Chapter 25 – Winter Break (2)
It was around midnight when Squeaky woke me up. I wasn't angry nor surprised as I instructed her to do so when my Father returned home. I tried to leave my room as silently as possible to not wake up Quincy, who was sleeping in the opposite room to mine, and I headed straight to the study.
"Let me see you!" My Father laughed as I entered, trying to rub out the sleepiness from my eyes. "Hey, you have grown!"
"Have I?" I asked with surprise, tilting my head left and right, but of course, I would be hard-pressed to confirm it.
"Sit!" He signaled to one of the chairs in front of the fireplace that was crackling with orange fire, painting the whole room in a cozy, welcoming light and warmth. "You can go, Squeaky!"
"Yes, Master." The house elf bowed, leaving us alone, and I knew it would be something important, or Father wouldn't have sent her away.
"I heard about what you did."
"How much?" I asked, but he just raised his hand.
"Enough to get a broad picture. But I want to hear it from you."
"It is not a secret." I smiled and told him everything from the start. From the first day, I arrived at Hogwarts, right up to yesterday, when Squeaky told us why he was in the Ministry all day long.
"..." He remained silent, sitting in his chair, leaning back, playing with his wand that appeared between his fingers, who knows when. "Well..." He looked at me with a weird smile, "You are my son...."
"Eh?" I flinched, feeling weird about how he said it.