Something About That Girl

Something about that girl (6)

"Give me back my necklace, Penny!" Elizabeth said furiously to the blonde girl opposite her.

"Why should I? It's my necklace now, elephant nose!" the girl said and her two friends laughed.

"You mean giraffe with those legs!" one of them mocked. More laughter.

Elizabeth felt her face burning with anger. It was her third year at the orphanage and Penny and her friends had always been ganging up on Elizabeth, teasing her about her big nose and feet and stealing her belongings.

"Give me back my necklace, now!" she hissed. Her hands were tight fists and she was shaking all over her body. The necklace had belonged to her mother. The boys and girls in the dining room had stopped eating to find out what was going on. All the teachers were at a staff meeting. Elizabeth felt the children's gaze.

"Are you stupid? It's Penny's now!" the second girl said.

"How can it be yours when you stole it!" Elizabeth said. Her heart pounded fast with fury.

"Good heavens, where were you when they handed out brains? Taking a second turn in the row for length, were you?" Penny said, twirling the necklace between her long, slim fingers. Most of the students were laughing. "What Penny wants, Penny gets..."

Elizabeth had never felt so angry in her entire life. She felt like she could burst at any time. She badly wanted to yell something really vicious to Penny but she could not think of a single thing to say.

"Perhaps this thing belonged to your mother? The one who left you here... Well no wonder, if I had a child with a nose I could hang my coat on, I would abandon her straight away too..." All the children laughed. Elizabeth breathed hard. Laughter. Breath. Frustration. Heartache.

BANG!

The children screamed and jumped to the floor as all the windows exploded and glass splinters flew everywhere. The tables and chairs were pushed three metres away from the windows by the power of the explosion.

All the teachers and social workers came running into the room. Panic. Several students had to be taken to the casualty department.

Elizabeth had fallen to the floor along with the others but she was not injured. She got up and looked around. The necklace lay at her feet and she picked it up and quickly hid it. Then she crept unseen out of the room, as everybody was occupied with the injured children. In the hallway she stopped to control her breath and get hold of her thoughts. She was shocked. Did she really cause that explosion? No of course not, her senses told her, but she still felt beside herself.

"Are you a witch?" somebody suddenly said behind her. Elizabeth turned surprised around and saw a slightly older girl with glass splinters in her hair and scratches on her cheek standing there.

"A what?" she asked lamely.

"A witch. My brother did the same thing with a whole set of china when he learned our parents had been killed," the girl said casually. Elizabeth swallowed.

"What do you mean that your brother... Can he do... magic?" Elizabeth asked. She suddenly remembered an incident years ago, when her mother had showed her some kinds of magic tricks.

"Yeah, he could," the girl said. "But he is dead too. They got him afterwards and that is why I am here."

"Oh. But then, can you... do it too?" Elizabeth asked.

"Nope, sorry. I'm a Squib," the girl said with a shrug.

----------

"Good evening, Potter and Parker, that's you marked off, on your way now," McGonagall said. She was standing at the entrance to the Great Hall, marking off a long list of the people who were coming to the Farewell Ball. A long row of cheerfully chatting sixth and seventh years, dressed in their most beautiful clothes, were waiting to get in.

Harry had Elizabeth by the arm and they entered the Great Hall together. They tilted their heads back in surprise as they took in the spectacular sight that met them: The ceiling, bewitched as always to look like the sky, was bright orange and red like the setting sun, and bathed all the students in a soft, warm light. The walls were covered with climbing plants, full of flowers of every colour, and a great fountain was gently dripping water, which changed colour. Little sparkling fairies zoomed around in the air, carrying silver plates, from which they offered drinks. Harry looked at Elizabeth.

"You look, erm, very pretty," he said for the fourth time that evening, and she smiled at him.

"Thanks," she said and blushed slightly. She was wearing a long, floaty, blue dress and her long hair was curving beautifully down her back, framing her pretty, smiling face.

Ron and Hermione joined them. They were already arguing.

"... told you not to say that to her, you're so insensitive sometimes, Ron!"

