Something About That Girl

Something about some girl (7)

Harry sat in his room in 12 Grimmauld Place. He had just finished unpacking. He was thinking about his aunt and uncle and what Dumbledore had said about them understanding his situation. He closed his eyes and watched their images appear in his mind: he had known them all his life, yet never felt close to them. Would they understand that there was a war going on? Would they even care that he and all he cared for were in danger?

Just a year ago he would have dismissed them without doubt.

But after tonight - actually, even after that night two years ago when he and Dudley met the Dementors - he had felt that perhaps there was a slight chance that they would understand. Harry realized that he wanted them to know how much he had been through over the years. How he had suffered under their neglect. He thought about his childhood, and the night his parents died. Then he jumped as he heard Lupin's voice from the other side of his door.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah, come in," he said and sat up on his bed, trying to flatten his hair. Lupin entered with a lit candlestick. He smiled and sat down on a chair next to Harry's bed. Harry noticed the bags under Lupin's eyes and the lines in his forehead as the candlestick illuminated his face.

"Erm, you look a bit tired," he said and immediately regretted it. Lupin looked up but to Harry's surprise he smiled.

"Yes, well, the moon is waning. And of couse, there's the other things..." he said, as his smile faded.

Harry knew what he meant. If Harry missed Sirius, whom he had known for just three years, how must Sirius' best friend feel? He did not know what to say.

"Um, Professor Lupin?" Harry asked. As he had been thinking about the night his parents died, he realised he had a question to ask. Dumbledore, Hagrid and Sirius had been there and given him their accounts of the events but he could not fit in Lupin anywhere. He felt anxious to ask, he was not sure if he wanted to know it at all, nevertheless, he cleared his throat and asked hesitantly, "I just wanted to know, where you were the night my parents got killed?"

Lupin's expression was surprised but not at all angry.

"That is a very just question Harry, I've actually wondered why you haven't asked me before." Harry relaxed a bit. Lupin looked out at the window for a moment, his expression thoughtful.

"Well, the night Wormtail betrayed your parents - and the rest of us," he added bitterly, "I was hiding in my apartment in London as a wolf because it was the full moon. That's why I was the last of us to know. That - and because of the general suspicion in those days, that had driven us apart. They suspected me for leaking information, you see. When the sun rose, I went to Grimmauld Place as usual, but then I saw all the happy wizards and witches on the street, celebrating Voldemort's apparent fall. I joined them and for fully five minutes I was the most relieved person on the earth, knowing that you and your parents were now out of danger. Then they told how he had been stopped." Lupin paused, looked at his hands for some moments and then resolutely cleared his throat. "Well, I honestly didn't believe them. I called them a bunch of mad liars, took my broom and flew to Godric's Hollow. I found nothing but a ruin. And silence."

"I remember grabbing one of the broken bricks and throwing it against a tree in despair. If Dumbledore hadn't appeared, I would probably have jumped into the river. I felt... I had lost everything. Lily, James and Peter were dead and Sirius was a traitor and in jail. I was all alone," Lupin growled, sounding suddenly angry.

He blinked and gazed out the window. Harry looked away in respect. He just focused on keeping a neutral face as he thought about his mother's screams. If only Lupin had come before.

"What happened after that?" he asked.

"Well, Dumbledore arrived and he let me rage my grief out to him, and listened to me all night. I was very angry. He advised me to leave the country, to get away from it all, and that's what I did. The same night, I went home and packed all my things and went to Rome. The first months I didn't do anything but lock myself in a room and drink fire-whiskey. Half the time I was considering suicide and they would probably have found me dead there, if I hadn't been in an accident."

"I was headed for a liquor shop and a car hit me. I broke both my legs and got a severe concussion. But I survived. After spending a long while at the Italian Wizard Hospital, I realised how lucky I had been. The thought that I might have been killed made me pull myself together. I slowly worked my way out of total despair and ended up studying to be a teacher. But, as you a well aware, no-one wanted to employ a werewolf, but I did small jobs as a private teacher and researcher in Europe. For six years I had a close-to-normal life and believed I had put my past behind me."

