Chapter Thirty-Nine: Grim Conversations

Daphne didn't sleep well that night. She had strange dreams and kept waking up, and the next morning at breakfast she felt like she'd been up all night.

So did her friends, only they had been up all night. Ron had apparently been attacked by Sirius Black, who had entered Gryffindor Tower by reading all the week's password from a note, which Neville had lost a few days earlier. Consequently, Neville was now banned from all Hogsmeade visits, had a detention until the end of the year, and was no longer allowed to be told the password to the Gryffindor common room.

"So, a great party, then?" Daphne asked once Ron had told the entire story.

"Almost to die for," Ron said with a grin.

He was still shocked by what had happened, but seemed to love the attention he was getting from it from the other Gryffindors and even the other Houses, who were already beginning to hear the details from friends.

Still, it was worrying that Black had come into the castle again, and so, after breakfast, she headed over to Lupin's office once again.

Lupin seemed to be expecting her. "Come to talk about the attack on Ron, I suspect?" he asked.

Daphne nodded. "Yes. The fact Black got so close to Harry is a bit worrying, even if he ended up attacking the wrong bed."

"It is. It was another close call and I've been wondering if I should tell Professor Dumbledore about Sirius's secret. I still find myself…loathing the idea, however," Lupin said.

Daphne thought for a moment, staring blankly at the currently-empty creature tank in the corner of the office. She could imagine not wanting to give up a friend's secrets, especially when doing so would also force her to give up some of her own.

But in this case, lives could be in danger. Primarily Harry's, but Black had shown before not to care about killing innocent people who got in his way. How long would she be able to cover for Lupin if there was something he knew that might help find Black?

Daphne was still staring at the empty creature tank. For some reason, it drew her attention, even though no dark creature was currently in it. What made a creature 'dark', anyway?

The moment she thought of that question, she recalled the Kneazles going wild at the sight of Scabbers.

"Professor, I have a different question," she said.

Lupin, who'd also been lost in thought, looked up.

"Do you know of any reason why around fifteen Kneazles would all go mad at the sight of a single rat?"

"Mad?" Lupin asked.

"Yes. Hissing, spitting, trying to escape from the cage to kill it as soon as possible."

Lupin frowned. "Was it a special kind of rat?"

Daphne shrugged. "I don't know. He was Ron's, and before that belonged to his brother Percy."

Lupin seemed to pale. "A very old rat who sets off Kneazles…It couldn't be…"

"Professor?"

"Daphne, what happened to the rat?" Lupin asked. He suddenly seemed very agitated.

"It broke out of Ron's grip and escaped. It ran in the direction of the castle, though, so it might be around somewhere, if Hermione's cat Crookshanks hasn't found him, why?"

"What you just told me might be crucial in the situation with Black," Lupin said. "Sadly, I no longer have the means to confirm my hunch…"

"Wait, Scabbers has something to do with Black?" Daphne said incredulously.

"I'm not sure, but he might. But, of course, we don't know where he is now, and like I said, I no longer have the means to find out."

"Some sort of magical tool?" Daphne asked.

Lupin nodded. "Of a sort. I know it was confiscated by Mr. Filch, long ago, so there is little chance of getting it back, I'm afraid."

A chill went down Daphne's spine. "It wouldn't happen to be…a map, would it?"

Lupin looked up, his eyes wide. "Yes! The Marauder's Map," he said. "How do you know about it?" he added with a suspicious look.

"Harry has it. He got it from Fred and George Weasley for Christmas," Daphne said.

To her great surprise, a small smile played on Lupin's lips when he heard that, but he went serious again shortly after.

"Would you please ask Harry to give me the map? I…I can't explain, yet, what it's about. Not until I have confirmed one way or the other if I was right, and that might take some time because we don't know where the rat is now. I promise I will explain everything to you and Harry once I have my answers. You deserve to know the truth…but I can't give that to you until I know it myself."

Daphne considered only for a moment. "I'll go and get him."

Not too much later, Daphne, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were in Lupin's office.

"Professor, how do you know about the Marauder's Map?" Harry asked, taking the parchment out of his robes and giving it to Lupin.

Lupin smiled. "I'm one of its makers," he replied.

He took out his wand and tapped the map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said.

The grandiose introduction of Moony, Padfoot, Wormtail, and Prongs appeared, soon to be replaced by the map of Hogwarts.

"I am Moony," Lupin said. "Black was Padfoot, Peter was Wormtail, and James was Prongs. I will tell you the meaning behind the nicknames later — though I'm sure you can guess mine — but for now…"

"My Dad helped make this map?" Harry said incredulously.

Lupin smiled again. "The story behind its creation is another one I will tell you some other time. For now, I'm glad you have enough faith in me to give me the map."

"Well…if you made it, isn't it yours to begin with?" Harry asked uncomfortably.

"That's a very…goblin way of looking at it," Lupin said. "But once I am done with it here, I'll officially give it to you. I'm sure James would be delighted for you to have it."

His expression grew a bit sterner. "For now, it's better for you not to have it, regardless. I presume you've already used the tunnel to Honeydukes?"

