After the Defeat
Chapter four
Owl Post
Harry woke with a start. He'd had that old nightmare again (not the one about Voldemort, he hadn't had that since the defeat); he'd dreamt about Ginny. He couldn't remember the dream very clearly, but he knew it had been horrible, Ginny struggling against two Death Eaters, unable to get away, then someone subjecting her to the Cruciatus curse ... Harry sat up in bed, his body covered in cold sweat. That had been years ago; he would have put it behind him, to forget ...
John had left and now there were just the two of them left at home, Harry and Lily. They were having breakfast; Harry had done his best to forget about the dream – and Ginny - when John's shiny black eagle owl swooped in through the window, which Harry had left open just in case.
Hi Dad, Hi Lily,
Hogwarts is just great, it's beyond belief! I met loads of interesting people on the train, and, luckily, I got sorted into the same house as the ones I liked most – Gryffindor. Wasn't that the house you were in, Dad?
The start of term feast was brilliant, and all the ghosts are really cool. Why didn't you tell me about them? I'll write again soon, I've got to go to Herbology now.
John
Harry smiled – John had never been a great one for writing letters. Then he looked further down on the sheet of parchment. There was something scribbled there, hastily:
I forgot to mention all the strange sweets they had on the train – I got loads of Chocolate Frog Cards! One of them was with Harry Potter, the boy who defeated Voldemort – that was a really big thing, everybody tells me. He seems cool, was he at school with you? Pity he died, though.
Harry stared at these lines. So he was on the Chocolate Frog cards... He shivered, thinking of the reason he was on them. Ginny's face flashed before his eyes, Ginny in agony, captured by the Death Eaters... But no, he couldn't think of that now, he didn't have time, he had other things to do...
'What's wrong, Dad?' Lily asked, looking at him scrutinisingly. With a start, Harry realised that she was still there.
'Oh, nothing,' he said, 'Just thinking of my own days at Hogwarts... Well, what are you waiting for?' he said irritably, 'It's a quarter to nine, off to school with you!'
That evening after dinner, John was sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room, talking to Ron Creevey, who was in first year with him, and Lizzie and Jamie Weasley, who were in first and second year respectively, and whose fathers were twin brothers. They all seemed to know each other from before, but were really friendly, making John feel welcome in the wizarding world and at Hogwarts.
'Professor Parkinson, what's she like?' Ron said exasperatedly. 'She just really seems to hate the Gryffindors and she definitely favours the Slytherins... Can they really do that? Shouldn't the teachers be fair?'
'Oh, I know,' Jamie said, 'She's always like that. Dad says that the old Potions Master, the one he had, was even worse, but I doubt it. Snape, his name was.' He lowered his voice. 'He's in Azkaban now – he betrayed the Order of the Phoenix (the ones who fought against Voldemort, he said in explanation) and because of him, Albus Dumbledore was killed... But at least he was good at making potions, Dad says... Can't say the same about Parkinson...'
'I'll ask Dad if he knew her, they're about the same age, I think,' John said.
'Oh, your Dad was at Hogwarts?' Lizzie asked. 'When?'
'Um, I think he must have started in 1990 or '91... I don't know exactly.'
'My parents were here then, too!'
'And mine!'
Ron looked at John, thoughtfully. 'I think my Mum started in 1991, too, or maybe in 1992. What house was he in?'
John frowned. 'I – I don't know,' he said, 'He never told me. But as I told you before, we've lived like muggles all my life... I didn't even know I was magic until I got the Letter...'
'Mum was in Gryffindor,' Ron said. 'Dad too, by the way.'
It seemed all three of them had a Gryffindor family history on both sides. John felt a bit left out, not knowing so much about his Dad, and having a muggle mother who he hadn't seen for two years.
'Don't worry, John,' Lizzie said. She had seen the look on his face, apparently. 'A lot of people come here not knowing much about the wizarding world. Think of all the muggle-borns! Their parents can't explain anything to them.'
That wasn't the same thing, though, John thought; if your parents were muggles you weren't expected to know anything... But he – he had a wizard father...
'And besides,' Ron said, 'the only reason why we know such a lot about each other is that we're family – we're all Weasleys.' He paused. 'My Mum is a Weasley too, you see. So ask your Dad if he knew her – Ginny Weasley.'
Author's note: Thanks again for the reviews and, yes, someone's going to recognise Harry eventually ... And of course, you will find out more about what Snape did (and what has happened to him), so keep on reading!!!
