Disclaimer: The fine tapestry of plot and characters belongs to J.K. Rowling. I am merely pulling threads at will and weaving my own design in counterpoint to hers.
Chapter 42
The Prize or the Pawn?
Harry arrived early for his appointment that afternoon and let himself into Lupin’s inner office. Sitting back in one of the comfortable chairs, he organized his notes and mentally reviewed the salient points for his presentation. He knew that Lupin’s Transfiguration class would not be over for another ten to fifteen minutes.
With Tonks’ words still fresh in his mind, he wondered yet again how Lupin could have been so unsympathetic. Well, perhaps he hadn’t been. Harry really had no idea how he could confirm the remainder of Snape’s allegations unless he asked either Lupin or another Order member directly “ and it was unlikely they would confide in him about matters that were clearly none of his concern. He recalled how pointedly Molly Weasley had changed the subject when she had been interrupted having a private conversation with Tonks at the Burrow.
He reminded himself that he still had no real proof of Snape’s integrity at this point. The information about Tonks’ Auror duties could just as easily been obtained directly from Ministry records.
His musings were interrupted by Lupin striding briskly into the office and locking the door behind him. Skipping the preliminaries, they both made themselves comfortable for what was likely to be a long, but much anticipated session. Lupin located a few chilled butterbeers to get them started and reminded Harry to call for an intermission should he become hungry at teatime.
“Will there be a coin toss to decide who goes first?” Harry grinned as he settled his stocking feet on the footstool.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? No, I think I’ll invoke seniority in this case and suggest that you begin… What? You’re afraid I’m going to steal some of your ideas?”
Not really, Harry thought to himself. Lupin was entirely too smug about the whole thing “ which could only mean that he was holding the ultimate trump card. The only way to satisfy his curiosity was to dive in first.
“My conclusion is that Voldemort saw Severus Snape as a prize,” Harry began. “Even though the Daily Prophet reported that Severus had been entrusted to the Macnairs immediately after the attack on his father, it was Dumbledore who accompanied him to all the court proceedings and set out to defend him. Voldemort didn’t want to risk Snape’s gratitude and loyalty shifting to Dumbledore, so he showed up to argue Snape’s case in person. To establish himself as having the proper clout, he presented himself as having a legal degree from Blackfriars College in Oxford.”
“If I may interrupt to clarify a point?” Lupin asked. At Harry’s nod, he proceeded, “Let’s discuss Voldemort’s false credentials. Why are they significant?”
Harry took a moment to consider before answering, “Riddle, as he presented himself, was not a relative of Snape nor did he have any other ties to the family that would have explained his involvement. On the other hand, Dumbledore was Snape’s headmaster and it was evident why he would offer to come to his student’s aid. He did the same for me.”
“Yes,” Lupin confirmed. “Providing legal assistance to students would have been part of the headmaster’s duties.”
Consulting his notes briefly, Harry elaborated, “Dumbledore was a member of the Wizengamot himself and presenting his views before them would have been a matter of course. In order to establish his own credibility before the court, Voldemort presented himself as having Muggle credentials that allowed them to assume that he’d been hired to represent Snape, possibly even as a co-council.”
“So you feel this put him on par with Dumbledore?” Lupin pressed.
“No, clearly Dumbledore’s qualifications were far superior to Voldemort’s. But Voldemort’s fake papers created a plausible reason that allowed the court to believe that he was legitimate. He made them want to believe in him.”
“How did he accomplish this?”
“He simply charmed them in the same manner in which he’d charmed all of his teachers while at Hogwarts,” Harry surmised, recalling the private lessons he’d shared with the headmaster the previous year. “Dumbledore told me that he was the only teacher who wasn’t fooled by Riddle’s outward appearance of being the ideal student. When Dumbledore first arrived at the orphanage to offer him a place at Hogwarts, young Riddle was not so guarded. He always maintained that initial meeting told him more about Riddle’s true nature than anything that occurred afterwards.”
“Then you would describe his relationship with Dumbledore as adversarial?”
“I suppose you could say that Riddle and Dumbledore had a long history of mutual distrust.”
“If you’re determined to be evil, you can’t very well confess your intent to the good guys, can you?” Lupin summarized.
“Exactly.” Harry nodded. “But I wish to clarify a point you made earlier, Remus. Is that totally out of line?”
