A/N: Whew! I think I have sufficiently recovered from the trauma of the last two chapters. In this installment we have more discussion of the role of adults in the students' lives, and we finally get an answer to why Prof. Thornby was a Slytherin. A lot of people have been wondering about that. I'd been undecided on how to bring it out, and this is where I landed. I have a bunch of reviews to reply to (thank you all!), so let's get going.
Jedi Buttercup: From where I sit, it looks like the rest of Harry's fifth year is going to be pretty 'angsty'. Eh… I'm really not fond of the word 'angst' as I feel it is overused, but that's the way it's going to be. Harry and Dumbledore have to fight against a very belligerent Fudge until something gives way.
Huskerinexile: This particular story may or may not end happily, but I'm not planning to stop at fifth year, so it won't really be the end anyway. Of course the very end will be happy. Otherwise, I'd never be able to write post-Hogwarts stories! So for everyone who is hoping I'll kill Harry off – forget about it. :-) Oh, and I was a Buckeye.
Penny: No, thank you! About Ron's reaction… he'll talk to Harry and Hermione, of course, but the moment of realization is something that would go in my "Back Stories" story. Read on for the explanation of Prof. Thornby's House…
procrastinator-99: I'm on your list of favorite authors! Thanks a bunch!
Danae: Ron's decision… probably next chapter. Fudge will definitely have to get his comeuppance, and we couldn't leave Malfoy to roam the world. You've got an interesting idea of how to get back at them both.
totallystellar: I'll stick with the Pear dust. Peach-flavored candy always makes me gag.
PhoenixTearsp322: Definitely don't reveal your ending – it'll deter people from reading! It's always a great delight to unveil a big surprise in a story. No, Harry can't feel what's happening to Professor Thornby. They can't sense each other's emotions, just their proximity, and those warning bells go off when one of them is in trouble.
captuniv: Wizengamot scene will be forthcoming! The indomitable McGonagall will be a pillar of strength. I love McGonagall.
Quill: Harry won't find any hidden talents in this story… but as I say, it won't end here. Sorry I couldn't update sooner, but the chapter just wasn't ready.
oasis: I think I surprised a lot of people. Thanks for reviewing!
jezebel-jade: Thank you SO MUCH! I skip stories for exactly the same reasons. Reading that part of your review was like listening to myself talk. I'm sure there are some problems – I'll have to do some reworking eventually, but it helps when people point things out. I know the way things are supposed to be so I don't always notice when they're slightly different. I'll have to check out that timeline. Thanks for pointing it out, and welcome to the story!
Chapter 32: Fallen from Grace
The next morning the school was alive with gossip. Students who had been at the Ministry Gala found that they had achieved instant popularity; no one seemed to tire of hearing the sensational story over and over, though it had been printed in the Daily Prophet in grim detail. On his way down to breakfast, Harry passed more than one knot of students listening eagerly to yet another retelling.
Harry and Hermione sat off by themselves at the Gryffindor table and said little, even to each other. Hermione pulled out her notes from History of Magic and began to read them over while Harry numbly sipped a cup of breakfast tea. After a while Harry realized that Hermione wasn't reading her notes; she was staring blankly at the table a few inches above the paper. Down the table Harry could see Fred and George eating in an unusually subdued manner. Ginny was sitting near them, gazing into her cereal but not eating. She looked up and caught Harry's eye. Harry gave her a tentative smile that she returned gratefully.
"I was wondering," Hermione said abruptly, "about Professor Thornby."
"I think everyone is wondering about her this morning," said Harry, turning his attention back to her.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I was wondering about her House. Why would the Sorting Hat put her in Slytherin? I've never met another one like her. I mean, some of them are decent, but I wouldn't think a Slytherin would do what she's done for you. I think she'd throw herself in front of a Killing Curse to keep you safe."
"Yeah, I've thought about that too," said Harry. "Bellaton might know. It's either him or Dumbledore, and I don't think Dumbledore has time for that sort of unimportant question right now."
"Well, we have Defense Against the Dark Arts last today," said Hermione. "Maybe we could stay behind and ask."
