((A/N: Sorry, but this has to be split into two parts. And no, the Weasleys did not take a trip this summer. They saved the extra money and used it a little more wisely.))
Chapter 10 -- Interviews, Part 1
Harry and Hermione gave their parents a hug good-bye while in the Leaky Cauldron. Percy stood there waiting calmly, having been sent by his mother to retrieve them. They seemed decent enough and Harry had saved his sister, for which he had been very grateful. He eyed the two, noting how they interacted with each other, comparing them to his memories of them from last year. He also thought about how much Ginevra was looking forward to them coming, much more so than Ron. He thought Harry might be a good match for Ginevra, if Hermione did not interfere. Ginevra would need someone strong to help her in a few years, of that he had no doubt.
His path was already planned and had been so for the last few years. He was Head Boy this year and had no doubt it would go well. That would help him next year, when he would seek a good job at the Ministry so he would be able to live on his own. He truly detested the thought of having to hurt his father's feelings, but there would be little choice if everything kept on its present course. He was not particularly concerned about his mother's feelings by this point.
Percy bade the senior Grangers good-bye and made sure his two charges enunciated "The Burrow" correctly before he followed. Arriving home, he landed in a sea of chaos, nothing unusual for his family. He was privately amused to see Ginevra hugging Harry as if he had been lost for a long time, when she had visited him a mere two weeks prior. Perhaps the young man would be his sister's way out of the family mess; he would guess she was trying to make it so. His duty done, Percy headed up to his room to continue ploughing through his pile of policy manuals. His goal was to get an interview at the Ministry by Christmas time, and he wanted to know all of their procedures by heart before the interview.
---
"Merlin, Ginny, let him go, will ya?" Ron complained as his sister was hugging Harry as if he was about to die. Ron shook his head, noticing that Hermione seemed to find the scene funny while his brother Percy just strode from the room, ignoring them as normal -- the prat.
Ginny finally let go of Harry and moved to Hermione, allowing Harry and Ron to slap each other's shoulders in greeting.
"Doing OK there, mate?"
"Yeah, Ron, doing good. You?"
"Great summer so far. Want to go flying? I'm sure the girls will want to talk," Ron said as he practically dragged Harry away.
Molly Weasley took that moment to step into the room. She had a smile on her face, but it looked forced. "Hello Harry, hello Hermione. Welcome back. If you'll take your trunks up, that would be helpful. Harry, you're with Ron like last time. And Hermione, you're again with Ginny."
"Yes, ma'am," Hermione and Harry said together as they grabbed their trunks. Ron helped Harry and Ginny helped Hermione.
When they came back down, Molly Weasley was waiting for them. "Harry, I'd like to ask you a couple of questions, if I may?"
The forced calm and knowing what the woman put Ginny through made Harry very cautious and put him on edge. "Yes, ma'am."
She gave a small genuine smile at his politeness. "I understand that you bought a number of things for Ginny when she went to see you. I'd like to know why."
Ginny had prompted him in a letter to be ready for this. Her mother had not been pleased when she had found the new clothes Harry had bought her.
"As I told your husband, Ginny is one of my best friends and I wanted to make her happy. They were gifts and I have no expectations for any kind of repayment," he told her seriously, not breaking eye contact.
"But you spent a lot of money on her. We can buy her those things, especially since Arthur won the Galleon Draw this summer and we haven't spent it on anything else."
"A lot of money is relative, Mrs Weasley. By my count, I spent very little on her, and yet it was very enjoyable to see her so happy. I have more money than I'll ever use -- two vaults worth, not that it matters to me -- so what's a few Galleons to make a friend happy?" Harry stated with a shrug.
"You have two vaults!" Ron shouted, his eyes going wide.
Harry stayed calm, despite his friend's outburst. "I do, but like I said, it doesn't matter to me; it's only money. There are more important things in life."
"But you need that to live on," Molly objected. "You should not be giving that to us for things her father and I should provide."
Harry sighed. He had been afraid this was going to happen when he came over, but he stood up for himself in front of the irate looking woman and his friend who did not look so happy. "Mrs Weasley, I've already discussed this with your husband and he and I have an understanding. If you're still unhappy after my explanation, I would suggest that he may be able to help you understand better than me."
She glared at him and then turned and stalked off to the kitchen.
"Are you going to be like Malfoy now that you know you have a lot of money?" Ron asked a little belligerently.
"Why would I change?" Harry asked, wondering about his friend, even as he remembered Mr Weasley's comment about Ron and gifts. When Ron said nothing and stared, as if needing to think very hard, Harry turned and walked out into the back garden. The two girls followed him.
