Chapter 18
Crystal spent the next few hours talking with Madam Bones and her Aurors. She agreed to take a ghost from Hogwarts to the Ghost Zone if a ghost volunteered to go with her. She refused to force anyone, living or dead, to leave their home. Hogwarts was home to the magical ghosts that resided there, and she didn't want to take them away without their consent.
Madam Bones promised to speak with the ghosts before the following Saturday and would make it clear that participation was entirely voluntary. No one would be compelled to join the trip to the Ghost Zone.
Once the meeting with the Aurors concluded, Crystal flew to Gringotts to have another inheritance test done, this time in her ghost form—something she probably should have done from the start.
The results were shocking.
Birth Name: Crystal Rose Potter
Other Name: Sapphire Phantom
Parents:
- Mother: Lily Marie Potter [née Evans] (Human Witch) (Deceased)
- Father: James Charlus Potter (Human Wizard, Animagus Form: Stag) (Alive)
- Blood-Adopted Father: Sirius Orion Black (Human Wizard, Animagus Form: Dog/Grim) (Alive)
Relatives:
- Aunt: Petunia Holly Dursley [née Evans] (Human) (Alive)
- Cousin: Dudley Vernon Dursley (Human Squib) (Alive)
- Spiritual Cousin: Danny Fenton/King Danny Phantom
Godparents:
- Sirius Orion Black (Human Wizard, Animagus Form: Dog/Grim) (Alive) [Godfather]
- Alice Longbottom [née Fortescue] (Human Witch) (Alive) [Godmother]
Magical Guardian(s):
- James Charlus Potter (Gave up rights)
Genetics/Species:
- 45% Magical
- 5% Human
- 50% Ghost (Note: New type of Ghost, not found in magical locations.)
Titles:
- Heir/Heiress of Black (Named by Godfather)
- Heir/Heiress of Slytherin (By Right of Conquest, Declared by Magic)
- Heir/Heiress of Hufflepuff (Mother's Side)
- Heir/Heiress of Peverell (Father's Side, Chosen by Magic)
- Heir/Heiress of Potter (Father's Side)
- Princess of the Ghost Zone (Second in line for the Throne)
Abilities:
- Natural Occlumens
- Eidetic Memory
- Parseltongue
- Parselmagic
- Transfiguration Proficiency
- Ghost Abilities
- Unknown Powers
Active Potions:
- Power Suppression: 15 months old, 7 years old
- Hatred Potion: 15 months old, 3 years old (Added Marge Dursley), 6 years old, 9 years old
- Targeted Hatred Potion: 15 months old, 4 years old, 8 years old
Other Ailments:
Contracts:
Crystal’s heart froze as she re-read the section showing her father as alive. She checked her original test and saw the same result. Her father was alive? Why wasn’t he here taking care of her? Did he not want her?
Tears welled up in her eyes. She looked up at Grinlast and composed herself. She could break down later.
“I want to hire someone to track down my father,” she said firmly. “I need to know where he is, why he abandoned me, and whose body is currently in his grave. I want to find out who this man is so we can give him a proper burial and offer his family some closure.”
Grinlast’s expression was as grim as hers. “I will enlist our finest people for this. Abandoning one’s child is a grave offense to the goblin race. Children are meant to be protected and kept safe.”
“Take the cost out of one of my vaults,” Crystal mumbled and flew away before Grinlast could say anything more.
Back at Hogwarts, she found a quiet, unused room to process what she had just learned. Her father was out there somewhere, living his life while she had been forced to endure hardship. The realization that he had chosen not to come for her, leaving her with the Dursleys, was devastating.
She felt a part of her heart break. She wanted answers, but she had to be realistic. There was a slim chance he was forced to leave, but a greater chance he left of his own volition.
A few hours later, she returned to the Hufflepuff dorms, arriving just before curfew. Cedric and Susan noticed her distress and tried to help her relax with a few games. Cedric taught both her and Susan how to play Gobstones, and for a few hours, spending time with her friends helped her forget her problems.
That night, she visited Dudley to share what she had learned. He was rightfully outraged on her behalf and spent several minutes ranting, trying to stay quiet so as not to alert anyone to his presence outside of his dorm.
She was taken aback when Dudley suddenly hugged her, offering comfort. She was surprised to find herself crying. She didn’t fully understand why she was crying, but once she realized, she began to sob.
In her cousin’s arms, Crystal cried until she had no more tears. “I’m sorry for getting your shirt all wet,” she mumbled as she pulled away.
Dudley scoffed and gently flicked her forehead, smiling slightly at her confused expression. “It’s just a shirt. It’ll dry. You don’t need to apologize. I’m glad I could be here for you.”
Crystal managed a faint smile. After a few more minutes, she left, aware it was late and that Dudley needed his rest. He couldn’t go without sleep as she could.
The following week, she attended classes, learned spells, and had fun with her friends. She kept thoughts of her father locked away in her mind, planning to address it once she found him. Until then, she tried to focus on her life and let the Goblins handle the search.
She saw Madam Bones around the castle, engaging with the ghosts and the Headmaster. The ghosts seemed excited whenever Madam Bones spoke with them, while she appeared frustrated when dealing with the Headmaster. Crystal couldn’t blame her—she would be frustrated too if she had to constantly argue about letting the ghosts go to the Ghost Zone. She dreaded the upcoming weekend, knowing she would have to speak with the Headmaster, who would likely have many questions for “Sapphire Phantom.”
She hoped to avoid the Headmaster, but she knew it was unlikely.
Crystal had texted Danny about their spiritual connection, and he was thrilled to learn they were cousins. Despite the challenges, their bond remained strong. Even after the portal accident and the complications with Vlad, Danny and Crystal stayed close, their shared experiences binding them together.
~ In another place ~
A man with long, messy black hair sat on a ratty old mattress, dressed in clothes that were worn and tattered beyond repair. He stared blankly at the dark, grimy walls of the room, his mind occupied with thoughts of his daughter. He longed to escape this dismal prison and be with her once more.
He had lost track of time, unsure of how long he had been confined in this filthy, claustrophobic cell. No one came to speak to him or to extract information; the silence was only broken by the occasional arrival of food, delivered by house elves.
Reluctantly, he referred to it as his room, though it was more accurately a cell. There were no doors, only a small sink in the corner with a bucket beside it that served as a toilet. A thin, threadbare blanket and a small, uncomfortable mattress on the floor were his only furnishings. The mattress was so bad that he found the floor more bearable.
He sighed and closed his eyes. Even if he had his glasses, the room was shrouded in darkness, making it difficult to see anything. His thoughts drifted to his daughter, Crystal. He hoped that Sirius and Remus were taking good care of her, though he could only imagine it in his mind’s eye.
He pictured Sirius as a fun-loving parent, helping Crystal plan harmless pranks while teaching her the fine line between fun and trouble. Remus, though pretending to be annoyed, would be secretly enjoying the pranks just as much as Sirius. The thought of his daughter laughing as she carried out these pranks with her guardians brought a bittersweet smile to his face.
He wished he could be there, sharing in those moments with his friends and his daughter.
Unbeknownst to him, his best friend and brother had also been imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. He was unaware that Remus had been struggling with his own demons, drowning his sorrows in alcohol for the past decade. He didn’t know that his daughter had been left in the care of his sister-in-law, forced into a life of servitude and neglect. He was unaware of the pain and confusion she had endured, wondering why he had abandoned her and why she hadn’t been worth staying for.
Had he known, his heart would have shattered. But for now, he continued to dream of what might have been, living in the hope that his family was safe and well.