Lupin paused and looked at Harry. Harry had felt uneasy but yet fascinated by the tale. He managed a small smile. He was starting to feel better.

"And then Sirius broke out?" Harry asked.

"Yes, my peace didn't last. You can image how I felt, being reminded about my past again and I tried to ignore it. But when Dumbledore called me back to Hogwarts to be his Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, I knew I had to go; I owed him a favour or two. And then we met, you and I."

He looked up and smiled. Harry smiled back, remembering his third year at Hogwarts.

"Today I'm quite sure Dumbledore had more than one reason for calling me back. I think he knew that I was only pretending to be happy. I owe him so much. That year my world changed once again. I got acquainted with the son of my best friend and of course, I found out that what I had believed for twelve years was a lie. Sirius wasn't the traitor. I can't really describe how relieved I was in knowing that Sirius wasn't the one who had caused the death of Lily and James. He was, after all, the closest thing to a brother I ever had." Lupin smiled. Harry bent his head.

"It was not your fault, Harry," Lupin said quietly, sensing Harry's sadness.

"I know. I just miss him," Harry said without looking up. Lupin put his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Then I suppose it's up to you and I to remember him," Lupin said and Harry looked up to face him. Lupin sighed.

"I know I am no Sirius, and certainly no James, but I swear I will do my very best to be there for you when you need me," he said tenderly.

Harry smiled. "Thanks, um, Remus," he said and felt strangely warm inside. Lupin smiled a warm smile.

"So are you excited about tomorrow?" he asked and let go of Harry's shoulder.

"What happens tomorrow?" Harry asked, nonplussed. Lupin looked surprised.

"It's the thirty-first of July! According to Muggles, tomorrow you'll come of age! And Molly can have no objection against you taking your Apparation lessons," Lupin said with a great smile. "And now that you've left school, you will be accepted as a full member of the Order."

"Oh..." said Harry and thought about it. "So, I'm going to be a real adult?"

Lupin laughed. "Formally, yes," he said.

Harry smiled. Suddenly he did not feel so sad anymore.

-------

"Elizabeth," said Dumbledore, "This is Remus Lupin, Lupin, my granddaughter Elizabeth." The shabby-looking man named Lupin shook her hand and smiled. Elizabeth relaxed a little. He was going to take her to London to get Harry while Dumbledore went to a congress in Spain, but she was a little nervous about travelling with a stranger.

"Well, you two better get going. Are you ready Eliza?" Dumbledore said.

"Yes, I've packed. But how are we travelling?" she asked.

"Well, normally we would use the Floo network since you can't Apparate yet, but that might not be safe, so we'll travel by broom." Lupin gave her a friendly smile and turned back to Dumbledore.

Elizabeth went rigid. Her blood ran cold in her veins. She was mortally afraid of heights and the thought of riding a broom made her dizzy; she even got uncomfortable when she watched Quidditch. But she did not dare to say anything because she did not want to sound afraid.

The three of them went outside and Elizabeth said goodbye to her grandfather.

"You look anxious, Eliza. Don't worry, we'll see each other again soon," Dumbledore said and looked a little concerned. Elizabeth did not have the heart to tell him really why she was so pale. They gave each other a hug and Dumbledore went back inside, humming gently.

Lupin handed her a broom and he mounted his own. Elizabeth did as he and suddenly she was hovering two feet over the ground and she felt like she was going to be sick.

"Elizabeth, are you all right?" Lupin asked.

"Um, well, I think it's best if I just... don't fly," she said a little shrilly and tried to steer the broom down again and realised she could not. She felt waves of panic rush through her body and kicked pathetically with her feet trying to make the broom obey. She felt she looked very stupid.