“Go ahead.”
“What makes you so dead certain that Voldemort’s Oxford credentials were false?”
“What he presents is impossible.”
“Hermione suggested that I shouldn’t make any assumptions. If he had indeed infiltrated the Muggle world, we should be aware of it. She said it would be a simple fact to verify electronically if she had access to a cyber-café. Otherwise, she recommended I write the registrar at Blackfriars College as if Riddle was applying for a post and we were verifying his curriculum vitae.”
“Let me guess,” Lupin remarked with a chuckle. “She suggested you use stationary from her parents’ dentistry offices, right?”
“How did you know?”
“Let’s just say that her brand of deviousness is familiar to me,” Lupin admitted with a laugh. “A fine exercise in futility, he was never enrolled at Oxford. He made mention of researching matters at the Bodelian Library only to add to his smoke screen. It may have actually been true since the library is open to the public. But I can assure you that he never attended the first class there.”
“How can you be so sure?” Harry demanded.
“You won’t be satisfied if I tell you that it’s a personal matter, will you?”
“No, and I can’t very well learn from it if you shut me out, either.”
Lupin sighed and gave Harry the look that signified that he was, once again, giving in against his better judgment. Harry took a long swallow of butterbeer to better keep from smiling.
“During the bleak days after the loss of your parents, I often became incensed with the blatant prejudice that I encountered throughout the wizarding world,” Lupin began solemnly. “No one, it seemed, was willing to offer employment to a documented werewolf. One day, I decided I was going to try to find my way among the Muggles instead; a decision born of desperation. I paid a visit to my maiden aunt who taught English grammar at the local comprehensive school. My father was Muggle-born so she knew all about the wizarding world through her brother. We had a long history of corresponding throughout my years at Hogwarts and were well acquainted with one another. I told her of my secret wish to attend University.
“She looked at me very directly and told me that the Muggle world revolved around credentials; that no skill, innate ability, or accomplishment was recognized without the accompanying documents. Sadly, the benchmark for such documents was often mediocrity, she claimed. But without that paperwork, no University would ever accept me as a student, despite the intellect that she said shone so clearly through my letters to her. Those were her exact words, I can still see her as if it were yesterday “ even though she’s been gone ten years or more.”
“Was there no other way?” Harry asked.
“Oh, yes, she said that the documents could be falsified. Normally, it was something that she would never suggest to anyone, she said, but it was clear that once I showed up for the first few weeks of classes, no one would ever again doubt my abilities. The only obstacle was that forgeries cost money “ serious sums of money “ that without a job, I had no chance of ever raising.”
“You seriously considered this as an option, Remus?”
“I told you I was desperate. But in the end, I decided that there was no point in trying to live in a world that forced you to become an outlaw in order to gain acceptance. If I wanted that, I could just stay among wizard-kind… Enough about ancient history, let’s get back on track.” Lupin’s voice rang with false cheer as he tried to valiantly erase the past. “A recap then: we have a trial where an adversarial relationship exists between the co-councils for the defense as well as between the defense and the prosecution, as represented by the Wizengamot.”
Referring to his outline, Harry took up the threads of his presentation. “Voldemort took advantage of Snape’s misfortune to make himself indispensable. It would have been a bonus that he could match wits with an old adversary before an audience where Dumbledore couldn’t attack him directly without looking like the villain. Here’s a quote from a report that mentions this strange relationship: ‘No one can question the effectiveness of the team assembled in defense of Severus Snape, 16, accused of attacking his Muggle father. The eloquent words of dashing Tom Riddle as he argues the nobility of defending those who are unable to come to their own defense, the venerable Albus Dumbledore whose measured words speak of wisdom acquired through a long and productive life. Never a word or glance passes between them, yet each seems to know the workings of the other’s mind. Their mutual goal: to see fairness rendered, even if the letter of the law must be reworked in the process.’”
“They’re seeing what they want to see,” Lupin volunteered. “Or rather, what Voldemort wants them to see. Sounds to me like Dumbledore was giving Riddle the cold shoulder. What is it that makes Snape so special to Voldemort, Harry? He’s not a pure-blood, his family is practically destitute, he has no social position. Why is he not just another anonymous Death Eater?”