"What did I do wrong? I just said her dress took the attention away from her zits!" Ron said.

Elizabeth and Harry looked at each other and could not help smiling.

"Oh, Ron," Hermione said, resigning, as the pair walked towards Harry and Elizabeth. Hermione looked very pretty in a wine red dress and with her hair in an elegant knot. Ron was wearing a marine dress-robe and Harry thought it was quite a positive change from the maroon ones with lace he had worn to the Yule Ball three years earlier. Harry had outgrown his old robe, even though he only had used it that once, but Mrs. Weasley had bought him a new one in the same bottle green colour.

"Here, have a drink," Elizabeth said and offered Ron and Hermione two glasses from a plate.

"Thanks," Hermione said. "Wow, Eliza, you look stunning," she said and admired Elizabeth's dress.

"Not as pretty as you, Hermione," Eliza said, blushing again.

Harry looked around the room. Most of the guests had entered and the Great Hall was filled with brightly coloured robes and the sound of chatter. The teachers where standing near the High Table, talking and Harry smiled when he saw Professor Sprout had a ridiculously large butterfly attached to her grey hair and Professor Flitwick wore a bright yellow cloak with purple stars and a matching hat. Harry smiled to Hagrid and waved to him. He smiled back and raised his shovel-sized hand in recognition.

Harry saw Draco entering with Pansy Parkinson. She was wearing a tight, red dress and she was steering Draco around, obviously determined to show that they were together. Malfoy himself was dressed in a simple black dress robe, and had a bored look on his face. Then he suddenly lit up for a moment as he caught sight of something near the entrance, but Pansy steered him to her friends in the opposite direction. Harry turned his head to see what Draco had seen, but he couldn't see anything but Dean and Ginny.

"Look, McGonagall's done, lets go and find our seats," Hermione said.

The two couples found the seating plan.

"Oh no!" Ron exclaimed. "We're at the same table as Malfoy and that pug-nosed snob Pansy Parkinson!"

"Thank you so much, you penniless Mugglelover!" Pansy suddenly spat behind them. They all turned around just to see Pansy walk away offended, dragging Draco along.

"Well, Ron, two major insults in less than ten minutes, that must be a record," Hermione said.

Ron looked a little embarrassed.

They even had Professor Trelawney as their table teacher. Luckily they were also sharing a table with Ginny, Dean, Neville and Padma.

As soon as all the students and teachers were seated at the little tables, Dumbledore clinked his glass to get the attention. The Great Hall went silent.

"Dear students! Dear seventh years! This is your last evening at Hogwarts." Harry could hear Parvati and Lavender sobbing three tables away. Dumbledore smiled gently.

"For seven years you have trod these halls and hopefully you have managed to learn a little on your way. I look at you all now with great pride in my heart. Even though these are troubled times," - he paused to look at them all over his glasses while speaking loud and clearly - "I have no scruples sending you on your way, because I am safe in the knowledge that you will do your best to stay true to your beliefs. You are all gifted in different ways and it is up to you to use your talents. Ravenclaws," he exclaimed and every Ravenclaw looked apprehensively at the headmaster, "go out in the world and use your wisdom to enlighten people. Hufflepuffs, go out in the world and use your friendliness to give other people courage. Slytherins, go out in the world and use your guile to achieve happy endings. Gryffindors, go out in the world and use your bravery to unite people. I urge you all to stand together and fight whatever evil you meet. Then, when we meet again at your reunions, we shall have a happier world." Dumbledore looked around as he concluded his speech. Strong applause echoed through the Great Hall. Most of the students looked thoughtful and moved by the headmaster's speech.

"Now," Dumbledore said, "let the feast begin!"

Harry looked down at the table and joined the pleasantly surprised exclamations as a plate appeared in front of him, containing his favourite food: Mrs. Weasley's stew. He looked over at Ron's plate and saw it contained lobster.

"Bouillabaisse, great!" Hermione said and licked her lips.

"How did they know all our favourite foods?" Elizabeth asked while scooping up a great mouthful of spaghetti. "Who makes the food around here anyway?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other, alarmed, but it was too late. Hermione had already begun educating Elizabeth with horrific stories about the House Elves.

