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 62
A Tale of Two Sisters
Thanks to Lupin’s thoughtfulness, the next morning’s Quidditch practice was postponed until one in the afternoon by official proclamation of the Gryffindor Head of House. Consequently, Harry found himself much better rested when he set out to find his closest friends the next morning. Hermione was just returning from breakfast in the Great Hall and promptly propelled Harry back into the common room.
“You really don’t want to go down there, not unless you want to be besieged for information,” Hermione cautioned as she playfully pushed Harry into one of the armchairs by the fireplace. “Ron already went to warn Ginny and offer to bring her some food… I’ll just order you some breakfast; tell me what you’d like.”
“You make it sound like an angry mob with pitchforks.” Harry laughed good-naturedly. “And here I thought all the pitchforks were locked up in Filch’s shed!”
“Yes, but they have wands…Although, Veritaserum is what they’re going to need,” Hermione added impishly. “Please tell me I’m not going to have to start brewing up a batch, Harry.”
“If you let me just give you the bare bones now, I promise I’ll allow you to do a full interrogation later. I have another matter I’d like to discuss with you, something a bit more serious.”
Between mouthfuls of ham, eggs and fried potatoes, Harry briefly delineated how he had created the perfect moment for Ginny and how McGonagall and company had peacefully invaded the festivities. Before Hermione could finish drawing her first breath for a follow-up question, Harry slipped in, “The man we know as Simon Stevens is actually Severus Snape.”
Finally assured of her full attention, Harry outlined his conclusions based on the events of last night and how they had confirmed suspicions he’d been harboring for some time.
“And nobody else seems concerned?” she gaped.
“Apparently not,” Harry affirmed. “There’s absolutely no way that Lupin could’ve failed to notice last night.”
“Which means the Headmistress also knows,” Hermione surmised. “Based on what you told me, though, it almost sounds as if Snape has been sprinkling the clues about rather liberally, don’t you think?”
“You mean to spark a confrontation?”
“Exactly! Only it looks like the others are refusing to play his game.”
“What we don’t know is why,” Harry summarized. “Until we know more, I suggest we follow the Headmistress’ lead and not blow his cover, either.”
“Who else have you told?”
“Only Ginny.”
Feeling like he did not want to hide forever, Harry armed himself with a few stock responses he could provide to nosey questions. After all, what part of ‘closed for a private function’ was misleading? Bolstered by his back-up plan, he set off for the Great Hall to stash some snacks in his rucksack for the Quidditch practice. The bottles of chilled Butterbeer already stored within clinked musically as he lifted the strap over his shoulder.
Ginny was apparently of a like mind as he found her ensconced among her teammates at the Gryffindor table. Without hesitation, Harry squeezed himself next to her and whispered hello. He responded to her quick smile with an equally quick kiss. He looked up unapologetically at the staring faces surrounding them, certain that all conversation in the entire room had ceased. His calm expression dared them to make a comment, but after a few tense moments, normal activities resumed as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.
Knowing that such a standoff was too good to last, Harry braced himself for the next barrage. Clearly, Ginny’s team members were acting as interference as they all excused themselves in unison to get ready for practice. Harry promised he would be watching from the stands, just as soon as he packed himself some snacks for the long afternoon.
Sure enough, as soon as the Gryffindor team exited the Great Hall, Harry was accosted by Leah who wiggled easily onto the bench next to him.
“Hi!” she said as she waited expectantly.
“Good to see you, too, Leah,” Harry replied simply.
Not wishing to be drawn into her web, Harry made to rise only to find himself surrounded by a crowd of giggling girls. Obviously, the Layettes had held a gargantuan membership drive the previous evening. If he was not mistaken, there were even faces from other Houses as well.
As Harry debated his next move, Simone slid onto the bench on his other side. “Just a small tidbit, please,” she pleaded as she gazed imploringly into his eyes. “You walked into the common room like a dream last night “ you can’t just leave us hanging.”
Harry couldn’t hide his smile at her brazenness. Such a performance deserved another in return, he told himself as he produced a melodramatic sigh. “Now this is not for public consumption,” he began artfully, “but I arranged for a private dance, just me and Ginny -- at least as well as I could within my limited abilities. The teachers gate-crashed, unhappy that they hadn’t been included in the guest list. We settled it peacefully.”
