Forever his ~ Harry Potter's daughter

26. Conference

I was pacing in a nearby classroom, biting my nails and listening to Harry as he tried to calm me down: "He's fine, he wasn't even hurt. I mean you didn't mean to do it, clearly, it was an accident. Everyone could see that..."

"Could they? I mean we were fighting it could have looked like an attack." I said. Harry was silent. "I'm actually asking you!"

"Oh sorry, it felt more like a statement."

"Harry!"

"I'm sorry. I think... Well, I don't know. Attacking another student like that could mean expulsion-"

"You think I'm going to get expelled!?" I panicked.

"Calm down! As I was going to say, I doubt they will do that to you." Harry said and I sighed in relief.

"I have to say I'm sorry."

"No, you don't!" Harry argued. "He had it coming saying those horrible things to you."

"Yes, but... Wait that's the time?! We'll be late for the press conference, Harry we need to go." I grabbed his hand and we ran out of the castle only slowing down once we could see the mass of people by the front gate.

"Sorry? Make way please." I mumbled as we tried to move through the crowd shaped like a circle.

"Hey, no cutsies!" "We want to see too!" "I can't see anything are they even here?"

"No, because we can't get through now make way please!" Harry yelled, overshadowing the students, who slowly and annoyed move just enough to let us pass. In the middle of the student circle, there was a podium, looking out to the gates where the reporters awaited with their magical quills, cameras, and flying scrolls.

"Harry you need to get up there." I whispered as everyone waited for us to do something. It was quiet, unnaturally quiet with the number of people around us.

"And say what?"

"We spoke of this yesterday. Just don't forget to demand their attention." I quietly told him and watched as he walked over to the podium.

Just like in traditions set decades ago headmaster Dumbledore stood on Harry's left side and I on his right.

Harry sighed away his tension and straightened his back before addressing the crowd: "My name is Harry Potter and this is Selenia Potter. Headmaster Dumbledore had requested your presence here because we wish to address some rumors and articles released about us during the last few days. These articles mostly written by Rita Skeeter have carried a lot of misinformation. As our first statement, Selenia Potter and I are not married." The reporters sent questions flying and Harry looked distracted, uncomfortable and lost.

So I stepped in: "If you do not silently listen to Harry speak and ask questions only when they are requested or allowed this press conference will be cut off short as Harry and I return to our studies." I could see from the corner of my eye that Dumbledore was smiling.

"Thank you." Harry said to me and returned to his speech. "The truth is that Silver is my long lost cousin from my father's side." Hands shot up from the press. "Harry nodded at an elderly, proper looking woman and let her ask her question.

"You expect us to believe a family member just appeared out of thin air? How?" She asked, but she didn't sound evil, more intrigued.

"It has come to my attention that my father had a brother, one that was said to have perished in a fire but indeed survived." Harry answered.

"John Potter survived?" Someone whispered from the crowd. The truth is this was helpful. I hadn't known the name of James's brother I was pretending to be my father. John and James... Sounds good.

"And what happened to him then?" A reporter asked.

Harry looked at me and gave me a sad smile. We would have to out our grandparents about doing something this horrible: of abandoning their son when all of this was just a story I was spinning off the top of my head to steer clear of trouble in this time... Safe to say I was failing miserably.

Harry was just about to open his mouth when I jumped in: "It was a setup." Gasps came from the audience. "The Potter's have always been a strong family. Even if our name has always been at the sidelines of history we too have our fair share of feuds and enemies. The sad truth is that one of said enemies attacked on our family, setting the house aflame and stealing one of the sons. My father. He was shipped off to France with his memory whipped. He was left in an orphanage, uncared for as long as the Potter family would suffer his loss. But he found himself a job, a wife and a daughter. He lived a simple life away from danger and sadly lost his life just a few months ago. When Harry's parents got wed he returned. His memory slowly returned to him he looked for his family before finally locating them and attending the Potter wedding. Sadly our father's parents lost their lives as it is well known a little after the wedding. My father wanted to keep his wife safe from the war with he who must not be named and thus made the decision to continue his life in France away from the chaos here. I wish my family could have stayed and protected my cousin from what was to come but... My father was a strict man when it came to my mother's and my safety. Now that my father has passed away headmaster Dumbledore thought it would be good to return me to my last remaining family; Harry, and study here at Hogwarts." The lie was perfect. The story of my father being strict on security would explain why there was no record of him nor me in France.

"And after Harry's parents passed away and he survived the killing curse why did you and your family not take him in?" A reporter asked.

"Harry had just turned one and I had just been born. My father was on high alert and by the time we found out of what had happened Harry had already been taken to the Dursley's. They were already his legal guardians and we had no way to fight that without coming out from hiding." I explained.

I briefly wondered why lying was coming so naturally, but I was quickly distracted from that when someone shot another hard question: "You were in hiding. Why?"

"Like I said my father was strict on security. He did not use his real name but the one is given to him by his abductors. We did not speak of our Potter lineage and often moved." I told them.

"But what was he afraid of?" A reporter asked me.

"He was running from something... But he would never tell me what it was."

***

So nice they didn't trash the Potter name.