Forever his ~ Harry Potter's daughter

8. Cousins

'Just like at home.' I thought when I was engulfed in a hug from Harry.

"I have a cousin? This is great!" Harry said, his eyes shining with excitement. "We have to tell Hermione and Ron."

"No! No, Harry." I said as he was sprinting to the steps.

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"Do you really want people to know about my father? About what your grandparents did? My dad didn't hold a grudge and he loved his family despite everything. But the Potters... Our family is gone. I want people to remember them as good people. Because that's what they were, they regretted what they did. Our grandparents rekindled with my father at your parents wedding. They were planning on accepting my father back into the family but they died of dragon-pox soon after the wedding." I said with a sad expression.

"I... I didn't think of it that way. A moment ago I didn't know my father had a brother, now I have a cousin right here... A family." Harry hugged me again so tightly it almost hurt.

"I know, I'm here."

"So what do we tell people?" Harry asked.

"That I'm Petunia's kid, that they gave me to a magical family -meaning the father that moved to England who I told everyone about- when they discovered that I'm a witch and that we are cousins on our mother's side. No one will go ask questions from the Durley's." I said with a thoughtful look. "The family secret is protected that way."

"I just... Can't believe I'm not alone anymore."

With a tired smile, I closed my eyes and just enjoyed hugging my father again.

***

Time skip till 7 o'clock at night

***

"Harry! Where have you been?" Came the distressed voice of Hermione as we walked into the gryffindor common room laughing.

"We have been so worried!" Colin said and snapped a picture of us.

Basically all the gryffindor students started throwing questions at us.

Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms and watched as Harry squirmed awkwardly while being unresponsive to the pressure to tell everything coming from his friends.

"Harry's inner circle. With us." I said after people quieted down a little.

"Hermione, Ron." Harry nodded.

"Fred and George too." I said. Harry sent me a surprised look: "They'll find out anyway."

"Right you are." George said and merrily followed us out of the common room.

"Are we going to the same place as before?" Harry asked, sounding awkward on the edge of sadness.

"No. That place is just for us." I said with a smile, grabbing his hand.

"Know any other places?" Harry asked.

"Many." I chuckled.

"What is going on?" Ron asked, sounding utterly confused.

"We are going to a place where we can talk. Uninterrupted." I said. For a brief moment I wondered if maybe we could use the room of requirement, but I knew it wasn't time for Harry to go there yet.

"Here. I think this is okay." I said as I pulled back a tapestry, to reveal a plain room, with a round table at the middle and seats around it.

"How do you know these places?" Ron asked.

"Like I told Harry, I have a map I was given by my father. Featured the entire hogwarts. Learned it by memory. This castle is huge, full of secrets, hidden passageways and forgotten rooms." I said. "George and Fred know what I'm talking about."

"She's right. The castle is full of rooms like this one." Fred said.

"Each more peculiar-"

"You mean fun." Fred cut George off.

"Than the other. And yes. Fun." George said finishing his sentence.

"Is your last name really Potter?" Hermione asked, crossing her arms.

"Yes it's because-" Suddenly I realized, why would I carry the Potter name if I was Petunia's child. My lie didn't add up. "Harry... I think we need to tell the truth after all." I sighed.

"What why?" Harry asked, surprised expression on his face.

With a sigh I told Hermione, Ron and Fred and George the story of my past. The same one I had told Harry just hours ago. I left out the lie about being Petunia's kid. Makes no sense to tell it, if it doesn't fit the story.

"Wow... That makes me speechless." Ron said.

"Not us-" George said.

"We remember dad telling us-" Fred continued.

"That the Potter's had lost their first born son." George ended.

"Really?" Hermione asked her brows high up on her forehead.

"Hey I remember that too." Ron said. "Yeah. He stated it once and we didn't talk about it after that. Said that things as sad as losing a child were forbidden subjects in our house."

That part was true. The Potter's had lost a son... But that son had actually died, but no one knew that. So my lie -as evil as it seemed to be- had no holes in it.

I looked at Harry. Even he didn't know my lie... Only Dumbledore.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, rubbing my back.

"Yeah, just... Missing dad." That wasn't a lie. Even though he was right there, I missed him.

"I'm sorry." Harry said.

"But hey! You have family. You have actual family Harry." Ron said excitedly.

"I know Ron and I don't think it's really sunk in yet." Harry said with a bright smile.

"This is great! Right Hermione? You were wrong." Ron said.

During this whole time Hermione hadn't really spoken not even made remarks during the story. She hadn't taken a seat either. "Hmm I just... I don't know. Can we talk for a moment? Alone."

"Yeah sure." I said and quickly stepped out of the room and into the dark corridors. It was way past curfew.

I could hear Hermione talking to Harry about how they couldn't trust me. How I could be a trap set by Voldemort. Soon Harry had raised his voice and started yelling at Hermione.

Wanting to give them more privacy I walked away and started making my away back to the common room. I turned around a corner and saw -the man my brother was named after- Severus Snape.

***

Words: 976

Severus in the house!!! 😱😅😍