It\'s So Difficult to be Mature

Chapter 15: The Truth Revealed

Three months after the birth of little Destiny Malfoy, Harry and Lisa Potter threw a birthday party for James who was turning one. It was a grand party, in part to celebrate James´ birth and in part to have a reunion of the "Lucretia Survivors". Everyone was there: all of the Weasleys, Draco, Ginny, and Destiny, Sirius, Remus, Jeanette, and Meredith, Professor Dumbledore (who had been persuaded to come out for the occasion), and various other friends and relatives.

The children were running around playing tag. Somehow Godric Weasley had managed to get hold of his mother´s wand so it really was "freeze" tag. Penelope chased him around the yard trying to get it back. His little sisters, Rowena and Helga, took advantage of their mother´s absence to stuff themselves with cookies until Percy descended on them and sentenced them to a time out. Fred and George, always eager to help out their nieces and nephews, supplied Charlie´s children, Elizabeth and Nicholas, with dungbombs and Calamity Cupcakes. Nicky, particularly, was having great fun with the cupcakes, a recent invention of Weasley´s Wizard Wheezes, Inc.

Lily, Geoffrey, David, James, and Percy´s twins, Willy and Arthur, retired to the sandbox. They built great towers and knocked down again. Their parents watched from a nearby picnic table which was covered by the food.

The adults spent the time catching up. Angelina Johnson showed off the sparkling diamond that Fred had given her and announced that the wedding would be in December. Charlie, with his arm around his wife Margaret, told the group that they would be spending a few months back in Romania while the children were at Hogwarts. Seamus Finnigan and his girlfriend Lavender Brown told escapades of their time in Greece and then Dean Thomas regaled them with stories of his work in the Goblin Liaison Office. Friends of Ron´s from work were there with their son who was Nicky´s age. Bill Weasley had even Portkeyed in from Egypt to say hello.

Harry was surprised at some of the changes in his friends. He suddenly realized he hadn´t seen any of them in a long time. He had been preoccupied with caring for Lisa and the children. Lisa had made the best recovery she could in her situation, but she was confined to a wheelchair. She insisted she was alright, though. She wouldn´t let Harry make too much of a fuss and, indeed, had proved very competent at helping herself. It had been very difficult to explain to Lily what had happened, but eventually she understood. Harry felt some of the tension which had built itself up disappear in the presence of his friends and family. Playing the part of the gracious host, Harry walked to the gate to welcome in some more people who were carrying in brightly colored packages.

"Hello, Suzi," Harry said warmly, when he saw who it was. "And Ted? Is that you?"

Ted Turpin was Lisa´s younger brother, a rather sullen and silent young man. He nodded curtly and followed his mother into the yard. He had much shorter hair than usual, and the lack of leather was quite a shock to Harry. For as long as Harry had known him, Ted was a wannabe rebel. He owned a motorcycle he didn´t know how to drive and walked around in a leather jacket that never seemed to leave his body. Harry hadn´t been expecting him.

Suzanne Turpin gave Harry a quick hug and proceeded towards the people. She handed the present she was carrying to James who had toddled over to his grandmother. Lily, for her part, came running over and hugged Suzi. Then she hugged her uncle who seemed a bit surprised by her action. He disengaged himself from her hug and walked over to his sister. He put his hand on her shoulder and said a few words. Harry noticed how Lisa´s face darkened and moved to her side. Her brother had moved away.

"Lis? What´s wrong?" he asked worriedly.

Lisa looked up at him. "Oh, Harry! Nothing, dear. Ted was just saying something about fate and destiny."

"Destiny? Ginny and Draco´s daughter?" Harry said in confusion.

Lisa laughed. "No, the other kind of destiny. You know my brother fancies himself a prophet."

Harry nodded. He did know that. Ted was the only man he had ever met who liked Divination, was fascinated by it even. He thought he was a true Seer and divinator. Thus far, Harry had seen no evidence to support the crazy idea.

"What did he say?" Harry asked curiously.