Harry was about to answer, but Neville, Dean, Seamus, Parvati, and Lavender came walking up to them to ask about Ron.
"Sounds like he's doing better," Harry said neutrally. "They've got Healers looking after him and everything."
"When's he coming back?" said Neville.
"It might be a week," said Hermione.
"Was it as bad as they're saying?" Dean asked quietly.
Harry and Hermione looked up at him. "Yes," said Hermione.
"I can't believe they sent Professor Thornby to Azkaban," Lavender said mournfully.
"That law sounds like a pile of dung to me," Seamus said stoutly. "I mean, come on! She saved Ron's life!"
"Yeah," said Parvati. "Everyone thinks she should be set free. It's like arresting someone for having blue eyes."
"She did have blue eyes," Harry murmured. Every time he thought of Professor Thornby all he could see were her eyes boring into his, trying to tell him something. Try as he might, though, he couldn't guess what it was.
"Everyone thinks she's innocent?" Hermione said, her face lighting up with hope.
"Of course," said Dean.
"Well, except for some of the Slytherins," said Neville. "Three guesses as to who I mean."
All seven of them turned their heads to look straight at Draco and his goons. Malfoy blinked in surprise when he saw their scrutiny, but he quickly donned his best glare.
"Malfoy's father knew this was going to happen," Harry said softly. "He knew Grayson was coming. Somehow he found out what Professor Thornby could do, and he set a trap with this law."
"What are you saying?" Lavender gasped. "Grayson's a Death Eater, everybody knows that! They never caught him the first time!"
"Lucius Malfoy is and always has been his compatriot," Harry said darkly. "He was there in the graveyard with the other Death Eaters."
"You've already got a reason to dislike him," Lavender observed uncertainly.
"It's what happened," said Harry. "Voldemort called Mr. Malfoy by name, and he answered."
The others shivered. "Harry –" Hermione warned, but he cut her off.
"I don't know what you think about all this," he said quietly, looking at Lavender. "I'm not saying this to get back at Draco, if that's what you meant. I'm telling you the truth. His father is a Death Eater, and he set this up. He's put himself next to Fudge, and Fudge is changing. He hates Dumbledore, he's making secret laws, and he's putting our teachers in prison. He wants control of Hogwarts, and once he's got it, Lucius Malfoy's got it, and once Malfoy's got it..."
"You-Know-Who's got it," Seamus said, very quietly.
"I don't care who knows what I think," Harry said, looking away from Lavender. "It's not going to change anything. Fudge has already called me a liar to my face."
Silent tears were streaming down Lavender's face now. "I didn't want it to be true," she said in a quavering voice.
"Ignoring it won't make it go away, Lav," Parvati said gently.
"I know. I d-do believe you, Harry," she managed.
Harry looked up in surprise. "You do? But... you always acted so indifferent about this business with Vol..." He looked around and changed his mind. "With You-Know-Who."
"My parents believed Rita Skeeter," Lavender sniffed. "I did too, because of what they believed, but... they don't know you, Harry, and I do. I don't think you'd lie about something like that." She sniffed again. "I've never disagreed with my parents before. It's scary. I thought they knew everything." There was a lost look in her eyes.
"No one knows everything," said Seamus, but it was clear that her words had disturbed all of them. Everyone except Harry had adopted Lavender's introspective look, and Harry knew that they were seeing their own parents in a new light. A thought came unbidden to Harry's mind. Dumbledore doesn't know everything either. Harry looked up at the staff table where the headmaster was having a quiet discussion with a solemn Professor McGonagall. Suddenly, Harry understood how Lavender felt, because it really was a terrifying realization. Dumbledore always seemed so infallible, but Seamus was right.
"Thanks, Lavender," said Harry.
She smiled nervously. "Why do I feel like I just did something really big?"
"Because you did," said Hermione.
Lavender was still sniffling a bit. Harry felt sorry for her. He reached over and took his half-drunk cup of tea. "Come on, Lavender," he said. "Sit down and help me practice reading tea leaves, will you? I'm definitely not taking Divination next year, but I don't want to break my streak of good marks."
She giggled. "You can't read tea leaves," she said. "You haven't got any talent for Divination at all."