“But isn’t the Headmistress going to punish you?” Leah urged breathlessly.
“Most definitely.” Harry nodded. “She just hasn’t told me what my penance will be.”
A small gasp undulated through the crowd.
“That means she’s going to get creative,” contributed an unknown voice in the multitude, followed by many anxious nods.
“Just know we’re here for you if you need us,” Leah whispered in his ear as she patted his hand reassuringly.
Harry offered his thanks all around as the girls helped him wrap up some parcels for his rucksack. With a jaunty wave from the large doors, he ducked out into the Entrance Hall and took the closest detour to the Quidditch pitch. As he hiked briskly across the expanse of the back lawn, he congratulated himself on his deft handling of the situation. Without a doubt, his summary would be on everyone’s lips within hours “ likely with a few embellishments from the overly romantic imaginations of the Layettes. Some flying stallions and a gilded carriage would only enhance the story anyway, he shrugged.
By happy coincidence, he found that Tonks and Lupin had spread out a nice picnic on the lower part of the Gryffindor viewing stands. Harry helped himself to a chocolate cupcake and some tea while he added his Butterbeers to their iced tub. The late spring air held the tantalizing promise of summer as it gently caressed their faces. Soon it would be too warm for long sleeves, but for now it was still surprisingly cool in the shade.
“You know the Headmistresses are meeting right now to determine your fate,” Lupin remarked wryly.
“Are you trying to insure yourself more cupcakes by killing my appetite?” Harry shot back.
“Hardly,” Lupin allowed with a chuckle. “Suffice it to say that if it had been a truly serious transgression, the Heads of Houses would also be involved in the deliberations. As it is, your sentence is being decided by two grandmotherly types.”
“Two grandmothers with wands and a wicked sense of humor,” Harry corrected.
“Well, yes, I suppose that’s true,” Lupin admitted as Tonks laughed merrily in the background.
“I think what Remus is failing miserably at saying is that unless you receive some parchment tied with a black ribbon, you really shouldn’t worry,” Tonks clarified.
“That’s so comforting! Thanks loads, Tonks.” Harry grimaced before joining in with the light-hearted laughter.
“I’ll try to give you a heads up, if I can,” Lupin added cannily. “If the new Gryffindor password changes to la guillotine, you may want to consider sneaking out in the night.”
“This is really not helping!” Harry cried, holding his side.
Tonks stood up and waved as she spied Hermione’s tiny form just leaving the castle porticos in the distance. “You men will excuse me while I go have a bit of girl talk with Hermione, won’t you?” she requested. “And Remus, please stop teasing Harry so mercilessly before he finds a way to turn the tables on you. You know he’s not too polite to do it!”
As Tonks trotted off, Harry turned to Lupin. “Actually, Remus, there is something I’ve been wanting to ask you since last night.”
“I have no memory of the events in question, “ Lupin recited with mock innocence. At Harry’s reproachful look, he amended, “Sorry, just practicing.”
“You looked just as amazed as everyone else when Tonks danced with Stevens…” Harry began, uncertain how to frame his inquiry.
“Enchanted, more like,” Lupin admitted. “It’s not like she has an opportunity to shine like that when she dances with me.”
“But I thought you knew everything about Tonks, now that you’re married to her.”
“You really think that?” Lupin returned with a slight lift to his brow.
“I thought that’s what all those long talks were about. Sharing secrets…you know.”
“In between the snogging, you mean?”
Harry laughed. “Exactly.”
“There are always surprises,” Lupin answered thoughtfully. “It’s not possible to know everything about another person. There are always skeletons in the closet.”
“How many skeletons can Tonks have really accumulated in her tender years?”
“She’s not as young as she looks.”
“Or acts,” Harry volleyed back. “But that can apply to all of us… Answer the question, please.”
“Well, in her case, it’s just one skeleton, singular instead of plural. And to her credit, it was a very small skeleton, some kind of rodent, hardly took up any space at all. Her mother still brings it out for parties.”
Harry was incredulous. “Surely, you don’t mean a literal skeleton?” The sheer absurdity of the situation had the laughter bubbling up again.
“Could I make this up?” Lupin deadpanned. “It was a prank from a medical student she was seeing for a while. Muggles have the strangest sense of humor.”
