Dementors, the Marauders and Quidditch
The next day the whole school was buzzing with talk of Sirius Black. Harry found himself wishing he could lock himself away in the Slytherin Common room until either Black was caught or he graduated; he held out little hope for common sense descending on the student body as a whole. Naturally, everyone knew Black had been looking for Harry; it made sense he had assumed Harry would be in Gryffindor, like his parents and that was why he had attacked the Fat Lady and not tried to access the Slytherin Common Room. It was getting to the point of the ridiculous; in fact, Harry thought it might even surpass the time they all thought he was Slytherin's heir, though at least they had left him alone that time.
In the madness which followed, Harry found himself grateful to Hermione Granger for her calm rational thought process. The Gryffindor pointed out, to anyone who would listen, that that Black must have known it was Halloween and that everyone would have been at the feast. Therefore, he had been searching for something or someone other than Harry. “Otherwise,” she repeated with exasperation, “...he would have come to the Great Hall or lay in wait until dinner had finished.” However, no one took her argument seriously and the stories about why Black wanted Harry became more and more ridiculous.
Try as he might he could not escape the speculation; anyone who spotted him alone felt it their duty to explain their suppositions to him in great detail and to give him advice or express their sympathy. He had heard everything from Black wanting to kill him, to Black believing he was the key to finding ‘You know who,’ to Black wanting to deliver Harry to ‘You know who.’ and it was driving him mad, as well as creating chaos in the corridors as people bailed him up on his way to class.
Harry found himself repeatedly biting his tongue; he wanted to yell at them all; to demand they use the man’s real name and not be cowards, as well as idiots. He did not do that however, because Severus had sat him down and reminded him that people were still genuinely sacred and he reminded Harry, that most people believed that he had done something special when he defeated the Dark Lord. Harry accepted his words grudgingly and promised to behave civilly.
It was annoying but rather than risking his temper, Harry took to using his invisibility cloak or leaving lunch early just to get to class unmolested. The Tuesday after Halloween, he left lunch early and headed to divination alone. He was walking along the corridor towards the spiral staircase, which, led to the divination room when he heard two girls coming towards him. He ducked quickly into an alcove behind a tapestry so they would not see him.
“...well I heard that Black thinks killing Harry Potter will bring back you know who,” a girl said to her friend as she rounded a corner.
“No, just killing him won't do it,” the second girl said with absolute certainty. “Black will be wanting Potter for a ritual. I heard some Ravenclaws in the library; apparently, there's a book in the restricted section full of horrible dark rituals; they said they found one that would do it and it requires the blood of the enemy,” she said knowingly.
“But Black wouldn't need Potter for that, surely any enemy would do…” the first girl said unconvinced.
“Well, maybe but with Potter…” their voices faded as they got further away. So Harry never found out why Black might need his blood in particular. He stayed hidden until he could no longer hear any sounds, and then he stepped out from behind the tapestry and ran right into Fred and George. “Hiya, Harry,” they said together.
“I see you are still hiding from everyone,” George said with a grin.
“I have to, Professor Snape told me I can't be rude to the stupid prats. So I have to avoid them otherwise I’d only be impolite,” Harry said through gritted teeth.
“We understand, which is why…” Fred told him.
“We need to show you something,” they said together.
Their identical grins told Harry they were most certainly up to no good, but he shrugged and followed them into an empty classroom.
When they got into the classroom George locked the door with a locking charm and Fred pulled an old ratty-looking piece of parchment from his pocket. Harry stared at the parchment as Fred held it with almost loving care.
“This,” Fred said, with a reverence Harry had never seen from the prankster. “...is the secret to our success.”
Harry frowned “What is it?”
“This is the Mauraderes Map,” George said in the same tone.
“We owe them so much,” George began.
“Noble men, Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, Purveyors of aides to Magical Mischief makers; they created this map of the school,” Fred told Harry in a solemn tone.
“It shows everyone in the Castle or the grounds,” George added.
“...but more than that,” Fred interjected.
“It shows…” said George dramatically.
“All the secret passageways.” they told him together.
“There are hundreds of them, all over the castle.” Fred went on.
“It will help you avoid people…” said George.
“...without being late for class.” finished Fred.
“Brillant men,” George said wiping an imaginary tear.
“Incredible men” Fred reiterated.
“Working tirelessly to help new generations of law-breakers in their quest to be the greatest pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen,” George said solemnly his hand over his heart.
