Also, thanks to QueenHal for helping me along with some of my sentences ;)
Chapter 32: Prisoners
The Burrow was once again empty of inhabitants. Hermione, wanting to return to her parents, had left Christmas night, Liam and Siobhan departing alongside her. Everyone else had remained through Boxing Day before reluctantly packing their things and leaving the familiar warmth of the Weasley’s household and returning to Grimmauld Place.
There had been a bit of confusion about what exactly to do with Clarimonde, but Mrs Weasley assured Harry that the Granian would be comfortable inside the house if they made a few magical alterations to one of the rooms. It would only be for another week or so, as Clarimonde would return with Harry at the end of the holiday. The Granian would stay with Hagrid, which meant Harry could see her as often as he liked.
For the most part, things were peaceful. Harry was glad to not have to deal with the defeated romance of his two best friends, the new attraction that Ron now shared with Siobhan, or the tension between the latter and his fiancée. As far as he was concerned, the situations amongst his friends and the repercussions that came with were growing far too complicated, and he was ready for it all to settle soon.
Of course, Harry’s world was always far from calm and simple, and the approach of New Year’s bore with it less than happy occasions, the anniversary of Arthur Weasley’s death being one. For Harry, the nearing-end of December also brought upon him a trip to the Gringotts Prison System and a confrontation with Wormtail.
Eventually, the day came upon him. The feeling was rather surreal as he reassured Katie he did not need her to come along, and readied himself to depart alongside Lupin (who had scheduled the visit and would be accompanying Harry, as promised). The forthcoming meeting with his parents’ betrayer filled Harry with a determined fire, contrasting sharply with the mournful gloom of the Weasleys, and despite a slight churning feeling deep within him, he felt ready for the day’s task.
The journey to Gringotts was a quick one, and Harry and Lupin spoke very little as they made their way. There was nobody about the quiet street of Diagon Alley, and most of the snow beneath their feet looked fresh and untouched. It was somewhat eerie, and Harry felt a shiver run through his spine that had nothing to do with the winter chill.
There was a nice rush of warm air against their faces as they moved through the doors of the bank. The bank hall was not quite as forsaken as the outside street, but was still rather empty except for a few goblins and official looking witches and wizards. Harry wasn’t sure of where they were to go, but Lupin simply said to take a seat and they would be called when it was time.
Sure enough, after only a few minutes on a sturdy wooden bench, a call came from the back corner of the bank.
“The quarter-to-four trolley to the Gringotts Prison System is preparing for its descent. All those with appointments, please come this way.”
Harry wasted little time in heading in the direction of the silver haired wizard in blue robes who was summoning them.
“Mr Potter, I presume,” the wizard said automatically, glancing at Harry’s scar.
“Yes,” Harry replied as the wizard waved a buzzing golden Secrecy Sensor from his head to his toes, around and back again.
“And your name?” the wizard asked Lupin.
“Remus Lupin, but… hold on a moment.” Lupin gave a questioning look to Harry. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“No,” Harry responded firmly. “I want to see him alone “ and besides, you have your own history that could interfere. I need to take care of my own business today.”
“Very well, then,” Lupin said fairly, and he nodded to the Ministry guard who was waiting to escort Harry to the vaults.
“Ogblott” he called, and a goblin hastened forward grumpily
“Vault?” he asked.
“Three thousand ninety eight,” the wizard answered dryly.
“Ano’er one, eh?” Ogblott said, raising his brow at Harry. “You’re the secon’ one this hour…”
Harry wasn’t sure what to say, so he gave a rather uncomfortable smile to the goblin, who had already looked away and was leading them down the stone passageway towards the small cart that would take them into the depths of Gringotts.
The three of them climbed promptly inside the trolley, and many twists, turns, bumps, and sudden drops later, they pulled to a stop at their destination. Harry saw that a young woman in a hooded cloak was standing on the platform of the vault entrance, seemingly waiting to depart. She stiffened when she saw him get out of the cart, and despite the shadows that concealed her face, he recognised her quickly.
“Siobhan?”
“Harry.” Her voice seemed to catch on an intake of breath when she spoke his name “ his first, rather than his last, Harry noticed.
“What “ why are you here?” he asked in bewilderment.
She looked at him, her mouth hanging open wordlessly; her eyes were distracted, and she looked upset, as though she were holding back a flood of tears. She was clutching a stack of parchment in one of her hands, and Harry saw them trembling in her grasp.
“I was visiting someone,” she said finally, and it was almost a whisper, before she pushed past him and climbed into the cart alongside the Ministry guard who was escorting her. Harry stared for a moment, watching the cart take off down the rickety track.