"I'm sorry, Harry, about Mum and Ron," Ginny said softly. "I swear, Ron was acting like Malfoy himself."
He smiled and put an arm around her shoulders, giving her a quick one-armed hug before dropping his arm. "It's not your fault and your father did warn me." He shrugged. "I'll let him take care of it."
"Ron's not going to be happy or friendly with you for a while," she told him.
"That's too bad, but I care about you more. Are you happy with me, Ginny?"
Ginny grinned hugely. "Always, Harry." She grabbed Harry and Hermione's hand. "Come on, let's go sit on the bench swing and catch up."
"You mean like how your family got its picture in the paper?" Harry asked with a grin.
Ginny smiled brightly. "That was fun. Ron even enjoyed, although his pet rat barely behaved itself so we almost didn't get the picture taken." The other two chuckled and the trio enjoyed the day together.
Ron was cool toward Harry through most of the week, and Harry gave him space. By the time September arrived, Ron was back to normal. Harry was not sure what to think about that and was a little wary of Ron and his motives.
Harry was happy that Mrs Weasley had treated them nicely after their initial argument, but she did that mostly by leaving them alone.
The Weasleys and their guests arrived on Platform 9 ¾ with fifteen minutes to spare, which according to Ginny was really early. Before they could board the train, Arthur pulled Harry aside.
"Harry, if we could talk for a few moments, there's something I think you should know."
"Of course, Mr Weasley."
"My wife and a number of other people have not wanted to tell you this, but I think you have a right to know." He paused for a moment as if gathering his courage. "A few weeks ago, a criminal named Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban."
"Yes, sir, I know."
"You know? How?" Arthur looked upset.
"We read about it in the Daily Prophet when it first came out. I think it was the last day Ginny was at our house," Harry explained.
Mr Weasley blinked slowly for a moment, as if unable to believe that there was such a simple answer that he had missed. "Right, well … now that he's escaped, he'll probably try to come after you. Please promise me that you'll stay in school and stay safe," Arthur said caringly.
"Of course, Mr Weasley. I'll do my best to stay safe, as well as keep Ginny and Hermione safe."
Arthur clapped him on the shoulder. "Good lad! Take care of yourself this year. Best you get on the train, now."
"Thanks for the warning, Mr Weasley." Harry hurried to get on the train, climbing on board just before the last whistle sounded. He quickly found his friends, including Neville. He shrunk his trunk down to half its normal size and put it under his seat.
"What did Dad want?" Ginny asked from his right. Hermione was on his left, as usual.
"He told me that Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban and that he might be after me. He wanted me to be aware, and to stay safe. I appreciate what he did, really."
Hermione smiled for a moment. "I guess Mr and Mrs Weasley were trying not to say anything so as not to upset you."
"Yeah." Harry sat that for a moment and no one said anything. "I wish I knew more about what happened, though. Why would he turn like that against my parents?"
"The Blacks were known to be an Dark family," Neville said. "They actively supported You-Know-Who. I heard his younger brother was a Death Eater, too."
Harry shrugged. "I'd like to know what made him change." He looked at his two friends across from him; he had not told Ron about what was in his vault after his friend got all jealous a week ago. "My father left me a letter which I just found this summer."
Neville looked really envious for a quick moment, but the look was gone so quickly, Harry was not sure he had seen it.
"In the letter, my father spoke like Sirius was his best friend. He was supposed to raise me if something happened to my parents." He paused, thinking carefully. "I think Hagrid said something about him in passing once, but I don't remember what was said. Maybe I should ask him."
"We really need to research your family some more," Hermione said adamantly. "We have a number of little facts and they don't completely add up. When I told you about your father playing Quidditch in your first year, I'd only looked for about five or ten minutes, so there has to be loads more information if we dig deeper."
"Thanks, Hermione." He gave her a big grin and she blushed a little, but she held his gaze. "We also have the information on some of my ancestors from that family tree; we should look them up too." Hermione agreed.
The five students talked and played Exploding Snap for a while. Harry was getting up to go find the loo when the door opened. It was time for their regular "taunt on the train".
"Well, Potter," Draco Malfoy drawled. "I see you got another weasel to start following you this year."
Harry saw Ron shift angrily out of the corner of his eye. "And I see that I have friends who like me, not someone I had to pay to follow me around like you do, Malfoy."
Malfoy coloured a little in anger. As he opened his mouth to retort, Harry reached over and grabbed the door handle and slammed the door shut. Malfoy had been so intent on his insult, he had not paid attention to where his hand was, which was now crushed between the door and the doorframe. The Slytherin howled and jerked his hand out, so Harry pushed the door the rest of the way shut.