"I never said I did," said Harry.
"You'll just make stuff up."
"Then I've got to be convincing."
Lavender smiled indulgently. "Oh, all right." The others sat down at the table and Hermione went back to her book.
Harry didn't really care a fig about his Divination grade, but he continued the charade for Lavender's benefit. He drank the last of the tea and turned the cup over on the saucer.
"Okay, then," said Lavender, leaning over the saucer to look. "What do you see?"
"A great soggy lump of tea leaves," said Harry.
"See, this is why you keep having problems with Professor Trelawney," said Lavender.
Harry sighed. "Honestly, I never understood how my breakfast tea could tell my future in the first place. What does it know?"
"Well, strictly speaking, nothing," said Lavender. "This isn't the right kind of tea, but that's not really the point. Tea leaves, crystal balls, tarot cards, auras... they can give people hints and clues, but they don't clearly predict the future. You need the gift of prophecy to be able to do that. Seers can either See or they can't. I don't think that's something that Professor Trelawney has made very clear." She stopped speaking when she realized that all her friends were staring at her. "Well, she hasn't," she said defensively.
"You just criticized Professor Trelawney!" Neville exclaimed.
Lavender blushed. "Yes, well, don't tell her I said that. She can be a little thin-skinned sometimes."
"This is a big day for you," said Parvati. Lavender smiled shyly.
Hermione glanced down at her watch. "It's time to go."
It was a long day for Harry. He managed to stay alert in Potions, but only because he knew what was riding on his marks in that class. Still, his potion didn't turn out quite right, and neither did Hermione's. Snape awarded them their marks – less than full, but not failing – in an expressionless voice, and Harry realized that the Potions Master was cutting them a tiny bit of slack. As he left the class, Harry decided that Snape himself had seemed a bit distracted. That was the way the entire day went. Every teacher was less than animated, and some were definitely not paying their students full mind. The only professor who was in full teaching mode was Dumbledore, who was taking over in History of Magic. Everyone sat up a little straighter when he walked into the room. Though the rest of the class was alert, Harry couldn't bring himself to pay attention to the lecture.
Defense Against the Dark Arts finally arrived. Bellaton was extremely solemn and lectured the class on something, but Harry sat through it in an uninterested daze. Every now and then he'd glance to his left and see the empty desk between himself and Hermione. That blank space had been haunting his classes all day long. Hogwarts just wasn't the same without Ron.
The bell rang, signifying the end of classes for the day. The other students all filed quietly from the classroom, but Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance and lingered behind. They sat at their places in silence for a few moments before Bellaton looked round and blinked. "What can I do for the two of you?" he said.
"We wanted to ask you about Professor Thornby," said Harry.
"Oh. Well, I don't think Dumbledore has been back to Azkaban since –"
"No, that's not what we meant," Hermione interrupted. "We want to know why she's a Slytherin."
"I beg your pardon?" said Bellaton.
"She doesn't seem like she belongs in that House," Hermione continued. "She's not like any Slytherin I've ever met."
Bellaton sighed and rubbed his temples. "Come back to my office with me. We'll be more comfortable there."
Harry and Hermione followed him down the corridors to the professors' offices. Bellaton opened a door and ushered them inside. Harry gazed around as Bellaton pulled up three chairs. There were a few dark detectors in one corner, including a small foe-glass. A tall bookshelf held dozens of leatherbound books and framed photographs. There were potted plants all over, and Harry remembered that Bellaton's favorite room at Alverbrooke had been the solarium.
The most arresting sight in the room was a row of knives hanging on the wall behind Bellaton's desk. Harry was reminded of the combat room back at Alverbrooke, but there had been a much wider array of weapons on those walls. Bellaton's knives ranged from short to long enough to be a sword. There were six on display, but it was plain that there had once been seven. There was a large gap between the first and second knives, breaking the neat line.
"My father gave me these," said Bellaton when he saw Harry and Hermione staring. "He believed in training with weapons as much as with one's wand. 'Always have a second line of defense', he used to say. I learned knifework and fencing from an early age."
"Is this him?" said Hermione, picking up a photograph from the bookshelf.