Harry stared at the two redheads dumbfounded; all he could see was a ratty piece of parchment.
“Ok,” he said slowly. “How does it work?” Harry asked cautiously.
Fred pulled out his wand and tapped the parchment “I solemnly swear I am up to no good,” he said.
The map unfolded into a larger piece of parchment and lines appeared all over it; along with the lines, there were dots and footprints. There was dot a for everyone, Harry could see Dumbledore sitting in his office, most of the students were still in the Great Hall and Severus was on his way to the dungeons for his afternoon classes. Harry felt his mouth drop open as he took it all in.
“We are here,” said George pointing to a spot on the map where Harry saw his name with the two Weasleys.
“There are seven passageways which lead out of the Castle and into Hogsmeade, but these…” Fred said pointing to some of the the dotted lines.
“...are passageways within the castle,” George finished.
Harry did not know what to say, the map was an incredible feat of magic and he could not even begin to imagine how it had been created.
“How did you get this?” Harry asked.
“Pinched it from Filch in our first year, I don't reckon he knew what it was though,” George answered.
“Why would you give it to me?” asked Harry.
“We know it by heart, and we agree…” George said.
“...your need is greater.” Fred finished.
Harry took the parchment held out by Fred and stared at it. He could not think of a single thing to say. Though his inner Draco was telling him it was dangerous and he should go immediately to Severus.
Harry knew he should, but he also had no plans to do that. “How do I hide it again?” he asked.
George tapped it with his wand and said “Mischief managed,” the page was blank again.
“It’s brilliant,” Harry breathed.
“It is,” agreed Fred.
“...and it's yours,” said George.
“I…I don’t know what to say,” Harry told them.
“Think nothing of it young Harry, the Marauders would want you to have it,” said George.
“It will even help you get into Hogsmeade,” Fred told him, tapping his finger to his nose.
Harry looked up sharply but he saw no sign that Fred was mocking him about the dementors and their unfortunate effect on him. “Thank you,” he said sincerely.
“You’re welcome; now mind young Harry, that you don't get up to any mischief,” said Fred sternly.
“...and no loitering in the hallways,” added George.
They gave Harry a salute and left the room.
🐀🐕🐺
Harry did not need the map after divination as Pansy and Hermione walked with him back towards the Common Room; people generally did not bother him if he was with other students. Hermione bid them farewell at the bottom of the grand staircase and Harry and Pansy continued on their way down to the Slytherin common room. Harry went straight to his dorm to dump his books he had no intention of spending his free period studying he had research to do.
He went to his trunk and pulled out the potion books he had borrowed from the library, in hopes of figuring out what potion Severus had brewed for Professor Lupin. He had narrowed it down to about half a dozen potions that might have been in the goblet Snape had given Lupin and it was looking fairly likely that Lupin was some kind of a creature but he was undecided as to which one.
As he lifted the books out of his trunk, a pink envelope which must have been stuck to the bottom of the last book, fluttered onto the bed. Harry stared at it unsure for a moment what it was, then he remembered the letter from Ginny, which, Ron Weasley had given him at breakfast weeks ago. He had tossed the letter in his trunk and forgot about it. Slowly he picked it up wondering just what could have possessed the girl to write to him. Draco and Pansy had helped him test the letter fairly comprehensively for curses, charms and jinxes when Ron delivered it, so it should be safe to see what the girl had written.
The paper inside the envelope was also pink. Harry took it out and unfolded the letter, as he looked at the words they seemed to blur and change before he could focus on them to read the note. He immediately dropped the page and cast more spells on it but there did not seem to be any curses present. Harry picked it up again, the words were clear now and he could see the painstaking effort Ginny had put into writing the short note; she had pressed almost too hard, as if she was too weak to hold the quill steady.
Dear Harry,
Mum is making me write this letter to you to apologise for my behaviour last year. She thinks if I do, you will reconsider cancelling the marriage contract. No offense Harry, but I would rather you didn’t reconsider.
All my life I have heard about the boy who lived, I was told that he was rich and powerful and that one day he would be my husband. Mum was completely obsessed with us getting married. However, I have to confess that I am a bit scared of you; I think you might actually be the Heir of Slytherin and I don’t want Mum to choose who I marry anyway.