"I guess I'll wait a few minutes to find the loo," Harry said smugly.
"Way to go, mate!" Ron crowed. Neville looked pretty happy too.
"Harry…" Hermione said disappointedly.
"What? Someone left the door open so I closed it," he explained as if it should have been obvious.
Ginny broke the silence by giggling. Ron and Neville roared with laughter. Even Hermione could not keep a smile off her face.
"Did you see the picture of Malfoy's house in the paper this summer?" Neville asked with a wide grin.
"And what happened to his father? He deserved that." Ginny added with a big smile. They all smiled for a moment.
Harry was about to try to find the loo again when the train jerked and started to slow down. The Hogsmeade station was not in sight and no one seemed to know what was going on.
When the train came to a halt, the air started to grow unnaturally cold and then the lights on the train went out. Since it was now after sunset, the train became very dark indeed.
"What's happening?" someone asked; it sounded like Neville.
A couple of screams came from somewhere up the corridor just as their door opened. There was the sound of a rattling breath and the cold intensified. Harry was also startled to hear a voice in his head, a woman's voice screaming, "Not Harry!"
As two warm weights fell against him, Harry knew he had to do something for his bond-mates. Pulling his wand as the rattling sound grew closer, Harry reached down inside himself and pulled up all the magic he could along with the love of his family and shouted out the only fire spell he knew to try and counteract the cold. A huge Bluebell Flame sprouted in the doorway, lighting up the whole compartment. An eerie shriek came from the creature standing there, which was now on fire, or maybe it was just its robes. Whichever it might be, the flaming creature backed away from the students and then fled down the hallway.
Harry felt woozy and thought he saw the silvery outline of a ghostly wolf looking into his compartment for a second before it took off after the creature. However, Harry was not sure as he chose that moment to pass out.
---
Harry felt his cheek being lightly slapped and his name being called, helping him to come to. He also felt the clickity-clack of the train through the floor under his back. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw a lot of brown and red hair, surrounding two very pale faces hovering above him.
"Harry," Hermione called again, sounding very worried.
"What happened?" he asked groggily.
"Something called a Dementor came into our compartment," Ginny said as she shoved something at his mouth. "Here, Professor Lupin said to eat this."
He sniffed and smelled chocolate. He hesitantly opened his mouth and Ginny shoved a big piece in, almost causing him to choke. With some effort, he managed to eat it and immediately started to feel better. As Harry made the effort to sit up, the two girls helped him up off the floor and back on the bench. "So the … Dementor is why I heard someone screaming 'Not Harry'?"
"Yes, they force you to relive your worst memories. Ginny and I each went back to our first year here," Hermione said, sounding a little vague.
Harry nodded, trying to think things through, although his thinking was still a little fuzzy. To be honest, he could not place where his "bad memory" came from. "Wait, you said … Professor Lupin? Who's that, and is he any relation to the Remus Lupin we saw mentioned in my parents' Will?"
"He's our new Defence teacher for this year, and yes," Hermione said more like her normal confident self, "he's the same person."
"Well, that will make tracking him down easier," Harry said. "Where's Ron and Neville? Are they all right?"
"They're fine," Ginny replied. "I sent them to another compartment to give you a chance to wake up without anyone else watching."
"Thanks," he told her with an appreciative grin, which she matched.
The train started to slow down and the lights of a village were easily visible through the window. They were at Hogsmeade.
The three got off the train and were thankful that Malfoy was otherwise occupied. Harry did not feel up to verbally sparring with the boy any more this evening.
At the Sorting Ceremony, Harry got his first good look at Professor Lupin. The man looked older than Harry expected, but he seemed to have a kind face. Harry made up his mind to talk to the man as soon as he could, and he had a few pointed questions to be answered.
After the Feast, Professor McGonagall approached them and motioned him to the side of the Great Hall for a hint of privacy; Hermione and Ginny came too. "Mr Potter, I'm sure the Ministry would apologize to you for a Dementor coming near you, or at least they should if they were here. I wanted you to know that the Headmaster tried very hard to keep them away, but Minister Fudge insisted they come and guard the school."
"I understand, Professor."
"Also … it was reported that you set one of the Dementors on fire. I was told that it survived and you were reacting in self-defence, so you have nothing to worry about in that regard. However, could you please explain to me what happened?"
"Certainly. The train stopped and all the lights went out. It also got very cold. Our door opened and the cold increased. There was something in the doorway that made us all feel very bad -- very frightened. I did the only spell I could think of to warm the area up, a Bluebell Flame spell that Hermione taught me last year."
