But the familiar little hut was quiet when the three got to it, and Harry felt a sinking feeling in his stomach when he saw that no smoke was rising from the chimney. Dejected, he knocked on the door anyway, but there wasn't even an answering bark from Fang. At that point, he hadn't realized yet how much his hopes had been raised by this strange mystery. That if the portrait could tell him more about his parents….but he ruthlessly shoved that thought aside as he turned to face Ron and Hermione.
"He's not.." he started, but his eyes had traveled up the hillside, and he spotted a familiar hulking figure picking it's way across the rock-strewn ground. The wolfhound, Fang, was loping alongside. "Hagrid!" he shouted, passing Ron and Hermione and going up the hill path towards the half-giant. Seeing him, so solid and real and alive, reassured Harry from fears he didn't even realize he was having. "Hagrid," he said again, once they were close enough to hear Hagrid's rough breathing, and see that he was carrying a lumpy sack across his back. Even though Harry knew the sack likely contained some heinous creature, or at least it's egg, he couldn't help but smile.
"Well, 'ere's a treat," Hagrid said, genially, a smile splitting his bushy beard. "All three o' you, waiting back for me as nice as you please." His black eyes twinkled. "Come to see what your old pal Hagrid's fetched for the first year classes, have you? It's a lovely little MacBoon creature-"
"A quintaped?" Hermione shrieked, making Ron and Harry jump. "Hagrid, they like to eat humans!" she hissed. "You can't bring even a baby one in with first years!"
"No, no, nothing like that, 'Ermione," Hagrid said, with a bit of sheepishness. "'S not a real quintaped." He gave a little sigh that told the three of them, quite obviously, that he was disappointed in not having one of the flesh-eating spiderlike quintapeds. "Just a mutation on a dugbog, givin' it an extra few legs. Ministry figures someone be cross-breeding them, illegal you know, and so gave one ta me, see if'n I could figure out what happened to it."
They had been walking back towards the hut as Hagrid explained, and he invited them in for tea. Fang obligingly flopped onto the floor, and fell into a nap, but Harry, Hermione, and especially Ron had kept their eyes firmly on the sack as Hagrid laid it down on the floor. He busied himself making tea while asking about their classes, but Ron whispered roughly to Hermione, "Is a quintaped anything like…you know…a spider?" His eyes had gone wide and didn't move from the bag.
She opened her mouth to reply, but settled for a quick shake of her head as Hagrid turned and passed out the overlarge cups he used. His hands were surprisingly delicate as he set down their tea as well as his own. "Now, just let me take care o'this," he added, with a sort of winking smile, as Harry found himself gripping the mug a bit tightly. Ron swallowed hard, and even Hermione looked a bit nervous. As Hagrid picked the bag up and walked over to what looked like a small tub, Hermione reached over and took the tea from Ron's hands, which had been shaking it a bit. Sheepishly, Ron relinquished the cup, scooting back in his chair a bit.
Thankfully, Hagrid simply emptied the bag into the murky water inside the tub, and they barely got a glimpse of thin, wooden limbs before it splashed down and quickly swam to the bottom. The large gamekeeper set a rusty iron lid on it and tossed the bag into the corner, returning to his tea as if nothing were amiss. "That's done, then," he said, cheerfully. "It'll keep til we've had our tea. So, what brings the three o' you down here tonight? Little break from the classes, eh?" He took a swallow of the tea, after blowing on it noisily.
"Well, we…we wanted to ask you about a former student, of Hogwarts," Harry started, glancing at Ron and Hermione for guidance. "We've been…we heard a story about her, and we need to know if it's true." That wasn't quite what they decided on telling Hagrid, but Harry saw Ron's mild shrug and Hermione's quick nod, and knew it was close enough.
"Alright, then," Hagrid said, pursing his lips in a thoughtful frown. "I'll do my best, o'course. Who is it ye wanted to know about? And from when? I cannot recall all the students, you know." He gave them a penetrating look. "A lot o' them don't pay attention with Care of Magical Creatures, which is a damn shame, I tell you."
Harry nodded, quickly, to show he felt the same. "Right. Well, this would be someone who was here at the same time as my parents." When Hagrid gestured with a hand to continue, he added, "But not the whole time. Her name was Thalassa. I don't know her last name." Harry paused, and looked to the other two, seeing the same look. They hadn't even asked that, and in retrospect it seemed a foolish oversight. "But she was from Greece-"
"Hold on, now," Hagrid interrupted, setting his mug down and leaning a bit forward. "Did you say Thalassa?"
