, joining us. Apparently they were all returning from the Pitch. James, Jake and Siri were still in their Quidditch gear while Sarah and Mack were sporting their red and gold. Katy stood between Molly and Bry with a look of mild interest on her face.
Dad stood up smiling and hugged all the new arrivals. “I need to talk to you all, we need to go someplace secluded though,”
“Well, that cancels the Common Room,” Siri pointed out.
“Don’t worry. I know a great spot that will fit our needs perfectly on the seventh floor,” Dad replied. He immediately began walking back up the stairway we had just come from.
“Ugh, I don’t know how much more walking I can do today,” I complained.
I found myself on Siri’s back again before I had time to complete an eye roll.
“Cheer up, sis! We won the Cup and Dad’s back, how can you complain?” Siri asked, a big smile spread across his face.
I rested my head on the back of his shoulder. I knew that once Siri heard what Dad had to say, the excitement and brief happiness surrounding their victory will be gone.
**
Dad walked much faster than the rest of us and by the time we all caught up with him, he was holding open a door and ushering us inside. The room we entered resembled Dad’s study at home with the plush maroon carpet and mahogany walls. Between the bookcases that lined the walls were huge windows with sunlight streaming through them. Two large couches and numerous arm chairs were placed strategically around the room, most had side tables nearby with lamps or quills with ink pots placed on them. Dad rearranged the furniture with a flick of his wand so we would all have a place to sit. I chose a seat between Siri and Jake because that’s where Siri threw me.
“Don’t throw your sister onto the furniture, Sirius! How many times have I warned that she could get hurt?” Dad asked.
“She hasn’t yet though, has she?” Siri replied, sticking his armpit in my face.
“Eww! Dad, did you see that? He’s all stinky too!” I cried, scrunching my nose up in disgust.
Mack and Sarah giggled as they each sat in an armchair.
Dad rolled his eyes as Siri finally sat down, completing the haphazard circle. “Don’t put your sweaty appendages in your sister’s face, Siri,” Dad scolded.
Jake was leaning over the side of the couch laughing so I kicked his shin.
“Okay, that’s enough! I need you all to pay attention,” Dad said.
The boys were still too wound up from the match to heed my father, which annoyed me because I knew what we would be discussing. James was rapidly tapping his feet on the floor while Siri and Jake were engaging in a punch-you-punch-me game, which only paused briefly for Siri to flick my ear. Both Bry and Katy had pulled books from the shelves and Sarah and Mack were giggling about something.
“Siri…Sirius, stop it! Brian and Katy put your books down, James please stop tapping your feet it’s driving me mad!” Dad begged.
“Sirius James and Jacob Charles you both stop hitting each other this minute! James Remus, you halt that tapping! Brian Albus and Katherine Margaret put your books down! Sarah Rose you stop talking and listen to your Uncle this instant!” a voice cried.
Aunt Hermione walked across the now silent room, gave Dad a small smile and then sat down on the couch between Katy and Bry.
“I need to discuss something serious with you so please pay attention. Now, as you all know, Lily has helped us locate and save Draco,” Dad began.
A few shocked gasps interrupted him but any questions were silenced by his glare.
“As fortunate as we are that he has been found, this discovery has come at a bit of a price. It will now be harder for Lily’s talent to remain secret and it is very important that no one outside our family and the Order know about her ability. So, from now on, none of you are to talk about anything relating to any dreams or visions Lily has had or will have unless you are absolutely sure you are alone, do you understand?”
We all nodded solemnly.
Dad nodded in approval. “Now I know you all need to start preparing for you end of year exams…”
“Start?” Hermione asked in a disbelieving tone.
“But I’d like to spend part of today offering up some information you have all been curious about. Am I correct in assuming this will be a fair trade?” Dad asked.
“Abso-bloody-lutely!” Siri cried as we all nodded.
“Good. I’m going to start at the beginning and give you a brief overview. Don’t try to understand everything, just pay attention to the names and…well, we’ll get to the ‘and’ later,” Dad said.
To Find the Truth by hopelesslyhopeful
Chapter Notes: Hi All! Sorry it took so long to update but life is kind of hectic right now. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and please leave a review letting me know what you think!