I am sorry about the trouble I caused you by taking your diary; I should not have stolen it and I certainly regret my actions. It took a lot of sessions with a mind healer for me to get over my obsession with Tom. I don’t even know who Tom is, but he really got into my head. I assume you do know him though and I hope you are careful with that diary, Harry because he completely took over my mind and my body. I don’t remember any of the things I did while he controlled me but know the outcome of it and I am very sorry for all of it.
Maybe one day you can tell me who Tom is and why you came after me that day, I hope one day we might even be friends but I understand if you don’t want that.
I am grateful to you for saving my life, I hope one day I can repay you in some way.
Sincerely,
Ginny Weasley.
PS My brother Bill is helping me conceal the real contents of this letter from my mum, so the blurry words you will notice when you open it are just the result of Bill’s concealing spell. If you could ask your father to send my dad a note saying you don't want a marriage contract between us I would really appreciate it.
GW
Harry reread the letter three times before he breathed easily; Ginny did not want to marry him, it seemed she had come to her senses even if Mrs Weasley had not. He smiled at her confession that she believed him to be the Heir of Slytherin; part of him was pleased she had figured that out. He set the letter aside he would take it to Severus later and ask him to arrange the note to Mr Weasely; he would have to think about how to get a note to Ginny without her mum reading it.
He returned his attention to his research: was Remus Lupin a vampire, a daemon, one of the fae or a werewolf?
All of those options would require the person to take a potion which smoked to hide their creature characteristics. Harry had not had the chance to get a good look at the potion, all he knew for sure, was that it had smoked, the top of it had been white and maybe frothy and it had also been served in an opaque goblet; which might suggest a vampire. He sighed and opened a book on humanoid creatures and began to read the chapter on vampires. He hoped when he figured this out it might explain Severus’ strange behaviour around Lupin since the man himself was less than forthcoming with any information. He still hoped Severus would trust him with his troubles but one way or another he hoped to have some answers soon.
🐀🐕🐺
Tom Riddle stood on a Muggle street in the middle of Whitehall and stared at a red Muggle phone box in disgust. It was fairly innocuous and none of the passersby paid it any mind at all; Tom was not even sure if the passing Muggles could see it. However, he thought there had to be a better, less obviously muggle, way to disguise the entrance to the Ministry of Magic.
Wrinkling his nose he stepped up to the box and opened the door. Inside, he was confronted with an ordinary-looking Muggle telephone, he lifted the receiver and dialled 62442 and waited. He pressed the appropriate buttons at the operator's prompts and he was granted a visitor pass which he pinned to his new robes. Then he found himself descending deep under Whitehall into the Ministry of Magic.
Stepping out of the phone booth he looked around the long cavernous room which was the entry to the ministry. He had not set foot in this building since he was a young man some fifty years ago and he was unsurprised to see that not much had changed. Taking a moment to get his bearing he located the security desk and set off towards it. He paused as he passed the Statue of the Magical Brethren and scowled at the statue of the House Elf; it reminded him of the elf who had cost him his Horcrux and Slytherin’s locket.
Turning away from the statue he continued on his way to the security desk to have his new wand weighed. Augustus had gone to great lengths to set him up with a new identity for this foray into the Ministry. He had transfigured his Lord’s face so it was an approximation of how he might look when he had completed his transformation. Tom was pleased with the result; he was a pleasant-looking man in his mid-thirties with brown eyes, wavy brown hair, high cheekbones, full lips and a chiselled jaw. He looked so completely ordinary, it was unlikely anyone would look at him twice which suited his purpose perfectly. If today was successful he would keep this identity and use it to reestablish himself in Wizarding Britain; if it was not successful things could get messy, and he would likely attract a lot of unwanted attention, which, would set his return to the Wizarding World back significantly.
Striding confidently up to the security desk, he withdrew his new identity card, which had been issued by the French Ministry. His new name was Maël from the French for prince or chieftain, Rideau. His new wand had been made by Mykew Gregorovitch; it was created from rowan wood and three runespoor fangs one from each head of the same snake; Gregorovitch himself had guaranteed that the fangs he used were the correct ones, harvested from his own family of Runespoors. The wand was especially powerful when he cast non-verbally using parseltongue and he was very pleased with it.
“Good morning sir. Please place your wand on the scales,” said the cheerful wizard on duty at the wand weigher. This was the moment of truth; he focused on regulating his breath as he placed his new wand on the scale. The machine hummed and vibrated and printed out a slip of paper which the wizard tore off and compared to the identity card in Tom’s hand.
