~Chapter 18~
Riddle's Father
There wasn't much jovial talking at the tables in the Great Hall. Many of the students could help but notice the increase of ministry officials. Lily, Jack, Rose, Hugo, and Albus watched as their parents stood apart from each other, cold and indifferent. The kids were corralled before they could disappear for classes, the Great Hall cleared of its normal tables, and instead each child was brought in to be questioned. They started with Lily, Rayleigh's roommate.
"Lily, where is Rayleigh?" Minerva asked the small first year.
"I don't know," Lily said. She glanced at her parents who seemed to have come here of different reasons.
"Do you know what Rayleigh is, Lily?" Ginny asked her daughter. Lily didn't look amuse by the tone her mother used.
"Of course," Lily said defiantly.
"You know, your brother could be in danger," Ginny said.
"He's not," Lily assured her. Ginny stared her daughter down, trying to use Occlumency on her. "Nice try mom, but I have closed my mind."
"Fine," Ginny snapped. "I should have waited to tell you that."
"Lily, do you know how they left the school grounds? Professor Krum says that there are brooms missing from the shed," Hermione said quietly as she watched the child. A smile crossed Lily's face.
"Everyone knows that Rayleigh can't even summon a broom, much less ride," Lily said with her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Is that true?" Melissa asked. She seemed almost scandalized.
"It is true," Professor Krum confirmed. "I have been working with her for months now, and the broom doesn't even twitch. I have never seen anything more unusual. We have had some slow starters in the past, but they start. Rayleigh doesn't seem to even start."
"Can I ask a question?" Lily asked as she interrupted the conversation. The adults looked down at her from where they were sitting.
"Ok," they said. Lily glanced at each one of them.
"Why do you all assume that this isn't the way that it is supposed to be?" Lily asked. The adults looked at each other rather quizzically.
"What do you mean?" Minerva said. Lily thought a moment.
"What if James, Rayleigh, and Scorpius were meant to go on a quest?" Lily said. She remained sitting while the adults huddled. "Prophecies were made all the time about quests and events. What if they are meant to be on a quest? Who are they really hurting?"
"Lily, the hall of prophecies was destroyed years and years before you were born," Hermione told her. Lily looked at them almost exasperatedly.
"So?"
"It's not like they rebuilt the hall of prophecies," Harry said. The others agreed, sans one.
"Well," Professor Krum said quietly. All eyes were directed on him, Lily nodding in encouragement, as if she already knew what was going to come out of his mouth.
"Krum?" Ron asked as if he had just realized the ex-Quidditch player was there. He had been dozing off, not having slept much the night before.
"Well, actually, it was. They completed it two years after the war," Professor Krum said. Lily stood up beaming.
"Well, that is a start, at least," Lily told Professor Krum. She left the Great Hall without being dismissed. Instead, Lily snuck with the others up to Minerva's office. Lily looked up into the portraits of head masters passed.
"How did it go?" Dumbledore asked. Lily beamed.
"Well, the seeds are planted. Let's just hope that the adults can let them grow," Lily told him. Dumbledore clapped his hands.
"Brilliant," Dumbledore said. Lily looked up at Snape's portrait.
"Yes?" Snape asked in his slow, monotonous voice. Lily smiled.
"Is it true, you loved my grandmother," Lily asked. Snape rolled his eyes and smiled.
"Get to class, Lily Potter," Snape said.
Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron stood out by the old tree they once frequented. No one said anything for a long time; they just huddled in the snow by the bare branched tree. There was so much that the four of them needed to discuss, but no one was brave enough to start. Harry finally sighed and turned to Ginny.
"I am sorry that this didn't work out between us, Gin," Harry said quietly. Ginny looked at him, for the first time in a while smiled, and meant it.
"Sometimes we don't realize that we are really hurting the ones we love," Ginny said.
"Do you think you will be happy with Draco?" Harry asked. Ginny smiled and nodded.
"I don't know why, but I really do," Ginny said. "His wife has decided to rejoin the muggle world, and I think Draco and I are going to make a real go at it."
"Well, I wish you the best of luck," Harry said. Ginny glanced at Hermione.
"I'm not mad, you know," Ginny told Hermione. "I know you both love each other deeply, always have. In all honesty, I always assumed you would end up together in the end."
