Forever his ~ Harry Potter's daughter

31. Potions

"I am sorry." Dumbledore whispered after another gulp, looking truly hurt and ashamed.

I stayed silent, I felt a need to say it was okay. That he didn't need to apologize, but who was I to forgive someone's death? "It's not all you. You were just a tiny factor in events leading to it." I say truthfully.

"He will hate me." He mumbles.

"No. He won't. He cares about you too." I say and I feel as if I am making a promise.

We sat in silence until our glasses were empty and he poured himself another while I put away my glass and then took away the bottle. "I think two glasses will be enough." He nodded at that. "So... About this heir business. You really think I will be stuck here long enough for any of it to matter?" I ask and bite my lip as I close the cabinet doors leaving the nasty smell of firewhiskey behind.

"I am not sure. But we need to be prepared. I have created a small paper footprint of you and your father. Just to give your story some weight... The ministry will surely check up on it. And if you can not get back to your own time before summer vacation, you will need a place to stay."

I nodded: "Wait so if you are my legal guardian I would stay with you in the castle through the summer? All by myself?"

"No, I do not live in the castle all my time. There is the Dumbledore estate which I spend my summers in if there is any time." Dumbledore says.

"I would live in your home?" I mumble, brows scrunched together.

"If that would be acceptable." He smiles. "I have missed a companion in my side for a while now. I would be happy if you would stay with me. However, we can also make other arrangements..."

"No." I quickly say. "I will come with you." My smile faltered. "The truth is... I feel unsafe. Back at home I always had my father, but the only people I had to fight were reporters. Now I'm in a time where grandfather is alive... Mom would never speak about him. And dad always watched his words about Voldemort. But one night when mom was stressed and angry at me, she slipped up. She said that if grandfather was alive he would come to get me. I don't really know what she meant, but I've been afraid of him ever since. He didn't feel real before it. Almost like a ghost story my father had lost his parents and some of his friends to." I mumble. "I can't believe I was young and naive enough to think like that... It feels like forever ago."

"And you worry he might find out about you?" Dumbledore says.

"I will already be a target because people think I am Harry's cousin. I'm most likely already on his kill-list, but if he'd know I'm his granddaughter he wouldn't end my life... He would bend me to his ways, to his ideals through manipulation and mind games."

Dumbledore nodded: "I hope he never finds out. I hope your paths never cross. It is late Selenia. Time for you to retire, it is far past your curfew."

I nod and walk to the door. "Dumbledore?" I call out over my shoulder as I grab the handle.

"Yes, my dear?"

"What happens if I have to stay here forever? If there is no way home?" I had been dreading to ask this question from the start and I felt nauseous as the thought even crossed my mind.

"I can not say for certain, but as you are here you will grow older and time will move one where you came from. Your family is most likely looking for you from everywhere in your own time. These two times are moving on top of each other and it can be dangerous if something drastically changes here for it will instantly affect the future. If you manage to keep everything in track here and this time moves one to the point where your parents meet and have you... I believe this version of you will vanish from this time, and you will start life again since birth. And you will never be found in your own time... If you were to somehow disrupt the events that lead to your birth all versions of you in both times will simply cease from exciting." Dumbledore said.

I felt like crying: "But shouldn't they be getting new memories of me in my time as I do things here. Shouldn't dad remember his cousin that looks exactly like me and piece it together?"

"I don't think it works like that. I think they are oblivious to everything you do in this time, and only if you change someone's birth or death things will change. Even then if we find a way to restore you into your world, we will simply wipe clear their memory of you in this time." Dumbledore explained with a soothing voice.

"Will that undo any changes I make?"

"No."

***

I was amazed as I woke up on Monday. Sunday had been a rough day for me full of crazy events and confused emotions. I wish I could have blamed it on something as simple as puberty, but my life was far more complicated than that.

History of magic seemed to drone on forever and the break afterward was very much needed as I quickly scribbled the homework from said class with Harry. This way we wouldn't have to use our free-time at this in the afternoon... Especially with my upcoming detention with Umbridge. The double potions class after the break was tiresome. We had to learn the drought of peace and it was far too simple for me. Potions, to everyone's surprise, was something I was actually skilled at. This potion did not challenge me, and I supposed professor Snape was going easy on us on the first day. I was wrong. To everyone else this potion was death itself and most of the people in class were failing in making the potion. Failing, terribly.

I had always been warned about him for his clear favoritism towards slytherins, his quick tongue that lashed out with harsh words at anyone not doing well and his keen eyes that picked up every mistake. However, I found him surprisingly pleasant. He kept me sharp and on my toes. I still felt the pressuring need to impress him and held respect towards his talents. His strictness was actually accepted with open arms by me after how dull professor Binns had been. His voice could make anyone fall asleep. The only thing making the class interesting was that Mr. Binns was the only ghost teacher in the school.

"Thank Merlin for lunch time." Harry said as the potions class finished.

"Potter." Professor Snape suddenly drawled out from behind his desk as he fiddled through some papers.

"Yes." Harry said carefully after a cringe, I could clearly see he was afraid of getting detention. I don't know what for, but it seemed that that's what everyone was expecting when their name was called out by the potions professor.