Hidden Memories
Chapter 3
Thanks to Ginny's company, Harry had managed to put the letter out of his mind for the bigger part of Sunday. They'd spent the morning walking hand in hand through the fields near the Burrow. At noon, they met up with Hermione and Ron for lunch at a small cafe in town. As much as Harry missed his friends there was nothing like spending time alone with Ginny. The hours that they spent together, just the two of them, felt like stolen moments. Even at the Burrow he hadn't had as much privacy as he would've liked. Every once in awhile, he could see Mrs. Weasley popping out the back door to make sure no gnomes had crept back in since he and Ron had de-gnomed the yard.
Harry knew that it was both excitement and concern that prompted Mrs. Weasley's watchful eye. She had been elated when he and Ginny officially announced their relationship. But she was understandably on edge, given Fred's recent death. It was as if she was afraid if she let Ginny out of her sight something bad was going to happen. Harry had managed to steal a few chaste kisses but didn't want to get into full lip locking with an audience.
Harry and Ginny found Ron and Hermione seated in the outdoor patio. It was a warm day with a light breeze filled with the floral fragrances of late spring and early summer. They took their seats opposite of Ron and Hermione. As the waiter brought them over a couple of glasses of water, Harry felt Ginny take his hand under the table. He looked at her and smiled sweetly.
"So Mate, what did you decide to do about Snape's place?" Ron asked as he picked up the menu.
And just like that, his mind was back on the letter. What had his mum meant by "our spot?" Was he reading more into it than was there? Didn't friends have spots? Of course they did, He, Ron, and Hermione had had their spot at Hogwarts, down by the lake. Looking at Ron and Hermione cooing at each other on the other side of the table wasn't doing much to reassure him. Was it possible that his mother had fawned over Snape the way that Hermione was now brushing back an errant strand of Ron's hair? Had Snape tried to steal kisses from Lily as her mother watched out the back door as Mrs. Weasley had done today?
"Well?" Ron prodded impatiently.
"I sent a courier to Hargreaves today. I'll put it on the market later this summer."
"Ron tells me it's loaded with books." Hermione took her eyes off Ron for a second and looked at Harry excitedly.
"Yes, wall to wall. Say, would you be able to come and take a look at them with me? Help me decide what should be donated to Hogwarts, what I should keep, that sort of thing?"
"I'd love to. How's Tuesday? I can't Monday," Hermione beamed before she revealed the next bit of news. "When I was at Hogwarts taking my N. E. W. T.s, Professor McGonagall asked me to interview for the Transfiguration opening. Now that she's headmistress they need to fill that vacancy."
"Wow, Hermione that's really great," Ron praised and pulled her in for a hug. It seemed to Harry that he did that every opportunity he got.
"I'll be sure to get Es in my Transfiguration N.E.W.T.," Ginny cheered.
"Ruining the Weasley name, you are," Ron pointed at Ginny. "Think of all the hard work Fred and George put in, not to mention me."
Their ripples of laughter were interrupted by the waiter returning to take their order. When the waiter departed, Hermione nudged Ron's elbow. Harry noticed his friend shake his head. "Go on, Ron."
"Hermione!" Ron fussed.
"Fine, I'll tell them," she rolled her eyes. "Ron's trying out as backup keeper for the Chudley Cannons."
"What? That's great!" Harry exclaimed. Why hadn't he thought of a career in quidditch instead of the ministry? Was it too late to rethink that?"
"But, how?" Ginny asked.
Ron flushed red but finally found his voice, "Lee Jordan. Lee took a job this week as their announcer. He sent me an owl saying that they were looking for a backup. He talked to someone and they said I can come in on Wednesday and they'll put me through the motions."
"Just try not to be nervous," Ginny offered. "You play so terribly when you're nervous."
"Speaking of. Harry do you have any Felix. . ." Ron leaned toward Harry.
"You don't need it, you never did," Harry shook his head. "You'll be brilliant, Ron. You'll get it, you'll see."
"Well, they are the worst team in the League," Ginny couldn't resist a jab at Ron's favorite team.
"Not anymore," her brother retorted quickly.
The rest of lunch was spent in the familiar banter, a sound which Harry had come to recognize as the sound of family.
