It takes me less than a fraction of a second to recognize the man in front of me as the one we met today at the Magical Congress. The one with the handsome face and jet black hair. The one who held his briefcase as tightly as he tried to hold onto his secrets, but I could see right through him.
The man who claimed he had never heard of my father before, but seemed to turn to stone at the mere mention of his name. The man whom I never expected to see again in my life, or even have a fraction of significance in my life, but apparently, I was wrong. "You're not my father," I blurt out before I can think through what to even say to him.
He looks thoroughly caught off guard. His icy blue eyes widen in surprise as he registers the four of us standing outside his door. "You - what - how did you find me?" He breathes out. "Believe me, I wasn't trying to find you," I say. He just shakes his head, staring at me in shock. From a little down the hallway, a door suddenly slams shut, making me flinch.
He peers outside into the hallway, suspiciously and cautiously looking both ways. He then drags a hand over his face and a regretful sigh escapes his lips. "I can't believe I'm doing this, but come inside, all of you. Quickly," he urges. My eyebrows knit together in confusion, but I don't argue. I step inside his apartment, followed by the three other boys.
The very first thing I notice once I'm inside is a small table in the entryway, merely for decoration. On it sits a small lamp, a couple of books, and a few pictures. My eyes immediately are drawn to one frame in particular. A small gasp escapes my lips, as I register the familiar face. My father, smiling and laughing like he's the happiest man on earth, right next to the man from the magical congress, the man who just let us into his apartment, the man who swore he had never heard of my father.
I pick up the frame, and turn around right as he locks the door, and bolts it. "So you've never heard of Fletcher Ashwood, huh?" I question.
He looks even more caught off guard. His mouth opens and closes several words before he can even speak. "Let me just explain," he says. "Who are you?" I demand. He sighs deeply, appearing utterly stressed. "Why don't we take a seat at least," he says, turning on a light in a small front room next to where we stand. The area lights up, revealing a couple of couches and armchairs, all spaced out perfectly in front of a large fireplace. We silently take a seat. I reluctantly share a couch with Malfoy. He looks rigid and unamused. Like he would rather be anywhere else.
"My name is Leo Montgomery, and I'm good friends with your father," the man sighs out. "Then why did you tell me you had never heard of him?" I ask. He shakes his head. "To protect him of course. Even if you claim to be his daughter I can't just give away his information," He says.
"But I am his daughter, and I just - I really need to find him," I plead.
"I'm sorry kid, but it's hard to find people who aren't looking to be found," he smiles sadly.
"So that's it? You're not going to explain anything else?" I question.
"What is there to know? I can't tell you anything else," he mutters.
"At least tell me that he's safe," I say quietly.
He pauses, looking empathetic. "Yes, you don't need to worry, he's very safe," he tells me.
"Then why? Why can't I see him?" I frown.
"In all honesty, I'm not even sure where to find him. He doesn't let anyone know much about him at all. He stopped a couple of years ago when some death eaters came looking for him during the second wizarding war. That's when he got really serious about keeping his whereabouts and information a secret, to protect himself," He explains.
"During the second war? How did the death eaters know he was even alive at that time?" I ask.
"Beats me. They always know things they shouldn't," he says.
"Sir? Why would he work for the magical congress then if he's trying to keep a low profile?" Harry chimes in.
"Well, there are over a thousand jobs there, if he's working a job that's average and not very high up at all, it makes him appear as any other boring, and average worker, with a boring and average life. That's all he's wanted ever since he came here. He keeps to himself. He goes to work, he's friendly to everyone there, and then he goes back home and does it all over again," Leo explains.
Something about his words causes a sharp pang in my chest. Maybe its the thought of my father who has been called one of the most powerful wizards, now living a lonely and boring life. Maybe it's the thought that he lost everyone he once had. Maybe it's the thought that he has had to hide ever since my mother died. It hurts just to think about and I want nothing more than to know where my father is so I can find him, and bring him home, and just feel happy being next to him.
"I need to see him," I say suddenly.
Leo just shakes his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that is very likely. I can hardly get ahold of him these days," he says.
"If you can't get ahold of him then is there anywhere I can find him? Any place he might be before Sunday? Please. He - I just I came here to find him," I beg.
Leo shakes his head, letting out a long sigh. "I - I can't believe I'm telling you this but, the banquet. For the Magical Congress, tomorrow night. He should be there," he says regretfully.
"Oh God," I mutter. I already knew if we were to attend that banquet, at some point it would turn into an absolute shit show. But I knew this might be one of our only options. "Okay," I breathe out, "Thank you."