Harry broke up in laughter as Lupin joined in.
Tonks started rolling her eyes as soon as she walked up with Hermione. “It’s hard to think of you two as men when you carry on like this,” she quipped.
“Sorry, Tonks,” Harry gulped. “Remus just told me the funniest story about the skeletons “ I mean, skeleton “ in your closet!”
“I told my mother she should’ve never done that bit in front of Remus; that he was bound to steal her thunder,” Tonks pronounced. Turning to Hermione, she added in an undertone, “You see what I had to put up with at home when I was growing up. All the horror stories you’ve heard “ completely true.”
“Where’s Ron?” Harry posed as Hermione settled herself on the end of the bench.
“I left him shoveling food into his face,” she responded airily. “Mumbling between bites that even with his superior training in Charms, there was no way to magically transport Welsh Rarebit in a rucksack.” When the appreciative chuckles wound down, she added, “He also said he was bringing more Butterbeer since you never pack enough to share with everyone.”
“Some things are just a two man operation,” Tonks interjected in Harry’s defense.
“By the way, Remus,” Hermione supplied. “The Headmistress intercepted me on the way out the door. They have a verdict and she’s counting on you to deliver it to the wayward members of your House.”
With a start, Lupin excused himself and hurried back up to the school. Harry felt his stomach take a nosedive that would make the most stalwart Seeker cringe.
“Since there was such a hue and cry among the student populace when a private dance was announced and in light of the fact that said miscreants did not follow school guidelines that prohibit the use of the Great Hall for private functions, it is officially recommended by Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress, and Pomona Sprout, Deputy Headmistress, that Harry James Potter and Ginerva Molly Weasley be sentenced to plan and oversee a summer dance in the Great Hall before the end of term exams. Exact date, themes, refreshments, music, to be left up to their planning acumen,” Lupin read with a barely concealed smile.
“Is that all?” Harry could not believe it.
“It’s a lot of work,” Tonks assured him. “I did it on a much smaller scale when I hosted the Hufflepuffs. You’ll be invoking the Headmistresses’ names in vain before you’re done!”
“Oh, and before I forget,” Lupin added. “Slughorn has already volunteered his assistance on the refreshments. Nothing alcoholic, mind you.”
“We’ll have to work around my Quidditch training schedule,” Ginny warned.
“There’s an added bonus,” Lupin stipulated. “The Headmistress also approved my proposal to share a memory from childhood with both Harry and Neville. By lucky coincidence, I was invited to both of their first birthday parties. How does Tonks’ offices tomorrow at two strike you, Harry?”
“That’s wonderful, Remus!” Harry beamed in anticipation.
It had seemed so simple, really. Witness the memory, see yourself as a baby and get out. But Harry had not counted on the strange sense of unreality it would give him.
He’d stood as just another party guest while his one-year-old self was presented with a birthday cake in the shape of a flying broom, its bristles made from thin strands of spun caramel. It was disconcerting to see Lupin standing practically shoulder-to-shoulder with his younger self; Lily and James so close and yet so impossibly out of reach. Suddenly, the loss of the old photo album seemed monumental. Harry was relieved that Pettigrew was not present, but it had been a bit of a disappointment to learn that Sirius had been on a field assignment for the Order and was also absent.
Once returned to the familiarity of Tonks’ office, Lupin noticed Harry’s ambivalence almost immediately. “It’s bound to feel a bit disorienting at first,” he sympathized. “Just relax and let it sink in. All the studies indicated that it takes a short time for your own memories to rise to the surface and reassert themselves. You may even get a bit of a domino effect as other memories from the same time period may get dislodged.”
“You don’t think it will matter that the memory is from such an early age?” Harry inquired.
“Apparently not. While it’s true that most people don’t remember events from such a tender age, it’s not exactly a medical miracle when someone does. The only caveat: these memories will be as fragile as soap bubbles. You shouldn’t attempt to review them with a Pensieve to bring them into clearer focus or they are likely to dissolve into smoke. Virtually all the studies reported that.”
Harry nodded that he understood. “Actually, I’m already beginning to feel a bit more like myself,” he proclaimed.
Lupin appraised him closely. “If you feel like you’re steady enough on your feet, then you can go into the next room with Tonks. But no prancing around; stretch out on one of the sofas and just relax. I’m serious, Harry.”
