It wasn't the first time that Dumbledore came to Spinnard's cottage but this time, it felt different. He stood up while the three students sat on the couch with Ophelia in the middle. They were all so different and yet more alike than they imagined. Dumbledore couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"Why have you come, headmaster?" Ophelia tried to be as polite as possible considering how Dumbledore proved to come to her when he needed something related to her father.
"I admit I expected Severus to be here, but not you Sirius. This is a nice surprise," he said and noticed Snape's face shift into a sneer. "It has come to my attention that the Dark Lord has been very silent lately. He has been traveling a lot as if he is in search of a very important object."
Ophelia couldn't help but glance at Snape. He looked ahead with no expression whatsoever.
"I'm sure whatever he is searching for has to do with what he desires most," Dumbledore added, seeing Ophelia grow more serious and almost angry.
"Of course. What is more important than immortality," She rolled her eyes.
"There is a story about three important artifacts in the wizarding world. Three objects were created to defy death. I'm sure you heard of them: the elder wand, the invisibility cloak," at this Sirius reacted quite loudly which got him a slight nudge to not give away Potter's secret, "And the immortality stone. The Deathly Hallows, with whom a wizard can be indestructible."
Ophelia couldn't help but glance at Snape again. He was silent.
"And? What does that have to do with us?" She asked the headmaster.
"One person found the stone before. Lillian. She returned it where she found it, but that is a mystery that nobody has unveiled yet. I'm sure if someone can find it again, it's you Ophelia."
"Why would I do that? Let it be lost."
"It is better to be in the hands of good-natured people rather than have him find it. I'm sure you understand what is at stake. "
Ophelia gripped her clothes tightly and tried not to show her annoyance. It was just like Dumbledore to send his students to do chores that he should do himself.
"But why ask Ophelia such a favour with a Death Eater in the room?" Sirius asked confused. What if Snape was going to run to his dark lord and spill it out?
But Dumbledore's little cheeky smile was enough to make Ophelia understand that he knew about her little vows. At least with Snape.
"That's more reason for me to do it." She muttered, sensing that Snape also understood. Dumbledore was a cunning old man.
With that established, Dumbledore was ready to leave. He was halfway out the door when he turned to Ophelia.
"Ah! I almost forgot. I ran into an old owl that was coming to deliver you a letter. He looked confused and tired so I took the liberty of taking it with me. Here," he said and gave Ophelia a letter that looked like it had gone through a lot.
"What's that?" Sirius asked after Ophelia closed the door.
"You are cordially invited to the wedding of Arthur Weasley and Molly Prewett at the Weasley residence in South Wales." Ophelia read out loud. "Ha,"
"The Weasleys have a residence in Wales?" Sirius asked reading the invitation over her shoulder. "It only has your name. What about me?"
"This is my address, after all." She muttered turning enough to look at him.
Sirius stared at her, at how little space there was between their faces, and couldn't help but swallow as his mind started to think about-
"I can read your mind so I'm sure she can too," was Severus' voice, sounding both pissed and quite amused. Ophelia herself seemed like she got used to it.
"Stop reading my mind! Both of you," he moaned with a faint blush.
"Anyway, the world is a mess, and yet the Weasleys believe it to be the best time for a wedding?" Snape asked as they all returned to the living room. "How very brave of them. The chances of Death Eaters appearing while they share their vows is pretty high."
"Why?" Sirius asked, his attention completely drawn away from Ophelia. "Are you going to tell them about it? It's just a wedding,"
Snape scoffed and decided to go into the kitchen. Sirius rolled his eyes and turned to Ophelia who seemed in a daze. Finally, she looked at him with a disheartened expression.
"Does that mean I have to dress up?"
Sirius couldn't help but laugh. With all the chaos looming over her, that was the issue.
Sirius left soon after, excited to receive his wedding invitation. That left Ophelia alone with her thoughts. A cough from upstairs drew her attention and she walked to him, having some curiosities.
"Do you know where Knowingall is?" she asked, seeing how he had been gone several times from his frame.
"Of course I do, and of course I'm not going to tell you," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, looking at her from the snobbish tip of his nose.
"Why is he in hiding? Why does my father dislike him so much?"
"Because he was Peverell's best friend and because even now, he protects all his secrets," he said with a tinge of jealousy, Ophelia believed.
"Does he know where the immortality stone is?" she asked not expecting a clear answer. But Spinnard's eyes narrowed into a deadly glare. "Dumbledore wants me to find it."
