James was in a cross mood as he left the common room. He was tired of Bel, her lackeys, and all the trouble they had been causing him. His mind was constantly filled with meandering thoughts about what she had wanted to steal and her impending plans. He was so sick of them, the mere thought disgusted him. James rarely went half an hour without jabbering on about something suspicious Bel did or a look Scorpius had sent him from across the dining hall. Teddy and Victoire would always nod off during this part, passing notes under the table while James vehemently ranted on, completely oblivious to his friends' lack of interest. While they supported James in the notion that Bel was not quite right, his myriad of fervent rants had become mildly obsessive. In James's mind, almost anything beyond perfectly normal could manage to be accredited to Bel through an intricate web that was thoroughly impossible to retrace unless you were James himself. The only thing that distracted him from his repulsively repetitive declarations of Bel's every wrong-doing was waiting for a letter back from his father. It seemed as if every single person knew who he was, or at least his father, except him! At first, it had been annoying but now James was downright infuriated. He couldn't act like he knew without making a fool out of himself and he couldn't ask anyone without sounding like a complete numbskull. Before every meal, he went straight to the Owlery to search for either Eleusis or Millicent, neither of whom had returned yet.
He found that he had to spend immense amounts of time roaming the castle or in the library to take his mind off the impending knowledge. The day after the library break-in, he had come back for his bag that contained the cloak and observed that Pince had put many new precautions on the library to prevent burglars. It seemed nearly impossible that anyone could steal anything from the library ever again.
James was just a few steps from the common room, on his way to detention when he caught up with Teddy and Victoire. They were accompanied by a tall second year named Liam Pepin. Liam was lean and muscular, light eyes and short blonde hair. He seemed to be vainly attempting to court Victoire. He had started this process towards the beginning of the year, among many others who admired Victoire's beauty and kind heart. James and Teddy referred to it as "Torie's String of Star-Crossed Lovers," but, they found Liam to be incredibly more annoying and persistent than any of the others. As James walked forward, he caught Liam's foot, causing him to trip over his robes. Victoire sent him a look of relief before calling out to Liam, "Sorry Liam, we really must be going now!"
"You know Vicky, you're quite picky with all the lads," Teddy joked.
"Oh, shut up, and don't call me that!" Victoire fumed.
"What? You don't like what I call you, Picky Vicky?" Teddy roared with laughter, changing his features to mirror an enraged Victoire.
"Fine, Edward," she hissed.
Teddy suddenly became serious, "Alright, alright, I'm done, just don't say that again."
"What, you don't like what I call you, Edward?" Victoire said in a mocking tone.
"Okay, I get it, I'm sorry, just don't say it again!" Teddy pleaded.
James smirked at his friends, "Both of you, calm down. You lovebirds better start getting along before Filch skins us all for talking."
At this remark, both of them turned red and looked down at the stone floors. Once they reached Filch's office, they saw he was inside seeming to be napping with Mrs. Huxley's tail swatting his face. Teddy knocked on the door, receiving no reaction from a snoring Filch and a glare from Mrs. Huxley. Eventually, the three entered the office, dropping a stack of books on the desk to wake a sleeping Filch. He jolted upward in response, sending Mrs. Huxley to the ground with a growl of protest.
"So you three showed up, eh? First thing, wouldn't want you to have too much fun, you'll be split up. Potter, you'll be in the kitchens, dishes only." Filch grinned, "Weasley, to the first floor girls' lavatory. Have a chat with your dear friend Myrtle."
Victoire paled. Myrtle had always been jealous of her and had never been very kind.
"Lupin... hmm... where to put you? I say the trophy room. I better see every bloody trophy sparkling when you're finished."
"How long will that be, exactly?" Victoire asked.
"You're done when I say you're done, girl." Filch shooed them with one hand, Mrs. Huxley occupying the other, "Get on now, move briskly. Don't waste time or it'll be fifteen more points from Gryffindor! Each!"
