Half Blood Prince pt7
For the next few weeks she did classwork nearly all day long while the kids played and hung out. When she was finished she’d have Ro take the work and deliver it to whatever teacher had assigned it. The boy had gotten to know the school in a way that Ryleigh didn’t think she ever would.
“Any other deliveries?” He asked excitedly as he stood in the doorway.
“In a minute you can take this to the potions room if you want.” She said and he nodded enthusiastically. She finished the last question and let her brother take the packet and run out of the room.
He ran happily down the hall toward the dungeon and into the potions room where Professor slughorn was cleaning up.
“Professor?” Ro called and he turned around.
“Yes?”
“These are from my sister, she’s stuck in our rooms with a broken leg, but she really loves potions so she did your work anyway.” Ro explained as he handed the packet to the professor.
“Right yes.” Slughorn said and took the papers. “I’ll look these over right away.”
Ro smiled then ran out of the room.
Xx
Finally she was able to get the large cast removed. She still had to use crutches to get around but at least she could get around.
Still McGonagall didn’t want her going to classes yet, saying how last time she’d been on crutches she’d had the Weasley twins to carry her around. Reluctantly she agreed to wait until she could walk to return to classes.
By the end of February she’d finished all her makeup work and gotten rid of the crutches. She still couldn’t really manage the stairs but she did start going to any classes on the ground floor. Which was limited to pretty much transfiguration alone but it was better than sitting in the living room just off the classroom.
March came and Ron was poisoned, she wanted to go and visit him but she couldn’t make it up the stairs yet.
A week later Luna asked if she wanted to come to the quidditch match she was commentating on but Ryleigh knew she couldn’t make it up the bleacher.
“Can we go?” Ro asked.
“If Professor McGonagall will watch you, Luna will be busy and Ginny is playing.” Ryleigh said.
“I don’t wanna go.” Quinn said.
“Okay, so you stay with me and Ro, you go and ask the professor.”
Ro ran off to find the woman with a wide smile. He located her in her office filling out paperwork.
“Excuse me?” He asks sweetly and she looked up.
“How can I help you Ro?” She asked.
“I wondered if i could go to the quidditch match with you?” He asked.
“Well of course. Does your sister want to come as well?” She asked.
“No, she’s not much into quidditch, thinks it’s to ‘violent’ she’s like Ryleigh that way.” Ro said and the woman laughed.
“Yes, in the 5 years I’ve known your sister I don’t believe I’ve seen her more than 2 or 3 games.”
Luna emerged then from the living room. “And only those because Ginny or I made her come. Mostly Ginny.”
Xx
She and Quinn had a nice time, they colored pictures together and then Ryleigh worked on some DADA work while Quinn played with her owl, Beau hated the thing with a passion and Quinn found it quite amusing so she’d hold up the bird stuffy to the real bird and Beau would try to nip at it.
“Ryleigh!! Someone cracked Harry in the head with a bludger!” Ro cheered as he entered the room, his lions hat from Luna still firmly on his head.
“What? Is he okay?” She asked.
“He’s in hospital.” Ro said.
“I’m pretty sure that he’s there more than me.” She huffed under her breath. It had become something of a competition between the two of them, who could stay out of hospital longer.
“Maybe he is, but yours are worse.” Luna said as she entered.
“Who won?” Quinn asked.
“Hufflepuff.” Luna and Ro both said.
Xx
She didn’t make it up to see Harry but she did see them both a few days later in the great hall.
“Coming back to classes?” Harry asked as he took a seat next to Hermione.
“Finally.” She huffed. “Probably be late to every one cause it’s still annoying to get around.”
They laughed.
“Better get going if i’m gonna make it to defense.” She said as she gathered her things.
She still had a noticeable limp as she made her way out of the great hall and headed to the tower.
The DADA room was different than last year, no surprise really, the curtains had been drawn and it was lit with only candles, dark photos hung from the walls and Snape was seated at the desk. She was remarkably early, or everyone else was late, either way she made her way to the front.
“I like what you’ve done with the place.” She said as she walked down the isle.
He looked up, “welcome back Ms Walsh.” He said, ignoring her comment.
“No really it’s the perfect defense against the dark arts energy.” She said as she took a seat with a slight wince.
“Are you quite well?” He asked.
“New normal- Pretty sure it’ll be permanent, Madam Pomfrey hopes it’ll lessen but I actually think it’s from the cruciatus curses not the leg.” She explained.
He hummed but didn’t say anything.
“I have some makeup work for you.” She remembered and dug through her bag to find the work, then went to stand and bring it to him but he was already standing in front of her.
“Oh, thanks.” She said and handed it to him as other Gryffindor students started filing in. Ginny took the seat next to her with a quiet “hi.”
