O
ELPIS
Hope
June
"How's Uncle Harry?" Rosie asked Albus, one afternoon. She, Hope and Dom were sitting out by the lake and Albus had recently joined them.
"OK, I think," Albus said, shrugging. "Shame his first year as Head of the Auror department has been like this though."
"It's so unfair," Hope sighed. "He's basically been running the department for years, Mum says, because old Savage was so useless. And now he's officially Head, everything is going wrong in the world."
"I'm sure he's up to the challenge though," Dom said.
"Yeah," Albus agreed. "And at least the Auror department has enough staff now. Numbers were really low after the war, apparently. That's why The Surge became so serious. They didn't have the resources to get it under control."
"That's why my dad ended up leaving," Rose said, sounding sad. "He never says much about it but he told me it was too stressful, and he became unhappy."
"I can't imagine Uncle Ron being unhappy," said Albus. "He's always so cheerful."
"Cheerful on the outside doesn't always mean happy on the inside," Rose said seriously. "He got much better after he left though. Mum says it's lucky Harry is Head Auror now. She says if Savage was still in charge he would have pressured all the ex-Aurors back into service to boost numbers for hunting down The Crow, but Harry would never do that."
They sat in silence, reflecting on this. Then Hope waved at Scorpius, who was coming over to join them.
"Where've you been?" Albus enquired.
"Sending a letter to Mum," Scorpius muttered, sitting down next to them and flicking his blond hair out of his eyes. He appeared bad tempered. "She's upset. I could tell by her writing. She didn't say what's wrong, though. They never tell me what's really going on."
He threw a jealous look at the other four. "I swear your parents tell you everything."
"Not everything," Albus protested at once.
"They do tell us a lot," Hope acknowledged. She was realising this more as time went on. Their family group were always kept more in the loop about the "adult" world than any of their peers.
"Mum says it's because when they were younger they were kept in the dark about stuff, and that had bad consequences," Rose said at once. "So they share as much as they can to try and prevent it from happening again. But she says we still need to be responsible, and understand that sometimes there will be things we aren't allowed to know."
"My parents never tell me anything," Scorpius said moodily. "When I came back from school after my first term, they sat me down and had a talk about the war. They'd never told me anything before, but when I was sorted and I wasn't put in Slytherin, they had a row with Grandfather, and that led to them feeling like they needed to be more open with me. So we had one talk. They told me how they were on the dark side during Voldemort's time and how Dad and Grandfather were Death Eaters." He scowled. "Never thought I deserved to know that before going off to school."
There was a rather uncomfortable silence, but then Scorpius shrugged.
"Anyway, I thought maybe after that I would talk more with them, and that things would change, but it went back to how it had been before. They never tell me anything, even now, and if I do ask questions I get really vague answers that change the subject."
Hope felt a sudden pang of sympathy for Scorpius. She knew little of his family, but what she had heard made her fervently grateful for her own, and Scorpius had no brothers or sisters or even first cousins to share his frustrations with. No wonder he preferred to spend most of his holidays with Albus and the other Potters and Weasleys.
"You count as our family too now," she said, trying to sound reassuring. "You are related to me and Teddy, after all, and we'll tell you stuff if we can. Although," she added, as Scorpius appeared touched by this. "I doubt I'll get told much over the summer. Audrey's in Ireland taking care of her parents and won't be able to come back and forth in case she picks up the curse and passes it on to them, and Percy's going to be working late every day. We're going to have Molly and Lucy round to stay some of the time, so Granny Molly gets a break from looking after them. I don't mind, obviously! They're very sweet and no trouble. But Percy and Audrey are a bit different from our parents. They wouldn't want Molly or Lucy overhearing something."
"I can't really imagine little Lucy sitting up in your guest room with an extendable ear," Dom giggled suddenly. Lucy was extremely prim and proper and never put a toe out of line. "Still," she added. "They are quite young, remember. We didn't get told much when we were that small, I'm sure."
"I suppose," Hope said, thinking back. "Mum and Dad told me about Greyback when I was six, I think, but that's only after I sneaked down to the cellar and hid there to be with Dad when he transformed."
Dom smiled. She knew the story. The others all looked nonplussed. "What?" Albus stared at her. "How come you did that?"
"To keep him company, of course," Hope retorted. "I was only six. How was I to know he goes down there in case something goes wrong with his potion? I thought Mum didn't want to see him and that seemed very sad to me. So I stayed up until it was nearly dark and then I went and hid in the cupboard in the cellar." She gave a small laugh. "And after he'd transformed I slept next to him all night."
"Aw, that's so cute," Rosie said, as Albus and Scorpius laughed too.
"He was really upset, the next day." Hope swallowed to try and rid her throat of the unexpected lump settling there. "I didn't understand back then – I thought he was angry with me - but obviously I get it now." Suddenly, it didn't feel funny at all. She was wishing she hadn't brought it up.
"I hope Teddy's able to go back to his normal research soon," she said, in a small voice. "I know the curse is more urgent and everything, but I worry about him. Dad, I mean."