Neville was having trouble with entertaining Padma; he tried his best but kept tripping over words and blushing. Padma did not seem to mind; she smiled kindly every time Neville stuttered which made him even more nervous.

Parvati was giving a long, boring speech about her dress, Professor Trelawney was sitting with her eyes closed, food untouched, apparently meditating, and Dean was starring dreamily at Ginny. But he was not the only one. Harry noticed that Draco, who was very silent, was starring at her too with a look Harry could not interpret. Luckily Ron had not noticed anything; Harry could not imagine Ron would be happy about that look. He decided to keep an eye on Malfoy.

"Don't eat that!" Professor Trelawney suddenly cried to Elizabeth. She had obviously awoken from her trance. "I sense a very bad vibe on it!" she said dramatically, gazing with her enlarged eyes into Elizabeth's. Ron was snickering and even Draco looked sceptical at her.

"Erm, what?" Elizabeth asked, and looked nonplussed down at her forkful of spaghetti.

"She's just a little mental, don't mind her," Ron whispered to her loud enough for them all to hear. Trelawney looked like she had eaten a lemon and even Hermione snickered and nearly choked on her Bouillabaisse.

Luckily, Dumbledore clinked his glass again and with a wave of his wand he swept the tables away and announced the floor was open for dancing. He had hired the Weird Sisters to play again and soon the floor was filled with dancing couples. Hermione dragged the reluctant Ron along and Pansy steered Draco firmly ahead.

"Would you like to dance?" Elizabeth asked Harry.

"Okay, but I'm not very good at it," he warned her and let her guide him along. He had a feeling this was not going to be great - he remembered how Parvati had made him feel like a dog in a show at the Yule ball - but when he got on the dance floor and suddenly had Elizabeth's arms around him, he reconsidered the thought. The ceiling had turned a deep shade of blue and twinkling stars had appeared. As he felt his dance partner moving slowly close to him and felt her warmth, he suddenly got a lump in his throat. He realized he had never been this intimate with anyone before. He looked deep into her blue eyes. As their lips met in a gentle kiss, Harry felt how the world shrunk with lightening speed until it only contained one man and one woman, two pairs of hands, eyes and lips. They were almost floating around in the air. They smiled at each other as they slowly revolved.

Elizabeth took a look round the Great Hall as she laid her head on Harry's shoulder. The other students were having a great time at the Yule Ball. Hermione and Ron were dancing nearby; he kept stepping on her feet but they were laughing and kissing at the same time. Neville and Padma were sitting at the table, blushing and holding hands. Several other pairs, both friends and lovers, were dancing and talking, having a great time. Everywhere she looked, Elizabeth saw smiles and she felt so happy she could just die. She was not sure she had space enough inside for all this happiness.

But then Harry suddenly froze.

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked confused. Harry had his eyes fixed at the entrance.

"Dementors," he said strangely out of breath. And then Elizabeth noticed the Great Hall was quiet. She looked up and saw the stars had vanished. People were turning around to the entrance to see what was going on. So did Elizabeth and what she saw made her freeze like Harry, who was clutching her hand with his left and pressing his right against the scar on his forehead.

One by one, tall, cloaked creatures were entering the Great Hall. The first suddenly floated forward quickly and seized a Hufflepuff girl by the neck. She screamed as it drew nearer and it was just about to perform the Kiss, when a thundering voice roared a spell trough the air. Albus Dumbledore had got to his feet and was sending a silver Phoenix towards the Dementor. The Phoenix began attacking the Dementors, while the Hufflepuff girl fell to the floor and was dragged away by her friends. Panic broke out, but the teachers managed to guide the students behind the High Table. Harry and Elizabeth stood behind Dumbledore. About fifty Dementors were approaching them. Several girls were crying of fear and Harry began to feel the familiar distant screaming inside his head. "This has to be a bad dream," he thought to himself. Elizabeth looked at the Dementors. She had never been so afraid before. Their long, rattling breaths made her feel she was breathing ice, and she had a strange feeling that she would never be happy again. Most of the teachers were sending Patronus Charms against the Dementors, but few of them were able to conjure a full-bodied Patronus.