Xx
“Professor?” Ryleigh asked one evening as they sat in the living room, Ryleigh was filling out her potions homework and McGonagall was filing paperwork.
“Yes?” She asked.
“I wondered… well seeing as I’m doing better now. I was wondering if I could take the kids back home… and have a service for my mam.”
McGonagall put down her paperwork.
“Of course. I can make the arrangements for you. The headmaster and I already informed her work of her passing and collected the household belongings into storage. The house belonged to your grandfather so it is left behind for you when you come of age.”
“Just something small, her friends…” she said.
“We can just have it at the house… I just want to have something for everyone to… recognize her…” she said.
“Of course, I’ll handle it for over Easter holiday.” McGonagall said, “you might invite your friends, it’d be good to have some company.”
Ryleigh nodded. “Thank you Professor.”
Xx
“I wondered if you’d come home with me for my mams memorial?” She asked Luna quietly as they sat in the Astronomy tower looking out at the night sky. It was the first time she’d been able to make it all the way up.
“I’d love to” Luna said.
Ryleigh snuggled into Lunas lap, “thank you.”
Ginny joined them a few minutes later.
“What are you doing up here all lovey dovey?” She asked as she sat across from them.
“Waiting for you.” Ryleigh said. “I’m having a memorial for my mam over Easter holiday. If you’ve not got plans id like you to come.”
“I’ll be there.” Ginny said, “are you inviting the trio?”
Ryleigh shrugged, “I don’t think they’d wanna come, they didn’t know her.”
“They know you, they care about you.” Ginny said.
Ryleigh shrugged and fiddled with the necklace, tracing her fathers initials with her thumb.
Xx
McGonagall had told them to be in her office on the 25th at 9 am as to not startle any muggles when they used the floo.
She, Ro, Quinn and Luna were there already when Ginny and the trio appeared.
“Hi.” She said softly, “thanks for coming guys.”
“Of course Ryleigh.” Hermione said and gave her arm a squeeze. They flooed to her house, McGonagall had already arranged for food and drinks to be set out.
“People will be arriving at noon, if you kids want to get ready.” She said. “I’m going to clean up and set a few more things out.”
Luna and Ginny led them all upstairs while Ryleigh lingered behind.
“Professor, I… thank you so much for doing this.. for everything that you’ve done for us… I don’t think I have truly said that.” She said. McGonagall smiled kindly at her.
“Ryleigh, you are an exceptional girl and those children are exceptional as well. None of you have deserved the life you’ve been dealt and if offering you a bed and come company could improve you livelihoods at all it’s the very least that I can offer.”
“Can I.. give you a hug?” Ryleigh asked.
Minerva opened her arms and the girl hugged her gently.
“Go on and get ready now.”
As Ryleigh walked along the staircase of her home and looked to where family pictures once hung, now empty, packed away. She could practically hear her mother calling them down for breakfast, smell the pancakes cooking… She shook her head and made her way up the stairs as quickly as her body would allow. Most of their furniture was still there but the decorations had been all packed away or moved to her room at Hogwarts. Ro had apparently taken Ron and Harry to his room while Quinn and the girls were in Ryleighs.
They’d already changed, Luna was wearing a black dress with dark blue stars embroidered all over the skirt, tights and her red sneakers.
Ginny wore a classic black dress with short sleeved and a sweater, and black flats while Hermione had gone for black slacks and a black sweater.
They’d put Quinn into a lace sleeved black dress and tights with a pair of flats as well and Luna was fixing her hair.
“Your outfit’s over there.” Ginny said pointing to where they’d hung up her dress from the closet door.
“Thanks.”
She quickly changed, while they looked away, the dress had tank top sleeves and went down to just above her knees. She hadn’t wanted her scars showing so under the dress was a turtle neck and she pulled on a pair of knee high boots.
“I could do your hair for you?” Ginny offered and Ryleigh nodded.
Ginny took some spray and a comb and had Ryleigh sit at the desk chair.
“You need a hair cut.” Ginny said teasingly, her hair was long before but now it was past her waist and she sometimes sat on it when it was down.
“I like it long.” Luna said from the other side of the room and Quinn nodded in agreement.
Ginny carefully pulled the front bits back into two small braids, leaving the bottom half of her hair curly and down.
When they were all ready they still had an hour until people arrived so Ryleigh suggested they walk down to the beech.
Ro and Quinn opted to stay at the house with McGonagall as did the trio so just Ryleigh Luna and Ginny went down.
“This is my favorite place on the planet i think.” Ryleigh said as they sat on the flat rock.
“It’s beautiful.” Luna said.
Xx
At noon the girls were back at the house, and people began arriving right on time. Erin’s friends from work and their neighbors.
