Chapter 101: Culprit
Right at lunch time, Rick, Dumbledore and the adult students that were called as witnesses for Umbridge's trial, came back to Hogwarts and entered the Great Hall. Rick was walking side by side with the headmaster, whistling ‘Another one bites the dust’ from Queen. To the students in the know it said a lot about the state of affairs.
After Albus made the announcement that the pink toad was ‘unfortunately’ gone, the students cheered in delight. And everyone agreed that the food tasted better, just from the news. He also made the announcement that Bella would be the DADA teacher until the end of the year.
When evening came Lily believed she had waited enough to know what happened and Rick took her and Bella to Potter Manor.
“Are you finally going to tell me what happened?!” she nearly shouted in his face.
“Yes, yes. Just… One moment.” he replied and called for his mother who made her way to the living room.
“What is this about?”
“It’s about me being arrested and on trial for the murder of the whole houses of those assholes that hurt Lyra. Anything you want to say about that, mom?” The look Rick gave his mother would have made anyone flinch, even Dumbledore. Unfortunately for him, his mother was Dorea Black and she wasn’t intimidated one bit as he got that look from her.
“Not particularly, no.” Her face was stoic but nobody missed her black madness flaring up too.
On the spot, Lily understood what had happened, at least partially, while Bella rushed to Dorea to give her a very big hug and many thanks.
“Yesterday, all the adult Blacks went to put an end to the Blood Feud, Lily. Either they gave me all their assets or they all died but one. They refused. Bella and I used a spell to obliterate their wards then we began to destroy their home. They refused still, so I transfigured a stalagmite and sat each lord on it. They were so scared of being defiled they signed the magical contract on the spot.
Once I had the three contracts witnessed by Frank, Marlene, Ignotus, Draco and Daphne’s mother, I went to Gringotts and had the transfer started. Everything was put inside Lyra’s vault, making her the richest heiress in Magical Britain. Unfortunately, someone believed it wasn’t enough and killed them regardless, nearly killing me in the process!”
At that point, he shot a glare at his mother, who shrugged her shoulders.
“What do you mean?” the redhead asked in confusion, not liking the last port of what she heard.
“The contract stipulated that House Black wouldn’t attack or harm directly, indirectly, physically or mentally the houses, unless in self defense or I would die. It was a clause I added to sweeten the deal and make them sign because I really didn’t want them dead. I wanted them alive, disgraced and suffering. Someone else didn’t agree, obviously. Why I’m not pushing daisies at the moment is beyond me.” he never stopped glaring at his mother the whole explanation.
“I’m part of House Potter, not House Black.” defended Dorea.
Rick nearly lost it. “... You never read the contract! You didn’t know how it was formulated! You took a leap of faith from the idea I had in mind and told you about!”
“I didn’t need to read it to know. Andromeda would have phrased it that way because that’s how those contracts are written. It’s house this and house that. It never refers to family names or family blood. You were quite safe, Corvus.”
“What about going against the wishes of your head of House?!”
Dorea nearly snarled at her only son but her tone was kept cold and firm. “Anyone that hurts our family dies.”
“No! I said nothing about dad because you had more right than I did but this, this is my daughter who is concerned! The decision of how to deal with those assholes was mine and mine alone, mom! Not yours! Now I will have to bloody LIE to Amelia when she asks if I know anything about the murders!”
“Then lie to her,” Dorea shrugged, clearly not caring. “Although I don’t know about what. I did nothing.”
That was the wrong thing to say. Rick drew his wand so fast, no one was able to react when he stunned his mother.
“Rick!” Lily protested and went to Dorea but was held back by her husband.
“She’ll stay stunned until she naturally wakes up or I change my mind. She usurped my authority, Lily. She can’t go unpunished and I need to think of her punishment.
Lily said nothing. She knew no matter what words she spouted, Rick had already made up his mind. The conversation stopped there and he went to visit his daughter who was still asleep magically. He took the seat near the bed and leaned forward to caress Lyra’s face. The swelling was now completely gone, the bruises were fading and her nose was repaired to perfection.
“I had a whole plan, you know?” he said as he felt Bella silently sitting beside him. “A whole plan,” he repeated in a whisper.