Hermione blushed slightly.
"I was really scared, so I put as much power into it as I could. If I did too much, I apologize."
"Nonsense," McGonagall said, waving the apology away. "You were being attacked by a foul creature and defended yourself and those around you, as any brave Gryffindor should. Thank you for the explanation, I shall relay it to the Headmaster. Have a good evening." She did not have the heart to tell him that they were not sure if the Dementor he set on fire would survive beyond tonight. The "shepherding" Aurors were very interested in what had damaged the creature so badly.
The trio went to the Gryffindor common room. It felt good to be back. Harry noticed that Hermione went to a table and not one of the couches. He and Ginny followed her.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
Hermione pulled out some paper and a pen. "Writing to our parents. They need to know what happened."
Harry opened his mouth to ask what, then closed it again when he quickly figured it out. "They won't be pleased, will they?"
"Considering what happened and that the Dementors are also surrounding the school? No."
"You are going to mention that a teacher was on the train and we were never in any danger, right? I mean, there's no need to get them up in arms over this," he suggested.
Hermione paused just long enough to give him a "Duh!" look before she continued writing. She was a little saddened at having to hide things from her parents, but this was relatively small in the whole scheme of things.
Ginny looked at Harry. "Have you ever realized that Hermione can write a letter and talk about something different at the same time?"
A grin came over his face. "No, I don't think I have."
"I find it impressive," Ginny said with a grin of her own.
Hermione paused and looked up at them with a wry smile. "Thanks. I do have to slow my writing down a bit, but it's not that hard once you get used to doing two things at once." She resumed her letter and finished it a minute later. "There, if I hurry, I can mail it tonight and get back before curfew."
"I'll come with you," Harry offered.
"Me too," Ginny said, rising with the others.
"Hey, Harry. Want to play some chess?" Ron asked from several tables over.
"Thanks, but we have to go mail a letter. Tomorrow night would probably be better. I'll see you in the morning if you're not still up when I get back." Harry gave him a quick wave as the three left.
Ron watched the three leave and wondered what was going on with them. It was not hard to notice they spent a lot of time together. Ron could not figure out why Harry would want to spend that much time with Ginny or Hermione -- they were girls. With nothing fun to do, he got up and went to bed.
The next morning, the students went to breakfast and got their timetables. Harry looked over his and saw that he had Defence tomorrow afternoon. He would try to wait until then to talk to Lupin. He noticed that he had History of Magic first this morning. In a way he was glad about that. He had already read half the book and so he could use that class period to plan his family search.
By the time Binns dismissed the class, Harry's special notebook had a list of all the people he felt he needed to talk to, what order would be best, and some of the questions that he thought were important. He also had set aside some pages to list what he found out. Hermione had been happy to see him so organized. He found her reaction amusing.
After his last class of the day, he and Hermione went back up to their common room and found Ginny waiting for them. Harry dropped his things off, except for his special notebook, and the three walked out to see Hagrid. They did not have Care of Magical Creatures for another two days, and they hadn't seen him for ages.
"Hagrid!" Harry greeted the large man brightly when he opened the door.
"'Ello you three, come on in." he closed the door behind them. "Make yourself at 'ome. Tea?" Without waiting for an answer, he pulled out small cups for them, which still looked like large tankards in their hands.
"Yes, please," Hermione said a little timidly as she ducked, his hand going over her head when he reached for a towel.
"So who's your new friend, 'Arry? She looks like a Weasley with the 'air and freckles, although I think I saw 'er around last year."
Ginny giggled. "I'm Ginny Weasley, the last one."
"But the best?" Hagrid asked good-naturedly.
"Of course." The three students laughed at Ginny's reply.
"Congratulations on becoming a professor, Hagrid," Harry said.
"Oh, thanks! Will I see you in my classes?"
"Hermione and I will be. Ginny won't be until next year."
"Ah, good. I've got a load of great creatures lined up for you. I can't tell you now as I don't want to ruin the surprise," Hagrid said with a wink.
"That's OK, we'll trust you," Harry told him. "Hagrid, can I ask you a few questions about my family?"
"Your family? Oh sure, you 'ad some great parents, you did." Hagrid nodded as he talked.
"In the book of photos you gave me, there wasn't a date, but did they get married right after school?"
"Let's see, yes, I think the summer immediately after. You didn't come along until almost two years later, though. They were really 'appy to 'ave you, 'Arry." Hagrid said a little nostalgically.
"Hagrid, when they had to go into hiding, did you know where they hid?" Harry asked carefully, hoping the big man would continue talking.