He nods curtly. "Just be smart. Be cautious. Don't trust anyone in this city," He suddenly warns.
"Including you?" I raise a brow at him.
He shows the tiniest smirk. "That's for you to decide, but you shouldn't have to worry. I trust your father, and he trusts me. I'm not going to hurt you kids," He says. I don't know why, and maybe it's stupid of me, but something inside of me makes it easy for me to trust him. In fact, I want to trust him.
"Well thank you, for everything," I say as I come to a standing position. "Of course, hopefully I could be of some help," he says as he leads us to the front door.
I couldn't help but feel that we had overstayed our welcome the second he had invited us inside. His reluctant attitude to let us in was obvious, but he looked more paranoid of who might be wandering the halls of the building. Maybe he knew there were Death Eaters after my father too?
"Is he safe? My father?" I can't help but ask, turning around to face him.
"Yes. He's a smart man. He can take care of himself, you don't need to worry about him at all," He says, a small, warm smile on his face. "I wouldn't expect anything less," I smile softly. I had only heard the stories of my father, but each one painted a vivid picture of a strong, smart, and powerful man in my head. Somebody I had always wished to get to know, and now, I was the closest I had ever been.
He opens the door for us, and we step out into the hall. "Well thank you again. Will we be seeing you again?" I ask. "Well given the chance that you kids figure out how to get into the banquet tomorrow, then I suppose you will. I don't doubt your abilities on getting in though. I know you're quite the mischievous group. After all, you are friends with Harry Potter," He says, a twinkle in his eyes, and a smirk on his face.
"Wha- what?" Harry breathes out.
"Oh, I recognized you the second I saw you, Mr. Potter. That scar is quite the dead giveaway," Leo grins. I kept forgetting that Harry was famous across the Wizarding World, of course he was easily recognized.
"Oh, right," he grins sheepishly.
"A little word of advice though, you might not want to go anywhere big without some sort of disguise. At least for you, Mr. Potter," He says. We all turn to Harry. The circular glasses and lightning bolt scar on his forehead were extremely distinct. Anyone could pinpoint him if they kept up on the latest Wizarding World news. Maybe if I hadn't been so focused on finding my father, I would've noticed lingering stares or whispers.
"Noted," Harry chuckles.
"Be safe out there," Leo says, flashing one last grin.
"We will," I tell him before the four of us bid farewell finally. I let out a short, disappointed sigh. What was the point in all of this? Why did we need to come to Leo's apartment just to hear something I already knew. I knew my father was hard to track down. And I knew we were probably going to end up going to the banquet to search for him. So why? Why did I have a vision of this exact location? These were all apart of my never-ending, and always growing list of questions. Questions that had attacked me from the second I first learned that I was a witch.
"Hey, you okay?" Ron asks, nudging me in the shoulder. I am pulled from my thoughts, I blink hard as we continue walking down the hall, turning to face Ron. "Yeah - I just - I was expecting more," I mutter.
"Trust me, If there's one thing Harry and I have learned, it's that you don't always find what you're looking for right away," He says. "It's true," Harry chimes in. I let out a light laugh. "Thanks, guys. I guess you're right, I just really thought maybe my Dad would've been there," I say, keeping my eyes pinned to the ground.
"I told you," Malfoy mumbles under his breath from behind us. I stop immediately, turning right around to face him.
"Seriously?" I snap, coming face to face with him.
"Something the matter?" He asks, amusement on his face as he raises one brow.
"Yes. You. You're the issue, and you always have been. I don't know I've allowed you to treat me like this for this long but I'm over it!" I say, my words fierce as they roll off my tongue. I was fed up. I was sick. Sick of his bullshit. His taunting, his teasing, his rude and pointless remarks. I was at a breaking point.
"Oh? And what are going to do about it, Ashwood?" He smirks proudly, taking several daring steps closer. "I'll talk to my Aunt. I don't know," I pause taking a deep breath, "Anything to get you the hell away from me," I breathe out, my voice shaky.
He blinks hard, looking a little surprised by how serious I am. But the scowl returns at once, his facade made of steel remaining intact. "Fine by me. Azkaban is looking a lot more pleasant if you're not there," He retorts.
"Then I'm glad we can finally agree on something for once," I say, my words cold and sharp, not an ounce of emotion in my voice. I turn right back around, heading for the elevators, eager to just get out of this place, to get back to the hotel and somehow find a way to escape Draco Malfoy.