Chapter 4 Secret Keepers
Harry met Hermione at Mrs. Figg’s house just before the dinner hour. It was a good place for them to meet because Mrs. Figg always enjoyed the chance to see Crookshanks and her garden was a good place for wizards to apparate without being seen. Harry didn’t much care for apparating but it was the fastest way to get to the Granger home, and since he had promised Ron that they would take their apparation tests together as soon as he was seventeen, practicing side-by-side with Hermione seemed like a good idea.
Harry was surprised to learn that he was not the only wizard invited for dinner. Professors Flitwick and McGonagall were already there and in the middle of a conversation with Hermione’s parents when he arrived.
“…yes I would have to agree with part of what Professor Flitwick says,” Professor McGonagall said authoritatively. “Hermione certainly is bright enough to be in Ravenclaw, and perhaps brighter than any witch of her age who happens to be in Ravenclaw…”
“OW! I’m stung!” Flitwick interjected.
“…but her bravery is such that she definitely does belong in Gryffindor,” McGonagall continued, ignoring Professor Flitwick’s exaggerated act of pretending to be outraged. “I think she showed that in the alley last week.”
“She was brave in the alley?” Hermione’s father said in surprise. “What happened in what alley?”
“No, don’t talk about the alley!” Hermione whispered covering her face with her hands.
“When those two Death Eaters attacked us and killed Kingsley Shacklebolt and Hestia Jones, she…” Professor Flitwick began.
“Hi everybody!” Hermione said brightly, pulling Harry into the living room. “Harry’s here! We had no trouble at all. Harry’s getting very good at apparating and he’ll probably be an expert by the time he gets to take his apparation test!”
“Hello Harry! It’s good to see you again!” Mr. Granger said enthusiastically shaking Harry’s hand. Then he turned back to Professors Flitwick and McGonagall and in a more serious tone of voice said, “Hermione’s mother and I had not heard that she was at the scene of Mr. Shacklebolt’s murder.”
Professors McGonagall and Flitwick exchanged thoughtful glances while Hermione turned red.
“I imagine there are a lot of stories that Hermione has not told you,” Harry said coolly.
Mr. Granger looked at Harry appraisingly and slowly turned towards Hermione. She looked away from her father.
“And we’re all in agreement that we don’t want her getting into any more dangerous situations. Right?” Harry finished.
Mr. Granger turned back towards Harry, looked him in the eye, and after a few seconds he said simply, “Yes.”
Hermione however had spun back around to glare at Harry with a look of defiance on her face that reminded Harry of the time he had tried to leave her with Luna, Ginny and Neville in the forest and go to the Ministry of Magic with Ron alone.
“But of course, protecting Hermione and you fine people is why we’re all here this evening,” Professor Flitwick interjected. “I’ll be placing an unusual modified form of the Fidelius charm on your house. This will make it impossible for wizards, witches and magical creatures to enter or even see your home. They won’t even be able to read your address in the telephone directory. But it will have no effect on the perceptions of Mug…ah… non-magical people.”
“And now that Harry is here Professor Flitwick can begin,” Professor McGonagall said.
“You were waiting for me to get here?” Harry exclaimed. “I thought I was just coming for dinner,” he said turning towards Hermione.
Hermione’s defiant glare quickly vanished and she began to turn red again.
“Oh… Harry,” she stammered, “I’m sorry…I meant to talk to you about this… before the conversation got this far along. I thought… I hoped… Since I’m…Oh…”
It was so rare for Hermione to stumble over what she wanted to say that Harry found her embarrassment amusing, he had to fight the urge to laugh at her.
“Would you be my secret keeper Harry?” she blurted out quickly. “It’s an easy job. You won’t have to tell anyone how to find this house…No wizard needs to know…I trust you...”
Harry couldn’t think of any reason why he shouldn’t do it. If he was killed the secret of her parents address would be very safe. If he was captured, Lord Voldemort wouldn’t bother torturing him for Hermione’s address.
“Alright, I’ll be your secret keeper,” Harry said.
“Thank you, Harry,” Hermione said with an audible sigh of relief.
It took only a few minutes for Professor Flitwick to finish the job. The spell was cast and the vows were said and Harry was the only person besides Hermione who could tell a wizard or witch how to find the Granger’s house. Then they all sat down to eat the wonderful meal that Mrs. Granger had prepared.
