Ch. 21 �“ Let Me Tell You A Story
The extremely energetic group around me was suddenly quiet and attentive. We all watched my father intensely, our curiosity blinding us to the possibility of the information we were about to receive would be horrible. The bottom line was we had finally done enough snooping to get some real answers.
Dad sighed and settled back in his chair. “You all are old enough to know that not all wizards use their abilities for good. Voldemort was a wizard who used his power to an extent of evil that was…beyond vicious. He believed that only pure-blood witches and wizards were worthy of existing and took it upon himself to rid the world of lesser beings,” he began.
“We already know all of this,” Siri said, an edge of annoyance in his voice.
“I know, but it is important to be reminded for the purpose of what I’m going to tell you. Professor Binns told you that Voldemort’s ultimate goal was to rid the world of all Muggles and Muggle-born witches and wizards, this is not the truth. Voldemort’s ultimate goal was to become immortal and he attempted to achieve immortality by using a level of Dark Magic that few even knew existed,” he paused to draw a deep breath. “Voldemort decided to split his soul seven ways and use objects to hold each piece. These objects are called Horcruxes and they are very hard to defeat since they often have defenses against destruction,”
“He split his soul?” I asked. I didn’t understand why anyone would do such a thing. The idea of desiring one’s soul to be anything but complete didn’t seem right to me.
“Yes, by killing people,” Dad stated simply.
I didn’t realize I was shaking until Siri grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I looked at everyone else in the room with their pale faces and frightened look in their eyes. It seemed odd to be in the presence of my father and feeling so vulnerable. Hermione looked torn between comforting all of us and interrupting Dad to go into greater detail.
“So, in order to kill Voldemort all of his Horcruxes had to be destroyed prior to attacking him. Ron, Hermione and I spent our seventh year not here but roaming the country in search of these items,”
“But Dad, how did you know what you were looking for? There are hundreds of objects that have magical capabilities,” Bry pointed out.
Dad nodded and shared a small smile with Hermione. “I spent my sixth year getting private lessons from Dumbledore and he gave me a list of items he suspected Voldemort had used. When it came to tracking Voldemort and interpreting his next move, Dumbledore had an uncanny knack for being right. After he died…”
“Murdered by Snape you mean!” I cut in.
Dad threw his head in his hands. “Oh Lily, it’s not as simple as all that,” he said, his voice sounding tired.
“Lily, Snape didn’t murder Dumbledore in cold blood. Dumbledore had been infected by a Dark Curse and there was nothing that could be done to cure it. He had asked Snape to kill him,” Hermione explained.
“What? Why would he do that?” Jake asked in disbelief.
“I’ll get to that next. What I originally had been trying to say is that after Dumbledore died, we had a list of items to track down and destroy. Once we accomplished that task, Voldemort could be defeated as any other human. At the Battle of Hogwarts we all fought and ended up triumphing over Voldemort once and for all,”
“So what’s the deal with Dumbledore’s death than?” Sarah asked.
“Oh Sarah, that part is so complicated. In all honesty, I don’t even know where to begin,” Dad said with a sigh.
Hermione patted Dad’s knee in comfort. “I’ll try and you jump in when you feel like it, okay?” she asked. Dad nodded in agreement and Hermione turned her attention pack to us.
“It all started back when Harry’s parents were kids. You see, James Potter was a pure-blood but Lily’s family was full of Muggles before she came along, much like me. Before Lily went to Hogwarts she befriended another young wizard by the name of Severus Snape,”
“WHAT?” we all cried.
Hermione nodded. “Severus spent time explaining to Lily how things work in the magical world, he sort of briefed her on what to expect when she went to Hogwarts. When they finally went to Hogwarts, Lily was sorted into Gryffindor while Severus was sorted into Slytherin. The two friends eventually drifted apart but Severus never stopped loving her,”
Dad’s face was paler now but he cleared his throat to signal that he was ready to speak. “One night Dumbledore went to a pub to interview a Seer to for the post of Divination Professor at Hogwarts. While he was interviewing her, this Seer foretold of the one who would eventually conquer Voldemort and end his reign of terror. Snape had been standing outside the door and heard the prophecy so he immediately went to Voldemort to share his discovery. Voldemort believed the prophecy to be referring to me so a plan to kill my family was set into motion. Snape couldn’t convince Voldemort to spare my mother’s life so he arranged to meet with Dumbledore and begged him to protect her. As everyone knows that didn’t work and Voldemort managed to kill my parents anyway. Snape had been devastated and Dumbledore convinced him to aid in protecting me once Voldemort returned,”
“What the hell? I don’t get it,” Siri said.
“The Headmaster agreed to help protect Uncle Harry because he would still be protecting Lily in some way, right?” Katy said.
Hermione nodded. “Although you grew up hearing how much Harry looks like his father, his nature is more like his mother,” she said.
“And I have her eyes too, the same eyes that you have Lily,” Dad said with a small smile.
“Anyway, Snape never renounced his allegiance to Voldemort which allowed him to continue spying on the Dark Side once Voldemort returned.”
