The Secret Relationship: The Angelic Witch and Draco Malfoy (Book 3)

The Potters' Wedding

"Hey" Harry grabbed Heroneka's hand as they walked. "How're you?"

She looked up ahead of them, watching Lupin. He and Ron were taking Pettigrew out, following Crookshanks. Snape was right behind them, drifting creepily, as Black held a wand up to him, leading him forward. Harry, Heroneka and Hermione were the last ones.

"I don't know" Heroneka mumbled watching Lupin.

Lupin was a student back then and Gemma was his professor. He had fallen in love with her because despite being a professor, she had treated him like a friend. Of course, everyone knew that Gemma was around three hundred years old, but her eternal youth and immortality had made her body be only seventeen.

Heroneka wondered if this was normal. Dumbledore had told her once, that Gemma attracted too much male attention because of her beauty and angelic aura. It was hard for men to not fall for her. But Lupin? This was so awkward! Snape and Black called Gemma their mother. And Lupin!!

For some reason, she felt like... This was wrong, but then she thought about her father, Albert Pearlstone. Even her father was so much younger than her mother. Albert was a mortal human, while Gemma was an immortal angel, trapped within a human's body. Who was Heroneka to judge anyone's love? Even she was in love with a boy who wasn't seen as a good boy. But only Heroneka and Draco understood each other the way nobody else did.

"Snitchy"

Heroneka looked up. Black had only called her Heroneka so far. Now that he had made the effort to call her 'Snitchy', Black looked a bit uncomfortable, as if waiting for her to approve of him calling her by that name.

"Yes?" She tried to smile.

"Remus really loved your mother." Black had spotted her watching Lupin as they all walked. "He wasn't joking."

Heroneka smiled. How was she supposed to tell Black that she was Gemma herself? That she was an incarnated form of Gemma! None of her friends knew about it. So far, it was only Dumbledore who had confessed to her that he knew the truth.

Getting back into the tunnel was difficult. Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron had to turn sideways to manage it; Lupin still had Pettigrew covered with his wand. Heroneka could see them edging awkwardly along the tunnel in single file. Crookshanks was still in the lead. Harry went right after Black, who was still making Snape drift along ahead of them; he kept bumping his lolling head on the low ceiling. Heroneka watched him and wondered if Black was doing it on purpose. She slowed down a little, letting Harry and Black talk.

"How's your scar?" Hermione asked her from behind. "Is it still bleeding?"

Heroneka touched her shirt. It was getting stiff as the blood was beginning to dry on it. "I have to see Madam Pomfrey. She can clean the blood and fix it."

Hermione sniffed and Heroneka looked back at her.

"What?" Said Heroneka. "Are you crying?"

Hermione sobbed quietly. They kept following Harry, maintaining a distance.

"Crookshanks!" She sobbed. "He's been so brave and smart. I'm so proud of him."

Heroneka didn't know how to react to that. "Well, he is a Gryffindor too, right?"

"Right" Hermione smiled weakly.

They did not speak again until they had reached the end of the tunnel. Crookshanks darted up first; he had evidently pressed his paw to the knot on the trunk, because Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron clambered upward without any sound of savaging branches.

Black saw Snape up through the hole, then stood back for Harry, Heroneka and Hermione to pass. At last, all of them were out.

The grounds were very dark now; the only light came from the distant windows of the castle. Without a word, they set off. Pettigrew was still wheezing and occasionally whimpering. Heroneka couldn't stop staring at Lupin. He had loved his mother. She wanted to ask him if he had any good memories with her because she had been trying hard to recall Gemma's life. So far, she had just one flashback, down in the Chamber of Secrets when Tom Riddle had broken down her mentally.