"Who sent you here?"
The room was cold and very dark, just like Victor enjoyed it. The headmaster's office felt like a torture chamber with every painting watching him carefully. But that was nothing, as a vampire he was already used to it.
"I was invited by you, headmaster." The vampire answered, shifting on his chair. He had been taken while partially unconscious and put on a chair in the middle of the room.
"And what exactly were your plans when you arrived?" Dumbledore asked.
"No plans." He answered with a pleased look.
The paintings hummed, all with different expressions on their faces. It was so intriguing seeing how everyone was so involved.
Dumbledore sighed and with a quick look at the former headmaster, he turned to the only window in the room. The curtains opened only a bit, but the light was enough to touch his feet.
"Fine! Fine I did come with a purpose!" He screamed seeing how Dumbledore was only widening the ray rather than diminishing it. "The animagus!"
"Mr. Knowingall?"
"No. The other one. Peverell." The vampire hissed with hatred. "I was supposed to find him."
"And what then?" A former headmaster asked expectantly.
"Take him to Lestrange. But we both know what was going to happen from then on," the vampire chuckled evilly, "Now, close the curtains!" He ordered, his elegance crumbling at his feet, same with his pride.
But Dumbledore did not. He retreated to his desk while a very dedicated house elf fully opened the curtains and even opened the window.
"Fresh air, sir?" The creature asked calmly even though the screams of agony were far louder.
Once the vampire turned to dust, Dumbledore smiled at the elf.
"Thank you, Dylis."
The elf smiled widely and nodded, ready to do anything for his employer. Dumbledore smiled back, his blue eyes sparkling in the light of the twilight.
Ophelia was confused if she should stay by Potter's bed or Cerberus'. In the end she chose her guardian since he was seriously injured compared to sleeping beauty.
"Why isn't he waking up?" She asked madame Pomfrey, grabbing the owl man's hand.
"He's resting. The blow was harsher because he was in his owl form. He's been very busy ever since he returned to Hogwarts. It's better to let him sleep how much he wants."
"Does he have a family? A wife, children?" Ophelia asked seeing how Cerberus seemed like a family man.
"No. He's dedicated his life to protecting you."
"But what about before me?"
"I played Quidditch. Also, I'm not a family man." He answered, a painful groan following after.
Madame Pomfrey helped him lean against the pillow and gave him a potion for pain before she retreated to her office. Potter was still in deep slumber which let Ophelia speak freely.
"You're hurt and it's all my fault. What if the vampire was actually here to kill me?"
"He wasn't. If anything, his orders were not to harm you."
"So you believe father sent him here?"
"Actually, it is my fault. I knew vampires aren't trustworthy with how many discussions they had with Tom but I wanted you to have hand on experience." Cerberus explained flinching when he moved a bit. "Potter is very perceptive, isn't he? And very persistent. He saw right through the vampire's noble facade."
"A bit like Peverell, hm?"
Cerberus' eyes widened but he laughed softly immediately after.
"So then, what was his real mission? What was he searching for?"
"Dylis already informed you."
"But there is no other animagus in the castle." Ophelia stated.
"Not an animagus, no. A cursed being, forced to roam around in order to reassure himself that he had made the right decision."
"What?" She asked, confused.
"You have met him. A black kitten with whom you have interacted several times already."
"A black kitten..." she mumbled as she forced herself to remember.
A black kitten did appear in her dreams, leading her from memory to memory. She's seen a lot of moments that she couldn't have witnessed when she was young and all of them had the same main subject.
"So he didn't die? He's just cursed to be a pet?" Ophelia asked not at all shocked by the information. After everything that's happened in the last months, nothing could surprise her anymore.
"He's always been around, watching you, protecting you."
"I don't need his protection. I'm fine." Her tone took a change, sounding more like a child her age rather than an adult.
"Are you?" Cerberus asked genuinely worried for her well being.
