One day that everyone was waiting for was the day they could leave for Christmas. It came very, very slowly and Potter had a few ideas why. Firstly, detention with Spinnard was partially terrorizing and partially educational. He'd take every student for one or two partnerships but the one that seemed to enjoy it was actually Sirius. Maybe because he had detention with McGonagall too and that was very boring, but Sirius was one of the few who were enjoying Spinnard's dueling lessons.
"I'm sure we should not tell our parents what we have been doing these past Saturdays." Cissney whispered, careful not to be heard by anyone outside their year.
"Are you still afraid of professor Spinnard?" Frank asked her, glancing fkr a moment at the staff table. Spinnard wasn't even there on their last day before the holidays. "It seems he left already,"
"Or he's somewhere in the castle, waiting for us to leave so he can practice dark magic." Potter threw in without caring who or what could hear him.
Hearing of that particular subject, Ophelia glanced at the Slytherin table. The fifth years were talking between themselves while Severus and his dorm mates were missing the festivity.
"What are your plans for this Christmas? Should we give each other presents? We've been partners in suffering this year." Alice came up with the idea, her eyes wide and bright in the candle light.
"Why would we?" Sirius asked confused.
"True. We ended up in this mess because of you and Potter." Lily spoke up, awakening the offense in the two boys.
"At least we are learning real defense against the dark arts. And dueling." Remus added, saving them from listening to a full rambling.
Dinner ended with everyone agreeing they should exchange gifts during the holidays so they won't have to react face to face when receiving them. Ophelia smiled contently, curious what presents she will get with how her owl was acting.
"Let's hope Willy will send the right presents to the right people." Ophelia told Lily before they reached the staircase.
"I just hope you'll get home this Christmas. Last time, you stayed here." Lily said in worry.
"Ah right, I should visit someone. I completely forgot about him..." Ophelia spoke quickly before turning towards the corridor to the hospital wing.
But when she got there, Cerberus was not in. She was foolish to believe he wasn't already healed and back home where he was as far as possible from her. A bit disappointed, Ophelia returned to the stairs.
"Molley, I have dreadful news for both of us." Spinnard called her out, grabbing the attention of a few passing Hufflepuffs.
"Excuse me?" She was confused especially with how annoyed he looked.
"You'll spend Christmas with me."
"But my parents-"
"Have already been informed."
"By Dumbledore?" She asked the first thing that came to mind.
"By Tom." Spinnard replied not liking the news anymore than her.
Her eyes widened before she looked down at her hands.
"Does Dumbledore know?"
"Does it matter? Your father won't be joining us but another friend of your mother will."
"A friend of mom's or Peverell's?" She asked sarcastically.
"Both. Are you done with these foolish questions now?"
"I'm a child and there are numerous reasons why I have so many curiosities." She spoke up staring into his blue eyes.
"Keep them for yourself. I want to enjoy my time home even if you'll be there."
Wow, so much kindness. Obviously, he was less than happy to spend time with the object of his hatred.
Therefore, next morning bright and early, Ophelia packed her stuff and met the rest of the girls in the common room, all of them having a lot of fun talking about their plans.
"I'm going to spend this Christmas with my grandparents. Mum and dad have to leave for America...not that it surprises me." Cissney started, disappointed that she won't have her parents there to welcome her home. "It sucks. I wish they were muggles so that they wouldn't have to leave so often."
"What do they do?" Ophelia asked curiously. She never heard Cissney or any of the girls speak about their families.
"They work for the Ministry of Magic. Dad says it's important but when they took me for Parents' Day I found out they work in Muggles Administration."
"Did I hear that right?" Everyone turned around to look at a boy two years their senior, stumbling down the stairs with a huge trunk following behind. "Your parents work in Muggles Administration, Littlewood? That's amazing! I've always been interested in muggles and their ingeniousness!"
"You make it sound even worse, Weasley." Cissney grumbled, not liking to speak about her parents.
"No, no! I'm serious, you should see what I discovered during the summer break! I'm sure it is somewhere around here-" The ginger opened his trunk only to have it flood with things.
Ophelia blinked in confusion when something rolled to her feet. She took it and inspected it closely before she looked at Weasley.
"This is an ashtray," she mumbled, not knowing how to react.
"Ah, right. I found it in the neighbourhood..." He explained, taking it carefully as if it was made out of glass when it was visibly plastic. "I have a lot more in here but-" with one swift sway of his wand, everything retracted into the trunk but also locked itself. Weasley turned then to the girls and smiled boyishly while showing them...
