Longing for Lethe

At the close of his speech, the ring ceased to glow. Sibyll turned a shocked face towards Hermione. After staring at her for a few moments, she burst into great heaving sobs that shook her small frame. Hermione wrapped her arm around the sobbing woman, and rested her head against Sibyll's.

"Shh, Sibyll. Don't cry so hard, you'll work yourself into a state. At least you know he loves you still."

"But he can't remember me!" she wailed, burying her face in her hands.

"Then make him remember you! Write to him, see him, try to be with him."

"I can't leave Hogwarts to go to him. Besides, I don't think I could handle seeing him changed."

"You can still send him owls. I'm sure he'd love to hear from someone who once knew him. Besides, there aren't many who remember him fondly, especially when everything came out about his books. He needs a friend more than anything right now, I'd imagine."

"What do I say to him? Sorry I haven't talked to you in twenty years?"

"Just tell him what's in your heart. The heart remembers, even when the head can't."

"If the heart has grown cold, what can revive the fire?"

"Love. Everything boils down to love." Hermione gave Sibyll a small smile. "You look tired, why don't you lie down and take a nap? I have some work that I can do."

"If you'd rather, I'll leave..."

"No, stay and rest. When you wake up, we can talk some more."

Sibyll acquiesced, and Hermione murmured an enlargement spell on the bed. As Sibyll drifted off to sleep, Hermione watched her, wondering how life could be so full of sorrow, usually kept hidden from all others. A fragment of a poem flitted through her head just then. 'It is right it should be so; Man was made for Joy and Woe; And when this we rightly know Thro' the World we safely go, Joy and Woe are woven fine, A Clothing for the Soul divine; Under every grief and pine Runs a joy with silken twine.' Looking at her once despised teacher, now good friend, Hermione realised the truth of William Blake's words. For once love is tempered in the furnace, it becomes stronger, able to handle whatever life might throw at it.

Hermione gave a soft sigh before opening her Herbology text. Soon, she'd lost herself in the intricacies of the magical properties of the jasmine flower. It wasn't long before she, too, fell asleep, dulled by the details of the book, and the emotional drain she'd been through earlier. Her head came to rest gently in the pages of her text, her mind dancing about the idea of bringing in a jasmine plant for her room.

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Harry was lying on his bed, fuming, when Ron entered the dorm. Harry glared at him, ice in his eyes. Ron tried to ignore the look, but found he couldn't.

"Have you even bothered to go talk to Dumbledore? You know he will always tell you the truth."

"Why do you care? You've taken their side against my parents."

"Harry, you deliberately hurt Professor Trelawney earlier, all because she told you a painful truth about your past. Yes, it's wonderful that you defeated Vol-Voldemort twice, but it's made you change. Where's the Harry I knew?"

"The Harry you knew is me, Ron. I'm going to see Dumbledore now, see if I can get transferred to my own room. I seem to have grown tired of all this chatter."

"You're making a big mistake. You need your friends now, why are you pushing us away?"

"Because now you're supporting what Aunt Petunia said is truth; that my parents were not the perfect people they've been made out to be. I don't want to believe that."

"Let's go see Dumbledore together. He can tell us what's going on." Ron gave Harry a small, questioning smile, and was relieved to see Harry tentatively smile back. Together they walked to Dumbledore's office. Upon reaching the gargoyle guarding the door, Ron turned to Harry and asked, "What's the password?"

"Last week it was 'Lemon Drops', so this week it should be 'Chocolate Frog'." The gargoyle jumped to attention and moved out of the way, allowing the boys to ascend the stairs. Harry was going to knock on the door, once they'd reached the top of the stairs, but Dumbledore seemed to be ready for them.

"Come in Ron, Harry. I'm glad to see you here. Now, how can I help you?"

"I just want to know one thing. Was my mother really like that? Did she really use people the way everyone said she did?"

"Harry, your mother was a great witch, of that there is no doubt. But, she fell into the trap of caring more about what her peers thought then what her heart was telling her. If she had looked inside herself, she would have seen that her feelings for Professor Snape ran deeper than she realised. You could just as easily have been Harry Snape as you are Harry Potter. Even then, though, it was not to be. Fate had other things in store for your mother and Professor Snape."

"How come no one ever told me this?" Harry demanded, his eyes ablaze with curiosity, hate, anger, and confusion.

"Was it really necessary for you to know? Considering your reaction, I would say the answer is no. We were trying to protect you, Harry, from your parents' mistakes. I see now that this was wrong, but with all that was going on with Voldemort, and your life at the Dursley's, well there just never seemed to be a good time to begin to tell you."

Dumbledore's answer seemed to knock the wind out of Harry's sails. "Oh, well it still doesn't seem fair that everyone knew this about my parents, and I didn't."

"Life is never fair, Harry. Would you like to think you deserve the bad things that happen to you?"

"No, I suppose not, sir. I should be going, I have some apologising to do, especially to Professor Trelawney. Thanks for answering my questions honestly." Harry stood and opened the door, letting in a large, white owl. Shaking his head, he walked out the door, closing in behind him.

"Is that the owl, sir?" Ron asked, his voice filled with excitement.

"Yes, I believe it is, Ron. If you'd wait here a moment, I might have news for you to run up to Madam Pomfrey." Albus untied the letter from the owl, who then went to rest on Fawke's perch. Carefully, he cracked the seal bearing St Mungo's mark, and then quickly read the letter, a small smile appearing as he reached the end of the letter. Setting it down on his desk, he began to address Ron.

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Harry hesitantly knocked on the Infirmary door. He stood there for what seemed like ages, waiting for Madam Pomfrey to answer his knock. Finally, the door opened.