"Yes, Thalassa," Hermione said, quickly, as Harry and Ron straightened up. It was clear Hagrid did indeed know something.
"Haven't heard 'bout her in a long time," Hagrid said, musingly. "Don't know what I could help you too much; didn't know her that well. I'd say Dumbledore could tell you more, or Professor Snape o'course, but he wouldn't be talking 'bout that." Hagrid gave them a knowing look, apparently oblivious that they were mystified by the comment, and asked, "How did you hear a story about her?"
"We found a portrait of her, in the castle," Hermione said, sitting up as she set down her own tea. "We were trying to figure out what happened to her."
"Yea, and people keep mentioning Snape," Ron interrupted, impatiently, "But we've no idea what that's all on about."
"Well, o'course they would," Hagrid replied, affronted.
"Did he….kill…her?" Ron ventured, hesitantly. Hermione and Harry found themselves holding their breath, then drew back as Hagrid slapped his knee, apparently in surprise.
"Kill Thalassa? Don't be daft!" he answered, tugging at his beard. "What would make you say something like that? I'd say if the Professor ever came close to caring 'bout anyone, it woulda been Tha."
Harry pressed his hands into the arms of the chair, his face serious. He had to know some answers, and he knew Dumbledore wouldn't be the one to tell him. For some reason, the idea of this curse on the painting was eating at him. "Hagrid," he said, patiently, "we don't know what you are talking about. All we know is that her name is Thalassa, she died before my parents were killed, but after Snape became a Death Eater." He sighed, wishing he could explain about the portrait's curse, but he didn't know how to do that just yet. "We also knew that she came to Hogwarts when my parents, and Snape, were in their seventh year."
"Please, Hagrid," Hermione entreated. "We just want to know why she was killed…what happened to her."
With a heavy sigh, the half-giant leaned back in his chair, looking around the room a moment in introspection, before his eyes returned to the three earnest students. Ron was still shooting wary glances at the tub with the dugbog, but Harry and Hermione were watching Hagrid like hawks. "Alright," he said, heavily. "I suppose it don't hurt no one to tell a bit about it. But you shouldn't go repeating things around Professor Snape," he said, warningly. "He'll not like you three prying into his business."
"Why is Snape so important?" Hermione asked, perplexed. "If he didn't kill her…"
"…then maybe, they were…married?" Harry asked, suddenly, his voice a mix of realization and horror. Ron turned to stare at him, but he saw the same wonder in his friend's eyes. They hadn't asked her last name, and Dumbledore had said Snape should visit the portrait-
"Now, stop, yer getting ahead of yourselves," Hagrid said, almost grumpy, holding up his hands in protest. "Not along the wrong path, but jes hold on a tic." He sighed again, letting his hands drop. "No, they weren't married," he started, giving Harry a baleful look, "but they were supposed to be. And neither of them liked it very much at all at first."
"What, like their parents arranged it?" Hermione asked, with a deep frown.
"Summat like that," Hagrid answered, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I don't recall it being official or anything, just that Tha's parents sent her here because they were lookin' to marry her into a pureblood family. Not normal to take in exchange students," he pointed out, "but they were pretty well-to-do, and got a few strings pulled, and there you are." He nodded his head once, as if that explained everything. "She weren't happy being here, away from home; the professor….well, he weren't a professor then, o'course….well, Snape weren't too happy about being nominated, as it were. I recall quite a few of his classmates cheeked him for it, but by then I don't think he cared." Hagrid's voice had gone quiet, his gaze unfocussed, as if he were looking into the years past.
"But…you said he liked her," Ron, surprisingly, prompted him. He sounded unsure, but slightly defiant, as if he couldn't really believe that.
"Oh, aye," Hagrid said, with a deep nod. "Tha, she was a rather serious little thing, you know, and she said, quite firmly, that if that's how things were to be, then she would stick to it. Never complained about that, not even when she were gettin' teased for it. Acted like nothing could shake it." He gave a small half-smile, reminiscent. "At first, I think Snape were surprised, you know…then a bit suspicious, ignored her for most o' the year, if I recall correctly. But by graduation…" His voice trailed off, and he frowned.
"What?" Harry said, this time. "What happened? I mean, didn't he join the Death Eaters after graduation?"
