Chapter four
'I want to see this for myself.'
'If whoever is doing this knows you are here I'm sure they will change their mind and not appear.'
'Did you forget what I own…sir?'
'The cloak, yes, I did.'
'But I also own this,' Harry dug into his pouch and pulled out an old piece of parchment, 'I'm sure you recognise this,' Harry placed the map on the table then touched it with his wand, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.'
'So the parchment that insulted me is a map?'
'Yes, a map of Hogwarts that my father, Sirius, Remus and Pettigrew invented when they were students. I got it from the Weasley twins,' Harry pointed at the map, 'It shows everyone in the castle and on the grounds, even the ghosts. I can come here, if you let me, without anyone knowing and hide under my cloak. A lot of people know I own this map, but we've had no use for it since the battle, they would not even know if I have it on me. I only brought it with me this year because this map saved my life and the lives of others.'
'What if this person shows up as Lily, how would that help reveal the truth?'
'It doesn't work that way. When you caught me that night, I was trying to find Pettigrew, I was in bed, studying the map, I saw Pettigrew's name and remembered that he had supposedly died, killed by Sirius, so I had to find out if he was alive or not, or if maybe something was wrong with the map. I was in the corridor trying to find him but he wasn't there, I didn't know he changed into a rat. So you see, even as Wormtail, a rat, he still showed up as Pettigrew, I even show up under my cloak, the ghosts do as well.'
'Have you ever checked with someone using polyjuice potion?'
'No, by the time I knew about Crouch and Moody, it was too late. As you can see, it's very hard to find a name with so many people here,' Harry turned the map, 'See, all the students milling around, so trying to find Hermione's name would be hard. But I mainly used it to work out what Malfoy was doing, before Dumbledore died. We used it when Umbridge was here, for the DA, so we could sneak in and out of the room of requirement. But you see, it would show who was here and it should not say Lily Potter. But maybe we should test it with polyjuice potion, just to be sure,' Harry sighed as he sagged.
'I know this must be upsetting for you Potter.'
'It is, but it's not that, I thought now he was gone I would get one year at Hogwarts without anything happening. I love this place, even with everything that has happened, but I can't seem to go too long before something happens. I only brought the map with me as it felt wrong to leave it behind,' Harry sat up again, 'I just thought of something.'
'About this situation?'
'Maybe, see when I left the Burrow I had a flat, but that's not where I live, I fixed the house in Godric's Hollow and I live there, the flat was so no one would know where I was living, especially Ginny and her mother. I was talking to Aberforth, before I fixed the house. I told him I wanted to live there but I didn't want anyone to know, but the moment it was fixed everyone would know. He explained about the illusionment charm, as long as I concentrated on what illusion I wanted everyone to see that's all they would see.'
'I am surprised to hear you wanted to live there, after what happened.'
'It was hard, but I'm glad I did. Anyway, I was moving my parent's clothes from their bedroom to the spare room, their room was bigger and the bed was beautiful that I just had to take that room for myself, I bought a new mattress though and I just couldn't throw away their stuff. Anyway, not long into moving all my mother's clothes my coin heated up, a message from Hermione saying she was home and wanted me to go to the Burrow to meet her parents. So I left what I was doing and headed to the Burrow. At one time Ginny touched my shoulder, when I asked what she was doing, she said I had a hair on me then she asked if I was dating some other red head.'
'One of your mother's hairs,' it wasn't a question, it was a statement of fact.
'Yeah, I never saw it so I can't be sure, but it makes sense. Maybe she just wanted to check who that hair belonged to. Her mother always has polyjuice potion made; she got in the habit because of the order always using it. If she did turn into my mother and Hermione mentioned I spoke about you and her in my sleep, that's when she might have come up with this plan, to be my mother to hurt the one I was dreaming about.'
'It sounds like Miss Weasley has means to become Lily and to her mind, a reason to do so.'
'Yeah, I would say so. The thing is, I don't see where it would lead. With our…past, I would not have spoken to you about my feelings, she would know I wouldn't. So why would she do this when I haven't spoken to you and you haven't spoken to me, apart from in class?'
'She might be hoping to send me crazy so I have to leave Hogwarts. Seeing dead people can push even the strongest person over the edge, especially people that you care about. She would have to know that my feelings for your mother were strong enough to make me upset or even crazy.'
'Then she doesn't know you at all, your one of the strongest people I know. But I felt like that, when I saw my parents and Sirius,' Harry sighed, 'Dumbledore told me he explained what I saw the night in the graveyard, he said it was so you could make sure I was okay. Anyway, I saw them again, that night, here,' Harry folded the map, 'Sirius, Remus and my parents helped me walk to Voldemort.'
'The stone.'
Harry looked up sharply, 'How did you know about the stone?'
'I saw it, I saw the markings, I was not sure what Albus intended to do with it. Could Miss Weasley have the means and no how to get her hands on the stone?'
'I left it in the forbidden forest, deep in, so I doubt it. I didn't want anyone to find that stone, so when I was ready, I dropped it before facing Voldemort.'
'I know the area you mean, so yes; that would be hard to find. I believe if she did look for it that it would take her longer than a month and it is not something you can summon, not with the magic surrounding the deathly hallows.'
'No one knows about the stone, I didn't even tell Hermione and Ron. If Hermione knew she would have known I called them, I couldn't take the looks.'
'Then if it is her, she must be using polyjuice potion.'
'Unless someone has come up with another way to change or to make a fake ghost, knowing Fred and George, I wouldn't put anything past them, they can invent anything when they put their mind to it.'
'Then I believe our only way to find out is for you to be here most nights, using your cloak and map. But will you be able to keep yourself hidden once you see someone impersonating your mother?'
'I will make myself, I've done it before and I know what to expect. But sir, your rooms are usually enchanted, from what I found out no one can get in here, so how is she getting in?'
'That is another question I would like answered. Maybe you could speak with the Weasley twins, without saying too much; find out if they might have something that can get past personal wards.'
'I'll do that on the next Hogsmeade weekend.'
'It's almost dinner time, I'm sorry I've taken so much of your time. So you do not need to hand in your homework this week.'
'Thanks, I would normally but I want to find out who is using my mother, or the imagine of my mother. I just hope I don't kill them,' Harry pointed his wand at the map, 'Mischief managed.'
'They were known as mischief makers by the staff.'
Harry smiled, 'Yeah, McGonagall told me, she thought they were funny,' Harry shrugged, 'To everyone but you. I had a go at Sirius about that; he tried to explain how all boys are arrogant…' Harry hesitated, 'I said I wasn't, that they just liked to bully people and I hate bully's, I had my own to deal with for years, so I know what it's like,' Harry put the map back in his pocket, 'We'll find out who did this, I promise.'
'I believe you, then I think we should sit down and talk about…our feelings.'
Harry gazed into Severus Snape's dark eyes and had to suppress a moan, before he nodded then hurried from the room. He saw Hermione, Ron and Ginny waiting for him, Ginny looked nervous.
'You've been in there for an hour, what's going on?' Hermione asked.
'We've been worried,' Ron said.
'He thought it was time to tell me about my parents, what he knows of them from when they were all students. He couldn't tell me a lot, but for once he didn't put my father or Sirius down. Anyway, I'm starving, I never realising talking about them would make me so hungry.'
'Come on,' Hermione took Harry's hand, then Ron's and walked away with Ginny following, but she still looking nervous, something Harry noticed which to him confirmed his suspicions that it was Ginny doing this, now he had to get proof.
