Harry Potter and the Last Goodnight

Chapter 39: Eavesdropping

The days passed far too quickly for Harry. Eva had to return to work at the Ministry with Arthur after New Year's Day to keep up appearances. Harry had finished all of his holiday homework and even managed to help Ron out with a last minute Potions assignment. Nora helped too. She was very bright and eager to learn what little she could from the sixth-year Potions curriculum.

The afternoons were always the longest part of the day for Harry. He would help Molly with odd jobs around the house until there was nothing left for him to do. He usually played a match of Gobstones with Ginny over afternoon tea. Then he would count the minutes until it was time for Eva and Arthur to return home.

On the last afternoon before Harry returned to Hogwarts his habitual moping was interrupted. There was a knock on the door. He was reading one of the books he'd bought Remus for Christmas in the sitting room when Mrs. Weasley rose to answer it. He liked to be in the sitting room because he could keep an eye on the clock. Mr. Weasley and Eva traveled together, so he would know when they were on their way home or in mortal peril.

"Oh... Mr. Lovegood... What a surprise!" Harry heard her greet them, quite awkwardly.

Harry quickly shut the book and got to his feet. He completely forgot about Luna's request for an interview. But not now; he wasn't ready for it. Was Mr. Lovegood going to interview him? What questions was he going to ask? How was Harry supposed to know how to answer - how much could he say?

But his anxiety was eased when he saw Luna and her father walk through the door. He had the same pale, dirty-blonde hair that Luna did, which he kept tucked beneath a brown bowler cap. He was tall and lanky. He reminded Harry of a stiff cornstalk, fragile in a windstorm. Ron came downstairs from his room to see who was visiting them. Luna smiled brightly at him, and then turned to Harry.

"Sorry for stopping by on short notice," she said. "Well, no notice, really. But we - my father was wondering if we could discuss the interview."

Harry ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry Luna. The holidays have been really... crazy. I haven't had time to think about it or..."

"It's all right," Mr. Lovegood interrupted. He grinned at Harry and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Harry."

Harry shook his hand. Despite his appearance, he had a very firm, strong handshake. "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Lovegood."

"No worries, Harry. I just wanted to have a preliminary meeting to decide when, where, and how the interview will take place. I know that you will be returning to Hogwarts tomorrow, so it will have to take place on the grounds. However, it must take place in the utmost secrecy."

Harry nodded. "Of course, sir."

"No one out-scoops The Quibbler," he declared with a gleam of pride in his eyes. Harry recognized that same look in Luna at times. "Dumbledore has consented to the interview. He recommended that Ms. Skeeter conduct the interview. Do you agree?"

Again, Harry nodded. However, he wished Hermione was there. She would know how to set things up, especially on Rita Skeeter's end. "It's fine with me, sir."

"Excellent," Mr. Lovegood replied. He hesitated for a moment, and scratched his head, distracted. "Harry, if you don't mind me asking, there is a scoop here, is there not?"

He glanced uneasily at Ron, who made his way down the stairs and into the living room. Ron cleared his throat. "Even if Harry doesn't think there's a scoop, Rita Skeeter will find one."

Harry grinned and silently thanked Ron for saving him. But he couldn't help feeling guilty that even as they spoke, he was keeping a secret from him. And not only him, but Hermione, Eva, and Ginny as well. Perhaps even Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. It just didn't seem right.

He would often lie awake at night, wondering what would happen when everyone found out he was studying Legilimency. Would they think he was reading their minds? Would they think he had betrayed the sacredness of their innermost privacy? He knew that Legilimency was not the same as mind-reading, but the two were often confused.

But even he was unsure of the boundaries he would be crossing in his studies. How far was too far? How much could he see, if he pressed hard enough? All of these questions felt like heavy burdens to carry on his shoulders. Dumbledore had a lot of answering to do.

Molly invited Mr. Lovegood into the kitchen for some tea, and Luna remained in the living room with Harry and Ron. An awkward silence hung in the air.

"So... did you have a good Christmas?" Ron asked Luna.

"Oh yes," she replied eagerly. "My father and I went over to Dorset to study some Porlocks. It was excellent. We'd spend all day riding horses and hiding in stables."

Harry couldn't help but notice that Luna acted differently when she was around Ron. She was more outgoing, more confident. It almost appeared as though she was trying to impress him. Ron, however, seemed indifferent to the change. He continued chatting with Luna about something in The Quibbler. Apparently, Harry wasn't the only one who got a free subscription.

When Mr. Lovegood was finished with his tea, he and Luna said a quick goodbye and left the Burrow. Luna reminded Harry and Ron that she'd see them on the train tomorrow. Harry had almost forgotten that his winter break was at an end. It made him sick inside to think that he would be leaving Eva tomorrow.

