214) Farewell Letter

We moved away from the castle and took refuge in the forest, not too far, but far enough to avoid being discovered. We chatted for a while until lunchtime approached, and then we discreetly returned to the castle.

Everyone went to their respective tables, except for my sister, Luna, and me, who stayed at the Gryffindor table to ask the twins what had happened. When they saw us, they pretended to look angry but quickly broke into laughter and began praising my latest attack, nicknaming it "The Great Weasley Snake Clean-up." Although some weren't thrilled about being hit with "friendly fire," the enthusiasm of the twins and the girls on the team spread to the others, who saw the fight as a victory against Slytherin, who had tried to steal their practice field.

Everything was laughs until Professor McGonagall appeared, her expression announcing that things were about to get serious.

"I can't believe it! A fight on the Quidditch field!" she exclaimed, trying to maintain her composure, though her tone was stern. "Madam Pomfrey has informed me of several injuries. Even Ronald Weasley is still in the hospital wing! I couldn't be more disappointed." She sighed, visibly irritated. "Everyone, stand up and follow me to the headmaster's office!"

The Gryffindors' spirits instantly dropped. Their faces, once euphoric, now showed resignation, and one by one, they began to stand up, accepting the consequences. The girls beside me also started to rise, but I quickly stood and leaned on them to stop them.

"The young ladies who accompanied you as well, Mr. Weasley," added the professor, looking at me sternly. "I've been informed that it wasn't just the two teams involved."

"What? But they had nothing to do with it!" I protested, surprised and distressed. "They didn't even participate in the fight; they were just watching from the stands."

"That's not what your Slytherin classmates have said," she replied with a skeptical look.

"Here we go again!" I responded with resignation and helplessness. "They're lying, Professor. You know they don't like me, and now, with Ginny, they're surely just trying to get them in trouble. Please ask anyone here. They weren't involved."

The Quidditch team members immediately caught the hint, and my brothers joined in, wanting to protect Ginny from punishment.

"He's right, Professor. The girls weren't fighting."

"I don't know why anyone would say otherwise."

"Yes, Professor. Only Red got involved because Malfoy insulted him."

The three girls on the team quickly supported me, and then, one after another, the team members backed my story, driven by group impulse, all supporting the same version. Meanwhile, I made sure to prepare additional evidence, in case this didn't work.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley, but they must still come. It's their word against yours," the professor replied, holding her ground.

"Ask someone who wasn't involved in the fight," I said, directing my gaze toward a spot nearby where Colin Creevey was sitting. "Colin Creevey, you were there too. Tell us, did the girls participate in the fight?"

We all looked at the boy, who turned his head with a bit of fear and stiffness, but then seemed to relax and shook his head. In reality, several invisible clones subtly held him to force the shake, while I used [Calm] on him so it would look natural, avoiding any suspicious behavior.

I got close enough to whisper quietly and activated my auras solely on him, so that the intimidation wasn't obvious to the others.

"Support us, or they might never find your remains, Colin," I murmured softly. "You don't want to spend your days in Gryffindor as a traitor, do you? They don't fare too well there."

Though he was filled with fear, the effect of [Calm] helped him not to show it too much. When Professor McGonagall spoke to him directly, his response came out shaky but not alarmed.

"Is that so, Mr. Creevey?" the professor asked, frowning.

"Y-yes, Professor," Colin replied, stuttering slightly, which could easily be interpreted as simple nervousness in front of the professor.

"He has photos, Professor. He was taking them during the fight," I added after checking his things to remove any photos that showed the girls participating.

McGonagall inspected the photos provided by the manipulated Colin, and though the evidence was inconclusive, I noticed she was somewhat uncertain. However, she still seemed slightly doubtful of our story, so she turned to her favorite student, seeking a definitive testimony.

"Miss Granger, is that true?" she asked in an authoritative tone, like a mother confronting a child caught doing something wrong, putting a lot of pressure on Hermione.

"Professor, I..." Hermione seemed to feel the weight of the entire castle on her shoulders. She anxiously looked at her classmates before letting out a long sigh and finally, as if surrendering, said, "I wanted to participate, but Red wouldn't let us; he told us to stay back." She answered with 'complete honesty', though we all knew how much effort it cost her.

The professor opened her eyes, surprised, and finally stopped pressuring Hermione, which caused several people to sigh in relief. Hermione had really learned to keep secrets since being with me, like with her parents about how our relationship happened.

"Alright, then it seems that only you, Mr. Weasley, and the Quidditch team will need to accompany me to the headmaster's office," McGonagall sighed, clearly not enthusiastic about having to deal with all this.

"Red Weasley!" a voice called from not too far away. "You need to come to the headmaster's office!"

"Severus..." McGonagall turned to see Snape quickly approaching. "I was just about to take them to Dumbledore."

"I'm sorry, Professor, but you'll have to handle this on your own. You can dock points or punish Gryffindor and Slytherin as you see fit," Snape said, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. "The headmaster has already given you the freedom to deal with the fight… but I must take Mr. Weasley, as he has more urgent matters to attend to."

Everyone, including the professor, looked surprised, but they didn't have time to react, as Snape quickly dragged me away, giving me a slight shove to the head as the others watched us, bewildered.