Lisa laughed again. "Oh, Harry, I don´t remember exactly. Why don´t you ask him, I´m sure he´d be only too happy to tell you himself."

Then Meredith requested their presence inside the house for a special meeting. Harry and Lisa went inside and found Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco, Jeanette, Sirius, and Remus there as well. He made himself comfortable on the sofa and wondered what the problem could be. He thought they had discussed everything three months ago. Had Lucretia come back?

He must not have been the only one concerned because the first thing Meredith said was, "Don´t worry, nothing´s wrong. I just thought you might want to hear this since it concerns the whole ordeal." She took a deep breath. "Okay, I was looking through the Archives, papers and such that Albus brought from Hogwarts when M.A.T.D.A. was formed thinking they´d be safer there. And I found this." She held up a simple journal, leather bound but rather primitive looking.

"What is it?" Ginny asked.

"This is Helga Hufflepuff´s diary." There was a gasp. "It contains a few interesting entries. Things that pertain particularly to you, Ginny and Draco. Here, I´ll let you hear it."

She tapped the page twice and muttered something. Suddenly a woman´s voice filled the room.

"I made the biggest mistake of my life yesterday. I cannot conceive why it happened and I wish with all of my heart that it had not happened. But it did. I slept with Salazar last night.

"I am so ashamed. I do not care for the man, how could I? He detests everything I stand for. He is evil and vile. Why he ever joined us in the making of our beloved Hogwarts, I do not know. He represents evil and dark magic. I think I have lost my mind.

"I know exactly why I did it, but I should not have. I was wrong to toy with a man´s emotions just to hurt another man. I slept with Salazar to get back at Godric. I admit it freely. It was a lapse in judgement, I know that now, but I was not thinking clearly-or at all.

"I felt so terrible when I discovered that Godric, my Godric, fell in love with Rowena. She does not deserve him! He should be mine! So I slept with Salazar as revenge. Only I ruined everything. Now he thinks I love him, when I cannot stand to be near him, and it still hurts to see my beloved Godric pining after that mousy witch. I am so much better than she.

"I feel the guilt welling up inside as if I am to explode. Poor Salazar, I actually pity him. He fancies himself in love with me. How am I expected to love him in return? He repulses me, I can barely tolerate him. What I did was wrong, but he is wrong to expect anything from it. A mistake, that is all it was. He will realize that. Perhaps if I simply ignore it, it will go away."

The voice stopped suddenly. Everyone in the room, except Meredith, was looking stunned.

"Helga Hufflepuff slept with Salazar Slytherin to get back at Godric Gryffindor?" Ron said, his mouth hanging open.

"Er, no offense intended, Meredith," Draco said, "but what does that have to do with us?"

"That one doesn´t really," she replied. "But you needed to hear that one to understand this one. It´s dated a week later."

She tapped the book again and the voice (of Helga Hufflepuff, Harry assumed) resumed.

"The guilt threatens to rip me apart. Now I shall be the reason for the destruction of my beloved school! Oh, fie on Salazar, that miserable wretch. He is leaving the school, he is deserting us and it is all my fault. He claims it is because he and Godric cannot agree on the subject of muggleborns, but that is not it at all. It is because of me, because I repudiated him.

"Is he so weak that he would give up all that he has wrought just because of a woman? Then perhaps I should say good riddance. I do not love him, I cannot love him. It is not in me to spare feelings for him. Now he seeks his own vengeance against me! He will destroy everything we have worked for, everything I hold dear, in the name of Jealousy. He loathes Godric on many levels, not the least because he has my affections.

"My poor Godric is oblivious. He does not understand Salazar´s true reason for leaving and sees it only as a declaration of war against himself, his beloved Rowena, and myself. I fear for the safety of my students. I hate Salazar for his pettiness and I pity him for his stubbornness. I also find myself admiring him for his convictions. If only he were not attached to me! He expects too much from a single night. I do not love men who destroy my world.

"He leaves in the morning, ripping the tentative fabric of our school apart. I find the emotions too much for me. I feel guilt, remorse, and hatred all at once. Hogwarts would not be threatened if it had not been for my foolish actions.

