The End of the Beginning

Chapter Six: Family Ties...That Bind and Gag

"The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together."

-"Family Ties...that Bind and Gag", Erma Bombeck

"Ah, Mr. Finnigan, come in," Dumbledore said, rising from his chair and waving Seamus to a chair.

Seamus rubbed the back of his neck. He took a across from Dumbledore, practically melting into the soft leather chair. "You called for me, sir?"

"Yes, yes. I have something here, something I think it's time to give you. Now, if I could just remember where..." Dumbledore frowned, searching his rack of telescopes and finally plucking an envelope from beneath one of them. "Here it is." He smiled and handed Seamus the stiff parchment. "If you would be so kind as to read it here, so that I might answer any quest ions you may have."

Seamus nodded, staring down at the letter. He used his index finger to destroy the seal, unfolding the parchment inside, eyes staring transfixed as he read the first lines.

Dearest Seamus,

As I sit here writing this, you are but a babe in your cradle. I can look down into your face from my desk and what a beautiful face it is, so full of hope and happiness that I pray this letter is for nothing. But time has a way of changing things, changing us, so that I know writing this is what I need to do.

This is the story of our family, of YOUR family. Of our past, and one day our future. I write this hoping you'll understand the choices I have made, and that you'll accept me, and your father, and so on and so forth, for who we are.

I guess, the best place to begin is at the beginning. Your great grandfather, my father, was a muggle. And quite a stupid one at that, though I loved him dearly. He was of your typical lordship, living off his parents and doing whatever he pleased. His first wife (before your grandmother) was a witch. She was a beautiful, loving, wonderful woman. Powerful and strong. They lived happily together for five years before they begot a son. The only problem with this is she never told him she was a witch until that time. Your great grandfather was horrified and promptly got rid of her. Heartbroken, she gave birth to the son, naming him for his father. She unfortunately died soon after, leaving her young son alone.

Our story doesn't end there, obviously. My father moved on and had very unfortunate taste in women as he married my mother, another witch. Now, my mother was smarter then her predecessor. She kept her heritage completely hidden from her husband even after she had me. In fact she kept it hidden from me until my Hogwarts' letter, but that's for later in our story. My mother and father separated when I was six, and a good thing they did, too. My father went back to his parents and my mother took me to live in the muggle world, raising me as such until I was old enough to know the truth. Then she told me about our heritage, our magick. She told me of my half brother, and of his mother.

I received my Hogwarts' letter shortly afterward and was soon on my way to discovering the world my mother had just so recently let me in on. And what a world it was. I'm sure you will never understand the wonder that is our world, but for an eleven year old boy, just entering it, it was the most beautiful thing I could imagine.

But more wonderful than the whole of the magickal world, was what was waiting for me at Hogwarts. There I found him, Tom Riddle, my half brother.

Seamus jerked his head up from the letter, staring into Dumbledore's face. Dumbledore nodded and gestured to the letter, indicating Seamus should continue his reading.

Tom, did not know we were brothers and didn't find out until later that year. I was content to watch him, follow him around like a hero worshiping boy, finding out everything I could about the life my brother had lead. For as you know, family means everything to me, more then money, more then...well anything.

But Tom, being the smart lad he was and is, found out of course of our tie and took me under his wing, teaching me, training me. He had lived his life in an orphanage, with no one to call his own. So to have found not only family at Hogwarts, but an actual brother, was something he could not just turn his back on.

Unfortunately, Tom's hatred of his father grew to an grew into a twisted thing. He was on his way to becoming a very, very dark wizard and I could only stand back and watch. Tom never included me on his little rituals and dark rites and for that I can only be grateful. I can...still pretend he's not as bad as I know deep down he truly is.

By the time I graduated and left Hogwarts, he had already started his rise for fame under a new name. Lord Voldemort. I loved my brother, still love him, but he scared me. As soon as I left Hogwarts, I went back into hiding in the muggle world, keeping only a dim ear on what was happening in our world. I probably should have stayed, tried to stop him, but at the time I was just a scared young boy. And he probably would have slaughtered me anyway.