He leaned back on his chair and reached for his wife’s hand without looking. He wanted to ask her questions about what to do but he knew he couldn’t appear weak in front of her. Or so he thought. In truth Bella wanted nothing more than to support him.They stayed like that for who knows how long. It was Tipsy that popped into the room to tell them that Amelia was home and she wasn’t happy one bit. With a sigh, he released Bella’s hand and stood up.
“I’m sorry, I have a very angry badger to tame. Tomorrow… Tomorrow, we’ll talk.”
He kissed her temple and stepped out of his daughter’s bedroom to get back to the living room. Amelia was serving herself a glass of firewhiskey and he joined her in the endeavor. Lily was nowhere to be seen and Dorea was stunned, laying on the couch.
“I don’t know.” he said out of the blue to pre-empt her question then drinking from his glass. Just a sip.
“I don’t believe you.” She drank from her glass too but half finished it.
“I really don't. I have… ideas of who it could be but… I don’t want to entertain the thought nor do I have proof.”
“...”
Amelia stayed quiet and finished her glass before serving herself another and sitting on the loveseat. He didn’t have the courage to look at her.
“She did it.” was all she said as she looked at a sleeping Dorea.
If Dorea was taking a nap or simply sleeping she would do so in her own room, not here. The fact that Rick was being evasive about what he knew tickled her even more. That Dorea was technically a Black but legally a Potter made her a very good suspect. She had the motive too, Lyra being her granddaughter but also the opportunity. It would have been easy for the former Lady Potter to get the whereabouts of the victims when her own son and the rest of her birth family already had the information.
“I…”
“Don’t lie to me.” Amelia placated him with a voice she used for suspects. There was no wife here, just the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
“-Don’t want to. What am I supposed to do, Amelia? I don’t want to lie to you and I don’t want my mother to…I’m not even sure! She said nothing incriminating, she didn’t even imply anything!” he roared and turned around to look at his wife.
“You’re not sure but you know. Deep down you know. No one else could have. Lily was at Hogwarts and didn’t know what was happening when I was there to arrest you. Marlene is in France but I doubt she would kill for you. Same for Lily. That left only one person as the culprit. One deeply invested in Lyra’s wellbeing and justice being met. One person not part of the House of Black but which had its best interests at heart. Your mother.”
That stumped him. His shoulders sagged in defeat and he looked at his feet. Wiping his face with his hand he went to sit with Amelia for some reason, maybe get a bit of support.
“I didn’t know. I had… a whole plan to deal with them.”
“The self defense clause. You were hoping they were humiliated enough to attack, giving free reigns to House Black to fight back. Oh, don’t look at me like that. I know how you think. That’s not that difficult when one knows you as well as I do.” the dissatisfaction in her voice when he looked at her as he explained his plan was lighter than what he expected.
“What I don’t understand is… why? You could have…” she stopped to gather her thoughts and think deeper on his reasons. “The Blood Feud would have left one alive. That’s the law. But if they attacked then it’s self-defense and you could have wiped them all out. Their fortune was just a bonu– no it was an incentive for them to attack. You needed them to attack the house of Black with prejudice. Sure it would have been one person at a time but you were not limited anymore to one survivor.” she realized. “Quite Slytherin of you.”
“It was for Bella,” Rick confessed.
She hadn’t seen that coming and gave him a look.
“Bella is still under unbreakable vow. She can’t torture, she can’t murder.”
“She still is?” This surprised Amelia quite a bit. “I thought you’d have rescinded the vow by now.”
“I didn’t. Partly because I forgot, partly because… It was insurance. When I woke her up the day we brought Lyra home she was ready to take all their lives, not thinking about the vow. I knew then that I couldn’t rescind it.”
“So as a wronged mother, you planned to give her a way to circumvent it. Give her what she wanted while keeping her alive and free from prison. Huh… Can’t say it was stupid.”
“What now?”
Amelia didn’t answer him immediately. The question was seriously pondered while gazing at her mother-in-law. “Nothing. I could take her in and interrogate her but… I won’t get anything from her. She has a motive, she has the opportunity but that’s not enough. Unless there is hard evidence, she won’t be convicted. Oh, she could be. With how Fudge is on the warpath after today, I’m sure he’d be able to secure the votes but I’d rather her be free because we couldn’t pin the crime on her than her being convicted because of the corruption of our justice system. And… It’s not like those assholes didn’t deserve it. They should have been sent to Azkaban for life. Had it been Susan… they would have gotten scott free too.”
