𝗗𝗜𝗘 𝗔 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 ☼ 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆

↘︎ chapter twenty-nine

29 | Epilogue

Marley Macmillan was very angry with Professor Snape. But she knew very well that he had deliberately called her Miss Potter because he just wanted to annoy her friends, who he especially hated. They walked in silence to Madam Pomfrey's wing. And along the way, they came across Cornelius Fudge, who worked at the Ministry of Magic and ... Brielle Macmillan.

She was still wearing a hooded cloak over her clothes, but why was she standing next to the Minister of Magic? At least she seemed to have stopped pretending to be dead. As soon as she noticed them, her jaw tightened and Marley's face remained indifferent to her mother's. At the moment, she was much more than angry.

"Thank you, Severus," Brielle spoke, trying to hide her hatred. "For leaving me here wait. I think I could pick up my own daughter."

"How did you know where could I go?" questioned Marley, without looking straight at her mother. She didn't want to because that meant she would cry again and she had just stopped. She wanted to ask why she was so far from Madam Pomfrey's wing, but she gave up at the very last moment. She didn't want to provoke professor Snape's anger. "Just tell me what happens. Are you done being dead, mother?"

Brielle didn't reply to that. Snape was the one to break the nasty silence, with his nastier voice. "It was obvious you would like to go to your common room, Ms. Potter. And how I said, your brother is in trouble."

Marley looked at him fiercely, and Fudge stood still, staring awkwardly. He urged the four to head to the hospital wing. They all walked slowly, and the three adults started talking about something, not interested in Marley being there. The girl learned that Sirius was locked in one of the towers, Harry and Hermione tried to tell what had happened, but Snape claimed they just made up until Dumbledore appeared and kicked them out of the hospital wing because he wanted to talk with them. After Marley left the Shrieking Shack, she had no idea what had happened there.

That's where they got to doors of the hospital wing. They found Dumbledore next to them, then unlocked them and went inside. Harry and Hermione were lying awake in their beds, and Ron slept with a bandaged right leg.

"No, that's no impossible, professor!" exclaimed immediately Snape, his face getting red. "You can't tell Potter is saying the truth! Black is not innocent, right? He couldn't escape if he didn't help him."

"How could they do it, Snivellus?" asked mockingly Brielle Macmillan and the Potion master enraged even more. "If you haven't notice, when Dumbledore kicked us out, he told us he'll lock the door. So they couldn't go anywhere."

Marley just went and sat on the edge of Hermione's bed. The girl met the eyes of the younger girl and saw the gleam and both of their eyes. "Tell me what really happened." she whispered.

"Later." replied Harry with a secret smirk.

"PROFESSOR SNAPE!" yelled angrily Madam Pomfrey, giving Harry and Hermione chocolate. "STOP BLAMING SOME THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN! THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! TAKE CONTROL OF YOURSELF!"

"I'm telling you, POTTER HELPED BLACK ESCAPE!" Snape was too persistent and Marley just rolled her eyes annoyed but grinned. She perfectly knew Harry had something in common with Sirius's disappearance, but still didn't know what it was.

"Hear what you are saying, Severus." Dumbledore said calmly. "It can't happen something like that. I propose to leave them alone and have rest. Ms. Potter needs some rest too. Madam Pomfrey, the girl needs chocolate too. Will you give her, please?"

"Of course sir." smiled proudly Madam Pomfrey and handed Marley the biggest chocolate bar from Honeydukes she had ever seen. The girl nicely thanked the mapron and took a bite of it. While everyone were leaving the hostpital wing, Marley heard Fudge talking.

"Lord, we will be ashamed of the Ministry! Black escaped, Brielle Macmillan lives with a baby from James Potter, oh Jesus Christ!"

A few minutes later, Madam Pomfrey came out and left the four teenagers alone. Ron was still asleep and Harry, Hermione and Marley would talk. The two told her all that had happened after she left - that in fact Scabers turned out to be Peter Pettigrew, that he was guilty of the death of Lily and James and that he was Lord Voldemort's some kind of assistant. Sirius had come to kill him, but he escaped, revealing professor Lupin's secret that he was a werewolf, Brielle hexed Snape and he became unconscious. Marley must have missed a lot of action.

Hermione told the story of the hippogriff Buckbeak, the time-turner necklace, and how they returned in time to save him, as did Sirius. Marley was quite amazed at the whole story and was very happy. She knew, too, Sirius was completely innocent and would never hurt Lily and James. So she hoped one day she wouldn't hate him that much. Not that she hated him anymore.

After they finished their story, the three looked at each other. Marley looked carefully at Harry's gaze, who seemed to be now her younger half-brother.

"I think everything will be different from now." said Marley. "I can't lie but I kind of suspected James Potter as my father, you know. I just didn't want to believe it, because he was the father of Harry. I had some evidences but I wasn't sure about them and--"

"It doesn't matter now, Marley." interrupted her Harry with a nice smile. "No one ever said it will be easy, but I think if we're together, it'll be better... sister."

Marley grinned happily. "I've always wanted a little brother, do you know that Potter?"

"No, but now you have one." Harry smiled wider. So many things had happened that night and secrets of the past had been revealed. Marley didn't know if her mother had prepared new challenges for her daughter's upcoming Hogwarts years, but this time she was ready. And she wouldn't let anything stumble her. "By the way, get used to the surname Potter, Marley. I think you will hear it quite often from now."