…

In front of the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office, I stared at Snape resentfully for the knocks on my head he had given when no one was watching. For a moment, I thought of saying something insolent, but his serious expression convinced me to stay silent.

Upon entering the office, I saw Dumbledore, accompanied by Fawkes and two other people: a middle-aged man and woman, both dressed in high-quality, somewhat extravagant robes, with severe expressions.

"Mr. Weasley, it's a pleasure to see you," Dumbledore said cordially, though his tone suggested otherwise.

"Is it him?!" the man asked with an authoritative voice tinged with irritation.

"This is Mr. Red Weasley, a friend of your daughter," Dumbledore confirmed.

"What do you want from me, Headmaster?" I asked, confused.

"Tell me, where is my daughter?!" the man demanded.

"Sorry, but I don't know who you are or who your daughter is," I replied.

"I am Kain Farley, head of the Farley family. Now, you will tell me everything you know about the whereabouts of my daughter, Gemma Farley," he insisted, slamming his cane on the ground in fury.

"Calm down, Mr. and Mrs. Farley. Red, you should look at this," Dumbledore said, extending a piece of paper to me.

I approached under the hostile stares of the Farleys, who clearly didn't appreciate me. I took the paper in my hands and immediately recognized it. It was a familiar note, and I began to read aloud:

"Forgive me, but I have to leave; I can't say where. I'm sorry for the trouble this may cause, but this is something I must do; I have no choice. Father, Mother, I'm sorry, but I can't let you find me with the life now growing in my womb. I know you won't understand, and that's why I've decided to run away with the person I love. In a few years, we may see each other again, and I hope you can accept my child and me. To everyone at Hogwarts, thank you for everything you taught me and for taking care of me, especially Professor Snape, my Head of House. I learned a lot from you; thank you. To my friends in the Lair, I hope we meet again soon. Gemma Farley."

"Miss Farley has been missing since yesterday morning," Dumbledore said gravely. "We haven't found her anywhere on the Hogwarts grounds. It appears she has… run away."

"My daughter did not run away! This is a lie! Someone must have done something to her," Lord Farley shouted, interrupting. "This note is a forgery. It's impossible she would write such a thing."

"But it looks like her handwriting," I added.

"Lies! This note is not real," Kain replied, pointing his cane at me. He was actually about to hit me if Snape hadn't intervened, firmly holding him by the shoulder.

"I can confirm it was written by Miss Farley," Snape said with an authoritative tone.

"My daughter is not a whore who runs away! This is false," Kain shouted.

"My girl would never do such a thing," Mrs. Farley cried, visibly shaken.

"Calm down, everyone; the issue now is not whether the note is authentic or not, but the whereabouts of Miss Farley," Dumbledore raised his voice, with an authoritative tone that filled the room. "Red, we called you here because we know you're a good friend of hers. You must know something, right?" He looked at me with that penetrating gaze of his.

"Something…" I nodded, causing all eyes to focus on me. If not for Snape's presence, Mr. Farley might have pounced on me at that moment. "A few days ago, Gemma asked me if there was any secret passage out of Hogwarts, and I revealed one to her. I also noticed she was acting a bit strange since the beginning of this term," I answered solemnly.

"Did she tell you anything else? A place she planned to go?" Dumbledore asked seriously.

"No, I have no idea where she could have gone."

"You're lying! You must know something and are hiding it! Where is my daughter? Everyone says she spends time with you. Surely you did something to her!" Kain Farley shouted, charging at me and grabbing me by the neck, as if trying to strangle me. But suddenly, he flew backward toward the wall. Dumbledore, without rising from his desk, now held his wand and had a deadly look in his eyes.

"You'd better calm down, Mr. Farley. That attitude won't help find your daughter," Dumbledore warned with a threatening tone that made Kain shrink to the ground. "Thank you for your words, Red. If you know anything more, or if Miss Farley contacts you, you should inform us immediately."

"Yes, Headmaster."

"Severus, escort Mr. Weasley," he ordered, maintaining his commanding tone and watching the Farley couple, as if waiting for us to leave so they could discuss privately.

Snape guided me out of the office, but instead of taking me to the common room, he led me to his office in the dungeons. Once there, he sat in his chair and gave me a stern look.

"Did you know about this?" he asked.

"Yes…" I nodded, with a relaxed attitude, different from the one I'd had in the Headmaster's office.

"Is what the letter says true? Is she pregnant?"

"If she didn't lie to me, she should be."

"And the father?" he looked at me with even more inquisitive eyes. There was a spark of suspicion in his expression, as if he considered I might be involved. Something inside him told him I was very capable of doing something like that.

"Don't look at me like that; you can't blame me for that," I retorted.

"So you don't know who it is?" he replied, still doubtful.

"Look, the only thing I can tell you about it is that, if Gemma told me the truth, her child won't be entirely human," I answered.

Snape fell silent, processing my words, connecting the dots, and filling in the gaps in his mind. He was beginning to glimpse why Gemma would have decided to run away, and what it meant for her family, who would never tolerate such disgrace. Although he didn't show it openly, I could see he was concerned about his student.

I left his office, barely holding back a triumphant smile.

---///---

1st Additional Chapter

patreon.com/Lunariuz