It was not something she often admitted, and she avoided looking at anyone directly. Rose patted her on the shoulder.
"I know," she said. "But Teddy was making good progress, wasn't he? He'll get back to it soon enough. And anyway–"
Rose hesitated.
"What?"
"I overheard Mum say – just after your mum and dad redid their vows - "
"You overheard?" Scorpius raised his eyebrows at Rose. "Surely Rosie Weasley was not eavesdropping?"
"No!" Rose protested. "I couldn't help overhearing, really I couldn't. She was talking to Dad and Harry in the kitchen when I was going past. I-"
"I was joking," Scorpius sighed. "Chill, Rosie."
"What did she say?" Hope was curious. "About Teddy?"
"Not Teddy. About your dad. She said she'd never seen him look as well as he does at the moment," Rose blurted out, embarrassed. "And Dad and Harry agreed. They said he seems really healthy and happy. I know he's not cured or anything, but he seems OK. And even if Teddy's research is delayed a bit..."
Hope knew what Rosie meant and the words did bring her some comfort. Hermione, Ron and Harry had known her father the longest of all the Weasleys and Hermione was never one to say something if it wasn't true. But all the same, few people ever saw her dad straight after his transformations, in the early morning light, when he was pale and shaking, sometimes sick, or feverish, or blinded by terrible headaches. The times when their mother had to physically help him upstairs, when he had to sleep for most of the day, or couldn't be in a brightly lit room, or wasn't able to stomach any food at all. She did not mention this to the others and tried to look at the positives instead. Healthy and happy, Rose had said. He did seem that way, most of the time, and happy and healthy was more than could be said for a lot of the population at the moment.
O
The year ended in its usual haze of activity. Ravenclaw, led by Dom, won the quidditch cup for the third year in a row, much to everyone else's displeasure, although even Roxanne grudgingly admitted that Dom's leadership had been exceptional, and that Ravenclaw, barely putting a foot wrong all season, had left the other houses standing.
"Maybe I can make you vice captain next year," Dom said to Hope, after their last practice of the year. "Like Cal did for me, you know."
Hope felt a surge of excitement at the idea of having a point of focus, one that she would be genuinely good at, but dampened it down reluctantly.
"That was different," she said. "You were the oldest player on the team when Cal left and there was no one else even in the running for captain. Daphne and Philip are both older than me. They'd be offended if I was put in charge of them, don't you think?"
"Philip's only played with us for one season," Dom protested. "He'd never expect to be captain. And even Daph surely knows you're the better player. You score far more goals, and you were on the main team long before she was."
Hope shook her head.
"People still might resent it," she said. "And more ill feeling is the last thing we need right now."
"I suppose," Dom said, sounding disappointed. "I'll still consider you my vice captain, though, even if it's not official. Flitwick would have to be an idiot not to make you captain once I leave."
Hope smiled vaguely, trying to squash down the feeling of anxiety that was starting to come over her every time she remembered that Dom and Roxanne only had one more year left at school, and that when they left, the two people she relied on daily for support, laughter and companionship would be gone from her school life forever.
O
As with the Easter Holidays, students from wizarding families were to be sent home by floo rather than by train. Muggleborns would be tested first, and if negative would be returned to their houses by portkey. When Hope had asked her parents and Harry why muggles couldn't be connected up to the floo network as well, Harry had rather gleefully recounted an amusing tale of Grandad Weasley doing that very thing with his aunt and uncle's fireplace, only to be impeded by an electric fire, which had resulted in him having to blast it apart and smash up the whole living room.
"Basically, more trouble than it's worth," Harry had finished, grinning.
Nevertheless, it seemed to be causing quite enough trouble as it was. The setting up and careful staggering of hundreds of authorised portkeys to muggle homes was an immense organisational effort, and the main reason that Percy, as head of the Department of Magical Transportation, was currently swamped at work.
An anxious mood settled over the school in the final week of term. The weather was hot, the air sticky and humid, but the sun remained stuck behind thick, grey clouds, leaving a heavy feeling of oppression both in the castle and out in the grounds. Unlike most years, there was very little end of term laughter or merriment, with half the castle worrying about whether they would be able to return home at all. Those requiring a test were given a date and time to go to the nurse and receive official diagnosis. Small groups of students could be seen every hour traipsing down to the hospital wing and every few minutes someone would emerge, carrying a scrap of parchment and looking either delighted or ashen.
"Are you alright?" Hope said to Marion, finding herself alone with her in the dormitory and noticing her pale face and wan expression.
Marion bit her lip. "My curse test is after lunch," she said. "And obviously I can go back today if I'm clear. But I'm so sure I'll have it."
Hope wasn't sure what to say to this, and was suddenly acutely aware of her own privileged position. How awful not to be able to see your own family for fear of giving them a deadly disease, especially when the girls you shared a room with didn't have to worry about it at all.
