Come Back to Me (Don't Save Me Book 3)

Chapter 51: Rumors

We finished the stew and called the kids down to the kitchen, though Fred and George apparated, much to the annoyance of Molly who shrieked as they appeared behind her. Sirius and I embraced Harry in a group hug fashion.

"You alright, dear?" I asked him, to which he nodded and we led him into the kitchen. Remus began ladling the stew onto plates. Everyone took a seat and began eating the stew. Even Severus had stayed for the meal, though I assumed that was mostly contributed to by what Sirius had said and being worried about leaving me alone.

"How lovely to have everyone here," Molly exclaimed. I chuckled, placing a hand on Severus's shoulder as we heard a screech from across the hall.

"Mudbloods and blood traitors! Eating in my house! Filth!"

"Yes, Walburga, thank you for your input! Much appreciated as always," I called back, holding up my glass and taking a sip as laughter filled the room.

"Filthy half-blood!" she hissed back.

"Yup! As was my father," I answered, taking another sip from my glass.

Sirius could no longer contain himself and began choking on the stew. Remus slapped his back and Sirius swallowed down the stew, slapping his chest.

"If only the Dark Lord could see the scum they've brought in my house!"

"I'll tell him you said so," I answered.

At this Sirius fell out of his chair, quickly scrambling to his feet as he tried to stop his laughter long enough to tell Kreacher to close the curtains on the portrait, at which point the screeching stopped and Sirius sat back down, wiping the tears from his cheeks.

"Y/n Y/l/n everybody!" he exclaimed, patting my back and looking at me for the first time since his outburst upstairs. "The only person able to stand up to my mother."

Once again laughter filled the room and we continued eating our meal, carefully trying to avoid the conversation we all knew was coming.

As people slowly finished eating I began clearing dishes, taking them over to the sink and scrubbing them. The mindless busy-work was helping to distract me from the harshness of Sirius's previous words. Severus and I made quick work of finishing the dishes and we began hearing laughter as he put the last plate away. I turned, seeing Tonks shifting her face to take the form of different animal snouts. I leaned back on the counter, watching the joy flash across Harry's face, having never seen something like this before. Suddenly Severus clutched his arm, the action being so subtle most would not have noticed it. He looked down at me, his eyes wide. I placed a hand on his arm, giving him a reassuring squeeze. He nodded softly before kissing my forehead softly and making his way out of the kitchen.

"What's his deal?" Sirius asked, looking up at me.

"He had to leave," I answered and Sirius nodded, understanding what the rest of the children wouldn't. Remus walked over to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, noticing the change in the atmosphere around us.

"Nothing, dear. Everything's fine," I assured him.

"Filthy half blood!" the portrait screeched as the main door closed.

"Hey, Walburga! Shut your trap, you old bag!"

"Filthy blood traitor Y/n!" she hissed.

"I'm a half blood, you old hag. Just like your precious Dark Lord."

Once again Sirius broke into a fit of laughter and Remus fought to control himself next to me.

"Filthy scum... if my father knew the scum being brought into his home touching his possessions," she hissed.

"Oh no!" I gasped, bringing a hand to my mouth. "I touched the dishes!"

"K-Kreacher!" Sirius stuttered through his laughter. "Close that bloody curtain."

"Yes, master," we heard from the hall and the shrieks were silenced once again.

"Peculiar," Arthur muttered from the corner, pulling us from our laughter. He was looking down at a letter in his hands and I began walking over to him.

"What is it, Arthur?" I asked and several pairs of eyes landed on us.

He looked up. "It seems that Harry's hearing is to be before the entire Wizengamot," he answered, causing Harry to look up.

"I don't understand. What's the Ministry of Magic got against me?" he asked.

"Show him. Show them both," Alastor answered gruffly. "They'll find out soon enough."

I looked up curiously as Kingsley grabbed a newspaper and handed it to Harry, its headline staring him in the face as his own picture stared back at him before changing into one of me, the headline jumping to the page: Potter and Y/l/n: A Family That Lies Together Stays Together. He grabbed a second one, identical to the first, and handed it to me.

Y/n Y/l/n, most notable for her testimony in the Y/l/n vs Y/l/n case, is now claiming You-Know-Who has returned, along with her godson, Harry Potter, making similar claims. We all remember little Y/n Y/l/n, beaten down by the world... and her uncle; a little girl who somehow survived despite suffering greatly in her young life. Now it appears that little girl is all grown up and in need of attention from the media, even going so far as to drag her godson into the mess. The two seem to be in constant need of attention and the questions we are all asking ourselves are: does it run in the family? And is You-Know-Who actually back?

The text changed, a new image taking its place. Cornelius Fudge stared back at me as the headline read: Fudge: "All is Well," which only succeeded in making me more angry. What I wasn't expecting was for the image to change again, replacing Fudge's smug look with a familiar image I knew all too well and one I had seen many times before plastered all over the Daily Prophet. A platinum blond head of hair stood in front of a small girl who was clutching the robes of a black-haired boy. The boy leaned down, pressing his lips to the top of her head. I could see them pushing their way through the crowd as reporters swarmed the room and I remembered that day all too well. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes as I watched the image move, Severus's arm wrapped around my waist and Lucius pushed through the crowd. You could just barely see me through the crowd of people that had formed protectively around me as we made our way through the crowd before the image replayed, starting from the beginning. It was strange all the things I didn't notice about this picture before: the way Severus looked down at me as I buried my face in his chest, hiding from the sea of reporters; the way his lips lingered on the top of my head for a moment before he pulled away. These subtle details were things I had never noticed in the moment nor after when the picture came out. Of course many people speculated as to whether or not Severus and I were in a relationship but we ignored the rumors and they finally went away. Looking back now I can see why there were so many rumors.