Harry and the Pirates
Chapter 41
Comradeship and Convalescence
by Technomad
Scandal rocked the wizards' world, and the newspapers were on top of it. The Daily Prophet's headline story concentrated on Gilderoy Lockhart's arrest and exposure:
Teacher A Murderer?
by Rita Skeeter
We here at the Daily Prophet were horrified to find that Gilderoy Lockhart, well-known and controversial author (see our earlier articles about whether his exploits were all his own doing, or the work of others) was arrested at Hogwarts on charges of attempted murder on a group of students. This followed his sacking by Headmaster Albus Dumbledore on the grounds of incompetence and malfeasance in his duties.
While we, along with the rest of the Wizard World, honour and revere Professor Dumbledore for his past accomplishments, recent events at Hogwarts have forced us to question whether this man should continue in office as headmaster. Students have been repeatedly endangered, and questions have been raised about the calibre of teaching at the historic institution.
Meanwhile, the Quibbler focussed on the Basilisk.
Slytherin's Monster No Myth
by Xenophilius Lovegood
For centuries, stories have been told of the monster Salazar Slytherin left in the bowels of Hogwarts, to be roused and used by his heir when the time was ripe. Apparently the stories did not tell half the terrible truth.
A Basilisk was slumbering deep within the tunnels under the school, and recent events roused it to life. Luckily, the Boy-Who-Lived and a group of his companions (who included our own daughter) were able to subdue it, and the people it paralyzed shall be restored to full health very soon, according to Madame Poppy Pomfrey, Healer.
Mr. Rubeus Hagrid, groundskeeper and Keeper of the Keys, a well-known friend to all living beings, assures us that now that the creature's existence is known, it shall be kept safely away from students and fed regularly. The Basilisk's venom is extremely valuable, and there is already a bidding war between several alchemical consortiums for the rights to milk the beast.
We at the Quibbler are most grateful to the Boy-Who-Lived and his friends, whose self-sacrificial courage and concern for a Housemate led to the exposure and neutralization of this threat…
Reading the papers, Harry raised an eyebrow. "I notice that nothing is said in these rags about Tom Riddle's spirit possessing his old diary. Or that Tom Riddle was apparently…He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Harry himself had no fear of the name, but deferred to his Housemates, many of whom shuddered to hear it.
"Stands to reason, doesn't it?" Hermione answered. "I think the last thing Dumbledore wants is for people in general to know about that sort of thing. Both he and Snape acted awfully spooky about it. By the bye, you all are not to speak of such matters. Snape was quite emphatic."
"Well, the sooner I forget about that the happier I'll be!" Ron said, and most of the others nodded in agreement. None of them had enjoyed the confrontation with their spectral foe, and they all knew that luck had played a big part in their victory.
"When Mr. Hagrid feeds the Basilisk again, I want to come along," Luna said. Just as everybody else got ready to tell her why that was a bad idea, Professor Snape came into the common room, and silence fell.
"You will all be glad to hear, I am sure, that Miss Parkinson is out of danger. Her prognosis is good, but she will have to remain at St. Mungo's for some time. I have obtained permission for all of you to leave campus for a day this next Saturday, so that those of you who wish to may visit her in the hospital. She misses her Housemates, and would welcome any company." The hint was very clear.
Draco nodded. "Of course, I'll go." Harry, Dudley, Ron, Hermione, Luna and Ginny all chimed in in agreement, and Snape favored them with one of his rare smiles. Harry privately thought that if the man smiled more, he'd be more likeable and others would find him easier to deal with.
Sure enough, on Saturday morning, a group of Hogwarts students, all in their best robes, followed Snape down to the gates, where the Knight Bus was waiting to take them to St. Mungo's Hospital. Harry and Dudley enjoyed the wild ride the bus gave, because it reminded them of Thai taxis at home in Roanapur, but without worrying about stumbling into a gunfight. The others reacted in various ways, ranging from looking distinctly green around the gills by the time the bus came to a stop to yelling "Whee!" every time it did something interesting. Snape finally quelled the "Whee!" by giving Luna a stern look, promising a talking-to on the subject of decorum once they were out of there. Luna subsided, but her eyes danced with enjoyment.