Harry looked away and Lupin nodded slowly. "It was to be expected, but Harry, I must implore you not to use it again until either Black is caught, or I find what I'm looking for on the Marauder's Map. Your parents gave their lives to protect yours. Sneaking out of the school under the current circumstances is a poor way to repay them."

"I–"

"And don't try to use the Invisibility Cloak, either."

"You know about that?"

"I've seen James disappearing under that cloak more times than I can count. It doesn't fool Dementors, and Black will know you have it."

Harry nodded a bit unwillingly.

"But animals don't appear on the map, do they?" Ron asked.

Lupin shook his head. "I can't tell you any more right now. I promise I will, in time, but this is one secret that I want kept for at least a little while longer."

He looked at Hermione. "And if you do happen to work it out for yourself, please don't spread it around. If my hunch is correct, sharing incomplete information may do more harm than good."

"And if your hunch is wrong?" Hermione asked with a frown.

Lupin shrugged. "Then I will have to reveal my secrets to Professor Dumbledore on my own. I know I won't be able to stop you from trying to find out what is going on. No teacher ever stopped us when we were in school, either.

"But I must still ask you not to go looking for Black. He will likely not be at his strongest given his circumstances, but he is a clever and skilled wizard. I must also ask you not to mention any of what we have discussed to anyone. I know I'm asking a lot of trust from you, and I promise once more I will tell you the truth…but in its own time."

They left Lupin with the map and headed back up to the Great Hall.

"What do you think he's going to use the map for?" Ron asked.

"Well, if he's one of the makers he might be able to do more with it than just seeing where everyone is at any given moment," Harry said. He sighed. "But that does cut me off from Hogsmeade again," he said sadly.

"I think he was right in warning you away from it," Hermione said. "With Black still out there it just isn't safe for you to leave the castle."

"I know, I know. It's just…I liked going there with you last time," Harry said.

"I'll stay here as well," Daphne said quickly. "I made you hand in the map, after all…"

Harry sighed. "Those speeches on 'stop tearing yourself down for our sake' really aren't sticking, are they?" he said, but he was smiling as he said it.

Daphne shrugged. "I don't think hanging out with a friend is much of a sacrifice," she said.

She looked around. The hallway seemed to be very warm all of a sudden.

Over the next week, Daphne kept expecting Lupin to call for them, announcing that he'd found whatever proof he had been looking for, but nothing happened. Perhaps it was a bit unreasonable to assume that he'd be able to find one single rat that may or may not even be alive anymore, even on a magical map of his own making.

The next Hogsmeade weekend was announced, and just like she'd promised, she stayed behind with Harry while Hermione and Ron headed out.

"So what about getting me and Ginny to spend time together?" Harry asked while they made their way up to the library.

Daphne shrugged. "You're talking now, right? My work is done; everything else is up to you and her now," she said. "Besides, I really do need to get some of these essays done, and I'm sure your homework isn't entirely done yet either."

They sat down at a table in the library, took out their books, and began doing their homework. Daphne always liked working with her friends, but for some reason just being with Harry felt even more comfortable, even though they weren't really talking much.

When Harry reached over to dip his quill in the ink, she saw that, even now, he was wearing the bracelet she gave him. She wasn't really sure why, but she felt a wave of warmth when she saw it, almost as if she was wearing one too.

"Hey, remember when I told you I saw the Grim at the Quidditch game? When the Dementors showed up?" Harry said at one point.

Daphne looked up and saw that he was doing his Divination homework.

"Yeah, why?"

"I've seen it again a couple of times since then." He looked at Daphne. "It was never really…doing anything. Just staring at me, it seemed like. But last time I saw it Crookshanks was with it. Should a cat, even one that's part-Kneazle, be able to see it? And shouldn't it go wild, like it did with Scabbers? I mean, a Grim can't really be…trustworthy, right?"

Daphne thought for a moment. Clearly, Harry was worried by the dog, and Daphne would be lying to herself if she claimed it didn't worry her as well. But the more likely explanation seemed to be, in this case, that the dog was simply that: a dog. There were all sorts of creatures in the Forbidden Forest, and if someone's dog had escaped in Hogsmeade it might have found its way up to the Forest from there. Or maybe it was wild and had been living there all along. She wasn't sure — but perhaps there was someone who did.

"Let's go and ask Hagrid," she said. "He knows a lot about creatures living in the Forbidden Forest; maybe he's seen it before as well."

"Should we really bother him with it, though?" Harry asked. "I mean…"

"You mean you don't want to be laughed at," Daphne said. "But do you really think Hagrid, of all people, would do that? Besides, I don't know a whole lot about dogs or the Grim. If you're worried about it — and given a literal murderer is after you, I can understand being worried — then Hagrid might be able to help you with it. I can't."

Harry nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, alright. Let's go and see Hagrid."

They packed in their books and headed outside. Harry kept looking around while they made their way over to Hagrid, probably trying to see any traces of the supposed Grim.

"I though' yeh'd be in Hogsmeade," Hagrid said to Daphne after he'd let them in.

