Chapter Six Hagrid's Story

Ron gasped. "You had Snape there and didn't kill him?!"

"Ron! Harry is not a murderer," Hermione said coming to Harry's defense. She paused and they both watched her. "This is war and if it comes to it he will do what he has to do. Otherwise... ." She turned to him. "You both know what I mean. Harry, I know you; you couldn't kill a man just because he was a murderer and now it seems he wasn't a murderer after all."

Harry nodded. He was telling them about what had happened in the Riddle Mansion. Hermione had tracked him down through Dobby as they had preplanned and she and Ron had slipped away from Hogwarts. Their disappearance was being covered by Ginny, Neville and several others.

Harry was speaking about what he had learned. "Snape says Voldemort took Polyjuice potion and was at Hogwarts from the beginning of term. He was the one on the tower who killed Albus. Snape apparated to Hogsmeade. He was following-tracking-Voldemort and met Madam Rosmerta who informed him that Dumbledore and I had arrived there only minutes before and had gone on to the school.

"He arrived after Dumbledore was killed and rescued Draco. He also didn't know that Voldemort meant to make a Horcrux. But I was right from the beginning Hermione about Malfoy being a Deatheater. Snape found out about the Horcrux when he heard the word from Narcissa Malfoy. He used veritaserum to find out what she knew. He was sent there to kill her on Voldemort's orders."

Hermione gasped and Ron leaned in. "How did she ever learn about them?"

Harry shook his head. "Don't know, Ron. Anyway, Snape seems to think Draco is a Horcrux now. I let slip that there were others." He squeezed his eyes closed in frustration.

Ron frowned, "So why didn't one of you kill Draco?"

Hermione shook her head in exasperation and hissed, "Bloodthirsty aren't we, Ron. Don't listen to him, Harry." She bent closer waiting for the answer to Ron's question in spite of her protestations to it.

"I couldn't do it and I don't think Snape would have let me," Harry said before she could continue. "We aren't sure what's happening with Draco. He's acting as if he's possessed but I have no idea what a person who has a Horcrux inside of him would act like. Voldemort certainly was in the room with us, but inside Draco. The thing is Hermione, Dumbledore seemed to think only objects or animals, like Voldemort's snake, could be made into Horcruxes."

"Did Snape have any more to say about Horcruxes; what they are, how they are made?' Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "I let him do most of the talking because I'd already let slip there might be more than one. You both know as much as I do and I thought that if Voldemort had tried to make Horcruxes out of something tied to Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, as Albus thought he might, then the two objects we know belong to Gryffindor had to be hidden."

He nodded at Hermione. "You see why I asked you to hide Gryffindor's sword and the Sorting Hat. Snape didn't know anything about what Dumbledore was doing. He was suspicious about what had happened to Dumbledore's hand, knew it had happened because of very dark magic, but couldn't connect it to Dumbledore's search, and he didn't know what Albus was up to."

Harry hunched his shoulders and continued, "It's amazing if you think about it. Snape followed Voldemort and spied on Dumbledore and then spied for both of them on each other, and he still didn't know there were Horcruxes." He wrinkled his face in puzzlement.

Hermione appeared to be deep in thought. "By the way Harry, Remus wasn't able to find the ring with the cracked stone. Dumbledore said the horcrux in the ring was destroyed so it may not be important. I don't know who would have it. I'm not sure it would do them any good now anyway. So we're looking for the locket, the cup and the snake." She held up her hand and counted them off on her fingers.

"There were seven," Ron was studying his fingers, as if counting each one as well. "There's one piece still inside him. Then there was the ring, the diary, the cup, the snake and the locket. You found the locket but someone had been there before you. So there is really one Horcruxes unaccounted for and Dumbledore said they are likely connected to Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. Now we think one of them might be Malfoy; but he's neither Ravenclaw or Gryffindor."

Harry was sitting on the edge of the bed and had his hands pressed together. The three looked at each other. "Hermione have you had any luck?"