“That’s all done, welcome to the Ministry Monsieur Rideau,” the wizard said handing back the rowan wand.
Maël Rideau smiled at the man as he took his wand and replied “Thank you very much, could you possibly point me in the direction of the Department of Mysteries, I believe I am expected.”
🐀🐕🐺
The first quidditch match of the year was scheduled for the 6th of November and Harry was excited for the game. He and Draco were both on the main team this year and both Lucius and Narcissa were coming to watch their first match. On Saturday morning Harry woke up at 6:00 am as he did every day. Unable to go back to sleep, he lay in bed and thought about the strategies he and Marcus had discussed; he needed to catch the snitch at just the right time, to ensure they beat Hufflepuff by a high enough margin to secure the top spot early.
Cedric Diggory was the Hufflepuff seeker and Harry knew he was good. He was a popular student and he was very good-looking. Harry had seen the Hufflepuff team train and he knew Diggory would not be easy to beat.
When the others began to stir close to 7:00 am and Harry got up and headed to the bathroom for a shower; nerves were starting to set in, but it was not quite as bad as his first match last year. Sitting at the Slytherin table lifted his spirits, the team was quietly confident. Hufflepuff had a good team this year but they were not unbeatable. He managed to eat his usual eggs and toast and he was feeling much more relaxed as he headed to the pitch with his teammates.
Harry could not help glancing up at the teacher's stand as he stood in the middle of the pitch waiting for kick-off. He could see his parents sitting with Severus at the front of the stand. He also noticed Lupin on the opposite side of the stand a little further back. The man was not looking well and Harry was momentarily concerned he might actually be ill.
Madam Hootch blew her whistle at that moment and the trunk burst open releasing the balls and Harry kicked off. He flew up above his teammates and sat there watching as the Slytherin chasers annihilated the Hufflepuff chasers. The Badgers were not able to get the ball off them and the score was soon 80 to 10. Harry refocused on looking for the snitch he looked around for Diggory, he spotted him at the opposite end of the pitch doing the same as he was but there was no sign of the elusive golden snitch.
The game went on below him and Hufflepuff seemed to hit their stride; scoring three goals in a row to Slytherins one goal making the score 90 to 40. Harry stepped up his search for the snitch. A flash of gold caught his attention near the Slytherin goal and he took off towards it, Diggory saw him go and was quickly on his tail, so Harry put on a spurt of speed to get away from him.
He was so focused on the golden snitch he did not notice the dementors until it was too late; cold overtook him and he felt hopeless. His eyes closed of their own accord, he knew what would come next. “Not Harry, please not Harry,” Lily Potter pleaded.
Then he heard a second voice one which he had not heard before, yet he he knew it well. “Stand aside you silly girl,” The Dark Lord said in his high cruel tone.
“Not Harry, please no take me, kill me instead,” she cried. This was new; he had not heard this part of the interaction between his mother and Lord Voldemort.
Harry had no idea he was falling and he knew nothing as hit the ground; he did not see his broom fly away and crash into the whomping willow.
He was floating again. It was safe here, warm and safe. He liked it here. Nothing was scary it was not cold or dark and it was quiet, no one was screaming. He had no desire to leave this place.
There was a voice though and it was calling to him; he tried to ignore it but found it impossible. It was a soft gentle voice, which promised love and affection; then a second voice spoke, a warm deep voice, which Harry loved. The two together made staying where he was very difficult, he found himself being pulled towards them and finally, he opened his eyes.
The Hospital wing was darker this time but he could still see the faces of his mother and his betrothed looking down at him from opposite sides of the bed. “Hi,” he whispered.
“Oh sweetheart,” Narcissa breathed. “Thank goodness.”
“What happened?” Harry asked his head hurt, his brain felt like it was stuffed full of cotton wool and his mouth was dry.
“What do you remember?” Severus asked as Narcissa poured water into a glass and raised the back of his bed so he could drink. The water felt wonderful on his parched throat he took three big sips before the water was taken away. “Easy sweetheart,” Narcissa soothed. “Go slow.”
The straw was returned and he took three more slow sips. When he was done he lay back and thought about Severus' question. “I was chasing the snitch Diggory was on my tail, I was almost there and then everything was cold…dementors,” He said his eyes widening. “There were dementors. I heard her and I heard him…he told her to stand aside…but she wouldn't,” Harry did not realise he was crying until Narcissa wiped his tears and wrapped her arms around him. Harry let her hold him as his tears flowed.