“Mr Potter?” the silver-haired wizard said. “Are you ready?”
“Er, yeah…” he said, removing his gaze from the tracks and shaking the sudden shock of seeing Siobhan. He was given another once-over with Secrecy Sensor by one of three Aurors standing by while two goblins guarding the entrance ran their fingers along the vault door in unison. The door opened, and Harry was gestured forward by the silver-haired wizard who had been escorting him from the bank hall.
“And you are you here to see today, Mr Potter?” the wizard asked as they entered the vault “ which turned out to be a two levelled hall, cells lining each side.
“Peter Pettigrew,” he muttered, looking around at the numerous cells. For a single moment, he thought he caught sight of a familiar looking man glancing down at him from a cell on the second level, and hatred burned inside of him at the memory. It seemed, however, that what he had thought to be a head of long blonde hair was only a trick of light; in another instant, it vanished.
He turned his attention back to the wizard, who had lead him about halfway down the passage before stopping and gesturing to a cell containing a stout, balding man. Harry fixed his eyes upon Pettigrew, who blinked in surprise and averted his own gaze nervously.
“Here you are, Mr Potter. You will have twenty minutes.”
“I won’t be that long,” Harry muttered, but the man didn’t respond and instead continued explaining the protocol.
“You’ll be provided with a seat and a Privacy Charm. “The Charm will remain active for the duration of your visit, and other inmates will be unable to hear or see either of you.”
Harry nodded silently and, after a few waves of his wand, the wizard walked away leaving the two of them alone.
“Harry “ I… was not expecting you,” Wormtail coughed.
“I need something from you,” Harry said coldly. “I’m not here to try and force you to relive your past mistakes, or make you feel guilt for what you’ve done to me “ thought I’d very much like to, I don’t have time for things like that.”
“What do you need, Harry, my boy?” Wormtail said tremulously. His eyes glanced up to Harry’s face for split-seconds at a time.
“First, I need you to stop referring to me by my first name,” Harry stated, and resentment swelled inside him. “And, second “ you were my parents’ Secret-Keeper. The only way I can rest eyes on Godric’s Hollow is if you tell me the secret.”
Wormtail was quiet for a moment, and he looked at Harry shrewdly. There were calculations going on behind his tiny, watery eyes “ he appeared to be weighing his options or chances.
“Perhaps, Har “ Mr Potter,” he said after a few moments. “Perhaps if I tell you, you could show me a kindness and “ ”
Harry couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The wretch of a human being was asking for something in return of what didn’t belong to him to begin with.
“I’m not giving you anything!” Harry replied, furious. “You betrayed my mum and dad, helped return Voldemort to power, and held Ron and me hostage “ you don’t deserve anything!”
“Maybe it’s not what I deserve, Mr Potter, but if it’s the only way for you to see your parents’ home “ ”
“Yes, my parents’ home. My home. Not yours,” Harry retorted. “I suppose you were sorted into Gryffindor for your nerve rather than your courage. I’d always wondered about that, myself.”
Wormtail winced at the barb against him, but tried begrudgingly to continued. “Mr Potter “ ” he began again, but Harry cut him off.
“Not only is this not your secret to keep, but I saved your life, Wormtail,” Harry reminded him. “In more ways than one, you owe me this.”
And then, quite suddenly and without resistance, Wormtail spoke.
“James and Lily Potter were hidden in the town of Godric’s Hollow. They lived at Number Seven, Cathair Mhór Áit.”
Harry blinked in surprise “ the words had simply tumbled out of Wormtail’s mouth. From the look on the other man’s face, it appeared he hadn’t been expecting the confession either.
“Well then,” Harry said simply. “I’m done here.”
Without another word or glance, he walked away from Wormtail’s cell, feeling as though something long missing within him had finally been restored.
“How did it go?”
“It was fine “ I got what I went for…”
“He told you, then?”
Harry nodded, and replayed his encounter with Wormtail in his mind. It had been odd, how suddenly the man had yielded to his request. Harry suspected that there had been a magical influence involved. Words of Dumbledore’s from four years previous echoed in his mind, reinforcing his belief that there had been more to the exchange than a weakness within Pettigrew.
When one wizard saves another wizard’s life, it creates a certain bond between them …This is magic at its deepest, its most impenetrable, Harry. But trust me … the time may come when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew’s life.
“Are you alright, Harry?”
Harry shook himself from his contemplations and turned to Katie, who was looking at him with great concern.
“Yes, I’m fine. I just “ I was thinking…” Harry told her.
