That night after everyone else had fallen asleep Harry lay in bed.
Arabella had decided that nothing could be done about Voldemort now, and insisted that they all go to bed. Snape was the first to go. Harry didn't realize how tired his potions master was until Remus had to help him up the stairs and into bed. Sirius put up a bit of a fight. After he heard about Voldemort's attack he raged that they couldn't sit and do nothing, and insisted that if the Ministry of Magic could not find Voldemort that they go after him themselves. Arabella shot that idea down as soon as he spoke it, and Sirius, seeing the dangerous glint in her eye, backed down.
So they all called it a night. But long after the others drifted off to dream Harry lay awake in bed. Thoughts swirled around in his head aimlessly. There were so many questions he had not asked, and so many that he had, but had never been answered. Harry looked to the clock on the dresser beside the bed. One o'clock. Knowing he couldn't sleep Harry got up quietly and headed downstairs for a midnight snack. He tip-toed across the living room, into the kitchen and turned the light on.
"What do you think you are doing Harry?"
Harry spun around. Mrs. Figg was standing in the doorway in her nightgown, with a night cap on her head. She was looking at him with an expression of curiosity and amusement. At least she didn't look mad Harry thought.
"I'm sorry if I scared you Mrs. Figg, but I couldn't sleep so I though I would come down and get something to eat."
She smiled at him "Didn't eat enough today already?"
"Well," Harry admitted bashfully "Yes, I'm actually not that hungry. Just restless."
"Very understandable. How about I'll make some tea and we can talk."
Harry agreed, and sat down at the table. It relieved him to have someone to talk to, and Mrs. Figg, although rotten at chess, seemed very good at calming people down.
"Mrs. Figg," he asked "What happened today, why did Arabella get so angry?"
Mrs. Figg chuckled as she set the kettle on the stove.
"Arabella has a horrible temper. If you provoke her you had better watch out because, as you saw today, she will not go easy on you." Mrs. Figg set two mugs on the table. "I think she had a difficult time with your godfather and Remus when they delivered Dumbledore's note, and-"
"What note?" Harry interrupted.
Mrs. Figg raised her eyebrows "They really didn't tell you anything did they dear. I suppose I should start from the beginning."
Harry waited eagerly as he watched her put tea bags in the mugs and fill them with water. She sat down and took a deep breath.
"Harry, I have been living in Privet drive all these years to watch over you. There are many measures Dumbledore took to ensure your safety, one of them was me. For the last 11 years I didn't have any contact with the magical world. In fact, I gave up using any magic in order to gain the trust of my neighbors-- including your Aunt and Uncle-- and to hide. If Voldemort's supporters knew I was here, or if Voldemort himself knew I was. My cats were the only connection to the outside I had. Long ago, when I was young I learned how to speak with cats, and that's why I have so many. Although many wizards and witches have cats, so do many eccentric old ladies. And very few people can convince a cat to do what they want it to do, so they are not used for communication, like owls are."
"Which is what you use them for?" Harry asked.
Mrs. Figg smiled. "Yes, Harry, that is exactly right. I send my cats with messages to Dumbledore anytime something important happens, but I can not do it too often, and I almost never get replies back. After you started at Hogwarts Dumbledore would send me a letter after each school year ended catching me up on everything that had happened."
"So you know about-" Harry stopped, not sure what to mention first.
"Everything." Mrs. Figg smirked, "Well, everything that Dumbledore is aware of anyway."
Harry couldn't help smiling as Mrs. Figg looked at him expectantly.
"That's all there is to know!" he said as innocently as possible.
Mrs. Figg looked at Harry knowingly and continued. "At the end of the school year, when Dumbledore knew Voldemort had returned he took certain actions to try and prevent Voldemort from regaining the power he had before. One thing he did was to contact his own supporters. You may not know this, but Dumbledore has quite the fan club."
Harry laughed "I believe it." He agreed emphatically
"Sirius and Remus spent the beginning of the summer collecting Dumbledore's fan club, and included in them was my daughter."