Bellaton smiled down at the picture. "Yes, that's him, and there's my mother, and that's my older brother and I."
Harry looked. There was a tall, broad man with a small boy riding on his shoulders and a young man standing in front of him, trying to look grown-up. A pretty woman stood next to them, holding her husband's arm. The man had bright blonde hair, but the woman's was long and dark. Both children had inherited her coloring.
"You never said anything about a brother," said Hermione.
Bellaton smiled sadly. "He died many years ago – he and my father both. Richard followed my father's profession of Auror, and they were both killed in the line of duty."
"Oh," Hermione said softly, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry."
"That's all right," said Bellaton. "I've long since been reconciled to the loss. My mother didn't survive my father long; she died of an illness that shouldn't have been fatal. The Healers said that her grief had weakened her too much." Bellaton smiled tenderly at the photograph once more and set it back on the shelf.
Harry glanced back at the display of knives on the wall. Something clicked as he noted the empty space once again. "That knife you gave me for Christmas – that was your father's," he said. It wasn't a question.
Bellaton smiled back at him. "I thought that perhaps you could use it someday, if you really do mean to become an Auror. I don't need it to remember him by; my whole family lives on in here," he said, pointing at his heart. "Besides, I would rather it saw use again in your service than gathered dust in here. Now, let us sit and talk."
They sat. Harry was feeling more than a little bit humbled.
Bellaton waved his wand and a teapot with three cups appeared. "So you finally want to know why Celeste was a Slytherin," he said, pouring the tea. "I'm surprised no one asked sooner."
"Well, until the other night, I thought she must have just been an oddity," said Hermione. "But after what she did for Ron... No Slytherin would do that. It just doesn't make any sense."
Bellaton smiled dryly and handed Harry and Hermione each a cup. "Well, I wouldn't rule out all Slytherins, but you're not far from the mark," he said. "To understand why Celeste came to be in that House, you need to know about her background." Bellaton settled comfortably into his chair and took a sip from his teacup. "She comes from an old wizarding family. It's not as old as Malfoy or Black, but the Thornbys have been around for a long time. Yes, your godfather comes from a long line of purebloods," he said, seeing Harry's surprise. "But that's a story for another day.
"All Thornbys are Slytherins. They always have been. Celeste's parents were in Slytherin, her cousins were in Slytherin, her grandparents, great-grandparents, everyone. By all accounts they were decent people, well-liked and respected – until Voldemort came to power, that is."
Bellaton steepled his fingers against his lips. "The Thornby family was ambitious. All Slytherins are, but one can be ambitious for things other than power for power's sake, and this particular clan was into politics. Celeste's mother and father both worked at the Ministry. In fact, if you look far back enough into Ministry records, you'll find that more than one Thornby has been Minister of Magic.
"Celeste was an odd Thornby right from the start. She was more interested in books and music than in political discussions, and politics were ingrained in her family. Still, her parents worked on her, as all parents do, and did their best to make her more like a typical Thornby. The big test, of course, was the Sorting Hat. Celeste she set a new record on her very first night at Hogwarts. It took the Hat a full ten minutes to select her House. I think that record still stands today."
"How do you know all this?" said Harry.
"I am five years Celeste's senior. We were at school together for two years, though we didn't know each other. Years later when we had become friends, she related the story to me. As I was saying, Celeste told me that the Sorting Hat considered putting her in all four Houses. It was strongly leaning toward Hufflepuff, but she begged it to put her in Slytherin. She didn't think she could stand the shame if the Hat made her a Hufflepuff. Generations of Slytherin Thornbys looked down on that House as the leftovers, the ones that weren't good enough to make it into any of the other Houses. It's a stigma that Hufflepuff doesn't deserve, but Slytherins hold to it. So she begged and pleaded, and when the Hat realized that her mind was made up, it granted her wish. Try and imagine how you would feel if your entire family had been in the same House for years upon years, but you were placed elsewhere. If you can, you'll know how she felt."
Harry thought about it, remembering his own experience with the Sorting Hat and his conversation with Dumbledore about it. The headmaster had said that it was a person's choices that defined them more than anything else. It doesn't sound like she made the right choice though, thought Harry.