"Hold on to a happy thought, Elizabeth," Harry said. Elizabeth looked at him.

"We can help them," she said resolutely. Harry looked at her.

"Yes..." he said reluctantly. "Are you sure you can?" he asked.

"Yes," she said even more resolutely. Harry looked behind him. Ron and Hermione were looking at him. Neville, Dean and Seamus were looking at him. Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones were looking at him. The Dementors were getting nearer, and the teachers, except for Dumbledore, were getting more and more exhausted. It was almost too late.

"Dumbledore's Army, are you ready?" Harry suddenly roared to the students. And they roared back, "Yeah!" Harry felt his knees tremble. He searched for a happy thought. He thought about the dance he had just had and felt a bubble of happiness rise inside him.

"Wands at the ready!" he yelled. "One - two - EXPECTO PATRONUM!" he and forty other voices roared. An army of silver animals floated forward and met the Dementors.

At first, the Dementors stopped.

Harry knew what was coming, so he roared to the others not to look. They looked away but Elizabeth peeped with one curious eye to see how the Dementors lowered their hoods. She almost lost her Patronus but managed to keep the puma strong. The Dementors began retreating. A great choir was chanting the words in deep concentration and for each word, the Dementors retreated more and more away until they vanished.

Silence fell again over the Great Hall. The lights from the night sky came back. Dumbledore turned around. He looked very tired but his eyes were shining with fury.

"Teachers will lead their Houses to the dormitories, then go to the staff room. If any student is found out of their Common Room, I cannot be responsible for his or her life. Harry and Elizabeth, come with me to my office."

----

Harry and Elizabeth were sitting opposite their headmaster in his office.

"How on earth could those Dementors get in?" Elizabeth asked. Dumbledore was writing a letter. He did not look up when he answered.

"Harry, did your scar hurt?"

"Yes, it did," he said.

"Then it was Voldemort who sent them after Harry."

"But why? Why would he send Dementors after Harry instead of you or Cornelius Fugde?" she asked.

"Because Harry is the only one who can kill Voldemort," Dumbledore said while rolling the parchment up and sealing it. "It is his destiny." Elizabeth looked surprised.

"W-what?" she asked. Harry explained to her about the prophecy. She went very quiet.

"Harry, do you remember the talk we had at the end of your fifth year?" Dumbledore asked after sending an owl on its way with the letter addressed to the Ministry.

"Yes," Harry said. Dumbledore sighed.

"I told you about my plan then, about how my first priority is to keep you alive. Well, Harry, I had arranged for you to go away when you had finished your Auror training. But in light of recent events, I think I have to send you away already now. Neither Hogwarts nor your aunt's home is completely safe now. Voldemort is growing stronger and I have from a reliable source that he has learnt some vital information and it is therefore time to get you out of this country. You will arrive at a safe place where you will receive your Auror training. That way we can buy you time and you will have the best chance of defeating Voldemort when you have your inevitable meeting."

Harry felt his body become rigid as he realized what Dumbledore was saying. He was stunned.

"You're sending me away? You can't just send me away!" he said in disbelief.

Dumbledore looked at him.

"Harry, I know it sounds awful, but you know what happened last time I put your well-being over the benefit of my plan. I will not risk any more innocent lives. I am not able to do anything to you you do not approve of but the wizarding world depends on you. You do want to defeat him, right Harry?"

Harry met Dumbledore's eyes. Of course he wanted to defeat Voldemort but he didn't want to leave Britain and everything he knew.

"Yes," he said quietly.

"You will go to your aunt and uncle first to pack and then Lupin will get you when it is time."

Elizabeth gently squeezed his hand.