“When are you going?” Katie asked him. “To Godric’s Hollow, that is…”
“I can’t go until after… Until after I defeat Voldemort,” Harry said. “The Order has good reason to believe Voldemort has his eye on Godric’s Hollow, and it’s not safe to show up there.”
“All the more reason to destroy him,” Katie said firmly. “And you can do it, I know you can.”
He gave her a fearful but sincerely grateful smile.
“I’ll rest easier when I know I have done it,” he said quietly.
Katie leaned over and rested her head against his chest, tucking herself into the warmth of his body; his arms wrapped naturally around her.
“I’ll rest easier, too,” she admitted. “But for now, I feel safe knowing that when the time comes, you will see to the end of him.”
“When I do, I want to live there,” Harry told her. “In Godric’s Hollow. With you.”
“I should hope ‘with me’,” Katie teased, before raising her eyebrow at him in mock-suspicion. “Unless you’re planning on running off with Siobhan?”
“No, you won’t need to worry about that,” Harry grinned, appreciative of Katie’s comfortable attitude in mentioning Siobhan. “Though, speaking of Siobhan…”
Harry’s mind rested on the other interesting incident of the day, and Katie watched him expectantly waiting for him to continue.
“I saw her today “ at Gringotts,” Harry recollected. “She was down in the prison vaults, she’d been visiting someone.”
“Her dad?” Katie asked.
“I completely forgot about that,” Harry sighed, and his curiosities fell at ease. “Yeah, you’re right. She looked really upset.”
“I could imagine,” Katie said sympathetically. “I’d hate to have to see my dad in a place like that…”
She trailed off, and Harry knew she was still worried about his involvement in the Sphinx Militia, whether or not he had decided to leave. If he was ever exposed, he could risk being sent to prison; it was a horrible thought.
“You’re dad’s not going to end up in there,” Harry said consolingly.
“We can’t know that,” Katie said shakily. “Lately, I’ve been wondering. How much did he do when he was with them? Do you think he “ ?”
“No,” Harry said firmly. “You’re dad isn’t a murderer. He was angry, but I don’t think he ever killed anyone.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“How can you be so sure I’ll defeat Voldemort?”
“Because I love you,” Katie answered with affirmation.
“And sometimes that matters more than the lack of a good reason,” Harry said resolutely. “Give your dad the same benefit of your love.”
The next day, Harry and Katie gave the Weasleys some time to themselves and went to the Bell house for most of the afternoon and evening. Though Harry was feeling much more at ease about his fiancée’s feelings towards Siobhan, he still felt some slight trepidation about how things would go as they crossed the threshold of the house.
Hermione greeted them each with a hug, but Siobhan stood awkwardly in the shadows avoiding Harry’s eyes. Katie noticed, and gave Harry a significant look before kissing his cheek and steering Hermione into the other room with quickly concocted conversation about bridesmaid dresses.
“Are you okay?” Harry asked carefully when the door snapped shut behind the other two girls.
“I’m fine, why do you ask?” Sioban replied solidly.
“Well “ just yesterday… in the prison vaults,” Harry said awkwardly.
“May I ask how I’m supposed to pretend we didn’t see each other, if you’re going to bring it up in such a straightforward manner?” she asked with annoyance.
“I’m sorry,” Harry said, blinking in bewilderment. “I didn’t… er…”
No words came to him, and they stood in silence for an awkward moment, before Harry made another attempt.
“I assume you were there seeing your dad,” he said as sensitively as he could manage.
Siobhan’s confident front dropped, and she looked at him in slightly confused surprise, bewildering Harry even more.
“You were there seeing your dad, weren’t you?” he asked.
She appeared to consider him for a moment, before dropping her gaze to the floor guiltily.
“No, I wasn’t.” The words barely escaped her throat.
Harry was torn between the embarrassment of his false assumption and a new biting curiosity as to who her business had been with. Before he had a chance to ask, she spoke again.
“But I can’t tell you why I was there,” she said, finally looking him in the eye. “I won’t lie to you, but I can’t possibly tell you the truth, either.”
“Why not?” Harry asked, and almost immediately realised his stupidity. Siobhan, however, was merciful.
“It’s complicated,” she said with a sigh. “But, I can’t tell you “ I can’t tell anyone. It’s a secret that burdens me every day of my life, but I have to deal with it on my own. Please just tell me you’ll understand, so we can leave it at this?”
Harry took a deep breath, before uttering words that he might have spoken regretfully were they not to Siobhan. There was an odd sense of honesty about her secrecy, and he felt he could trust her completely, even if he could never fully know what was going on inside her head or what had happened in her past.
“I understand,” he said softly.
“Thank you, Harry.”