"Lean forward," said Lupin and zoomed toward her. Elizabeth did and breathed a sign of relief as she felt her feet touch the ground again. Lupin landed next to her with a worried look on his face.

"Never flown before?" he asked gently. Elizabeth shook her head.

"I'm kind of, well, very afraid of heights. But please don't tell my grandfather," Elizabeth said. Lupin looked confused.

"Why?" he asked.

"It's just... The night I came here to Hogwarts and we talked, he told me about the Houses and that our family always have been in Gryffindor. He said that Gryffindors were the brave and strong people, but the truth is... I don't feel very brave. Not at all to be honest," she said miserably.

Elizabeth felt a little awkward. She did not understand why she had brought the subject up and talked to a complete stranger about something she could not even talk to Harry or Hermione about. But this Lupin had something trustworthy about him. He looked like he would understand, or at least try to understand. To her surprise, Lupin was laughing quietly.

"Do you really think bravery is about being able to fly or not?" he said.

"But Harry," she began.

"Yes, Harry is an excellent flyer but that doesn't make him brave. That's just an ability he has. It has nothing to do with Houses," Lupin said and laughed gently again.

"I know how you feel. I was in the same year and House as Harry's father and he was popular and a seeker too. I was jealous of him, I confess, because I did not have the same advantages. But I think what you have just told me was very brave. I know a few who would have kept it for them selves," Lupin said with a smile. Elizabeth smiled.

"Now, Harry needs us but I don't think we would get very far on a broom," he said and winked at Elizabeth and she laughed.

"So I suppose we have to take the train," Lupin said. Elizabeth nodded and they started walking to Hogsmeade with Elizabeth's trunk zooming after them.

On the train, they found an empty compartment for themselves. In fact, there were not many people on the train this summer evening. As they got further and further south, the heat increased strongly.

"So how are you connected to Harry?" Elizabeth asked.

"I was a good friend of his parents and godfather. We went to Hogwarts together," Lupin said. "I also gave DADA classes to Harry and his classmates when he was in his third year." Then he looked out of the window. Elizabeth watched him closely. She wanted to ask why he looked so tired and shabby, older than his mid-thirties.

"Um, Professor?" Lupin looked at her with calm, polite interest, but Elizabeth noticed he was fiddling nervously with his hands.

"I just wanted to know about... about the Malfoy family," she said and winced. Lupin looked surprised. That was not what she had intended to ask, but she sensed it would be bad form to ask about his tired appearance.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"Well, why do Harry and Draco Malfoy dislike each other so much?"

"'Dislike' is quite an understatement..." Lupin said and they both smiled. Elizabeth relaxed.

"But it is an interesting question. It is actually connected to this war and the two different views of human nature in the Wizarding world," Lupin said. "People have always disagreed on how much importance they should give the so called 'pure bloods', and Slytherin and Gryffindor houses have represented their different views in more than a thousand years. Harry is a Gryffindor, he believes that pure bloods and Muggleborns are equal, but Draco, who is a Slytherin, believes that pure bloods are superior over Muggleborns. With me so far?"

Elizabeth nodded. "But lots of people disagree every day, that doesn't have to make them mortal enemies," she said.

"That's true, but in this case, I believe a great deal of jealousy and bitterness is involved. Harry is famous for his tragic and heroic past but Draco only has his money and a very dominant father. Harry has to put up with a great deal and Draco rubs it in his face when ever he gets the chance. You see the problem?"

"Yes. But, couldn't they just get into a good old-fashion fistfight and get it out of their systems?" Elizabeth said with a shrug.

"Well, it's like they say in Africa; 'when two elephants fight, the grass suffers most'" Lupin said.

Elizabeth smiled.

