Chapter 5
Author's note: Your reviews are really inspiring and make me want to write more!!! Thanks! And yes, Ginny is alive and she is Ron's mother. Only Harry doesn't know yet ...
Tragic News
Harry had seen Lily off to school and was finishing his breakfast a few weeks after the start of term, when he saw a Police car stop outside his window. His heart sank – what if something had happened to John at Hogwarts? What if he'd had an accident during a flying lesson, or if a Potions class had gone wrong? But then he sighed with relief as he remembered that this was the Magical World he was thinking of; if anything happened to John, they wouldn't send the Police to tell him about it. Before he could think of any other possible scenarios of disaster, the doorbell rang and Harry went there to open the door.
There was bad news, however. Harry was told by the Police that his estranged wife had been killed under mysterious circumstances in Ecuador, where she had been on holiday with her Peruvian boy-friend. As Harry closed the door after the Police had left, he was surprised to find that he had no vindictive feelings left for Cordelia; the only thing he felt was deepest sorrow for her and her now failed attempt to achieve happiness. Back then, when she had just left him and the children, he had often felt bitter, and he had even wanted revenge, but now he had to admit that it was his fault as much as hers that their marriage had failed, since he had never been able to get over his love for Ginny completely.
When Harry told Lily about her mother's death, she reacted forcefully, as he'd expected. He sat with her that night, holding her like he had when she was a small child, trying to give her some comfort and consolation. When she'd fallen asleep, her cheeks still stained with tears, he thought about John. How would he tell John about what had happened? He couldn't just send him an owl with terrible news such as this, and he didn't want one of the teachers telling him about it either; no, he would have to go there and tell John himself... Yes, that was the only way. He would have to send Hagrid an owl straight away, telling him he would come.
The following morning, Harry and Lily took the Knight Bus to Hogsmeade. Harry had gone up to the attic the night before to get his wand from the large trunk where he kept all the things he had that belonged to the Magical World. He hadn't brought it with him to Diagon Alley that day before the start of term, because he didn't want to feel tempted to fully join the Magical World again; but now he needed it in order to call the Knight Bus. He had realised that he didn't actually have an owl to send to Hagrid, so they would have to arrive at Hogwarts unannounced.
Harry was looking forward to meeting Hagrid with slight trepidation, a little concerned that he might recognise him. What would happen if he did? Would Hagrid tell on him? No, Harry was sure he wouldn't, not if he asked him not to, but then again, he remembered all the things that he, Ron and Hermione had found out from Hagrid by accident – Fluffy, Nicholas Flamel – There were countless things, Hagrid simply couldn't keep a secret. But he might be different now, of course. He was the Headmaster of Hogwarts, after all.
In spite of all that had happened, Lily seemed to enjoy the ride on the Knight Bus. She had not even had so much as a letter from her mother for the last two years, and although she had taken it quite hard in the beginning, she had forgotten what it was like to have her mother at home after a while. Harry suspected that Lily had really mourned her mother two years ago, and would be able to finish the process rather soon. He wasn't going to talk to her about it; not now, at least; she would have to initiate such a conversation herself when she was ready for it.
The fact that Cordelia was dead made Harry think of Ginny even more often. On the Knight Bus, he sat for a while, day-dreaming about Hogwarts, while Lily was looking out the window. Suddenly he had seen Ginny again, running down from the castle to the lake after one of her exams in sixth year, smiling. That had been just before the final battle and Harry had been sitting his NEWTs, the pair of them meeting down by the lake – under that same tree where his father, Sirius and Lupin had sat after their OWLs – in the afternoon. For a few short days, they had forgotten all about the terror and the muggle murders that were taking place everywhere, concentrating, instead, on their exams, just like all the other Hogwarts students.
Afterwards, Harry had wished that he hadn't spent so much time revising for his NEWTs; he should have spent more time with Ginny instead. He didn't even know his NEWT results; by the time he should have got them, Voldemort had been defeated and almost everyone who mattered to Harry was dead, and Harry had gone into hiding in the muggle world. It had taken some effort to make sure no-one could find him, but he had succeeded in doing so and it had given him something to think about, something other than the painful memories of friends dying. A few times during the following years he had regretted leaving the Magical World, thinking about the friends who were left – Luna, Neville and the remaining Weasleys. He had never decided to go back, though, since it would have been both difficult and traumatic.
The Knight Bus came to a halt outside The Three Broomsticks and Harry and Lily got off. The Castle was visible from here, its high, dark towers pointing into the sky. What was it like now? Harry wondered. It would have to be rather different with Dumbledore and McGonagall gone, he thought – and Snape. What was Hogwarts like without those three teachers, the three who had had the greatest impact on the school? For in times of crisis, it had always been those three who had sorted things out. It had been McGonagall and Snape who supported Dumbledore, not Flitwick and Sprout, the other two heads of houses. When the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets had been at large, McGonagall and Snape had been there, ready to help. When Barty Crouch Junior had been caught, McGonagall and Snape had tried, jointly, to save him from Fudge's Dementors.
Now, however, all three of them were gone. One of them was, himself, a long- term-victim of the Dementors of Azkaban. Harry had had a look at the book about Snape a while ago, and it seemed like Azkaban was as bad as ever. The second one was dead as a result of the first one's treachery. And the third of them was in the same ward as Neville Longbottom's parents at St Mungo's, hexed into oblivion.