She nodded. "A little, but only just. I found the address to the orphanage but it is only an abandoned muggle building. It had been empty for years and they say...haunted. Which might be important or not. If there was a Horcrux there then it would certainly seem haunted to muggles. Or it might just be a creepy building with a reputation. I started back where you asked and followed Dumbledore's trail. There are lots of people helping to retrace Dumbledore's research. Do you have a plan?"

"Snape says he can find a way for me to get to the snake; to his snake, Nagini." Harry sighed heavily. "If anyone can kill the snake it would be me. I can speak parseltongue. But he says the snake rarely leaves Voldemort's side."

"If he knows where the snake is and it's with You-Know-Who," Ron was saying, "why not just go kill him; you know, You-Know-Who?" Harry and Hermione stared at him and he shrugged, suddenly blushing. "What?"

"Ron!" Hermione shook her mane of brown hair and rolled her eyes. "He's too dangerous to try and kill now. That's the whole idea of tracking these objects down and destroying them. Once all the bits and pieces of Voldemort's soul are gone then he is mortal. Only then is he at his weakest."

Harry was nodding along with her words. "That's what Dumbledore said. And even at his weakest there are few wizards who can kill him."

"You've just got to trust what Dumbledore said Harry," Hermione patted his arm soothingly. "He believed you could do it and if he did, then I do."

"Thanks," Harry stared at his folded hands once again.

"Do you really think you can trust him, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Who, Snape?" Harry nodded his head ruefully, "He didn't have to tell me about his parents. Now he's in more danger than I am. He has to hide from Voldemort and protect Draco. But I don't think he told me everything. As a matter of fact I think he left a lot out. It's not like we're best friends and we were chatting away you know."

"When he was telling you about all of this did he mention why Voldemort killed your parents?" Hermione asked with a soft voice.

"Dumbledore thought Voldemort might have been trying to make me one of his Horcruxes. You have to commit a murder to make one. He'd already killed my dad and mum and was trying to make a Horcrux out of me." He frowned and Ron and Hermione glanced at each other and then back to him.

"It backfired, but Dumbledore thought he passed on some of his powers to me, like being able to speak parseltongue and who knows what else. I'm even supposed to have the ability to possess his mind, although Albus said he was using Occlumency against me. He says if he tries to possess my mind like he did in the Ministry of Magic it causes him pain. But there's nothing to say I can't try possessing his mind."

Ron grimaced as if the thought would be the same as fighting a hundred spiders the size of Aragog all alone and without a wand. "You're not thinking of doing that are you Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No, it would be the last thing I'd ever do. I can't even protect myself from Snape's Legilimency, I don't think I could do it with Voldemort."

"That just proves Draco isn't a Horcrux then, Harry," Ron said sitting at the edge of the bed. "He doesn't have a scar like yours and he doesn't have any powers. What's-His-Name got it wrong with you and it sent him off in exile for eleven years, so he didn't try again."

"When are you going to call him by his right name?" Hermione groaned and Ron frowned at her.

"So am I right?" he asked and turned to Harry and then back to her. "I'm right aren't I? I can be right once in awhile, Hermione."

"Actually, you make a good point, Ron," Hermione spoke soothingly.

"Right then," he said, looking pacified.

"Are you still planning on visiting Godrics Hollow?" Hermione asked Harry chewing on her lip.

Harry nodded. "I've decided that if Voldemort was looking for something which belonged to Gryffindor he might go to Gryffindor's ancestral home. I'm not going to go strolling in as I had originally thought I'd do. I think it's sunk in that it might be pretty dangerous for me to explore places where he might have been, especially if he is trying to find his lost Horcruxes. I just don't know what else to do to find the remaining Horcrux. But I did make a decision. I'm going to go to Knockturn Alley and see if I can sneak around Borgin and Burkes and learn some information."

Ron frowned, horrified, and Hermione hushed her small, unspoken, 'oh no', with a hand over her mouth.

Harry sat up straighter. "It's the only way. I've got to follow his trail and see what he saw and learn what he knew. Besides I've got a plan. If that cabinet still exists, the vanishing cabinet Malfoy used to get the Death Eaters into the school, then I can use it to go there too. All you have to do is persuade McGonagall to take the charms off of it so I can use it to enter Hogwarts."