"My brother said underage wizards are less susceptible to the curse," she said, trying to be reassuring even though her words sounded empty and hollow. "I didn't really understand the logic, but it does seem to be that way – loads more students have tested negative than positive, and so many have gone home already. Hopefully that means you aren't infected. And if you are," she added, a thought occurring to her. "You can always come to our house for the holidays, rather than staying here. It'll be busy, because we're having some of my younger cousins to stay, but you're welcome to. If you want."
Marion appeared a little shocked at this but nodded gratefully. That afternoon, however, she sought Hope out in the common room, her face split with a smile.
"I'm clear," she said. "Getting a portkey back in half an hour."
"That's great news!" Hope exclaimed.
"Thanks for offering to have me to stay though," Marion said. "I really appreciate it. Natalie and Elodie weren't very-" She didn't finish her sentence, two pink spots appearing on her cheeks. Hope was not in the slightest bit surprised that Natalie and Elodie hadn't offered Marion any help or sympathy. What did surprise her was the twinge of disappointment she felt at the news. As relieved as she was on her roommate's behalf, it would have been nice to get to know Marion properly over the summer holidays.
oOo
July
As Hope had predicted, once back at home, she heard little about the hunt for The Crow. The rest of her family, at Percy's request, were doing their best to keep potentially upsetting information from Molly and Lucy, and even when the girls weren't there, there apparently wasn't much to tell. The Crow was still lying low. Transmission of the curse was still reducing around the world. Yet no one was letting down their guard for the moment. It seemed authorities were anticipating The Crow making another move, without any concrete idea of what that move would be.
Hope spent most of her days down at the beach with Dom and Roxanne. The three of them had recently discovered a tiny cave hollowed out in the rocks along the shoreline. Warm but secluded, it had become their private hide out, and even though there was very little of novel interest to talk about, Hope still looked forward to meeting them every day, to gossip about the latest snippets of news from their school mates, or else to discuss their wild theories on what The Crow might be doing now and how the wizarding world would eventually catch him.
Hope returned home much later than usual one evening, and was not surprised to be met by her mother as she hung up her jacket.
"I know I'm late," she started nervously. "I- I lost track of time."
But her mother, it seemed, was not bothered about her tardiness after all.
"We need to have a chat, Hope, while Molly and Lucy are in bed. Can you come through for a bit."
Apprehensive, Hope followed her into the living room, where her father was seated as well. Tonks cast a look towards the ceiling and then muttered a couple of charms to ensure their privacy. Hope did have another fleeting image of Lucy sitting up there with an extendable ear trailing to the crack in the door and had to bite back a grin.
"What's going on?" she asked, sinking down into a chair.
"There's something we need to talk to you about. Warn you about, I suppose. We're not really meant to say." Remus shot a look at his wife. "But you know our rules, the Weasley rules in general, that keeping information from you never helped anyone, and preservation of life is what matters at the end of the day."
"You might be told some of it at school in the new term, anyway," Tonks continued. "Professor Vector's been given permission to. But she probably won't say everything – they are trying to avoid full scale panic - and we feel you need to know."
"It's nothing to be frightened about," her father added, his tone gentle and reassuring, as Hope twisted her hands together nervously. "Just something you need to understand, and be aware of."
Hope remembered Professor Izatt delivering a similar speech in their first ever Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, and thought, for the thousandth time in her life, how much better a teacher Professor Lupin would have been over Professor Edgecombe. But she cleared her head of this thought in the wake of her parents' serious faces.
"There is a cure for the Narcoviral Curse," her mother said, to the point as always. "A cure for non-magical people. It can be administered to muggles, get rid of any trace of the curse from their system, and prevent them from getting it in the future. It was discovered a couple of months ago."
"In Siberia?" Hope blurted out, without thinking. Her mother eyed her narrowly.
"Yes," she said slowly. "How did you know that?"
Idiot, Hope cursed herself. She was hardly going to admit to her parents that she had overheard this information while out of bounds in Hogsmeade buying a pregnancy test for Roxanne.
"Just a rumour that went round when I was at school," she said, trying to keep her voice casual. "And - and that's good, isn't it?" she added hastily, as her mother continued to look suspicious. She fixed an innocent expression on her face and addressed her father. "Didn't you say that's exactly what was required, something that could work as both prevention and cure?"
Remus nodded, and Tonks, after another moment's hesitation, seemed willing to drop the matter of her daughter's unexpected knowledge of the subject.
"Yes," Remus replied. "That is what was required, but this particular cure comes with a hoard of problems, because it can't be given to witches and wizards."
"Does that really matter?" Hope said at once. "Magical people aren't affected by the curse. Everyone knows that. So if muggles can't catch if from them in the first place, what's the problem?"
"The problem," Tonks said grimly. "Is that if someone with high levels of magic in their blood does receive this particular cure, then it will be fatal."
Hope's heartrate accelerated.
"The opposite to the curse itself?" Her mind went into overdrive as her mother confirmed this with a sigh, and the impact of these words sank in.
"So you see the dilemma," Remus said, reading her expression. "Effective though the cure is, they can't release it into the muggle world right now. It would be impossible to ensure that only non-magical people received it. Some would say - and it is justifiable enough for those who don't understand the full extent of the problem - that wizards created this nightmare, and muggles are the ones suffering, so why shouldn't wizards suffer in return? What does it matter if a few wizards die if all the muggles can be saved?"