Harry thought about this for a while as they both sat and sipped their tea in an agreeable silence. Another question popped into Harry's head.
"If this place is secret how did Snape know where to go?"
Harry tried to make the question sound casual, but some of the doubts he had of Snape slipped into his voice.
"Professor Snape," Harry was surprised to hear Mrs. Figg call him professor, "has been here before."
She said it in a way that Harry did not consider asking when that was, although he desperately wanted to. Maybe he might try a different line of questioning.
"Do you trust Snape"
Mrs. Figg considered the question.
"Harry," she said evenly "I don't know much about Professor Snape, I don't think I am supposed to know much. However, Dumbledore trusts him and I trust Dumbledore. What about you, do you trust him Harry?"
Harry started when she asked him the question. He looked at her, was she really asking his opinion? Did he have a answer? Harry thought about it a while and Mrs. Figg did not push him for an answer.
"I'm not sure." Harry admitted truthfully. "I know Dumbledore trusts him, but I know he was not telling us everything he knew tonight, and I think he even lied."
Harry didn't know what to say next. Mrs. Figg considered him for a moment.
"Harry, I think that Professor Snape would like nothing better than to tell you the truth."
Harry didn't answer. He was rather skeptical that Mrs. Figg could read Snape's mind. Another question was lurking in the back of Harry's mind and a sense of foreboding came over him as he realized the horrid implications.
"Mrs. Figg, if you stopped using magic all these years to hide from Voldemort, why did you start using them all now, after he's come back?"
Mrs. Figg's face fell. The cheerful sparkle in her eyes was replaced by a dull, haunted look.
"He knows Harry." It was barely a whisper. "I suppose he has always known Dumbledore had set up protections, and he may not know who, but that would never stop him from hunting me down. We have made a small amount of ruckus on purpose to protect the muggles who live close by."
She choked, unable to finish, but Harry understood. Voldemort would find Mrs. Figg if he had to kill every muggle in the town. He felt queasy just thinking about all the people who's lives he was putting in danger just by being here, and in that moment Harry decided something. He was going to stop Voldemort.
Arabella had decided that nothing could be done about Voldemort now, and insisted that they all go to bed. Snape was the first to go. Harry didn't realize how tired his potions master was until Remus had to help him up the stairs and into bed. Sirius put up a bit of a fight. After he heard about Voldemort's attack he raged that they couldn't sit and do nothing, and insisted that if the Ministry of Magic could not find Voldemort that they go after him themselves. Arabella shot that idea down as soon as he spoke it, and Sirius, seeing the dangerous glint in her eye, backed down.
So they all called it a night. But long after the others drifted off to dream Harry lay awake in bed. Thoughts swirled around in his head aimlessly. There were so many questions he had not asked, and so many that he had, but had never been answered. Harry looked to the clock on the dresser beside the bed. One o'clock. Knowing he couldn't sleep Harry got up quietly and headed downstairs for a midnight snack. He tip-toed across the living room, into the kitchen and turned the light on.
"What do you think you are doing Harry?"
Harry spun around. Mrs. Figg was standing in the doorway in her nightgown, with a night cap on her head. She was looking at him with an expression of curiosity and amusement. At least she didn't look mad Harry thought.
"I'm sorry if I scared you Mrs. Figg, but I couldn't sleep so I though I would come down and get something to eat."
She smiled at him "Didn't eat enough today already?"
"Well," Harry admitted bashfully "Yes, I'm actually not that hungry. Just restless."
"Very understandable. How about I'll make some tea and we can talk."
Harry agreed, and sat down at the table. It relieved him to have someone to talk to, and Mrs. Figg, although rotten at chess, seemed very good at calming people down.
"Mrs. Figg," he asked "What happened today, why did Arabella get so angry?"
Mrs. Figg chuckled as she set the kettle on the stove.
"Arabella has a horrible temper. If you provoke her you had better watch out because, as you saw today, she will not go easy on you." Mrs. Figg set two mugs on the table. "I think she had a difficult time with your godfather and Remus when they delivered Dumbledore's note, and-"
"What note?" Harry interrupted.
