"The letter." Harry rolled it around on his tongue. It sounded
ominous. "The letter." I think I'm going insane, he thought tiredly. Given
the circumstances it would be quite welcome.
"Harry?" Sirius poked his head into the room; "if you want to talk there's no better time." Harry nodded and went and sat in one of the chairs. "How come no one told me Mrs Figg was a witch?"
"Same reason no one told you you were a wizard. The only people who knew weren't able to contact you." He shrugged, "There was a letter. I'm surprised the Dursleys didn't read it. They're the kind of people who'd like to know why they ended up with a gunk job." He glanced a t Harry, "No offence or anything."
"So, this Julia then, if the Dursleys didn't read the letter and they knew about her."
"There's a very real possibility that they didn't know about her. They didn't come to your parents' wedding; your parents' weren't invited to theirs. Major communication breakdown."
Harry nodded, "So you were in prison, Peter was "dead" and Lupin wasn't allowed to see or contact me. Didn't my mum have any friends?"
"Of course. But by that point in time most of them had children themselves. They couldn't take on the risk. There was one woman, Valetta Patil, but her husband was dead, she couldn't take on three kids."
"AAARGGHH! I would NEVER live with Padma and Parvati Patil. NEVER!"
"Relax, she wouldn't have adopted you." He took a swig of his tea; "you could still date Parvati."
Harry winced, remembering the Yule Ball the Christmas past.
"At least I think you could have, I don't think the Ministry has specific rules on things like that." Harry glared at him
"You're not still pining after that Chang girl are you?"
"Yes I am so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to pine some more." Harry replied irritably.
"Confucius say "He who pines never finds anything new.'"
"Confucius didn't say that."
"Well, no, I made that up but it has more ring when he says it then when I say it."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Good thing you were the handsome one. Your brain has less substance than Professor Trelawney."
"Hey! Your father and I were two of the smartest kids to pass through Hogwarts in years."
"So was Tom Riddle, doesn't mean we should celebrate."
"If you were married to Julia that makes you my uncle doesn't it?"
"By marriage yes. Well, technically anyway."
"So I did have surviving relatives."
"Serving a life sentence in prison."
"Well I still deserved to know, Mrs Figg could have told me."
"She could have told you a whole bunch of stuff but she didn't. She was Alchemy teacher in our time."
"We don't have Alchemy anymore."
"That's why she was Alchemy teacher. Harry, believe it or not, there are reasons you don't know what you don't know."
"Dumbledore knew! He knew, he told Hagrid that there would be trouble getting me."
"Dumbledore has always done things his way, I guess he had a reason." Sirius shook his head, "I wish I knew what it was."
Harry sat back for a moment. It was the first time he had heard a trace of doubt coming from somebody who was talking about Dumbledore. People had a lot of faith in him.
"What will happen if Dumbledore dies before Voldemort is defeated?"
Sirius looked at him; "We have to put all our faith in you if that happens. All our faith in you."
"And if I fail?" Harry squeaked.
"We just have to hope it won't come to that."
"That sounds promising." Harry said, trying to lighten the tenseness.
"It's the truth Harry, you've got the world on your shoulders. Don't think it's your fault but it's very much the truth. A lot more people will be dead when this is over then need be."
Harry nodded sadly.
"We have to put all our faith in you." Sirius repeated
"Harry?" Sirius poked his head into the room; "if you want to talk there's no better time." Harry nodded and went and sat in one of the chairs. "How come no one told me Mrs Figg was a witch?"
"Same reason no one told you you were a wizard. The only people who knew weren't able to contact you." He shrugged, "There was a letter. I'm surprised the Dursleys didn't read it. They're the kind of people who'd like to know why they ended up with a gunk job." He glanced a t Harry, "No offence or anything."
"So, this Julia then, if the Dursleys didn't read the letter and they knew about her."
"There's a very real possibility that they didn't know about her. They didn't come to your parents' wedding; your parents' weren't invited to theirs. Major communication breakdown."
Harry nodded, "So you were in prison, Peter was "dead" and Lupin wasn't allowed to see or contact me. Didn't my mum have any friends?"
"Of course. But by that point in time most of them had children themselves. They couldn't take on the risk. There was one woman, Valetta Patil, but her husband was dead, she couldn't take on three kids."
"AAARGGHH! I would NEVER live with Padma and Parvati Patil. NEVER!"
"Relax, she wouldn't have adopted you." He took a swig of his tea; "you could still date Parvati."
Harry winced, remembering the Yule Ball the Christmas past.
"At least I think you could have, I don't think the Ministry has specific rules on things like that." Harry glared at him
"You're not still pining after that Chang girl are you?"
"Yes I am so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to pine some more." Harry replied irritably.
"Confucius say "He who pines never finds anything new.'"
"Confucius didn't say that."
"Well, no, I made that up but it has more ring when he says it then when I say it."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Good thing you were the handsome one. Your brain has less substance than Professor Trelawney."
"Hey! Your father and I were two of the smartest kids to pass through Hogwarts in years."
"So was Tom Riddle, doesn't mean we should celebrate."
"If you were married to Julia that makes you my uncle doesn't it?"
"By marriage yes. Well, technically anyway."
"So I did have surviving relatives."
"Serving a life sentence in prison."
"Well I still deserved to know, Mrs Figg could have told me."
"She could have told you a whole bunch of stuff but she didn't. She was Alchemy teacher in our time."
"We don't have Alchemy anymore."
"That's why she was Alchemy teacher. Harry, believe it or not, there are reasons you don't know what you don't know."
"Dumbledore knew! He knew, he told Hagrid that there would be trouble getting me."
"Dumbledore has always done things his way, I guess he had a reason." Sirius shook his head, "I wish I knew what it was."
Harry sat back for a moment. It was the first time he had heard a trace of doubt coming from somebody who was talking about Dumbledore. People had a lot of faith in him.
"What will happen if Dumbledore dies before Voldemort is defeated?"
Sirius looked at him; "We have to put all our faith in you if that happens. All our faith in you."
"And if I fail?" Harry squeaked.
"We just have to hope it won't come to that."
"That sounds promising." Harry said, trying to lighten the tenseness.
"It's the truth Harry, you've got the world on your shoulders. Don't think it's your fault but it's very much the truth. A lot more people will be dead when this is over then need be."
Harry nodded sadly.
"We have to put all our faith in you." Sirius repeated