“Because he has everyone on his side.” Harry felt as if the fog had suddenly lifted from his vision. “As you said, everyone was willing to offer him an olive branch. Forgive his past surliness and attribute it to an unhappy situation at home.”
“What about the fact that Severus rejected all those offers of friendship?” Lupin urged.
“But Riddle didn’t expect Severus to react that way; if he had, he would have never taken on his case.”
Lupin gave Harry a long, appraising look. “What makes you so certain you know the inner workings of Riddle’s mind, Harry? Clearly something that was not among the discovery documents.”
Harry considered whether he should just ignore Lupin’s leading statement, but relented in the end. What would it hurt to share some of the content of his private lessons with Dumbledore? As long as he made a point of stopping well short of the subject of Horcruxes, it would not violate his oath to the former headmaster.
With a deep breath, Harry explained how Dumbledore had passed on much of his first-hand knowledge of Voldemort. How they had visited the dismal orphanage where Riddle had languished before being admitted to Hogwarts. How quickly Riddle had learned to adopt a façade of gentility and friendliness that allowed him to hide his true intentions from everyone other than Dumbledore. “He learned how to draw followers to him simply by his charisma,” Harry concluded.
“But Severus did not,” Lupin countered.
“Exactly,” Harry returned eagerly as he felt his fledgling ideas take on a life of their own. Recalling the image of Riddle in Slughorn’s rooms, he was more certain than ever that among those gathered were members of Houses other than Slytherin. “Just look at this list here,” Harry offered as he considered how best to side-step Slughorn’s part in the true memory.
“I wondered why you included this roster of those who had been sorted into Slytherin House,” Lupin admitted with interest.
“See the names that I ticked off? It reads like a roll of the known Death Eaters, many of whom Voldemort kindly named for my benefit as I was immobilized next to the Riddle mausoleum.”
“But why would he--”
Harry didn’t sugar coat his frank response. “Voldemort expected to kill me that night in the graveyard. He just couldn’t resist a bit of grandstanding before the final act.” He waited for Lupin to swallow noticeably before he resumed. “Yet during his days at Hogwarts, Riddle was able to befriend those from other houses as well. Not so with future generations, however. He could count on an elite force of Slytherins, but none of his followers were able to charm their way into other segments of the student body.”
“If you wish to take over the world, it helps to have a more comprehensive base of supporters,” Lupin stated.
“Precisely. Severus was an unlikely hero who could open all sorts of doors for Voldemort. As his agent, Severus could bring his dark message to those who had always resisted his pull.”
“Only it didn’t work out that way,” Lupin argued. “For whatever contrary reasons of his own, Severus did not take the obvious path… at least to Voldemort’s reasoning.” Lupin stared deeply into the flickering flames of the hearth before turning to Harry full-face. “Why do you think Dumbledore thought it so important to share Riddle’s past with you?”
“He never really said.”
“So give me your thoughts. Surely you’ve come to some sort of conclusion in the intervening months,” Lupin urged.
After a moment’s consideration, Harry asserted, “He wanted me to be able to size up my enemy before I faced him. A lesson that you’ve stressed in dueling practices as well.”
“See the lad grow into the man,” Lupin reiterated. “So what are Riddle’s shortcomings? He has to have an Achilles’ heel regardless of how well he may be hiding it.”
“Arrogance, ego, a fanaticism that does not even conceive of others approaching things in a different way.”
“Intolerance?” Lupin suggested.
“Absolutely,” Harry agreed. “But even beyond that. Voldemort had always felt that the rules that applied to others could not possibly be intended for him. Take the incident when the Chamber of Secrets was opened for the first time. Dumbledore knew Riddle was guilty of having framed poor Hagrid for the crime, gave him the opportunity to confess, and Riddle maintained that he had nothing worth forgiving. What’s so appalling is that Riddle was being perfectly honest. In his own twisted mind, he saw nothing reprehensible in Hagrid’s expulsion for crimes he had not committed. Riddle’s only reaction was a sense of accomplishment for having manipulated everyone else.”
“Except Dumbledore,” Lupin emphasized.
“What I don’t understand is why Dumbledore never gave voice to his suspicions?” Harry pondered. “If he allowed Hagrid to take the blame instead, doesn’t that make him complicit in Riddle’s plan?”
