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Rose couldn't stop observing Oscar Dande. The boy looked quite a bit like Leon and even acted like his traitorous ex-student, but the headmaster had checked his records. The boy's family came from the Crown Tundra, so he could not be related to Leon Dande and was unlikely to be connected to the Eternals. So he changed his focus to the other student of concern: Gail Rosa.
She wasn’t supposed to go into Slytherin! That was the whole reason he placed her in that orphanage in the first place. Freshly orphaned with no relatives nearby at the time, it was the perfect opportunity to separate her from her bloodline’s dark legacy and give her a chance at redemption. She was supposed to be a Hufflepuff or perhaps Ravenclaw.
But Gail was in Slytherin. All that effort keeping her away from the Dark gone to waste.
That couldn’t be allowed to stand.
Oscar sat down on the right side of the Potions classroom with Laurel and Gail. Jordan and Beckett sat down in the row in front of them. The other Slytherins soon joined, followed by the Gryffindors, who took the left side of the room.
The doors swung open and Professor Nessa Yarrow stalked inside with her gray robes billowing around her. Oscar understood why some students called her a ghost behind her back.
"Quiet," she hissed. The room fell silent. "You're here to learn about Potions, not talk about Gobstones. Open your books on page twenty-six and begin. Ingredients are on the front row. Now."
They all scrambled to get their ingredients while the woman strode over to Oscar.
"You're going to do a slightly harder potion than I had planned."
"What kind of potion?"
"The Inheritance Potion," she replied with a smile. She handed him the parchment with instructions. “I've already put out your ingredients."
Several of the Gryffindors saw this and one girl with curly white hair spoke up:
"Um, professor?"
"Yes, Miss Beterra?" Nessa said, already annoyed.
"Why is that boy getting a special potion?"
"This boy happened to have a private tutor when he was younger and therefore more developed in Potions." The Potions Mistress stood up straight. "He will be doing a special assignment for a third-year potion. I will not waste his gift by making him do potions he has already done years before. Now get to work. Mr. Dande, in the front."
Oscar did as asked and went to the front row. The Gryffindors eyed him warily but he ignored them. He picked out his ingredients and went back to his seat. Laurel peeked at the paper Nessa had given him and mouthed, Already?
Oscar nodded, Laurel poked Gail, whispering something. Gail lit up and looked at him. He only nodded and began to prepare his ingredients.
By the end of the class, Gryffindor had lost thirty points for messing around instead of working. Oscar shook his head as they walked out. He had done half of the potion and Nessa promised to finish it. Soon, they would see if Gail was really a Muggleborn.
The Slytherins got to Astronomy early. Their classmates continued to discuss something that happened in Potions while Gail cast a silencing spell around the three of them.
"How was the potion?"
"It was a bit tricky," Oscar said thoughtfully. "And it had to be precise. Nessa wrote that one tiny mistake would make it blow up. That's why I only got around doing half of it. The rest was a bit too hard for me. She promised to do the rest and she'll tell me when we can go down and test it."
"Wicked." Gail canceled the spell as the Ravenclaws came in.
Later that evening, Oscar and the girls were sitting in the common room when Nessa stepped inside. The students murmured a “Good evening, Professor Yarrow,” at her before continuing with whatever they were doing.
"Mr. Dande, Miss Rosa, and Miss Tate. Would you mind coming with me?"
They packed away their things and followed their professor. She passed through her office and into her staff quarters, specifically a living room. Two potion bottles waited on the table.
"The Inheritance Potion will tell you where you came from. Oscar began one today and I finished it and another a few hours later," Nessa explained. "I will check with Laurel's blood before you use it, Miss Rosa."
"Call me Gail, professor."
"Gail. Laurel, your hand."
The purple-haired girl held her hand out and Nessa made a small cut on her palm. Two drops of blood trickled into one of the bottles. In mere moments, the clear-blue potion turned bright red. Nessa poured the potion onto an empty piece of parchment and two names appeared.