Hope contemplated this, even as her father continued to speak. "It's not that simple, as I'm sure you know. Muggle-born children rarely have any idea about their powers until age ten, and some never get told about their invite to wizarding school at all, if their parents feel it is not appropriate. There are plenty of adults who didn't quite have enough magic in them at birth to be recognised as a witch or wizard, but who may now have a higher MDI, and that would trigger the lethal effect of the cure. Risking so many innocent lives simply can't be an option, especially as the cure would only have to kill a handful of people for muggles to lose their trust in it completely. Not just in that vaccine but in all that came after it. And if no one was willing to be inoculated, the curse would run rampant again."
"Why have they produced a cure that does that in the first place?" Hope asked, bewildered. "Shouldn't that have been tested?"
"I suppose it should have been," Tonks said. "But no one even foresaw it as a side effect. No one had factored in The Crow being able to have a hand in this as well."
"I don't understand."
"A few weeks ago, a magical laboratory in Siberia discovered that one of methods they were trialling had begun to produce an effective means of fighting the curse," her mother explained. "This was a little surprising to the workers, as the progress was very sudden, but they didn't question it. It was a rudimentary laboratory, no doubt why it was targeted, but the limited testing they had available to them showed that their new discovery would be highly effective in ridding symptoms from muggles as well as boosting their resistance to the illness. Several countries, ours included, sent teams of Aurors and health professionals to confirm the authenticity of it, which they did."
Hope remembered the conversation she had overheard in Hogsmeade. "It's got to be a hoax, surely," Bentley had said.
This sounded far worse than a hoax.
"Once confirmed as a workable cure, samples were distributed to magi-medical sites across the world so that they could be replicated in more advanced environments," Tonks continued. "St Mungo's was included in this, of course. Many leaders told the muggle authorities that a cure was forthcoming, although Kingsley himself held off from doing that. Then, a week ago, The Crow sent a second holographic message to magical leaders, informing them of its deadly effect to our own kind. This was confirmed by specific tests, which the Siberian laboratory did not have the equipment to carry out in the first place, and that no one else had thought to try. Why should they, after all? It was never anyone's intention to create a cure with a deliberate, lethal effect on wizarding kind and that is a near impossible thing to produce by accident."
"So The Crow made this cure himself? And planted it?"
"Yes. Strike One, to create further tension and discord between magical and non-magical communities. Again, it is a clever move on his part. Non-magical leaders are now demanding to know why the cure they were promised is not materialising, and our leaders, even Kingsley, are having to be economical with the truth. As your dad says, they can't release it now, endanger thousands more innocent lives and risk turning muggles against all potential vaccines for good. But to them, how would it look if we told them the whole truth, that it would almost certainly save their kind and kill our own? It is difficult, in the face of such a statement, to refute the claim that we are choosing magical people over non-magical, even though there can be no other way to proceed."
"We'll find a counter curse or a cure eventually, won't we? A safe one that The Crow has nothing to do with?"
"We certainly hope so," her father said. "But an approved cure that's safe for magical and non-magical people could still be months away. And all the while the muggle leaders grow more impatient. They put measures of control in place too late, they relaxed those measures when they heard a cure would soon be made available, and now they are angry and frustrated that they are bearing the brunt of something that was not their fault to begin with."
"But they were warned," Hope said, indignation bubbling up inside her. She turned to her mother. "You said Kingsley and other leaders warned them right at the start! They could have stopped this from being an issue, couldn't they?"
"Hope, you know it's not that simple," Remus admonished gently, and she subsided. "Yes, they were warned, and yes, it's frustrating, but we can't blame them, not completely. They never understood the full extent of the problem, and muggles in general struggle to comprehend that magic creates as many problems as it solves. They don't understand why we - wizards, that is - can't make the curse go away. In America, MACUSA has lost control completely, because the president has refused to meet with them for months now. He believes it is a hoax, to scare the muggles into submission."
Hope's shoulders slumped dispiritedly. How could the state of the world be this depressing?
"At times like this," she said. "Wouldn't it make so much sense to tell the muggles? Come clean about the magical world. I know the statute of secrecy is important and everything, but if people are dying... Surely if we could tell them exactly what was going on it could save lives? People could be tested for magical blood before they got this - this vaxine thing. If their MDI was high they wouldn't need it at all, and everyone else could receive it without having to worry."
"That subject is discussed and debated every time a crisis like this occurs," Remus said heavily. "But the risks are always there and always too numerous, and this is no exception. The American president is not alone in his suspicious attitude towards the curse. A lot of muggles think the illness itself is a hoax, even though the evidence of it is backed ten fold by muggle scientists and doctors. How do you imagine people like that would react to being told of a secret, magical society that has existed for centuries but that no one knows anything about? It would cause panic and confusion at best; at worst, open warfare. The Crow's plans could succeed quicker than even he anticipated if the unveiling of such information were to backfire. And once the statute of secrecy is fully broken, there is no going back on it."