James scurried down the staircase to the basement, near where the map had told him the kitchens were located. He knew he was in the right hall but he did not have the map with him and simply could not figure out where the kitchen entrance was located. James retraced the both sides of the hallway, but the only thing he found near the right location was a painting of a fruit bowl. "You have to tickle the pear." James swore he heard a voice. However when he looked around, not a soul was present. Just then, James felt a tug on his trousers. He looked down to see a house elf with concerned brown eyes and drooping ears. He assumed it was a girl since it appeared to have feminine features, but you couldn't really tell.
"If you're looking to get into the kitchens, you have to tickle the pear," she repeated.
James nodded, a bit skeptically, but he did as he was told. He reached up to the portrait of the fruit and tickled the pear. It jumped around excitedly, giggling and James smiled at the elf. Then, the pear transformed into a green doorknob. James looked back to the elf, who gestured towards the handle. James turned it cautiously and stepped inside the hallway. The elf walked in front of him, motioning with her hand.
"I'm Winky. You can follow me." she bowed.
James, slightly confused since the only house-elf he had ever met, Kreature, did not bow, bowed in response, making Winky giggle, "I'm James, James Potter."
James stuck out his hand to Winky whose eyes grew as wide as saucers. Her hands shook as she held on to his own and she bowed again, the joy spreading all the way to her ears. A part of James was afraid she would explode.
"W-Would you b-b-be knowing of M-Mr. Harry Potter?" Winky whispered.
"Actually, he's my dad," James explained.
Upon hearing this, Winky feinted, then stood up immediately. The same smile was on her face when she then started hopping about the passage, squealing as she did so. She next grabbed James's hand and started running, still squealing and grinning madly. They then entered the main kitchen, a wonderland of stoves, pots, pans, and every other appliance imaginable. Many elves were working feverishly throughout the sizable room. By the time they arrived, James was still confused about the power of the Potter name and Winky was still psychotically excited.
"THERE'S A POTTER IN THE KITCHENS! THERE'S A POTTER IN THE KITCHENS!" Winky yelled.
All at once, dozens of house elves turned to James. They all seemed to be sizing him up and it looked to them that he was, in fact, a Potter. Before he could blink, he was being offered at least ten different dishes and refreshments. His mouth watered and he yearned to accept but then he remembered what he was there to do.
"I would love to eat all this food. It looks, erm, delicious! It looks delicious but I'm actually here for detention, I'm here to clean dishes." James murmured.
As if they had not heard him, he was promptly forced into a stool where a platter of brisket, treacle tart and a glass of pumpkin juice were all placed in front of him.
"Mr. Harry Potter was a great friend to us house elves. Mr. Potter's son..."
"It's James," he stated.
"Mr. James Potter will not work in these kitchens. Mr. Potter shall have what he likes, everything he likes! I heard that Mr. James Potter was coming this year but Weese could not believe it! It is an honor to serve you Mr. Potter, Weese is forever at your service, Mr. James Potter." a cook named Weese rambled.
"You all are quite kind but that's not necessary, and you can just call me James," he insisted.
"Of course, Mr. James, but we must not let you work. Us will not let you work in this kitchen!" a different elf repeated.
After much protest, James decided it would be easier to just sit and eat then fight the very determined kitchen staff. They asked many questions about his father and his Aunt Hermione, though they didn't seem to like her or a certain "S.P.E.W" very much. The elves were positively thrilled at the thought of two more Potters joining in coming years and it seemed that like Winky, they were on the brink of becoming explosive. By the time Filch released him, it was nearing two in the morning and he had nearly fallen asleep. He was so full and tired from chatting with the inquisitive elves. When he turned to leave, every single elf bowed to him.
"Goodbye, Mr. James Potter! James is welcome in the kitchens anytime he likes," Weese shouted.
James bowed back to the elves, smiling broadly. "Thank you for having me. I had a delightful time."
As he turned to leave he could hear them all whispering. "Mr James Potter looks much his father." "Mr. James is so polite." "I hope James Potter returns!" "Mr. James Potter bows to us! TO US!" The elves, though relentless, were quite the entertaining way to spend a detention. Once he reached the common room, he did not see Teddy or Victoire. James assumed that they were already up in their rooms and he followed in suit. He slept as soon as his head touched his pillow.