“So what did Hermione do in the alley?” Harry asked Professor Flitwick.
“She stepped right in front of me and cast a perfect shield spell,” Flitwick replied.
“And fortunately Mr. Moody and Mr. Podmore killed the bad wizards before they had a chance to do any more harm,” Hermione interjected. “Oh and Harry, you’ve really got to learn the spell they used!”
“What did they do?” Harry asked.
“It’s actually a very complicated spell that few wizards ever master,” McGonagall said, “for it is a combination of a transfiguration and a charm.”
“The caster must simultaneously transfigure some air molecules into a lead ball and charm the ball to fly at a high rate of speed at the target,” Flitwick explained.
“The true advantage of the spell is the brevity of the incantation,” McGonagall added.
“Positively monosyllabic,” Flitwick said.
“What do you do?” Harry asked. “Point your wand and say BANG?”
“Harry, I believe you would have done better on your O.W.L.s if you had been sorted into Ravenclaw,” Flitwick replied with a smile.
“Not that again!” Professor McGonagall said rolling her eyes.
Harry had to spend another whole week at Number 4 Privet Drive before he could move to his own house but his friends didn’t want him to have to sit around doing nothing. So Hermione and Ron made arrangements to visit Godric’s Hollow in mid-week. Remus Lupin agreed to be their guide.
Harry’s trip to Godric’s Hollow began the same way his trip to Hermione’s house had. He walked to Mrs. Figg’s garden. There he listened to her talk about cats and he helped her hang a heavy carpet on the line. They had a glass of lemonade while they waited for the others to arrive. At the appointed time Mrs. Figg began beating the carpet so the neighbors wouldn’t notice the loud cracking noises of the apparating wizards.
“Oh Ron,” Hermione said rolling her eyes in irritation as soon as she and Ron appeared together. “No one will see you holding hands with Mr. Lupin. This way, both you and Harry get to practice apparating three times, twice with me and once with Mr. Lupin. That’s fair isn’t it?”
Ron reluctantly let go of Hermione’s hand and took Remus Lupin’s. They vanished with a loud crack while Mrs. Figg skipped a beat in whacking her rug.
“Next stop, Godric’s Hollow,” Hermione said cheerfully, holding out her hand.
“Are you sure you know the destination?” Harry asked.
“Remus took me there this morning,” she replied. “Are you properly determined?”
“I thought I was supposed to be distracted,” Harry joked.
“Only if you want to learn what splinching feels like,” Hermione said with mock sternness.
Their landing zone was a secluded clearing in a small woodlot about a half mile from the village of Godric’s Hollow. Harry and his friends followed Lupin out of the woods and into a small cemetery that was next to a peaceful little country church.
“Your parents were married in that church,” Lupin said. “There were about as many Muggles at the wedding as Wizards. All of Lily’s relatives were non-magical. Your Aunt Petunia caught the bouquet. Your mother was very special Harry. There are about a million children born every year in Britain, but only one or two of the children from Muggle families will be able to manipulate magic. Lily was brilliant, kind-hearted and brave, though she could be a bit on the bossy side. She was a better prefect than I was.”
Lupin stopped next to an ordinary tombstone. It was nicer than some but not as nice as others.
Harry contemplated his parents’ graves. Their dates of birth were different though both were born in 1957. Their date of death was October 31, 1981. They were only twenty four when they were murdered, just Tonk’s age. They all stood around in silence for a few minutes.
“Are you alright Harry?” Hermione asked.
“Yeah, I’m alright,” Harry said in a flat tone. “I didn’t really expect to learn anything here. But it’s good to see that the cemetery is well maintained.”
“Are you sure you’re alright Harry?” Hermione asked again.
“Yes, Why?” he asked slightly irritated.
Hermione turned away, as if she couldn’t face him, but she pointed to a nearby stone. The style of the stone was identical to the one belonging to Harry’s parents. The names on the stone were Joseph and Mary Potter. They had been in their late fifties when they both died on the same day: July 31, 1981.
