Harry Potter and the Last Goodnight

CHAPTER 40

A Deal

The Hogwarts Express couldn't go fast enough for Harry. It seemed to inch along the track at the pace of a sloth. The only thing that kept him from losing his sanity was mental images of Snape, begging for mercy as Harry cursed him into oblivion. Somewhere in his mind, he knew he was being irrational, but he didn't care. It was Snape's fault his girlfriend--the girl he loved--was a werewolf.

Harry felt that the only just punishment would be for Snape to be bitten by a werewolf himself, but he would settle for a nasty itching charm and a hiccupping spell. He was sure that he had enough hatred and fury bottled up inside of him to make the cruciatus curse work, but knew better than to try it. However, it did make him feel better to have the mental image of Snape hanging from strings like a marionette, submissive to Harry's every command.

When the Hogwarts Express finally did reach Hogsmeade Station, Harry quickly got off the train and found a thestral-drawn carriage. Ron hurried after him and managed to hop inside before the carriage took off towards Hogwarts.

"You could have waited for Hermione," Ron said. "What's the rush?"

"I've got something to take care of," Harry muttered through clenched teeth. As they approached the castle, he could feel his rage rising inside of him. Soon, it would boil over.

But as the carriage pulled up to Hogwarts, he could see someone waving at him frantically. Harry quickly got off the carriage and put some distance between himself and Ron, so that Ron wouldn't be able to follow him to the dungeon. However, the waving figure ran over to him, and he saw that it was Colin Creevey.

"What is it, Colin?" Harry muttered, quickening his pace.

"Harry, I'm glad I caught you!" he said, out of breath. "You've got to go see Dumbledore right now. He said it's urgent." But Harry continued toward the stairwell that led to the dungeon, ignoring Colin's message. Colin grabbed the neck of his robes from the back to get his attention. "He sounded really angry, Harry. You've got to go to his office. He said if you didn't, he'd destroy your license." He looked Harry over, puzzled. "Did you get your driver's license or something?"

Harry stopped dead in his tracks. As much as he wanted to get his revenge on Snape, if Dumbledore destroyed his license to practice Legilimency, he wouldn't be able to help the Order. And he couldn't sacrifice that license for the honor of a girl, no matter how much he loved her. His Occlumency training had been all about rational thought winning out over his emotions.

"Harry?"

"I'm going, Colin," he replied. Harry backtracked and took the stairwell that led to the second floor where Dumbledore's office was.

He took the stairs by twos and resisted the urge to sprint to the office. His heart was pounding in his chest, his hands coiled into fists. He was trembling with anger. He knew Dumbledore was going to try and stop him from doing anything to Snape. He could give it his best shot, but it didn't matter. Snape had proved himself to be the villain Harry always thought he was.

Harry muttered the password and trampled up the hidden stairwell. The stone gargoyle was no longer humbling. He was used to the headmaster calling him.

He'd barely reached the top of the stairs when the door flew open. With a start, Harry saw that Dumbledore was standing by the door, his wand raised.

"Come in and take a seat, Harry." Dumbledore's eyes were troubled and dark.

Some of Harry's anger turned into fear. He'd rarely seen Dumbledore with his wand out. What was he planning to do? Restrain him? Charm him? Harry took a deep breath and sat down in the chair opposite Dumbledore's desk.

Suddenly, Dumbledore muttered an incantation and the room was filled with a thick, gray smoke. It flowed from his wand and collected near the ceiling. He said something else - it sounded like Latin--and the smoke pushed outward and caked the walls, layering the portraits.

Harry cowered in his seat. Was this some kind of relaxation serum that would calm him? Would it knock him out?

Dumbledore put his wand away and sat down at his desk. "I can't risk them overhearing," he whispered. "Some of them are no longer loyal to Hogwarts."

Harry followed Dumbledore's gaze to the portraits on the wall. As the smoke covered the frames, each headmaster or mistress fell asleep, slumped back in their chairs and snoring. "The portraits?"

Dumbledore nodded. "They are odd devices. They're supposed to personify the previous headmasters, but are sometimes flawed. Not entirely trustworthy. Some have sister portraits inside the Ministry."

Harry found his voice. "The Ministry?" he barked. "What do they have to do with this?"

"Quite a bit, I'm afraid. The Ministry is still unaware of Eva's condition. If word got out, there would be trouble for all of us."