I married, and had two beautiful children, your father and aunt Doria who, thankfully, were both non-magickal. As I watched them grow I knew that I could no longer keep us in hiding. It was only a matter of time before my children, or their children showed signs of magick.

So I sought out my brother. I begged for my families lives, promised everything I could to keep him from touching them. So long as we remained away from the wizarding world, he would have nothing to do with us. So long as none of us opposed him...we would live. It was an easy thing to agree to, at the time.

And so we lived....until this moment. Your father, gods bless him, married the most beautiful witch I have seen outside my own mother. And you, young Seamus, have been born to us. The first of this generation with the gift of wizard. Aye you're young, but I can see it in you. The first casting has already happened. You did your first levitation last night, much to the shock of everyone. So now I know the time has come to tell the truth, for I cannot keep you away from our world, nor can I keep you from making your own decisions about Lord Voldemort, who even now terrorizes both worlds.

I hope, that by the time you read this it will all be for naught. That the reason for this letter will be over and that I will have told you all this myself. But in case I do not have the chance, I am sorry. For I have lied to you just as much as I have lied to your father. I have kept our heritage from you as it was kept from me. I am sorry. But things, as you know, have a way of working out, good, or bad.

Your grandfather,

Damien Riddle-Finnigan

Seamus stared at the letter for a long, silent moment before standing and heading for the door. It had barely opened before he broke into a run, fleeing from Dumbledore's office, from the truths of his family. Muggles, dark wizards, long forgotten truths, all of it swirled around his brain as he tried to put everything into place.

Seamus didn't care where he was running to, just trying to outrun the many thoughts crowding his brain. He ran past the approaching carriages, past the shocked families and students from the other wizarding schools who were seeking shelter at Hogwarts as more attacks came.

Seamus flung himself down on the edge of the lake, tears cascading down his cheeks, his eyes distant and vacant. His grandfather...had been a wizard. "Why? Why didn't he know? Why was it hidden?" Seamus drew his knees up to his chest, the letter fluttering to the earth as he laid his head on his arms and cried softly, grieving for the man he had never truly known, for everything his grandfather had given up to keep them safe. The Dark Mark on his arm still burned, reminding him of the traitor he was to his family. Or maybe not truly a traitor. After all, his grandfather's brother was THE Lord Voldemort.

He cried harder, the cold air around him ignored as his body trembled with the force of his tears. His hand convulsed around the letter on the ground, tearing it, marring the words that had caused his so much heartache.

The wind whipped around him, blowing his cloak, and still Seamus cried, his heart so full of pain that tears were the only escape. He sniffled, coughing, choking on his own grief, and still he cried.

A figure watched him from a tower window, his own tears sliding down his face. Dean longed to be out there, holding Seamus, comforting him, giving him a bit of his strength but he couldn't, and it hurt.

*

Percy watched as the students left their History of Magic class, most of them still groggy from their impromptu naps, their minds struggling to awaken from the fog that sleep had put them in. He licked his lips, watching, waiting. Then, there he was, brilliant blonde hair gleaming silver in the cold sunlight that filtered in through the windows. Seizing the other boy by the throat, Percy shoved Draco hard against the wall, staring down into shocked and angry eyes. "Stay away from him Malfoy," Percy hissed softly, his voice low yet carrying through the air, freezing the students around him.

Draco laughed hoarsely, his throat growing sore from the force of the hand around it. "And what if I don't, Weasley? What will you do then, kill me? I'm sure that will endear you to him even more."

Percy let out a low growl and shoved Draco down to the hard floor. He stepped back a space and pulling his wand, aiming it over Draco's heart. He pictured the organ in his mind, beating quickly, spurred on by the adrenaline in Draco's system. "I would kill you just for the fun of it," he whispered softly.

Draco swallowed heavily and his eyes turned cold, raising his wand towards Percy. "Back at you, mate," he whispered.

Percy let out a deep breath, feeling his body still, going to that secret place inside of him where he let himself do horrible things. "Avada Kedav..."