“... Thank you,” he said after a moment of hesitation.
“Don’t… If I had evidence…”
“I know but thank you nonetheless.”
Rick stood up, took her glass from her hand and went to put it and his back where they belong.
“You’re pregnant, remember? Fire whiskey may not be toxic like muggle alcohol but it’s not good for the baby.” He explained himself when she sent him a glare for taking her glass.
“Being heavy with child should have waited until after You-know-who was dead.” she replied and took his hand to be pulled up on her feet.
“Maybe, maybe not.”
Hand in hand they went to the third floor, on the second they stopped to pick up Bella. Once in bed, the trio quickly fell asleep after such a long day.
Things were a bit hectic in the morning when Dorea woke up. She wasn’t very pleased with Rick stunning her. He shut her up and explained to her how her action messed up everything. Dorea could do nothing but admit that it was better than what she did and was remorseful. Since she took Bella’s revenge, it was Bella who would choose her punishment, Rick washing his hands of it.
After breakfast he went to wake Lyra, who was naturally confused. The one thing her rapists did well, was to obliviate her of the ordeal. They didn’t want to be in a ‘he said - she said’ situation. She didn’t take the news very well. Angry couldn’t begin to describe how she felt.
“They’re all dead. Them and all their families.” Rick told his daughter. “They were knutless and someone finished the job after they signed their fortune away. I put everything in your personal vault.”
“...What about… My status.” his second eldest inquired, unsure of herself. That killed Rick to see her like that.
“Hm?”
“Am I still…”
“The next Lady Black? Of course. Why wouldn’t you be?” His eyebrows creased.
Her tone was bitter. “Because…”
“Lyra…” Rick immediately cut her off and made her look at him by gently grabbing her chin with his hand. “Any boy who is not interested in you because of what happened, isn’t the right sort.”
“... Does… Everyone know?”
“Yes. Unfortunately. It doesn’t change anything, princess.” while he said that with a soft voice, he stroked her hair. “Don’t let… don’t let them pull you down.”
“People will joke, dad! Or… Or take pity.” she snapped in anger.
“And you’re smart enough to put them in their place, humiliating them and making them feel guilty at the same time. People who joke about it aren’t worth the effort. They’re also not smart enough to remember the fact you’re the heiress of an Ancient and Noble house.”
“...”
“I… can only imagine how difficult it is for you, princess.” he began as he sat at the edge on her bed and took her in his embrace. “But I’m here for you nonetheless. So is your mother and the rest of the family. Whatever you need to get through this, Lyra, you’ll get it.”
“I want… I want… That it never happened.” she whispered in her father’s shoulder.
“But I know it’s impossible.”
“I want it too, princess. I want it too. And yes, it’s impossible.”
“... I guess I’ll have to do it the lion’s way, huh? ‘Gryffindor Forward’?”
In normal times, Rick would have chuckled or perhaps even laughed at her jape. Sadly, there was nothing to laugh about.
“Yes and no. ‘Gryffindor Forward’ means moving on and you can’t really do that without dealing with what happened.”
“Good thing I don’t remember anything.”
“... We’ll get through this, princess. I promise.”
“... I know. I refuse to let the knowledge of this experience… You’re right, I’ll put anyone that has something nasty to say about it down. They’ll know that I’m Lyra Black and that nothing takes me down, no matter what!” she said with anger.
“Yes… Yes, you are. Just… Promise me… Don’t go around the bend like your mother does sometimes? Please.”
Lyra chuckled softly and pulled back from his shoulder to look at his face.
“You know I won’t. Mother is already enough for you to deal with, I won’t add to it.”
“Haven’t I the most considerate daughter in the world? What a fortune.” He kissed her forehead for a few seconds. An outlandish fatherly kiss that lasted to convey his love for her. “Do you… Feel like you could… See the others? I’m not asking you to leave the manor and go back to-”
“It’s fine, dad. As I said, I don't remember it, so… I’m not really… It angers me. It angers me a lot but I’m not a mess. I have no problem seeing everyone.”
“Okay. Although… The bruises… they’re fading but are still there. You don’t have to return to Hogwarts right away if you wish to wait.”
“... No. I’ve been away long enough from the Castle.”
“Fourteen and more mature than people twice your age. You’re amazing, you know that?” Rick felt disheartened but also proud.
