Harry tells a story.
"Blimey Harry, why didn't you say earlier? Why haven't you asked someone about it?" Hermoine said, her face pale at her friend's news.
"Like who? Dumbledore has retired, and Sirius..well could you imagine. He'd be over here in a flash worrying all over me, when there might not even be anything to worry about." Harry replied, an embarrassed grin on his face.
"That's beside the point Harry." Hermoine replied primly. "You should tell someone; what about someone at work?"
"Leave it Hermoine. It's Harry's scar so it's up to him who he tells." Ron said.
"Of course." Hermoine said, sitting back in her chair. Ron's sharp tone had hurt her, but she wasn't about to let him know this. Her pride prevented it. Like when he'd stormed out of her office the week before, and she'd wanted to race after him and explain that she didn't love Krum, and they hadn't been conducting a "mail affair" for years, as Ron had accused her of, and that she loved him, no matter how stupid he could sometimes be.
"Did I tell you two that Lupin was with my godfather when I was there those three years?" Harry asked.
Both of his friends looked at him in shock, and they exchanged a glance before Hermoine replied tentatively "No, actually Harry, you didn't. You didn't speak at all about those three years.."
Harry sighed, his eyes down studying the carpet intently. "After the incident with Voldemort I wanted to die. Dumbledore told me that there was a chance that Voldemort had transferred some of himself into me. It was only for one reason that he could do that, one reason which I have kept secret from everyone..I'm not just a Potter, I'm a Slytherin." Now he looked up at his friends, expecting to see disgust and hatred on their faces. Instead he saw sympathy and understanding, and this gave him the courage to continue. "On my father's side we're distantly related to Slytherin. I'm not his direct heir, but I have his blood in me, regardless of whether I want to admit it or not. When Dumbledore told me about the possible transfer I felt sick. I actually spent two hours in the shower scrubbing my arm where Voldemort had touched me, scrubbing the skin until it was red raw. Of course Dumbledore assured me that this didn't mean anything. "Harry," He said. "You chose not to become a dark wizard, despite the fact that you were related to Slytherin. You chose to fight against Voldemort, and that shows that you are good, not bad! This power, the simple power of goodness, can override any other power, as long as you believe in yourself!" I thought about that for awhile before replying "But I didn't save Wormtail did I? If I were good wouldn't I have sacrificed myself for him? Wouldn't I have forgiven him for what he did, knowing he was my Father's friend." "You also knew he was your Father's secret keeper and he sold him out. You are only human Harry, and had you chosen to ignore the fact that your father might have forgiven him over the fact that he was responsible for your Father's death, well it would have been understandable. However, from what Professor Snape tells me, you didn't really have the chance to save him. His death is not on your conscience Harry. The only death on your conscience is Voldemort, and that's hardly a cause for unhappiness is it? You're a hero Harry Potter!" I didn't feel much like a hero let me tell you that!"
"Nonsense Harry. Every single person in our world calls you a hero!" Ron argued. "You killed the baddest, most evilest, vilest, disgustingist, slimiest-"
"Ron's right Harry." Hermoine interrupted. "What you did..you saved us all! You especially saved those of us not from wizarding families. We all know Voldemort despised mudbloods-I would have been one of the first to die!"
"Anyway, let me tell you about the trip to Sirius." Harry said, deciding not to debate his hero stature, or lack of it in his opinion, with his friends. "All I could think about was this possible transfer. I told Sirius about it, and he assured me, like Dumbledore, that this wouldn't happen because of me being 'good.' But it took me a long time to get over the idea. I was scared that if I came back here something would happen and I'd do something to harm people I cared about. It was actually whilst I was there that Lupin came over, and I told him this. He reminded me of the fact that he had been through something similar, although not exactly the same scale. "Harry, when I became a werewolf I was terrified I would hurt someone. That's why I was hidden away in the shack. Dumbledore was the one who told me that I wouldn't hurt anyone because I didn't want to hurt anyone! And it's the same for you-you don't want to hurt anyone, so you wont!" So it wasn't just the events with Voldemort, the whole incident, which kept me away so long like everyone thought. There was also this other thing playing on my mind. Do you know why I came back though?"
