Ophelia loved going into the library to study, especially for History of Magic, a subject she could barely stay up in. But there were other subjects that seemed to grow on her and she actually started to look more into it; for example Astronomy. It was fun now that it was getting warmer and they could use the Tower. Compared to last years, they had a lot more practical courses which was making studying easier.
Everyone would gather in the library to do their homework too, except Potter and Black, who'd prefer to do it in the last few moments. Yet not today! Even Slytherins were watching Potter warily, thinking that he was planning something with all those books surrounding him.
"Is he genuinely studying?" Lily asked, sitting at the cursed desk with her friends.
"He has books on Transfiguration, Potions, Astronomy and DADA. That's quite a lot for one day." Severus started, putting his book aside for the moment.
"You mean the first day. You never know what he'll do tomorrow." Ophelia mumbled, uncovering her eyes for one moment before covering them back. She had a slight idea why he became so interested in those particular subjects but it was better to see how far he was willing to go with it.
Surprisingly, the next day during lunch before Charms, Ophelia went into the library to search for a book about vampires. It was interesting how Cerberus found a vampire and convinced him to actually come over during a weekend so that students could ask their curiosities. As soon as she entered, she found Potter having a whispering fight with the librarian.
"But I need it~" he whispered yet the lady was stern with her answer. "It's about life and death. I'm not joking," he continued, stomping hit foot like a brat.
Ophelia waited patiently for him to give up, which took another five minutes, and grabbed him aside.
"I didn't know you liked books so much, James." she started, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"I need one from the Restriction area. It's about animagi. We've been covering this subject in Transfiguration for the past few months. I don't understand why I can't read further about it."
"Why?" she asked, confusing the already frustrated boy.
"Why what?"
"Why do you want to know more about animagi? We can barely transfigurate a mug."
"Says the person who made Sirius a duck and has been succeeding at every transfiguration this year." he stated sarcastically, leaning on his right foot while raising the opposite eyebrow. Ophelia blinked innocently knowing he was right. Training has helped her greatly, even if not right away. Besides, the dark arts lessons were going smoothly for someone who had to learn and defend herself at the same time.
"Fine. I'll help. You go to the librarian and go on about stuff and I'll grab it."
Potter kept his expression as he watched Ophelia have a long look around before she sneaked towards the restricted section. He waited a few seconds before he did exactly what she told him to.
"Get out of here, boy! Come again and I'll inform the headmaster of this lack of manners." she exclaimed, pushing the boy out after what felt like an hour. It wasn't- it was probably ten minutes but felt like infinity for the student who was rambling about rules and discrimination against Gryffindors.
And yet when he was out, Ophelia was already there.
"I came out a few minutes ago but I felt like I shouldn't interfere in order to make everything realistic." was her reply, which annoyed Potter but it passed when she handed him a dark arts book. "It's not exactly dark arts but more like spells not suited for students. It has a chapter about how to become an animagus. You're welcome."
"Wait, how did you take it so easily? Isn't there some kind of ghost that alerts everyone if you take it without being allowed to?"
Ophelia scoffed, feeling her pride as a dark arts practitioner kick in. It wasn't the first time but it was the only time she really felt superior to her friends, especially James Potter.
"You know, Molley, I was actually thinking of going along with what you said before and teach you how to properly fly. What about Saturday morning? Are you still up for it?" he asked, seeing how she didn't say anything anymore on the way to Charms.
"Sure. I'd love that." she answered, her smile so wide that it reached her eyes.
They continued to talk and laugh and by the time they arrived in the classroom, everyone stopped to look at them. James sat next to Remus in front of Peter, Sirius and Frank and Ophelia went to seat with Lily. Her green eyes followed the boys as they started to whisper between themselves about the book. Well, except Frank and Remus who seemed clueless.
"Those boys are planning something," Cissney mumbled from the side, having her eyes on them too.
"Have you talked to Zabini yet, Cissney?" Ophelia asked, grabbing her wand, "He seems to be an honorable student. But he'll leave soon and you won't have another chance." she added, looking at the dark haired student council member.
"I have another year." she mumbled grumpily.
"You have one year left. But luckily, next year we'll have one less Lestrange." Alice said, getting a sound of agreement from the rest as Flitwick entered the classroom.
Saturday morning came around and Ophelia started to have second thoughts. Potter woke her up at five sharp -on a weekend!- and didn't shut up until she followed him to the Quidditch grounds.
"I don't want to learn how to play Quidditch..."she said before anything else, just to state the obvious.
Potter laughed, making the girl nervous. Two brooms were laying in front of them and Potter made use of his. Ophelia raised her hand over the broom and it flew into her grasp before she got on. Suddenly, things became difficult.
"How do I control this?" she asked nervously, feeling the broom gain altitude. "Merlin's name, I can't touch the ground with my feet anymore," she added, holding tightly onto her broom.
"Oi, Molley, look up at me!"
She couldn't. She could only look at the ground and how far it was. Her hands started to tremble and sweat which made her grasp loosen.
"Molley! Stop looking down!" he screamed at her, seeing how she was rapidly freaking out.
"I can't! What if I fall?" she screamed back.
"You're losing a lot of nice sights if you only look down! Come on, look at me!"
She felt someone grab her shoulders and straighten her position, making her look at him. Potter flew next to her and sighed, getting uncomfortably close to her. His brown eyes were the same as his father's, his brown hair was messy because he must have not had the time to brush it and overall, he looked handsome. It was quite the discovery but James Potter was growing into a handsome young man. Once he let her go, she leaned forward to catch his hand.