✶ ✶ ✶
Bel, Cat and Scorpius were early on their way potions the next morning. After their failed attempt to snatch the book, they had decided to lay low for a while. This meant they were more careful about the frequency and location of their hushed conversations, so, the triad drew little attention to themselves and focused more on their studies, despite Cat's most ardent protests.
"If I spend one more evening with my head jammed in some book - especially for studying - I swear I will burn every damned piece of parchment in Hogwarts!" Cat threatened.
Scorpius rolled his eyes, "I don't think you can go one morning without threatening something."
Cat shrugged, grinning to herself smugly. Once the students walked into the potions classroom, they saw Thorne had just barely legibly scribbled the steps to the Forgetfulness Potion on the board. As Bel took her seat behind a large cauldron, she began writing down the steps and ingredients in her own notebook. Once she was done, she started on the potion, ignoring Thorne's mundane lecturing.
"Ms. Black, since you seem so interested in constructing your potion and so bored with the safety precautions, please do tell me - what you are missing from that potion?" Thorne questioned.
Bel's cheeks reddened as she scanned the board quickly before finding the missing ingredient. Bel was fair at potions and found the ingredient quickly.
"Lethe River Water," Bel chirped.
"That's correct, and since you're so astute, why don't you fetch it from the store-cupboard, Ms. Black?" Thorne asked resentfully.
Bel nodded and stood quietly, bowing her head. She was not doing so well with her plan to blend in and was near abandoning it. No one would expect a first year to break into the restricted section anyway, she thought. All the secrecy was quickly growing annoying to her. Also, they found Potter and his friends in there! Everyone probably thinks it was him. She wondered why James had been there that night but couldn't come up with a good reason, other than he seemed to always show up places. On her way to the store-cupboard, she saw Jacob Zagyva strolling by. He sent Bel a charming smile, having formed a certain fondness for her, apparently enough to forego turning them in to Filch.
"Hello, Ms. Black," the Head Boy waved.
Bel waved back, faking a grin before continuing on her way to the stores. Once she arrived, she opened the huge cabinetry in search of the vials of Lethe River Water. She looked around the usually well-organized stores and saw they were in disarray. The stores were usually thoroughly well stocked and Thorne had them organized quite methodically. After finally finding the right bottle, she realized the stores were not just sloppily organized, they were also missing many flasks and ingredients. Upon this realization, Bel clutched the bottle tightly and ran back to the classroom.
"Ah, Ms. Black, how pleasant of you to return to us," Thorne remarked.
"My apologies for the wait Professor," Bel spoke, "but Sir, I think someone broke into the stores! The cabinets were quite disheveled and many vials seemed to be missing."
Thorne nodded to Bel, seeming alarmed, "Alright, everyone continue working. I'll be back shortly."
James thought this was all too coincidental. First, she was in the library looking to take a book, now she was in the store-cupboard when ingredients go missing. It had to be connected!
✶ ✶ ✶
James was discouraged as he left the Owlery that day. It seemed that his owl was still missing. Maybe Dad's decided not to tell me! Maybe he wants to keep me in the dark forever, James feared. He pushed the thought from his mind as he made his way to the Great Hall. Once there, he took a seat next to Teddy and Victoire in the hall. He explained everything that had happened the night before with the house elves and what had happened that morning with Bel.
"It must have been Bel! She was obviously trying to cover her tracks when she told Thorne. Don't you guys think it's a little too close together?" James reasoned.
Victoire looked to Teddy and sighed, "As much as I hate to indulge you, I think you have a case. It is pretty suspicious that she was in the library and at the stores.
"Okay, so I have an idea," James whispered. "I've seen Bel, Scorpius and Cat toting around a lot of books about the Second Wizarding War and a lot of dark wizards for a couple weeks. I'm thinking we go late tonight, check out some of the same books and see what they tell us."
Teddy nodded, "sounds good to me. Did you get a letter back from your Dad yet?"
James shook his head, "No I think he's ignoring it, or at least putting it off. Why do you ask?"
"Well, last night while I was in the trophy room, I noticed how many were your dad's and your grandfather's... mostly Quidditch but also for service to the school. What really got me was that your Dad won the Triwizard Tournament! Did you know that?"