Chapter four
Owl Post
Harry woke with a start. He'd had that old nightmare again (not the one about Voldemort, he hadn't had that since the defeat); he'd dreamt about Ginny. He couldn't remember the dream very clearly, but he knew it had been horrible, Ginny struggling against two Death Eaters, unable to get away, then someone subjecting her to the Cruciatus curse ... Harry sat up in bed, his body covered in cold sweat. That had been years ago; he would have put it behind him, to forget ...
John had left and now there were just the two of them left at home, Harry and Lily. They were having breakfast; Harry had done his best to forget about the dream – and Ginny - when John's shiny black eagle owl swooped in through the window, which Harry had left open just in case.
Hi Dad, Hi Lily,
Hogwarts is just great, it's beyond belief! I met loads of interesting people on the train, and, luckily, I got sorted into the same house as the ones I liked most – Gryffindor. Wasn't that the house you were in, Dad?
The start of term feast was brilliant, and all the ghosts are really cool. Why didn't you tell me about them? I'll write again soon, I've got to go to Herbology now.
John
Harry smiled – John had never been a great one for writing letters. Then he looked further down on the sheet of parchment. There was something scribbled there, hastily:
I forgot to mention all the strange sweets they had on the train – I got loads of Chocolate Frog Cards! One of them was with Harry Potter, the boy who defeated Voldemort – that was a really big thing, everybody tells me. He seems cool, was he at school with you? Pity he died, though.
Harry stared at these lines. So he was on the Chocolate Frog cards... He shivered, thinking of the reason he was on them. Ginny's face flashed before his eyes, Ginny in agony, captured by the Death Eaters... But no, he couldn't think of that now, he didn't have time, he had other things to do...
'What's wrong, Dad?' Lily asked, looking at him scrutinisingly. With a start, Harry realised that she was still there.
'Oh, nothing,' he said, 'Just thinking of my own days at Hogwarts... Well, what are you waiting for?' he said irritably, 'It's a quarter to nine, off to school with you!'
That evening after dinner, John was sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room, talking to Ron Creevey, who was in first year with him, and Lizzie and Jamie Weasley, who were in first and second year respectively, and whose fathers were twin brothers. They all seemed to know each other from before, but were really friendly, making John feel welcome in the wizarding world and at Hogwarts.
'Professor Parkinson, what's she like?' Ron said exasperatedly. 'She just really seems to hate the Gryffindors and she definitely favours the Slytherins... Can they really do that? Shouldn't the teachers be fair?'
'Oh, I know,' Jamie said, 'She's always like that. Dad says that the old Potions Master, the one he had, was even worse, but I doubt it. Snape, his name was.' He lowered his voice. 'He's in Azkaban now – he betrayed the Order of the Phoenix (the ones who fought against Voldemort, he said in explanation) and because of him, Albus Dumbledore was killed... But at least he was good at making potions, Dad says... Can't say the same about Parkinson...'
'I'll ask Dad if he knew her, they're about the same age, I think,' John said.
'Oh, your Dad was at Hogwarts?' Lizzie asked. 'When?'
'Um, I think he must have started in 1990 or '91... I don't know exactly.'
'My parents were here then, too!'
'And mine!'
Ron looked at John, thoughtfully. 'I think my Mum started in 1991, too, or maybe in 1992. What house was he in?'
John frowned. 'I – I don't know,' he said, 'He never told me. But as I told you before, we've lived like muggles all my life... I didn't even know I was magic until I got the Letter...'
'Mum was in Gryffindor,' Ron said. 'Dad too, by the way.'
It seemed all three of them had a Gryffindor family history on both sides. John felt a bit left out, not knowing so much about his Dad, and having a muggle mother who he hadn't seen for two years.
'Don't worry, John,' Lizzie said. She had seen the look on his face, apparently. 'A lot of people come here not knowing much about the wizarding world. Think of all the muggle-borns! Their parents can't explain anything to them.'
That wasn't the same thing, though, John thought; if your parents were muggles you weren't expected to know anything... But he – he had a wizard father...
'And besides,' Ron said, 'the only reason why we know such a lot about each other is that we're family – we're all Weasleys.' He paused. 'My Mum is a Weasley too, you see. So ask your Dad if he knew her – Ginny Weasley.'
Author's note: Thanks again for the reviews and, yes, someone's going to recognise Harry eventually ... And of course, you will find out more about what Snape did (and what has happened to him), so keep on reading!!!