“I think I may be able to help you out there,” Lupin proffered. “Dumbledore gave me a full accounting of the events surrounding the reopening of the Chamber before offering me the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was one of his greatest regrets in life that he had not exposed Riddle’s true fiendish nature for everyone to see the first time around. But without hard proof, it was just his word against Riddle’s “ and a teacher that makes unfounded accusations against a student can soon find himself without a teaching post.”
“But he would have stopped a greater evil from being set loose upon the world!” Harry cried.
“We know that now,” Lupin replied with a philosophical bent. “But I suspect that Dumbledore considered Riddle nothing but a particularly accomplished bully. How many such had he seen during his long career? Law enforcement eventually catches up with them in the end.”
“But they can stir up so much trouble in the meantime,” Harry maintained.
“You have to agree that Dumbledore more than made it up to Hagrid by securing his release from Azkaban after the Chamber was opened for a second time. Even offering him a teaching post in the process.”
“So you think that was Dumbledore’s way of validating Hagrid’s importance to the school?” Harry considered.
“Not to mention recognizing Hagrid’s innate gift for dealing with magical creatures. That’s not something that can be taught in a classroom, you know.”
“It’s a shame that not everyone sees Hagrid as an asset,” Harry noted as he remembered Draco’s derisive comments in class.
“The Slytherins?” Lupin noted with a small smile. “Then Dumbledore would have been proud that Hagrid’s most important lesson had not been lost on them.”
“Lost on them? You’ve lost me!” Harry admitted with a note of chagrin.
“Hagrid’s lessons are so valuable because he illustrates the beauty in all living creatures, not just those that others would see as soft and cuddly,” Lupin offered very softly. “It was bound to ruffle the feathers of those who pride themselves on feeling superior to everyone else.”
“Such as Riddle?” Harry suggested.
“So bearing in mind Riddle’s elitist attitude, do you feel he did his best to change the law that would have convicted Snape for defending his mother?” Lupin guided them back to the main topic.
“Yes,” Harry agreed. “His words ring with a sincerity that he didn’t feel yet he persuaded the Wizengamot of the need for a change. Dumbledore’s words got buried in the shuffle somehow.”
“He presented himself as a lawyer who did not pose a legal argument,” Lupin observed. “Instead, he appealed to their feelings and tugged at their heartstrings. This in front of a court that was often described as being stone-faced and intractable.”
Seizing the moment, Harry offered his plum for Lupin’s admiration. “I think ultimately the changes in the law weakened the Statute of Secrecy.”
Lupin responded immediately with renewed vigor. “Please continue.”
Double-checking the court transcripts one last time, Harry elaborated, “The change in the law was two fold: not only did it become permissible to defend another against an attack by magic, but it was allowable to defend a Muggle from an attack by a wizard as well. Unintentionally, it simply made it easier to use magic in the presence of a Muggle, period. Everyone accepted that the Muggle’s memory would need to be modified afterwards, but consider this instead: what’s to stop a dark wizard from altering the Muggle’s memory himself “ before the intervention of the Obliviation Squad? Then he could callously attack the Muggle and then claim to be the protector, instead. What’s more, if we extend this exception to underage wizards, it could easily be argued that adult wizards should not be denied the same rights and privileges.”
“Exactly,” Lupin agreed. “In the guise of demanding charitable treatment of Muggles, Voldemort opened the door to their exploitation by his own ruthless means.”
“Do you think I’ve painted Voldemort as too much of a monster?” Harry posed.
“If anything, you haven’t given him enough credit for his sociopathic tendencies.”
“I’d really like to hear your conclusions, Remus. The suspense is almost too much.”
“Do you think we could stop for some tea and sandwiches first? I’m absolutely famished.”
“Naturally,” Harry concurred with a smile. “Tonks warned me that you would have worked through your lunch today.”
“How did it go with the first-years this morning?” Remus asked as he sat at the dining table buttering up a scone. “I heard you were ambushed by Sarah last week. I’m surprised they don’t have a wanted poster of her hanging in the staffroom.”
Harry laughed merrily. “She and a few others.”
“Made me feel really guilty about letting you get nailed by Ginny later that same day, too,” Lupin admitted. “I suppose I really do owe you an apology.”
“Rubbish. I suspect the teachers endure much worse on a regular basis,” Harry demurred.
“True, but we do have remedies. We can set punishments.”
