I should have said next couple of hours. I have finished part one of Chapter 11. It is a really long chapter so that is why it is in two parts. There is a lot to cover, so I hope you enjoy!
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Chapter 11: The Winter Woes: Part 1

Clementine woke with a start. She sat up in the warm and cozy bed she was unfamiliar with and stared around the darkened room. Her sister was asleep above her; the bunk beds in the Potter’s house made a lot more room. She looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was showing 4:37 A.M. She yawned. She must have been dreaming about the scary werewolf attacks again.

She looked outside of the window. Snow was falling heavily. The sill was completely covered with snow, and it was building at a rapid speed. Her eyes were automatically drawn to the brilliant moon; it was full and unusually luminous. Her mind wandered to her poor helpless mother, sitting isolated in a hospital ward- a scary beast but with her own mind. Clementine forced the horrible image from her mind, and curled back up into bed.

Someone was moving downstairs. She could hear hushed voices making their way slowly up the stairs. She stared towards the door. She heard footsteps move toward Torr and James’ room, and their door opened.

“What… What is it,” she heard her brother ask groggily.

“Shhhhhh,” said a voice. Next, the footsteps were moving toward her room. The door opened, and light flooded the room. Ginny was standing in the doorway. Torr was behind her, his eyes half closed and his hand was covering his mouth to stifle an abnormally loud yawn.

Ginny walked over to where Clementine was pretending to sleep. Ginny shook Clementine. She opened her eyelids, and Ginny’s face was very close to her own. It looked mournful. Clementine bolted up, wanting to know, yet not wanting to know, what was going on. She got up so fast that Viktorya was awoken. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and said, “What time is it,” in a slow and cracked voice.

“It’s about your mother,” Ginny started. Every one of the Higter’s were now listening intently. “We just received word from a healer at St.Mungo’s. Your mother is in very serious condition. She has been becoming weaker and weaker over the past few weeks, and this last transformation did not go well. They can’t tell for sure how bad it is until she is back to her natural human state,” she said, with a tone of deepest sympathy. By the look of their faces, she added, “We can take you to St. Mungo’s now if you would like, or you can rest a little longer and we can go in the morning. We won’t know anything more until tomorrow, anyways.”

They just stared. They barely saw their mother a week ago. She seemed fine, but was losing her memory. She couldn’t remember their names, nor her own, but still recognized them as her children. They didn’t know what to say. Torr had sat in the chair at the desk. His face was covered with his hands. Clementine’s mouth was hanging open, and Viktorya sniffed.

“We’ll wait until tomorrow, then,” said Ginny, when nobody answered. “Lets hope for the best.” She hugged each one of them, and then motioned Torr back to his room. Clementine and Viktorya did not say a word to each other, but just slumped back into their beds and fell into an uneasy sleep.

They woke up after what seemed like only ten minutes. It was light outside now, and the snow had stopped falling. Clementine and Viktorya got up, stretching and yawning, and pulled on their Muggle attire. They went downstairs. They found James, Torr, Aden, Lily, Albus, Ginny, and Harry sitting around a very large dining table. They were eating a generous breakfast. Clementine and Viktorya sat, and helped themselves to some pancakes, eggs, and pumpkin juice. Finally, they finished, put on winter gear, and took a portkey to the entrance of St. Mungo’s.

They arrived. They stepped into the entrance so as to get out of the winter storm, now blowing snow into the open door, but which dissipated as soon as it reached the warm indoors. It was jammed packed. Whether it was because of family members visiting loved one’s during the holidays, or because of an increase of needed health assistance, Clementine did not know. They already knew where to go, thanks to their many visits in the recent past. Floor One of St. Mungo’s held those who have creature induced injuries.

They entered the long corridor, with many doors to patient rooms along one side. They passed the room in which there mother had been held all the times they visited her. It was empty, and a healer was inside, waving his wand vigorously. Whatever spell he was saying was cleaning the room, which looked as if someone had decimated it. Clementine tore her eyes from the scene. She didn’t want her imagination to get the best of her.

They continued on their way, and finally met one last door. There was a small window on it, but it was obscured by a screen that had been pulled down over it. Clementine stole a glance at her sister. She looked harried, and she was twiddling her thumbs. The door had a large bone and wand, crossed, on it. A sign hung in the middle of it saying “Emma Higter”. The door was locked.

“Well, I think its safe to safe we should wait here,” Ginny said, looking at the Higter children.

Harry waved his wand and conjured enough chairs for them to sit. Moments later, the healer in the room their mother used to be in moved toward them, looking nervous. He finally reached them. He was short, bald, and was wearing robes of orange. He looked somewhat like a Buddhist monk.

“Hello, hello,” he said, not meeting their eyes.

Clementine’s stomach plummeted.

“We are tending to your mum very tentatively,” he said as he was fiddling with his hands. He addressed Torr because he was oldest. “She isn’t doing well. You, er, can wait in the first floor waiting room, just around the corner here, until we can disclose more information.” He left before anyone could say anything.

They silently walked around the corner, dragging the chairs with them. The waiting room was surprisingly empty. There were only two others inside. They gathered around each other, still as silent as can be. All of the Potter children were there. James sat next to Clementine. Torr eyed them suspiciously, but someone heading toward them caught his eye. A boy with shaggy brown hair, and big hazel eyes had entered the room, and cried “Viktorya!”

Viktorya got up and ran over to Gordon, who pulled her into a big hug, and lifted her off her feet. Torr rolled his eyes, crossed his arms and looked the other way. Clementine just put her head back down, when the nervous healer came back in the room, and asked for Torr. Harry looked at Torr as if he should go with him, but just nodded, and Torr got up and followed the healer around the corner and out of sight.