James scowled, "Well, at this point I'm surprised that I know anything about him at all. Wait, isn't that only for seventh years? He wasn't even here in his seventh year because of the war. How could he have even been in it?"
Teddy shrugged, "No clue. Another one that showed up a decent amount was Tom Riddle, he was a Head Boy and had a Medal for Magical Merit, all that rubbish. The bloke's name sounded familiar."
"I've heard it before, too. We can search for it when we go to the library," Victoire added.
"So Torie, what happened with Myrtle?" Teddy chuckled.
Victoire visibly paled, "Oh, it was awful! She spent the whole night splashing water on the floor, telling me to clean it and when I did, she started crying about being ugly. Then, I would calm her down for about five minutes, she'd talk about Uncle Harry, and then the whole process started again. The girl's absolutely dreadful. No wonder no one ever visits her."
✶ ✶ ✶
Bel tucked her thick black hair behind her ears as she studied diligently. She found that this act made her feel less distracted, more calm even. She poured over notes for an upcoming Transfiguration evaluation where she would be transforming a small object into at least one bird using the Avifors Spell. She and Scorpius had been attempting the spell for several days and making extremely slow progress, if any. After at least fifty tries that night, Bel collapsed onto the green carpeting by Scorpius's feet, letting out a low growl.
Cat came and stood over her. "I thought I was the only animal here."
Bel sighed, "I just can't manage to make one blasted quill turn into a bird."
Cat rolled her eyes. "Bel, it's really not that difficult if you just follow the formula."
Scorpius scoffed, "If it's so easy, Kitten, then why don't you give it a go?"
With that, Cat recited the incantation flawlessly, moving her wand in a swift, sideways figure eight. A blue light flashed from her wand and the quill arose, forming a small flock of birds that flew around the Slytherin common room. After a quick flight, the birds melded together and the quill landed perfectly onto the table. An exhausted Scorpius looked to Cat in astonishment. For the skills she lacked in Astronomy, she made up for in her penchant for Transfiguration.
"Alright, I'm exhausted. I can't do this anymore," Scorpius humphed before saying his goodbyes and heading upstairs for the night.
James, Teddy and Victoire had ran straight to the library from dinner. James was huddled under a thick stack of books that he had heard Bel collecting. Once he had found a few of the titles, he distributed them among the three. Immediately, they sat down and got cracking. James himself was switching between The War of the Century and Modern Dangers of the Dark Arts. After what felt like hours of searching, they were no closer to uncovering Bel's plan.
"There's not a bloody thing here," Victoire grumbled.
James scowled. "Whatever she's planning, the books don't give any of it away. There all about the dark arts and what happened during them, not about how anything bloody happened."
"Checking them out won't do any good, we have no clue where to begin," Teddy reasoned.
James nodded, "You're right, but Modern Dangers of the Dark Arts did mention that Riddle bloke. I think he was involved in The War."
✶ ✶ ✶
Bel spent the morning beside Cat, packing for their Christmas trip home. They had both decided to leave all their books at school, which made for a much lighter load. The first years' professors had decided to be kind and had given a minuscule amount of homework over the break. Bel was quite grateful, this mean that I can spend as much time as possible doing my own research! She schemed many plans as she packed, barely noticing Snowball's many attempts to be packed away in her suitcase.
"I think I just may be able to get away with burning all my skirts when I get home! Then, they'll have to let me wear something else when I get back... at least for a few days." Cat speculated, shoving all her skirts unceremoniously into her trunk.
Bel rolled her eyes as she packed away her own possessions, "Kitten, this burning project of yours worries me."
Cat giggled in response as the pair made their way down to the Great Hall. By this time, the girls were used to the ever-changing staircases and leaped over the missing steps with ease. They had made a game of it as they made their way to the hall each morning, knowing that Scorpius was already there. He was not an early riser by choice but the food always made him seem to appear.
When they had almost reached their destination, the duo saw James retreating from the Owlery, letter clutched in hand. He seemed very entranced by it, not even bothering to look up as he tore it's seal. As a result, he barreled into them, causing all three to tumble onto the stone floor.
"Ouch! Watch where you're going, Potter!" Cat shouted.
"Sorry," he responded, already on his feet.