"Oh that's a good idea Harry," Ron said. "It'd be much safer than us leaving and meeting up with you in unprotected places."

"That's if the Ministry hasn't confiscated the cabinet at Hogwarts, or at Borgins'; or both," Hermione said.

A knock sounded at the door, almost a stealthy soft tap. The three jumped and turned to the door. Ron and Harry had their wands out, but Hermione was looking at them sheepishly. "It's all right, Harry. I've invited someone to join us."

He turned to her, an angry look flashing across his face. "Hermione, you haven't!" And added when she said nothing, "That wasn't a good idea." For a moment he had two thoughts; one was that it was Ginny and the other that he had not told them not to tell others what he had shared. He'd believed, without question, they would keep whatever he said to themselves.

"Well, it was because he was there, Harry," Hermione said and stood, stepping over to the door. "He was a student at Hogwarts when Voldemort was there. He might know something. As a mater-of-fact, I know he knows something or I wouldn't have done it." She opened the door and looked up. "Good evening, Hagrid. Come in."

The large bear-like figure bent and stepped into the room. His first action was to grab Harry and hug him so hard that Ron and Hermione both pulled at the large arms to let him go. There were large tears in Hagrid's eyes and the voice was shaky, "Blimey Harry, the Daily Prophet said you'd left the country. Not to blame ya fer that, but I was really worried. Then Hermione said you was here and wanted to see me. Can't tell you how much better I felt." His large hands patted at his heart and he beamed down at Harry who was recovering from the hug. "She said...she said... you was the Chosen One..." He broke off for a second and started crying piteously. "The Chosen One, Harry. Well, I thought maybe... but it's really awful... you...you have to face HIM!"

Harry looked over arching his eyebrows in a threatening gesture at Hermione as if to ask, "What did you tell him?"

"It's all right, Hagrid," he said turning to sooth the half-giant. "We aren't sure about that."

"Why aren't you in school then?" Hagrid gasped. "You're in ever so much danger out here. Professor Trelawney's been tellin' Professor McGonagall all about what's t'happen..." Once again he didn't finish as Harry cut him off.

"Sit down Hagrid and let's talk for a minute." He pushed him towards the only piece of furniture likely to hold him, the bed, and sat himseld down in the newly emptied chair Ron had been in. He wasn't sure how to proceed, what information to start with and he turned to Hermione who took a chair next to him while Ron leaned on the bed post and watched.

"Hagrid," she began. "Harry and Dumbledore were working together to find a way to kill Vol..." she stuttered and then recovered, "You-Know-Who. Dumbledore showed Harry some things that happened in the past connected to that task. But Professor Dumbledore died before Harry learned everything he needed to know." She leaned into Harry's arm to indicate she had done the introduction.

"Yeah," Harry continued, "yeah that's right, Hagrid. We were trying to learn everything we could about Voldemort when..." Hagrid grunted at the name but had quieted his tears and was listening. Harry rushed on, "You went to school with Tom Riddle and we know he got you in trouble and had you expelled. You've been at Hogwarts since you were eleven, so you know about everything there is to know about the school and the teachers."

"What is it you need to know, Harry?" The dark eyes narrowed and Hagrid was studying him keenly.

"What is it I need to know, Hermione?" Harry turned to her.

"Well, for instance," Hermione was still looking at Harry as she spoke. "Who were his friends, what teachers liked him, how did he act when the teachers were gone, did he get into trouble; things like that." She turned to him. "We aren't sure exactly what we're looking for Hagrid but I think we'll know it when we hear it."

"Did he play on a Quidditch team?" Ron spoke up. They all turned to look at him as if he had suddenly grown two sets of ears. "Well, it could be important."

