Chapter Text
These words had the effect of a bombshell in the room.
In fact, the Order members reacted as most people would. They began talking all at once, firing questions at the person who had delivered the news.
Their greatest enemy had an heir.
Harry was wide-eyed in shock, his gaze darting between the headmaster and the other Order members, silently pleading for an explanation. But Dumbledore, the only person in the room who could provide one at that moment, ignored his unspoken request. He raised his hand slowly, his movements deliberate. "Please remain calm. I’m not finished."
"That’s usually not a good sign," Sirius muttered under his breath as the room fell silent.
Dumbledore, who would normally have ignored such a comment, responded this time. "Actually, I have some good news on the matter."
Lupin, as curious as everyone else, asked, "What good news could there possibly be in this situation? Is the girl already dead?"
"No, she is alive and must be in her thirties by now. Her name is Sally Jackson. Our knowledge of her is limited, which is understandable since we didn’t even know she existed until now."
"So what’s the good news?" someone interjected.
"We’ve located her. She lives in America, and there’s no record of her attending Ilvermorny. Considering she didn’t appear when Voldemort 'died,' I suspect she might be a Squib. She may not even be aware of the wizarding world."
"How did you find all this out?"
Dumbledore sighed. "That’s where the trouble begins, Mrs. Tonks. We didn’t discover it ourselves. Voldemort told us."
The room erupted in gasps at the mention of Voldemort’s name. Several glances turned toward Snape, and soon the entire Order, including the younger members, was staring at him. A flicker of disbelief shone in many of their eyes.
Snape’s expression remained unchanged, his usual sullen demeanor intact. "After his downfall, Voldemort witnessed firsthand how many of his so-called loyal Death Eaters had betrayed him. Except for Bellatrix and me, he had to win many of them back. I don’t think I need to elaborate on the methods he used. These events must have made him realize that he needed someone completely loyal—someone of his own blood. So, he began searching for his daughter, whom he evidently already knew about."
The members of the Order understood that this explanation was largely speculative, as they couldn’t expect Voldemort to have confided in them directly. But since Snape wouldn’t say something he wasn’t certain of, and Dumbledore trusted him, they accepted his words as truth.
Mrs. Weasley voiced the question on everyone’s mind. "So, what do we do?"
"We’ve just located her, and it won’t be long before Voldemort does the same. We must reach her before the Death Eaters do. She grew up far removed from this world of dark ideologies and death. It shouldn’t be difficult to sway her to our side."
"What if she really is a Squib?" Harry couldn’t help but interject sarcastically. Hermione nodded in agreement. "That would be quite ironic."
Dumbledore responded firmly to their side comment. "If that’s the case, we will take her into protective custody."
Harry, surprised and disappointed by the decision despite the optimistic tone of the conversation, objected. "Do you seriously want to protect the daughter of the man who murdered my family?"
Lupin turned to him with understanding, though his words were not what Harry wanted to hear. "Harry, she could be a victim, just like you."
"I’d rather go back to the Dursleys than have her stay in this house!" Harry protested one last time, but Dumbledore’s resolute expression had already made the answer clear.
"We can’t allow that, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said gently.
"But—"
"We don’t have time for these discussions. We need to act now," Kingsley interjected, reminding everyone of the urgency.
"Who’s going?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Lupin, Sirius, and I will leave immediately."
Sirius, who hadn’t expected to hear his name, was already excited, regardless of the mission’s nature.
"But he—" Hermione began, about to state an obvious fact everyone already knew, but Dumbledore cut her off. "No one in America knows him or is looking for him. I guess he’s missed being able to move around freely without relying on his Animagus form."
Harry suppressed the urge to insist on joining them when he saw Sirius’s smile. He didn’t want to ruin his godfather’s chance to finally step outside.