"Celeste never really fit in with the rest of the Slytherins. There were signs everywhere that said she wasn't really one of them. First of all, her lengthy stay beneath the Sorting Hat worked against her. Obviously it hadn't been clear to the Hat for some time where she should be, so she couldn't be a "true" Slytherin. She was also friendly with students from outside her house, lacked the typical arrogant attitude, and wasn't nearly ambitious enough. Most Slytherins dream of growing up to be rich, powerful, or famous. Celeste wanted to be a historian."
"A historian?" said Harry.
"She loved to study runes and read old books," said Bellaton. "All those years of digging through forgotten knowledge have come in handy more than once. There are some truly amazing spells that have been forgotten through lack of use. If you can throw something at your enemy that he doesn't know how to deflect, you've got a powerful weapon in your arsenal." He shook his head. "Anyway, Celeste tried to go along with the family business. It didn't work out. She really should have let the Hat put her in something else, but then she would have had to face her family. The only connection she really ever had to Slytherin was by blood. I don't think there's much left of it in her anymore, not now that her family is dead."
"What happened to them?" Hermione asked quietly.
Bellaton sighed. "It's a sad story," he said. "As I said, they were decent people... but their ambition was their Achilles heel.
"When Voldemort first began to gain power and influence, a man named Bradford Tipple was the Minister of Magic. He was getting on in years and though his retirement was drawing near, he seemed to be taking his time about it. He didn't play favorites, so he had no clear successor. I don't really want to get into a political discussion here. Suffice it to say that the magical community votes for the Minister among several candidates, and whomever the old Minister endorses is usually one of them. Since it didn't look like Tipple was going to endorse anyone at all, several high-ranking members of the Ministry were vying for position. One was Cornelius Fudge, and another was Felix Thornby – Celeste's father.
"Some of Voldemort's earliest followers approached Felix and offered him their support. At the time it wasn't known that they were Death Eaters; that term had never even been heard of before. But they were shady characters, one and all; Felix should have known better than to have dealings with them. Lucius Malfoy, Rodolphus Lestrange, Walden Macnair... all of them were Slytherins. Most of the Death Eaters were, though every House was represented in the end.
"Voldemort went after Slytherin House first. He gathered the most eager and willing followers from it and then worked on the others. To have the alliance of the Thornbys would have been desirable; as I said, they are a very old Slytherin family. So these men came to Felix with silver tongues and honeyed words and he listened. It had been centuries since a Thornby had last held the title of Minister, and the family saw its chance to change that. Felix accepted their aid without question. Dumbledore once said that he tried to dissuade Felix himself, but to no avail. The man had his eyes on the prize and became blind to everything else.
"Eventually Voldemort began to move more aggressively and the world got its first glimpse of the Death Eaters. Terror reigned supreme though the killings were very few at first. Fear is a powerful weapon," said Bellaton, looking very seriously at Harry and Hermione. "Voldemort used it once, and he'll use it again. If people had banded together at the beginning, the slaughter that followed could have been avoided. But that's not what happened. Witches and wizards were concerned for their own safety and that of their families; no one wanted to stand up to the new threat, because no one else was standing up. Dumbledore eventually succeeded in rallying the people to his cause, but not before the damage had been done.
"Time passed and things got worse. More and more people were dying, most of them victims of the Killing Curse, sometimes after being tortured with another Unforgivable. Apparently Felix began to suspect his supporters of dark dealings, but by then he was in over his head. He was trying to separate the Thornby family from them before he was killed; that much is known from letters he left behind. What happened next is not so clear. The Death Eaters probably threatened Felix to keep him from dropping out of the race, but he publicly announced his withdrawal. Less than a week later he and his wife Veronica were found dead in their home, victims of the Killing Curse. Celeste had only been seventeen for a few months.
"The whole affair left a terrible stain on the Thornbys' reputations even though they were dead. Malfoy and Macnair were accused of being Death Eaters, and Rodolphus Lestrange actually went to Azkaban. It was common knowledge that they had been dealing with Felix. Not everyone believed that the Thornbys had simply been a pawn in Voldemort's game. Some people even thought that the deaths were a result of a power struggle among the Death Eaters' ranks, and that Felix was one of them, though there was no evidence of that. As for myself... I believe, as does Dumbledore, that Felix and Veronica chose to do the right thing in the end, though it cost them their lives. They died with dignity instead of selling their souls."