Author's note: Your reviews are really inspiring and make me want to write more!!! Thanks! And yes, Ginny is alive and she is Ron's mother. Only Harry doesn't know yet ...
Tragic News
Harry had seen Lily off to school and was finishing his breakfast a few weeks after the start of term, when he saw a Police car stop outside his window. His heart sank – what if something had happened to John at Hogwarts? What if he'd had an accident during a flying lesson, or if a Potions class had gone wrong? But then he sighed with relief as he remembered that this was the Magical World he was thinking of; if anything happened to John, they wouldn't send the Police to tell him about it. Before he could think of any other possible scenarios of disaster, the doorbell rang and Harry went there to open the door.
There was bad news, however. Harry was told by the Police that his estranged wife had been killed under mysterious circumstances in Ecuador, where she had been on holiday with her Peruvian boy-friend. As Harry closed the door after the Police had left, he was surprised to find that he had no vindictive feelings left for Cordelia; the only thing he felt was deepest sorrow for her and her now failed attempt to achieve happiness. Back then, when she had just left him and the children, he had often felt bitter, and he had even wanted revenge, but now he had to admit that it was his fault as much as hers that their marriage had failed, since he had never been able to get over his love for Ginny completely.
When Harry told Lily about her mother's death, she reacted forcefully, as he'd expected. He sat with her that night, holding her like he had when she was a small child, trying to give her some comfort and consolation. When she'd fallen asleep, her cheeks still stained with tears, he thought about John. How would he tell John about what had happened? He couldn't just send him an owl with terrible news such as this, and he didn't want one of the teachers telling him about it either; no, he would have to go there and tell John himself... Yes, that was the only way. He would have to send Hagrid an owl straight away, telling him he would come.
The following morning, Harry and Lily took the Knight Bus to Hogsmeade. Harry had gone up to the attic the night before to get his wand from the large trunk where he kept all the things he had that belonged to the Magical World. He hadn't brought it with him to Diagon Alley that day before the start of term, because he didn't want to feel tempted to fully join the Magical World again; but now he needed it in order to call the Knight Bus. He had realised that he didn't actually have an owl to send to Hagrid, so they would have to arrive at Hogwarts unannounced.
Harry was looking forward to meeting Hagrid with slight trepidation, a little concerned that he might recognise him. What would happen if he did? Would Hagrid tell on him? No, Harry was sure he wouldn't, not if he asked him not to, but then again, he remembered all the things that he, Ron and Hermione had found out from Hagrid by accident – Fluffy, Nicholas Flamel – There were countless things, Hagrid simply couldn't keep a secret. But he might be different now, of course. He was the Headmaster of Hogwarts, after all.
In spite of all that had happened, Lily seemed to enjoy the ride on the Knight Bus. She had not even had so much as a letter from her mother for the last two years, and although she had taken it quite hard in the beginning, she had forgotten what it was like to have her mother at home after a while. Harry suspected that Lily had really mourned her mother two years ago, and would be able to finish the process rather soon. He wasn't going to talk to her about it; not now, at least; she would have to initiate such a conversation herself when she was ready for it.
The fact that Cordelia was dead made Harry think of Ginny even more often. On the Knight Bus, he sat for a while, day-dreaming about Hogwarts, while Lily was looking out the window. Suddenly he had seen Ginny again, running down from the castle to the lake after one of her exams in sixth year, smiling. That had been just before the final battle and Harry had been sitting his NEWTs, the pair of them meeting down by the lake – under that same tree where his father, Sirius and Lupin had sat after their OWLs – in the afternoon. For a few short days, they had forgotten all about the terror and the muggle murders that were taking place everywhere, concentrating, instead, on their exams, just like all the other Hogwarts students.
Afterwards, Harry had wished that he hadn't spent so much time revising for his NEWTs; he should have spent more time with Ginny instead. He didn't even know his NEWT results; by the time he should have got them, Voldemort had been defeated and almost everyone who mattered to Harry was dead, and Harry had gone into hiding in the muggle world. It had taken some effort to make sure no-one could find him, but he had succeeded in doing so and it had given him something to think about, something other than the painful memories of friends dying. A few times during the following years he had regretted leaving the Magical World, thinking about the friends who were left – Luna, Neville and the remaining Weasleys. He had never decided to go back, though, since it would have been both difficult and traumatic.
The Knight Bus came to a halt outside The Three Broomsticks and Harry and Lily got off. The Castle was visible from here, its high, dark towers pointing into the sky. What was it like now? Harry wondered. It would have to be rather different with Dumbledore and McGonagall gone, he thought – and Snape. What was Hogwarts like without those three teachers, the three who had had the greatest impact on the school? For in times of crisis, it had always been those three who had sorted things out. It had been McGonagall and Snape who supported Dumbledore, not Flitwick and Sprout, the other two heads of houses. When the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets had been at large, McGonagall and Snape had been there, ready to help. When Barty Crouch Junior had been caught, McGonagall and Snape had tried, jointly, to save him from Fudge's Dementors.
Now, however, all three of them were gone. One of them was, himself, a long- term-victim of the Dementors of Azkaban. Harry had had a look at the book about Snape a while ago, and it seemed like Azkaban was as bad as ever. The second one was dead as a result of the first one's treachery. And the third of them was in the same ward as Neville Longbottom's parents at St Mungo's, hexed into oblivion.