Since Sirius died, Lupin had lived at Grimmauld Place. When Harry and Elizabeth arrived with him, the house was dark and quiet. Elizabeth put down Hedwig's cage and looked around the hall. A number of paintings hung on the walls and one large portrait, which had black drapes drawn over it, especially attracted her attention. As Harry and Lupin were talking, Elizabeth approached it and was about to draw the curtains aside when two pairs of hands drew her away.

"No!" Harry laughed in her ear. "We don't want to wake Mrs. Black up!"

-------

Snape sat up and looked down at Lucius who was tied up. Draco was standing in the corner staring at the two of them.

He had uncovered the information he wanted. He knew where the Dark Lord was going. Snape stood up and pointed his wand at Lucius. "Obliviate!" he said, and a white flash of light soared through the air and emptied Lucius' mind of the experience. Then he hissed "Finite incantatem" and Lucius sat up bolt right.

"What happened?" he demanded and looked at his son. Snape watched Draco closely. The boy looked from his father's pale eyes to the man he thought was the stable boy.

"You... you tripped, Father. Hit your head," Draco said with an expressionless face. Snape hid a smile. Maybe there was hope for the boy. Lucius looked awestruck.

"Would you kindly go with me to the stables, Master Draco?" Snape said. Lucius was swearing and pressing a hand against his sore forehead. He didn't notice them leaving.

"Who are you?" Draco asked Snape as soon as they were inside the stable. He was clutching his wand in his pocket, ready to strike at the least threat. "You're not really Thomas."

"You'll find out soon enough. Show me your arm," the stable boy said.

What? Draco thought. He looked at the other boy.

"Show it!" he said more insistently. Draco hesitated for a moment, but then he pulled up his sleeves and showed his pale arms.

"Satisfied?" he growled.

"Good. No mark." The freckled boy said, looking relieved.

"Now answer my question." Draco said. "Who are you and what were you doing to my father?"

Before the boy could answer, something happened to his face. Draco watched awestruck as greasy black hair replaced brown, pale skin replaced freckled and a hooked nose grew forward. He was suddenly facing his Potions Master and Head of House. Draco swallowed.

"Quite the career change," he said casually and tried to sound as if stable boys usually changed into Potions Masters at Malfoy Manor. Snape grimaced.

"Yes, well, there's no time for explanations, Mr. Malfoy. Forgive me for this." He suddenly pulled out his wand and said, "Veritas!"

Draco felt it as if his chest burst open. He breathed very fast.

"I won't hurt you. Just tell me this: you have no Dark Mark on your arm and you didn't do anything in defence of your father in there. Are you not a Dark wizard?"

Draco's entire body was shaking and he was amazed to hear himself speak.

"No, I am not." Snape surveyed him with an inscrutable expression on his pale face.

"Finite incantatem," Snape said.

Note to self, thought Draco. Find a counter curse to the Veritas curse. Fast.

"We have to get out of here," Snape added. " I know it is impossible to Apparate here and I had planed to get out using the Polyjuice Potion, but time obviously ran out. I assume you know a way?"

Draco was panting slightly.

"What makes you think I would help you?" Draco said. Snape looked at him.

"Because I know what you, most unwillingly, told Dumbledore, and I believe in the same things," Snape said. Draco looked at Snape. He did not whether he should laugh or cry. So instead he made the trademark Malfoy sneer and walked to the back of the stable, followed by Snape.

"Lucundissime," Draco muttered when pointing his wand at the third brick from the floor and a large section of brick wall was pushed noiselessly back, revealing a passageway. Malfoy Manor was some 700 hundred years old, and this was only one of many secret passageways.

They followed the path for some minutes in silence, walking slightly bent over. Then Draco turned to Snape.

"It leads to the Muggle village, Little Hangleton," he said. Then, before he could take another step, the roof suddenly collapsed in front of them and Lucius appeared, looking insanely angry.

Snape dragged Draco towards him and hissed, "Pretend I kidnapped you!" He kept the boy in a firm grip.

"The Dark Lord will honour me for bringing him the traitor dead!" Lucius screamed and raised his wand at Snape. He didn't seem to care that his son was standing in front of his target.