Finally, he lifted his head. “How long was I out?” he whispered.
“Just a few hours,” Severus said his voice suspiciously hoarse.
“What happened,” he repeated as Narcissa drew back.
“You fell about 60 feet,” Severus said in his calm tightly controlled voice. “Professor Dumbledore and I were the first on the pitch. The headmaster sent the dementors away, Madam Hootch had already slowed your fall and I cast a cushioning charm on the ground. You still managed to land on your head so you will have a a headache, I imagine; you also broke your arm and dislocated your shoulder. Madam Pomfrey healed you immediately. You will be sore for a week or so but you are healed.”
“Who won the match?” he asked softly.
“Mr Diggory did not realise you had fallen, he caught the snitch before you hit the ground. Hufflepuff won. 190 to 90.” Severus told him. “Unfortunately there is some more bad news; your broom flew away and it hit the whomping willow. I am afraid it is beyond repair,” Severus told him.
Harry groaned “Oh,” he said sadly. “That sucks.”
“Brooms can be replaced and there will be another match. The important thing is you are in one piece,” Narcissa said firmly.
Harry nodded his head and regretted it instantly. He closed his eyes and more tears leaked out.
“Careful love,” Severus said almost directly into Harry’s ear. He must have moved like lighting because his hand was under Harry’s head lowering it to the pillow, as the bed moved back so he was lying flat again. Harry opened his eyes; his betrothed was very close, much closer than he usually would get at school. Harry smiled despite the pain in his head and Severus moved back as Madam Pomfroy bustled in.
🐀🐕🐺
Harry was released from the Hospital Wing two days later, just in time for dinner. He made his way to the Great Hall with Draco who was telling him that they could still win the Quidditch Cup if Hufflepuff lost their match against Gryffindor by more than 100 points and Ravenclaw beat Gryffindor. Harry could not honestly say he cared; now that his head had stopped hurting he was mourning the loss of his first ever broom.
They arrived in the hall and made their way to the Slytherin table. Marcus made a point of telling Harry that Diggory had tried to call the match off when he realised Harry had fallen. “He caught it fair and square though,” Marcus admitted though it looked painful for him to say out loud.
Harry shrugged his shoulders. “We can still win though right,” he told Marcus. Who instantly perked up and launched into a detailed explanation of how things needed to go for them to stay on top.
Harry piled his plate with pork chops and mashed potato and let the captain talk; though he was not really listening. His eyes drifted to the teacher's table where Severus was eating steak and kidney pie. He seemed on edge and Harry was not sure why. Professor Lupin was not present and Harry remembered how unwell he looked at the match on Saturday, he wondered if Lupin was still sick.
Harry looked down at his plate and as he did he heard Pansy talking with Daphne and Blaise. “Yeah, it was a bit odd. A lesson on werewolves just out of the blue,” the dark-haired girl said.
“Hummm, it is strange, I don't know why Professor Snape would have done that, we should have been learning about Hinkypunks,” Daphne agreed.
“I hope Professor Lupin is better soon,” Pansy said before they switched topics and started discussing the dress robes they were planning to buy for the upcoming Yule and New Year's balls. Daphne’s betrothed was coming home and Pansy was excited to meet him.
Harry considered what he had just heard, he looked back towards Severus and as if he could feel Harry's gaze, Snape lifted his head and met his eyes. He felt a press on his mind and a thought entered his head that he should go and see Severus that evening. He nodded to let Severus know he understood and the man stood up and left the table.
Just before 8:00 pm Harry told Draco he needed to see Severus and he headed out of the common room he walked the short distance to Severus' office. He waited outside under his cloak until the teacher finished speaking with a group of Ravenclaw NEWT students; as they left Harry moved into the office still under his cloak. Severus would know he was there so he sat on the sofa and waited for office hours to end.
Right on eight o’clock Severus got up and walked over to lock his door; as he turned towards Harry, his floo chime went off. Muttering under his breath, he went over to the fire to see who was calling. “Severus, dear boy, so glad I caught you. Would you mind taking Remus' class again tomorrow it’s just the one Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, first period,” Dumbledore asked cheerfully. Severus replied in the affirmative and bid the headmaster goodnight.