“Can I have Tonks feed me grapes?” He grinned from the doorway.
“Only if she agrees to wear a toga,” Lupin retorted instinctively. “Do you always have to be so incorrigible?” he added with a smile. “Please have Neville join me when he’s ready.”
As Harry sat down on the nearest sofa, his attention was captured by a sheaf of parchment resting on the side table. “Tonks, is that the proposal Remus presented to the Headmistress? It’s over an inch thick!”
Tonks tucked two bright pillows into the corner of the sofa and pushed Harry’s shoulder down until his head was resting comfortably.
“Take it easy and I won’t have to take away your conversation privileges,” she joked as she took a chair in Harry’s line of sight. “To answer your question: yes, those are his words on the matter -- but it’s not something for you to read at this time. He had to do a lot of research before the Headmistress and Madam Pomfrey agreed. Even then, I don’t think they would have done so if the two of you weren’t of legal age.”
“Is that why Neville and I both had to sign consent forms?” Harry prodded.
“They insisted on some record that you were participating of your own volition. There’s always a chance things won’t go according to plan.”
“Should I be worried?” Harry laughed rather nervously.
“Probably not,” Tonks reassured him. “Poppy’s just a stickler for such details. Ultimately, I think she’s more protective of her own credibility than anything else.” Lowering her voice to that lilting tone that Harry found so soothing, she added softly, “Enough talk for now, just let your mind drift peacefully. I’ll be right here in the room if you need me, just call out.”
Harry did as he was told, finding it supremely easy to relax completely in her presence, feeling no different than when he was lazing about in front of the fire in the common room. Just as he’d often done in his quarters, he closed his eyes and let his mind go blank, floating weightlessly about the room as he heard all the other voices going on around him. Soon or later, something would either cause him to sit up or he would drift off imperceptibly into a brief nap. Either way, his mind was always refreshed afterwards.
He felt himself strolling pleasantly down a long avenue of trees, their leaves the most riotous and varied shades of green as they blocked out the canary sun. A warm breeze ruffled his hair and kept the branches above in almost constant motion. The continuous flapping of the leaves made a soft backdrop that blocked out the strident noises of city traffic in the background. Turning his head slightly, he could see a playground with many small children climbing and tossing various toys happily.
He heard familiar voices to his left and saw that they belonged to his mother and his aunt, Petunia. They were seated on a long bench in the shade, Petunia holding a very robust baby boy. Harry had no trouble recognizing Dudley at age one; there had been no shortage of photos of his cousin throughout the house at Privet Drive. Dudley fidgeted as if he could not bear to be squeezed too tightly by his mother. After a small struggle, Petunia settled him into the stroller at her side. Harry could feel Dudley’s small eyes boring into him as if he were a laboratory specimen in the next stroller, but he ignored it as he was more interested in the adult conversation.
“”can’t believe you went to all this trouble to seek me out,” Petunia was saying curtly. “It must have taken you hours to drive here from your country estate.”
Petunia’s disdainful tone was enough to put anyone off, but Harry heard his mother only sigh very softly before she responded kindly, “You’re still my sister, Petunia, despite all the differences that you seem to think are so significant. Don’t you remember as girls how we dreamed of allowing our children to play together?”
“That was before…before you discovered that you had a life apart.”
“And I would have given anything to have included you in that life. It was you who cut me off, Petunia. You, who would not let me re-enter your life whenever I returned from school.”
“What would you have wanted with a simple Muggle such as myself?… Don’t be so shocked that I know the word,” she practically spat as an afterthought.
“Petunia, you will always be my sister and I will always love you as such. You may hate my life, but I hate the distance this has put between us. You are my only blood relation now that Mum and Dad are gone…” Lily’s voice caught.
“All your fancy magic tricks couldn’t save them, could they?” Petunia’s voice was laced with anger.
“What do you think I am?” Lily cried through her tears. “Any of us could die in an automobile accident! I have no extraordinary power over life and death “ you’re being grossly unfair.”
“Lily, if this proves to be too much for you, we can always go,” Lupin’s voice remarked as he laid a comforting hand on Lily’s arm.
Petunia’s head whipped in Lupin’s direction as she looked him up and down critically. “And who’s this? A new companion already?”