“This was vital to the survival and success of the Order. Severus was able to let everyone know what Voldemort was planning or what his goals were. This made our job much easier because it eliminated any incorrect theories that had been constructed,” Hermione said in her teaching tone.
“But Uncle Harry, how was Voldemort able to come back after he died at Godric’s Hollow?” Molly asked.
“Weren’t you listening to Uncle Harry? Voldemort made those Horcrux things so he’d never die,” Sarah snapped.
“I was listening, prat! I’m just asking how those Horcrux things can bring a person back! Professor Binns told us that Voldemort disappeared after Godric’s Hollow, did you miss that fact in lessons?” Molly hissed.
“So he disappeared. All that means is no one saw him for a long time,” Mack cut in.
“Didn’t you read about a potion or something that brought him back to human form Lily?” James asked.
“I nearly forgot about that! I did read something like that when I was doing some background reading on Voldemort’s reign,” I said, thoughtfully.
“Voldemort was sort of a ghost after he failed to kill Harry that night,” Hermione explained. “He was weak and powerless for a very long time. Eventually, he stumbled upon one of his followers and that person helped Voldemort acquire enough strength to return to human form,” she finished, casting Dad a look.
An image of the graveyard that haunted my dreams flashed in my mind. I pierced Dad with a knowing look and he simply nodded at me.
“I have a question,” Katy announced.
Dad turned his gaze away from me and focused on Katy instead. “Yes, Katy?”
“Well, I would like to know who was feeding Voldemort information during the First War,” she said.
“Who was the rat?” Siri added.
“Why what makes you think there was one to begin with?” Dad responded, his green eyes twinkling with amusement.
“Well, Voldemort somehow knew where countless secret Order meetings were being held,” Jake said.
“And there was the fact that Gran and Grandad Potter went into hiding. Their location was only known to one person, a Secret-Keeper,” Bry continued.
“What? How did you come up with that idea?” Hermione asked, clearly astonished.
“Actually it was me. I was in the Headmaster’s Office a while back and I had a nice chat with Dumbledore before Snape came in,” Siri said, a big smile spread on his face.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. I was hurt I hadn’t been included in such a huge discovery.
“What are you talking about? That was the only topic of conversation for at least a week. Were you not paying attention?” Siri accused.
“Can we focus on the more important part of this conversation and let Uncle Harry tell us who betrayed his parents?” Sarah asked.
“A man by the name of Peter Pettigrew and there is no need to worry about him any longer. He died in the Final Battle,” Hermione said quickly, preventing Dad from answering. He looked as if he had a few more words to add to that description.
“I would like to know why you have suddenly decided to share the information we’ve been asking for all year,” James said.
I watched Dad shift in his seat and cast Hermione a pointed look. Once again I was awed by the bond they shared. If I would ever be able to develop that form of communicating with someone I’d feel truly fortunate. Hermione nodded in response to my dad and pierced me with a look.
“Lily, the things you are seeing and the subtle movements of some dodgy people are quite unnerving. War is one of the things that leave lasting damage on both the environment and the people who fought. Books will speak of a winner and a loser but in reality, everyone involved loses something whether it be their life or their innocence. The reality of the situation is that even though Voldemort is gone, along with many devoted followers, his mindset and beliefs are not. Saiph is a major problem for us and she is becoming more active as time progresses,” she explained.
“We’re pretty sure that Bellatrix and Saiph have met up by now but we do not know what their plans are,” Dad continued.
“Wait, wait, wait. What makes you so sure that Bellatrix and Saiph are going to work well together?” Katy asked.
A feeling of dread appeared out of nowhere and settled in my stomach. The sudden onset must have shown on my face because Siri was watching me with concern. I didn’t know why I suddenly felt so heavy, it wasn’t an oncoming vision…it was more like knowing that something huge was going to be revealed, something that I possibly have known for quite awhile but was never aware of it.
Dad cleared his throat nervously. “We aren’t quite sure, Katy. We are absolutely positive. Saiph is Bellatrix’s daughter,” he admitted.
The room closed in on me suddenly and I gripped Siri’s hand so tightly he actually winced. “What?” he hissed.
“I don’t know, I’m just frightened!” I replied defensively.
“It’s going to be okay. There are many people observing their actions so we know where they are,” Hermione reassured.
“You just don’t know what they are planning to do is all,” Jake muttered.
“How does Beatrice Simmons fit into all of this?” I asked, remembering what Dad had said about her earlier.
“We aren’t exactly sure. Kingsley told me that she moved to London recently from France. Apparently her family fled right around the time Voldemort fell. It just makes us suspicious about her associations, not to mention her first order of business is to heavily monitor Hogwarts,” Dad explained.
“So what do we do now?” Sarah asked. I saw she was gripping Mack’s hand rather tightly too.
“You prepare for your exams, obviously. We thought explaining certain things would keep you from snooping. You all need to be careful at all times, even when you are here. Even the safest places can harbor danger, keep that in mind,” Hermione said, taking a moment to pierce each of us with a look.