Mrs. Figg raised her eyebrows "They really didn't tell you anything did they dear. I suppose I should start from the beginning."
Harry waited eagerly as he watched her put tea bags in the mugs and fill them with water. She sat down and took a deep breath.
"Harry, I have been living in Privet drive all these years to watch over you. There are many measures Dumbledore took to ensure your safety, one of them was me. For the last 11 years I didn't have any contact with the magical world. In fact, I gave up using any magic in order to gain the trust of my neighbors-- including your Aunt and Uncle-- and to hide. If Voldemort's supporters knew I was here, or if Voldemort himself knew I was. My cats were the only connection to the outside I had. Long ago, when I was young I learned how to speak with cats, and that's why I have so many. Although many wizards and witches have cats, so do many eccentric old ladies. And very few people can convince a cat to do what they want it to do, so they are not used for communication, like owls are."
"Which is what you use them for?" Harry asked.
Mrs. Figg smiled. "Yes, Harry, that is exactly right. I send my cats with messages to Dumbledore anytime something important happens, but I can not do it too often, and I almost never get replies back. After you started at Hogwarts Dumbledore would send me a letter after each school year ended catching me up on everything that had happened."
"So you know about-" Harry stopped, not sure what to mention first.
"Everything." Mrs. Figg smirked, "Well, everything that Dumbledore is aware of anyway."
Harry couldn't help smiling as Mrs. Figg looked at him expectantly.
"That's all there is to know!" he said as innocently as possible.
Mrs. Figg looked at Harry knowingly and continued. "At the end of the school year, when Dumbledore knew Voldemort had returned he took certain actions to try and prevent Voldemort from regaining the power he had before. One thing he did was to contact his own supporters. You may not know this, but Dumbledore has quite the fan club."
Harry laughed "I believe it." He agreed emphatically
"Sirius and Remus spent the beginning of the summer collecting Dumbledore's fan club, and included in them was my daughter."
Harry thought about this for a while as they both sat and sipped their tea in an agreeable silence. Another question popped into Harry's head.
"If this place is secret how did Snape know where to go?"
Harry tried to make the question sound casual, but some of the doubts he had of Snape slipped into his voice.
"Professor Snape," Harry was surprised to hear Mrs. Figg call him professor, "has been here before."
She said it in a way that Harry did not consider asking when that was, although he desperately wanted to. Maybe he might try a different line of questioning.
"Do you trust Snape"
Mrs. Figg considered the question.
"Harry," she said evenly "I don't know much about Professor Snape, I don't think I am supposed to know much. However, Dumbledore trusts him and I trust Dumbledore. What about you, do you trust him Harry?"
Harry started when she asked him the question. He looked at her, was she really asking his opinion? Did he have a answer? Harry thought about it a while and Mrs. Figg did not push him for an answer.
"I'm not sure." Harry admitted truthfully. "I know Dumbledore trusts him, but I know he was not telling us everything he knew tonight, and I think he even lied."
Harry didn't know what to say next. Mrs. Figg considered him for a moment.
"Harry, I think that Professor Snape would like nothing better than to tell you the truth."
Harry didn't answer. He was rather skeptical that Mrs. Figg could read Snape's mind. Another question was lurking in the back of Harry's mind and a sense of foreboding came over him as he realized the horrid implications.
"Mrs. Figg, if you stopped using magic all these years to hide from Voldemort, why did you start using them all now, after he's come back?"
Mrs. Figg's face fell. The cheerful sparkle in her eyes was replaced by a dull, haunted look.
"He knows Harry." It was barely a whisper. "I suppose he has always known Dumbledore had set up protections, and he may not know who, but that would never stop him from hunting me down. We have made a small amount of ruckus on purpose to protect the muggles who live close by."
She choked, unable to finish, but Harry understood. Voldemort would find Mrs. Figg if he had to kill every muggle in the town. He felt queasy just thinking about all the people who's lives he was putting in danger just by being here, and in that moment Harry decided something. He was going to stop Voldemort.