"To play quidditch for England?" Ron offered. "I thought you were mad to go away after you'd been offered the training position and all..pity about the world cup of course; you were our major weapon.."
"Always sport with boys." Hermoine muttered, but there was a fond tone in her voice.
"I came back not only because I knew I could never hurt people, and I wanted to be near the people I loved, but I came back in case something ever happened again, even though people told me repeatedly that nothing as bad as Voldemort could ever happen again!" Harry explained. "But something bad is happening now, isn't it?"
They were silent, and then Hermoine spoke. "What do you think about going and having a chat to Moaning Myrtle? She always was rather..uh..fond of you."
Ron snorted, and Harry turned red.
"We've all tried of course, but she refuses to speak to us. She gets on her high horse; "Nobody has been to visit me in over ten years, and now you think you can just come in here and expect me to tell you things?" she asks." Hermoine said.
Harry sighed, and then nodded. "I guess I'd better give it a shot..but I'm not going alone. I can't cope with Myrtle on my own.." He said making a face.
"Just wait a moment while I go and tell the headmistress, and then we'll go." Hermoine said.
While she was out of the room Ron surveyed his friend thoughtfully. He seemed a lot calmer than he had been on the trip here, in fact he seemed almost like the old Harry he knew. He broached this subject with him.
Harry seemed surprised, and then nodded. "You're right. I feel a lot better. In fact I don't even feel scared anymore. Maybe it was telling you two about my little secrets?"
"I don't know why you didn't tell me earlier Harry." Ron said. "I wouldn't have thought any different of you, any less of you!"
"I know that now..." Harry replied, grateful that he had such good friends.
Hermoine arrived back, a little puffed. Harry jumped up, and Ron followed.
"Let's go!" Harry said.
"Blimey Harry, why didn't you say earlier? Why haven't you asked someone about it?" Hermoine said, her face pale at her friend's news.
"Like who? Dumbledore has retired, and Sirius..well could you imagine. He'd be over here in a flash worrying all over me, when there might not even be anything to worry about." Harry replied, an embarrassed grin on his face.
"That's beside the point Harry." Hermoine replied primly. "You should tell someone; what about someone at work?"
"Leave it Hermoine. It's Harry's scar so it's up to him who he tells." Ron said.
"Of course." Hermoine said, sitting back in her chair. Ron's sharp tone had hurt her, but she wasn't about to let him know this. Her pride prevented it. Like when he'd stormed out of her office the week before, and she'd wanted to race after him and explain that she didn't love Krum, and they hadn't been conducting a "mail affair" for years, as Ron had accused her of, and that she loved him, no matter how stupid he could sometimes be.
"Did I tell you two that Lupin was with my godfather when I was there those three years?" Harry asked.
Both of his friends looked at him in shock, and they exchanged a glance before Hermoine replied tentatively "No, actually Harry, you didn't. You didn't speak at all about those three years.."