"I can't hate him, Cerberus. I know the whole world probably wants me to hate him and they must have good reasons. But he is my father and he gave me what I have always wanted: friends. Maybe they do it just to save themselves from a gruesome death but Tom gave me this! He gave me this life, he gave me Spinnard's cottage, he gave me purpose, he gave me Hogwarts. What would have happened with me if he wasn't my father?" She asked, her respect for her father shining in her eyes.
"You'd be happy. You'd have a family." He said.
"Or I would have nothing and still live in an orphanage, far away from magic."
"Dumbledore wouldn't have let you alone in an orphanage." Cerberus added, assured of that fact.
"Dumbledore wouldn't care about me if my father wasn't Tom Riddle."
That was partially true, even Cerberus had to admit. She'd still have Hogwarts but her life outside the castle would be different.
With exams done, and with the whole castle informed about what had happened in the Great Hall, everything came back to normal, in a way. Potter woke up the next day and he seemed confused. Every student was questioning him but his answer was always the same. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell them, he would have loved to boast, but he just couldn't remember.
"It's all a blur." He said and Ophelia believed him.
"And so another year ends and we will return to Hogwarts in September and there will be no Malfoy and only one Lestrange," Cissney started with a happy sigh.
"The better Lestrange." Alice added, she too feeling like the darkness was slowly lifting off Hogwarts.
"I like Malfoy...he's never bothered with us. He's been busy for most of the year. I feel like Rodolphus wasn't even around much." Ophelia replied, having known where they both went during the year.
"Well, it doesn't matter anymore." Lily added with a smile. "Ah, I should go see what Severus has planned for the summer." She continued and left, making Ophelia's hand twitch.
"Those two are inseparable." Cissney joked before she grabbed a book from her trunk.
"Are you trying to learn something new to catch Zabini's attention?" Alice asked, chuckling to herself when Cissney's cheeks reddened.
"Shut up," the girl mumbled and hid behind the pages.
Alice turned to Ophelia but the girl suddenly rose and walked out. Truthfully, the green eyed witch needed some time alone. It was nice having friends but it was nice spending time with people who knew the real her too, like Severus for example. But he was far too concentrated on Lily, which both annoyed and made Ophelia feel happy for both of them. She never had a best friend and Snape felt like the one but it seems that may not be the case. So then, there was no best friend for her.
"Oh, Ophelia!"
The girl looked up and saw Remus, waving at her with a smile. Well, there might be another candidate.
"Finally suceeded in running from Potter?" She asked jokingly but the boy sighed. That was hard with how possessive was the glasses boy. "You know Remus, next year, if you want I can help."
"What do you mean?" He asked innocently. The girl gave him a serious look which made the boy frown. "Oh. That. You don't have to help with that. I'd only end up hurting you."
"Last time I hurt you. I followed you out of curiosity and I gave you that harsh wound on your back. I'm sorry." She apologized although she did it to save her life back then.
"You don't have to! Really, just keep it to yourself." He said, lowering his voice so nobody else could hear. "Headmaster Dumbledore helped me enough as it is. It's fine."
"Who did it?" She asked, finding herself curious about that bastard. "Who bit you?"
"I only know his name is Greyback. That's all...he's very dangerous, Ophelia."
"It's not like I'm going to run off searching for him. It's fine Remus."
"I know." He said before he laughed it off.
Ophelia wouldn't go off looking for someone when he might end up being lured in by Tom anyway.
Arriving at King's Cross Station, Ophelia got off the train with a heavy sigh. There was nobody to wait for her at the end of the ride back home. Cerberus was probably still in hospital and her father must be busy with whatever he does.
"Why so disappointed, Molley?"
Black was the last person she wanted to meet at the moment. He was behind James and Remus, trying to push back as much as possible the meeting with his parents.
"Not as disappointed as you will soon be. I think I saw your mum." She retorted, gaining a nasty glare from the boy.