"No good can ever come from a relationship between a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff. It is simply asking for trouble. We are nothing alike; evil runs in his blood, while morality runs in mine. Yet it was not his evil that obliterated my life as I know it, it was my own selfishness and blindness. I did not see how much misery a single night would cause. And now it seems that because of Salazar, I have lost Godric forever.

"Therefore I am placing a spell upon myself and my descendants. Perhaps it is more of a curse. Any child that results from the relations of a woman of Hufflepuff blood and a man of Slytherin blood shall be so powerful that he or she will destroy the world. I shall refuse to speak the name of Salazar Slytherin ever again and will teach my children to hate those of his line. I shall have nothing to fear, no descendant of mine will ever lie down with a Slytherin. And if some foolish girl in the future does so, then she shall have to pay the price."

The voice stopped again and everyone looked at Ginny. She had paled and was shaking her head.

"No, it can´t be!" she cried. "Ultimate power I could accept, but destroy the world? How could my little Destiny destroy the world?"

"Maybe if you raise her properly, that will never be an issue," Hermione suggested kindly. "Maybe that only would have happened if Lucretia had the raising of her."

"Think of it this way, Ginny," Jeanette said, trying to comfort the girl. "In Helga´s time, Salazar and all Slytherins were evil. She probably assumed that any woman of her blood who slept with a Slytherin was evil. But you´re not. Raise Destiny properly and you won´t have to worry. If she´s anything like you she´d never think of destroying the world."

But Ginny was distraught. "But she has so much power. How can such a tiny child possess so much power?"

No one knew what to say. Everything hung in a balance. Would Destiny turn out to be evil or could she be turned and persuaded to use her power for good? No one could possibly foresee.

Then Ginny leapt to her feet. "No, I´m not going to let this ruin the party. This changes nothing. We knew she would be powerful and I´ll see to it that the power is not used for Dark purposes."

Harry thought that it was the Nature vs. Nurture debate, and only time would tell, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. Ginny walked back outside and Draco followed. The others took that as a sign to disperse and go back to the party. Harry waited until Hermione had come close and then walked out with her.

"Do you think Ginny will be alright, Herm?" he asked.

She looked thoughtful. "I´m sure she will, Ginny´s ruled by her emotions, you know that. And Destiny is her first child. She´s just worried that´s all." But Hermione seemed a little concerned.

"So how are you?" Harry asked conversationally.

Hermione smiled secretively. "I´m pregnant."

Harry stopped short. "You´re what? Does Ron know?"

"I´m pregnant, and yes, of course he knows. I wouldn´t tell you first, you know. They´ll be born in seven months."

"They?" Harry said.

"My doctor says I´m having twins this time around." Hermione was smiling brightly and Harry noticed how happy she seemed.

"What about work?" he asked. "Aren´t you supposed to return to Hogwarts this term?"

Hermione shrugged. "I´ve talked to Minerva and she told me that I could return when I was ready. I plan to take one more year off before I return."

Most of the Professors at Hogwarts lived in the castle, but because Hermione taught a specialized subject that not many students took, and she was not the head of a House, she was free to live where she wished. For the first few years of her marriage, she lived with Ron on the weekends and during breaks. With Ron´s hectic schedule as an Obliviator, the schedule worked alright-for a while. When Geoffrey was born she took the year off and then decided not to return to work for awhile. Then David was conceived and she stayed home to raise him. She had planned to return this year, but now she was pregnant again. Harry wondered if she would ever go back.

Almost in answer to his silent question, Hermione said, "I´ve also talked to Ron. We´ve decided to move to Hogsmeade to be close to the school. Then I could just Apparate home after school. I´d hate not seeing my children during the week."

There was a moment's silence between them. Then Hermione spoke.

"Was Professor Snape invited? I know you don't particularly like him, but he did save Lisa's life."

"Jeanette saved Lisa's life," Harry corrected, "with some help from Snape. And yes, I invited him, but he declined."