"Mister Potter, don't you have lessons to attend?" Poppy asked, derision in her voice.

"My only class was Herbology, I have the rest of the day free."

"Then what do you want? I've told you before not to come back."

"I know, but I came to apologise. I was wrong at getting so angry earlier, and should not have yelled at my friend like that. May I please see her so that I may give her my apologies?" He turned his green eyes up to look Madam Pomfrey in the face, turning on the charm he'd inherited from his father.

She tried to ignore the effect he had on her and be objective about the situation. "I would let you in to see her, but she's sleeping right now."

"Oh, that's all right. I'll wait for her to wake up," Harry replied, smiling at the medi-witch. He took a seat by the office, and began to twiddle his thumbs, humming to himself.

"If you've got nothing better to do then that, you can help me organise the medicine closet."

"Okay." Harry got up from his chair and went to where he'd heard Madam Pomfrey's voice come from. Stepping into what had been a nice organised room, he gave a short gasp. Everything was chaotic, boxes strewn everywhere, potions out of order, and there on the floor sat Madam Pomfrey sorting through one of the many boxes. "Dear Merlin, what happened here?" he asked.

"I had to give up one of my storage rooms. Albus might be needing it, and so everything went into here. Just pick a box and start sorting. This is going to take awhile." She bent back over the box and pulled out some potions, missing the knocking at the door.

"Um - Madam Pomfrey? There's someone knocking at the door."

"Oh, thank you, Harry. I'll return shortly. In the meantime, keep plugging away." She bustled out the door, and Harry kept at his task, slowly emptying the box in front of him.

"He's coming WHEN?!?" Harry heard Madam Pomfrey shout a minute later. He rushed out to see what the commotion was, and saw Ron standing in the doorway, cowering a bit, and Madam Pomfrey looking extremely agitated.

"What's all this noise?" asked a groggy voice that appeared from Hermione's room.

"Nothing, Sibyll," Madam Pomfrey called back. "Ron, go into my office. We'll speak at length in a moment. Harry, it appears that Professor Trelawney is awake, Hermione should be as well. I'll go in and see if they wish -," Her words were interrupted by a rather fierce banging on the Infirmary door. "Really now, who could it be this time?"

Harry shrugged, though he felt her question was more to the air than to Ron or himself, and watched her wrench open the door, revealing an extremely agitated Professor Snape.

"Did you hear the news yet?" he spat out, a furious look on his face.

"Yes, Ron just informed me. Come into my office, I'm certain Ron will explain everything." Turning to Harry, she said, "Just go in there and keep them occupied, please?" She then led Severus to her office, closing the door behind her.

He stared at the door, wondering what they were talking about, what could have caused such severe reactions. Still puzzled, he went into Hermione's room.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" Hermione asked.

Suddenly, it dawned on him where he was. "Um, hello, uh, I'm sorry?"

"For what, Harry?"

"Hermione, I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier about your choice of friends. Obviously, you have found a friend who is faithful, more so than Ron and I have been." He gave a small smile in her direction, and was pleased to see her smile back. Then he turned to Professor Trelawney. "Madam, it is to you that I must humbly beg forgiveness. My behaviour earlier was uncalled for. I know that must have hurt you, for they were harsh, unkind words. Will you please grant me your forgiveness?"

Both Sibyll and Hermione were taken aback by the sincerity in Harry's voice. "Of course I will forgive you. But tell me, what brought about this sudden change of heart?"

"A talk with Ron and Professor Dumbledore, and me realising that while the truth may hurt, it is still the truth. I never should have taken my anger out on those who are looking out for me."

"Well, I should get going. It's been a long day, and I'm certain you two want to talk some more. I'll see you tomorrow, Hermione?"

"Of course, you're always welcome here. Besides, I want to hear more about your life story."

"Wait! Don't go out there yet!" Harry stepped in front of the door.

"And why can't I leave?"

"Um, because I have a question for the both of you?" he hesitantly replied.

"Cut it out, Harry, and tell us the real reason. I've known you for too long for you to lie to me," Hermione responded.

"Fine, Madam Pomfrey told me to keep you occupied until her meeting was over."

"What meeting, Harry?" Hermione innocently asked. It was then that Harry realised he'd stepped from the frying pan and into the fryer.

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Meanwhile, Madam Pomfrey's meeting was not going half as well. "I cannot believe you agreed to let him be able to come back here, Poppy!" Severus exclaimed.

"Actually, sir, it was my idea to get him here," Ron quickly said, looking at the floor.

"And your sister would have died if you hadn't known where the Chamber of Secrets is, and found Lockhart to help you! Are you insane? Why would you want him here?"

"I-I thought it would make Professor Trelawney happy. It's obvious she's the only thing he remembers, and I believe that she loves him. Is that so wrong?"

"Severus, he has no idea what happened just before the Dark One's first fall. Don't take this out on him."

"Why would having Lockhart here be a bad thing, Professor Snape?"

"He brings too many memories with him."

"How? He can barely remember his name, for Merlin's sake!"

"Things happened before your birth that colour how everyone views that man. That is all I can tell you."

"Well, it's too late now. He's coming tomorrow morning and you must be ready for him."

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"Mr Lockhart, I have some news for you."

"Yes, Doctor Otto?"

"Hogwarts has requested that your care be turned over to them. You'll be leaving in the morning."

"I'll be going home to Rose?"

"Yes, Mr Lockhart, home to Rose."

Tears shone in his eyes as he said, "Thank you, Doctor Otto. You have no idea how grateful I am to be going back