"That's a kettle." Alice pointed out. It was medium sized so it was very strange how it fit with all the other stuff.
"Yes. I found it thrown in the yard...it looks like a mixer for beverages," Weasley continued, "I've been using it as a cup though...it's very useful for late night sips of butterbeer."
Everyone was watching the peculiar boy with poker faces except Ophelia who heard a new word.
"What's a butterbeer?" She asked, getting an incredulous look from the ginger.
"How can you not know what's a butterbeer? It's a beverage of course; the best one." Weasley explained, "Are you by any chance a muggle born?"
"No."
The girls turned to Ophelia when she answered, none underlining that subject before.
"Then maybe is one of your parents a muggle?" Weasley asked again, his eyes brightening at the idea.
"No." That was questioning, "A kettle is used to boil water in it. Then you pour into a cup." Ophelia added seeing how it got very silent in the group.
"Oh. Oh! That makes sense now," The boy mumbled to himself.
"Oi, Arthur are ya comin'?" It was another fourth year, a blond boy with brown eyes. He waved at Arthur impatiently.
"Oh! Well, have a very jolly Christmas!" The ginger told everyone with a smile before he hurried to his friend.
"That was weird, wasn't it? It wasn't just me." Lily mumbled seeing how both her parents are muggles and a boy was being all excited over a kettle.
"It was. He's Arthur Weasley, fourth year. He's a nice guy but it seems he has an obsession with muggles." Cissney informed the girls.
"You really do know everyone." Lily added, surprised.
"I do, yes. Ask me about anyone and I probably heard stuff about them."
"What about Lestrange?" Ophelia asked since she was being given the opportunity. "What do you know about the Lestrange brothers?"
By now the girls were all in their compartment having gracefully avoided the boys. They could hear Sirius complaining on the way to the train about how he had to spend days with his family.
"Well, Lestrange is a famous name. They've all been more or less interested in dark magic and took that path be it through actions or titles. It is a feared family in the wizarding world."
"What about Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange?" Ophelia pressed, gaining the interest of Lily and Alice too.
"Rabastan is a lot nicer than his older brother. Rodolphus is just like the rest of his family: dark, authoritarian and hateful. He dislikes muggle borns and half bloods and some pure bloods...yeah he hates pretty much everyone." Cissney mumbled thoughtfully.
"I'm usually not so sure of rumors but Rabastan does seem to be different than his brother. He tutored you after all." Lily told Ophelia.
"But they are evil and everyone knows it. We should be cautious, just in case. Once they will both graduate, Hogwarts will be better."
"I doubt that," Alice mumbled remembering the second year Slytherins.
For the rest of the ride, the girls took turns in asking Cissney about people from Hogwarts, testing her knowledge. It was fun when asking about Ravenclaws.
"McGrey is incredibly sassy. I met her in the girls' bathroom from the first floor and she was talking and talking." Cissney rolled her eyes at the memory making the rest laugh.
"Oh, speaking of the first floor's girls bathroom. I heard there's a ghost haunting it. I've never entered it but I heard Hufflepuff girls talk about it during Herbology." Alice started leaning towards Ophelia who was sitting right across her, next to Lily.
"All I can hear in Herbology is Potter arguing with Remus who should plunk the plants and a bit of professor Sprout here and there."
Lily chuckled, "That's because Remus gets cranky around plants."
"Herbology is boring. I prefer detention with Spinnard over it." Ophelia added grumpily, leaning back and folding her arms in front of her.
"I am still scared of him but yeah, he's taught us a lot for the past few weeks. Memorizing in class and then applying it in detention...it's like having him tutor us." Cissney laughed it off as a joke but Ophelia frowned.
"Beautiful London!" Pettigrew sighed contently. The chubby boy couldn't believe he was going to spend a few days home where he could eat whatever and learn nothing.
"Tch, don't blind me with your happiness, Peter. I'm looking for my parents." Potter mumbled, his eyes searching for his father's figure.
"I hate Christmas." Sirius muttered next to Remus, who unfortunately seemed as excited as Peter. "I'll have to dine with the family, ew."
"Don't worry. We'll make sure to send you useful presents." Remus comforted his friend, making the boy feel better.
"You better, Lupi. I'll be looking forward to new utensils." Sirius added, moving his eyebrows up and down.
"I'll send you all the presents as soon as I'll get a hang of civilization. My folks live in the middle of nowhere." Cissney said grumpily as she hugged each girl.
