Heaven in Hiding [H.P.] ✓

Aspen

Atlas had expected his son, Harry Potter, Sirius and Regulus Black and Remus Lupin at the door with a cheeky grin. "Come in." "Where's mum?" "The girls are in the living room." "Girls?" Adrian lights up. "Why didn't you tell me that she's here!?" "Well.. truth be told.. everything was a bit stressful and I just didn't get to it. But we'll say it was meant to be a surprise." "And her name?" "Aspen."
Adrian is the first one to make his way to the living room, followed by all the others, where they find Juniper propped up against a pile of pillows, a small little figure dressed in yellow laying on her chest, occasionally making quiet or loud noises as the tiny hands try to grasp her mothers fingers tickling her. "Hey mum.." Adrian comes closer, kissing her cheek. "Hey Aspen... Hi. I didn't know you'd be here already." The little girl looks up at him with her large blue eyes sparkling into his face. "Want to hold her?" He nods and his mother shifts to gently place the small girl into his arms, helping her hold her correctly so that he could support her. Her hand slaps against his chest, grabbing onto his sweater as she begins to smile at him, making him smile in return. "Hi Aspen. I'm Adrian. Your big brother.", he introduces himself quietly, inwardly promising to kill anyone even looking at his baby sister wrong. "She's a pretty baby.." "Hey boys.. come here." Juniper embraces each of her other family members. "They found the chamber, auntie June. It was a basilisk. That's why I was able to hear it. It's a snake." "And the students that were petrified?" "They are okay." Juniper smiles. "I'm glad." She glances at her son and daughter, both clearly already absolutely besotted with one another. Reaching over she runs her fingers through her son's dark locks, earning a smile from him. "Is she going to come along when you visit Hogwarts?" "Not for another year. But I made sure you'll have an excellent teacher." "Who?" Juniper nods over to Remus Lupin who smiles lightly. "You, Remus?" "Professor Lupin, if you please.", Juniper chuckles. "Yes. Me. Juniper put in a good word for me with the other teachers and I was unanimously invited back." "I won't even ask how you did that, considering Snivvelus is a Professor." "Sirius... His name is Severus Snape. And he's a friend of Lucius. So he's a friend of mine too." "Lucius is.." "He's the only reason they found the basilisk and the diary of Voldemorts that possessed Ginny Weasley and had her open the chamber. He was the one tasked with slipping it to her. But he's also the one who risked his life to tell me so I could inform Severus and he in return the staff.. and the other major part in solving the mystery was actually you, Harry." The bespectacled boy looks at her wide eyed. "What do you mean?" "You wrote me you heard the beast in the walls. I put together that it must be a snake, as you can understand those as we know from a certain Zoo incident, and that it must travel through the pipes, meaning that not only the chamber of secrets is somehow connected to the pipe system and can be found by following it but also, judging by the students being petrified or killed without many traces.. there was only one snake that fit the criteria for being the culprit. That just happened to be a basilisk. I relayed all those informations to Severus Snape. That's how they got things under control." Juniper stretches a bit. "Trust me when I tell you, Sirius, that my big brother is a true treasure and that I would put my life on the line if it were to save his, regardless of what people think him to be.." "If he's on our side.. why.." "His father sold off the Malfoy family to Voldemort, much like your parents did. But he had no way out like you did... He was tortured. Salazar knows what he did to Bellatrix to have her become that.. that thing. He's scared. For Narcissa, for Draco, for me. We are neutral. We truly are. It was a risk taking you, Remus and Regulus in already. But to help him escape would mean that we'd all take a side against Voldemort while also not being quite accepted by the other side.. essentially we'd be trapped in a hole while both sides of our enemies shoot down at us. No.. Sirius. As long as Voldemort lives, Lucius can never let that facade he wears so well crumble or else it'll cost the lives of everyone he holds dear. And I'll always stick by his side. Because that's what Slytherins do. We are family. We stay together as family. Even if, to do so, we have to stay in the shadows.
"I didn't hear you mention Bellatrix in years.." "Bellatrix Lestrange?", Harry asks, almost fearfully. Juniper nods. "Yes. Her. We were friends once. Then.. Voldemort broke her through torturing her. She didn't think very highly about all that pureblood mess back then, you know? She was actually even especially concerned about Sirius and had me sneak after him, keep him safe. But then.. he broke her mind. She became a puppet of his. A psychotic doll he could control and she would follow. She's suffered so much her mind couldn't handle it anymore.. and switched to create that other version of her.. it is terrible. I'm scared every day that, should he rise again, Lucius too will be broken in such a way. But I have hope.. that he can be stopped.. that his reign of terror can eventually end." "She was nice once?" "Your friend? Really?" Juniper looks at Sirius with genuine confusion. "What else?" Atlas gently nudges him. "Your best friend. She was your best friend. You were practically attached. You had your hair curled to look like hers too." "Yes. I guess you are right. Wait, Harry. Let me look for a photo album." Juniper leaves the room. "Bellatrix gave her a memory changing potion. Narcissa brought it to her on our wedding day. She doesn't want her to know." Sirius bites his lip. "Know what?" Adrian looks over at them. "Before she fell in love with me or even still while doing so.. she loved her. They were together. Secretly. Until Bellatrix's wedding, that is.." Adrian, Harry and Regulus all pause for a moment. "But you and mum love each other?" Atlas nods. "Of course. Don't worry.. she wouldn't leave us for anything." "Okay.." Adrian returns his attention to his little sister. "I found it! I found it." Juniper quickly sweeps up Harry, opening up the photo album that contains photos of a younger version of the blonde. Alltogether the group gathers around her, looking at the photos. "Look. This is me in my first year.. with Lucius, Nicolai and Bertie Higgs, Arnie Carrow, Rodolphus Lestrange.. and here's Bellatrix too. That was Narcissa at 11.. and Michael. We became friends instantly when I dropped the arrogance charade in the Slytherin common room. Salazar knows he was scared I was a horribly arrogant brat.", Juniper chuckles and the men emerse themselves in her story telling, her little daughter falling asleep to her mother's talking in her brothers arms.