Muggle | 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

Chapter 191

I stopped in my tracks, frozen on the spot as I looked up at the man. He was only a few feet away from where we were standing, his hands in his pockets and his usual grin on his lips.

      "Dad!" I cried out and before I could stop myself, I started running toward him without thinking, jumping and bringing him into a hug. "I missed you," I whispered as he held me tight.

       "Woah, careful there, Lexi," Dad laughed, "you're not as light as you used to be. You weigh like a Hippogriff now."

      "Hippogriff?" We heard Kiara say and so we pulled away briskly. "How do you know what a Hippogriff is, Mr. Hooper? Don't tell me you've become a Harry Potter fan too! I thought you hated the movies."

     With that, I turned to face my father, raising a brow at him and folding my arms. "Yes, Mr. Hooper. Do tell us."

      Dad turned to look at me, sighing. "I'll explain everything later. I promise."

     And by that, I knew that he wasn't talking about the Hippogriff reference. He was finally willing to tell me the truth. Something I had been declined for fourteen years of my life.

      "Come on, Kiara. I'll get you home," said Dad, turning to face my friend. "I've called your Mum, she already knows."

      "Oh, thanks, Mr. Hooper." Kiara nodded at him in appreciation.

      If only she knew who he really was...

Once we got into my dad's car, I took the seat next to him in front, while Kiara sat in the back seat, driving in silence as we were getting back home.

"Oh, can you please stop here for a second?" Kiara said as we were nearing a small supermarket. "I promised my mum that I'd buy some milk on my way back."

"Sure," said Dad, parking the car near the supermarket as he was requested.

"Thanks, Mr. Hooper," said Kiara, getting out of the car and closing the door behind her.

I pursed my lips together angrily, gazing forward as I folded my arms grumpily, before turning to face my dad again.

"So, Mr. Roger Hooper... I feel like you've got some explaining to do," I said in mock-sweetness. "Or should I started calling you Regulus Black now?"

Dad sighed once more, turning to look at me sideways with the same grey eyes that resembled mine.

His hair was black, just like Sirius, although it didn't hold the same elegance which Sirius's hair had. And now that I had seen them both, I realized that Dad was slightly shorter than his older brother.

"I know you must be mad at me, Lexi, but —" He started, but I broke him off.

"Mad!?" I scoffed. "Mad doesn't even begin with it, Dad!"

"I'm sorry that I took away your magic, Lexi, but I was doing that only to protect you—"

"That'a not what I'm talking about!" I retorted angrily. "You lied to me! You lied about who you were! You lied about who I was!"

"Lexi —"

      "I understand why you took away my magic. But don't you think I would've understood it back then as well if had just explained everything to me? I deserved the truth about the world I loved as a child. About my world."

      "I know. And I'm sorry," he whispered, avoiding my gaze.

"Does Mum know?" I asked. "Does she know who you are?"

"Yes." He nodded, throwing his gaze away. "She knows who I am, but that's a long story. Although... she doesn't know that you've been sent back in time."

I turned to glare at him. "But she's gonna think I'm still fourteen!"

"I-I'll take the Confundus Charm off you for your mother, but only after I've explained everything to her. Just give me some time."

"I will! I will give you all the time in the world, if that's what it takes for you to tell me the whole story!" I said. "No more lies. No more secrets."

"I can't promise you everything, Lexi," he said in a quiet tone, still looking away. "But I'll try to answer as many things on your mind as I can."

"Okay." I nodded firmly, folding my arms yet again. "I want to know it all; how did you escape Tom Riddle's cave? Why did you run away from the Wizarding world after abandoning the Horcrux in Kreacher's hands? How did you find Mum after all those years and changed your identity? Why did you never tell me about who I was? And why did you send me back in time after taking away my magic?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but had to close it again when we saw Kiara leaving the supermarket with a shopping bag in her hand.

"I'll try to explain everything when we get home," he said before Kiara opened the door and got inside the car.

"Sorry I kept you waiting, Mr. Hooper," she said, closing the door behind her.

"Don't worry about it." Dad smiled at her as we buckled up and started driving again.

The silence between us was deadly throughout the ride, and even the sound of radio and Kiara's every now and then remarks about her broken camera didn't help.

After some while, Dad finally stopped in front of Kiara's house, which wasn't too far away from ours.

She took off her seatbelt and took her fake wand in her hand. "See you at school in two days, Lexi."

I scoffed. "Don't count on it."

Kiara laughed. "You're such an idiot, Hooper."

      A smile crept to my face at those familiar words and I felt my heart lurch as I thought back at Fred and George, and our crazy days at Hogwarts.

      "Yes, well," I grinned, muttering mostly to myself, "that's Professor Snappy for you."

"Professor Snappy?" Kiara repeated, raising a brow at me.

"Never mind." I smiled, shaking a hand at her. "It's a very long story."