Chapter 16: Back to Hogwarts
Next day, Healer Jones called round as he'd pre-arranged. He noticed the slightly tense atmosphere. The three of them had had an argument that morning. Petunia had lain awake for part of the night thinking about a) stalkers and b) the Statute of Secrecy and lack of sleep had caused her to be overly concerned next day about a) being murdered in their beds while they slept and b) being arrested and sent to Azkaban.
Dudley and Harry had tried to calm her down and convince her whoever had seen them was friendly and not going to report them, but Petunia had got cross with them both and sent them both to their rooms for an hour.
Healer Jones arrived later in the morning, but there was still some tenseness, especially as an hour to think about things had made Dudley and Harry a bit twitchy about what they'd done.
All four of them were sitting in the living room, Petunia had brought Jones tea and mince pies. They were in the armchairs and the boys were on the couch.
"Who wants to start?" asked Jones, "I can see you all wanting to tell me something." There was a long pause.
"Is this totally confidential?" asked Petunia. "You are going to tell Them?"
"If by Them, you mean anyone at the castle, or for that matter, anyone at all, then, no, by the Healers Oath to which I'm bound, it's confidential, because you, as their guardian have that right, along with the fact it's the holidays and the staff are not acting in loco parentis."
The pause continued.
"We took Harry to fly his new broom on the downs. He was seen, but we think by a wizard, and we let off some wizarding fireworks," said Petunia, fully aware of the recklessness of yesterday morning in the cold light of next day.
"How do you know it was a wizard and not a muggle?"
"They left a note," responded Petunia.
"Can I see it?"
Petunia fetched him the note then sat back down.
"A Firebolt!" whistled the Healer, "Who got you that?"
"I don't know," said Harry, "It came by owl with no sender. The label on the gift just said 'Harry'."
"Do you think it was anyone at Hogwarts?" he asked, "No-one gave any hints?"
Harry shook his head.
"But what but being seen? Is that a problem?" emphasised Petunia.
"It's more that someone must have followed you up there," said Jones. "The note mentions Harry. No-one knew you were going up there?"
Petunia shook her head. She didn't like doing the wrong thing. That was what got neighbour's looking sideways at you and talking.
"No, we only thought of it yesterday afternoon in the park when we were throwing sticks for the dog?"
"You have a dog?" asked the Healer in surprise.
"No, I've got a kitten," said Dudley, proudly, "Dog's a stray."
"Then how did anyone find out, because this note is definitely to Harry and definitely from the sender of the Firebolt." He looked at Petunia, "I can see why you're concerned. I'd like to talk to the three of you separately. I'd like to talk about the holidays in general, as I'd planned to do, and perhaps there's something one of you will say that'll nudge a memory so we can sort this out."
Petunia nodded.
"Harry, let's go up to your room and have a chat," Harry went with the Healer.
"Talk to me about your holidays so far, how was the first evening back?"
Harry talked to the Healer about everything, especially his confusion over Petunia being nice. He told him all about his trips to the park, and Dudley recognising Petunia's awkwardness. He told him about Dudley being nice to the dog, especially when it looked so thin and hungry, it had clearly seen better days, it should have been a big, sleek, slightly shaggy black beauty, but instead was emaciated. In the past that would have been a prime target for Dudley. The Healer had a long conversation about everything, but nothing Harry said rang any alarm bells.
When the Healer talked to Dudley there was a certain level of distraction. Therapy with a bouncy kitten in the room got quite trying.
The Healer took his time talking to Petunia. She had had a change of heart. And that was genuine. She couldn't reconcile her past actions and she was over compensating. Add to that the fear of God Severus had instilled when they'd visited before summer and Petunia was finding everything difficult. But things were going overall in the right direction.
Jones left them feeling happier, but they were still all perplexed about the note. The best they could reason between them was that at some point Harry would find out. Donors of Firebolts wouldn't remain anonymous forever.
Healer Jones flooed from Privet Drive to his temporary office at Hogwarts. He'd been invited to join a meeting that had been called to discuss the progress with catching Black and the Dementors' effect on the school. While there he'd also quietly arranged to talk to Lupin. Black, werewolf, Potter, there were any number of reasons that Lupin might need to talk to someone. Dumbledore had employed the Healer on a contract to cover anything the Healer needed to cover with anyone connected to any of the issues at hand. He'd only had one conversation with Lupin so far this year and was keen for a second.
Jones was late to Hogwarts. The meeting started at 12 in Dumbledore's office and having spent so long at Privet Drive it was well underway when he got there at half past. Dumbledore waved him to the table amicably, and he picked up the thread of the conversation. Around the table were Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, Flitwick, Pomfrey and Lupin.