Puzzled and frustrated, Harry didn't know what to ask first. What the hell was Eva's job at the Ministry, or where to find Snape so that he could pummel him. The latter won, and he opened his mouth, about to let all of his anger towards Snape come pouring out in a stream of curses. However, Dumbledore raised a hand to silence him.

"First, allow me to say how deeply sorry I am for the attack on Christmas Eve. It's a terrible tragedy, and I very sorry for my part in the carelessness. I'm afraid it is my fault."

Harry didn't believe him for a second. He was just sticking up for Snape, as he always did. "Snape was supposed to be there. He was supposed to..."

"If you are going to blame anyone," Dumbledore declared, his tone more harsh than normal, "it should be me. However, I can see you do not agree. I know that you would like nothing more than to confront Professor Snape and make him pay for my mistake by any means necessary. However, I propose a deal."

"A deal?" Harry questioned.

"If you agree to leave Professor Snape alone and to never speak of that night to him, I will allow you to do something in return. Something that I am sure will be well worth stifling your rage towards him."

"I doubt it," Harry muttered. He didn't like that Dumbledore was speaking to him about this. It was making him become more rational, more responsible. His Occlumency training was kicking in, and his anger was slipping further and further away by the second.

"On the contrary, I think that it will definitely be something that interests you. What I am about to tell you must be kept secret. Part of your Legilimency training will be to keep many secrets. You will be learning many things that have to be kept quiet. This is only one of them." He relaxed a bit, and sat back in his chair. "Do you know where Remus has been spending his transformations?"

That was the last questions Harry had expected Dumbledore to ask. It caught him off-guard. "Er... I hadn't really thought about it. I thought he would be hidden away in a forest somewhere."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm afraid, Harry, that he's been right under your nose on the nights of the full moon. He has been staying on Hogwarts grounds. Professor Snape has been fixing the Wolfsbane potion for him for quite some time."

"I don't understand what this has to do with a deal," Harry interrupted impatiently. He wanted to be furious, and he felt he was losing all of his energy in this conversation.

Dumbledore smiled. "Now Eva will join him."

Slowly, Harry realized what that meant. Eva would not just be coming to Hogwarts for the last Quidditch match of the season. No, she would be coming for every full moon--just about once a month. "What are you saying, professor?"

"If you promise to never confront Professor Snape about the events of Christmas Eve, I will allow you to spend time with her during her visits to Hogwarts. She and Remus will arrive precisely twenty-four hours before the nightfall of the full moon, and you may spend the night, and the next morning--if you don't have class--with her."

Harry gulped. He felt his heart suddenly leap from his chest into his throat. A whole night with her? Did Dumbledore realize what he was suggesting? From the sparkle in his eyes, Harry almost thought so. But this was an unfair deal. Of course he would have to take his offer; there was no other choice. Seeing Eva once a month was even better than beating the hell out of Snape.

He was cautious before giving his answer. "I would get to spend all of that time with her alone?"

Dumbledore nodded. "You would, however, have to keep her hidden, and out of sight from anyone else. No one can know she is here. Not Nora. Not Ron or Hermione. But the time would be yours, yes."

Harry thought it was too good to be true. There had to be a catch. Dumbledore saw his hesitation. "There will be sleeping arrangements made, of course. However, you seem to know the secrets of this school better than I do. Certain liberties could be taken. I may be able to bend the rules."

He wasn't sure he was hearing Dumbledore correctly. He had the suspicion that there was more to this than he realized. But he couldn't worry about that. This was too good of a deal to pass up.

"Fine," Harry declared. "I'll take it." He tried not to smile too broadly.

"Good. I believe you are getting the better end of the bargain." Dumbledore returned his grin. "Now, directly behind my desk is a hidden room. In this room, there are no portraits, no mirrors, and no fireplaces. The room is entirely secure. There is even a backdoor that leads down the tower. This is where we will be holding our lessons.

"We need to discuss when your Legilimency training will begin. It is going to be difficult and not to be taken lightly. It requires intense concentration, and I expect you to practice on your own time, as well as give me all of your energy when we have our sessions. Because of the winter weather, there is no Quidditch practice, and because I know you will be on your best behavior, you'll no longer be serving detentions. So each school night, I expect you here, in my office, after dinner. You will have the weekends off."

"Yes sir," Harry replied. He knew that he should be feeling overwhelmed, because he barely had enough time to do his homework as it was, but part of him was excited to start studying with Professor Dumbledore. Anything was better than the long hours he'd spent in the dungeon with Snape.