"Yes, I brought them supplies a few times. They tried not to get out too much, mind you. It wasn't safe for them or you." Hagrid sounded a little sad now.
"When you came to bring me my letter, you told me that you came and pulled me out of the house. Will you please tell me what happened that night?"
"It's a sad night, 'Arry. There are better things to talk about."
Harry was afraid this might happen. He had to try again. "Please, Hagrid. I really need to know."
Hagrid took a long drink of his tea. "I suppose you're getting old enough." The gentle giant spent the next ten minutes describing that night: pulling his family out, Sirius Black stopping by, and how he took care of Harry for a day before taking him to the Dursleys.
Slightly behind Harry, Hermione had her small notebook and pen out and was writing madly, trying to get every word.
"So, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore were there too?" Harry asked.
"Yes. It was so sad to leave you there. They were sad, too, but Dumbledore said it was for the best. Good man, Dumbledore." Hagrid grabbed the teapot and refilled his cup. "More?" he asked.
"Uh, no thanks. We really have to be at dinner soon," Harry told him. "Thanks for talking to me."
"Oh, anytime 'Arry, anytime." Hagrid told them as they got up.
"What do you think, Harry?" Ginny asked as they walked back to the castle.
"I think I want to talk to McGonagall. The more I hear of the story, the more I think something's wrong."
"I have to agree," Hermione said.
"Why?" Ginny asked.
"Even though I've never met him, from what those who knew him say, Black doesn't sound like a traitor. He sounds like my father's best friend," Harry explained.
"But the stories say he was a traitor," Ginny insisted.
"Stories by whom?" Harry asked and then answered without waiting. "By people who never really knew him. It's just like how people who don't know me assume things about me and then spread untrue stories. Even Hagrid said he had trouble believing Black would do that."
"But he did believe it," Ginny stated.
"No, he didn't fight it," Hermione said. "It's a small but very important difference. I think Hagrid would say something different if he really knew, but he doesn't, so he just goes along with the popular story."
"You make it sound like you think Black is innocent." Ginny sounded a little confused now.
"I honestly don't know yet," Hermione said. "However, I can say that I'm like Harry. I'm questioning the common story. There are some things about it that don't add up, especially as we talk to people."
Ginny nodded. "I'll try to keep an open mind too, but it's considered common knowledge that he is a bad person."
"Just like I'm bad because I'm a Parselmouth," Harry said quietly.
"Truth and common knowledge are not always the same," Hermione said succinctly before they entered the Great Hall for dinner.
Ginny looked down and nodded, understanding what both of them were trying to tell her.
As they had dinner, Ginny continued to think about what they said and she became more troubled the more she thought about it. She and Hermione always sat on either side of Harry, so she leaned forward a little to speak past him. "Hermione, if truth and common knowledge are not always the same, then how many things do we normally believe to be true really aren't? I mean, we have plenty of examples that things we read in books aren't true."
Hermione started to object.
"No, wait, let me finish," Ginny asked and Hermione stayed silent. Several others around them were starting to listen in. "At least in the history books, there are plenty of examples of errors. The stuff they write about Harry is mostly made up and you've told me before that the winners in a battle write the history, so we only see their side. Books get updated as we learn new things about magic, so if we're looking at an older book, that might be wrong as well. And I think we all know that the Daily Prophet doesn't always print the truth. In fact, it doesn't even always print common knowledge, but what only a few people want us to know. I've heard Dad say that."
There were several nodding heads on the last part.
Hermione sighed. "You do have a point, Ginny. For current events and history, we should also look at the credibility of the author. While that is true for reference works as well, it should not be as big a problem there." She shook her head a little. "You've brought up the classic problem of 'What is truth?' I think it's hard to find the absolute answer, and magic just makes the situation worse."
Harry chuckled. "I hadn't thought about that, but you're right. Before I came here, I would have told you that you were loony if you said that you could make things float or people could fly around on a broom." Others chuckled too, especially those not from Wizarding families.
"So what do we do?" Ginny asked.
"We check our facts carefully, cross-referencing and verifying as much as possible. Two or more sources for a fact are far more certain to be closer to the truth than a single source, unless there is other special corroborating evidence," Hermione explained.
Ginny stared blankly for a moment as she thought that through. On the third try, the explanation started to make sense. "OK, thanks." She thought about that some more as an idea started to shift around in her head.
By the time they returned to the Gryffindor Tower, Ginny liked her idea even more. "I'll be back in a few minutes," she told her bond-mates and ran upstairs to her room.