"I had homework to do," she said.

"Did yeh now?" Hagrid said with an amused look.

Oh, come on, not him too, Daphne thought, a bit annoyed. It was like every other person insisted on giving her that almost smug look whenever they saw her with Harry. She wasn't even doing anything!

"Anyway, we came by because Harry wanted to ask you something," Daphne said.

"I've been…seeing a large, black dog around the grounds this year. I've never seen it before," Harry said.

Hagrid shrugged. "Happens sometimes. Dog escapes, ends up in the Forest an' likin' it there. I've seen a fair few. Is it aggressive?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, no…it's just…could it be a Grim?" he asked.

"Ah," Hagrid said. "Bin takin' Divination, have yeh?"

Harry nodded slowly.

"Well, I don' think yeh've got anythin' ter worry about. I've never bin able ter find a real Grim anywhere. All jus' big dogs, most of 'em pretty friendly too," Hagrid said.

"You've been looking for a Grim?" Daphne said. "Even though you know people supposedly die when they see one?"

"Ah, people say a lot," Hagrid said dismissively. "They also say Thestrals are bad luck, but tha's rubbish too. Anythin' even a bit dark or shadowy is 'evil' and they'll hear no argument… I don' believe it, really. Yeah, a big dog can hurt yeh, but most won', unless yeh provoke 'em. I've never seen anythin' that'll kill yeh just for seein' it."

"Hagrid, we had a Basilisk in school last year. Its whole thing is killing you with its eyes," Daphne said.

"Alrigh', alrigh', I get yer point," Hagrid said. "Hones'ly, though…I don' think yeh've bin seein' a Grim, Harry. The stories all say yeh die within a day, right? Well, yeh've seen it several times an' yeh're still here. It's jus' a dog from the Forest. If yeh leave it alone it probably won' hurt yeh. If it ever gets aggressive, though, come see me. I might have ter catch it an' drop it off deeper in the Forest."

Harry seemed to be a bit more at ease after Hagrid's explanation, and they spent some time talking about the magical creatures Hagrid still wanted to show them that year, before Harry said, "I've been wondering…what was Black like in school? You told me he was friends with my Dad, but all I really know about them is that they sometimes bullied Snape."

"Harry, it wasn' as if Snape was nice ter them, either," Hagrid said. "I told yeh, yer Dad and Black were a bit like Fred an' George Weasley. Always sneakin' around in places they had no business bein'. But they were popular, too. Kind ter most people, just very into the whole 'Gryffindor against Slytherin' thing.

"Yer Dad an' Snape were like yeh an' Malfoy. Couldn' stand each other from day one. Anyway, he an' Black were good friends with Lupin and a kid called Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew always jus' sort of hung around the other three, a bit like that Creevey kid sometimes does with yeh, Harry."

"Did Black ever seem…dark, back then?" Harry asked.

Hagrid shook his head. "Never. Tha's why it was such a shock when he, yeh know… He was smart, popular, didn' care much for rules or that he was a pureblood from a dark family…No, out o' the four of them, I never expected him ter turn evil."

"Implying you thought someone else would?" Daphne asked.

"No, but Black, Harry's Dad, an' Lupin were brave an' smart an' good students. Pettigrew wasn't. I mean, he died a hero, in the end, but in school…his friends always had ter drag him everywhere an' he wasn' anywhere near as good in lessons. I dunno, but I can' imagine that bein' nice is all I'm sayin'. Imagine bein' friends with three people of Hermione's skill and knowin' yeh'll never be as good."

"I don't mind Hermione being better than me," Harry said.

"Because yer other friends are the same level as yeh. If yeh'd always be overshadowed by all of 'em… Anyway, though, like I said, Pettigrew was a hero in the end…stood up ter his old friend and got killed fer it."

Hagrid shook his head sadly. "I still can' believe it, yeh know. I shoulda taken Black out that night, an' Pettigrew would still be alive…but he seemed so shaken, so shocked…I really though' he was devastated from seeing his friends dead…"

Daphne and Harry exchanged an uneasy glance. They'd heard this in the Three Broomsticks, the last time they'd gone to Hogsmeade.

"Ah, but yeh shouldn' be worryin' about this, Harry," Hagrid said. "They'll catch Black again an' lock him back up. Doesn' matter what kind of person he was back then. All he is now is a murderer."

He looked outside for a moment. "Yeh two should be gettin' back ter the castle, anyway. C'mon, I'll walk yeh over…"

Daphne and Harry walked back towards the castle with Hagrid, and Daphne thought about the things Hagrid had told them.

She felt uneasy by what he'd said. Pettigrew did sound like a more likely candidate to have gone evil than Black, if he really always was overshadowed by his friends. And if he wasn't as brave as them, being threatened by Voldemort would probably be effective…but surely, Harry's parents had been aware of that. They would have chosen someone they trusted to be their Secret-Keeper, and from everything she'd heard so far, Black was easily the best candidate for it.

And yet…As she knew full well, things weren't always as they seemed. That had been the case in both of her previous years at Hogwarts, and it was beginning to look like it wasn't any different now.