They walked to the door and surveyed the backyard. Percy was trying to discuss work with Dean who was trying to avoid him by stuffing his mouth with food. Fred and Angelina were talking to Molly and Arthur, no doubt about the wedding. George was running around with Nicky, Godric, and Edgar, the son of Samantha and Donald Kingsley, Ron and Hermione´s friends. Lily was demanding that there be cake and presents and Helga had joined in. Rowena and her twin brothers were making mud pies. Bill, Charlie, and Margaret were talking to Seamus and Lavender. Suzi was chattering away to Professor Dumbledore who listened patiently. Ron and Lisa were talking cheerfully.

If it accomplished nothing else, the Lucretia ordeal had turned Ron and Lisa into friends, which made Harry and Hermione very happy.

Harry saw that Ginny had Destiny in her lap and was staring at her daughter, as if searching for answers. Could her little girl really possess the power to destroy the world? Draco put an arm around his wife and pulled her close. He whispered something in her ear and she nodded.

Harry walked over to them with a friendly smile. "So, you two, what are you doing now? Now that you´re back, I mean."

"Well, I´ve applied for a position at M.A.T.D.A.," Draco said. Harry was mildly surprised. "Black and Lupin may not like me very much, but they can´t deny I´m useful."

Harry nodded. "What about you, Ginny?"

She looked down at the baby in her arms. "I´m going to stay home to raise Destiny. Now that we no longer have to hide, Draco can rightfully inherit his parent´s estate. We won´t have to worry about money."

Harry was a little skeptical. "You want to live in Malfoy Manor? Doesn´t it have a few, er, bad memories attached? And can you really inherit, Draco? Your mother isn´t dead."

Draco smiled craftily. "You and I know that, but no one else does. My mother isn´t exactly in a place where she can claim any of my father´s money and Malfoy Manor has been deserted for two years. I think no one will object."

Harry shrugged. "Then I wish you two the best of luck."

"Thank you, Harry," Ginny said softly.

Harry was about to go to Lisa when Ted came up to him and motioned for Harry to follow him.

"This must be said in private," he explained. "Where can we go without being disturbed?"

Harry led his brother-in-law to his study. He shut the heavy door and looked at Ted expectantly.

"Here," Ted said, handing Harry and envelope. "I was told to give this to you."

He waited while Harry ripped open the envelope and read the letter which read:

Harry raised an eyebrow questioningly at Ted. When no answers were forthcoming, he voiced his questions.

"What is the meaning of this, Ted? Who do you work for?"

He shook his head. "I cannot divulge my employer´s name. Just know that his primary interest is the safety of your family. I mean it, Harry. There is a threat aimed against you."

"Why me?" Harry asked. "Lucretia made it perfectly clear at our last meeting that she did not want me."

Ted sighed. "She doesn´t want you, but she wants revenge. Specifically against Lisa, Hermione, and especially Virginia. She wants your children. She functions on revenge. It´s what she does."

Harry felt like someone had struck him on his head. "So, what am I supposed to do?"

"Nothing," Ted said with a shrug. "Just be aware. You can´t tell anyone about the witch. That she´s alive, I mean. Keep it to yourself."

Harry peered at him. "How long have you been doing this? Does Lisa know?"

"A long time and no, Lisa has no idea. I intend to keep it that way." Then Ted smiled slyly in a way that made Harry question his ability to trust this man. "Here, dear brother-in-law, a parting gift for you before I leave."

"It´s James´ birthday," Harry pointed out.

"I realize that and have already given him his present. This is for you. In years yet to come, one girl will stand alone. She will fight the Hag and lose. But with the help of the Scholar and the Chosen One, she will triumph. But beware the one who walks in shadows. She must never forget where she comes from. She must seek aid from one below her, the Prankster, and in doing so will gain knowledge that will destroy the Hag." He seemed to come out of a trance. "A prophecy for you, my brother. Remember it. It will no doubt prove invaluable."

As if Harry could ever forget it. The words seemed to be branded on his brain. Ted gave a nod of satisfaction and left the room. Harry stood there for a long time, very confused. Lisa came into the room a little while later. She seemed quite exhausted, but happy.