“Your grandparents were never in the Order of the Phoenix because of your grandfather’s position at the Ministry of Magic. But I understand that they helped in the fight against Grindelwald in the 1940s,” Lupin said. “They were murdered Harry, along with Lily’s parents. Your Aunt Petunia never forgave the wizarding community for that. They had a party at a local pub. The Muggles think it was a bomb set off by the IRA. You and your parents were late for the party. They were waiting for Sirius.”
“Oh Harry,” Hermione said with a tear running down her cheek. “That makes me so angry! Those people murdered your grandparents at your birthday party. That’s just… it’s so… it’s not human!”
Hermione gave Harry a hug while Lupin and Ron patted him on the back. Then they silently left the cemetery. Lupin took them into the village and showed them a nice pub.
“Their house was here,” Lupin said pointing to the pub. “That statue of Lord Wellington in the little park over there is really a statue of Godric Gryffindor. A wizard can see it by turning around to the left twice. There are several magical families living around here.”
They trudged back to the secluded clearing in the woods and Ron apparated to the Burrow with Hermione.
“Well, that’s Godric’s Hollow,” Lupin said. “I haven’t been here in years.”
“Thanks for bringing me,” Harry said. “I don’t know what I was expecting.”
“Closure perhaps?” Lupin asked.
“My family is part of the past,” Harry said in a dull and cold tone. “Revenge is the future.”
“Harry, what you must do is very difficult. Not just because destroying Voldemort is a complex and dangerous undertaking, but because it is hard to kill a fellow human being, even if that person is completely evil,” Lupin said. “I’ve seen you in action. You are motivated to help people, to protect them. You are at your best when you are motivated by love, not hate. You won’t be at your best if you let yourself sink to their level. You will destroy Voldemort. But you must do it to protect your friends and your community, not for revenge. That isn’t you.”
“But I do hate Voldemort!” Harry shouted. “And I want revenge!”
“You will kill Voldemort,” Lupin said. “But when you are done, you will need to come back to us. You will want to be able face decent people again, people who aren’t killers. And you’ll be able to do it. Because, in spite of all that Voldemort has done to you personally, you will kill reluctantly, to protect others.”
Harry and Remus Lupin stood in silence for a few minutes before attempting to apparate to the Burrow. Too much anger can hinder one’s concentration and lead to splinching.
Remus Lupin said good-bye to Harry and left the Burrow soon after he and Harry arrived.
“I promised to meet Nymphadora for lunch,” Lupin said with a crooked smile.
Harry looked around for Ron and Hermione, but they were not in sight. Ginny however had heard the cracking noise of wizards apparating and was walking towards him.
“Hi Harry!” Ginny said with a look of concern on her face. “Did you go someplace dangerous?”
“No,” Harry said unenthusiastically, “we went to Godric’s Hollow so I could visit my parents’ graves.”
“Why didn’t you take me with you?” she asked.
“Well… Ginny…” Harry stammered. “We apparated there.”
“Harry, that’s a pretty lame excuse,” Ginny said in a hurt tone. She turned and went back into the house.
Harry stood and looked around for a moment before he decided to walk over to the old broom shed to see if he could find Ron and Hermione. He heard them before he saw them.
“I care about both of you. You’re my friends,” Hermione said. “Harry wouldn’t break up with a brave girl like Ginny in order to protect her and then turn right around and hook up with me. Stop imagining things between me and Harry, or between me and you for that matter, that go beyond friendship.”
Harry thought it might be a bad idea to butt in on this conversation, so he quietly moved back towards the house where he waited for Hermione and Ron. A minute or so later Ron and Hermione appeared from behind the broom shed. They both smiled at Harry, though neither one had been smiling when they came around the corner.
“Alright Harry, that was good apparating practice,” Ron said. “A few more outings like that and we should have no trouble with our tests.”
“Ron and I will pick you up from the Dursleys’ on Saturday,” Hermione said. “We’ll use dad’s car to move your stuff to your own house.”
“I’ll see you on Saturday,” Harry said to Ron. Then he and Hermione walked away from the Burrow. “Ginny was angry that we didn’t take her to Godric’s Hollow,” he said to Hermione.
“I’m sorry about that,” Hermione said, “but it would have taken much longer to get there on brooms and I thought that you and Ron wanted to practice apparating.”
“Yeah, well,” Harry said despondently, “she didn’t miss much, did she.”