----------

July was very hot the summer of 1997. All physical activities in Surrey were on hold: people stayed indoors to escape the burning sun, and the ice-cream trucks were the most successful business of them all. At number four Privet Drive, circumstances were no different for the Dursley family and Harry. Vernon Dursley and his son Dudley sat in the living room watching TV and eating biscuit dough. They were both wearing a pair of Aunt Petunia's specially sewn shorts (neither of them could fit ordinary sizes anymore). Aunt Petunia herself was lying in the bedroom most of the time due to "faints". Every time somebody passed the door of her bedroom, she would let out little cries of pain to get sympathy.

Harry was writing a letter to Hermione and Ron at Grimmauld place. He was not bitter about being left at Privet Drive anymore; he understood why he had to stay at the Dursleys every summer. Nevertheless, he still missed Hermione and Ron very much. Ron wrote and complained about his brothers, who kept teasing him about his relationship with Hermione, but Harry knew he really enjoyed it and was happy for him.

But Ron and Hermione were not really on his mind much.

Another person was: Elizabeth was spending the holidays at Hogwarts and they wrote to each other two or three times a week. This morning, Hedwig returned with a long letter.

Dear Harry,

I hope you aren't melting away there in Surrey. I am having a great time here with my grandfather; he is teaching me all sorts of stuff, even though we are quite busy helping the Ministry and the Order. The only thing I miss is you...

At dinner that evening, Harry was very quiet. Not that he usually said anything, but this time, his silence was due to a dark depression. The thought of having to face Voldemort and be either the murderer or the victim was like a great stone on his heart and sent waves of panic through his body. Some days he managed to repress the thought completely but other days he felt just as miserable as if he was facing a Dementor. Earnestly, deep in his heart, he knew exactly what was going to happen the day he faced Voldemort. Harry would die. He knew that he could never, ever kill somebody, not even Voldemort. Dementors no longer haunted his nightmares; his dreams were not about dying anymore but about killing. He would wake up; shaking and bathed in cold sweat after piercing Gryffindor's sword through Voldemort and feeling his blood ooze over Harry's hands. Death was something that had always been a part of his life. But that everybody expected him to kill was so much worse.

Then he thought about how many lives Voldemort had claimed. With the incident at the Farewell Ball fresh in mind, he thought about the fact had lost three people himself - four including Cedric. He thought about his parents and Sirius, and, suddenly, before he had a chance to stop them, two silent tears were running down his cheeks. He looked up at the Dursley's amazed faces. Uncle Vernon looked flustered and avoided Harry's eyes, and Dudley was staring at him with his mouth open. Aunt Petunia didn't look up from her plate.

Harry didn't care what they thought about him. He was expecting to get a sour remark, but no one said a word. He suddenly felt furious. Perhaps it was the unfairness of it all, perhaps it was sixteen years of anger towards the Dursleys that finally couldn't be repressed anymore. He swiftly stood up, knocking down the chair on his way.

"What?" he yelled out in the cleansing agent-scented air. "Surprised that weirdos have feelings too? You're don't have a clue about what I'm going through!"

Uncle Vernon looked like he was about to explode but Harry ignored him and turned to Aunt Petunia. His heart was beating away with fury.

"Why do you hate my mother so much that you are willing to ruin her only child's life? Why, dear aunt have you treated me like... like... like you have!"

At these words, Aunt Petunia just hissed, "Sit down and shut up!"

"NO I WON'T!" Harry bellowed.

Aunt Petunia slowly raised her head but still she did not look at him. "Could you possibly imagine what it was like to be the sister with no magic in her blood? Your 'perfect' mother always taking all the praise?" she spat at him.

Harry was surprised. Uncle Vernon whimpered,

"P-Petunia...?" Aunt Petunia didn't notice him. Harry couldn't feel sorry for her. He remembered all the times she had humiliated and neglected him.

"SO WHAT? That's no excuse for treating me like this! Would she have neglected Dudley like that if you were dead!"? Aunt Petunia looked a bit flustered.

"That's besides the point," she said in a vague voice.

"Then what is the point"? Harry looked at his aunt. For the first time in a long while, she looked back. Her pale eyes were narrow.

Just as she was about to say something, Harry's scar, out of the blue, hurt so intensely he fell over and landed hard on the floor. He did not fight against the pain because he knew what was coming. Darkness suddenly surrounded him. He was standing in a room and somebody was lying at his feet. He felt strangely cheerful.