The elderly woman from next door walked up to Ryleigh with a sad smile.
“Where have you kids been staying?” She asked.
“Um…” Ryleigh said awkwardly.
“Pleasure to meet you Ma’am, I’m Minerva. The children have come to live with me in Scotland. I’m their great aunt.” McGonagall said suddenly at her side.
“Oh how kind of you. And you were Ronans sister then?” The woman asked.
McGonagall nodded.
“Such good people, such a terrible loss, Erin was so good to me, would always bring in my groceries from the car and help me put them away.” Ryleigh nodded. “So tragic…” the woman tsked.
“Thank you Mrs. Greene.”
Then a group of Erin’s work friends greeted her.
“We we’re so worried, when she stopped coming in. She’d of course told us about your father Ryleigh and said she’d be taking a few weeks off but when she didn’t come back…” one said.
“I’m so sorry for your loss, both of them. If you need anything you just call me alright?” Said another.
Ryleigh nodded. “Thank you but we’re staying in Scotland now so it’s a bit of a distance.” She explained.
By the middle of the afternoon people were packing up and Ryleigh realized she hadn’t seen at least two people she’d been expecting. One being her mothers best friend and the other Quinn and Ro’s father Liam.
That is until she walked from the living room into the kitchen were she did in fact find Marina drinking a glass of whiskey.
“Hey kid.” She said with a sad smile.
“Hey Mari.” Ryleigh said back and jumped up to sit on the counter with a grunt.
“Hurt?” She asked.
“Eh it’s fine.” Ryleigh said back. She’d always been close to Marina but since her time at Hogwarts had only seen the woman a few times in the last few years.
“How’s magic school treating you?” She asked and Ryleigh elbowed her.
“You’re not supposed to know about that.”
“Ryleigh.” Marina said seriously.
“Marina.” Ryleigh said back.
“How’d she die?” The woman asked.
“I don’t think…” Ryleigh said as Minerva entered the kitchen.
“I don’t believe we’ve met.” The older woman said, “Minerva McGonagall.”
“Marina Murphy. Best friend of the deceased.” Marina said and Ryleigh laughed but McGonagall didn’t seem amused.
“Sorry, dark humor.” Marina corrected. “You’re one of Ry’s teachers right?” Marina asked and McGonagall raised a brow.
“She knows.” Ryleigh supplied.
“So I gathered.” The woman said.
“Sorry Ryleigh, you don’t have to… I was just… are you sure? I mean they told us her body was unrecoverable.” Marina said.
“I’m sure.” Ryleigh said, her voice sounded sort of hollow as she said it.
“What happened? Where did you all go?” Marina asked.
“Ryleigh I can supply sufficient information in your place if you don’t feel comfortable…” McGonagall offered.
“No, it’s fine.” Ryleigh cleared her throat. “We were taken, I don’t remember how. We were sleeping I think… when I woke up we were in a sort of cottage, tied up, I didn’t have my wand.”
Marina placed a hand on her leg.
“They moved us around a lot, different places, buildings. I still don’t really know… why… something about my grandmas family… I think maybe the guy was some kind of relative of ours.. pure blood maniac.”
“Pure-blood?” Marina asked.
“A delusion within the magical community that someone come from an entirely magical bloodline. Ryleigh would be considered “pure-blooded” by most but some might consider her “half-blooded” due to her mothers non magical abilities.” McGonagall explained.
“Grandma and grandad were both magical.” Ryleigh clarified.
“Yikes.” Marina said with a laugh and wink to Ryleigh.
“Anyway, they took us to this one place and … a friend of mine found us he he was… undercover? So he got the little kids out… and I’m so grateful for that, but it kind of — complicated the situation and my cousin?, another maniac, she— well she killed mam.” Ryleigh said. “She’s the same maniac who killed my dad too.”
“Oh ry…” Marina said.
“It’s fine. I mean, it’s not but… she knew, and she was… grateful that the kids were somewhere safe…”. Ryleigh said.
“You know who it was?” Marina asked and Ryleigh nodded.
McGonagall watched them, of course she wanted to know who dropped the children off to her for sure but she wouldn’t press for that information, especially seeing as she was confident in her suspicion.
“He- I mean- they wanted to get us all out but that would have blow their cover and ruined their only chance of stopping what’s happening…”
“It’s rather complicated.” McGonagall said.
“Right..” Marina nodded.
“The point is I’m sure Mari. I held her. She died they just… took her body away.” Ryleigh said, “I don’t know what they did with it.”
“I’m sorry hon…. I shouldn’t have asked.” Marina said.
“No. You had the right to know. That’s been the first time I’ve fully…” Ryleigh shrugged.
“If you kids ever need anything—“ Marina said, “Scotland’s not that far away.”