Harry found that he was glad that Eva wasn't around when the Lovegoods were at the Burrow. It was better to keep Eva separated from the wizarding world as best he could. He could keep her safe and out of danger. He didn't like that she was involved in anything at the Ministry, let alone anything to do with Voldemort. It bothered him that she even knew his name. And what kind of meetings did she have with Charlie, anyway?

"I've never heard Luna so chatty before," Mrs. Weasley commented, glancing at Ron. "She's not as... unique as she was when she was a child, asking to come over and play with Ginny."

"She still has her quirks," Ron replied. "But she grows on you."

Harry curiously looked at Ron. "What do you mean she grows on you? It was only a few months ago that you were calling her Loony."

He shrugged. "There were a few times she needed help with her Divination homework. I helped her out."

"But you hate divination," Harry interrupted.

"Not the part where you get to make things up," he said. "And besides, what else was I supposed to do while you were off in your Remedial Potions lessons and your dozens of detentions?"

Things like snogging Hermione came to mind, but Harry held his tongue. He would be serving many, many more detentions throughout the next term. Perhaps Ron and Hermione weren't as close as he thought.

* * *

Harry's last dinner at the Burrow was bittersweet. He felt ready to go back to Hogwarts, but knew he was going to miss Eva terribly. He would miss eating breakfast with her every morning. He'd miss spending his evenings trying to sneak away into the attic to steal a kiss before the ghoul made too much racket. But most of all, he'd miss saying good night to her.

He wouldn't miss Molly fussing over his every move. He wouldn't miss Arthur's daunting questions about the Muggle world that he still asked both Harry and Eva endlessly. He felt he was ready to leave the Burrow. He felt he was ready for whatever Legilimency and Dumbledore had in store for him.

He hoped his feelings were right.

During the night before they returned to Hogwarts, Harry tossed and turned so much on the bottom bunk bed in Ron's room he was afraid he'd wake his best friend up from his deep, snoring slumber. He was anxious. He wanted to be at Hogwarts already so that he would be able to find out more about Legilimency. If he was already at Hogwarts, that meant he had already said goodbye to Eva, and he'd already gone through the pain of leaving her.

However, time passed slowly. Ron's bedroom turned from pitch black to gray with the beginning of sunrise. Feeling like he didn't sleep a wink, Harry got out of bed and slipped his robe on.

It would be hours before they had to go to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. He considered sneaking to the room that Nora and Eva were sharing, but thought better of it. If he were caught, he had a feeling that he'd be breaking a whole different kind of trust with Mr. Weasley, and he still felt a little awkward around him from the Muggle Studies field trip.

Instead, Harry trudged down the stairs to the bottom floor. He could hear soft voices in the kitchen. He wasn't surprised to find Remus sitting at the kitchen table with one of the books Harry had bought him for Christmas lying open on the table.

He heard another voice. It was Tonks. She had transformed back into Professor Luerre. She, too, would be going back to Hogwarts. She picked up the kettle from the stove and brought it over to the table. "I still don't trust him."

"Dumbledore says..."

"I don't care what Dumbledore says. That man is not loyal to anyone. I'm keeping my eye on him."

"You're wasting your time," Remus replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "It was a mistake. It was just by bad luck and terrible circumstance that it happened."

"I can't believe that you, of all people, are blaming the attack on bad luck!" Tonks exploded.

Remus hushed her. "I don't blame him. Someone else should have been watching me. It was an oversight. I should have just apparated somewhere-anywhere. I didn't think that they would be walking. I forgot about the bus stop. To think, if it had been some poor Muggle..."

"She is a poor Muggle!" Tonks cried. "In every sense of the word! And now she's a werewolf, and it's all Snape's fault. I don't care what way you try to spin it, Remus. I'm not buying it. It is not an oversight; it's a traitor's plan!"

Harry's fists coiled at his sides. Snape. So everything was his fault. Rage welled up inside of him, and he felt his entire being shake with it. He was supposed to watch Remus on Christmas Eve. He was supposed to take care of him during his transformation. If he had done what he was supposed to, Eva would still be a Muggle.

Tonks continued. "If Snape had been where he was supposed to be on Christmas Eve, none of this would have happened. He could have sent a message to Dumbledore. To Arthur. To me. Anyone. But he didn't. He just irresponsibly let you go through your transformation, without any potion, and hope for the best."

"That's enough!" Remus whispered hoarsely, jumping to his feet. "If you're going to hold a grudge against Snape, then all of our other plans are not going to work. The only way we can possibly pull this operation off is if you trust him."

