Forgotten Girl

Cemeteries and Secrets

"What do you need to tell me, Aunt Thia?" Lilli met her aunt just outside the Hospital Wing, dressed in her warmest cloak. Thia shook her head, glancing around them.

"Not here, love. Later." Thia led her through the wing, towards Madam Pomfrey's office. 

"Lilli? What are you doing here?" Lilli turned to one of the beds, surprised to see Leo there. Thia raised an eyebrow at her, nodding to him.

"Leo, this is my aunt Thia, Aunt Thia, Leo," Lilli introduced them, "We're going to my parents' graves."

Leo made a soft noise, nodding. There was something sad in his eyes as he reached out and patted her hand.

"What are you doing in the Hospital Wing?"

"Ah, something's up with my heart. Madam Pomfrey wants me here until her potion is done." Leo shrugged, noticing Thia was watching him closely, "Is something wrong?"

"You seem so familiar," Thia mused, taking in his dark hair and bright blue eyes, "I just can't think of where."

"He was one of your patients," Lilli said, "Back when I was little."

Leo nodded, adding, "My magic went haywire and blew up my house." Thia's face tightened as she remembered.

"Yes, I suppose that would be it." Something in her voice said she thought that wasn't all, "Come along, Ellie, we've got to go."

"I'll visit later," She promised Leo, following her aunt. He waved goodbye, watching as they disappeared.

~

"What's Leo's last name?" Thia asked as they stepped out of the fire and into Bathilda Bagshot's living room. The older woman smiled kindly, waving them through. As they walking into the brisk November air, Lilli shrugged.

"He uses Jones, but he was abandoned at an orphanage when he was a baby. That's the name the orphanage gave him. Why?" Thia hummed in response.

"He looks so like two kids I went to school with, Cass Hamilton and..." She shook herself, "Which reminds me. We need to talk."

They settled on a bench beneath a statue, which morphed when they approached into a memorial for the Potters. Lilli's heart twisted a little.

"What I'm about to tell you, Ellie, is something that Remus and I have never outwardly agreed on," Thia sighed, looking up at the statue, "Although I think he knows I'm right. He just doesn't want to believe me. Nobody does."

"Believe what?" Lilli was very confused.

"You know that officially, Sirius Black was the Secret Keeper for your parents." she nodded, "He wasn't. Peter Pettigrew was, except only three people besides Lily and James knew. Peter, Sirius, and me. I was insurance in case something like this happened.

"Remus and Sirius were on the outs at that point. They had both accused the other of being the spy. Then Sirius took it too far and blamed Remus's lycanthropy. Rem pointed out that Sirius was a Black, and just like that, they weren't friends anymore." Thia sighed.

"But why didn't anyone believe you?"

"I was never given a chance. Sirius had no trial, and Dumbledore didn't believe me. Told me I was confused, and looking for someone else to blame. But just remember, Ellie, Sirius is innocent. No matter what anyone says."

"Then why did he break into the school yesterday?" 

"What?" The blood drained from Thia's face.

"He tried to get into Gryffindor Tower. Slashed up the Fat Lady's portrait. Everyone thinks he was trying to get to Harry." Thia frowned, one hand tapping her leg.

"No, no... Unless..." Thia shook her head, "No matter. Come, let's go for a visit."

~

"Was he innocent?"

"You'll have to wait and see, ma chérie. It's a story, and what kind would it be if I spoiled it?"

"But, Mum..."

"Leave it, love. We'll get there eventually."

~

"So, why was your aunt so freaked out earlier?" Leo asked, eating his supper across from Lilli. They sat on his bed in the Hospital Wing after Lilli had returned alone. Thia had needed to go straight into work. 

"She thinks you look like some kids she went to school with," Lilli looked up to see the flash of light in his eyes, "Cass Hamilton was the only name she said."

"Hmm." They fell into a soft sort of quiet, only interrupted by the clinking of their silverware. 

~

Meanwhile, in Otterton...

"May I help you, sir?" An older woman answered the door, shooing away younger children. The man smiled, straightening his coat.

"Mrs Graves? My name is Jonathan Cross. I'm a private investigator." Mrs Graves smiled, opening the door so he could step in.

"Right this way." They entered an office space, settling across from each other, "How may I help you, Mr Cross?"

"My client is searching for a boy who was left here thirteen years ago. He was a newborn at the time," Mr Cross pulled some papers out of a briefcase, "Left here on June 14th, 1981. Probably has dark hair and blue eyes."

Mrs Graves rustled through a desk drawer, pulling a file out, "Ah, yes. Here he is."

"Has he been adopted?" 

"No, although he is away at boarding school. I assume your client is related?"

Mr Cross nodded, "She wants to regain guardianship of him, and is willing to do whatever you think is necessary." The woman nodded, thinking.

"She would have to go through the normal adoption process. Easier than trying to prove relation and custody. I will need to meet her in person and she'll need to have a background check done. Have her call me at this number, and we can set up a meeting." 

Mr Cross took the business card and stood, thanking the woman. Just as he stepped out onto the porch, he asked, "What's the boy's name, now?"

"Leo. Leo Jones."

~

"Why did we decide to come?" Lilli asked mournfully as they settled in the stands, an umbrella trying its best to keep the rain off. Winna shrugged, her teeth chattering a little.

"I believe it was Leo's idea," Nymphea said from Winna's other side, "Although I think even he's regretting it now."

Leo collapsed beside Lilli, glaring at Nymphea, "Yes, and yes. But I've bet Michael Corner a galleon that Hufflepuff would win. I'd like to be here to rub it in his face."

Three agonising hours. That's how long they spent in the pouring rain, trying to make out the quidditch players as they soared through the sky. The first time-out was called an hour in when the lightning first began. Winna had begun to grip Lilli's frozen hand at that flash of light, and never let go of it.

Then, Cedric Diggory was rushing through the air, having caught sight of a glint of gold. And the crowd was on their feet, cheering on their teams. But, one by one, a creeping sense of cold slithered into them and they fell silent. Far down on the grass, a flood of hooded creatures was swarming the field.

Lilli barely had time to think, Not this again, before the world went dark around her and she crashed to the ground.