Chapter Twenty-Three

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Rhiannon wakes in the hospital wing of Hogwarts, she groans and turns slightly finds Viktor and Harry both sitting at her bedside, Attila sat between them. Harry sleeps, exhausted, he hasn't even changed out of what they had to wear for the task. His arm bloody but bandaged. She frowns a little and then reaches up for her head.

"Rhiannon" Attila states when he sees her awake.

"What...." She whispers and tries to sit up. Viktor is then instantly at her side, pushing her back with a stern look. "What happened?" Viktor turns and wakes Harry.

"Watch her," Viktor tells him. "I will get the nurse" Viktor then walks away. Rhiannon looks at Harry as he scoots his chair closer to her, he takes her hand.

"What happened?" She asks him this time. Harry clenches his jaw.

"You...you were bewitched" He answers. "With the Imperius curse" She frowns at him. "I think it must have been..." He then shakes his head. "It can wait..." He tries to give her a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts" She admits. "Harry" She whispers. "Tell me what happened.." He closes his eyes. "Just tell me..." He nods and squeezes her hand.

"The cup, it was a portkey" He admits. "A trap...Cedric's dead, Rhian...." She frowns at him.

"Dead?" She asks, he nods. "Oh," She whispers and rubs her finger between her eyes trying to work out the ache in there. Her eyes land on his bandaged arm. "Your arm...you're hurt?"

"It's just a scratch" He whispers, covering the bandage with his free hand. Dumbledore walks into the ward and straight to Rhiannon's bed, behind him, Hecate lingers, keeping back.

"Mr Potter, would you mind?" Dumbledore asks, Harry shakes his head, squeezes her hand and then leaves, Rhiannon's eyes following him before they shift and find the woman lingering at the back in black robes, dark hair, piercing and deep green eyes. A polecat peers out from the figures hood, watching the room. Dumbledore takes Rhiannon's attention as he reaches her side. "How are you feeling?" He asks her, she nods and then shrugs. Unsure really.

"Harry said that...that it was the imperius..." She starts, Dumbledore nods. "I thought...I thought my mind was stronger..."

"I fear someone might have been weakening it during your Defence against the dark arts classes...."

"Professor Moody?" She asks. He shakes his head.

"I will leave that explanation to Mr Potter" He offers, her eyes find Hecate again.

"Who is she?" She whispers. Dumbledore lets out a small breath and looks at Hecate.

"She's your mother" Dumbledore informs her, Rhiannon raises an eyebrow and then snorts a laugh.

"So why is she here?" She counters.

"She put your name in the cup," Attila tells her from her other side. Rhiannon turns a glare on the woman.

"Why would you do that?!" Rhiannon snaps at her. "I'm fourteen...A child...you would risk my life for what? Entertainment? Laughs? You want me dead?"

"No" Hecate is quick to argue that one. "I would never...."

"Voldemort is back" Dumbledore informs Rhiannon. "Your mother thought Harry might need some help in the coming years...and she felt like you would be his best hope..." She frowns at him and then looks at Hecate.

"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard" She snaps. "Harry is already an impressive young wizard....he doesn't need my help, and he has his friends..."

"I was trying to help" Hecate states. "There are things you don't understand, things that you cannot understand yet, the magical world is on a knife's edge...Voldemort's return changes everything...I created you to help....chose one of the strongest wizards, with his magical aptitude, his seer abilities, and my powers....you could be the most powerful witch that has ever existed...with you at his side, fighting with him, Harry has more of a chance at defeating the great evil that is returning to the world"

"And you are here now why?" Rhiannon asks. "What do you want?"

"I want to help, to train you to use those powers that you get from me..." Hecate answers.

"Don't you think you've done enough!" Rhiannon snaps.

"Are you this way with your father?" Hecate counters.

"He had no choice, he was locked away, where were you?" Rhiannon asks her. "You didn't even wait, I was a day old and I was thrown away like stale bread" Hecate looks down and lets out a breath. "Leave," Rhiannon tells her.

"Rhiannon" Hecate starts. "There are things we must discuss"

"I have nothing to say to you..." Rhiannon turns slightly, curling away from her mother. Hecate lets out a breath and then vanishes in a puff of Mist, she is leaving, but she is not done. Dumbledore glances at Rhiannon.

"I will leave as well" He offers, she nods a little, sniffling slightly as she gets upset.

"Professor" Dumbledore looks at her. "Did you tell him what happened?"

"I did" He answers. "I also told him I would make sure he would be told when you woke up" He pats her arm. "Rest some more....you've earned it" She sighs a little and shrugs.

.........

Later, Hermione sits with Rhiannon now, explaining everything she knows about what happened, Harry hasn't really gone through it in a lot of detail. The cup was a portkey that took Cedric and Harry to some cemetery, which explains Rhiannon's vision thing, Cedric was then killed by Voldemort's minion, Hermione said something about a rat but to be honest, Rhiannon isn't really listening anymore. Her mind is on her mother's sudden appearance in her life.

"Are you okay?" Hermione whispers, Rhiannon glances at her. "You haven't really said much..."

"Just thinking" Rhiannon answers.

"About your mother?" Rhiannon shoots Hermione a look. "She kind of introduced herself to us..." Rhiannon snorts and shakes her head. "Harry was rather upset with her..."

"What?" Rhiannon asks.

"He shouted at her" Hermione admits, Rhiannon looks surprised. "Went on about how she'd abandoned you...I think he just snapped, with everything that happened"

"Yeah" Rhiannon agrees quietly. "She's still here then?"

"I think so" Hermione answers. "I saw her in the library earlier...Karkaroff took off though, Viktor told me...." Hermione adds. "As soon as Harry told everyone that you know who returned, he scarpered..."

"He betrayed the Death Eaters" Rhiannon offers. "Turned on them...I'm not surprised he left. If he's back, he'll likely hunt down those that betrayed him in the past" Hermione nods in agreement. Rhiannon sighs and sits up. "I can't wait to get out of this bed"

"Lucky for you then" Madam Pomfrey states as she appears in the doorway. "You are all clear to leave..." Rhiannon smiles in thanks and nods slightly.

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