A Life’s Worth

“Granny, I’m scared,” quaked a young voice.

Walburga Crabbe sighed and squeezed her seven year old grandson’s hand. “It’s alright, Sweetie. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Frightened blue-gray eyes stared up into hers and a surge of guilt stabbed at her heart.

“Promise?”

Walburga tried to smile reassuringly but the best she could manage was a shaky one. “Yes, I promise.”

He’d already been hurt and there was nothing she could do to change that. The bite mark on his leg was already a scar and she knew the terrible curse that it carried. However, Walburga Crabbe did not make promises lightly. She would duel Aurors to the death to defend her grandson should it prove necessary. She had finished top in her classes at Hogwarts, held a successful career as a Healer, raised four children and then after retiring from her career had spent five years raising her youngest daughter’s twins. In short, Walburga Crabbe was a force to be reckoned with.

“Here you go, Dear,” she told him as she handed him his favourite teddy. Alphard briefly looked as though he was going to protest at being too old to want Mr Tiddywinkles but changed his mind and hugged the bear’s well worn fur.

“Granny! Quick! Granny Black just Apparated down the walk!” shouted Regina running into the room. Walburga had asked her to act as a lookout. She’d been expecting Violetta Black to make an uninvited appearance.

“Alright, there’s no need to shout,” replied Walburga hurriedly. She quickly glanced around the room and spied an old toy broomstick. She went over to it and whispered, “Portus” while tapping it with her wand. The toy briefly glowed blue and then went back to looking commonplace.

Walburga then turned to her granddaughter. “Regina, this is very important. If your… other grandmother comes into this room you must first grab Alphard’s hand and then, while still holding his hand grab this toy broom. Do you understand?”

Regina nodded, looking quite terrified. She had been traumatized by the werewolf attack too. While she hadn’t been bitten, she had come close and had witnessed the whole thing. Both she and her twin brother had had nightmares whenever they had managed to fall asleep.

Walburga took a deep breath and headed downstairs, into the sitting room. She had several minutes before her daughter’s mother-in-law would be shown in. Walburga calmly withdrew her wand feeling the well polished wood underneath her fingers. Birchwood and unicorn hair, better for healing than dueling, but still if Violetta wanted a fight, Walburga was ready for her.

Walburga’s daughter, Irma, had immediately contacted her former-Healer mother after the werewolf attack. Walburga had examined her grandchildren and subsequently told Pollux and Irma Black that while their only daughter was physically fine their eldest son was now a werewolf. Pollux had immediately suggested “quietly” killing Alphard. He had not expected his mother-in-law to scream at him, hex him, grab her twin grandchildren and take them back to her home by side-along Apparition.

Pollux had realized that he was no match for his mother-in-law and decided that the best course of action was to appeal to his own mother. Violetta Black was entirely sympathetic to her son’s viewpoint. She couldn’t bear the scandal that would ensue should people find out there was a half-breed in the family. She felt she had endured quite enough scandal when her son, while still a student at Hogwarts, had fathered twins. There had been a rather hasty marriage ceremony shortly before the births and Irma had returned to finish her schooling while her mother raised her two children. Violetta had at least been able to console herself with the knowledge that Irma was from a reputable pure-blood family. She would have been too ashamed to show her face in decent society if her grandchildren were half-bloods.

Violetta Black strode into the Crabbe’s sitting room, head held high. She was quite certain that she could make Walburga Crabbe see reason. She was slightly discomfited when Walburga didn’t offer her a seat but rather left her standing and looked her over as though evaluating her. Violetta had rather been expecting a civil conversation over tea and biscuits but decided that the best thing to do would be to seat herself.

A quick glance around the room revealed no comfortable chairs; Violetta found a hard backed wooden chair and sat in it. She couldn’t help but wonder if Walburga had removed all the comfortable furniture just to make the situation more awkward.

“I assume you know why I am here,” stated Violetta politely.

“Because that blithering idiot you call a son, who’s barely come of age, sent you here because he’s not man enough to do it himself,” replied Walburga coldly.

This was not how Violetta was typically spoken to. She was more accustomed to the dulcet tones of tittering pure-bloods at garden parties however the shock quickly wore off.

“Just because Pollux is young is no reason to…”

But Walburga cut her off. “No, because he’s an idiot is why he should have no say in the matter.”

Violetta tried to reign in her temper. “You were a Healer for years; you know the child has nothing to look forward to in life.”

“I stopped being a Healer to raise Alphard and Regina. I’ll admit he won’t ever have a normal life, but it is not for you to decide if that a life worth living or not.”

“At least think of Regina and Cygnus,” implored Violetta, “If people discover that they grew up with a half-breed…”

“Try using Alphard’s name,” snapped Walburga.