"Is it true?" Harry said to the whimpering man at his feet.

"Yes, Lord, it is true! I swear it; I spoke to Mrs. Lestrange herself! They will arrive at any minute!" Wormtail answered in a panicking voice. Harry suddenly felt happier than he had felt in a long time; he closed his eyes and laughed a loud, triumphing laugh.

Harry opened his eyes again, and he was lying on his back in the sterile kitchen with all three Dursleys bent over him. They looked very alarmed.

"What?" he said.

Somebody rang the doorbell.

"Who is this?" Uncle Vernon asked suspiciously through the door. Behind him, his wife, son and nephew stood listening. Harry had grasped his wand under his shirt, his heart pounding.

"Let us in!" a girl's voice sounded from the other side of the door. She sounded familiar.

"Tell me who you are!" Uncle Vernon shouted importantly, but his big, bushy moustache trembled.

"Please, you don't understand. We need to find Harry Potter. It's very important!" she answered.

Harry finally recognised her voice and said, "Open the door."

Uncle Vernon was not happy to oblige his nephew; his last meetings with people who knew Harry had not been successful. But Harry got help from an unexpected side; Aunt Petunia urged her husband to open the door or "the neighbours will start talking".

Finally the door opened and a tall blonde girl and a handsome but shabby looking man both dressed in black cloaks appeared. Remus Lupin granted the Dursleys a polite smile that immediately turned into genuine warmth when he caught sight of Harry. He walked past the astounded Dursleys towards Harry and gave him a warm handshake. Elizabeth caught Harry's eyes and they both moved towards each other and met in a great hug. She looked tired but beautiful as ever.

"Oh Harry," she softly whispered in his ear, "I've missed you so." Harry's heart jumped, but he didn't have time to find the words to describe his emotions, before Aunt Petunia dragged them all inside and shut the door.

"Who are you?" she said swiftly to the two newcomers and put her hands on her hips. She looked from Elizabeth's cloak to Lupin's tired face with an expression of fear and disgust. Uncle Vernon placed himself behind her with a superior look on his face and his arms crossed. "Your kind are not welcome in this house," he growled. Dudley just stared at the scenery and looked as daft as ever.

Lupin and Elizabeth were absolutely unaffected by this cold reception. Harry had told them what kind of people the Dursleys were.

"Oh, we know that perfectly well, Mr. Dursley," Lupin answered back in a smooth, polite voice.

"We have been sent by Dumbledore and the Order. We have bad news," Elizabeth said to Harry, whose happiness was replaced by anxiety in his stomach. He looked at Lupin, who explained.

"Voldemort is going to make an attempt to take over the Ministry. We have this information from a very... reliable source."

"I know, I felt it", Harry said in a gloomy voice. Lupin looked at him, worry in his eyes.

"Well, the Order has figured out a plan to stop him." Harry's mood lightened and he listened attentively for more information.

"But there's a problem," Elizabeth said apprehensively. "All the prisoners have broken out of Azkaban and have joined Voldemort. Fudge and Ministry guards arrived but they were all... destroyed by the Dementors." She bent her head.

Harry didn't quite know how to react.

"Fudge is dead?" he asked hoarsely. Silence. Then Lupin nodded.

"Who the devil is Fudge?" Uncle Vernon abruptly asked. Harry, Lupin and Elizabeth had completely forgotten the Dursleys' existence.

"He is - or was - the British Minister of Magic," said Elizabeth. "Madam Bones has taken over with assistance from Dumbledore," Elizabeth said and smiled, "who sends his best wishes".

Lupin whispered in Harry's ear, "How much do your aunt and uncle know about the wizarding world and Voldemort?"

"Very little", Harry said. "They just know he killed my parents. Well, Aunt Petunia seems to know a little more. How much are they supposed to know?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore said you can tell them whatever you like but he didn't seem to think you'd think they'd understand," Lupin said.

Uncle Vernon interrupted them.