"I'm going to fall," she said, keeping a strong hold onto him.
"Fine. Get behind me. I need to show you how beautiful is to fly."
Somehow, Ophelia managed to move on his broom without falling and once behind, she wrapped her hand tightly around his waist. If she was going to fall, she won't go down by herself. Potter laughed away, going higher and higher before turning to the castle. It was indeed pretty and as he flied around the Quidditch grounds, going through the Quidditch holes at times, Ophelia started to relax.
"Not bad, is it?" he asked while still facing forward.
"Not bad, is it?" An older man asked the girl standing in front of him. They were on a broom and the little girl was amazed by how high they were. "We're flying above Clifden, Ophelia. Isn't that amazing?" he asked, smiling widely as he looked down into her green eyes. "When you'll get older, I'll teach you all the tricks you can do on a broom. I'll make you the best flier out there!"
Ophelia frowned, remembering something she pushed in the very back of her mind. Potter glanced at her over his shoulder since she didn't respond and saw her distressed.
"Do you want to get back?"
Ophelia nodded, her mind growing fuzzy. As they lost altitude, she became even more confused.
"Expecto Patronum!" The man with a warm voice moved his wand and a dragon formed right before her eyes. It was huge and it started to fly around them, making the girl clap her hands happily. She looked up but couldn't see much because of the sun shining brightly behind the man. She could only see red hair; messy red hair.
Ophelia got off the broom faster than Potter imagined and she moved away from him, leaning on her knees while breathing heavily. Messy red hair...it could only be Peverell. But did that really happen or was it someone again, inducing strange memories into her mind. Yet, that seemed like her own childhood memory in Clifden, where she lived with Lillian.
Potter watched her with worry, thinking that maybe he scared her or even worse, traumatized her. He had no idea. Not yet, at least.
There was only one person who could answer her truthfully and that person was dead. She had to ask someone else and for some reason she avoided going to Cerberus. She needed someone else, someone who even if he lied, she could still read between the lines.
"Ophelia, what brings you here?" Dumbledore asked in his specific I-knew-you-were-coming style.
"There's somebody entering my mind."
"And who might that be?" he asked, knowing one invader was Tom. It seemed like she knew that too yet she didn't seem bothered by it.
"Someone who loved Peverell. I doubt is Cerberus...maybe, maybe it's Lillian?"
"Lillian has died a long time ago. What makes you believe there is an invader?"
"Well, I see things that I haven't witnessed. Like-" she stopped, thinking it through. She wanted to tell Dumbledore yet she didn't want him to bother with her personal problems. She sighed, unable to roll the words out her tongue.
"What if these memories are trying to tell you something? To unveil the mystery."
"Peverell loved Lillian and although he was just as good as Tom, they were complete opposites. Peverell made mum happy but she still loved dad more than anything." she explained what she discovered in these three years.
"I do not think that's the answer. Lillian never appears in these memories, does she?" asked Dumbledore, raising from his seat and walking around his desk in order to stand right in front of her. Ophelia looked tired and he could only guess what was keeping her alert all the time. He was no fool; he knew what was happening in his dungeons.
"It's Peverell mostly..." she mumbled, rubbing her neck in annoyance. That ginger man was infuriating. "It's so strange,"
"What is?" asked the headmaster, raising an eyebrow at the frown on her pretty face.
"Potter...I was looking today at him and for a moment, he was Peverell." she explained, still a bit confused.
"That's a question I can answer to. The Potter family has roots in the Peverell ancestry. Just like you have in Slytherin's."
Her eyes widened and the puzzle finally caught contour.
"Mr. Potter received a letter too, didn't he? From Peverell...telling him to keep an eye on me; keep me away from my father."
Dumbledore didn't have to answer. Ophelia already figured all the people Vernon Peverell had sent letters to.
"Potter, Knowingall, Spinnard, Dumbledore and the half giant Hagrid. What a diverse group of trusty men." She mumbled as she wrote each name in her notebook. It was really late at night and she was the only Gryffindor still up in the Common Room. "Peverell was entrusted with taking care of Lillian so he stayed back, fooling everyone that he was working here. But he couldn't see what she was doing outside Hogwarts, during the time she spent with Tom. She got pregnant by her...cousin," that was one hard statement to write down. "Peverell was hurt but still protected Lillian. Just what was so precious about her?" She wondered, taking a break from writing. "Why would two of the best students that graduated from Hogwarts return for her? Why did Spinnard have to sacrifice himself? Is there even a higher reason?"
There were many questions and no one really gave her the answers she wanted. But facts were facts and be it the result of an incestuous relationship or not, Ophelia was alive and well.
"M-miss?"
Ophelia raised her eyes and jolted in her seat at the sight of a house elf standing on her notebook. He jumped down and fidgeted as he started to stutter.
"Is there something wrong, Dylis? How did you even get here?"
"M-master Knowingall is in grave danger, Miss."
Ophelia frowned and hastily got up, surprising the elf.
"What do you mean? Cerberus is here at Hogwarts." The girl hissed, her eyes narrowing at the creature. The colour of her orbs must have probably been accentuated by the light from the fire, making her look a lot like her father because Dylis gasped and jumped back in fear.
"T-That is the p-problem. Dylis has eavesdroped as master instructed and has heard Aeron Lestrange talk to the Dark Lord about it."
"What did they say exactly?"
"There is an illegal animagus in the castle and he must be eliminated." Dylis answered, "It seems he has gotten too close to Miss Ophelia. The Dark Lord wants him dead."
Now, how could she face herself in the mirror if she would let her father kill her guardian and DADA professor...
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