“Remus Lupin at your service,” Lupin offered pleasantly, extending a cordial hand that Petunia ignored.
“I can see Harry favors his father,”Petunia continued derisively. “His hair so dark and tousled. Truly, Lily, all I see of you is his eyes.”
“His dark hair could just as easily have come from Mum or from you, Petunia. Clearly, Dudley takes after his father, as well.”
“You still haven’t answered my questions,” Petunia shot back. “Why is your husband not accompanying you today and who is this other man?”
“Just consider me the over-qualified nanny,” Lupin rejoined with a wry smile, not moving from where he stood behind the bench. It was clear from her expression that Petunia did not remotely understand his sense of humor.
Lily spoke up before Petunia had a chance to take another dig at Lupin. “James is at work, just like Vernon.”
“Like his type has to earn a living,” Petunia scoffed. “Thinks he’s better than the rest of us, likely.”
“True, James doesn’t draw a salary. But the volunteer work he does is not without merit; he works tirelessly for the benefit of all mankind,” Lily explained with the patience one might accord a small child.
“So, you’re too good to come here on your own like I do? You have to bring a ‘nanny’ and a driver, as well. That is your driver over there on that far bench, isn’t it? The one who seems to be entertaining a small bevy of women “ most of them married with small children, I might add.”
Harry had to squirm and lean over to see around Dudley’s rotund figure in the stroller parked before him. Finally, he was able to see Sirius waving from across the playground as he caught them looking in his direction. He had the carefree debonair quality that Harry remembered from his photograph as best man.
“Sirius and Remus are my friends, Petunia. They have been like brothers to James since he first went to Hogwarts--”
“Do not mention that loathsome place to me!” hissed Petunia.
“Why? Because you would have liked to have gone off to school with me?” Lily exclaimed, taking to her feet unconsciously. “Admit it, Petunia!”
“I will do no such thing!” Petunia responded with haughty decorum. “And I suggest you sit back down if you don’t want to alert your ‘driver’ that something is amiss.”
“Petunia, you ignore the existence of my world at your own peril,” Lily whispered with concern. “There is evil unleashed that won’t stop to distinguish whether you acknowledge it before it crushes you underfoot.”
“So now you’re trying to tell me that these two gentlemen are your bodyguards as well. Who died and made you queen?”
“Let it go, Remus, please,” Lily cautioned over her shoulder. “The gentleman that you have identified as my driver is Sirius Black. He’s Harry’s godfather.”
“You chose that Lothario to be my nephew’s godfather! Did they scrap your brain at that school of yours?”
Lily smiled gently. “So now we’re family again?”
“At least he’s a sight better than that other friend of yours. The one who used to follow us to the park when we were girls. The one from the other side of the tracks…”
“You must mean Severus. Sev, as we used to call him as children. You shouldn’t be so cruel, Petunia. Severus has had a difficult life. He wasn’t able to escape his troubles completely when he went to school as he’d always dreamed of doing.”
“Doesn’t surprise me that he turned out to be a reprobate!” Petunia’s response dripped with a venom born of jealousy.
“Last I heard, Severus was visiting some distant relatives in the Crimea,” Lupin supplied. “There were rumors he had married there.”
“So he’s a school chum of yours as well?” Petunia threw at Lupin, looking at him directly for the first time.
“Hardly,” Lupin answered with quiet candor. “Severus made a point of rejecting all offers of friendship during his times of trouble… Lily, you need to come to the point. We shouldn’t linger overly long here.”
“Of course, Remus,” Lily answered as she kept her eyes riveted on her sister. “Petunia, Harry will be celebrating his first birthday in a few weeks’ time. I would like it very much if you, Dudley and Vernon would consider attending a small party in his honor. Only family will be present and I’m afraid James has even fewer relatives than I.”
Harry watched as Lily removed a invitation bordered by bright balloons and held it out to Petunia. Grudgingly, Petunia took it in her fingers as if it might contaminate her. After a quick glance, she placed it wordlessly on the bench between them.
“You don’t need an invitation to come visit, Petunia. You know that,” Lily urged fervently.
Petunia turned her head aside; but from his vantage point, Harry was almost certain that her eyes were bright with unshed tears.
“Lily, we must go,” Lupin urged. “Remember, you promised you wouldn’t get overly emotional. You don’t want Harry to start crying when he senses that you’re upset. Here, I’ll carry him back to the car.”