"There is a bloody Minister of Magic?" He looked stunned. Aunt Petunia didn't seem nearly as surprised though.

"We have come to take you with us to, erm, The Black House, if you know what I mean. It's time for you to leave, but we will go there first so you have time to say goodbye to everybody," Lupin said with a sad smile.

Harry nodded and tried to look unaffected by the long trip ahead - but he had a lump in his throat.

"Go get your stuff, " Lupin said.

Harry sprinted past his awestruck uncle, aunt and cousin and up the stairs, happy to be able to hide his face.

"At least there is one good thing about this," he thought to himself, "finally I can leave this place."

He went downstairs a minute later, with his trunk and Hedwig's cage. He had packed everything the day before. Elizabeth looked up and smiled at him but then turned back to the conversation she had started with Dudley.

"So do you like your school?" she asked.

"Um..." was all Dudley could say.

Aunt Petunia was gone but Uncle Vernon was, to Harry's surprise, talking to Lupin.

"But if there is a bloody Minister, there must be a lot of you people! How many are there exactly?" Uncle Vernon narrowed his eyes suspiciously and put his hands on his hips. Lupin had his arms behind his back and smiled politely.

"Well, since it is difficult to keep track of all the wizards and witches in the world, I have never heard a precise number. But I should assume that approximately ten million people are born with a gift of magic."

Uncle Vernon looked awestruck.

"Ten million weirdos in the world? Well, no wonder this place is going to the dogs!"

Even Lupin could not muster a polite smile at that remark.

"I'm ready to go," Harry said and looked at Lupin.

"All right, Harry," said Lupin. He opened the door and then suddenly turned to Uncle Vernon. He gave him a grave look and sighed.

"I should perhaps inform you of this: it is not likely you'll see Harry again very soon. It may even be several years, depending on..."

"Hang on!" Aunt Petunia interrupted unexpectedly. She stood at the end of the stairs, carrying an old shoebox.

"Here," she said and swiftly handed over the shoebox to Harry. He didn't bother to open it straight away; he figured the box was another insult, like the pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks they had once given him for his birthday. But everybody was looking at him and when he raised his head to see Aunt Petunia's face, he was surprised to see that she was gently smiling.

"Open it," she said in a soft voice. Harry hesitated for a moment but then slowly lifted the lid and what he saw made his heart skip a beat. There was a framed photo of a young Aunt Petunia and a pretty red haired girl in it, some letters addressed to "Petunia Evans" and also some addressed to "Petunia Dursley". Then there was a lock of red hair and some dried flowers. Harry took the lock of hair out and turned it so the setting sun outside made it sparkle.

"She sent me letters almost every week," Aunt Petunia said in a shaking voice. "I never answered though."

Harry looked up again and saw a single tear trickle down her cheek.

Snape swallowed the Polyjuice Potion as quickly as he could, but it still tasted awful. He curled up in a cramp as the potion worked, and when he opened his eyes and looked at his hands again, they were larger and younger. He was wearing the Malfoys' stable boy's clothes as well, as his hair was the one used in the potion. The stable boy himself was locked away in one of the empty stalls, unconscious from a sleeping spell. He would not wake up for an hour, when the Polyjuice Potion stopped working and Snape used the counter-curse.

He walked through the well-kept yard of the Malfoy Manor. He felt like a burglar, more comfortable in the shadow than here in broad daylight.

It had been tricky to enter the Malfoy Manor; Dumbledore had performed a number of very difficult spells to get him in.

Everywhere he looked, he saw the Malfoy family escutcheon: a green snake in front of two crossed bones. He walked up the stairs and into the hall. His steps echoed in the silence.

Suddenly a door flung open and Narcissa Malfoy walked in, her otherwise pretty face screwed up in a very cross look. Her face was just as pale as her son's, but her eyes were painted dramatically with black and violent blue eye shadow. Small wrinkles had appeared under her eyes and she had tried to cover them up with a thick layer of cosmetics. Snape remembered how he had admired her beauty when they were at school together, but now she looked like a faded doll.

