Him - A Harry Potter Love Story

Chapter Fifty-Eight

That night, Grandmother had insisted that I go to bed early. The only thing she had scolded me about was walking around so much while pregnant, and the even worse talk was the one about apparating. She told me of how many witches lost their babies that way; however, because it was so early, it was easier to safely apparate. I was only around a month then; once you got to three or four, you should stop.

The next day was when I finally got to talk to Gregory. I wanted badly to know what he knew about my parents; Amelie had implied that he did when we were at the bookstore. So, after breakfast and being sent back to my room so I could stay off of my feet (which made no sense, given the fact that I wasn't even two months pregnant yet), I got up again and walked to Gregory's room, which he had briefly showed me the previous night.

I knocked lightly on the frame of the door, seeing that it was open but not wanting to just barge in. He looked up from a book, his eyes finding mine quickly.

"Hey."

"Hi," I said, wrapping my arms gently around myself. "Mind if I come in?"

"Of course not," he replied, putting a slip of paper inside the book and setting it on the table next to his bed.

"What are they like?" I asked, sitting down at a desk chair. He smiled a little, leaning back against the wall next to his bed.

"Our parents are amazing," he told me. "They're incredibly kind. They try not to get mad, even if I have done something wrong. They'll accept anything you tell them, no matter how weird and personal it is..." he took a deep breath. "And, of course, they're brave. They would do anything to make sure I...well, we, are safe."

"That-that was a really nice answer," I said with a small laugh. "And...you should be a wizard too. Shouldn't you?"

"I am. But Mum and Dad didn't want anyone to discover me if I went to Hogwarts," he explained. "They managed to get me a wand for my eleventh birthday. They began teaching me magic. But then, the next year, when they heard about you, I came here, and stopped."

I frowned. "I'm really sorry." I paused, leaning back a little with my hands against my stomach. "Well...maybe if this all blows over soon, you can go to Hogwarts."

He laughed a little. "I would be too old."

"No, you wouldn't," I said with a smile. "No one is too old to learn magic. As much as I know how terrible the school is probably being run right now, I'm kind of upset I didn't get a seventh year. I would go back, even if I was eighteen, or nineteen."

"Could you at least catch me up to my level?" he asked, a gleam if excitement in his eyes. "In the letter from Dumbledore, he said you were up with the best in your year. Just imagine where you are now."

"I guess I could," I laughed. "But...I don't know if I could do the best with all of the subjects...potions has never been my strong suit."

My brother smiled. "Neither was Dad's."

There was a moment of silence between us, and I took a deep breath. "Gregory...do you know where they are?"

His smile immediately fell.

Without speaking, he walked over to the desk I was sitting at, to a drawer. I stood up and pushed the chair away, standing next to him as he took out a bunch of random items, from little action figures boys around his age normally had, to books that were old and looked like they had been read dozens of times.

Finally, he pulled out a small wooden box, then reaching under the collar of his shirt to pull out a necklace. On it was a small key. He looked up at me with a serious expression on his face.

"Before I left, Mum and Dad gave me the box and this necklace," he explained. "They told me that if I ever needed to find them, this would tell me where they were, and the best way to get there."

I could feel my heart racing as he put the key inside the lock and turned it. When the box opened, he pulled out a piece of parchment that was neatly folded up. He set the box down on his desk, and handed me the paper. I immediately felt a tingling sensation in my fingers, as if there was a sort of magic enveloping the parchment.

I slowly unfolded it, taking slow, deep breaths. A breath caught in my throat as I realized the paper had no words.

"What?" I murmured.

"Wait for it," Gregory whispered.

Just a moment later, words began to appear across the page.

For your safety, our location is not to be revealed right now.

Harry's POV

Three months later

Ron and I made our way to the tent, both of us shivering slightly from the cold. Although it had been a while since we had been in the water, neither of us were dry yet, and it was freezing. Ron held the sword, and I held the broken locket.

Hermione, presumably hearing us, suddenly came out of the tent, freezing and staring at us in shock.

"Hey," Ron said with a smile.

Ten minutes later, we had finally calmed Hermione down. We all sat in the tent at the table, Ron and I thankful to finally be warm. Ron was explaining what happened, but I wasn't entirely listening until I heard Cassie's name.

"What? Is she okay?" I immediately questioned. He grimaced, and my eyes widened. "Ron. Ron, what happened?"

"No, no, nothing happened that I know of," he quickly responded. "When I came, she had already left to find her parents. The only thing is...well, Mum was really worried about her."

"Of course she'd seem worried, Ron. She's taken care of Cassie for multiple summers now. She's like another daughter to her, at this point," Hermione pointed out.

"You don't understand," Ron muttered, lowering his voice as if someone would hear him. "She was acting weird about it. Saying that 'she wasn't in shape' to be traveling. Things like that. The entire time."

"You don't think she's hurt, do you?" I asked, running a hand through my hair.

"No, I don't think that's it," Ron sighed. "I don't know what it could be, though. What did she mean by 'not in shape?'"

I didn't notice Hermione's eyes widen a little as he spoke. I didn't know that her mind was swimming with questions and one unlikely idea that was taking over her thoughts.