Her grand parents were there early and she left with an unhappy expression.
Lily found her parents next and hugged them before leaving with her mother.
"Where are your parents? Aren't they coming?" Ophelia asked Alice who shook her head.
"They're waiting for me outside the station. Mum hates crowds." Alice explained, "What about yours?"
Ophelia bit her lip, following her friend through the wall and on the muggle platform.
"I'm not spending Christmas with my parents. I'll go at a family friend." She tried her best to cover whose house exactly.
Alice walked out to her awaiting parents and Ophelia found herself alone in London. It was a bit scary because everyone passing her was either in a hurry or simply ignoring her altogether.
"What now, Willy?" She asked her owl who stared right back at her, "Yep." It was awkward and the suspicious stares from passer byes were not helpful.
"Oi, get up. What are you doing by yourself here?"
The guard from the station had seen the kid from the moment she walked out with that big trunk of hers and an owl in a cage. It wasn't a sight he was accustomed with so, naturally, he let her alone thinking she was waiting for her parents. However, after two hours passed and wandering around the front of the station, he decided to interfere.
"Where are your parents?" He asked when he reached her. She looked fine from every aspect, cleaned and fed so definitely not an orphan.
Ophelia looked up at the fat man and noticed first his amazingly stuffy mustache. It was hard to take her eyes off it afterwards and she couldn't focus on what he was saying because the mustache was moving continuously.
"Oi, are you listening to me? Should I call the Scotland Yard to take you-"
"That won't be necessary." A tall imposing man interfered, hurrying to the muggle guard. "Thank you for keeping an eye on her, officer. I will take her from now."
The guard raised an eyebrow and put his arms on his shoulder, glancing between the dark haired man and the kid.
"You don't look like her father." The guard mumbled, taking a closer look at the kid. She looked nothing like the man, from the color of their eyes to their face shape.
"I'm not her father. I'm a family friend. Now, excuse us," He threw a polite smile, one that looked suspicious, before he looked at Ophelia expectantly. The girl chuckled but followed the man down the street and away from the curious eyes of the guard. "How could you stay there when you can easily invade my mind?" He scolded her, pushing her around the corner so they could move quicker.
"I-" She couldn't finish her sentence because a familiar feeling of diminishing space engulfed her, making her nauseous.
Unlike what anyone would have expected, Spinnard’s cottage was very simple and quite flowery. It was winter and Ophelia hoped it would snow soon so the mold covering parts of the outside walls were going to be completely covered in white. However, looking at the house, it was so calming and it gave her a different point of view over Spinnard’s personal life.
“Are you going to enter?” He asked, glaring at her from the front door. Her luggage was there too, reminding her that she was indeed going to spend more than one day there.
“How did we get here so fast?” She asked, remembering Tom using the same method before.
“We Apparated. Now get in before that old hag sees us,” He muttered, shoving her inside when she finally reached him. Spinnard took a wary glance at the vicinity before he also entered.
The entrance hall she walked in was narrow, small and badly illuminated.
The further she entered, the more she felt that the house was stretching before her eyes. The living room was exactly like Spinnard's memory: large enough for a lot of people, the walls were a pale color, dark wood floor, and the furniture...the furniture was the strength of the living room, of the whole house probably.
Everything was old but not that kind of smelly and uncomfortable old. Standing in the middle of the living room, Ophelia swore she could feel the smell of old wood and could hear the whispers of the past through the walls and the floor.
Another door was toward the kitchen but it was closed momentarily and Spinnard did not seem to want to give her a full tour. The house had only one floor but it was enough. Anyway, it was much bigger on the inside, probably he used magic or his family used a spell before they died; if they died, of course. Spinnard never spoke about his family.
Upstairs were four doors, all narrow enough to fit two on each wall, among the huge family portraits. Spinnard was walking in front, but she could hear Ophelia's voice when she saw a portrait of a very strict lady with spectacles and dirty blonde hair. Looking closer, she could swear the lady had the same cool blue eyes that Spinnard had.
"This is your room." Spinnard said, opening the door farthest from the staircase.
The room was surprisingly feminine. Probably Spinnard prepared the room after talking to Tom, but even so he could not do everything in such a short time. The room was clean and it had a familiar vanilla smell. The wallpaper on the walls was a pale pink color and the floor was also light. A single window was enlightening the room just above the bed. Mostly, the room was empty but it had everything strictly necessary. Another white door led to a very small bathroom.