"Ha! Yeah, the most trustworthy person in the world, Dumbledore. There is a reason why your mother never told him where she hid the stone." he said growing slightly agitated. Ophelia furrowed her eyebrows as she got the impression that Spinnard knew more than he let out.
"Why does he believe that I can find it? I don't have mother's memories,"
"Dumbledore is lying to himself. You, Ophelia, are more like Tom. You will never find the stone because you think like your father."
Ophelia stared at the blue eyes of her former professor with a bittersweet taste in her mouth. He was right, and she was aware of it, but having someone say it with such venom in their voice was even more offensive than she expected.
"Focus on the wedding for now. Have fun, socialize, and enjoy your freedom. This time next year, we may not be able to speak to each other."
"Why? Where will you go?" she asked not impressed with his comments.
"Not me, but you. He will call for you, and you will go," he said with pity.
"Why are you so sure about that? I'm not my mother," she said with a scoff and a glare.
"Because he is your father and because the closer you are to him, the stronger you become. There is no better place than right behind your enemy," he said before he left his frame once more.
The wedding day arrived too soon. It was on a beautiful and sunny August day and she was supposed to arrive at the address on the card until lunchtime. Luckily, she could use floo powder, otherwise it would have been an interesting apparition lesson. Whatever Ophelia expected, it was ten times more: more people, more noise, more Weasleys and Prewets, and even though it was crowded and noisy, she could still clearly hear James Potter speak.
"Wow, I just arrived and I could hear you all the way from the chimney in the living room," she said as soon as she was close enough for them to see and hear her.
"Badge! I missed you," he said throwing his arms around her. It was warm and welcoming which was the main reason why she started to smile softly. "What have you been doing this summer, hm?" he asked, with a wink.
"I guess Sirius already arrived,"
"He sure did," said Lily with a laugh. "It's cute how you two matched colours," she added as soon as Potter let go of his friend and walked to his girlfriend's side.
Ophelia decided on wearing a simple summer dress, that was flowy enough to allow her to move and dance and run if the situation arose. The dress itself was not eye-catching and the way she did her hair and makeup was just as simple. There was nobody to impress, she was with friends and it was their last vacation so she wanted to feel light.
"Ophelia!" Alice and Frank approached, dressed in the same easy-going attire as if they had gone together in search of the perfect couple's outfit. Alice hugged her friend tightly before she took a long look at her dress. "You and Black matched without even trying,"
Ophelia raised an eyebrow, curious just how Sirius was dressed to have everyone mentioned that. Right after Ophelia, Remus arrived and found them in a matter of minutes.
"I could hear James from the moment I stepped here," he explained, making Potter playfully glare at his friend.
"I'm not that loud," he said meekly, to which everyone laughed loudly. "Not funny," he added with a pout, hiding his face in Lily's hair.
"How have you been, Ophelia?" Remus asked, sensing that something about her was different. Maybe his werewolf intuition sent an alarm, but those serpent-green eyes seemed sadder than ever.
"Fine. Life is good," she said before grabbing a glass of tasteful muggle alcohol.
"We both don't believe that," he said nudging her jokingly. "Have you heard from your father?"
"No, not really. I hope this wedding won't be interrupted,"
"It won't. Both families worked hard to protect this event from ending up like Aunt Celeste," Fabian Prewett interfered, approaching the two younger Gryffindors.
"What happened to her?" Ophelia asked curiously.
"Her soon-to-be groom ran away with a veela. It was a tragedy," Fabian explained with a heavy sigh, "We made sure that nobody can walk in and nobody runs out this time," he added with a serious expression before he left to speak to other guests.
Remus and Ophelia remained stuck in awe.
"I didn't expect that ending," Remus said before he took a sip from his drink. "This really feels like Arthur's wedding,"
Remus was not exaggerating. Most, if not all, of the guests were witches and wizards, but there were many muggle elements webbed through every detail of the food, drinks, and decorations. It was tastefully done, and both the groom and the bride were dressed lightly, in bright colours instead of plain white and black. Molly was smiling from ear to ear while Arthur was blushing every time he received a compliment. They turned to each other and their eyes glimmered with happiness and love and Ophelia couldn't help but feel her heart sting.
"What's so interesting?"
Ophelia turned to Sirius, who always seemed to find her in a mass of people. His hair was trimmed and he looked more put together, which was a first in Ophelia's eyes. He was wearing a white shirt and mint-coloured shorts and he looked very comfortable.