“Poor Harry,” Hermione said sympathetically, “it’s bad enough that you never had the chance to get to know your grandparents, but to learn how they died…”
She held out her hand and Harry took it.
“I saw my grandparents on Sunday afternoon,” she said.
“That’s nice,” Harry said.
“I hadn’t seen them since Christmas. I love them but it’s so hard to have a good conversation with them. They don’t even know I’m a witch so I can’t very well talk to them about school,” she babbled on. “Except for Astronomy, I can talk to grandpa about constellations and planets. He has a telescope.”
“That’s nice,” Harry said.
“Grandpa slipped me a couple of five pound notes,” she said smiling.
“Really,” Harry said.
“I’ll buy you lunch,” she said sweetly.
“That’s better than going home. The Dursleys don’t want to see me at their table,” Harry reasoned. “Where are we going?”
“You choose the place and concentrate on the destination. Don’t tell me where we’re going. You guide me through the apparation this time. It’ll be better practice for you,” she said in a professorial tone. “But the restaurant can’t be too fancy. I only have ten pounds,” she added in a much less bossy, almost apologetic, tone.
Harry was at a bit of a loss since the Dursleys never took him to any restaurant, fancy or cheap. But all he really had to do was to pick a destination that was close to some Muggle restaurants and also a place where apparating wizards wouldn’t create a stir. He suddenly had an idea.
“Are you ready?” he asked her. When she nodded, he said, “close your eyes.”
“Good,” she said closing her eyes tightly. “I hate to watch people get splinched.”
“Funny,” he said.
And then with determination and deliberation they were sucked into a nasty-tight rubber hose of a spell that transported them to Platform Nine and three-quarters at King’s Cross Station. They walked from the enchanted railway platform to a little shop a few blocks from the Station where they could get some fish and chips.
“I’ll think you’ll do fine on your apparation test,” Hermione said when they had gotten their food.
“Thanks,” Harry said. “You’ve been very helpful.”
“It was a good idea to apparate to Platform Nine and three-quarters,” Hermione said. “No one notices it and King’s Cross Station is a romantic place.”
“Romantic?” Harry said in surprise.
“The first time I kissed a boy it was at King’s Cross Station,” Hermione said wistfully.
“You kissed a boy at King’s Cross Station? Who was it?” Harry asked.
“Oh, never mind that!” she said in exasperation. Then she lowered her voice, “I met Professor McGonagall at the Ministry of Magic yesterday morning. She introduced me to the archivist and I went right to work on some books about dark magic from the most restricted section.”
“Excellent,” Harry said. “I just hope the archivist isn’t on the other side.”
“Professor McGonagall seems to be on good terms with her. But I’m trying to be sneaky about it all the same,” Hermione said. “McGonagall doesn’t know what I’m looking for. I just told her that I’m doing it for you. I told the archivist that Professor Slughorn needed information about some gruesome potions and the antidotes to them. I spent the whole day going through the most horrible potion books and taking random notes. But I found the word Horcrux in the index of one of the books. I plan on looking up the relevant pages this afternoon, if I can get a few minutes when the archivist isn’t paying any attention to what I’m doing.”
They finished up their lunch and walked back to Platform Nine and three quarters. From there they apparated to Mrs. Figg’s garden with Hermione making Harry guide her again.
“I’ll see you Saturday,” Hermione said as she prepared to apparate to the Ministry of Magic.
As Hermione headed off to an afternoon of studying dusty old books on dark magic and horrible potions, Harry walked back to Number Four Privet Drive with the goal of getting his belongings well organized. He wanted the move on Saturday to be quick and easy.
AUTHOR’S NOTES
In chapter 15 of HBP (pg. 305 of the American edition), Hermione tells Harry that he should invite someone to go to Slughorn’s Christmas party as a way of defending himself from Romilda Vane and other girls who had bought love potions. Harry didn’t give Hermione’s suggestion much thought. He was too busy thinking about Ginny’s hot young body and the possibility that Malfoy was responsible for the cursed locket that nearly killed Katie Bell. But what if Harry had followed her advice right then and there? Harry is very awkward around girls. What would have been the easiest way for a lazy Harry to act on her suggestion? What was Hermione trying to get Harry to do? I think Hermione was hinting to Harry that he should ask her to be his date.