"This house is amazing." She said, still awestruck that someone so rigid like Spinnard had such a house.
"Unpack and come downstairs for dinner." He ordered, placing her trunk at the bottom of the bed.
"You cook?" She asked grabbing the cage from Spinnard.
"No, I starve." He retorted sarcastically before he left.
"Your family, are they alive?"
Ophelia was surprised to come downstairs and find the door to the kitchen largely opened. She walked in and couldn't help but be impressed by the muggle equipped kitchen. It had everything that Molley's kitchen had and more.
"My parents live in Ireland. I live here by myself." He answered, using magic to make the table. "Sit."
She complied silently and watched Spinnard put the food on the table. It looked very good.
"You seem to live a normal life." She threw randomly but it seemed to annoy the older man.
"I don't like it when people talk at the table." He replied coldly.
For the whole time they ate, Spinnard didn't mutter a word. Ophelia watched him closely and noted how mannered he was.
"Is your family pure-blooded?" She finally asked, that curiosity eating her up.
"No." He answered.
"Why does my father trust you then?"
That definitely annoyed him because he glared at her. He swayed his wand and the table started to clean itself.
She was clearly waiting for an answer but they heard two loud knocks and Spinnard's attention shifted.
"Go answer." He gave another order, turning his back to her.
Ophelia sighed and walked groggily to the front door. As soon as she opened it, her eyes widened.
"What are you two doing here?"
One was the blond she asked to practice dark magic with while the other was the boy who literally tucked Potions in her mind.
"Do we look like we know? Our fathers sent us." Malfoy mumbled, visibly uncomfortable.
"Are you going to let us in, Molley?" Rabastan asked, visibly calmer and accustomed with being around her.
Two Slytherins, one Gryffindor girl and Spinnard. It looked very tense and it felt so too. The two boys were standing on the couch while Spinnard was sitting on the armchair. Ophelia was between the two boys, confused.
"This holiday, and even afterwards at school, Rabastan will return as your Potions tutor while Lucius will fill you in on what they do in their dark magic lessons. I cannot teach you something so-" He stopped and scrunched his nose in disgust, offending the two boys' families. "There are still wizards who don't live in the real world. I do not want to leave such a legacy nor do I want to give these values forward."
"Are you done insulting our families, professor?" Malfoy pitched in, annoyed from head to toe. "Why would we even help her? She's a mud-"
"Because I say so. Is that enough Lucius? If you want, I can go report everything you do at Hogwarts to your father. Especially your fights with other students like maybe Evangeline Moore from Hufflepuff. Should I remind you where she is now?"
"Where is she now?" Ophelia asked Rabastan.
"St. Mungo's." Rabastan's answer was just as confusing. "Hospital. He cursed her." The boy rearranged his answer.
That made more sense. She turned to the blond and stared at him expectantly. Lucius was glaring at Spinnard before he turned to Ophelia.
"I hate you."
"Spinnard hates me too but here we are in his house." She answered knowing it would annoy the blond. Instead, it made Rabastan laugh.
"It's alright professor. We'll take care of her."
"If any of the other pure-blooded Slytherin students try to do anything to her, let them. Do not interfere."
Ophelia scoffed but it seemed to be fine with the other two.
"So, having Malfoy and Rabastan teach me dark stuff is part the reason why you agreed to spend Christmas with me?" Ophelia asked once the two Slytherins left. They did so incredibly quickly, especially the blond who took care to emphasize how much he dislikes the arrangement.
"You ask an awful lot of questions, don't you?" He asked, looking up from his book. He had been reading for a while now and it was near midnight.
"Usually my parents tell me to go sleep by now," She started randomly.
"I'm not your parents. I don't care." He answered as coldly as before, "What do you want, Ophelia?" He asked when he noticed her intense stare from the other side of the room.
Truthfully, she has been standing by the door for an hour already, watching him. Spinnard was complex, of course she knew that already, seeing him as both someone respectful but also a choffedtosser. But there was more to him, something was leading him through life.
"Tell me more about my father. If I'd ask Dumbledore he wouldn't really say anything I don't know already. He says a lot but at the core he means nothing."
That was one accurate view of what Dumbledore was doing to her. Frankly, he agreed with the headmaster at first but it was getting complicated.
"Your father's name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. His parents are dead. He is a talented wizard but respect for him comes out of fear not out of sincere admiration. Is that enought for you?"