“And I could’ve hexed Ginny if you hadn’t been holding my wand in your fist! What kind of punishments have you actually imposed, Remus? Did you manage to talk yourself hoarse yet?”
“You don’t think that’s punishment enough?” Lupin countered with a dry laugh. “Not everyone appreciates my sense of humor, you know.”
“I suspect they’re afraid to laugh if you give them that icy stare.”
“You mean the one that doesn’t work on you?”
“I just know it’s all an act. Even your stern words have no real anger behind them.”
“You’re not going to let my secret out, are you?”
“With all the goods you have on me and Ginny, I wouldn’t dare!”
“You have just as much on me, Harry.”
“A truce then,” Harry toasted with the last of his butterbeer. He was feeling much better after downing two ham sandwiches in quick succession. He rose from the table and held the door to the inner office open for Lupin. “Time’s up, old man. Let’s see your cards!”
“My conclusion was that Voldemort’s primary reason for taking on the defense of Severus Snape was not to sway his loyalties,” Lupin began as soon as they were settled. “Voldemort set his sights on a much greater prize, and the Snape trial provided him with the perfect opportunity to reach for it. Here was an issue with a foregone conclusion: how could anyone fault Snape for acting in defense of his mother against a larger and more powerful aggressor? Virtually everyone sympathized with Snape and Voldemort was determined to manipulate the tide of popular support to his own ends.
“Taking inspiration from the great despots of the twentieth century, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, and far too many contenders in Africa and South America to enumerate, he intended to bring his own brand of populist rhetoric to the ears of wizards everywhere. Snape’s trial was tailor-made for his long range plans. As the court transcripts demonstrate, Riddle argued eloquently about ideals of humanity, decency, fairness, and nobility to which we know he didn’t subscribe, yet his persuasive words convinced the members of the Wizengamot that, not only was Snape a hero, but that the existing laws should be reworded to allow for this particular brand of heroism in the future. In comparison, the logic and reasoned arguments presented by his august co-council, Albus Dumbledore, were rendered dry and uninteresting.”
Lupin stopped to take a breath and gauge his audience. Harry’s attention was rapt and unwavering.
“Voldemort intended to present himself as a ready-made leader to the wizarding community,” Lupin continued. “This trial gave him a forum that allowed him to spread the first chapter of a message that would manipulate the masses into handing power readily into his hands. He simply followed the established blueprint of despots from the Muggle society which he secretly despised.”
“But it didn’t work out that way,” Harry commented. “You present this grandiose plan, but there is no evidence that it ever gave fruit.”
“No, it didn’t, but you have to ask yourself why,” Lupin returned. “Take for instance the quote that you read describing the co-councils for the defense. Am I correct in assuming that it was from the Daily Prophet?”
Harry nodded.
“Did you find any others that described the scenes that went on inside the courtroom?”
“Actually, no,” Harry admitted. “But I can’t say that I went looking specifically for them, either.”
“I did, and they’re simply not there. Riddle’s plan hinged upon the media picking up on his message and reporting it to their readership. Without any cameras allowed in the courtroom, he was depending upon the journalist’s skill to bring the proceedings to life. It had all the elements of a good story; the fact that the court transcripts are engrossing in their own right attests to that. But it just wasn’t the sort of story that the Daily Prophet thought would interest its readers. So instead of a noble tale of a poor boy who is accused according to a law that demands to changed and the forward-thinking advocates who fought on his behalf, the Prophet preferred to deal with the sordid details of Snape’s alcoholic father and abused mother, repeatedly showcasing photographs of them in their misery while an unkempt Snape is dragged into custody.”
“So Voldemort’s reasoning was that if he portrayed himself as a humanitarian in assisting Snape to be acquitted, the next time his face came before the public, they would be more likely to listen to his message?” Harry asked for clarification.
“Absolutely, it’s the same manner in which other tyrants and extremists have assumed power.”
“But he did win Snape’s loyalty in the end. Snape went on to become Death Eater, perhaps even before he left Hogwarts.”
“Yes, he did, Harry,” Lupin agreed. “But to his dying day, Dumbledore maintained that the ultimate victory was his alone. Regardless of the doubts that you and I may entertain, Albus believed that Snape came to realize the error of his thinking and repented. A lesser man would have turned him away; instead, Dumbledore allowed him to redeem himself by spying on the enemy.”
