Start of Winter Holidays Ⅲ

The door leading to Reginald Prince's study had been pointedly left partially open. Rowan quickly took the hint and did not even bother to knock. She simply entered their grandfather's study and shut the door behind her. The enchanted bookcase against the walls is enchanted to house thousands of books without breaking nor stretching. The usual assortment of potions across his various worktables is rather neat and tidy with a hint of dust indicating that Reginald had not recently experimented with potions as he had in the past.

The hidden door in the study leading to Reginald's personal study is firmly locked behind. There is no loose parchment on his desk nor tome indicating if their grandfather was studying nor reading his usual correspondence. The fire burns brightly in the fireplace, but the study did not feel warm at all.

Reginald who is sitting behind his desk merely beckons his granddaughter to come closer and sit down. Rowan obediently sits down and waits for her grandfather to speak first. "Shall we lay our cards on the table, Rowan?" Reginald coldly said not sounding at all like her grandfather, but rather the terrifying wizard that he in fact is.

Rowan's spine becomes rigid at her grandfather's harsh tone, but her face remains carefully blank. "I warned you before grandfather that I am bound in my own manner. Did you believe me to be joking?" She flatly countered with a cool glance of her own.

Reginald's lips twitch for a moment as if hiding a smile or a frown in irritation at his granddaughter's tone of voice. "Be as that may be, there are topics that can no longer be put off."

"Then ask your questions grandfather," Rowan replied, before pointedly leveling to gaze him in the eye. "Grandfather, you would do will remember my previous words for I can only answer that which can be answered."

"I heard the most interesting of tales from a little owl," Reginald taciturnly said as he leaned back in his chair to coldly stare down his nose at his granddaughter. "Apparently, in your first year, Rowan, you dissuaded Lucius Malfoy from holding meetings in the Slytherin common room that was in favor of the Dark Lord. Most importantly the revelation of the Dark Lord's identity as Tom Marvolo Riddle, a half-blood conceived from a love potion used by the pureblood witch named Merope Gaunt on a muggle named, Tom Riddle."

Reginald's lips curl in ice-cold anger at seeing no trace of guilt nor shame on his granddaughter's face. "To further the insult, it would seem a great many purebloods learned of the situation via Abraxas, who had been told as much by his only child, Lucius Malfoy. It is this same detail that led Abraxas to lead a pureblood faction to break away from favoring the Dark Lord know as Lord Voldemort his follower's called Death Eaters, but all others as the half-blood, Tom Marvolo Riddle."

Reginald's attentively waited for an emotional response from his granddaughter, but her face remains still as stone. His dark eyes further darken to dark frigid pools of apathy. "Yet despite this treasure trove of information," Reginald deliberately paused to emphasize his following words, "why is that my granddaughter still failed to mention such important information before or after your grandmother's death?"

Rowan finally lets out a tired sigh and raises her midnight indigo-colored eyes to meet the stern gaze of her grandfather. "Would have my words been of any use?" She drily explicated. "At that time, Grandfather, you ignored my concerns to an extent for grandmother's sake. We both know that grandmother had no desire for the family to meddle in such things."

Reginald's eyes widen in old pain and anger at being spoken to in such a manner. Rowan mercilessly continues not giving her grandfather any room to speak. "Supposing that my concerns had not been ignored neither you nor I could have prevented the attack on Malfoy Manor."

Reginald opens his mouth to protest, but Rowan ruthlessly cuts him off. "I know grandfather that you will argue that spies could have been inserted into Riddle's circle. However, that would be impossible as the half-blood, who you so much disdain is an unrivaled legilimens. It is a talent rare and hard to come by that is more than a match for even that of Professor Dumbledore. After all, Riddle committed his first murder while at Hogwarts right under Dumbledore's nose and still managed to hide his secret from one of the greatest wizards of all time."

Reginald is unable to counter Rowan's words as she continues, "I can assure you that any spy that you might have planted Grandfather would have had every secret torn from their minds, before being tortured in the most of inhumane manners to death. Furthermore, even far more dangerous is Riddle's ability for legilimency without the aid of a wand nor verbal magic. It is impossible for his followers to hide their innermost thoughts, desires, and even memories. Knowing that grandfather can you guarantee that even your mind would be impregnable in the face of such an ability for I cannot promise or guarantee and much less for another. In fact, I am certain that only a few are capable of keeping the Dark Lord out of their mind and those surely can be counted on one hand."

Reginald's lips press tightly together as he pensively taps his fingers one at a time against his desk. The only sound in the study is that of the ticking clock, the crackle of the flames, and the consistent tapping of his fingers against the study. The tapping continues for some time to the point that Rowan was becoming irritated by the sound until his fingers abruptly ceased to move laying still on the desk.

"I will not deny the truth of your words, Rowan," Reginald acknowledge with a stiff tilt of his head. "However, what of after? The resulting attack on Damocles Belby that took his life could have been much more easily prevented."

"The was attack was known and still it was not possible to prevent the death of Damocles Belby," Rowan bitterly snapped knowing full well that Percius had attempted to save Belby only to fail. "You gravely underestimate Riddle, grandfather. The Dark Lord is certainly rash to an extent, but he is equally brilliant and infinitely far more dangerous. Need I remind you again that in his youth, Riddle managed to commit a murder right under the very nose of Professor Dumbledore arguably one of the most powerful wizards of all time. Tell me, grandfather is such a person not at least considered to be threat akin to that of Gellert Grindelwald?"

Reginald's frown further deepens narrowing his eyes at his granddaughter. "You overestimate him, Rowan. With the underworld scattered, the werewolves cured, and the vampire's refusal to aid in the war there is nothing left to ranks of the Dark lord except for those that follow him."

"You think so?" Rowan flatly answered. "Grandfather, you suppose and elect to believe that Riddle is merely a trifling dark wizard that can easily be dwelt with. And yet, he has cost the lives of how many to this day including that of grandmother?"

Reginald visibly stiffens at his granddaughter's words, but Rowan does not soften her words. "You place a limit on the capabilities of Riddle and the reach of his power. But I wonder if you would feel the same way to know that he is capable of gaining allies that not even Gellert Grindelwald was capable of, Giants."

The study grows cold with a dreadful chill. "Giants," Reginald frigidly said as Rowan nodded her head in solemn confirmation. "Giants cannot be trusted."

Rowan's lips press into a thin line at her grandfather's tone of voice. She was friends with Hagrid, and she wasn't about to permit for her grandfather to make such crude assumptions about Giant. Though she knew he was partially correct, but there are good and bad apples in a barrel. Unfortunately, by default to wizardkind giants are all rotten apples. The giant waged war against humanity (both magical and not). The bloody wars had not been fought for naught, and wizardkind had a notoriously long memory

"Once," Rowan steadfastly countered her grandfather, "there were Giants both good and bad. Yet those that were considered good, allies even that aided wizardkind in the war were condemned for their mere shared existence with that of their murderous kin. Would Riddle have been successful in his recruitment if Giants were given some form of rights in present day society? You cannot deny that the giants would not have been easily persuaded to follow him."

"Giants are brutal creatures, who lack the capacity to adapt to a society," Reginald replied with a cold expression. "They are giants for good reason."

"No, that is a bias and incorrect inference on your part, grandfather," Rowan flatly retorted causing Reginald's face to further harden. "Giants are capable of forming their own society and what may seem primitive to us that does not exclude them from forming relationships nor understanding it as such. They are capable of learning languages to read and write and though rare even the use of magic." This rare occurrence happened to be one of the most concerning aspects of Giants. For Giants are dangerous exitances without magic and even more so with magic.