Feral Den

Chapter 52

"I seriously don't understand why we have to do an O.W.L.s History of Magic." Hailee muttered, staring unseeingly at the text in front of her.
"It's our wizarding history." Hermione lectured for possibly the thousandth time. "It's very important."
"Right." Hailee flipped the page. "Knowing about the third goblin resistance is surely important."
"It is." Hermione paused in her note taking. "The goblins are nasty creatures. Creating a Treaty with them is possibly the smartest thing we've ever done in history."
"Not defeat Grindelwald or anything."
Ron smiled at Hailee as she muttered below her breath.
"Would you rather have goblins or a Dark Lord?" Hermione asked.

Hailee paused. She glanced at Ron who seemed to think this over before shrugging.
Hailee sighed.

"Neither."
"Well it doesn't work that way."
"If only it did."
"You wouldn't be alive if it did." Ron reminded.
"Not true. Voldemort could've easily had me and the others without trying to rule over the entire world."
"Imagine that childhood."
"I'd rather not."
Ron chuckled.

"What are you going to do about that, by the way?" Hermione asked. "Surely you should tell the Order, if not Sirius or Missus Weasley."
"I don't see why it's important." Hailee argued. "It's not like my blood is going to do anything different."
"That's not entirely true. We would be able to figure out why you look like this and have the name Potter instead of look like Riddle and have that name."
Hailee frowned. "Would you rather me a Riddle and look like Tommy? Would you rather me call you a mudblood and think like other purebloods? Would you rather—"
"I was only saying that if we figured out why you are how you are, maybe we could reverse it." Hermione cut her off.
"I don't want to reverse it."
"Why not?" Hermione frowned.

Ron shared a glance with Hailee. She sighed, placing her book down.

"Look, I already said this to Ron, and I don't get why it's so important to either of you I turn into a Riddle. But the only way I'd become a Riddle is if Sirius died."
Hermione frowned. "Why if Sirius died?"
"He's my family. I won't leave him while I still have a reason to be Hailee Potter. If I ever do turn into Himalia Riddle it is because Sirius is dead."
"What about the Weasleys, or Dumbledore, or Remus?"
"They aren't Sirius."
Hermione pursed her lips.

Hailee sighed. "Hermione, if your parents were killed. Would you stay as you are? Would you continue to follow blindly? Or would you want to follow your own path, one that would open when you had nothing tying you to the path you're currently on?"
Hermione opened her mouth, closed it. She frowned. "Well, I —I don't know. I don't see my parents dying."
"But I can see Sirius dying."
"Hailee—"
"He's in a rebelling organization against a dark wizard Hermione. He was almost killed once, I'm not going to fool myself into thinking he's invincible just because he's hiding right now."
"That's a very dark way to look at it. Sirius won't die. He won't leave you or the Order."
"Do you know that for certain?"
"Well —no."
"Exactly." Hailee shook her head, smiled. "I'd only go back to being Himalia Riddle if I had nothing to lose Hermione. Hailee Potter is who I am. Potter is my name, who I've been for nearly fourteen years. That won't change just because my supposed brother is here and that I'm possibly Voldemorts child. That won't change my mind so easily."
Hermione gnawed at her lip, but relented. "Fine."

She turned back to her book, leaving Hailee alone. Hailee blew a breathe, and smiled at Ron.
He smiled back, even if it was a bit halfhearted.

•••

Seriously. What was with the wizarding world's obsession with fucking goblins.
Hailee was pretty sure in just the fifteen questions she's answered, at least half of them have been about goblins and their rebellions.
Yeah, okay, goblins are nasty little fuckers. Hailee knew that since her first day in the Wizarding world. It doesn't take a fucking genius to realize it.