Violetta held up a small bottle. “I’m not without feeling for Alphard, I wouldn’t wish him a painful death. I brought the Draught of Living Death so that it would be quick and painl…”

“How dare you!” shrieked Walburga, pointing her wand at Violetta. “You think I’d let you murder Alphard in my own house? If you so much as suggest giving that potion to him I’ll shove it down your throat!”

Violetta had been planning on letting Walburga give it Alphard, but now that obviously wasn’t an option. She couldn’t believe how irrational Walburga was being and replied, “I’m not going to let a filthy half-breed mar the family tree!”

Walburga towered over Violetta, sparks shot from her wand as she hissed, “Oh, yes you are Mrs Black. Because I think you would rather that than have it become public knowledge that you gave birth to a Squib.”

Violetta had gone quite pale at these words. Before she was able to deny Walburga’s accusation, the other woman continued in a dangerously low voice, “January 23, 1917 you gave birth to a Squib named Marius. Nearly seven years later, Marius mysteriously died. Now, Violetta did you actually kill Marius or did you only pretend he’d died and put him up for Muggle adoption?”

“You c-can’t prove…”

“I don’t need to prove it, Violetta. I simply have to say it. Tell me, do people still believe that a Squib is the fault of the mother? Or is it now common knowledge that it’s because of both parents? Either way, I’m sure people will wonder if perhaps you simply had an affair with a Muggle and thus produced a Squib…”

“Stop it!” Violetta cried out.

“Now, here’s what we are going to do. You are going to go back home. I will ensure that no one finds out about Alphard’s condition.”

“And how are you going to do that?” snapped Violetta.
“Not that it’s any of your concern, but I will be casting a Fidelius Charm and making myself Secret Keeper,” replied Walburga.

“That will hardly work once the boy’s in school.”

“I will also be tutoring him privately throughout the school year.”

Violetta was getting angry again, “Don’t you think someone might notice that the boy isn’t at Hogwarts?”

“Well I have four years to work around that,” answered Walburga coldly, “I suppose at worst people will assume he’s a Squib, only in this case it would be my family who would be ‘shamed’. That should be good enough for you, your precious reputation wouldn’t be at risk.”

Violetta looked as though she had every intention of protesting further but Walburga cut her off. “Now, get out of my house before I set the Hippogriffs on you.”

*

Nearly ten years later, Walburga faced her grandson. He would be of-age in a week and would have to start making his own way in the world. It was generally believed that Alphard had won a scholarship to Durmstrang, thus the reason for his absence from Hogwarts. She had privately tutored him for years, not only was he sufficiently accomplished for NEWT level courses, he had also become a skilled Occlumens.

Over the years, she’d seen those blue-gray eyes conceal a lot of fear and pain. Now they were staring at her, as though they could see into her soul. He was now a more accomplished Legillimens than she was an Occlumens, although she knew him well enough to know that he would never force an answer from her.

“They wanted to kill me didn’t they?” he asked her.

She couldn’t quite articulate the words but nodded her head in assent.

“You wouldn’t let them, would you?”

“No...” her voice nearly faltered, “I promised you I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.”

As she looked into his eyes his memories flooded her. He was nine and left too weak to celebrate Christmas with the family after a difficult transformation. He was alone in his bed, staring out the window.

Next he was eleven and fighting back tears as Regina left for King’s Cross, they’d never been separated for more than a few hours before. He kept asking why he couldn’t go with her but his parents wouldn’t answer him.

He was fifteen and had hurt himself horribly during his transformation. There was blood everywhere and he wondered if he’d survive or die leaving behind the obvious evidence of his affliction.

Walburga couldn’t bear it any longer; she broke eye contact with her grandson. “I’m sorry. I thought I could still offer you a life… I didn’t mean for you to have to simply endure years of pain.”

Alphard reached out and took her hand. “Granny, you were looking at the wrong part of the memories. Try again.”

She took a deep breath and looked into those blue-gray eyes again.

It was the Christmas when he was nine again. While Irma, Pollux and Cygnus were downstairs, Regina brought his gifts up to his bedroom to open. She’d given him a book on unicorns by Havelock Sweeting. The twins spent the whole morning in Alphard’s room, playing with their new gifts. When Regina was called down for dinner Alphard had read the unicorn book until he fell asleep.

They were back in Irma’s kitchen and he was begging to go with Regina. Walburga had Apparated into the room, taken Alphard by the hand and told him that his magical education was beginning that day. First they were going to properly learn side-along Apparition. They’d spent the afternoon in a French café, discussing which subjects he wished to focus upon and shopping for supplies.

Now he was lying back in bed, weak and injured. Regina had brought him a mug of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies. She had also managed to sneak in the pet Crup Walburga had given him for his birthday. Alphard, Regina and Ruffles the Crup had spent the evening together.

Alphard’s voice interrupted the flood of memories. “Thank you. You didn’t just save my life; you helped make it a life worth living.”