"He told me before that we are the same, that we come from a long line of purebloods. He said we are descendants of Salazar Slytherin." Ophelia added walking towards the blue eyed chuffedtosser.
"That is true. He didn't lie to you. But for that blood to stay pure he had to combine it with another pure blood's. That is your mother; his cousin."
Now that was something new and a bit strange. From the hints he could see on her face, Spinnard could only guess what she was thinking about. It was clearly not well understood as her face became pale.
"That is...uncommon." She finally spoke. "Do other families use this technique?"
"More or less. But the Gaunts were the ones that really lived by this rule. Cousins, siblings, uncles and aunts; it was all to keep the blood of Salazar Slytherin pure." Spinnard explained in detail, his eyes set on hers. She seemed to be thinking about the problem very seriously.
"Is that why you hate me so much? Because I am the result of an old and peculiar tradition?"
Spinnard sighed and put his book aside. He was not going to escape from her anytime soon, not with how persuasive she was.
"Go sleep already." He mumbled passing her to the stairs, "Stupid Knowingall comes tomorrow. With him will come someone I know."
"And my father knows all about them?"
"I am not your father's slave, Molley. I do what I want." He hissed at her like a pissed off hound before he hurried up into his room.
What Ophelia learned the next morning was that Cerberus Knowingall never uses the common way when visiting someone. No, he literally barged inside her room through her window, waking her up when he fell over her bed and eventually on the ground. Thus, that day begun catastrophically.
"You're lucky I can use magic or else I had to shatter the glass and it wouldn't have been a nice sight." Cerberus started once they got into the living room.
Spinnard was already there, with a man that looked odd. Moreover, when she entered, she caught glimpse of a smile on Spinnard's face, which was chilling to be sincere.
"Oh my, it's been a long time, Potter!" Cerberus said loudly, walking happily to the visibly older and shorter man.
"Potter?" Ophelia asked, sensing a lot of awkwardness surfacing, "As in James Potter?"
"Hello, you must be Ophelia, am I right? I have heard about you from my son. My name is Fleamont Potter." The man said smiling kindly at her while his round eyes sparkled.
"Son. Of course. Son. The father of James Potter is here." Realizing what she said, still containing a polite mask, she looked around the room, searching for the loud Gryffindor.
"Oh, no, he's not here. Luce instructions were very clear." Fleamont's smile cracked around the corners as he remembered the reason he came, "My son won't hear about this meeting. I'd like him to be kept in the dark for as long as possible."
Ophelia scoffed, unconsciously really but it grabbed attention. There was a lot to say about James' perceptive abilities but if she'd voice her opinions out in front of his father, well, it wasn't the best idea.
"Why is Mr. Potter here?" She tried to save it by regaining her politeness.
"You'd be surprised how well Fleamont duels. It's amazing really. I was already a working adult when he entered Hogwarts and I was pleased he was sorted in Gryffindor. I knew his father from an old acquaintance of my uncle's and-" Cerberus said patting Fleamont proudly on the back.
"Excuse me? You were already a working adult when he first went to Hogwarts? How old are you exactly?" She asked her eyes widening.
"As old as your dear father," was Spinnard's answer.
"Old enough," was Cerberus' answer.
Those were very different sentences yet said with the same awkward expression. Seeing the discomfort on his acquaintances' faces, Fleamont took the initiative.
"I've had my share of duels during school years. Luce told me that he'd like me to show you a few tricks during the holidays. Who knows, maybe you'll even duel my son one day. For fun of course." He added the last part quickly, not wanting them to fight out of hatred.
"For fun, of course." She repeated, her eyes glinting mischievously in the morning sunlight.
Unlike his son, Mr. Potter was adamant to begin as soon as possible which meant immediately. Spinnard and Cerberus left together using Floo Powder, which was something new to Ophelia. But because Mr. Potter was there, she couldn't really stare at the chimney until they came back.
So, she followed the man outside, into the yard where he quickly drew his wand but didn't attack her yet.
"I heard you have been practicing with Luce at school, believe me, James told me all about it. But dueling is not just about attacks, it's about the ability to defend yourself. I'd like if we could not use the deadly curses and learn how to control your magic." He started seriously, like he knew what he was speaking of.
"Expelliarmus!" She screamed but it didn't even reach Fleamont before he shrugged it off with only a sway of his wand.
His eyes darkened a bit before he mumbled, "Stupefy," and she was thrown a few feet back.
ns 15.158.61.17da2