"I suppose," Hope muttered. It seemed like the obvious solution to her, but she was hardly an expert in such matters. Then something else occurred to her.
"Can't they work off that cure? The planted one? Surely it must have some elements that can be used to produce a safe cure for all of us?"
"It was suggested by some," Tonks sighed. "But the International and the European Wizarding Confederations decided it was too dangerous at this point for anyone to be in close contact with it, or to have it floating around in laboratories and hospitals. They ruled that it should be kept sealed away, under the tightest possible protection, at least for the time being. And that," she looked at her daughter, her eyes grave, "brings us to what we needed to warn you about."
Hope, having assumed that she had already heard the worst, felt a sense of disquiet.
"As I said, St Mungo's received an initial sample of the so-called cure, enough for a thousand or so doses," Tonks said. "When they discovered the lethal effect it could have on wizards, it was locked away, under the highest magical security possible within the hospital. Kingsley had to take charge of it himself. Since then, there have been yet more rumours. Some are saying that in the time between St Mungo's receiving it and locking it away, a small amount was taken. That the stock currently in the sealed vaults at St Mungo's is not the full amount they received originally."
This sounded farfetched to Hope, especially if Kingsley had been in charge of the procedure. Kingsley was one of the most powerful wizards in the country, everyone knew that.
"And it's true?" she said, doubt in her voice.
"We're not entirely sure," Tonks replied. "The minister has released a statement to say that the full amount of the cure is definitely accounted for, but there's something off about it. We believe - and we have known Kingsley very well for a very long time - that he is hiding something. Kingsley doesn't reveal everything to us - quite rightly, of course. We are his friends and allies but it is his job to keep some matters private, for everyone's sake. And that being the case, we feel it is best to err on the side of caution."
"And if it is true," Hope said, her mind racing. "That would mean..."
"It would mean that someone, somewhere, holds life and death in their hands," Tonks said softly. "There is no telling what could be done with it. It could be used for blackmail. It could be used as a weapon. It could be duplicated in uncontrolled settings and sold to wizards on the black market, under the pretence of helping, only to create more death and more panic."
"So this is our warning," Remus cut in, leaning forwards in his chair and resting his chin on his fingertips. "Wizards may not have as much to lose as muggles, Hope, but they're still afraid. A lot of wizards carry the curse in their blood now, and as I told you at Easter, it doesn't burn itself out like it does for muggles. Your mum and Harry definitely have it already."
"You do?" Hope stared at her mother, taken aback.
"All the Aurors were tested at St Mungo's last week, to find out who needed to be kept well away from muggle communities," she said, and, as Hope appeared no less panicked by this information:
"It's nothing for you to worry about, love. I feel no different than I did before. But you see why wizards are justified in being frightened? Some, I am sure, would take any cure going, to try and protect their muggle friends and relatives. So that is why we are telling you this. Professor Vector will no doubt warn all the students but it's unlikely she will go into details. We want you to understand how serious this could be, and react accordingly."
Hope took a deep breath and swallowed the nervous lump in the back of her throat. "OK."
"You understand what we mean by that?" Remus added. "If you see or hear anything suspicious you are to report it, tell a teacher you trust. And you are not under any circumstances to take something that claims to be an antidote or a cure. Do you understand me? Promise us you will be sensible."
Hope met his eye fiercely, her head held high. "I promise."
O
Hope's mind was still reeling an hour later as she made her way up to her bedroom. For all her bold acceptance of the news, it was starting to become too much to take in. First muggles were at risk. Now everyone was at risk. Her mother was infected with the curse. The rest of her family might be too. Someone, somewhere, could be carrying around a vial of liquid that the health of half the world depended on, yet that might as well be poison to the other half.
About to push open her door, a movement in the corner of her eye made her turn.
Little Molly Weasley was peering out of the spare bedroom. Hope forced a cheerful expression on her face at once. It would not do to pass on any anxieties to her younger friends.
"Hey Mol, you OK?"
Molly nodded.
"Do you need anything?"
The younger girl shook her head.
"Sure?"
Molly shrugged.
"Come on, let's get you back into bed," Hope said kindly. She followed her into the spare bedroom. The light was on and Lucy was also sitting up in bed, almost doll like, her pyjamas pristine and her dark hair neatly brushed and tucked behind her ears. But her eyes were wide.
"We can't sleep," Molly said, sitting back down on her own bed.
"Hope?" Lucy was looking anxiously at her. "Are - are we all going to die?"
Taken aback, Hope blinked at her.
"Why do you say that?"
"It feels like we are," Lucy mumbled, her little hands smoothing the duvet over her lap. "It feels like only bad things are happening."
Hope had not fully appreciated until that moment how terrifying this situation must be for the two of them. Too young to be told the full story in case it scared them senseless, yet too old to be oblivious to the panic and tension surrounding them, which must be equally disturbing. And Hope could be as reassuring as she liked, but there was no denying it. Signs of death and destruction were all around them.