"... and some of them come far too close to the castle. They can smell the fear on the students, it's like a free buffet of all their favourite foods. We need to make the Ministry rein them in, or better yet, remove them," Pomona was saying.
"Hear, hear," said Filius, "My quidditch team have even asked Madam Hooch to attend their late evening practices. The Dementors are bolder in the dark, and it's midwinter. There aren't many daylight hours in which to practise up here, and I want students to have as normal a time as possible."
"It's like they're just smelling food and coming for feeding time," agreed Poppy, "Pomona is right, young minds, prone to nightmares and fear, and out goes a quidditch team. No wonder we've got problems. Tigers in a zoo are less persistent. They can be scared off, but the Dementors, they're just not sane Albus, they just keep coming. You need to make the Ministry remove them."
"I have requested it, Poppy, but all I get from Fudge is static," said Albus tired, "Next time they encroach onto the grounds, whoever sees them send a Patronous to me, I'll summon whoever we can and see if together we can't drive them away for longer. But yes, I agree, they aren't human, it's hard to drive away something without fear."
"I've studied Dementors," said Jones, joining in the conversation, "They aren't human. They don't have the same fear receptors. They sense it in others, especially humans, but they don't feel it." He looked round the room and double checked his audience before continuing, "Forgive me for mentioning you, Remus, but if we collectively wanted to drive them further away, apart from a corporeal Patronus that only a few people can summon, we'd be best off with, er, your other form, so to speak. Animals have less human fear traits for them to sense. I'd say the same about Minerva's animagus form, but physically cat versus Dementor for size wouldn't go well."
Albus nodded, "But the chances of them coming closer on a full moon enough to plan for Lupin is minimal," said Albus sadly. Jones nodded.
Remus had gone a very funny colour.
"I apologise, Remus, I shouldn't have brought it up," said Jones, chastising himself for being so thoughtless.
"No, it's not that," said Remus, horror mingling with enlightenment. He looked at Dumbledore, You do know about James, Peter and Black, don't you?" he asked.
"Which bit?" asked Albus.
"Animagi?" said Remus.
"What?!" interrupted Severus.
"No, I didn't know," confirmed Albus.
"They became animagi in fifth year, so that they could be with me during the full moon, to keep me calmer. I was better with animals. That's what Black must have done in Azkaban. You're asking how he stayed sane with Dementors, he didn't need to. The dog stayed sane for him."
"His Animagus form is a dog?" asked Minerva, curious about another Animagus.
"Yes, a big shaggy one, big enough to keep a werewolf company at any rate," replied Remus.
Healer Jones went pale. He felt sick. "Any chance it's black?" he asked in mind-bending terror.
"Yes, why?" said Remus.
"Excuse me," said Jones, and ran from the room. He ran back to his office and threw powder into fire, "Number 4, Privet Drive!"
He stepped through the green flames, wand drawn. Into a calm, tranquil suburban scene.
"Where's Petunia?" he asked of Harry and Dudley who were sitting on the floor playing gobstones.
"Here I am," she said, drying her hands, coming in from the kitchen. She looked him up and down. "What's wrong?"
"I… It's…" He couldn't just tell them. They'd been feeding a mass murderer sausage rolls in the park. Safety. He had to get them to Hogwarts. That was safer than here, and miles away from a black dog. If he was wrong, he'd accept looking like an idiot. If he was right. Well, shit.
"Petunia, you can visit Hogwarts, can't you?" he asked.
"Yes, but Dumbledore says not for long, and I've got to floo there. He says when I see it my brain understands what it's seeing, but he says after a short while a charm tries to convince me to leave. He said about half an hour."
"Then can you please all come with me to Hogwarts, briefly," he asked, "It's important, and Petunia, do you still have the note from your car?"
Petunia nodded, fetched the note, and trustingly they stepped through to the Healer's office. Jones closed the floo behind them and breathed a sigh of relief. Floos to Hogwarts were warded against Black's entry.
He indicated to them to have a seat on the couch.
"You asked me at the beginning of our conversation earlier to keep everything you told me about your, ah, expedition, a secret. I need your permission to tell the staff about it.
"Hell no," said Dudley, quickly. "You want us to give you permission to tell I presume Dumbledore and Snape that we flew around the Surrey countryside on Harry's new broom that he doesn't know where it's from, putting the Statute of Secrecy at risk, and letting off some fireworks for good measure. Er no."
Harry nodded, "What he said."
Jones looked to Petunia, "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."
"No, mum, whatever you say, I don't agree," said Dudley, knowing sitting pain free would be a distant memory if Dumbledore found out any of that.