Bellaton took another sip from his teacup. "So now you know," he said. "Celeste was in Slytherin, but not much Slytherin was in her."
"Does she still think of herself as a Slytherin?" asked Hermione.
"I don't know," said Bellaton. "On the one hand it's part of her heritage, but on the other… her family was disgraced, and she exhibits few Slytherin characteristics anyway."
"Maybe people have forgotten about what happened to her parents," said Harry. "I mean, no one said anything when Dumbledore hired her, did they?"
"There was a murmur," said Bellaton. "It didn't last long. Everyone forgot about it after the attack on Hogsmeade, but I wouldn't count on people forgetting now. Fudge has got her right where he wants her, and he won't give her up without a fight. He'll attack her character next, and I can guarantee you that the fiasco between Felix Thornby and Voldemort will come up. Remember that Felix and Fudge were rivals for Minister of Magic; Fudge may harbor an old grudge."
"That's awful," said Hermione.
"Indeed," said Bellaton. "In the past I'd have said that Fudge wouldn't let such a petty thing cloud his judgment, but now… He is a changed man. Quite changed. Anyway – expect some mudslinging, but we've got character witnesses of our own." He looked down at his watch. "It's getting late. I don't know about you, but I could do with some supper."
Harry and Hermione stood up, thanked Bellaton, and left his office. They lost no time in discussing everything that they had just heard.
"Professor Bellaton left himself out," said Hermione. "When Fudge goes after Professor Thornby, I'll bet he tries to discredit him as well. Everyone knows they were friends, and Fudge is getting rid of all Dumbledore's supporters."
"But Dumbledore said he wouldn't let Bellaton be removed from the school," said Harry.
"I know he's supposed to have full control over Hogwarts, but that's not going to stop Fudge from trying," said Hermione. "Oooh, I think this is going to get ugly."
They walked in dejected silence for a few moments before Hermione spoke up again. "Have you ever noticed that a lot of Dumbledore's allies have tragic histories?" she said.
Harry frowned. "Well, there's Sirius. If anyone's tragic, he is."
"And Lupin," said Hermione. "He's a werewolf, and he's spent a lot of time friendless in the world."
"And now we have Bellaton and Professor Thornby," said Harry. "Their families are dead."
"Don't leave yourself out," said Hermione. "Voldemort killed your parents personally. You're the Boy Who Lived."
Harry blinked. He'd never really put a label on his relationship with Dumbledore before other than headmaster and student, but he was definitely on Dumbledore's side. Whether Dumbledore saw him as an 'ally' or not, it was nice to know that Hermione assigned him such a level of importance.
"What about you and Ron?" said Harry. "You're with me, so you're allies too."
"Yes, but we're not tragic," said Hermione, but she immediately looked uncomfortable. She didn't say it, but she and Harry were both thinking of the attack and Ron's newfound talent.
"Nothing's really happened to you that couldn't be fixed," said Harry.
"I sure hope it stays that way," said Hermione with a shiver.
"Yeah," said Harry. "But if anything ever did happen, at least you'd have the rest of us misfits to keep you company."
Hermione gave him a lopsided grin. "I guess that wouldn't be so bad, but nothing could replace my parents." A distant look appeared on her face.
"I suppose I'll have to take what I can get," said Harry.
"Oh!" said Hermione, looking stricken. "I didn't mean…"
"I know," said Harry. "I wish I could've known them, but I guess there's one blessing in the fact that I didn't."
"What's that?"
"I didn't have to mourn them."
Hermione's face grew sad. She reached over and gave his arm a quick squeeze. Harry smiled a bit to show her that he wasn't feeling too down, and she seemed mollified. He didn't tell her that he would have given anything in the world to have grown up with his parents, if only for a little while, even if it had meant that he'd have to suffer the pain of sudden separation. He didn't say it, but then again, Hermione probably knew it anyway.