She also now realised how hard it must have been for Teddy, all those years ago, when she had looked him in the eye and asked him bluntly if their father was going to die. How were you supposed to reply to that question, being honest and sensible and tactful all at once?
She would have to try. Her older friends were always there for her, and it was her job now to be the mentor and the guide for once.
She sat down on the side of Molly's bed.
"Sometimes," she said, feeling that Teddy would do a much better job of this. "It does feel like everything in the world is going wrong. But often that is because you only hear about the negatives. People talk far more about the bad things than they do about the good things."
"But what good things are there right now?" Lucy said, her tone doleful.
"Well," Hope said, thinking hard. "Witches and wizards all over the world are dedicating their lives to finding a cure for the curse. Muggles everywhere are staying safe with their families to make sure that they don't pass it on to other people. And they're being kind to each other, too, helping each other so that the most vulnerable still receive support and friendship. Nurses and doctors – that's what healers are called in the muggle world – are working every day to save lives. A lot of our healers are working undercover in muggle hospitals, to give patients the best possible chance of recovering."
"Sometimes they don't, though," Molly said, her lip wobbling.
Hope took Molly's hand in one of her own and Lucy's in the other.
"Yes, some people are dying," she said. "And it's so sad. But thousands more are surviving, getting better. And every time someone does get better, our kind get more information. Information that will one day help us make the curse go away for good. Try and remember that when you feel scared. That it isn't all bad. And we can never be sure of what will happen, but we can always be hopeful. Because nothing lasts forever, not even bad or frightening things."
Lucy managed a smile. There was still a worried wrinkle in her forehead, but the tension had eased from her shoulders.
"There is much more good in the world than bad," Hope said. "Sometimes you can't see it all the time."
Oompa shuffled down her arm and onto Lucy's, then hopped onto her shoulder and put her little tongue on Lucy's cheek. Lucy giggled.
"Oompa can stay here with you tonight," Hope added. "She's good at cheering people up."
"I wish we could have one of those," Molly said, gazing longingly at the tiny ball of orange fluff. "Mum and Dad won't let us."
"Why not?"
"Because they say having a pet is too much trouble. We are only allowed the family owl, and he's really boring."
"Pygmy puffs are the easiest pets ever to look after," Hope said at once. "They look after themselves. All you have to do is cuddle them and sometimes give them sweets."
Lucy sighed.
"Dad doesn't think that."
"I tell you what," Hope suggested. "Check with your dad first, but if he says yes, then next time you can take Oompa home with you for the weekend, and you can show him how easy she is."
Lucy and Molly were delighted at this.
O
"I still don't really get what's going on," Hope confessed to Teddy a few days later. "I'm trying to get my head round it, but it's so confusing. One minute the curse is a threat to muggles, now suddenly there's a cure that helps muggles but would kill wizards. How does that even work, anyway? Is it all to do with MDI again?"
Teddy ran a finger thoughtfully over the bridge of his nose.
"Think of it like quidditch," he said, after a pause.
"Quidditch?" Hope gazed back at him blankly. She understood quidditch better than anything, but she couldn't see how that was going to help her comprehension here.
"Yes. Imagine that you take a group of muggles who've never even heard of quidditch, hand them each a broom and set them to play against an established team. What happens?"
"They lose?" Hope suggested, wondering if Teddy was expecting some profound, intelligent response.
But Teddy was nodding.
"Exactly. The final score would depend a bit on their natural physique and ability. Some might not get off the ground at all. Others might pick up a few techniques, may even be able to get some goals in and keep the score fairly even. But without knowing all the rules, they would lose, not least because they would be missing a vital piece of information - that capturing the snitch ends and in most cases wins them the game."
"OK."
"Now let's say someone gets given a chance to rescue the game. They are allowed to send on a substitute team to play instead of the muggle team and they can send in whoever they want. So they would produce the best team they could possibly think of, right?"
"Right." Hope said obediently, still wondering where this was going.
"It's a first class team, hand picked from the best international players in the world. And they know exactly what they're doing, each and every one of them."
"Sure..."
"The beaters remove any imminent threats right from the off," Teddy went on. "Make it easier for the rest of the team to do their jobs. The chasers start scoring points to make up any deficit in the score and take the team into a comfortable lead. The keeper ensures that the other team can't score more points and damage that lead. Then, once they have a big enough advantage, the seeker catches the snitch. Game over. The winning team then has a debrief with the original, struggling team, teaches them the rules and trains them up to ensure that, should they find themselves in such a position again, they will at least be able to hold their own. With me so far?"
"I mean, yes," Hope said, unable to help grinning back at him. "Because all you've done is explain the rules of quidditch to me. And I do know how to play quidditch, if nothing else. Better than you, as it happens."
Teddy's mouth twitched in amusement, but he did not retaliate.
"Fair point. But now think of the resistance to the illness as that disastrous game of quidditch. However much of an effort the seven new players put in, the game is always going to end on the terms of the other team if they don't have a clear idea of the rules. The other team is the equivalent of the Narcoviral curse. It doesn't necessarily kill, but in that situation, there is never going to be a good outcome."