"Please," begged Jones, "It's… look, I don't have a good way to tell you what I know right now, but it's imperative I tell them."
Harry was curious, "Call me stupid, and don't get me wrong, I'm grateful you're asking, but if it's that important, why don't you tell them anyway?"
"Muggle doctors take a Hippocratic oath to do no harm, yes?" he said. Petunia nodded.
"Healers take a Healer Oath. There are certain rules of being a Healer that are sacrosanct. As well as doing no harm, which is phrased very carefully, Harm is relative in wizarding healing, there is a rule about confidentiality. When I promised you confidence, you got that bound to my magic. I cannot break that confidence without paying a price in my magical abilities."
"Still no," said Dudley.
"Please? I don't know how to convince you of the importance of this. And I can't explain it to you properly without more information from them. If it'd help, I'd get down on my knees and beg, it's that important."
Dudley looked at him. He liked Jones, and the man looked desperate. Something was obviously wrong. But he wasn't about to say yes to allowing judgment from Dumbledore.
"Can you secure a promise that none of them will punish any of us for anything over Christmas? Including mum? And I don't mean a promise that Snape could wheedle out of, I mean one that's as intended, not how it might carefully be worded."
"I can try," he said.
"Then that's the only way it's happening," said Dudley, firmly.
Jones nodded, "Please stay in here."
He took a book off the shelf of his office and left the room.
"You left in a hurry, what's wrong?" asked Dumbledore. Only 15 minutes had passed since Jones had run out of the room, and the meeting was still going.
Jones handed Poppy the book he was holding, now open on a particular page. "Could you read the third paragraph please, Poppy?" asked Jones.
"I solemnly swear to uphold the confidentiality of my patients, unless freed of confidentiality by said patients," read Poppy, "This is part of the Healer Oath, why am I reading it?"
"And the last paragraph, please?" continued Jones, ignoring her question.
"I swear to hold to the promises made in this Oath, bound by my magic, so long as I shall live."
"I took that oath 15 years ago. I cannot break that oath. I need to inform you of something three patients told me. But I need your word that you will not penalise said three people for information I will tell you. That is their condition of the release of their confidentiality. And," he said, looking at Severus, "it is the meaning and intent of your word, not some verbal loophole you can get out of. You cannot split hairs about this. I know if you give your word you mean it. We aren't talking magical oaths here."
Albus coughed, "Healer Jones, I have a funny feeling we can guess at the three people you're talking about, even though you have not violated the privacy of the Healer Oath, so I need to remind you that justice is important. Information isn't a bargaining chip for justice."
The Healer sighed. He knew that'd be Albus' line.
"Poppy, Severus, as professionals in the Healing arts, you are aware of the ramifications of breaking the Healer Oath?"
They nodded. "However," said Poppy, "All students at Hogwarts and their parents or legal guardians are made aware that as per the Healer Oath," at this point she read off the page, "'Underage wizards will be treated with the full cognisance of their parent or legal guardian.' They are schoolchildren, we look after them."
"It is the holidays, and three people, may or may not all be Underage wizards. Albus and the rest of you are not currently in loco parentis, it is the holidays. I was saying, you are aware of the ramifications of me violating this Oath?" Poppy and Severus nodded. It wasn't something any Healer would do.
"Then either you give me your word, or I tell you anyway."
Poppy gasped. Severus looked shocked, "But you can't," he said, "Else…" he trailed off and swallowed hard.
"Else what?" asked Minerva.
"He'll become a squib," Poppy whispered.
"You'd do that?" asked Albus.
"I have information you require, and we can't play 20 questions. I can't play with the edges of this Oath. It's based on intent, not wording."
Albus stared at him for sometime. "You have my word," he said finally.
Jones looked to Severus, who sighed, "I get the feeling I'm going to hate myself for doing this, but yes, you have my word, in the intent it is meant. I won't find loopholes, as much as it pains me."
The rest of the room gave their word. Jones sat down.
"Petunia, Harry and Dudley are in my office here in the castle." Albus opened his mouth, "Petunia is aware she can't be here long, but I felt it important enough to bring them away from Privet Drive. Over Christmas, a big, black, shaggy dog has befriended Harry in their local park. On Christmas Day Harry was gifted a Firebolt from an unknown source. Yesterday he went flying on it on the Surrey moors. When they got back to Petunia's car a note had been left on it. It says, 'I'm glad you like the Firebolt, Harry.' Here's the note," he said, reaching into his robes and handing it to Lupin, "Is this Sirius Black's handwriting?"
Lupin took the note with an unsteady hand. His face went pale.
"Yes, that's his scrawl."