"I have never trusted that bastard," Tonks snapped. "And I'll be damned if I ever do."

"Listen here!" Remus shouted. He grabbed Tonks by the shoulders. "There's a reason. There's got to be a reason." He sounded desperate. "And I know it's something big. I know that you never trusted Snape, nor did James or Sirius or Molly. But I trust Dumbledore, and Dumbledore trusts Snape, and that's good enough for me." He let go of her shoulders and sighed, looking weak and defeated. "You've got to have faith, Tonks, or this whole war will be over before it even starts." He fell back down into his chair.

"It's always been your fatal flaw, hasn't it?" Tonks said gently.

"Not fatal," he replied. "It's instinct. I can feel it."

Tonks sat down next to him and intertwined her fingers with his. "You may put all of your faith in Dumbledore, but I put all of my faith in you," she whispered. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I hope you're right. I hope that Snape gathered some excellent information, or all of Eva's troubles are for nothing."

Fuming, Harry retreated into the living room. To him, it didn't matter what kind of information Snape got on Christmas Eve. Nothing was worth the price of Eva's attack. She was the victim-a werewolf-for what? The location of the escaped Death Eaters? A copy of the agenda of a Death Eater meeting? The inside track on the negotiations with Dementors? She would be a werewolf for the rest of her life for Snape's spying escapades.

He was so furious he could barely find it in him to pretend that he hadn't overheard Tonks and Remus arguing. He couldn't eat a thing for breakfast, but luckily, Molly chalked it up to the fact that they were going back to school. She had correctly called it a "bad case of the nerves." That was exactly what Harry felt like inside: a bundle of nerves.

A bundle of nerves waiting to beat the hell out of Severus Snape.

Fortunately, Eva had to leave for work before everyone else left for Hogwarts. Harry wanted to say goodbye quickly. It was going to be painful, but he wanted it to be fast so he wouldn't have time to dwell on it. It would be better to feel angry at Snape than emptiness for Eva.

She said goodbye to Nora first, and promised that she would go with Molly and Arthur to watch the last Quidditch match of the season. They hugged and cried a little, but dozens of promises to write reassured Nora that she wouldn't feel any homesickness.

Harry was helping to load the trunks into the Ministry car when Eva stepped outside to say goodbye. He quickly pulled her around the corner to the side of the Burrow so the no one could see them, and immediately smothered her with kisses.

"I... I can't believe it's over," she said breathlessly. "I thought we had so much time together."

Harry nodded solemnly. "Am I really not going to see you until our last Quidditch match?"

Eva shrugged. "I'm not sure. I don't know if I'll be going back to Hogsmeade or if I'm a permanent resident here now." She studied him closely. He felt chills down his spine when their eyes met. "Are you... mad?" she questioned.

He shook his head. "Not mad. Sad," he lied. This was no time for him to be angry, but somehow she knew something else was going on.

"I'll write to you," she said. "All the time. I promise." She seemed to be conflicted about something. In her eyes, he could see that there was something she wanted to tell him, but couldn't. Perhaps she couldn't find the words.

But Harry didn't press her. He had his own secrets to hold back. "I'll write to you too. All the time." He managed a smile. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I already miss you," Eva whispered. Suddenly, she took a step towards him and pushed him back against the wooden wall of the Burrow. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his, leaving him breathless as her hands traveled from his shoulders, down the front of his chest, and beyond.

Harry gasped, and when she moved away from him he pulled her back again, this time returning the favor, his hands wandering as he pressed his body close to hers. He felt her shiver, and it only encouraged his romantic assault on her.

And for a moment, all of his rage for Snape was forgotten and he was caught up in the feeling of her body pressed against him, and the smell of her hair, and the taste of her lips. When they finally did separate, he felt lost in her eyes. He could have been dreaming. Just as he was able to recognize how he felt, and put those feelings into words, the moment had passed, and she had taken him by the hand and led him back inside the Burrow.

Next time, he promised, next time I'll tell her.

He could barely speak as he watched her disappear into the fireplace once they were inside. He mumbled a goodbye, already aching for her, and felt a pat on his back. He turned around.

Remus grinned at him. "Don't worry Harry. The Order will look after her."

That put his floating feet back on the floor where they belonged. "Just like Snape looked after you?" Harry snapped.

"How do you know...?" Remus began, clearly shocked.

Harry shrugged indifferently. It'd didn't matter. All that mattered now was that Snape got what he deserved. Harry would see to it that he would, as soon as he stepped off the Hogwarts Express. There was no stopping him.

Snape was going to pay.