The Wandmaker's Granddaughter and the Curse of Hogwarts

We Begin with a Goodbye

The shadows reached out like hands grabbing at Amelia, trying to drag her into their clutches.  As she neared the buildings she clung to Mrs. Potter's side fearing what could happen if they were at all separated in this strange world. A cold breeze encased the pair as the doors slid open with no power magic had ever seen.  The awful scent of antiseptic and sterile surfaces flooded Amelia's nose making her retch.

"Are you alright?" Mrs. Potter asked.

"I don't like hospitals," Amelia said as they waited for the charge nurse.

"Why not?"

"Too many bad things happen in hospitals."

"Some good things happen too."

"Just because there're flowers in a graveyard doesn't make it a garden."

"Well I can't argue with that."

The nurse came and escorted them to a very fancy, expensive looking wing. Mahogany panels lined the walls trying to embody a comfortable, luxurious library but despite the lush decor the smell still haunted Amelia as the fluorescent lights above blinded her. 

Memories flooded Amelia's mind against her will.  She closed her eyes to push them out of her thoughts but the monsters of her past lived in the dark of her mind.

"Would you rather wait out here while I go fetch the others?" Mrs. Potter asked watching Amelia's usually pale face turn to the color of a ghost.

"No. Please, don't leave me alone."

"Ok. We'll just pop in, get Lucy, and be off."

Amelia nodded. They stopped to sign in at the desk and Amelia could hear a light commotion down the hall. She and Mrs. Potter got their visitor's passes and began walking closer to the voices which were clearly in an argument.

Amelia and Mrs. Potter turned the corner to see two men. One, if Amelia could recall correctly, was Lucy's father, a man that was large and blond like his daughter. The second man was older, ruddier, and much rounder with a very thick grey mustache under his nose but only the wispy memory of hair left on his head. As they argued quiet audibly it was only sensible that Amelia and Mrs. Potter could hear every word.

"I want him gone," the older man said gruffly.

"But mum asked to see him," Lucy's father argued.

"She doesn't know what she wants, I know what's good for her."

"Well he's here now and we can't just throw him out."

"We'll see about that, I'll go right in there . . ."

"And do what? He's not eleven any more dad."

The men noticed Mrs. Potter and Amelia then and while Lucy's father reddened in embarrassment the elder man reddened with anger.

"What do you think you're doing here? Isn't one freak enough?" The ruddy old man complained.

Amelia shrank against Mrs. Potter's side as Mrs. Potter rose to the challenge of this old man.  Amelia had seen the power Mrs. Potter held in just a glance when Al and James argued.  This man seemed to underestimate what he deemed to be an inferior woman who was, in actuality, by far his superior.

"We've come to fetch Lucy," Mrs. Potter looked between the man and Lucy's father who looked sheepishly towards the older man.

"Likely, and whose this, one of your freak children?"

Before Mrs. Potter could put this no good muggle man in his place she turned to Amelia as calmly as a woman about to enter a rage but is trying to hide it from a present child.

"Go and fetch Lucy dear," Mrs. Potter said with danger oozing through her forced smile.

Amelia nodded and began walking past the men towards the hospital room but paused and turned to the old man.

"I'm Amelia, Lucy's friend from school."

The man harrumphed.

"And what're you doing with this lot?" He said.

"They've been caring for me over the summer."

"Where're your parents?"

"Oh they're died. I live with my grandfather but he was kidnapped last year and I can't live with my uncle because he's a hazard to society. The neighbors didn't have a spare room but the Potters were nice enough to take me in. Mrs. Potter's a lot better at cooking than my grandfather. She also just bought me new clothes. I outgrew my old pants, grandfather says it's not sensible to have more than two pairs of pants, but I out grew both pairs. I would have kept wearing them even though my ankles were cold but they didn't button anymore. So I got new ones." Amelia said through more stream of consciousness then bravery. As Amelia's voice trailed off silence fell over the adults. Amelia looked towards Lucy's father.

"Can I go see Lucy now?" she asked.

"Go in dear," he said.

She went into the room and just as the door shut behind her Mrs. Potter began shouting. The room was sound proofed well though so no one was disturbed inside.

It was a private hospital room that looked a bit more like a hotel room then one meant for a hospital. A thin, frail old woman lay asleep on the bed. Sitting beside her was a younger blonde woman who had the same nose and eyes as Lucy, who sat beside her. Sitting awkwardly to the side was Mr. Potter reading an article in a muggle paper.

Everyone turned to see Amelia when she entered the room. Lucy bounced up and ran across the room to give her a hug. Mr. Potter set aside his paper and stood up to greet Amelia as well.

"Is Ginny with you?" Mr. Potter asked.

"Mrs. Potter is yelling at a rude old man in the hallway," Amelia said.

Mr. Potter tried to hide a creeping smile that began to cross his face.

"Amelia come over and meet Lucy's mother," Mr. Potter said gesturing to the woman not lying in the hospital bed.

"My name's Aubrey. It's nice to meet you Amelia," Lucy's mother said as they shook hands. "Lucy's talked about you often."

"It's nice to meet you too," Amelia said.

The conversation came to a premature halt as the woman in the bed stirred ever so slightly. The others went to her side while Amelia stayed back. The woman's eyes fluttered open and looked around as if in a foggy haze. Her eyes looked in to Mr. Potter's bright green ones and sharpened in comprehension.

"Lily?" She gasped out as she continued to fall in and out of focus. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry Lily."

Tears began forming in her eyes as the heart monitor slightly increased.

"I never got to, I never . . . I'm sorry . . . So sorry . . . How could? If it had . . . If it had been me . . . You would have loved my Dudley . . . like your own."

Mr. Potter took her hand and tried to calm her but there were still things she had to say.

"I love you Lily. I'm sorry . . . I loved you . . . I'm sorry. How can . . . How can you . . . Forgive me."

Mr. Potter looked at her directly.

"You did well, Harry's fine. You need to rest," he said quietly.

"Forgive me?"

Mr. Potter took a deep breathe and paused.

"I . . . Forgive you," he said with finality. Seemingly letting go of everything he had wanted to say to her.

The woman relaxed again allowing her eyes to glass over before closing and falling back into sleep.
The door opened and the men walked in with Mrs. Potter close behind.

"Now listen here," the old ruddy man began.

"I think, I've said what I needed to say," Mr. Potter stood and walked to Lucy's father. "If she asks for me again just write."

Lucy's father nodded and put a hand on Mr. Potter's shoulder.

"Let's go girls," Mrs. Potter said waving them to follow. Lucy grabbed her bags and the four of them left the hospital together.