"I expect you here promptly at seven o'clock." He smiled at Harry, then stood up and took out his wand, pointing at the portraits. The former headmasters slowly woke up and Dumbledore put his wand away. He approached the desk and spoke as if their last conversation had never happened. "You are free to leave."

"Thank you, professor," Harry said. Feeling light on his feet, he stood up and left Dumbledore's office. He fingered the Moon Guide in his pocket and realized that it was truly one of the best gifts he had ever received. Harry would be getting even more use out of it now.

* * *

Classes were back in session and the halls of Hogwarts were filled with newfound frenzy. It was a new term, and Ron had taken an oath that he was going to try harder on his studies this time, especially if he wanted to pass Potions in the spring. Snape was piling on the homework.

After attending his first Potions class of the new year, Harry found that he actually felt sorry for Snape. He was an old man with nothing to comfort him but flinging insults at Gryffindors all day. And now that he wouldn't be spending hours in the dungeon for his Remedial Potions lessons, Harry was much less stressed. However, he was still furious with him for what happened on Christmas Eve. He certainly didn't blame him any less.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were seated at their usual table in the Gryffindor common room one afternoon before dinner. Ron was griping about a project for Herbology, when Nora suddenly stormed into the common room and slammed the portrait door behind her. She was stalking up to the girls' dormitory when Harry shot to his feet. It had been a long time since he'd spent time with her. He certainly hadn't been a good friend.

"Nora!" he called. "What's the matter?"

Nora stopped in her tracks. She turned around and stalked over to Harry, looking red with an Irish temper that seemed to match her older sister's. "He gave me detention!" she cried. "Me! Detention!"

Harry led her over to an empty couch and sat down. "Who gave you a detention?"

"Snape!" she spat. "That old grubby, greasy, absent-minded..."

"Absent-minded?" Harry questioned. That didn't sound like Snape at all. Sure, he was grubby and greasy, but he always seemed to have his wits about him. "What do you mean? Why did he give you a detention?" Not that he particularly gave reasons when he was handing out detentions to Gryffindors.

"I corrected him on a potion ingredient," Nora replied. She crossed her arms over her chest. One of her dark curls fell in front of her eyes and she blew it out of the way. "It was wrong! I knew it was. What was I supposed to do? Just let it go? He was going to make Helen Warren drink it. She could have grown antlers! It could have been a disaster!" She paused for a breath. "And what does he do? Does he thank me? No. He gives me detention! And not just one detention, but a whole week of it!"

Harry laughed and slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Did you really correct him?"

"Aye. And he really was wrong. He had to erase it and everything. I think he was completely embarrassed. I'm pretty sure he hexed me under his breath too, because right when he said 'Miss Finnigan' I felt like I was getting a zit on the tip of my nose. And look!" She pointed to it. "It's already red. What if it's a boil? Is he allowed to do that?" She frowned at Harry. "Stop laughing! I'm serious!"

Harry couldn't help himself. "You remind me so much of your sister when you're angry."

Nora softened. "You miss her, don't you? I do too." She paused. "But he was still wrong!"

"Don't worry. This is only the beginning of a long stream of detentions from him. Once you cross him, he never forgets it," Harry replied. "There's no use fighting it. He hates anyone in Gryffindor. But I'm sure he hates being proved wrong--especially by a first-year. You made a fool out of him."

Nora sighed. "It's just... I finally found something I'm good at, you know? Something that makes me a real witch. So many people in my classes come from generations of powerful wizards and I'm a nobody. A bastard child of an Englishman. A Mudblood..."

Harry shushed her. "Where did you hear that?"

"Everywhere," she replied solemnly.

"Don't listen to them," Harry said. "All of the pureblood talk is nonsense. You are a witch, Nora. A good one. Or else you wouldn't be here."

Harry's words seemed to encourage her. "You're right," she sighed. "But that doesn't get me out of a week's worth of detentions in the dungeon."

"I'm afraid not." She was quiet for a moment. She looked sad still. Harry didn't like to see her frowning. "How about a game of Gobstones?"

She scoffed. "What's the point?" Nora grinned. "You know I'm going to beat you anyway."

"We'll just see about that," Harry said. Nora took her books and ran up to the girls' dormitory to get her game. Harry still sat on the couch, deep in thought.

It wasn't like Snape to make mistakes. Perhaps all of his double-agent duties were finally taking their toll on him. Still, it troubled him that Snape was distracted. If he was, then that could mean danger for the Order. If he messed up, secrets could be spilled. Blood could be shed--again.