"Hop Dande and Gloria Tate. It's working. Gail, your hand now."
The girl held out a hand and the same procedure followed. Nessa healed both cuts and the second potion turned a fiery orange. Two names formed on another parchment.
Oscar couldn't believe his eyes. He knew one of those names very well.
"Raihan Kibana and Cara Ryujin," Nessa read out shakily.
"Are they Purebloods?" Gail asked nervously as she looked at her parents' names.
"Yes. Kibana and Ryujin are two well-known Pureblood lines associated with dragons," the Potions Mistress said slowly. "There aren’t many Kibanas left. The Ryujin family has all gone into hiding, because they are wrongly accused of Dark activities. One is a known Light wizard in Paldea."
"I'm a Pureblood." Gail fell to her knees. "I'm a Pureblood and I had to grow up with Muggles."
Oscar was breathing quickly. This was not happening. That bloody, meddling fool… His hand itched for his wand and someone to curse. Laurel’s face was red and her nails dug into her hands hard enough to draw blood.
"Oscar? Laurel?” Gail asked faintly. “What's wrong?"
Nessa knelt down on the floor next to her.
"You know who Oscar’s father is," Nessa began slowly. Gail nodded, still staring at her friends worriedly.
“He’s the Dark Lord. Eternatus.”
"Yes. Your father, Raihan... is his best friend and second-in-command."
Gail’s jaw dropped and she finally looked at her teacher. Nessa’s voice was dark with anger.
“His daughter, Ruby, was born two months after Oscar. You were often babysat together while your parents were on missions. Then, one day when Ruby was three… Raihan’s home was raided while he was away. Cara was killed and their daughter disappeared. We thought they were both dead.”
“You’re our cousin,” Oscar hissed. They turned to see him pale with fury. “You’re my cousin as much as Laurel and the twins are- Rose placed my cousin in a Muggle place? Knowing she had a family?!"
Nessa jumped up.
"Oscar, calm down!"
But it was too late. Magic energy began to blow in the room and Gail yelped. Laurel, finally shaken from her shock, rushed forward and hugged him tight. He didn’t respond. She grabbed the locket around his neck and opened it.
"Uncle Leon!" she yelled. "You need to come here, please!"
The wind did not stop since Oscar didn’t register what she was doing. Black smoke billowed out from the small mirror and Gail got her first look at Oscar’s father. Long purple hair that fell wildly past his shoulders, amber eyes that were normally cold and calculating filled with fear. His whole body was tense, like he expected an enemy. He stood there, disoriented, until he spotted his son.
He pried his niece away from Oscar and pulled him close. Almost immediately, the wind died down. Nessa backed away a few steps.
"What happened?" Leon demanded.
"We found out who Gail's parents were," Nessa answered.
"And?"
"Raihan and Cara, Leon."
He went rigid and snapped his head from the two children to stare at her. The woman only nodded to confirm his silent question. The Dark Lord slowly shifted his eyes to the small black girl.
Gail had the same dark skin as both Nessa and his dear friend. She had his thick black hair. She had the blazing eyes of the Ryujin Clan. Her parted lips exposed pointed teeth, a well-known trait of both lines.
There was no doubt about it.
"She’s Ruby?"
"Yes," Gail said instead of the Potions Mistress. "I am. Oscar said you know my father?"
“I do,” he replied softly. “Raihan’s my brother in all but blood. The loss of his family devastated him.” His arms tightened protectively around his son. “To think that man kidnapped you… He should have had the decency to at least put you with your mother’s family if he’s as Light as he claims. Never a bloody Muggle orphanage-!”
Leon bit his lip, hanging on to his self-control by a thread only so he wouldn’t scare the son already trembling in his arms.
“What’s going to happen to me now?” Gail asked quietly.
“Raihan is currently in Johto on a mission for me. I’ll call him back; he’ll be thrilled to see you again, alive and well.” He gave his pseudo-niece a small smile. “By Christmas break, you’ll be back with your father, where you belong.”