She wrote a short letter before searching for a short self-inking quill and some extra parchment. She put all of that in the envelope and sealed it, hoping this worked.
Back downstairs, she walked over to Harry and Hermione, who had started to work on homework. "I'm going to go mail a letter before I start my homework. Can I borrow Hedwig, Harry?" she asked with a self-satisfied look.
"Uh, sure Ginny, anytime, you know that."
"Thanks!" she said brightly and hurried off. She really hoped this worked.
"What do you suppose that was about?" Harry asked Hermione.
"I have no idea, but I'm sure we'll find out. She may be a little sneaky at times, but she always tells us eventually."
Harry nodded and returned to his Transfiguration essay. He wanted to finish soon so he could return to working on his family project.
The next morning, Albus Dumbledore opened his Daily Prophet at the breakfast table in the Great Hall. After reading the headline, "Hogwarts Students Attacked by Dementors!", he sighed deeply.
"That has all the signs of Emma Granger," Minerva McGonagall said quietly. She had read the front page of her copy a few minutes earlier. Other than being sensationalized, all the facts, as she knew them, were present. "The article raises a few good questions. What if the Dementors get out of control and come on the school grounds? Half of the staff and all of the students couldn't protect themselves."
"I raised that very question with the Minister," Dumbledore said solemnly. "I did not find his blithe assurances of that not happening to be very comforting. As always, we shall have to do our best with what we have."
McGonagall looked out over the students, many of them looking at the sensational story. The "two Grangers" and their friends were definitely discussing it based on how animated their gestures were and how they kept pointing at the newspaper.
"Do you believe the article will cause the Ministry to change its mind?" she asked.
"One could hope that would be the case, but alas, I believe that particular hope to be in vain," he said sadly.
"And if one of the students gets kissed by those foul creatures, there will be hell to pay," she said firmly.
"We must see to it that does not happen. Unfortunately, the one most likely to draw them in is the one we can least afford to lose," he casually commented.
As what he said suddenly became clear, McGonagall froze as she was about to eat the last of her breakfast. "What about Potter would draw them in?" She looked at him intently, trying to get any hint from his expression, but Dumbledore gave nothing away.
"I believe that what happened on the train, in that his was the only compartment they entered, is a good indication that they are attracted to him." Dumbledore patted his mouth with his napkin. "If you'll excuse me, I've put off some correspondence for far too long."
She nodded and watched him leave, realizing his statement was only a partial answer. McGonagall looked back over at her house's table and watched young Potter, wondering. It did not take Merlin to realize that there was something special about him. Dumbledore's actions made that very clear.
---
Harry followed his class schedule for the second day of class. Today took him to his Defence Against the Dark Arts class and into the presence of a friend of his parents.
He found it very interesting, as did Hermione based on the glances she gave him, that Professor Lupin did not acknowledge Harry in any way, not even by sending any extra looks his way.
As they were walking to Charms, Harry looked at his friend. "Did you notice that he didn't say anything to me? I understand about during class, that makes sense, but he didn't even try to talk to me after class or ask me to come by and see him tomorrow," he said a little sadly.
"Maybe he'll come and find you tomorrow instead. He might not have wanted to look like he was playing favourites by talking about your family," Hermione suggested.
"Maybe," he politely agreed. "I don't know, it seemed like there was a wall between us." He deeply sighed. "That's all right for now. I was going to try to talk to McGonagall tonight anyway.'
"I hope she's in her quarters, I'd like to see what they look like. You can tell so much about a person by how they decorate their room," Hermione said a little authoritatively.
Harry grinned. "You mean like how you like books because your room has two bookcases that are filled beyond normal capacity?"
She swatted him on the shoulder, although she was smiling shyly.
Harry chuckled as they walked into class. By the time Charms class was over, he decided to add Flitwick to his list of people to interview.
---
After dinner, Harry and his bond-mates went outside to take a short walk in the evening sun. Early September were a little cool, but still a nice time of year.
"So, Professor McGonagall tonight and then Professor Lupin tomorrow, right?" Hermione asked, wanting to have a schedule -- as usual.
"Since tomorrow is Saturday, I thought we'd visit Professor Flitwick as well," Harry told her.
"When are you going to talk to Dumbledore?" Ginny asked.
Harry noisily let his breath out. "I don't know. Maybe Sunday afternoon would be good. I'm…" he paused for a moment. "Part of me wants to know as much as possible as soon as possible, but part of me is afraid of what I'll find out."
"It'll be OK, Harry. We'll be here with you," Ginny said as she put her hand on his back and lightly rubbed in circles.