"Not even a famous scowl today? Not even an evil eye my way?" Bel grimaced.
James waved them off, "Not today! My apologies!"
Both girls chuckled as they watched James continue to stumble down the hall.
"Would you look at that," Cat mused, "Potter's even in a good mood."
"He must have been hit with a sudden wave of Christmas spirit!" Bel assumed.
"More like a tsumani, since you know, the unpleasant little sap hates our guts and all," Cat smirked.
"Well then," Bel cheered as she reached the table, "To the power of Christmas spirit!"
She clicked glasses with Cat and Scorpius who muttered, "To the p'wur ofth Chrithmus 'pirit!" through his mouthful of sausage.
✶ ✶ ✶
James had been dying to read the letter all day. He carried it in his trouser pockets, taking it out and putting it back a hundred times over. He had tried to read it in three different classes but was too focused on school work and gave up entirely. He knew he would want time to react to whatever answers the letter finally gave him. So, after dinner, he had promptly left Victoire and Teddy at the table and sprinted back to the Common Room faster than ever before in his life. He tipped his head to the Fat Lady and in his urgency, just barely managed to sputter out the password. Finally, he reached the common room and settled down on a couch in the corner of the room, a location reclusive enough to make him feel as if no one was looking over is shoulder as he finally read the page.
Dear James,
I am regretful that this letter took so long to get back to you, for it is quite difficult to find the right words to write something of this depth. I would also like to apologize for the amount of time you have been kept in the dark. I should have told you as soon as you arrived there, or even before you left, and now it is almost Christmas! I guess the time has escaped me. I want you to know that I never lied to you about anything that happened. I just did not tell you the full truth because I did not think you were old enough or mature enough to hold such a large legacy on your shoulders. Until I was eleven Albus Dumbledore, for whom your brother is named, withheld this information from me so that I myself grew up in the most normal way possible under the circumstances. As you know, I grew up raised by muggles and was not even aware that I was a wizard until my eleventh birthday. Now that you are of the age when I learned the truth, I will bestow it upon you. However, this will be a summary and I will complete my tale at length and answer any questions you have when you return home this Christmas.
When I was born, our world was in the midst of the First Wizarding War. It was prophesied that the Dark Lord would have to take my own life to continue his. My parents, James and Lily, were some of the leading heroes bravely battling Lord Voldemort. When I was barely more than an infant, Voldemort stormed our house and both my parents lost their lives to him in attempts to keep me safe. When he in turn tried to kill me, I was protected by the utmost power of my mother's love, a powerful magic which I still find hard to understand. Although the power of her love saved my life, it left me with a lightning-shaped scar, and the Dark Lord was not seen again for over a decade. My surviving the Dark Lord's curse was unheard of, especially because I was a defenseless child and so Igained the title of "The Chosen One" and also "The Boy Who Lived."
Over the course of my time at Hogwarts, even in assumed death, Lord Voldemort was still the most feared wizard of all time. During my first year of the school, he returned, sharing the body of one of my professors in hopes of finding the sorcerer's stone and rising to power once again. I defeated him at the end of my first year, with the help of your Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. In the next few years, he eventually assumed a new body with the goals to take over once again and destroy yours truly. Over my six years at the school, he attempted to kill me about once a year and how I survived is still a mystery to me. However, during what would have been my final year at Hogwarts, there was a battle between Voldemort and his Death Eaters and myself accompanied by many Hogwarts students and The Order of the Phoenix (an organization I will later explain) . This is now know as the Battle of Hogwarts, which I ended by killing Lord Voldemort using the twin cores of our wands and the backlash of his own spell. My actions - though I would not have defeated him without the years of assistance from numerous others - ended the Second Wizarding War, and in turn, all these things earned me the title and status that other people seem to enjoy pointing out. I encourage you not to be wrapped idea or to get a big head. I have raised you to understand that being a part of this family does not make you entitled. On a kinder note, I apologize again for my discretion and promise to explain at length when you return.
With Love,
Dad
P.S. If I forget to tell you later, never use the name Tom Riddle in front of your mother.
Full Text Chapters One through Seventeen available now at www.BelladonnaBlack.wordpress
Chapters will be posted every Sunday until completion