The next weekend, having told Cho he wouldn't be going to Hogsmeade, Harry had nothing to do but stay in Gryffindor tower.
"We'll bring you loads back," Ron said as he and Hermione climbed out of the portrait hole.
"Bye Harry!" Hermione called behind her shoulder.
Harry shuddered involuntarily as he thought of Ron and Hermione sipping butterbeers together in the Three Broomsticks.
"Harry?"
Harry turned around to see Ginny.
"I'm not going to Hogsmeade either. I hurt my hand in Care of Magical creatures the other day. Madam Pomfrey healed it but it's still sore."
"Oh, really?" Harry said. Why was he going red? Why?
"Um Harry," Ginny lowered her voice. She looked tentative. "There's something in my dorm I really need to show you."
"Your dorm?" Harry felt as if someone had cut off the air to his lungs. Ginny nodded, looking terrible, and began to walk up the stairs, nodding at Harry to follow her.
He followed Ginny up the winding staircase and to a room that said Fourth Years on the door. It was exactly like the boys dorms, except different colored bottles covered the bureaus and above one girls bed a Muggle picture of Colin Firth was smiling down at them.
"I-I found this the other night. It was under a loose floorboard." Ginny handed Harry several rolls of parchment. Harry blew the dust off.
"Cardinal and Curly Forever!" it said. There was an illustration underneath of two girls, one was lean with long red hair and lots of freckles. The other was plump and had curly hair. The picture was obviously magical as someone had enchanted it so that the two girls were giggling and kept pointing up at Harry and Ginny.
"What-what is this?"
"Look at the other one," Ginny said in a small voice.
Harry put the Cardinal and Curly picture on one of the beds. The next one had a large heart that kept changing colors. Inside it, it said, "Prongs Loves Cardinal!" Then the "Prongs" bit was crossed out by another persons handwriting, and replaced with "Dustin Hoffman" and then that same person crossed Dustin Hoffman again and restored the name Prongs.
"That-that was my Dad's nickname at school, Prongs. Who was Cardinal?"
"Look at the last one, Harry," Ginny said.
This sheet was not enchanted. All it had were some ink and quill scribblings saying "Lily Potter?" "James Evans?" "Lily Loves James."
"Is this…my mums?" Harry asked. He kept looking at the papers.
"I just found it under the floorboard," Ginny looked into Harry's eyes. "I figured this must've been her room when she was at Hogwarts. Her nickname must've been Cardinal, see. And Curly had to have been her friend. And your dad..James."
Harry felt as if something was caught in his throat. He looked at the paper again,
"Lily Potter."
"I thought you would like it," Ginny's voice was barely audible.
Harry blinked several times. "Thank you," he finally said.
He sat up and for a moment he thought their lips grazed. But then Ginny was looking down, her ears were very red. Harry gathered the papers.
"Well then-er-I better go."
Ginny nodded as Harry began to leave.
"Oh, Harry!"
Harry turned round to see Ginny, who oddly had tears in her eyes.
"I-I just mean. Never mind."
And she just sat on her bed, leaving Harry to his very confused thoughts.
When Ron and Hermione returned to Hogsmeade Harry didn't tell them about the papers Ginny had given him. He had put them under his mattress and was thinking very hard.
This was what his mother must've been like at school; she was just a normal girl. She had nicknames-Cardinal must've been because of her hair, which Harry knew was red-she had friends, and crushes… and then Voldemort had killed her, just as he had killed so many others. All this pain and suffering just came from Voldemort. Harry tried hard to think of what his parents would have been like if they hadn't died, and he realized that he couldn't. He had never met his parents, he would never find out what they wanted for him, any of their hopes or dreams. They were just gone, and all that remained of their memory were bits of parchment.
Harry felt an angry sob in his throat wiped two tears away.
Harry shuddered and went to the window-the February chill felt good on his face. Harry leaned out and took a deep breath. It was just a bit of parchment, Harry told himself, just a little bit of parchment. And then he froze-a cardinal had just swept down and landed on the windowsill.
Monday morning, at breakfast Harry was very quiet. Hermione and Ron were chatting rapidly about Hogsmeade but Harry somehow didn't hear them. Harry noticed that Ginny too, was quite reserved.
"Harry are you all right?" Hermione asked.
"What's up mate?" Ron said through a mouthful of hash browns.
"Nothing, just tired."
"Do you have a lot of work?" Hermione asked. "I know I do, Professor Vector wants us to write an essay on ancient Arithmancy."
"No-no," Harry said. "I couldn't go to bed last night," Harry said, feeling that he wasn't really lying.
"All right," Hermione looked at Harry suspiciously. "What've we got next?"
Ron dived into his bag and emerged with a very tattered looking piece of parchment. "Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Great," Harry said miserably. "Really great."
"Oh don't be talking!" Seamus Finnigan called from further down the table. "He doesn't try to curse you all the time! I had me dad write and complain to Dumbledore about him!"
Harry smiled weakly at Seamus, who began pouring syrup over eggs.
They entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and to all the Gryffindors surprise, Gingle was sitting calmly at his desk in standard black robes. His hair was even brushed. When the bell rang he stood--it was like he was a different person.
"Hello class," he said evenly. "Take out your quills, and open your books to page..."
Ron and Harry exchanged astonished glances.
"He's ill!" Dean Thomas said as they left the classroom. "He's got to be."
"Too many people were complaining," Parvati said. "Dumbledore told him to stop acting like a nut or he'd be sacked."
"Weird, though, isn't it?" Ron said.