Harry sighed, his eyes down studying the carpet intently. "After the incident with Voldemort I wanted to die. Dumbledore told me that there was a chance that Voldemort had transferred some of himself into me. It was only for one reason that he could do that, one reason which I have kept secret from everyone..I'm not just a Potter, I'm a Slytherin." Now he looked up at his friends, expecting to see disgust and hatred on their faces. Instead he saw sympathy and understanding, and this gave him the courage to continue. "On my father's side we're distantly related to Slytherin. I'm not his direct heir, but I have his blood in me, regardless of whether I want to admit it or not. When Dumbledore told me about the possible transfer I felt sick. I actually spent two hours in the shower scrubbing my arm where Voldemort had touched me, scrubbing the skin until it was red raw. Of course Dumbledore assured me that this didn't mean anything. "Harry," He said. "You chose not to become a dark wizard, despite the fact that you were related to Slytherin. You chose to fight against Voldemort, and that shows that you are good, not bad! This power, the simple power of goodness, can override any other power, as long as you believe in yourself!" I thought about that for awhile before replying "But I didn't save Wormtail did I? If I were good wouldn't I have sacrificed myself for him? Wouldn't I have forgiven him for what he did, knowing he was my Father's friend." "You also knew he was your Father's secret keeper and he sold him out. You are only human Harry, and had you chosen to ignore the fact that your father might have forgiven him over the fact that he was responsible for your Father's death, well it would have been understandable. However, from what Professor Snape tells me, you didn't really have the chance to save him. His death is not on your conscience Harry. The only death on your conscience is Voldemort, and that's hardly a cause for unhappiness is it? You're a hero Harry Potter!" I didn't feel much like a hero let me tell you that!"
"Nonsense Harry. Every single person in our world calls you a hero!" Ron argued. "You killed the baddest, most evilest, vilest, disgustingist, slimiest-"
"Ron's right Harry." Hermoine interrupted. "What you did..you saved us all! You especially saved those of us not from wizarding families. We all know Voldemort despised mudbloods-I would have been one of the first to die!"
"Anyway, let me tell you about the trip to Sirius." Harry said, deciding not to debate his hero stature, or lack of it in his opinion, with his friends. "All I could think about was this possible transfer. I told Sirius about it, and he assured me, like Dumbledore, that this wouldn't happen because of me being 'good.' But it took me a long time to get over the idea. I was scared that if I came back here something would happen and I'd do something to harm people I cared about. It was actually whilst I was there that Lupin came over, and I told him this. He reminded me of the fact that he had been through something similar, although not exactly the same scale. "Harry, when I became a werewolf I was terrified I would hurt someone. That's why I was hidden away in the shack. Dumbledore was the one who told me that I wouldn't hurt anyone because I didn't want to hurt anyone! And it's the same for you-you don't want to hurt anyone, so you wont!" So it wasn't just the events with Voldemort, the whole incident, which kept me away so long like everyone thought. There was also this other thing playing on my mind. Do you know why I came back though?"
"To play quidditch for England?" Ron offered. "I thought you were mad to go away after you'd been offered the training position and all..pity about the world cup of course; you were our major weapon.."
"Always sport with boys." Hermoine muttered, but there was a fond tone in her voice.
"I came back not only because I knew I could never hurt people, and I wanted to be near the people I loved, but I came back in case something ever happened again, even though people told me repeatedly that nothing as bad as Voldemort could ever happen again!" Harry explained. "But something bad is happening now, isn't it?"
They were silent, and then Hermoine spoke. "What do you think about going and having a chat to Moaning Myrtle? She always was rather..uh..fond of you."
Ron snorted, and Harry turned red.
"We've all tried of course, but she refuses to speak to us. She gets on her high horse; "Nobody has been to visit me in over ten years, and now you think you can just come in here and expect me to tell you things?" she asks." Hermoine said.
Harry sighed, and then nodded. "I guess I'd better give it a shot..but I'm not going alone. I can't cope with Myrtle on my own.." He said making a face.
"Just wait a moment while I go and tell the headmistress, and then we'll go." Hermoine said.
While she was out of the room Ron surveyed his friend thoughtfully. He seemed a lot calmer than he had been on the trip here, in fact he seemed almost like the old Harry he knew. He broached this subject with him.
Harry seemed surprised, and then nodded. "You're right. I feel a lot better. In fact I don't even feel scared anymore. Maybe it was telling you two about my little secrets?"
"I don't know why you didn't tell me earlier Harry." Ron said. "I wouldn't have thought any different of you, any less of you!"
"I know that now..." Harry replied, grateful that he had such good friends.
Hermoine arrived back, a little puffed. Harry jumped up, and Ron followed.
"Let's go!" Harry said.