Harry felt himself hoisted high in the air by a familiar and comforting presence that he assumed was Lupin. Deeper into the dappled green cathedral they walked, leaving the sounds of the playground behind.
“Remus, I have no other family left!” Lily moaned from where she was walking beside them.
“It seems that’s true of all of us, unfortunately,” came Lupin’s comforting tones. “Except for Sirius, and he’s disowned his--”
“Only because they disowned me first!” Sirius added gaily as he walked up on Lily’s other side and took control of the empty stroller.
“Harry will always have us, if nothing else,” Lupin added softly. “I wager even Peter feels that way.”
“Come on, Lily,” Sirius volunteered brightly, “we may be a bunch of misfits, but we all love you!” Sirius draped his free arm affectionately around Lily’s shoulders as they neared the parked sedan.
The next images Harry saw were from the vantage point of the car’s interior. In the distance, Petunia slowly wheeled the carriage with Dudley gesturing impatiently, the bright invitation left behind on the park bench. A sudden gust of wind caught the card and whipped it in the direction of their sedan. Harry’s last memory was of the invitation flapping against the mesh of the rubbish bin not three feet from the front wheels of their vehicle. He could see their names, the date and time of the event clearly handwritten on the appropriate lines. Inexplicably, the line that should have listed the address was smudged to an illegible grey as if it had been attacked by an ink eraser.
His surroundings intensified to a brighter white until all the details and colors of that summer day were washed away. Slowly, Harry became aware of other voices around him, Lupin’s mellow tones as his only bridge to those images from the past. He distinguished Tonks’ light-hearted cadences and even Neville sounding a bit groggy. It was as if he had to swim up from a great depth before he found his voice.
“Professor!” Harry croaked, amending his words at the very last minute due to Neville’s presence. “I’ve just had the strangest dream…”
His words were barely out of his mouth before Lupin had pulled up a footstool.
“Is anything wrong?” he asked anxiously as he laid a gentle hand on Harry’s shoulder.
Harry shook his head to the negative as he finally felt his eyelids become unglued. Slowly the room came into focus. Tonks was standing at the end of the sofa, concern painted on her young features. The thought that she was only a few years older than his mother had been rose unbidden to his mind.
“How can you tell if something is a memory or just a dream?” Harry asked, digging his elbows into the pillows in an attempt to sit up more normally.
“Don’t try to move too quickly just yet,” Lupin warned. He motioned for Tonks to brings extra pillows to prop Harry into a more vertical position. “If it’s a dream, too much physical motion tends to scare those images away. Please, tell me what you saw. It’s not too personal for others to hear, is it?”
Harry half-smiled at Lupin’s thoughtfulness. “I don’t mind if Tonks or Neville listen in.” With growing confidence, he described the scenes that had just played out inside his head. Once again, it was so vivid that he could almost feel the warm breeze pleasantly teasing his hair.
Lupin listened very intently, then pronounced unequivocally, “Without a doubt, that was a memory, Harry. I remember the same incident, almost word for word… Except for that very last part about the wind pinning the invitation to the wire rubbish bin. I must have been busy talking to the others inside the car at that point.”
“Why would we have come by car instead of just Apparating?” Harry felt an immediate need to ask.
“Young children don’t much take to Side-Along Apparition. It often takes hours to calm them after the assault to their burgeoning sense of reality. Sirius’s motorbike was considered a hazard, even with the sidecar that he claimed would be just like a motorized baby stroller.” Lupin chuckled briefly at the memory. “In the end, he was able to borrow a car from one of the other Order members -- can’t say I remember whom, or even if I ever knew, actually. Sirius was the only one of us who had a driver’s license.”
“Why didn’t Pettigrew accompany you that day? You spoke of him as if you were all so close.”
Lupin’s face clouded over slightly before he returned, “Peter was actually accompanying James on assignment that day. Dumbledore was very meticulous about scheduling our duties so that one of us was always home with Lily, especially after you were born, Harry. Since it wasn’t often that we had free days together; Lily grabbed at the opportunity when Sirius and I were both available.”
“The invitation, Professor, there was something strange about it…” Harry strained to pinpoint the source of his feeling. “Ominous even.”
