The Serpent's Secrets

Truth and Christmas

Alright, the beginning beginning. So you already know I'm a pure-blood right?" Ginny nodded. "Well, my mother's name was Eira Prince, but my father's name was James Potter." Edelweiss stopped giving the information a moment to sink in.
"What?!" Ginny shouted after a few moments of processing.
"Yes. When Harry's parents first got together, Lily didn't particularly like James that much, so when he first proposed to her, she declined. James, being heartbroken, went out to get drunk, my mother had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness and she had the same idea.

She found James in a bar in London completely drunk, she took him to the Leaky Cauldron and got him a room planning to leave him there. But they had an actual conversation causing her to reveal to him about her illness and being drunk and not thinking much, they unintentionally had me. My mother removed James's memory of the event so he didn't know I existed until I appeared as a newborn on his and Lily's doorstep. They took me in since my mother had passed away and raised me as their own.

Two years later they had Harry, when Harry was one as you know Voldemort attacked, me being a three year old and having just watched him kill Lily I tried to push him away. Unsuccessfully as you can assume, but he learned that I was a pureblood and that my uncle, my mother's half brother, was one of his most trusted Death Eaters, he decided to mark me as his own." Edelweiss lifted up the sleeve of her robe and undid the straps to her wand sheath. Underneath was a black skull with a snake floating out of its mouth. Ginny gasped,
"You're... a Death Eater?" She looked terrified and Edelweiss just leaned back in her bean bag chair.
"No, I've been marked as one, but I never chose this it was done forcefully. But I can use it, I've been playing his side for a long time, when he eventually returns, I'm going to help Harry defeat him, even if it means pretending to be a Death Eater." Edelweiss said her voice cold and hard. Ginny didn't seem to know how to feel, but she knew that she'd made the Unbreakable Vow to keep this secret.

"I know you have a lot to digest so I'll give you this." Edelweiss grabbed a cloak from the rack by the door and spelled it, "Abscondam." The cloak became a patchy silvery color. When Ginny put it on it blended into the background making her seem invisible. "Now you can return to your common room when you want, but the charm will wear off in the morning so you won't be able to use it that much." With that Edelweiss walked out of the Room Of Requirement.

It took Ginny quite a while to wrap her head around the idea, but she quickly understood that Edelweiss had had no choice in becoming a Death Eater. Rather than accepting her fate, Edelweiss was going to play it to her advantage and help fight should the time come. Once the youngest Weasley got over the 'minor' fact, the pair began to meet up every week in the Room Of Requirement to talk about anything that came up, mainly classes and whatever the twins were up to.

Edelweiss decided to stay during Christmas break, so that she could keep an eye out for the creature. Christmas Eve passed uneventfully and on Christmas morning Edelweiss received gifts, a set of dragonhide gloves presumably from her uncle, a pair of woolen socks from Albus, a probably stolen bottle of firewhiskey from the twins, a fancy black and silver robe from Draco, and a snake necklace from Lucius and Narcissa. She put on the new necklace and hid the bottle of firewhiskey for another day. She spent time in the common room but eventually got fed up and went to talk to Draco. Draco was looking for Vincent and Greggory,
"Del, have you seen Crabbe or Goyle? I can't find them anywhere." He asked.
"They are probably in the Great Hall, they both have a sweet tooth so they'll want to check for any left over cakes." She said and he understood,
"Want to come check with me?" He asked and she smiled.
"Definitely. Anything to get me away from Lockhart's homework." They made their way out of the common room and before long stumbled upon Vincent, Greggory and Percy Weasly.
"Malfoy, Prince." Percy snapped, but Edelweiss smiled at him.
"Percy, it's been a while. Have you seen Penelope recently? I wanted to ask her help on Lockhart's assignment but I haven't been able to find her. You have a few classes with her don't you? Could you pass word along to her?" Edelweiss asked and Percy reluctantly nodded.
"Fine. Just get moving." He ordered and Draco bristled but Edelweiss's presence kept him in line.
"Of course, Vincent, Greggory, Draco come along, maybe one of you can help me figure out what in Salzar's name goes on in that man's head?" She said shaking her head as she turned away. "On second thought I'd rather not know." The group made their way back to the Slytherin common room.
"Pureblood." Draco said the password and Edelweiss sighed. She went up to her room to retrieve some potions ingredients, while Vincent and Greggory sat on a couch. "Father finally sent me a copy of the Daily Prophet. I could have asked Edelweiss but she has been so stressed out recently, I don't even know why she wants to know what type of monster lives in the Chamber. But check this out stupid Potter and his sidekick are in the papers again." Draco said tossing a paper onto the table in front of them. Greggory picked up the paper and Vincent began to turn slightly red as he read it. "Father's letter said last time the Chamber was opened a girl died. I almost hope it's going to be Granger this time." He said, Vincent groaned and seconds later a burst of flame went by Draco's ear. Edelweiss's voice snapped from the entrance to the girls' dorms.
"Draco if I ever catch you saying something like that again I'll turn your hair neon green. Permanently." She threatened and Draco winced.