And when did Nora become a potions expert, anyway?

Hermione came over to the couch and took a seat next to Harry. "So what did she get a detention for?"

"Potions."

Hermione smiled. "Taking one for the Gryffindors, I imagine." She paused. "Listen, Harry. I talked to Luna, and she said that you agreed to do an interview for The Quibbler. I hope you don't mind that I took the initiative and asked Rita Skeeter if she'd do another interview."

"That's fine," Harry replied. "Did she agree?"

She nodded. "Last year's article turned out to be a great milestone in her career. She's eager for a sequel."

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "That's the thing. I... I don't really know what to tell her or The Quibbler, for that matter. There is no story." It wasn't like the year before, when Harry had a tale to tell.

"Harry, you don't understand," Hermione said, quite seriously. "Everyone is walking around out there like nothing ever happened. They're ignoring it! Everything! With The Daily Prophet under the Ministry's censorship, hardly anything about Voldemort has been published lately. The Azkaban breakout didn't even take up the whole front page."

"But Hermione, what am I supposed to say? Lock your doors? Sleep with your wand beneath your pillow?"

"You've got to do something. We've got to warn them, Harry."

"They know what they're up against," Harry replied. He thought back to when Mr. Weasley described the horror people felt when they would come home to see the Dark Mark positioned in the sky above their houses. "They haven't forgotten."

"But they're trying to," she said. "I would imagine that you, of all people..." She sighed and make a clicking noise in the back of her throat.

"What?" he questioned, rolling his eyes.

"Surely, I would think that you can feel it."

"Feel what?"

Hermione's eyes darkened. "Danger," she replied somberly. "There's something in the air. Something's coming. Times are changing. Soon."

Harry frowned. He remembered Seamus saying that he felt a change in the air too. Harry didn't notice much difference. Voldemort had always been a black cloud looming over his head. He had been in such good spirits lately, but he supposed that was due to Eva. "You sound like Trelawney," he muttered.

"You can pick on me all you want," Hermione said, "but you know I'm right. It's your responsibility to say something. Your duty."

"My duty?" He sighed. "All right, I'll think of something."

* * *

Eva kept her promise and wrote Harry at least once a day. Harry was feeling guilty because he didn't have as much time to write back. Eva, however, didn't seem to mind.

Dear Harry,

I'm glad you're adjusting to school again. Life at the Burrow is different. I have to admit that it's a lot easier than living in Hogsmeade. The biggest change is all the food! It's amazing. Molly makes breakfast for everyone and she packs a lunch for the twins and me. I've never had regular, good meals so often in my life.

Arthur and I leave for work in the mornings together, but he's almost always out on an assignment somewhere these days. I've been spending long hours at the office lately, so he beats me home when there isn't some kind of crisis.

Molly always stays up and waits for me to get home. Then she fixes something for me to eat for dinner. She's so gentle--so motherly. It's been a while since I've had a mother. It's nice, but sometimes I feel like I'm suffocating. It's hard to join a family when you've been alone for so long.

The Burrow is empty. It was hard to adjust to after everyone left. The twins are busy developing new products, and Arthur and Molly disappear after dinner. Sometimes Remus will spend the weekends with us. He and the Weasleys say it has something to do with the Order, but I get the impression that he's just very lonely now that you and Tonks are back at Hogwarts.

He watches me like a hawk, which was sweet in the beginning, but it's getting slightly annoying. He still apologizes about Christmas Eve. He says he's looking after me, but I think Remus is grateful for the companionship, even if he feels guilty every time he looks at me. I've had the chance to ask him a lot of questions about our condition. I haven't gotten a lot of answers, but I feel more prepared for when the time comes.

I miss you so much. When I'm not working, I just mope around the Burrow thinking about you. Molly says that I need to get a hobby. I don't even know where to look for one. I think I've forgotten how to have fun. I miss performing in front of an audience like I did at the Royal Realm. That job was a lot of fun. But I know that with all of my work at the Ministry--which is much more important to me--wouldn't get done if I had to perform in London every night.

Maybe we could meet the next time you go on a Hogsmeade trip. Let me know what the date is, and I'll be there.

Yours,

Eva

Reading her letters only made Harry miss her even more. He wasn't allowed to tell her about how he was going to see her before every full moon. He was kind of glad it worked out that way though, so it would be a surprise.

She was still signing her letters as "yours." Harry hoped that the next time he saw her that would change.