Severus let out a sigh as the Headmaster withdrew from the floo and he looked up at Harry. “I dare say you heard about me filling in for Lupin today,” he said slowly.
“Sort of,” Harry admitted. “I heard Pansy and Daphne talking about it at dinner.”
Severus stood up and moved towards the hidden door which led to his private rooms. “Come through,” he said, as he walked ahead and Harry followed.
They settled on the sofa with tea, but Severus seemed reluctant to begin the conversation; then he said softly. “Lupin is under the weather and since I had a free period during your class time I took the lesson. I taught the class about werewolves, despite Lupin’s lesson plan on Hinkypunks being clearly visible on his desk. I know you have been trying to work out what the potion was that I made for Remus, I thought setting an essay on how to identify a werewolf might…help you,” he said in a whisper.
“Oh, of course, the full moon…he was unwell on Saturday, I remember seeing him in the stands. The potion you gave him was wolfsbane,” Harry said.
“Yes, the headmaster forbade me from telling any students or parents about Lupin’s affliction directly so I found another way. After the incident with Black…I saw red. They were lovers at one time and…I don't know why the Headmaster is so certain that Lupin is trustworthy. He must know something I don't.” Severus said sounding annoyed and frustrated.
“You said you didn't think that Professor Lupin was helping Black, so I still don't understand why you hate him so much. Unless it's because of the bullying because I could understand that,” Harry said with a frown.
Severus sat very still for a moment as if he was gathering his thoughts. “When we were at school I realised that there was something off about Lupin. I tried everything I could think of to work out what it was; then one day out of the blue Black told me that if I went to the Shrieking Shack that night I would find out what was going on. He told me there was a button at the base of the whomping willow, which would freeze the branches and about the tunnel leading to the Shrieking Shack. I should have known it was some kind of trap…but of course, I went. I waited until close to midnight and I followed the instructions Black had given me. I got into the tunnel and I walked along it and suddenly I was confronted with a full-grown werewolf. I froze. I couldn't move I thought I would die right there and then your father appeared and saved my life,” Severus spoke softly and clearly his voice barely above a whisper throughout the whole story.
When Severus stopped speaking Harry released the breath he had been holding the whole time. “What an idiot,” he said.
Severus lifted his head and frowned.
“I mean Black,” Harry said, waving his hands. “You could have died, Lupin could have killed you,” Harry said angrily. “What did Dumbledore do about it?”
“He gave me detention for a month and warned me that if told anyone about Lupin I would be expelled,” Severus said evenly.
“And you left Tom to go back to his Order?” Harry said shaking his head.
“I did that to save your mother,” Severus told him.
“Tom would have done it, he would have spared her. He told her to stand aside. She refused she begged him to kill her instead of me,” Harry said softly.
“Yes, so I learned when you were in the hospital wing,” Severus replied.
“So that’s why you are scared of him, of Lupin,” Harry whispered.
Severus gave a short nod then he stood up and went to his cabinet and poured himself a drink. “I have been unreasonably scared of werewolves ever since then. I know that Lupin is completely harmless if he takes his wolfsbane but I still feel unsettled knowing he is in the school,” he confessed.
Harry nodded. Dumbledore should not have done that to you and Black is a bigger idiot than I thought,” he growled.
“I have wanted to tell you about Lupin since the start of school. I have been worried about him being near you. Not because of Black, I still don't believe Black betrayed your father. However, someone did. Someone told the Dark Lord where to find you and your parents,” Severus said anxiously.
Harry’s eyes went wide at that. “You think it was Professor Lupin?” He asked sounding shocked.
Severus looked at Harry. “If it was not Black that only leaves two, Lupin or Pettigrew. As far as anyone knows Pettigrew is dead. He was a coward anyway I can’t imagine that he…” he trailed off.
“We should ask Tom,” Harry said unexpectedly. “Obviously he will know who told him where to find them, he will know who their secret keeper was.”
Severus stared into his drink for a long moment. “Yes, perhaps,” he said slowly. “Though there is no guarantee he will tell us.”
“He’ll tell us,” Harry said firmly. “I’ll write to him.”
Severus nodded, if the Dark Lord was willing to tell anyone the truth it would be Harry. They sat together in silence for a short time then Harry remembered his letter from Ginny.
“I almost forgot, I got a letter from Ginny Weasely she needs a favour…” Harry said as he took the letter out of his pocket and held it out to Severus.