"Some time after, yes. But not right away. And I think…well, I daresay her persistence wore him down in the end," Hagrid said finally. "He realized she weren't going no where, no matter what anyone said, and, well…came to trust her, in a way. Liked her quite a bit at the end, I believe."
Hermione shook her head, sadly. "Then, if that's true, who killed her? Why did she have to die?" Harry found himself picking up his cup as Hermione spoke, warming his suddenly cold hands. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answers now, not when they would likely start intersecting with his parent's deaths.
Hagrid took a deep, fortifying breath. "The Order was formed a little while afore you was born, Harry," he spoke, looking at Harry as he established the time for them. "Few years after their graduation. I was a member then, too. Rough time.." His grizzled hair moved as he lowered his head a moment. "Death Eaters were getting' lazy, sure of their master's power, you know. Snape…well, I cannot rightly say what Snape were doing at the time. That's somein' you'd need to ask Dumbledore about. But I know he'd taken the Mark by then, saw it myself once, though he tried hidin' it. He and Tha were still planning on gettin' married, still lived close enough by, and one day, Tha came to see Dumbledore." Hagrid tugged on his beard again, slightly agitated.
"Most of the Order was absent, off lookin' into things, trying to stop the Death Eaters, but I heard a bit o' it. She were telling Dumbledore how You-Know-Who wanted her to join them, but she couldn't bring herself to it, and she knew it were dangerous for Snape, what with her refusal and all. She…" He paused, recalling. "She wanted the Aurors to arrest her, make it so she couldn't go back. But Dumbledore asked why she didn't just leave. And she said…said Snape needed her." Hagrid shook his head, disbelieving. "Made a promise, she did. And you might not believe it," he said, serious, looking into their eyes, "but I could see that she didn' want to leave. Whatever was going on with You-Know-Who, I think by then she cared too much about Snape."
"Then….Voldemort had her killed," Harry said, softly, letting his eyes drop. "Because she wouldn't follow him."
"Aye," Hagrid said, just as quiet. "Can't say which Death Eater it was, but yes, one o' them killed her, left her for Snape to find. A message o' sorts, Dumbledore said. Snape and the headmaster got into quite a row after that, something I only heard about, and then a few months later, Snape let hisself get caught, and shortly after that was when yer parents died, Harry." Hagrid fell silent, pressing his large hand to his mouth, as if it was tired after his long tale.
Hermione, Harry and Ron all slumped in their chairs. They hadn't expected anything of what Hagrid told them, especially not this hidden part of Snape's past. Harry knew he'd never have believed any story of Snape falling in love, not those fanciful tales like the ones they spun of his parents. But this seemed to make more sense to him. Being in love changed a person, and he had seen Snape as a teenager. He was no different now, except perhaps even crueler. But Harry found himself wondering. What would someone like Snape do, faced with a woman who withstood all his cruel remarks and didn't budge? It was hard to find that kind of loyalty, and Harry knew it was a form of love. He didn't take it for granted, what he had with Hermione and Ron, and that was loyalty incarnate. And he knew it was rare. If Snape hadn't come to love her in the end, he certainly trusted her. Trusted that she would have always been there, no matter what.
Except that in the end, she hadn't been. Someone had killed her, and worse, one of those Snape likely called friends. Inwardly, Harry shuddered. If Snape had ever come to believe in something like loyalty, through Thalassa, then that had surely destroyed it beyond repair.
Hermione looked among the three of them, sighing as if she were judging their ability to go on. Finally, she rose from her seat. "Thank you, Hagrid," she said, sincerely. "We just…really wanted to know what had happened to her." Her tone was somber, and she touched Harry on the hand. "We should get back to the castle," she added, to both him and Ron.
Ron obediently pushed himself out of the chair, brushing red hair off his bewildered expression, after looking at Hagrid again with something akin to sympathy, and he, too, prodded at Harry. "Yea, we don't want to be out after curfew," he offered, even though they knew it was still a while off.
Harry let his friends bully him into rising, and offering their goodbyes to Hagrid, and a few conciliatory pats to Fang. But Harry paused in the door, looking down at Ron and Hermione on the steps, and Hagrid, his first true friend, hovering just behind him. What would he do if Voldemort killed any of them? "Someday, he'll pay for it," he said, under his breath where the others couldn't hear him. "Someday. For all of it."
