RIDDLE ME THIS

34

Woodperry House was basically a castle on the edge of a little wizard town outside of Oxford.

we all stood by the high iron gates awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

"i don't want to leave Pansy out here," Matteo folded his arms.

"i don't really want to let Lola walk into some strangers house." Draco argued.

"well then-"

"Draco, you can stay with Pansy. Matteo you're coming with me." i sorted easily.

"we can both look after ourselves, by the way." Pansy sat down on the grassy verge and pulled out a cigarette.

Matteo stared at her for a moment before looking at Draco with a pained look on his face.

Draco noticed me watching so wisely shrugged in response.

i rolled my eyes at both of them before pushing opening the gate and speed walking up the long driveway before anyone could follow me.

"Lola!" Matteo caught up as i ascended the stone steps. "you need to let me go first."

in response, i knocked hard on the front door.

"really?" he stared at me.

i copied Draco's shrug. "i just want to make sure they hear us."

"well they didn't," he raised his fist to knock again but before he could, the door opened.

"yes?" asked a man who looked like he should have died a century before.

Matteo cleared his throat. "my name is Matteo, this is my sister, Lolita, and we have another brother called Thomas—we're triplets."

"right...?" the man shook his head, most likely wondering what kind of drug my brother was on.

"you see... the thing is-"

"we think you're our grandfather." i finished for Matteo.

the old man looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

maybe there was a mirror behind the door and he'd caught sight of his reflection.

"grandfather...?" he echoed.

"yes," i said curtly.

he blinked rapidly. "i think you'd better come in."

the house seemed to empty and quiet.

there was a singular portrait hanging on the stairs, a much younger couple standing proudly with their hands on the shoulders of a girl.

her.

Isaurelia.

she wore a Hogwarts uniform—a Slytherin uniform.

her hair curled in the same way ours did, her eyes as bright as ours could've been, her jaw sharp, the mirror to ours.

i'd seen that picture before, among other pictures of head students in Snape's office.

the man led us down a long corridor and into the kitchen where a woman sat reading the paper.

"who's this, Matt?" she frowned at us.

"they claim to be our grandchildren." he huffed. "this one says he's named Matteo."

"oh... golly." she put her paper down.

"whose children did you say you were?" Matt sat down next to his wife.

we weren't offered a chair.

"uh, we didn't say." Matteo realised. "we think our mother was a woman named Isaurelia."