"STOP THIS!" a shrill voice yelled and Percy felt his arm being jerked aside, his spell killing a harmless potted plant. Neville stood there, tears on his face, gripping Percy's arm for all he was worth.

Percy and Draco stared at the shaking Neville, lowering their wands. "Neville, I..." Draco started, but Neville shook his head. "I don't even want to hear it, from either of you," he said before running off, leaving both men staring after him.

*

Harry hummed softly as he helped Madam Pince stack books in the Restricted Section. Both turned as the door to the library proper slammed open and closed. Harry floated over towards the gate that blocked the Restricted Section from the main library and watched as Neville flung himself into a chair in a dark corner, curling up, crying. Harry turned back to his work but Madame Pince waved him away, picking up his stack of books and shelving them.

Harry moved over to Neville, placing his hand gently over the boy's shoulder, not touching him, not really able to. "Neville?" he asked softly, wondering if the boy would open up to him.

"Hullo, Harry," Neville said softly, hurriedly wiping his eyes. "I guess I'm not strong enough, not like you were."

"Oh? And why is that?" Harry asked softly, resting on the table in front of Neville.

"I can't even deal with a little duel between two dark wizards...you had the world's hopes resting on your shoulders."

Harry smiled softly. "I did, but so do you now. Especially with the Death Eaters gaining a second wind. Neville, I wasn't strong, I was just...me, trying to do the best I could. And I cried, many, many nights. I cried so much I thought I couldn't' stop."

"Yeah, but you had a reason."

"And you don't?"

"I'm supposed to be brave, I'm a Gryffindor."

"You can be brave and sad at the same time Neville. There's no shame in shedding tears. The shame is not working to make things better after."

"How can I?"

"Talk to them. Listen to your heart and be with the one you love. Live, and stop caring about what everyone wants from you." Harry leaned foreword and blew a kiss to Neville's forehead before going back to the Restricted Section, returning back to his work.

Neville sat there in silence, thinking.

*

Percy headed out of the Great Hall, tired of the stares and whispers that had fueled the dinner hours conversation. He should have known it would be a moronic decision to attack Malfoy in the middle of a corridor, now everyone knew about it. Everyone would bring up the past, the rumors, the talk of a Death Eater at Hogwarts. Shaking his head, pulling up the hood of his cloak, heading for his rooms when searing pain shot through his arm. Percy gasped, clutching the burning tattoo, falling to his knees, tears streaking down his face as he fought the pain, fought to breath. A shadow fell over him, blocking the fading sun from sight.

"Are you going to go to them?" Neville asked softly, watching his lover, aching to take away the pain.

"And if I was?"

"You need to make a choice, Percy," Neville said softly. "Them or us, good or light."

"What do you want me to say, Neville?"

"That you love me, that it was all a mistake, that you have nightmares about what you did. That it's all over, that you're here now and will be here always. That you're good."

"I can't,"

"You won't."

"No, Neville, I can't. It wasn't a mistake and I don't have nightmares. I never regret the choice I made because for me it was the right choice. I loved every minute of what I did and I'm only sorry that you can't understand that."

Neville stared down at Percy, unable to believe what he was hearing. What had always remained unsaid between them had just been said. And Neville no longer had a shield to keep him safe from the truth.

*

Catorina Finnigan leaned over, kissing Dumbledore's cheek before following her husband out of the Great Hall. They were one of the few families who had come to Hogwarts, looking for safety in the new rise of Death Eater movements. Still grieving Damian and still learning the truth about his family, Burke Finnigan was uncomfortable around most of the other wizards that had come with them but was slowly opening up, slowly learning about the world his father had never told him about.

Just as the couple was about to enter their room to ready for an evening get together with the Bones and Creeveys, Doria Finnigan came running up to them, gasping, clothes muddy, hair covered in branches and in complete disarray.

"Doria, what in gods' name is the matter?" Catorina asked, grabbing her sister-in-law's arm, trying to calm her.

"Cotty," Doria whispered.

"What about Cotty?" Burke asked, concern flowing through him.

"Cotty's missing," she whispered.