Hagrid cleared his throat and sat with his hands palm-flat on the bed. "Let's see. He didn't play Quidditch. No he wasn't one for tha'. He had his friends but I didn't hang round 'em much." Hagrid looked down a little blush rising in his cheeks. "Mos' kids were scared of me, ya see. Anyway," he cleared his throat and looked up. "He had his friends; Avery,... and such. They was followers, hung on 'is every word, thought he was sumptin. Then the teachers thought he was a darlin', cept for Dumbledore. There was Crocket, Merrythought, Hamilton, Prince and o' course Slughorn; favored him and had 'im in for some of his parties and such. Then there was Professor Dumbledore teachin' at the school. All but Dumbledore thought he was the best."

"Prince?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, she was the Potion's Professor," Hagrid answered.

"Snape's mother," Hermione said.

"Was she now," Hagrid growled with surprise. "Hate fer ya to say his name, Hermione. When I lay my eyes on him; he is as good as dead!" His lips curled into a snarl and then caught Hermione's eye, calmed himself and said, "I suppose it's possible. She was a young woman when she began teaching, not more then a few years outta school herself. Didn't know she was married. I never knew who Professor...who Snape's parents were. Guess it was kept quiet fer sum reason. She was gone even afore I was expelled... and even when I was thirteen and started as gamekeeper and keeper of keys at Hogwarts. Hmmm... Where was 'er husband? What happened to 'im?"

Harry answered, "He was murdered."

"Who murdered him?" Hagrid asked, again with surprise.

"His wife, Madam Prince," Hermione said quickly, telling the lie Snape and Dumbledore had given to the world. He continued, "She was sent to Azkaban and died there."

"Really!" His eyebrows melted together in a frown. "Well, I was young and that kind of information weren't bandied about casually. I knew she had left the school and left teaching altogether 'n that's all. Turned out bad did she? Shame, cuz she was a pretty woman. 'Course I only knew her by her other name, Professor Prince." He regarded Hermione quietly and said, " So she had Snape about the time Harry's parents- Lily and James- were born, cuz they all went to school together; they was all the same age."

Harry nodded and Hermione continued, "Yes. After Mr. and Mrs. Snape or Professor Prince as you knew her, left Hogwarts, they lived in the muggle world. Then they returned when Snape started at Hogwarts. The school records show she returned to Hogwarts for a short time to teach. It was shortly after Snape turned fourteen when the Daily Prophet reported the murder of his father."

"I don' remember 'er teaching' potions at the school when James and Sirius and them boys were at school. An o' course Lily." He glanced at Harry and then turned back to Hermione. " I remember her coming back. Still not married as far as I knew. I mean when you're a student you don't really think about your teachers much do ya? If she was Snape's mother, it was kept a secret. They didn't allow married teachers at Hogwarts even then." Hagrid rubbed his lips with a finger. "An you think He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was a part of that- the murder of Snape's father-when he was in power?' Hagrid asked. "You think he helped Madam Prince murder her husband?"

Ron let out a gasp of surprise. There were a number of deaths attributed to him during his rise to power; even muggle deaths. Harry had told them Snape confessed to the murder. It was only when Hagrid mentioned the possibility did he wonder if Voldemort had played a part in helping Snape kill his father. The spell he used was very sophisticated dark magic. It that were true, it was either Voldemort or Madam Prince who had given Snape the spell, Harry thought.

It also appeared to Harry Madam Prince had returned to Hogwarts to teach and that they, she and her son, had kept their relationship a secret, possibly to hide from the abusive husband and father. Dumbledore would have known, Harry thought. He would have helped them keep their identities secret.

"We don't know much about it, Hagrid. Why don't you tell us what your years at Hogwarts were like and we can think about the other later. Focus on Tom Riddle if you can."

"All right, Harry," Hagrid nodded. "If it'll help." The room was now very quiet except for a faint scratching of a hidden mouse in the corner. The fire was warm but left long shadows in the corners of the room. They huddled around the bed and Hagrid lowered his voice,

"Let's see. Tom was older than I was by a few years. He was a Prefect and a good student as far as I knew. He was in Slytherin and I was in Gryffindor so's I don't know much about what was happenin' there. Slughorn was Head of that house."

"If Madam Prince taught Potions, what did Slughorn teach?" Ron asked.