"Weird?" Seamus shouted. "It's fantastic! He won't curse me anymore--this is the best day of my life!"
"We'll bring you loads back," Ron said as he and Hermione climbed out of the portrait hole.
"Bye Harry!" Hermione called behind her shoulder.
Harry shuddered involuntarily as he thought of Ron and Hermione sipping butterbeers together in the Three Broomsticks.
"Harry?"
Harry turned around to see Ginny.
"I'm not going to Hogsmeade either. I hurt my hand in Care of Magical creatures the other day. Madam Pomfrey healed it but it's still sore."
"Oh, really?" Harry said. Why was he going red? Why?
"Um Harry," Ginny lowered her voice. She looked tentative. "There's something in my dorm I really need to show you."
"Your dorm?" Harry felt as if someone had cut off the air to his lungs. Ginny nodded, looking terrible, and began to walk up the stairs, nodding at Harry to follow her.
He followed Ginny up the winding staircase and to a room that said Fourth Years on the door. It was exactly like the boys dorms, except different colored bottles covered the bureaus and above one girls bed a Muggle picture of Colin Firth was smiling down at them.
"I-I found this the other night. It was under a loose floorboard." Ginny handed Harry several rolls of parchment. Harry blew the dust off.
"Cardinal and Curly Forever!" it said. There was an illustration underneath of two girls, one was lean with long red hair and lots of freckles. The other was plump and had curly hair. The picture was obviously magical as someone had enchanted it so that the two girls were giggling and kept pointing up at Harry and Ginny.
"What-what is this?"
"Look at the other one," Ginny said in a small voice.
Harry put the Cardinal and Curly picture on one of the beds. The next one had a large heart that kept changing colors. Inside it, it said, "Prongs Loves Cardinal!" Then the "Prongs" bit was crossed out by another persons handwriting, and replaced with "Dustin Hoffman" and then that same person crossed Dustin Hoffman again and restored the name Prongs.
"That-that was my Dad's nickname at school, Prongs. Who was Cardinal?"
"Look at the last one, Harry," Ginny said.
This sheet was not enchanted. All it had were some ink and quill scribblings saying "Lily Potter?" "James Evans?" "Lily Loves James."
"Is this…my mums?" Harry asked. He kept looking at the papers.
"I just found it under the floorboard," Ginny looked into Harry's eyes. "I figured this must've been her room when she was at Hogwarts. Her nickname must've been Cardinal, see. And Curly had to have been her friend. And your dad..James."
Harry felt as if something was caught in his throat. He looked at the paper again,
"Lily Potter."
"I thought you would like it," Ginny's voice was barely audible.
Harry blinked several times. "Thank you," he finally said.
He sat up and for a moment he thought their lips grazed. But then Ginny was looking down, her ears were very red. Harry gathered the papers.
"Well then-er-I better go."
Ginny nodded as Harry began to leave.
"Oh, Harry!"
Harry turned round to see Ginny, who oddly had tears in her eyes.
"I-I just mean. Never mind."
And she just sat on her bed, leaving Harry to his very confused thoughts.
When Ron and Hermione returned to Hogsmeade Harry didn't tell them about the papers Ginny had given him. He had put them under his mattress and was thinking very hard.
This was what his mother must've been like at school; she was just a normal girl. She had nicknames-Cardinal must've been because of her hair, which Harry knew was red-she had friends, and crushes… and then Voldemort had killed her, just as he had killed so many others. All this pain and suffering just came from Voldemort. Harry tried hard to think of what his parents would have been like if they hadn't died, and he realized that he couldn't. He had never met his parents, he would never find out what they wanted for him, any of their hopes or dreams. They were just gone, and all that remained of their memory were bits of parchment.
Harry felt an angry sob in his throat wiped two tears away.
Harry shuddered and went to the window-the February chill felt good on his face. Harry leaned out and took a deep breath. It was just a bit of parchment, Harry told himself, just a little bit of parchment. And then he froze-a cardinal had just swept down and landed on the windowsill.
Monday morning, at breakfast Harry was very quiet. Hermione and Ron were chatting rapidly about Hogsmeade but Harry somehow didn't hear them. Harry noticed that Ginny too, was quite reserved.
"Harry are you all right?" Hermione asked.
"What's up mate?" Ron said through a mouthful of hash browns.
"Nothing, just tired."
"Do you have a lot of work?" Hermione asked. "I know I do, Professor Vector wants us to write an essay on ancient Arithmancy."
"No-no," Harry said. "I couldn't go to bed last night," Harry said, feeling that he wasn't really lying.
"All right," Hermione looked at Harry suspiciously. "What've we got next?"
Ron dived into his bag and emerged with a very tattered looking piece of parchment. "Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Great," Harry said miserably. "Really great."
"Oh don't be talking!" Seamus Finnigan called from further down the table. "He doesn't try to curse you all the time! I had me dad write and complain to Dumbledore about him!"
Harry smiled weakly at Seamus, who began pouring syrup over eggs.
They entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and to all the Gryffindors surprise, Gingle was sitting calmly at his desk in standard black robes. His hair was even brushed. When the bell rang he stood--it was like he was a different person.
"Hello class," he said evenly. "Take out your quills, and open your books to page..."
Ron and Harry exchanged astonished glances.
"He's ill!" Dean Thomas said as they left the classroom. "He's got to be."
"Too many people were complaining," Parvati said. "Dumbledore told him to stop acting like a nut or he'd be sacked."
"Weird, though, isn't it?" Ron said.
"Weird?" Seamus shouted. "It's fantastic! He won't curse me anymore--this is the best day of my life!"