“Unfortunately, I’m not certain that Dumbledore wasn’t misguided in his trust,” Harry conceded.
“I, too, have similar doubts. But in the end, I think Snape’s role in all this was as a pawn, an incidental prize that Voldemort claimed when his true goal was dashed by the Daily Prophet’s mediocrity.”
“Didn’t Dumbledore see through Riddle’s ruse?”
“I suspect he did, but he was willing to go along with anything that would render Snape innocent. It would’ve been a far greater loss to him if Snape had been convicted, instead. Once Snape returned to Hogwarts, Dumbledore didn’t turn his back on him. He always insisted that Severus was not a lost cause regardless of the company he kept.”
“How do you know that, Remus?” Harry ventured. Daringly, he added, “I always had the feeling that Professor McGonagall was your confidante, not Dumbledore.”
Lupin gave him a shrewd look before responding, “I was recruited to assist. Let me see if I can find you the memory. It’s very illuminating in a lot of ways that just retelling the events cannot convey.”
Retrieving the Pensieve basin from inside one of the sideboards, Lupin set it on the nearest table. Harry watched the now familiar procedure as Lupin extracted the shimmering silver threads of his memory and allowed them to suffuse the shallow bowl.
“Show me how to coax the memory forth,” Harry begged.
After a bit of practice, Harry dipped his wand tip into the swirling mass but the memory did not attach itself immediately as it had when Lupin did it.
“Don’t be put off by the fact that the memory strands are not automatically drawn to you,” Lupin reassured him. “The spell will work nevertheless.”
Harry performed the required movement and inwardly intoned the incantation that he had just learned: “Revelio memoris.” He was rewarded with two figures rising from the misty depths of the basin. Instantly, he recognized the young faces of Lupin and his own mother, Lily.
“I need you to help me find the words, Remus. It’s so much easier for you,” Lily beseeched.
“Only because I think them, and never have the courage to say them,” Lupin replied. His face bore a sadness that seemed somehow misplaced in one so young.
“Then lend me your words and I will give them power.” She impatiently pulled at a stray strand of her long hair that had whipped across her face, allowing Harry to conclude that this conversation must have taken place outdoors.
“He still sees me as the enemy, Lily, no more than a beast that will tear him limb from limb.” For the first time, Lupin turned his face away.
She circled to Lupin’s other side so that she could look him in the eye. Her voice was very gentle as she continued, “He is wrong. He doesn’t know you as I do, he doesn’t see the philosopher behind the mask. I won’t tell him the words came from you if that makes you feel any better.”
Clearly, Lily’s opinion mattered to Lupin as he solemnly nodded. “I think that would keep things a lot clearer for everyone concerned. Does James know about your little assignment from Dumbledore?”
“He’s not happy about it, but he won’t interfere “ not when it comes directly from the headmaster. As to your doubts “ yes, they’re written all over your face “ Severus was my childhood friend, the only friend I had when I left home to come to Hogwarts for the first time. I owe him this.” Lily’s last words were hardly more than a whisper.
Lupin’s eyes searched Lily’s face as he posed, “Even if he rebuffs you?”
“I have to try at least,” she maintained with a small shrug.
Lupin nodded that he understood as he turned to walk by her side. His gaze was on a distant point as he spoke but it was clear by how Lily inclined her head that she was listening intently.
“His arguments are difficult to counter, slanted as they are to his viewpoint,” Lupin mused. “He’s right that his friends are more likely to accept you into their fold than we would be to accept him; but that’s only because they would seek to corrupt you in their own image.”
“How about explaining the difference between the type of lawless friends with whom he’s associating?” Lily asked.
“He could counter that the Marauders are a bunch of outlaws themselves “ and he wouldn’t be totally wrong. Face it, both groups break the rules when it suits them, and each believes that they are a law onto themselves.”
“But yet you agree with me that the situations are totally dissimilar….”
“Naturally, but to argue that the Marauders only break rules, while the Death Eaters seek to break laws, isn’t a very strong argument. He’s already made up his mind “ or allowed himself to be convinced, if I allow for your viewpoint. He sees things only in terms of black and white; he won’t be swayed by the nuances.” Lupin stopped to face her directly.
“Dumbledore thinks that there may still be a chance,” Lily replied in a wistful tone.