It was as if the clock was not moving at all and everything was suspended in that moment in time. Finally, Torr came back around the corner, with bloodshot eyes, and a sodden handkerchief. Clementine knew this couldn’t be good. They all looked up at Torr, imploringly. He shook his head, and Viktorya and Clementine simultaneously burst into tears. Their little brother, Aden, had silent tears running down his face. Ginny looked perturbed. Harry was holding and rubbing her hand, looking around at the rest of the kids.

James was comforting Clementine, Gordon was comforting Viktorya. Torr, Aden, and Lily were in a group hug. The healer, who had notified Torr of the news of their mother’s death, motioned them to follow him again. Ginny and the rest of her kids went down to the main lobby to wait for the others. Harry came with the Higter children, knowing that some kind of paperwork would need to be filled out with an adult.

* * *

After several days of learning about her mother’s death, Clementine could not shake the sinking feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. She hardly ate, no matter how much James and Torr tried to persuade her. Harry tried to talk to her, he knew what it was like to mourn, but she could not face dealing with it. Viktorya was quite cheerful despite what had happened. Gordon was staying with them for the remainder of the holiday.

A week after the death, they held a small funeral at a nearby church. None of them were very spiritual, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Their mother’s will was discovered, and in it, she declared her wish to be cremated. She left everything to her children, but they couldn’t do anything about it because they were all underage and had to be under adult supervision. When the ceremony had finished, and they were on their way outside, a Muggle man came up to Harry. He looked familiar, but Clementine could not put her finger on it. He was tall, had brown hair, and green eyes. He looked a bit shaggy, as if he were homeless, but not for long. Harry nodded his head and pointed toward where Clementine, Viktorya, Aden, and Torr stood. The man advanced toward them. He reached Torr first, and held out a hand to shake. Confused, Torr took his hand, and said, “Um, Hi. I’m Torr. And, you are?”

“Oh, right. Of course you wouldn’t remember me. You kids were so young. I regret it deeply,” he said. They still didn’t understand, and it was clear that he didn’t want to explain.

“Well, uh,” he continued, turning bright red, “I am your father. I’m John Orion. “

They just stared. It was evident they never thought that they would meet their father again. Noticing their silence, John talked again.

“I heard about Emma, er, your mum. I came here to make sure you were all… alright. I figured you were staying with that man over there,” he indicated Harry.

“Well, yes, we are,” said Clementine, clearly voicing her dislike at the man who had left their mother to raise them by herself. Viktorya wouldn’t even meet his eyes.

John noted all of this, and he said, “Look, since the day I left your mother I thought of nothing but you kids. But she kept you so well hidden; I could never come near you. I don’t understand it myself. It was like magic, or something.” He stood there scratching his head, as if he were in deep contemplation. Clementine, Viktorya, and Torr all caught each other’s eye.

Clementine whispered into Torr’s ear, “Did he not know our mother was a witch?”

Torr merely shrugged, and looked back at his father.

“So, er, you didn’t know our mum’s secret, then?”

“Secret? What do you mean,” John said, baffled.

“Well,” said Torr slowly, wondering if he should tell him. He decided to. “Our mother was a witch.”

John laughed. “You were always the mischievous one, you were.”

“He isn’t joking around,” cut in Clementine, angrily. “Our mum was a witch, and we’re all students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Except Aden, he is too young, but he’ll be starting next September.”

John still laughed and looked from Clementine to Torr. “Looks like you picked up a thing or two from your brother.”

Viktorya walked away dragging Aden by the hand with her. She marched over to Harry, told him something, and he came back with them.

“Hello, sir,” said Harry, “I’m Harry Potter. And, you are?”

“Oh, er, right,” said John, “I’m John Orion. I am their father.”

Harry looked shocked, but shook his hand.

“So what seems to be the problem here,” Harry said, looking around at the children.

“He doesn’t believe we’re wizards,” said Torr, looking at Harry.

“Kids these days. Can’t believe half of the rubbish they come up with, huh, Harry,” John laughed, clapping Harry on the back. But when Harry did not laugh back, his smile faltered. “You can’t… Can’t, be… serious…” he stammered. Harry nodded his head. Harry pulled out his wand, picked up a stick, and made it tap dance on his hand.

“Blimey! Magic? But… Well, that does explain a lot,” he said, as Harry stowed his wand back inside of his cloak. “Well, er, kids,” he addressed them, “I would like for you to come visit me sometime. Er, as long as you want too. Um, I don’t have a place to live at the moment, but, er, when I do, you are welcome to come stay with me.”

“Our mother left us her house. I’m sure you remember where it is. I think, since you’re homeless, you could live there, until you get situated,” said Torr, determinedly.

“Really,” said John, hopefully. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“You wouldn’t be. We’re staying with Harry for now. We can’t live there without an adult anyways,” said Torr, as he handed his father the keys. John took them without hesitation.

“You kids won’t regret it! You could live in the house now. I’ll be there, I’m an adult.”

“Well, there is a week left of winter vacation. I would like to stay with Harry for that, but I can see us definitely coming home for summer with you,” said Torr, and John’s face lightened up, and he looked a little bit less shaggy.

“I can’t thank you enough. I can’t wait to see you kids,” he said. He gave them all a hug, and waved good-bye.
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Hope you enjoyed. Part 2 should be coming soon! Comments appreciated! Thank you for reading! hope you all have a wonderful weekend!