Harry smiled at her shyly and she returned the smile happily. He found it interesting that she did not blush around him much anymore, at least for most things. He could still get her to blush with a big compliment, but that was true of himself as well, as the girls liked to demonstrate often.
Looking at each of the two girls, Harry had the strange thought that he was just like Malfoy in a small way. They each had two people that always hung around a central friend. Harry could not help but think that he liked his situation better. The girls were a lot cuter than Crabbe and Goyle, and they were a lot smarter as well. Then his mind shied away from drawing the parallel between his bond-mates and Malfoy's "mates". There was no way he would willingly return to that line of thinking.
"Shall we go?" he asked them.
"Yes, I think she should be back to her quarters by now." Hermione led the way, with Harry and Ginny following and sharing a smile over Hermione's eagerness.
A few minutes later, Hermione knocked on the door of their Head of House's residence. McGonagall opened her door, looking as she always did, even if it was a Friday evening when most people became more casual.
"Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, Mr Potter. May I help you?"
"Yes, Professor. Do you have time to talk to us for a little while?" Harry asked.
"I have no other plans at the moment. Please, come in." McGonagall showed them to a small living room and bade them to sit.
Hermione looked around and saw a fairly austere room. There was a hanging with a Scottish tartan on the wall as well as a few pictures, but very little else that could be considered personal. There was the couch they were sitting on and a few chairs around a low table in the middle, but very little other furniture. She was disappointed by what she saw until she realized that perhaps this was not where the Professor really spent her time, but where she only entertained visitors -- such as prefects and wayward students.
"What can I do for you? Is there a problem with your classes?"
"No, Professor, our classes are going well so far," Harry answered. "This is of a more personal nature. I'm -- I'm looking for information on my family and I thought you could help me."
McGonagall looked at him for a moment before her expression softened a little from its normal severity. "You are not the first student to come to me to ask that question. To be honest, I'm surprised you didn't come sooner."
"I guess I didn't really think about it much before. I was fairly overwhelmed by the Magical world at first, but I think I'm getting used to it now. I've also had a few reminders about family recently and I guess I'm more curious now." Harry looked at her for a moment. "Professor, if you knew about my family, why didn't you ever tell me before?"
"Would you like some tea?" she suddenly asked the three students. At a nod from the girls, she got up and went over to a small table to get a tea set and returned. Using her wand, she heated the water in the tea pot and took a couple of minutes to steep the tea while the students watched in silence and wondered what their teacher was contemplating.
As she poured four cups, she started to explain. "I'm afraid there is no easy answer, Mr Potter. In some ways my … or rather our position as Professors requires a certain amount of separation from the students. We generally don't become very familiar or friendly with our students while they remain students. Seventh years have a little more leeway, and the Head Boy and Head Girl have a little more still, but overall that separation is generally a good policy, I believe."
Harry nodded his understanding.
"I believe you'll find that any professor here will answer your question if you ask, but you will have to go to them." She put her tea cup down on the small table and paused for a few seconds, obviously deep in thought. "In addition, Professor Dumbledore asked the staff not to volunteer any information. He did not forbid us to tell you, but he asked us not to seek you out. I do not agree with that, personally, but professionally yours is a different situation than normal. In my opinion, the normal separation between staff and students should be sufficient."
"Why?" Harry asked, sounding lost, like a bewildered child. "Why would he do that?"
"You are unique, Mr Potter. There are a few other students who do not have their parents, but they all have magical relatives. None of them have as difficult a history as you do. He explained that it is better to live in the future than in the past, and encouraged us to help you in that way."
"But you don't believe that?" Harry was trying to get a grip on this new information. A part of him felt betrayed.
"No, I don't, which is why I'm telling you what I am. I ask you not to hold it against Professor Dumbledore as he is trying to help you in his own way, but I believe that while one should not live in the past, one cannot ignore it either."
"Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it," Hermione offered helpfully.
"Indeed, Miss Granger. History can be very helpful, but most books also do not have all the facts."
Harry decided he needed some answers. "Professor, what can you tell me about my parents, especially about when they died, and about Sirius Black, and afterwards?"
McGonagall looked uncomfortable and took a sip of tea. "The last war was a terrible time. Many people were killed, usually for senseless reasons." She paused for a moment. "I'm afraid I can't tell you much about that horrible night. Your parents had gone into hiding a few weeks before, ostensibly because it was believed that they were being specifically targeted by You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters. Then we had the news that You-Know-Who had been killed, but at the cost of the lives of both of your parents. Many celebrated the positive outcome and even raised a toast to you and your family. For those of us that knew them, it was a bitter price to end the war."