"Harry? Is something wrong? The guests are demanding cake so I volunteered to get you. What´s the matter?"

Harry couldn´t bring himself to say it. He would hate to cause Lisa any worry. No doubt Ted´s message was all an elaborate prank. He smiled at his wife.

"If the people want cake, I say, `Let them eat cake!´"

He kissed her quickly and they went outside together. Everyone was having a good time and was happy. Finally life was peaceful. Harry even noticed that Remus and Jeanette were having a private conversation with smiles on their faces while Sirius fled from the attentions of Meredith. He smothered a laugh.

"Come on, Harry," Lisa said, giving his arm a tug. "You have to break open the pinata."

Harry followed her, feeling satisfied for the first time in a long time. He hoped the peace would last forever.

But he couldn´t get Ted´s words out of his head.

* * *

Ron moved to the edge of the yard. They were there, waiting for him. When he was unconscious and in and out of reality, he had dreamt of them. Strange, tortured dreams they were. They seemed like the nightmares Harry used to have back when he went to Hogwarts. Ron wondered if it was possible to dream someone else´s dreams.

"We came to say goodbye, Ron," Lily said softly.

"Forever? Or only for awhile?" Ron asked before he could stop himself. He owed part of his life to these ghosts.

"Who knows?" James shrugged. "We can´t see the future anymore than you can. We go where we´re told. We help who we must. You happened to be in need of our assistance, but who can say if it will happen again? Don´t watch for us, Ron. There´s a good chance we´ll never see each other again."

Ron nodded. "I understand. The only thing I regret is that you couldn´t talk to Harry. Have you seen you´re grandchildren?"

Lily smiled. "Yes, it was a wonderful tribute to us for Harry to name his children after us."

"We´re sorry that Harry couldn´t see us or hear us, but we got to see him. We´re happy, in a way, that our deaths allowed Voldemort to be defeated that one time, but we regretted being ripped from our child. Harry has overcome many obstacles, and we are very proud of him," James said.

Ron hesitated. "Could I-should I tell him about you?"

Lily hesitated as well. "You could, but we suggest you don´t. I don´t think Harry could handle it."

Ron nodded. "Alright. This will be between you and me."

"And Hermione, if you wish," James said. "I, for one, wouldn´t condone keeping secrets from your wife."

Ron fidgeted. "Then I suppose this is it? Goodbye, Lily, James. Thank you for everything."

"Goodbye, Ron," Lily said as she and James began to disappear entirely. "Be the best friend Harry could have, he needs you. Everyone needs you, you are their protector."

Ron continued to stare at the spot where the ghosts of Lily and James Potter had floated. Harry came up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, what are you staring at? It´s time for cake." Harry caught the expression on his best friend´s face. "Are you alright?"

Ron shook himself. "I´m fine, Harry. I was just thinking. Let´s go."

Together, they walked back to the party, two best friends whose friendship could survive anything.

* * *

She stood, hidden by the trees, watching the party for a long time. Her face mirrored her hatred and anger. She loathed those people. They thought that they were rid of her? How sweet it would be when she proved them wrong. Time was all it took, time and patience. Fortunately she had endless amounts of both.

When night came and the party ended, she finally stirred. She beckoned to her two subordinates. They came out of the darkness and moved to her side. One would have been quite familiar to some members of the party, but she had been careful to remain hidden. The other was a stranger, although she too had met the party-goers. Except that she had been disguised as one of their own and hadn´t known who she really was.

The woman who was burning with hatred, turned so that the moonlight illuminated her face. She was quite hideous. Her face looked as if it had met with an accident. She was old and ruined. She no longer had the beauty they sung songs about. And she wanted payback.

"Come Narcissa, Susan," the woman said in a whisper. "We shall go. I will be avenged, but I can wait. I have forever."

And Lucretia faded away into the trees with her two faithful Followers right behind her.

This wasn´t over, oh no, not by a long shot. But like Lucretia said, she had forever.