“I know. I am your daughter after all.” the corner of her lips turned up.
“I matured because orphans have to mature quicker if they want to survive the world. You had a good childhood at least I believe.”
“I did. The best, even. Although… I would have liked my father home more often.” Lyra teased and kissed his cheek after seeing the flash of guilt in his eyes.
She completely pulled away from her father’s embrace and got out of bed.
“Lyra!”
“Yes?”
“You could have waited for me to exit the room so you could dress!”
Rick had his eyes closed and his head turned away from his daughter’s naked body.
“As if you never saw me naked, dad.”
“You were a baby! Not a teenage girl on her way to womanhood! It’s improper!”
“Why? This is my room, I can do whatever I wish in it as long as I respect the rules you imposed. And I wish to be naked right now.”
“Oh my god… Of all the traits you got from your mother you got the exhibitionist one.”
“Hardly, dad. As I said, it’s my room.”
“... Could you please stop trying to embarrass me?”
“I could, yes but that would spoil my fun.”
Had his eyes been opened she would have seen the smirk on his daughter’s lips. She got closer and laid another kiss on his cheek.
“See it that way. Now you know what mother looked like at fourteen.”
“Lyra Druella Virgo Black!” The threat of punishment and disapproval of her actions made her rethink them for a moment. Agreeing that it was pushing a bit too far she went to her closet and quickly put on a T-shirt and shorts, before coming back to grab her father’s hand. “I’m dressed, dad. You can open your eyes.”
“You better not…” He issued a warning.
“I’m not. I’m really dressed.”
Rick hesitantly opened one eye and seeing that she was telling the truth opened the other. “Not funny.”
“From where I stand, it is.” she kept smirking.
“We’ll see how long you’ll keep that smile up when I tell your mother you’re bullying me.”
0.8 second, exactly.
“Now dad, there is no need to resort to threats. We’re all mature people and…”
Lyra realized that she may have pushed the joke too far. While her father was mostly wrapped around her little finger, like he was for all her siblings, her mother was no such thing. Bellatrix Black wouldn’t hesitate to punish her severely from teasing her husband.
“You let me carry you downstairs and I keep my mouth shut?”
“Deal!” she jumped in his lap as she took the olive branch he gave her.
He victoriously grinned and stood up on his two feet, bringing his princess down to the kitchen to have a late breakfast.
“Baby!” Bella’s own grin from talking with Dorea about her punishment turned into an elated smile when she saw her eldest. In a flash, she was on Lyra, hugging her with everything she had.
“Mother!”
“Now, Bella, let her sit down at least.”
She reluctantly did so but sat close to her first born. Protectively. Tipsy made a quick breakfast for Lyra and soon enough the trio went to take the floo to Hogwarts. Rick, however, didn’t leave without giving a kiss to his mother. He was upset with her, furious even but he loved her. It was also an apology for having stunned her the previous night.
They arrived inside Dumbledore’s office who was pleased to see Lyra in good health. He assured her that if she needed time she would have it but the teenager showed how strong she was and declined after thanking him. Bella dragged her daughter away allowing Rick and Dumbledore to talk a bit.
“With Umbridge gone, what’s happening regarding divination?” Rick asked.
“I was hoping for you to continue for the rest of the week. After that it’s the yule holiday and Sybille can start again in January at the beginning of the new semester.”
Rick sighed. “Did she even read the manual to at least appear competent?”
“I hope so.”
“Albus.” Rick said as a warning.
“I strongly advise her to do so, yes. Whether she does or not…”
“I get that she must not get caught by Voldemort and his ilk but at the cost of the children’s education… And don’t tell me it’s for the greater good.”
“I wasn’t going to but you’re correct.” Albus almost huffed in protest but knew at one point in time he would have. After all he already did for decades. “I just wasn’t expecting so many students taking divination and I certainly wasn’t expecting you to… debunk it as the muggles say. I never was particularly interested in the subject myself but I read your textbook and I admit that my conception that you needed the third eye to divine something was blown away.”
Rick knowingly smiled. Almost a smirk. “Tried your hand at it?”
“Why, yes, I did. I found out I have an affinity with astragalomancy. Who knew? I was able to divine the loss of a pair of socks. Not quite an astounding feat of divination but it worked.” Albus replied with amused pride.
Rick shook his head in befuddlement and left his friend’s office. He had a few classes to teach.