"OK," Hope said. "And are you saying that the really talented team is the cure?"
"Exactly! And it does several things at once. It eliminates any short term threats, if there are any. It repairs damage to the body, if damage has already been done, and doesn't give the curse much chance to fight back. That's not to say there wouldn't be any repercussions, of course. A bit of retaliation and resentment and some dirty tactics. No medicine is ever completely devoid of side effects. But eventually, in most cases, the new team would triumph. And if there was no imminent fight to be had, it would at least put defensive strategies in place for the future. That's what this cure does and that's how muggle vaccines work anyway. They prepare the body to recognise and fight disease before it can take hold and have negative effects."
"Right," Hope said again. "But that's in muggles? So what's happening with the wizards? Are we playing quidditch too?"
"If they are infected with the curse, yes, but in wizards the game is much more even. They already have the knowledge of the rules and the skills to match the other team, so no one's winning or losing by any great amount. All the positions are equally proficient, let's say, so the points difference is negligible and no damage is being done to either team because the beaters are equally good at firing and avoiding bludgers. The seekers are evenly matched as well, so neither of them allows the other an opportunity to end the game. That's how the curse is working in wizards. It's completely balanced, not doing them any harm, but not going anywhere, either."
"So what would happen to magical people if they were given the cure?"
"The cure we are aiming to produce would have much the same effect as it does on muggles," Teddy said. "It would ramp up the fight, and there may still be unpleasant side effects - worse ones, even, because the magic would exacerbate them. Ultimately though, the fight would still be won by the stronger team ninety-nine percent of the time. The curse would be eliminated and that would be the end of it."
"And what does The Crow's cure do that's different?"
Teddy chewed his lip for a few seconds before replying.
"It would be as if there was no snitch," he said.
"Huh?"
"There's no snitch in a game of quidditch. What happens?"
Hope rolled her eyes.
"There always a snitch in quidditch."
"Imagine there isn't. Imagine that as the rescue team comes barrelling in to save the match, the snitch escapes. Or someone steals it. Or burns it. Whatever. But in the excitement of the new entrance no one notices. Everyone assumes the snitch is still there to be caught. What happens?"
"The game would never end," Hope supplied at once. "You'd need to keep subbing players on and off and you'd just go round and round in circles until someone realised how stupid it was and called it a tie or awarded it to the team currently in the lead."
"There are no subs. And there is no one with the common sense to call it off. What happens then?"
Hope stared at him impatiently. "You don't seriously need me to tell you what would happen in an endless quidditch match where the players are doomed to play until the end of the game, which is when the snitch is caught… except there is no snitch... so the game can't end."
"Humour me then," Teddy insisted. "Tell me what would happen."
"Well, they'd keep going until they passed out from exhaustion, or dehydration, or fell asleep on their brooms. So they'd all eventually fall off or crash. Or maybe the beaters would go round hitting everyone over the head just to be able to stop playing."
"There you go." Teddy seemed very pleased with his analogy, but Hope was none the wiser.
"Teddy, I think I'm even more confused now."
Teddy leant forwards, looking animated, willing her to understand.
"In wizards, this cure would still fight the curse, and upset the balance so that it no longer ticks along harmlessly inside the body, but it would also use the individual's magic against them. It would force their magic to destroy a very small but very crucial element to the entire remedial process."
"So it would burn the snitch?" Hope offered uncertainly.
"Yes," Teddy said, his eyes glowing. Hope could never fail to be impressed with the enthusiasm and passion that Teddy always displayed when discussing complicated medical topics. "The Crow's cure destroys a miniscule part of the wizard's immune system. Something that you wouldn't even know was there until it had gone. That tiny, almost always invisible element that is so, so essential. Because in that quidditch match, even when the deficit in points has long been remedied, even if it is completely obvious that the new team has won, the game can't end without the snitch. That's what would happen. The curse would fight the cure and continue to do so, to the bitter end. And the body wouldn't be able to handle it. It would go haywire, react increasingly unpredictably, and eventually shut down all together."
Hope felt nauseated, although she did her best not to show it. She cast around for a practical question.
"Even in wizards who don't have the curse to start with?"
"That is a bit of a grey area," Teddy admitted. "But we suspect that if the person wasn't already infected with the curse then the visible consequences wouldn't be instant. But the cure would still do similar damage, and then if the individual did become infected, that's when the fatal effects would kick in."
"That makes it all the more terrifying, I suppose," Hope mused. "Never knowing when something could strike."
She twirled a strand of red hair through her fingers absent-mindedly. Then, feeling a renewed wave of agitation, burst out:
"How? How does someone come up with all this? Something so horrible, so awful, so calculated, and - and out of nowhere. I mean, no one's ever heard of this man before, and now he's brought the world to a stand still."
"Dark wizards don't really spring out of nowhere," Teddy said gently. "It often seems that way, but they are normally the result of years of secret plotting and planning. Voldemort lay low for a very long time between his school days and his first reign, so much so that a lot of people couldn't work out where he had come from at all. Few ever recognised him from his teenage self."