"Now, don't fight before the summer break. We won't be able to see each other much for three months!"
"No~ James you said we'll meet whenever I need a bit of help!" Moaned the long haired boy, wrapping his arm around Potter's neck. "Are you seriously planning to cheat on me?"
"My father sent me a letter right before we left. He said we'll be visiting a member of the family this summer and we'll stay there for a month."
"A family member?" Remus asked curiously.
"Yeah. It seems they live a bit far from the city. My father said to think about it as if it's camping."
Ophelia couldn't help but feel suspicious. Her home was far from the city and if Peverell is the black kitten then he must be where Cerberus is...thus...was Potter talking about her house?
Night was the time imagination could run wild, especially in the case of children. The shadows had a way of confusing people into thinking there is more than what the eye sees.
Or not.
Magic is wonderful and complex, it is also dangerous and fearful but most of all, it isn't real in the minds of muggles. That fact does help, fake magicians also empower the secrecy but there are moments when one can see beyond the fakeness. Those moments are usually troublesome for the ministry, especially when they are uncontrolled and random. It happened before, in the United States and it happens now too, in Wales.
"See, Charlie? Nothing under your bed. I scared the monster away." The father told his son even if that wasn't true. He only briefly looked under the bed.
"Are you sure?" Young Charlie asked pulling the covers close to his face.
"Trust me. Now go to sleep." The father insisted with a smile. He turned off the light but left the door open so the child won't feel isolated.
With the father gone, Charlie put his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. Barely five minutes passed when he decided he should check for the monster with his own eyes. He leaned over the edge and looked under the bed. Everything seemed alright so he went back to sleep. Once he was deep in slumber, a shadow that seemed to have been lurking around his dresser moved very slowly towards the boy. It lingered by his side for a moment longer before it turned to the window. Something was whispering to him, maybe the wind. The shadow stood there listening when Charlie opened his eyes and looked straight at it. The child screamed and the shadow made a quick escape on the window.
Once on the street of the small village, the shadow took a clear form, one of a man a bit older than Lucius Malfoy but with the same long hair pulled up in a ponytail, skin whiter than snow and eyes black like coal. He looked out of this world, tall and elegant yet the passing years could be seen on his body.
"Who's there?" He asked, his voice so deep that even in total silence you could barely hear it.
"It's been a long time, my friend."
The beautiful man rolled his eyes and turned to the elder that happened to be his acquaintance.
"I didn't know you came to Britain. I thought you said you will never return." continued Dumbledore.
"I was bored. Besides, even in the United States there are rumours about the shadow lurking in the dark alleys of England. I came at the request of my former duel partner."
"I also have a request from you." Dumbledore added calmly making the beautiful man chuckle.
"I was wondering when you'll say that. You know Dumbledore, I'm only going to stay for as long as I have an interest."
"Then I expect you to stay for a while longer."
"Excuse me but, what are you doing?"
Ophelia woke up in morning after a very realistic dream about snakes. It was bad enough that she's been having it for a month already and the end was always the same: the snake was attacking her. And now Cerberus was being all proactive when usually he'd drink until early in the morning and sleep until lunch.
"I'm cleaning." He said, swiping the hallway.
"Why aren't you using magic?"
"Because I'm making an effort. Now please go and throw out the trash." He instructed, wiping his forehead of sweat. He was growing tired and his physical condition wasn't what it used to.
Grumpy and with long strides, Ophelia complied and threw the garbage in the bin outside the cottage. People would rarely come by so she was curious if there was a car picking it up or something.
From her place, she could see the beauty of the countryside. It was so peaceful compared to the city and the air was fresh. She could understand why Spinnard lived here and why he gave it to her.
Nothing was in sight, nothing but a car that was approaching from distance. It was moving fast towards the cottage and Ophelia remembered what Potter said in the train.
"Great. He really meant this place."
ns 172.70.127.58da2
and then Add to home screen.