Make Me.

Book 2 - Chapter 13

"You never owled me back," said Ellie, plopping down on the large couch that was situated in front of her living room fireplace. In one hand she had a Christmas cookie brought up to her mouth, the other was reaching out to her father, offering him one. He took it with a soft 'thank you.' Ellie draped her legs over his and leaned her side against the back of the couch and began to munch away.

"Well, I thought you'd be home soon enough," Remus replied. 

"No, you just didn't want to get bit by another owl," Ellie chuckled. Remus looked at his daughter with a face full of cookie and mumbled his response. 

"And it worked." A few crumbs fell from his mustache onto his sweater. 

"Snape didn't owl you again?" Ellie asked, trying to sound casual. 

"No. Should he have?" Remus sat up a little in his seat. 

"No." Ellie shrugged and took another bite of her cookie. Remus squinted at the girl.

"Why don't I believe you?" he asked skeptically.

"That sounds like a you problem," Ellie retorted. 

"Well, it's just that last Christmas you came home with about a million things you didn't tell me and a few things Snape didn't tell me," Remus raised his eyebrows at the girl.

"You're the one who keeps saying 'no secrets,' and 'stay out of it,' aren't you?" Ellie used air quotations as she spoke the words 'no secrets,' and 'stay out of it.'

"I am. But it'd be quite foolish of me to think you'd follow those rules one hundred percent of the time. I know you better than that, I've been your dad for twelve years, darling." 

Ellie raised her eyebrows back at her father.

"Honestly, you know it all. I told you about the nightmares. Snape told you about the Chamber of Secrets and the petrification of Mrs. Norris. And parents have been getting updates by owl about who has been attacked. There's not much else." Ellie dropped her head onto the back of the couch.

"Not much else? You told me something about a potion and a bathroom. And how your friends are convinced Malfoy's son is the one who opened the chamber. Didn't you? I haven't got an update on those things." 

Remus was prying for information and he knew Ellie couldn't help but tell him. And, Remus would never admit it, but he absolutely adored listening to his daughter speak about her time at Hogwarts. Even if the things she was up to were incredibly stupid and dangerous, he couldn't say much on account of his time in the castle. And, their catch-up sessions every few months made him feel that much closer to the girl he loved and missed so dearly. 

Ellie's mouth retreated into the shape of an 'o.'

"That's what I thought, go on. No secrets." Remus teased with a chuckle. 

"Okay, but first, just to be clear, Malfoy isn't the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets. He's definitely not the one attacking people either. He's all talk and I think if it came down to it, he wouldn't have the guts to kill a spider if need be." 

"I was pretty sure a second-year would be unable to open the thing up, but thanks for the clarification." 

Ellie rolled her eyes at her father and took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts before continuing on. 

"So. Harry, Ron, and Hermione come up with the idea that Malfoy opened the chamber. Except, they have no way to prove it. So, I suggest that I could ask him, or we could look up his family tree and see if it traces back to Salazar Slytherin -"