"And afterwards?" Harry quietly asked, as if afraid to break the moment.
"You asked about Sirius Black. As the story goes, he tracked down Pettigrew and killed him along with some innocent bystanders; he was arrested for his actions." She shook her head, "It was so senseless."
"I've heard it said that he and my father were like brothers. How do you explain the change?" Since he detected some doubt from her, Harry finally spoke his main question aloud. He wondered what kind of answer he would get from someone who knew both of them.
"I -- I really can't. I was very surprised. The common explanation among those that knew them is that something drove them apart after they left Hogwarts, or that Sirius was being controlled in some way. The explanation that you read in all the books about how Sirius let the Black family way influence him is rubbish -- at least in my opinion."
That answered the question about Sirius's character, but left Harry wondering all the more about what happened at the man's trial before he was sent to prison. "What happened to me after that night?"
"The next day, I overheard a conversation about you so I spent the day in my Animagus form outside of a house watching a Muggle family … which turned out to be your family. That evening, Professor Dumbledore came as well and Hagrid brought you. You were left on the doorstep with a letter explaining things. I am sad to say that while I told him of my concerns, I did not protest more and I should have. You have my deepest apologies, Mr Potter. I'm sure I've only heard the tip of the iceberg on your childhood, but that is enough to wound me. In the magical world, family is very precious and you should not have been treated as you were."
"Thank you for your concern, Professor." He paused a moment to acknowledge her apology, and to gather his thoughts before plunging onwards. "Err … did my parents ever talk to you about taking care of me if something ever happened to them?" Harry was curious about how well known their wishes were.
"No, but if they had asked me, I would have willingly taken you in. I probably would have taken a few years off while you were younger, and then let you grow up here when you reached five or six. I think you would have enjoyed it," she said wistfully.
"So, it would surprise you to learn that you were mentioned in my parents' Will and were fourth on the list of people to take care of me?" He watched her carefully and was pleased at her genuine surprise.
"I didn't know," she said very sincerely. "I assume your aunt was at the top of the list and denied me the pleasure."
Harry shook his head. "I found my parents' Will this summer and my aunt was never mentioned in it."
McGonagall's eyes went large. "But that would mean…" She seemed afraid to finish the sentence.
"Professor Dumbledore was on the list, but he was fifth, after you," Harry said evenly. When McGonagall said nothing, he asked, "May I ask you to keep this to yourself?"
"As you wish, Mr Potter," she said with a firm nod. "I can see why you might prefer that to remain private."
"Thank you, Professor," Harry said with the barest of smiles. "Could you tell me a few stories about them? Perhaps something happy?"
"Yes, I could with pleasure," McGonagall said, shaking off the darker tone of the conversation so far. "Your mother and father were both wonderful people by the time they finished Hogwarts. Of course, the seven year road was a long one at times."
Harry happily listened to a half-hour of stories about his parents. It seemed that his father was quite the prankster and very good at Transfiguration. His mother sounded a lot like Hermione, which made the girl blush on several occasions.
He had his information and confirmation that he really needed to talk to Professor Lupin. In the end, he enjoyed the last half of the conversation more than the first half. He thanked Professor McGonagall profusely as they left.
On their way back to Gryffindor tower, Ginny looked at him with concern. "How are you feeling, Harry?"
He sighed and slowed his walk. "In some ways, I didn't learn much and I suppose I'm not too surprised. But in another way, I'm so shocked to have one of my fears verified, that I hardly know what to think. To know that I didn't have to grow up there…"
"Oh, Harry." Ginny grabbed his hand and pulled him into a nearby secret passage. Once the three of them were safely in, she hugged him tightly. "We're here for you, and we'll always be here for you. We love you." She felt him hug her back and she enjoyed the feeling.
Eventually, Harry let go and Ginny stepped back. When she did, Hermione stepped forward and hugged him tightly too. "She's right, we do love you, and we'll always be here for you. We'll support you in every way possible."
"What would I do without you, both of you," Harry said, his voice breaking a little.
Hermione patted his back before she released the hug. "You'd be a mess," she told him matter-of-factly. Ginny giggled which set Hermione off too. Harry joined in by chuckling.
"Thanks, both of you." He grabbed a hand of each and gave them a squeeze. They walked back to their common room in better spirits. Harry put his interviews for tomorrow out of his mind at the moment.
((A/N: As you can see, I'm trying to stay fairly close to the canon story in regards to what happened around Halloween of 1981. I'm also trying to fill in various gaps with "original information" to make the story more complete. The next chapter will fill in more information.))