Muggle | 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

Chapter 107

The next morning, I woke up before anybody else and left the common room immediately, making my way over Dumbledore's office.

My head was still hurting and as I walked, I had to revision all that I had found out in the last two days, just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

But at least, things were starting to make more sense now. From Kreacher bowing, to Lupin telling me that 'no matter what you find out, it wouldn't change who you are.' It made sense, because everyone thought that Regulus was an ordinary Death Eater, including Sirius.

     So maybe they were afraid that I would become disappointed of the person I really was. But the truth is, I had never felt prouder.

"Acid Pops," I said when I reached the Gargoyle statue and walked up the staircase it had revealed.

I knocked on the door and walked inside the office after I heard a faint 'come in', seeing Dumbledore pacing around his room with his hands laced behind his back.

"Lexi," he said warmly, stopping to look up at me. "To what do I owe this pleasure? Shouldn't you be going down to breakfast with your friends?"

"There's — there's something I need to tell you, Professor," I said hesitantly.

"I'm all ears," he said, smiling at me.

"It's about my family." I looked down at my feet, thinking about how I was supposed to word this. "I know who I really am, sir. I finally know why I'm here. And I know who has sent me."

Dumbledore's smile disappeared by those words and he walked closer to me, looking at me intently. "Please, do go on..."

       I took a shaky deep breath before I finally said, "My real name is Lexi Dorea Black."

There was a small pause as Dumbledore thought a bit to himself before saying, "From whom do you get it?"

"Er... I beg your pardon?"

"To whom do you relate to? From whom do you take the name 'Black'?" he asked. "Sirius?"

"N-no." I shook my head. "Regulus Black... he is... he's my father."

"But how?" he mumbled in a hollow voice, sounding more curious than surprised as he started pacing once again around the room.

"He faked his death, I think. He changed his name to Roger Hooper. He gave me the Concealment Potion so no one would be able to track me down; specially the Death Eaters. And just two years ago... he made the portal and sent me back to this timeline. To save Sirius."

"I see..." he muttered distantly, standing by his window and looking out, lost in his own thoughts. "Well, their bodies were never found, anyway."

       Their? I frowned to myself in confusion by those words. Who was he talking about?

I watched him warily as he turned around to face me once more, walking forward slowly.

       "So, tell me... just out of curiosity — is 'Lexi' a nickname? Or is it your full name?"

         "It's — it's my full name," I answered, having no idea why he was asking this. "From what my parents told me, my dad had come up with the name 'Alexandra', although my mum thought it was a bit old fashioned, so she suggested 'Lexi'."

        "I see, I see..." and with that, he looked away from me once again.

       If I only knew what goes on in this man's head, most of my problems would be solved, I thought to myself jokingly.

"Where did your family live?" he asked. "As in... where do they live right now?"

"I assume we must still be in England at the moment," I replied unsurely. "We moved to America when I was around three or four, after —"

I stopped myself in mid-sentence before saying 'after your death'.

"—after the war started to get more serious," I continued, which wasn't a lie either. "My dad must've gotten scared for our safety."

"Do you know exactly where you live?" he questioned once more. "I'm rather... curious. I just want to make sure."

"Yes," I nodded briskly. "When we moved back to England again after a few years, we returned to the same house. I lived there until quite recently, before I was sent back here."

"Can you take me there?" he asked, his blue eyes fixed on mine. "To your house, I mean."

"I-I think so."

***

That night after dinner, I went back to Dumbledore's office as promised and he led me to Hogsmeade.

"Do you mind if I used an Invisibility Charm?" he asked and I nodded.

He then took his wand out and tapped it on the top of my head. On cue, I felt an icy cold feeling rush down my body.

I looked sideways at him, but he wasn't invisible to my eyes, though I knew no one else was able to see us now.

"Take my arm, Lexi," he said, holding it up for me.

I knew what was going to come; my first Apparation. But I knew it wasn't going to be much fun.

I had already told Dumbledore the street in which we lived and so I shakily took a hold of his lower arm, knowing he was going to take us there straight up.

"Ready?" he asked and I nodded hesitantly, hoping that I wouldn't get Splinched.

I closed my eyes as I held Dumbledore's arm firmly, and the next thing I knew, a terrible pressure fell upon me. But the next moment, I opened my eyes when I felt my feet hit the ground again.

My stomach lurched painfully and thought I would throw up any second. I breathed heavily a few times, trying to stand up still as I was extremely dizzy.

But at last when I started to feel better, I finally looked around. An overwhelming smile made its way over my face when I saw the very familiar street I had spent most of my life in.

"Will you lead the way?" Dumbledore asked, taking me out of my daze.

Without any other word, I started walking through the familiar way up to our home and he followed me close behind.

        We turned an alleyway after another, until we finally reached our destination.

I felt my heart sink as I caught sight of the beautifully lit house. "There it is," I said, pointing at my home as we neared it through the dark.