Dudley held Luna close, under his arm, and she snuggled next to him with a contented look on her face. Rather to his own surprise, Harry found that Ginny had apparently decided that Luna was on to something, and had chosen him as her seat partner. While this was something he had not expected, not seeing himself as particularly handsome or desirable, he had to admit that Ginny was very pleasant to have sitting close to him. He noticed that Ron and Hermione were doing much the same, and smiled to himself.
St. Mungo's was not unlike other hospitals, but it was clear that it operated on different principles than the Muggle hospitals that Hermione, Harry and Dudley were familiar with. Wards for things like Spell Damage, for instance, were nothing that the Muggle-raised trio had ever seen before, no matter how frequently they had visited sick relatives or friends.
Pansy was in an intensive-care facility; the Healers explained that her "magical core" had been disrupted by being possessed, and she was going to have to stay for a while until they were sure that it was safe to let her go. "If Miss Parkinson attempts serious magic before she is ready, she could burn herself out and become a Squib!" one Healer said. At that, Draco turned very pale.
Pansy was lying in a bed with her mother sitting by her side. On the bedside table were many "Get Well!" cards, mostly from other Slytherins, although all four Houses were represented. Her eyes were closed, but opened when her Housemates entered the room.
"Hi, everyone," she said, her voice rather faint and far-away. "I'm sorry I caused so much trouble."
"Never you mind that, Pansy," said Draco, sitting down on her other side and taking her hand in both of his. "You worry about getting better. Professor Dumbledore says that better witches and wizards than you have been taken in by You-Know-Who."
"Yes, including that husband of mine!" snapped Madame Parkinson. "That fool, and your father as well, Draco, have been down at the Ministry trying to explain how such an object ever came into their hands! This will cost us a pretty Knut to get out of, you mark my words!"
Harry privately thought that having to pay money to get out of having been in Lord Voldemort's pocket was a cheap way to escape, but he kept his mouth shut. Draco was touchy about his father's experiences "under the Imperius Curse," and he did not want to set off a quarrel in this place. The Healers, he had heard, tolerated no monkeyshines from patients or visitors.
And, speaking of Healers, one came in just about then. "I'm terribly sorry, boys and girls, but it's the end of visiting hours. Miss Parkinson is due for therapy now, and you'll have to leave." With words of farewell, and some tears from the girls, the visitors trooped out into the hall.
St. Mungo's was not the most intuitively laid-out building Harry had ever seen, and along with the others, he was soon rather lost. He didn't worry, though; he was with his Housemates and House Head, and they had hours before they had to be back at Hogwarts. As they turned a corner, they found themselves confronted by people they had not expected to meet.
Neville Longbottom was just as startled to see them as they were to see him. He recoiled slightly, nearly treading on the toes of a tall, elderly witch behind him. The witch gave them all a penetrating stare from under the brim of her hat, on which a stuffed bird sat.
"Oh! Hello, Neville! What brings you here?" Neville was a Gryffindor, and had had little or nothing to do with Harry and his clique, but Roanapur, and Balalaika, had ensured that politeness to all was an automatic response from Harry or Dudley. "Are you here to see Pansy? We just came from there, and she's on the road to recovery."
"No," said Neville, looking at the floor. "We aren't here to see Pansy."
"We're here, children, to visit my grandson's parents, who were tortured into insanity by followers of You-Know-Who!" This was from the older woman, who was apparently Neville's grandmother. "Has Neville not told you about that?" Neville shook his head miserably. "He should have! He should be proud of his parents!"
"I am," Neville mumbled.
"And so you should be!" Harry assured him. "Ma'am…please allow me to introduce myself and my friends. I'm Harry Potter, this is my cousin Dudley Dursley, and our friends: Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy…" At that name, the old woman's eyes went slightly wide and her mouth went tight… "Luna Lovegood, and our Head of House, Professor Snape."
"I am pleased to meet you," the old woman said, extending her hand to Harry for a shake. "I am Augusta Livia Longbottom, Neville's grandmother." She was looking at Draco and Professor Snape like they were something she had scraped off her shoe, and Harry made a mental note to try to find out why. He was uncomfortably aware that there were currents and cross-currents in the Wizarding World that he was not aware of; he felt rather like he might have had he been dropped into Roanapur without being aware of who the powers of the town were or what their relationships were like.