Her orange eyes brimmed with tears.
“I have a real family,” she whispered, rubbing her eyes. “What’s my name?”
“Ruby Clementine Kibana,” Leon answered softly. “A bit old-fashioned, but Cara insisted it was tradition for children in her clan to have orange names.”
“It’s silly, but pretty,” Oscar said. They all looked at him as he finally came back to himself.
"You gave us quite a scare," Leon murmured.
"It just made me so angry. She’s one of us and she's been living like a Muggle."
"But she'll have a good life soon," Leon tightened his hold. "I need to go soon or the bastard will notice me."
Oscar wrapped his arms around his father's neck.
"What if I don't want you to go?"
"Stop. You know I can't stay, but I'll always be a shout away and you'll be home before you know it." Leon smiled gently and set him down. "Oscar, watch for your cousins. Nessa, keep me informed. And perhaps teach Ruby Occlumency. She needs to hide a lot from Rose now."
"As you wish.”
"Wow!"
Oscar shuffled into his room after Ruby. As promised, she had come home with him for Christmas. Her eyes were round as she spun around to look at all the books. She had never seen a child with so many books in their room.
"Did you do anything but read before school started?"
"Ha ha, very funny. Yes, I actually did."
"Like what?"
"Stuff."
"You're not telling me!"
"I did a lot! I can't remember all of it," Oscar protested, knowing how spoiled he sounded. "I've traveled with Mum and Dad."
"Oh?" She turned around to look at him. "Where?"
"Lots of places." Oscar sat down on his bed. "I've been to at least seven regions."
"Amazing… Which regions have you been to?"
"Let's see if I remember them all. I was pretty small the first time I went somewhere. Last year we were in Kalos. Then there was Sinnoh, Hoenn, Unova, Alola, and some of the Indigo regions."
Ruby stared at him with wide eyes. "You've been to so many places..."
"You'll see them too."
"Really?"
"Sure." Oscar’s blue eyes met her orange ones. "I've known Raihan for as long as I can remember. He loves to travel and Piers - Jordan’s father - often goes with him. They've been almost worldwide."
Ruby smiled widely.
"When will he get here?"
"Tonight. He wanted to see you as soon as possible."
Ruby was practically vibrating with nervousness by dinnertime. Oscar had given up on trying to talk to her and just let her be as he studied the dagger Piers had given him for his birthday. It was supposed to be cursed, but he hadn’t gotten the chance to test that yet. (Maybe he could sneak it to school and test it on annoying Gryffindors…)
Finally, the doorbell rang. They sat up and looked at each other.
“Is it him?” Ruby whispered.
“Only one way to find out.”
Sonia called for both of them to come downstairs. Oscar stood and pulled Ruby up, but he didn’t try to pull her along with him. Instead, he went first and left her alone.
She took a deep breath and slowly followed after him.
“Leon, what are you feeding this kid? He’s growing like a weed!” a deep voice joked.
“Nice to see you too, Uncle Raihan,” Oscar snarked back.
A joyous laugh and Ruby gathered her courage. She stepped out into the entrance hall.
A tall, muscular man in dark-blue robes looked her way. His thick black hair brushed his neck in short dreadlocks. His skin was darker than Oscar’s and Mr. Leon’s, as much as her own. When his bright teal eyes landed on her, he froze. He stared at her for a long time.
“She…” His voice broke. “She looks like Mum. With Cara’s eyes.”
“Yes, she does,” Leon said softly.
Ruby knew. She had known as soon as she heard the man’s voice: This was her father.
Raihan finally moved, walking forward and kneeling down in front of her so he wasn’t looming over her with his towering height. He gathered her in a hug, surrounding her with a warmth she couldn’t remember ever feeling in her life.
“ Ruby . I’ve been waiting so long to see you again.”
“I missed you too… Father.”