I know it's kind of fast, but second to last chapter! Hope you like! :sam:
Chapter 30
My palms went sweaty as I walked down the hallway. Why would Professor Ports want to see me? If he had to see anyone, it should’ve been Tonks. I mean, he’s the one who gave the Ring to her and gotten us into this mess. And now that I think about it, why would I even want to see him?
But before I could stop my feet and turn around to the Common Room, Professor Ports came right down the hallway. “Aww… Mr. Gardner. I’ve been meaning to speak to you.”
Sighing, and realizing there was no escape, I followed silently.
I didn’t even notice we were there when Professor Ports opened the door to his office.
He sat me down.
I looked at him.
What did he want?
And the answer to my question surprised me. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I gave you Mr. Gardner.”
My mouth slightly hung open. Sorry? And after all that he put us through, I was supposed to just forgive him?
“Why’d you do it?” I asked with my head down.
His sad black eyes attempted to bore into mine, but I refused to look at my grandfather. Finally, he stated, “I was scared. I discovered it in the Forest while I was taking a walk. I was trying to find some bowtruckles for the sixth year lesson. And I came upon it, and at first I was enchanted. It glowed with power. But then, after months of holding it, the exhilaration turned to terror. Simple men like me can’t hold such power Mr. Gardner.”
“So you plant it on an eleven year old girl!?!” I was seething. How could he be so heartless?
But he just replied very calmly, and I could see a bit of shame in those eyes. “Yes. I know I was a fool. Tell your friend, Nymphadora, that I’m so sorry. And I hope she forgives me.”
I couldn’t believe this. He was asking me to pass on the message? “Why don’t you tell her yourself?” I said with as much of an even voice as possible.
At this, he took a deep breath, and answered, “Well… let’s say I won’t be at the school much longer.” He then gestured around the room, and I realized something I hadn’t before. In the corner laid a suitcase; and the pictures on his desk, including the one of my mother, were gone.
I almost choked when I said this, “You got fired?”
He smiled bitterly. “Yes. I suppose after putting a student in danger, you don’t get a chance to redeem yourself. So if you could pass on the message, that’d be…”
At that moment, I exploded. “YOU COWARD! TELL HER YOURSELF! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!?! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!”
And I raced out of the room, but not before saying one more thing just out of spite. “And you’re right. Your daughter could be dead for all you know. Well, she is, from giving birth to ME!” And with that last syllable I slammed the door with such force I could feel the whole castle shake. Tears were coming to my eyes. How could this be happening? That jerk. Coward. My own grandfather is probably the worst person I had ever met, and now he knows the truth about our relation.
As I neared the Common Room, I got a shock as Professor Ports appeared from behind a corner. It seemed that perhaps he knew more secret passageways than I could ever imagine. “Bandobras…” for the first time he had called by my first name. A sign of weakness, I thought. But I kept this to myself and allowed him to speak. “Bandobras, I am so sorry. Please… understand.”
And as I stared into his eyes, begging for mercy from his only and newly-found grandson, my heart broke. He is just a very confused old man who needs love in his lonely world. But I couldn’t show my own weaknesses. “I can never forgive you for what you did to Tonks…” But I paused for a moment, changing my course of words. “But I can forgive you for being such a terrible grandfather.”
With that, the old man burst into tears and embraced me very tightly. I found a way to make my compassion show more than my disgust. I let him cry on me for a long time, before I finally told him to let go. Still with tears in his eyes, he asked me to write to him, and I told him I would. Finally, he slowly walked back to his office to finish packing, and I returned to the Common Room to do the same. I had a lot of stuff, and only two weeks to pack it all! |