Henrietta Potter And The Slytherin Child - (A 'Henrietta Potter' sequel) || D.M

53 - Nott's Abode

"Why do I have to go to Rose's? We were only there yesterday and we don't even like one another anymore!" Albus moaned at me at breakfast the next morning.

"Well, that's just sad really then, isn't it?" I sighed, downing a cup of coffee, not bothering to hide the bitterness in my voice. "Perhaps you should make friends again seeing as you are so willing to wash your hands of Scorpius."

"Well mother, as you know, things are complicated there. And besides, you only want me to go see him to give you an excuse to cop off with his dad again, and I'm not letting that happen! For all I know, that's where you're sneaking off to today!"

I closed my eyes trying my hardest to remain patient. "If you must know, I've got to go into work today. It's something that can't wait. And believe it or not, Al, all I want in life is for you to be happy!"

"If you wanted me to be happy then you would never have messed around with my best friend's dad!"

"He's your flipping dad too, remember?!"

"I have no father! And pretty soon I won't have a mother either, the way she's carrying on!"

I was still shaking with fury when I Apparated outside Theodore Nott's house later on that morning. Well - I say house, but it really was more like a fucking castle. What was it with all these pure-bloods being filthy rich?!

I kept my finger pressed to the buzzer, waiting impatiently for someone to let me in.

But no one seemed to be home. Frustrated, I looked around. I really did not want to go back to the Ministry empty handed. Even though it was against protocol, I decided to break in. It didn't look too hard. Besides, if I could break into Gringotts, I could break into anywhere.

Hermione would understand.

So, wand tightly gripped in my right hand, I scaled the fence surrounding the estate, and expertly landed stealthily on both feet within the grounds.

My god I was awesome.

I crept towards the castle before me, hiding in bushes and behind trees along the way. I was really starting to regret having given up my Invisibility Cloak to my ungrateful brat of a son.

To my luck, I spied an open ground floor window, and carefully wriggled my body through it, landing in what appeared to be a downstairs bathroom.

My plan was to head downwards, so, leaving the bathroom and creeping through the halls, I kept my eyes peeled for some downward steps. The place was deathly quiet, I could hear only my heart pounding furiously in my chest.

There was no sign of life anywhere but I kept my wand poised all the same.

Finally, I creaked open a door that appeared to have steps leading down to a dark passageway. I very quietly tiptoed down, shakily lighting the tip of my wand when the darkness got too thick to see where I was treading.

I heard a door slam from somewhere up above me, making my heart stop. It was about this point when I realised that I should have probably listened to Hermione and brought back up. Oh, well.

I continued downwards until I eventually reached an old dark wooden door. My instinct told me this was it - this was where Nott was creating and storing the Time-Turner.

With a deep, shaky breath, I flicked my wand - sending the door flying open. I heard shouts of surprise as I jumped inside the room before me.

"HANDS UP! HEAD AUROR PRESENT!" I bellowed, firing disarming jinxes left right and centre.

Wands flew up in the air towards me. I had managed to disarm every single fucker. Well - the two people that were there.

Both figures were cloaked - their faces obscured beneath silver masks. I was pretty sure one of them must have been Theodore Nott. But the other...?

They were stood with their hands on their heads and my eyes flew instantly to the object on the table in between them. It was a Time-Turner. Get in!

"State your names!" I barked, my wand still pointing at the both of them.

They didn't answer, but instead, exchanged a look. It was clear to all of us in the room that I was outnumbered. Panic tearing at me, I quickly sent a Stunning jinx at the guy on the right, his mask falling from his face as my spell hit him, revealing him to be indeed, Theodore Nott. But before I could turn my wand again, the one on the left dived forwards, grabbing his wand off the ground.

A jet of red light flew towards me, sending me flying into the air. The next thing I knew, I had landed painfully on my back to the ground, groaning. There was a red-hot searing pain across my abdomen. I looked down to see a huge gash across my stomach, blood soaking through my white shirt at alarming speed. My fingers flew to it immediately, trying desperately to staunch the flow.

This was not fucking good.

I tried to sit up, but the pain in my abdomen was too severe. I looked frantically around for my wand, but I soon realised it must have fallen from my grip and rolled out of sight when I was blasted into the air.

The dude who had just fired the jinx at me scrambled up and headed towards the door, but then hesitated as he reached it.

"Shit." I heard him mutter. And then, to my horror, he turned and walked back towards me.

I was terrified he was going to finish the job. With all my might, I rolled onto my front, growling in pure and utter pain, and tried to crawl away on all fours from the approaching cloaked figure. I heard the sickening sound of my blood splattering onto the cold hard floor as it fell from my open stomach. Lights flashed before my eyes and I thought I was going to be sick.

"Keep still!"

I barely registered the voice as hands grabbed me, forcing me back down to the floor and rolling me onto my back. But instead of fear, I suddenly felt very, very thirsty.

The figure above me had his wand out and was hovering its tip over the gash on my stomach. I no longer cared what he was going to do. All I could think about was water and how desperately I needed some.

Strange yet soothing words spilled from the lips of the stranger as my stomach began to knit back together. And, as I looked up at the eyes glinting out through the slits of his mask, I realised there was something awfully familiar about him.

As I felt the life draining out of my body, my mind went fuzzy and my last thought before I passed out was that I never got to make amends with my son.

"Hang in there, Red."

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