Hermione and Ginny embraced, crying. Ron looked at them and rolled his eyes. Ron and Harry had acted very much the same why, and yes, even shed a tear or two. Neither would admit it though. Harry and Ron embraced the women and they laughed, feeling as if a thousand pounds of weight was lifted off their shoulder.
"So, back to the kids," Draco murmured as they parted. Harry slipped his arm across the top of Draco's shoulders.
"Now that you are possibly going to be my children's stepfather, I want to let you know if you hurt them, I will hunt you," Harry said with a jovial tone.
"Possibly? No, sir, I am!" Draco said rather pointedly. He turned to Ginny, "That is, if you will have me."
"Well, Harry and I have to get divorced first, of course," Ginny said.
"And if I ever catch you in my bathroom again," Harry added. They laughed and walked towards were Melissa was standing near the edge of the forbidden forest.
"There is still no sign of them," Melissa murmured. Harry had to try something, anything, to get the information out of Melissa.
"Melissa, we need to know who Rayleigh's father is," Harry said. "Only a blood relative can retrieve a prophecy. We think the kids are fulfilling a prophecy."
"I can't," Melissa said. She was crying. "I want to but he made an unbreakable vow. I made him, and I never thought that anyone needed to know."
"Shit," Harry said. He looked to the others, but none had any ideas. They stood together as Viktor Krum ran up to them, panting hard.
"Shacklebolt is here," Krum panted. They headed toward the castle.
"You sure are out of shape for an ex-Quidditch player," Melissa said as she followed them back into the school. Hermione stopped suddenly, as if she had hit an invisible brick wall. The others stopped as well, but only certain that Hermione must have hit a real, invisible wall. They reached out in front of them, feeling around for the wall.
"I know who fathered your child!" Hermione said excitedly. Melissa looked relieved.
"Thank GOD!" Melissa said as she exhaled. It was as if she had been holding her breath the entire time. The others looked at Hermione with excitement and wide eyes. She looked confused for a moment.
"But why keep it a secret, Melissa? I was muggle born." Hermione asked. Melissa threw herself into Hermione's arms.
"Because I am a squib," Melissa wailed. "I was ashamed of my blood status, not him. He was always okay with it. Then Rayleigh was infected and I couldn't drag him through the mud. What would people think of him, mating with a squib, and having a blood-tainted daughter?"
"Who is it, Hermione?" Harry asked rather impatiently.
"It's Viktor!" Hermione said as she pointed at Viktor Krum. Everyone looked at him, and Harry laughed.
"It's not funny," Viktor said. Harry laughed harder and nodded.
"Yes it is," Harry laughed. "You are one of the greatest Quidditch players ever, and your daughter can't even summon a broom, much less ride."
"That is pretty funny," Melissa agreed. She joined in the laughter, she was free of the promise, and now she felt loads lighter.
"So, now that it is out, Missy, do you think we could pick up where we left off?" Viktor asked hopefully. Melissa ran into his arms and they kissed.
"I thought it was odd that Melissa was such a fan of Quidditch, since most in the muggle world aren't, then you had knowledge that you shouldn't about the sorting, you know wizarding laws you shouldn't know," Hermione ran through quickly as she ticked fingers off. "I knew the hand writing looked familiar, but I couldn't place it. Of course I wouldn't have thought to look back at my old love letters."
"You still have those?" Ron, Harry, and Viktor asked in unison.
"Moving on, it wasn't until you commented on Viktor being an out of shape Quidditch player that it all came back to me," Hermione said.
"I'm not that out of shape," Viktor retorted. Hermione tilted her head.
"Well, you aren't like flabby fat or anything, not really," Hermione said.
"So, I guess the next stop is the ministry and the Hall of Prophecies," Harry said.
Shacklebolt, while thrilled to hear that they had found out Rayleigh Riddle's father, he was concerned. The Dementors were still looking for the children, and they were easily followed, but not easily caught. The trace made it incredibly easy to locate. The Dementors were acting rogue, intent on finding the children.
"We don't want that!" Ginny exclaimed.
"We should head to the ministry, and to the Hall of Prophecies," Harry said. "As soon as we know what they are up to, maybe we can catch up with them before the Dementors. Who knows quests better than we do?"
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