Lupin’s voice was more resigned as he answered, “Yes, I know. But Dumbledore will always see a chance, even when we’ve given up hope on our own selves. It’s the nature of his idealism to believe that there’s a spark of goodness in everyone… I believe he would’ve even tried to reform Adolf Hitler if he’d been given the chance, steered him into expressing his hatred and alienation through his artwork.” He gave Lily a sad smile that was tinged with hope around the edges.
Lily’s eyes sparkled as she laughed. “Remus, you always find amusement in the most unexpected places! I can just picture Adolf sitting on the Left Bank among the Post-Impressionists of his age. I don’t think a beret would’ve suited him much.”
Lupin’s smile was genuine as he replied, “Perhaps he would’ve started a new fashion.”
The memory ended and the figures melted back into the swirling silver eddies. Harry felt as if his mother had been so close that he could’ve touched her. The sensation of yearning reminded him of how he had felt in front of the Mirror of Erised so many years ago.
Harry turned to Lupin with a new appreciation for the person he’d been as a young man. Harry could see bits of himself in his mother and things in Lupin that reminded him unmistakably of Hermione. “Did you help her to find the words?” he asked.
“As best I could. It was a rather difficult assignment for a boy of seventeen,” Lupin’s voice carried the unmistakable tinge of nostalgia. “Needless to say, Severus was not swayed by them “ at least not at the time. We do know that he reformed later, or so we’ve been led to believe.”
“What did Lily “ my mother “ report back?”
Lupin noticeably steeled himself before answering, “That he’d told her to not waste her breath “ not unless she was willing to handle his rehabilitation personally herself, that is. I’m virtually certain she did not recount that last part to James.”
“Tell me, Remus, how do you do it? You always seem to attack things from a unique angle.” Harry felt certain that Lupin would have given those Oxford dons a run for their money.
“Firstly, let me confess to the advantages of having been alive when these events took place,” Lupin admitted. “Principally, I think that’s what started me down this particular road. You see, even though I was still attending Hogwarts at the time, we were not so divorced from reality that we should’ve been so unaware of Riddle’s involvement in Snape’s trial. Many of us subscribed to the Daily Prophet and listened to the wireless, yet the only real news we had of it was when Dumbledore announced in the Great Hall that Severus had been cleared of all charges. He didn’t go into detail about the changes in the law, but it was the subject of many classroom discussions by the other teachers.”
“How did Snape react to the announcement?” Harry was curious.
“He was purposely absent “ did not want any more attention now that his nightmare was over.”
“But many people would’ve wanted to congratulate him on his perseverance…”
“He didn’t want their friendship, you recall. He came to hate the limelight that much more because of his experience.”
“I’m the first to tell you that living in the spotlight is torturous,” Harry admitted. “But it helps when others recognize you for your accomplishments, even if you feel their admiration is not totally deserved. It keeps you from feeling so alone and unworthy.”
“Apparently, a lesson young Severus never learned,” Lupin concluded simply.
“I’m sorry I got us off-track. Please continue with your explanation,” Harry urged.
“So from the moment I started reading the court transcripts, I was conscious that there was a discrepancy in the manner in which the event was being reported. In your analysis, you assumed that Voldemort was acting out of character and then sought to determine why. I, on the other hand, assumed that Voldemort was acting completely within his usual parameters and then sought an explanation with that in mind. After all, Voldemort was hardly known for his altruism, so there had to be something luring him that he could not have obtained by any other means.”
“You make it sound so simple,” Harry confessed, shaking his head in frustration.
“There was nothing wrong with your own conclusions, Harry,” Lupin assured him. “From the start, I specified that there were no right or wrong answers to this exercise, that it was all conjecture. Each of us brings our own unique experiences to the problem and that’s how all the nuances are dissected. You illuminated some possible outcomes that I had never considered since I already knew how the events played out.”
Lupin picked up the nearest stack of legal documents and dropped them solidly on the carpeted floor so that they made a resounding bang. With a playful twinkle in his eyes, he leapt up from the chair, grabbed the stack that Harry had been balancing on his lap and did likewise.
“Enough of this!” he cried jubilantly. “Let’s go find Tonks and see what manner of celebration she recommends. There’s a whole gamut of desserts we haven’t yet sampled!”