“Does anyone else feel like their head is about to explode?” Siri asked, releasing my hand and rubbing his temples.
We all nodded. Dad and Hermione both smiled in understanding. “It is a lot to take in isn’t it? Maybe now you’ll understand why we didn’t want to tell you all of this,” Dad said.
“I feel different,” Sarah mumbled.
I nodded in agreement. I knew how she felt because I was feeling the same way. This year had made me grow up really quickly and now, well, now I was on the verge of paranoid. It felt like the world as I had previously known it had shattered. Now I wasn’t sure what to believe is safe or right or normal…a sudden desire to have Mum stroke my hair and tell me everything was fine overwhelmed me.
“Is Mum coming by anytime soon?” I asked in what I hoped was a nonchalant way.
“No, I don’t think so, honey. Your mother has been very busy at work lately,” Dad said, standing up.
“I need to go lay down or something. I want to really think about what you told us, Dad,” Bry said. He stood up and gave my dad a quick hug before walking out of the room.
Siri shrugged his shoulders. “Dad, how did Dumbledore get cursed?” he asked suddenly.
Dad winced. “He, um, he tried to break a Horcrux incorrectly. The object sort of backfired and cursed him instead,” he answered.
Siri nodded and patted my hand before standing up. “I have an essay to finish for Uncle Bill, so I’ll see you later,” he said.
“Don’t forget to study for your quiz tomorrow!” Aunt Hermione called to Siri’s exiting back.
I felt a headache approaching as a result of the heap of information and my morning activities. Sarah, Mack and Molly wordlessly stood up and hugged both Hermione and my dad before leaving. All three wore similar expressions of confusion and shock and I was surprised to see how much older they appeared. Jake managed to flash a small smile at everyone before hurrying after the girls.
“Uncle Harry, um…do Bellatrix or Saiph know about Lily?” James asked, causing me to hold my breath.
Dad looked confused. “Of course they both know about her. All the Potter children’s births were heavily covered by the press and their names occasionally pop up somewhere,” Dad replied.
James shook his head. “No, I wasn’t talking about knowing about her existence. I mean do they know about her…visions and whatnot,” he clarified.
I watched Hermione’s face resume its usual pensive expression but Dad shook his head. “I don’t think so. There hasn’t been anything in any of the papers so no one really knows about it,”
That brought me little comfort as the Order had people in control of most media outlets and those people tended to make sure nothing important leaked out to the public. Just because it didn’t make headline news didn’t mean someone out there hadn’t told Bellatrix about my ‘talent’.
“If no one knows about it then why did someone from the Ministry come here to ask me if I’m a Seer?” I asked, not realizing how frightened I sounded.
Dad didn’t reply but he looked pointedly at Hermione. She nodded and then took James by the hand and led him out the door.
“Wait! Where are we going?” I heard James ask right before the door closed.
“Lily, I’m going to be staying here all until the end of the year. I want you to come to me if anything, and I mean anything happens that makes you feel even a little odd, okay?” he asked.
I nodded, feeling slightly safer since I knew Dad would be around. A tingling sensation in my stomach caused me to suddenly speak. “She knows, doesn’t she?” I stated, leaving little doubt in my statement.
Dad hesitated briefly. “I think Bellatrix is trying to pick up where Voldemort left off and that means she’s gathering followers in all the right places, including Hogwarts. She probably realized that keeping up with the rumors at Hogwarts will help more than hurt her and it wouldn’t surprise me if she was in direct contact with some of the students here. It’s possible that someone wrote home and mentioned what was happening with you or a student may have told Bellatrix directly,” Dad admitted.
“So Hogwarts isn’t really safe anymore,” I said.
Dad sighed. “I realized something far too late in my younger years so I’m going to prevent that from happening to you too. Hogwarts is merely as safe as the people within allow it to be,” he replied, a look of sadness on his face.
“Which means we all have to watch who we talk to and stay in the Common Room at night,” I mumbled.
Dad nodded. “Be the smart Potter you are, Lily. Don’t ever try to take care of something yourself and always, always make sure you think before reacting to anything…especially things you see in your visions. Promise me you will do that, please,” he asked, his voice containing a pleading tone I haven’t heard before.
“Sure, Dad,” I replied with a nod.
He nodded and grabbed my hand to take me back to the Common Room. It wasn’t until I was lying in bed that I allowed my fear to fully consume me. I understood now why information had been kept from all of us. I was frightened and confused but there wasn’t anything I could do to ease either of those emotions. I felt as if a weight had settled on me again. Not only were we in danger but I knew my visions were going to continue to escalate now that I had a more complete idea of what was happening. Bellatrix or Saiph had ties to Miss Simmons and had sent her to get information out of me, I was sure of that. Those evil women knew I was hiding something and were probably watching me to figure out what I know. I was worried they would do something drastic and that I would have to bear through more than just seeing it, I would be helpless to prevent it.
To Find the Truth by hopelesslyhopeful
Chapter Notes: Here's the next chapter. Sorry about the wait. Let me know what you think!