"Think about your son, man!" Snape growled.

"I have no son," Lucius snarled with a voice as cold as ice. "If I had a son, he would not be associating with traitors or studying Muggles! He would be working hard to become just as great a Death Eater as is father before him! I have no son!"

Draco felt rage well up inside of him. "I don't want to be like you!" he roared, but he did not have time to say anything else as a sudden loud crack made them all jump.

"Lucius! Put that wand away," a voice demanded. Draco opened his eyes and saw to his surprise the Headmaster walk swiftly in front of Lucius.

"Dumbledore, get off my land, NOW!" Lucius screamed, still pointing his wand at his son.

"As you no longer recognise him as your son, he is now my responsibility and I will not let you harm one of my students." Dumbledore's voice was even colder than Lucius' and stern as iron. Lucius' eyes flickered. He slowly lowered his wand, but as Dumbledore reached to take it from him, Lucius swiftly raised it again and screamed with an insane smile, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"NO!" Draco roared as Dumbledore fell to the floor. Then he felt his legs lift from the floor and his body swirling around in the air in a blur of colours. He landed hard on his knees next to Snape in front of a heavy oak door.

"Oh dear, Harry, you've become so thin! Does that aunt of yours not feed you? Come give me a hug!" Mrs. Weasley yelled as Harry, Elizabeth and Lupin entered the Grimmauld Place kitchen.

Mr. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Ginny, Hermione and Ron followed her closely. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked tired but happy; Ron had grown at least an inch since Harry last saw him; Hermione looked prettier and Ginny more adult than he could remember them. The twins wore green dragon skin cloaks and broad smiles.

Harry suddenly sensed how serious this was when even Bill and Charlie had come all the way from Egypt and Romania. Bill still had long, red hair but today he wore it loose. The dragon tooth dangled from his ear as usual. He gave Harry a warm handshake. Charlie looked like he had just got off his broomstick: his hair was messy, his cheeks very bright red and his eyes glowed brightly as he gave Harry a broad smile and a pat on the back.

"My, you've grown, " he said, "but you still aren't as tall as my little brother," he said with a grin at Ron.

"I've really missed you," Harry said quietly. They all smiled.

"You have really grown, Harry," Hermione said.

Ginny added, "In more than one place." When they all looked at her amazed, she looked outraged and said, "I meant his hair, you perverts!"

They all laughed.

As the others chatted and caught up on the latest news, Mr. Weasley insisted on showing Harry his newest Muggle objects: a potato peeler and a torch. He was thrilled when Harry revealed to him how to turn on the torch, and when he explained how to use the potato peeler, Mr. Weasley looked like he had gone to heaven.

"Brilliant! Simply fascinating!"

Mrs. Weasley seemed determined to feed Harry up, so at dinner that night, she kept refilling his plate with mashed potatoes and stew until Harry felt ready to burst. As they all sat there, the Weasley family, Elizabeth, Lupin, Hermione and Harry, he felt happier than he had been in a long while. He was home.

"How is your shop doing?" Harry asked the twins. They smiled at him, probably remembering Harry's part in bringing the shop about.

"Oh you know," said George casually, "making Galleons - "

" - and making Galleons," his bother interrupted.

"Did I mention we are making a lot of Galleons?" George concluded with an angelic face and everybody except for Mrs. Weasley sniggered.

"They're doing surprisingly well," Mr. Weasley said. "It seems that people really need a good laugh - and who can blame them these days?"

The others lowered there knifes and forks and went quiet. Mr. Weasley cleared his throat.

"Yes, well, at least it will all hopefully soon be over." He looked importantly at Harry but before anybody could begin discussing the subject, another Order member arrived: Snape swept dramatically into the kitchen, pale and greasy-haired as always. But he was not alone. Right at his heels came Draco Malfoy.

(End of chapter 7)