"You made an effort for this wedding," she commented looking at him from behind her long eyelashes.
Sirius glanced at her with a smirk and drank from his glass.
"Am I handsome?" he asked with no filter whatsoever. He used to use such compliments to tease his former girlfriends, and it always fed his ego. But right now, he just wanted Ophelia to be more aware of him.
"Sure," she said knowing that it would piss him off.
"Come on, just 'sure'? What about: 'Wow Sirius, you took my breath away the moment I saw you next to me,'" he said, his pitch higher so that he would sound like a woman.
"My voice is lower than that,"
Sirius gaped at her reply before he rolled his eyes.
"That's not the point, Molley," he mumbled before he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She looked ready to laugh. "Are you making fun of me, right now? Have I become the victim of teasing?" he asked, playfully grabbing her shoulder and bringing her closer. Ophelia only laughed joyfully, letting him do as he wished.
James and Remus were aside, eating biscuits filled with pumpkin jelly, and they couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"I can't believe we have come to watch them enjoy each other's company," Remus stated like an older brother.
"I know. But it's scary how brief these moments are. We'll go back to school in a week and we'll have to meet even fewer students and even more dangerous situations. We won't be children anymore in a year," Potter said, having seen the repercussions of the chaos in the world. "I need another drink,"
The wedding itself was beautiful. Molly and Arthur exchanged their vows under an enchanted willow and they had music played by instruments, with no musicians. It wasn't anything complex, the melody was jolly and everyone danced until late in the morning. It was a picturesque sight and Ophelia was glad she could experience such a moment in her life. Potter made sure to dance with all his friends, and he might have overdone it with Ophelia, who let him sway and push and pull her as he wished. It was past midnight when she decided to take a break. A woman came and sat next to her, a woman that Ophelia had never met before but she seemed to know who Ophelia was.
"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" she started the conversation but Ophelia was awkward when meeting new people. "I'm Lucretia, by the way. Lucretia Prewett. I'm Molly's aunt," she said with a soft smile. "I'm happy they invited me, I don't usually come to family gatherings,"
"Why not?" Ophelia asked not particularly curious, but she tried to be polite.
"Because I'm a Black," she said sounding bitter about it.
"So is Sirius," Ophelia said not understanding the problem. Lucretia chuckled and nodded.
"True. Sirius is one of the traitors of the family. There's also his cousin, Andromeda, and me. We don't like our family so we escaped by running to other families."
"Why are you telling me this?"
Lucretia caressed Ophelia's hair and sighed.
"I've never seen him so happy before. I wish he wouldn't have to suffer in the future because of his name,"
"Wait, if you are Sirius' aunt and Molly's...isn't that weird?" Ophelia asked being more bothered by family interconnections.
Lucretia laughed loudly and nodded.
"The world of the pure-bloods is like that. I don't even remember how many families I am actually related to," she said making Ophelia remember her parents and scrunching her nose in disgust. Lucretia laughed even harder.
"I don't think you need to worry about Sirius. Not even about Molly. They are brave enough to take care of themselves and not be blinded by pureblood rules and codes," Ophelia replied sounding a bit cold, "If anything, you should worry about the members who married into families like Lestrange or Malfoy. Or the members who are confused and need guidance in life, like Regulus," Ophelia said, her eyes narrowing slightly, making her look like a snake.
Lucretia was ready to say something when Gideon interrupted them.
"Aunt Lucretia, father wanted to speak to you about the wedding gift you brought," he started and she quickly walked away. Gideon smiled at Ophelia and sat on her other side before he patted her shoulder with sympathy. "She's not a bad person but she's still strongly connected to the Black side of her personality,"
Ophelia chuckled and nodded in understanding.
"I'm glad it's peaceful,"
"We used a lot of charms to have the best 24 hours possible. Besides, we don't have anyone that would bring Death Eaters here,"
"...right," Ophelia said awkwardly. She forgot that not everyone knew about her parents. "Is that why Dumbledore's not here?" she asked.
"No, he said he couldn't come because he had to leave for Japan. He's been gone for a while now,"
Ophelia bit her lip and looked down at her fingers. He must have gone there to save whatever damage her father did.
"Do you think...Potter would be a good team captain?" Gideon suddenly asked. Ophelia laughed because it was just so funny how the discussion changed in such a way. "I'm serious. I'm afraid for the future of the Gryffindor team,"
Ophelia only laughed harder.