“If you’re feeling that it could have led anyone to you,” Lupin supplied, “that pretty much became a moot issue once Peter turned his brain inside out for Voldemort.”
“It’s not just that,” Harry admitted as he struggled to catch the fragment of memory. “I could read everything so clearly except for the address. It was blurred and totally illegible.”
“Ah, that would have been the effect of the Fidelius Charm,” Lupin intoned conclusively. “Memories and dreams are affected by it as well.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“The address would have been perfectly legible at the time of the actual events. Only later, once the Charm was cast to hide the location of the house, its magical properties would extend to any notation of the address that existed anywhere.”
“Didn’t you tell me once that Dumbledore used the fact that James’ address remained illegible on all official school records as a direct indicator that Sirius was still alive in Azkaban?” Tonks supplied.
“He did indeed,” Lupin acknowledged. “Pretty shrewd, since there were hardly any visitors or news allowed to leak out to the general populace.”
“Excuse me for interrupting, Professor,” Neville’s voice rang out from the other side of the room. Tonks turned in his direction immediately, but he reassured her, “I promise I won’t move anything other than my lips and my eyelids.”
“Yes, Neville, did you have something to contribute to the discussion?” Lupin urged kindly, never leaving Harry’s side.
“Well, it seems to me that the Headmaster would have been wrong to use the addresses as an indicator of Sirius’ health, when they were actually a sign that Pettigrew was not dead as everyone had supposed.” Neville sighed with satisfaction that he had delivered another of his bombshells.
“Very intuitive, Neville,” Lupin accorded. “But everyone, me included, thought that Sirius was the Secret-Keeper and the Judas in our midst for the longest time. Ironically, though, even if Pettigrew had died with the secret intact, there are those who theorize that the addresses would still have remained illegible.”
“But wouldn’t that mean that every time a Secret-Keeper sacrificed himself for the greater good, the secret would be lost to future generations?” Harry asked incredulously. “Why would anyone use the Fidelius Charm knowing that was a possibility?”
“Actually, no,” Lupin corrected. “General wisdom is that one of the parties that wishes their secret to be protected casts the spell themselves. Consequently, if the Secret-Keeper is killed, they themselves are spared and can release the Charm at a later date.”
“If you’ll forgive me for saying so, then everything must have gotten all scrambled in the case of the Potters,” Neville added. “Sorry, Harry.”
“It’s all right, Neville, I know you don’t mean anything by it,” Harry responded in the general direction of the ceiling. It felt strange to not be able to direct his words to his friend’s sympathetic eyes.
It wasn’t long before the two of them were allowed to return to their common room. Tonks cautioned them to sit down immediately if they experienced any bouts of dizziness while Lupin added that for anything more serious, they should contact him immediately -- as well as Madam Pomfrey.
Harry was feeling euphoric that he had retrieved a bonus memory including not only his mother, but also Sirius in his prime. He assured Lupin that the feeling of disorientation from before had totally dissipated.
Neville was practically giddy at the memories of his parents laughing and joking at his birthday party. Lupin had been in one of his silly moods that day, he confided to Harry, and there had been more hilarity than a one-year old could fully comprehend. Neville admitted that he had tried to giggle in unison, but had finally given it up and stared at the adults as if they had been alien beings.
“My Gran always told me that my parents both had very sunny dispositions, but it was nice to finally have a memory to coincide with that.”
By Neville’s admissions, Harry surmised that he must not remember his parents from before they had been tortured into insanity. Although he knew them to be only a few years older than Lupin, that did not agree with Harry’s memory of the wispy-haired old lady pressing discarded wrappers into Neville’s hand. As much as he wished that his own parents had been spared, Harry wondered whether the torture that the Longbottoms had endured was not somehow worse. He had only to recall the grim expressions on the faces of Neville and his grandmother from a few years ago. Harry had felt as if he were intruding on their own private hell that day he encountered them in the Closed Ward.
By some miracle, Lupin’s gift of the birthday memory had made all those phantoms disappear from Neville’s life. Harry could not remember ever having seen Neville with a more joyous bounce in his step as he left to do his late rounds with Luna that evening.
Harry Potter and the Hero's Lament by L A Moody
Chapter Notes: Harry's sentence is handed down; Lupin includes Harry and Neville in a novel experiment.