"Thomas! You're making noise! And walking all over my clean hall with your muddy boots! You know how we prefer the silence! What do you want?" she spat at him in a shrill voice.

Snape quickly bowed and avoided her eyes, as he had observed that all the Malfoy's servants did, and said, "A thousand apologies, Madam. I just need to talk to Mr. Malfoy. About a limping horse." The last thing he added for credibility.

"Whatever. He's in his office. And don't ever walk on my clean floors with those muddy boots ever again!" she said in a demanding voice and departed.

Snape had been a guest at the Malfoy Manor once or twice when he was still a Death Eater, but he had not visited since he began his job at Hogwarts. Even though he had convinced Lucius Malfoy that Voldemort had ordered him to teach there and spy on Dumbledore, he was afraid to be in the wrong place when Malfoy found out that it was really the other way around.

He walked down a long hall, full of sinister family portraits, until he reached a heavy oak door. He knocked and entered when a low voice growled, "Enter."

Lucius was standing in front of the fireplace in the far end of his office, with his back turned to his son, who was sitting in a chair, looking a bit anxious. This wasn't good: he needed Lucius to be on his own.

Lucius turned around to face the intruder, who bowed deeply as he had done to Mrs. Malfoy.

"What do you want, Thomas?" Mr. Malfoy growled.

"Forgive my intrusion, Master, but I need a private word with you," Snape said in the most neutral voice he could muster.

"You can have nothing important to say, and I was talking to my son! Now, get out." Lucius turned to the fireplace again.

Snape cursed desperately under his breath. He knew the time was running out and he only had one chance.

"Pardon me, sir, but I -"

"I thought I told you to leave NOW!" Lucius sneered.

"Yes, but I -"

Lucius turned around again and walked with thundering steps towards his servant. Snape didn't now what to do. Before he knew it, he stood pressed up against the wall with a wand tip pointed at his throat and Lucius very close to him. Snape couldn't remember when he had last been this frightened. He could easily understand why The Dark Lord had made Lucius the leader of the Death Eaters.

He was smiling a malicious smile.

"Well, Thomas, this day you were very stupid to annoy me, because I have an itch. Yes, you see, sometimes I just... get an urge... to use the Unforgivables..."

Snape felt Lucius' breath on his face and was disgusted. His heart was pounding very fast.

"So, Draco, " Mr. Malfoy continued sounding suddenly cheerful, addressing his son without moving his eyes off Snape, "you may choose which one it will be today! I know you don't mind me living out my urge, son, so choose one... Prove your quality!" Snape looked at Draco, whose eyes were closed in disgust. He was clutching the table so hard that his knuckles had turned white.

Lucius continued, "Avada kedavra? No, no, it is much too boring; killing isn't fun if it is instant and painless... The Imperius? Yes, that's always a winner, but on the other hand... I'm just in the mood for some nice screaming... How about a little pain to teach you a lesson?"

He raised his wand to make the curse but Snape was faster. "Expelliarmus!" he gasped and Lucius was forced to release Snape as he was thrown back. He got to his feet, his hair and robes out of order, looking awestruck. Snape noticed with pleasure the fear in the cold grey eyes.

"Who are you? My servants don't have wands!" he roared in fury. Draco had sprung up from his chair but hadn't done anything in defence of his father. For a second an electric silence dominated the room. Then Lucius flung a revelation curse at Snape who ducked just in time and cried "Petrificus Totalis!" at him. Lucius went as stiff as a board in mid-air and fell right down on his back with a loud bang.

Snape moved slowly towards him, a satisfied smile on his lips. Now he had Lucius right were he wanted him. He looked down at the petrified face. "Well, Lucius, it does certainly look like you're not going to be able to satisfy that little... urge of yours..." he slowly said while kneeling down next to him.

"What are you going to do with him?" Draco suddenly asked. Snape turned his face to the boy. He was pale and trembling, but calm.

"I have to... borrow some information from him, Mr. Malfoy. I will not hurt him, but I am afraid I will have to Obliviate him later..." Lucius' eyes widened, as the spell began to wear off after Snape had tied him up.

"Legilimens!"

(End of chapter 6)