Sydney Dadzie-Granger and the Philosopher's Stone

Chapter 12 - Telling the Truth

Sydney's POV:

"Hermione, I need to tell you something," I said hesitantly. "Can you keep a secret?"

We had just finished packing our trunks for our return to Hogwarts. The last few days had flown by - I had read and re-read the letter from my mum multiple times, and looked at the scrapbook so much that Jean had offered for me to take it back to school with me, which I gladly accepted. As a result, things had been a bit cold between Hermione and I, because I wanted to tell her but didn't know how to. I knew I could trust Professor McGonagall and Sprout - my mum's letter had proved that much - but I also wanted to trust people who were closer to my age, like Hermione and my roommates.

"Of course," Hermione said agreeably, sitting down on her bed, across from mine. "Who are we keeping a secret from?"

"Right now, pretty much everyone," I answered. "Your mum and dad know, and I'll be telling my roommates, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Sprout. That's it."

"Don't you mean our mum and dad?" asked Hermione, her eyebrows furrowing. "I know that you are adopted, but you've always been part of this family and referred to them as your parents."

"The day you were out last week, they told me everything," I explained. "About who my real parents are, and how I came to be with your family when I was six."

"But I always remember you being my sister," she said, sounding startled. "Weren't you always with us?"

"Those are fake memories. Dumbledore wiped both of ours," I stated. "He did it for my protection. My real mother is Katarina Dadzie, and my father is Jeffery Ackerly."

"You mean the Powerful One?" asked Hermione in awe. "I've read about her!"

She immediately ran over to her trunk and pulled out one of the larger textbooks: Defense Against the Dark Arts, Volume 5.

I went over as Hermione flipped through the pages, before pointing to one particular passage.

The Dadzies, best known as the "Powerful Ones", are a line of extremely powerful witches who are said to be more powerful than any other witch or wizard in the world. It is unknown where the power originated from, but the power is passed through the eldest daughter of each Dadzie, with each generation adding to the power. Past Powerful Ones have been able to harness the elements, have premonitions, create their own spells and potions, and do wandless and non-verbal magic. Each Dadzie is also a Metamorphagus (someone with the ability to change their appearance at will, without the need for a wand, spell, or potion).

The most recent Powerful One was Katarina Melinda Dadzie, who was killed at the age of twenty-six while protecting her two daughters, who were killed after their mother. The murderer was Rabastan Lestrange, a Death Eater who coveted the power of the Dadzie line and was on the run from the Ministry of Magic. Katarina's husband, Jeffery, was killed hours prior to her. Due to her death while still in possession of the power, and the fact that there are no living descendants, it's unknown whether or not the Powerful One still exists or if the power of the Dadzie line has now gone dormant.

"I had wondered, with the last name Dadzie," Hermione admitted. "But I didn't want to say anything, because I knew you had to come to it in your own time. Are you really the Powerful One? She must have passed on her power to you."

"Yeah. It's a lot to process," I said. "I feel like there is this massive legacy on my shoulders. I'm glad I didn't have it when I first went to Hogwarts - that was overwhelming enough. I'm excited to learn everything, but I'm also scared. What if I'm not good enough? What if the wrong people find out and come after me? What if people are afraid of me?"