Harry returned to Grimmauld Place to find that Kreacher had his paper and his owl post waiting for him in the sitting room with clean pajama bottoms and evening slippers.
"Kreacher," Harry called after he changed clothes and settled down into the armchair.
Kreacher apparated into the room. "Master called,"
"Here Kreacher, I brought you a plate of fish and chips."
Kreacher's eyes went wide and his long droopy nose lifted. "For me, Master?"
"Yes, you rest tonight. Thank you for all you do, Kreacher."
"Master is too kind, Sir." Kreacher answered and backed out of the room.
Harry picked up the Sunday edition of the Prophet. The front page was dominated by politics. It seemed that every appointee Kingsley named to office was met with vehement opposition, mostly from Dolores Umbridge and her cronies. Harry flipped through the pages, scanning the headlines and looking at the ads. He read the comics on the first page of the entertainment section but his brow furrowed at a headline on the second page of that section. There was a spread on Rita Skeeter. Harry could hardly stand to look at her fake smile. Curiosity got the better of him. It was better to know what she was up to than to be blindsided by it, he supposed.
The Prophet: So, Miss Skeeter, you're last book, the biography of Albus Dumbledore was a raging success. Can you tell us what you are following it up with?
Skeeter: Thank you. Yes, the book was a great success. And Dumbledore was a fascinating subject. It will be hard to follow that one, but I am working on another biography that should be just as enlightening and even more entertaining.
The Prophet: More entertaining? Oh, do tell Miss Skeeter. Is it Harry Potter?"
Skeeter: Oh now, even better. It is going to be an intimate look at another Headmaster of Hogwarts. Severus Snape.
The Prophet: But it is said that few people knew Professor Snape well, where are you getting your source material?
Skeeter: I have my ways. I am hoping to have it on the shelves in time for the Christmas holidays.
The working title is Severus Snape: Villain or Valentine?
The Prophet: Valentine? Oh, do tell, do tell, Miss Skeeter.
Skeeter: Now, now, you'll have to wait for the book.
Harry's stomach turned over. This couldn't be good. Harry had never heard anyone talk about Snape having any significant others. Apparently, he'd only ever loved his Lily. Had Skeeter somehow found out? Who could be talking to her? Classmates? Professors? Who? Then again, it might not be about his mum at all. Skeeter was notorious for making stuff up. Maybe she saw an opportunity to write a scandalous book about Snape knowing that he wasn't around to defend himself.
Harry folded up his newspaper and tossed it aside. Flashes of images from the pensieve flooded his brain. Then they were joined by Snape's memories from Harry's failed Occlumency lessons. Harry remembered that Lily had run to Snape's defense. She'd cared about him. Harry could see how much it had hurt her when Snape had called her a filthy mudblood. Damn Rita Skeeter for making him think about all of that again.
Trying to keep his mind off of his mum and Snape, Harry looked through the post. It was filled mostly with advertisements announcing some of the new shops opening in Diagon Alley. There was also a flyer from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes offering twenty percent off orders of ten sickles or more. It surprised Harry to find a letter from Gringotts. He'd just been in there at the end of the week. He'd marvelled at how quickly they'd put things back in order. They'd assured him that most of the damage had been cosmetic. But Harry had seen the damage, he'd had a front row seat on the back of a dragon, in his opinion it was a little more than superficial. damage. Still, the only major difference in service that he'd noticed was instead of the track that led into the underground, the vaults (temporarily, if the little orange sign was to be believed) had to be reached by broomstick.
Harry carefully tore the end of the envelope and then turned it up to slide the letter out. He unfolded the paper and began to read.
Would Snape's surprises never end?
GGGGGGG
Dear Mr. Potter,
It has come to our attention that you have been named Professor Severus Snape's inheritor. We ask that you come to Gringotts at your earliest convenience to change his vault into your name. Given that his vault is a high security vault we will also need to take a life scan of you and rearrange the vault's signature configuration.
Sincerely,
Gringotts Wizarding Bank
Diagon Alley
GGGGGGG
Harry wasn't sure just how much more he could take. First he'd inherited Snape's house, and he still needed to make a trip out to Hogwarts to pick up Snape's personal effects and now he was being asked to come to Gringotts. Harry exhaled sharply and shook his head. He just hoped he didn't find anymore surprises that had anything to do with his mother.