If Lupin’s mental processes often seemed like they were in a foreign language, Snape’s appeared to be those of an altogether different species. More than ever, Harry concluded that he was entirely out of his depth. From the onset of their next encounter Snape injected venom and vitriol into every statement.
In desperation, Harry threatened, “What’s to keep me from just turning you over to the Order?”
Incomprehensively, Snape chuckled. “All in good time. But for now, you won’t. You have no way to compel them to share their findings with you. Face it, for the present time, we need one another.”
“I’m sure the Order can do a better job of extracting a full confession.”
Snape was nonplussed as he responded, “Really? There’s not enough Veritaserum in the world for that!”
“Curious thing, Kingsley Shacklebolt said the exact same thing “ only the headmistress suggested that they start brewing a bigger batch,” Harry countered mercilessly.
“You misunderstand me.” Snape laughed sardonically. “Veritaserum has its limitations; its effects can be resisted if one’s resolve is strong enough…. This surprises you? Why should there be any guarantees in life?”
“What do you want from me then?” Harry sighed in resignation.
“A trade: information for you in exchange for protection for me.”
“I can’t give you that,” Harry admitted candidly. “Only the Order can.”
“And you have a very privileged association with the man who heads the Order.”
Harry was momentarily perplexed. “Surely, you don’t mean Lupin? He’s just in charge of my personal training. Granted, it must seem a pretty big assignment to him at times.”
“Think again.” Snape’s cavernous eyes bored into Harry’s. “Your mentor heads the Order, make no mistake about that.”
Deciding to play along, Harry volleyed back, “What makes you think I won’t seek the answers that I need from him then?”
“Because he doesn’t have them.” Snape’s enunciation was deliberate. “You are delving into matters that fall too deeply within the Dark Arts and he will not have gone there. He’s too much of an idealist. He still feels that it’s possible to fight corruption and hatred by keeping to the high ground. It’s what gives him his superior attitude.”
“That’s rich! Coming from the man who practically patented his own brand of arrogance!”
“We all bring our own talents to bear on the situation,” Snape replied. “Have you been able to confirm the truth of Tonks’ tale of woe?”
With considerable effort, Harry resisted the urge to lash out at Snape’s sarcasm. “She gave me more details than you could have obtained from Ministry records.”
“Still distrustful, I see. What about Lupin’s part in it?”
“I couldn’t bring myself to ask her about that.”
“Well, you’re unlikely to ever hear it from him!”
“The proper situation hasn’t presented itself yet,” Harry answered honestly.
Snape’s gaze appraised Harry in a manner that made him feel distinctly uncomfortable. “A very privileged association indeed.” Without another word, the mirror surface became blank.
Harry collapsed on the nearest chair to consider his options “ or rather lack of them, he thought ruefully. Despite all the warning bells that should have been going off in his head, it was difficult to resist Snape’s seductive promise to share his knowledge, especially when it had been presented in his silkiest tones. The man had better have valuable information to impart as Harry knew that sooner or later he would have to defend his actions to Lupin. If not, then he alone would have to bear the blame for his poor choices. But he was prepared to endure that, if necessary. Lupin’s wrath would be a small price to pay for solving the riddle of the Horcruxes.
Snape’s definitive assertions about Lupin heading the Order were hard to put aside. Could it be possible that Snape was correct when it came to this also? Harry’s mind wandered back to the desultory dialog that he’d been sharing with Hermione.
“Remember what Mrs. Weasley said about the three jump rule: that it’s standard procedure for members of the Order,” Hermione offered.
“Does that reasoning not make sense to you?” Harry replied.
“Only too well. It had Remus’ fingerprints all over it.”
“You mean like the Gryffindor passwords being in French and Neville with the only dictionary?” Harry commented.
“Exactly, the deliberate double-blind,” agreed Hermione. “It’s just too well thought out. I think we’re wrong about him, I think he leads the Order now.”
Harry reminded himself that he had seen Lupin differ to McGonagall on numerous occasions, so he couldn’t say that he was exactly convinced. Once again, he recalled the words that he could not tell Hermione: Arthur’s unequivocal declaration that he and Lupin should not travel abroad together in case Plan B was put into play.
Harry Potter and the Hero's Lament by L A Moody
Chapter Notes: Lupin and Harry attempt to reconcile different conclusions about Voldemort; Harry feels that once again he came out the loser after a different battle of wits.