"You mean The Crow could be someone other people have known for years, under a disguise?"
This thought did not make Hope any more cheerful.
"It's possible," Teddy acknowledged. "Although there are no leads as to who it might be. Even the MoMS have no idea, and normally they'd have some suspects in a situation like this; individuals with a criminal record, for example. It could be anyone, someone who appears to be a perfectly ordinary member of society, yet who has been scheming away in the background all these years."
Hope was thoroughly unnerved again. She couldn't help it. The thought of this deadly, psychopathic criminal masquerading as some harmless man who she may have passed in the streets was downright creepy. She tried to keep her face impassive, which she found so easy to do with most people. It was harder with Teddy. Teddy could always see through her mask to the maelstrom of emotions underneath.
"Hope." Teddy leaned over and gripped her wrist. "I know it's frightening. But it's not as bleak as it sounds, I promise. This will pass. They will catch him, whoever he is, and we'll find a way to beat this curse as well. Good will overcome evil in the end."
Hope tried to smile. Hadn't she told Molly and Lucy that very thing days before?
"How do you stay so calm all the time?" she laughed.
She had meant it as a rhetorical question, but Teddy, as usual, pondered it intently before replying.
"I suppose mainly because of the people I spend time with," he said. "Mum and Dad are always so rational. I'm working every day with Hestia and Jessye, and they are the calmest, most collected people I've ever met. They get presented with the facts and work with what they have, nothing more or less. Most of all I have Vic, of course. I know Dom thinks she's a drama queen." He grinned ruefully and Hope chuckled. "But she isn't really. Not at work. She's a healer. It's her job to be methodical and unflappable and clear headed. She's amazing... And all those influences keep me calm too. You know what I mean?"
Hope smiled properly, a warm glow blossoming in her chest, the negative feelings subsiding. She did, in fact, know exactly what her brother was talking about. That calming, soothing effect was the influence that her parents, her two best friends - and indeed Teddy herself - had always had on her.
oOo
August
As it turned out, there was no need for Molly and Lucy to borrow Oompa at all. When Percy dropped his daughters back off at the Lupin residence a week later, Hope was greeted with a mini explosion of excitement.
"Hope! Look, Hope! Look!"
Lucy was clutching a ball of red fluff and Molly was bouncing up and down next to her. Two tiny pygmy puff eyes sparkled at them from the red tufts in Lucy's tiny hands.
"I hear I have you to thank for the repeated insistence that pygmy puffs are no trouble at all?" Percy enquired, raising his eyebrows at Hope, as Molly and Lucy, impeccably behaved as always, both went upstairs to put their bags in the spare bedroom.
"Ah-" she looked sheepishly up at him, wondering if he was actually annoyed. It was always hard to tell with Percy. But his eyes were kind.
"I don't know exactly what you said to them," he said, lowering his voice. "But they were so much less worried about everything after their last visit. They haven't stopped going on about you, Hope, and they said they loved talking to you. So what ever you talked to them about, thank you. I'm very grateful. Both for that and for encouraging them to insist on a pet. That has done wonders as well."
"Oh. You're welcome," Hope said, a tad confused, but happy that she had, at least, been able to do something useful.
"What did you say to them?" Remus enquired, as Percy hurried off to work.
Hope tried to remember. "They were so worried about everything. I just told them there are still lots of positives, ways we can be hopeful, and that there is more good in the world than bad, but that sometimes you couldn't see it. I felt it wasn't very helpful at all to be honest- they sort of took me by surprise and I rambled a bit."
Her father squeezed her shoulder. "Sometimes simple words help more than you think."
Molly and Lucy came back down the stairs a few minutes later, Lucy still carrying their new pet and Molly with Oompa on her shoulder.
"She and Oompa are friends now," Lucy announced.
"Of course they are," Hope said. "Oompa loves making new friends. What's her name?" She gestured to the red pygmy puff.
"Hope, obviously!" Molly looked at her as though this was the most obvious thing in the world, and Hope burst out laughing.
"It's something, I suppose," she said to her family later that evening, as she lay on the rug in the living room flicking through a magazine. Very unusually, all four of them were there at the same time. "If I amount to nothing, at least I have a pygmy puff named after me!"
"Why on earth would you amount to nothing?" her mother enquired, a slight crease in her forehead. Teddy was also looking at her in mild concern.
For the most fleeting of seconds, Hope hesitated. It was an ever growing worry in the back of her mind, now. That she was a failure. That she could not possibly live up to everything that was expected of her, with her famous family, her clever father and her Auror mother, both of them war heroes, and her talented and successful older brother. Sometimes a profound fear that she was already set on the road to disappointing her friends and family seized her, and she was never sure how to release its strong grip.
She did know how to hide all traces of it, however. The moment passed, her hesitation imperceptible as she brushed off her previous comment.
"Joking," she said easily, grinning and forcing an added sparkle into her eyes. "Obviously!"
The other three appeared convinced. Hope sighed internally. If only it were so easy to convince herself.
OOO