Hermione and Harry had looked up, both mildly annoyed at the interruption until they heard the question. "Good question, Ron," Harry nodded and turned to look at Hagrid.

"Madam Prince didn't teach Potions, Ron; she taught Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hagrid said. "When she came back to Hogwarts when James, Sirius, Remus and Pettigrew were alive," Hagrid answered , "Slughorn was head of Slytherin and the teacher for Potions jus like he was las' year. Albus was transfiguration's professor, Merrythought taught Charms..."

"Ok, ok, Hagrid," Hermione interrupted his recitation. The three stared at each other until Hermione encouraged him by saying, "Tell us more about Tom Riddle and...Madam Prince."

Harry was thinking about what Hagrid was saying. "Of course, it made sense. Slughorn had gone on and on about how Harry's own mother having been such a good Potion's student. He would have had to be the Potion's teacher in order to know that. Harry had never questioned what other teachers were doing since he'd only just discovered that Snape's mother was teaching at Hogwarts.

Things seem to be going together like a large puzzle. Snape, himself, had said his mother was one of the first Deatheaters, had favored Tom Riddle when he was in school. She had returned to teach at Hogwarts shortly before Snape killed his father. It would be natural to make her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Harry distinctly remembered the memory he had shared with Albus in the Pensieve. The memory of Tom Riddle returning to Hogwarts and asking for a job; a job teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. He remembered the man's face, not quite human anymore even then, and the ugly look when he was refused.

Could the two coincide? Did Madam Prince show up to take the position instead? Did Voldemort send her to apply? Did he help her kill her retched muggle, child-beating husband and Snape is taking the blame for it? Did she really end up in Azkaban? Would Voldemort let his favorite Death eater and teacher languish there, just to die? He had to admit to himself that the last question was probably rhetorical. Voldemort would have easily let her die in Azkaban, Harry thought. He'd have no problem doing that!

"Harry," a voice disturbed the train of thoughts. "Harry!"

"What," he glanced up. "Oh yes. You were saying Hagrid?"

He listened for another hour and then, along with Ron and Hermione, bid their friend goodbye. It was now getting very late in the evening and Hermione and Ron were anxious to return to school so they wouldn't be missed. Harry was walking them to the door. "It only goes to prove we shouldn't take anything for granted. The information we have has holes in it and we're missing things."

"That and the fact Snape is not trustworthy Harry. He lied to you," Hermione was adjusting her traveling cloak and closing it with a gold clasp at her throat. She looked very pretty and very grown-up in the fire light. Ron was staring at her with admiring eyes and Harry almost smiled. It was Ron's turn to fall head-over-heels, just as he, Harry, had with Ginny. He almost wished she were there at that moment. He would have given anything to chuck it all and stop trying to figure out mysteries. He just wanted some peace. He answered Hermione, "I don't know that he lied, Hermione. He left information out. I told you, I thought he wasn't telling me everything."

"You've got that right, mate," Ron agreed.

"As soon as I get back to Hogwarts I'm going straight to the library," Hermione said and kissed him on the cheek. "There's bound to be information I ignored."

"There's other places where you can find information," Harry said suddenly. "Remember when I had detention with Snape and he had me copying the catalogue in Filches office. He's got stuff stored from way back when my mum and dad were at Hogwarts. Snape had me copying every detention and ever mischievous thing my dad, and Sirius or Remus ever did. He wanted to goad me into getting mad. But I seem to remember other names there too. I know it sounds awful, but it might be worth looking at. There were hundreds of cards there."

Instead of looking horrified, there was a definite gleam in her eyes and she smiled. "Never fear, Ron and I will find a way to get to them, even if we have to have detention."

"Hermione!"

"Honestly, Ron. I just broke into Dumbledore's office and stole the Sorting Hat and Gryffindor's sword. Do you think a little detention will bother me?" She sniffed haughtily and headed out the door.

Ron's look of admiration had faded to a look of despair and Harry laughed. "Go to Filches' cards only as a last resort, Hermione. They really were filled with tons of worthless rubbish."