The Slytherins all bowed slightly, or curtsied if they were female, and murmured: "Madame Longbottom." At this, Madame Longbottom's manner warmed slightly, and she smiled at Ron and Ginny. "I knew your parents before…back in the war."
Just then, a blank-eyed woman with wild gray hair came shuffling up behind them. "Oh! Alice! How did you get out?" The woman put her hand on Neville's shoulder, and Harry's eyes went wide. He could see the resemblance. This woman had to be Neville's mother.
Harry seized the moment. "Is this your mother, Neville?" he asked, as politely as if he were at tea with Balalaika or Boss Chang of the Triads. At Neville's nod, Harry stepped forward, offering her his hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, ma'am. I'm in your son's year at Hogwarts. My name is Harry Potter, and these are my cousin, Dudley Dursley, and our friends." He introduced everybody, just as he had to Neville's grandmother. Harry watched everybody sharply, but he was not disappointed in their reactions. They were all just as polite and courteous as they had been earlier, and Harry heaved an inner sigh of relief. The Longbottoms, although they had fallen on bad times, were an influential family, and not having them hostile would likely be useful down the line.
Alice Longbottom was clearly well out of it. She looked vaguely at the Slytherins, and her attention was caught by Luna's blonde locks. She reached out her hand, stroking the girl's hair, and muttered: "Pretty…pretty…" Dudley watched tensely, ready to intervene if the woman tried to harm Luna, but Luna accepted her attentions calmly, and smiled when Alice did. The tension level dropped dramatically.
Right then, a Healer came bustling up. "Oh! You shouldn't be out of your ward, Madame Longbottom!" She gently began herding Neville's mother away, but not before she grabbed Neville's hand and gave him a look of pure longing. Neville blushed, and then looked at Harry and the Slytherins as though he expected them to laugh at this byplay. Harry had never felt less like laughing in his life. One look at his companions told him that they shared his views. The girls' eyes were shiny with unshed tears, and the boys all looked very solemn.
Professor Snape finally spoke up. "Your pardon, Madame Longbottom, but I must get my charges back to school. It's been a pleasure seeing you, ma'am."
"And making your acquaintance, and that of your well-mannered charges, was an unexpected pleasure, Professor. Come, Neville!" Madame Longbottom turned to go, and Neville trudged along behind her, looking as though he wished he were anywhere else in the world. Harry couldn't blame him. He imagined seeing his own parents, or Aunt Petunia, in the condition that Alice Longbottom was in, and shuddered.
It was a subdued group of Slytherins that returned to Hogwarts. When they were back in their common-room, Snape said: "I must say that I was very pleased with how you comported yourselves. You are all credits to this House. Ten points to Slytherin-apiece."
And, just as exams were winding down, Harry and Dudley were surprised by a letter directly from Balalaika. Normally, she communicated with them through Petunia Dursley while they were away; Balalaika was always aware of the difference between an employer and a parent or guardian.
My dear boys,
Your Professor Snape has written to tell us of your exploits, and I am more proud of you than words can express. Your bravery, your comradely spirit even for a Housemate you had reasons to dislike, your ingenuity, and your mannerly comportment toward your unfortunate schoolmates are all great credits to your teachers, and to Bougainvillea Traders and Hotel Moscow.
I was not at all pleased to hear that a dreadful monster had been sleeping in the bowels of your school, and, as you can imagine, Petunia was terrified at the news. We considered withdrawing you from that school, but Asian magical schools are very esoteric and not at all welcoming to foreign students, and the other available alternatives were all worse. However, I have written to Professor Dumbledore about this fraudulent teacher he apparently hired. The man seems to have pulled the wool over everybody's eyes, which makes being fooled by him understandable. Even so, Professor Dumbledore should have been more diligent in investigating his past.
You and your companions deserve great credit for putting an end to the reign of fear that had come over your school. Were this the Soviet military, I would recommend all of you for decorations and promotion. As things stand, I shall surely find ways to give you greater responsibility in our day-to-day affairs here in Roanapur.
I salute you,
Balalaika.
After they read the letter, Harry and Dudley both went around with such huge smiles that everybody was asking them just what had gone so well in their lives.
END Chapter 41
