Late the same evening at Hogwarts, Hermione and Ginny sneaked along the walls of the corridors to avoid Filch, all the way up to the Hospital wing. They found Mme Pomfrey in her little office at the far end of the ward. She wore her usual robes and was rearranging pots of magical salves and flasks with ointments on the shelves. Hermione and Ginny caught her attention by knocking discreetly on the glass door and Mme Pomfrey hastened to open it. She looked from one girl to the other.

“Is he not back yet?” she said, worried.

“We expected him at the Three Broomsticks, but when he didn’t turn up we thought he had gone directly to the castle. We came back fifteen minutes ago, but he’s not here,” said Hermione.

“We’ve checked the kitchens. The library is closed. We didn’t know what to do. Should we tell Professor Snape? Or call for Mrs Steadfast?” said Ginny who looked a little pale.

“Let’s go down to the Entrance Hall. He might show up any moment and everything will be fine,” Mme Pomfrey said nervously. Hermione and Ginny looked doubtingly at one another, but followed the care-witch.

When they reached the bottom of the staircase, the entrance door creaked. The three witches gazed at it expectantly as it swung open, but their hopeful faces fell when Mrs Steadfast appeared.

“Miss Ginny, Miss Granger and Mme Pomfrey - just the people I wanted to get hold of,” she said and closed the door. ”Mr Simmings, who’s on watch tonight at the gate, alerted me... And Heaven knows I’m fairly busy this evening, so I hope he’s not mistaken... although it would be better if he were... Anyway, Mr Simmings claims that he has not counted Mr Potter in tonight. Your friend did not join you in Hogsmeade, then?”

Ginny and Hermione shook their heads.

“He left with you early this morning?” Mrs Steadfast asked a little sharply of Mme Pomfrey.

“He had his Grief Swallower test at St Mungo’s, which he passed with flying colors. Afterwards, he wanted to stay at the hospital to do some work for one of the healers. He was absolutely delighted and I couldn’t refuse him,” said Mme Pomfrey, full of remorse.

“He told Mme Pomfrey he would meet us at the Three Broomsticks in the evening, but he didn’t turn up and he wasn’t here when we came back,” explained Hermione.

“What if something has happened to him?” whispered Ginny, wide-eyed.

Suddenly, they heard soft footsteps right behind them and as they turned around, Professor Snape drawled:

“What does this little gathering mean? What are you doing up this late, Miss Granger? Miss Weasley? If we’re to allow outings to Hogsmeade in the weekends, we must insist on you going straight to your houses on coming back to the castle.”

Ginny took a step towards him.

“Harry’s not back from St Mungo’s yet,” she said simply. Snape frowned and riveted his eyes on Mme Pomfrey.

“I was on my way to ask you about the test. I noticed you came back by lunchtime, but didn’t have the occasion to speak to you. I assumed Mr Potter was with you. Do you mean you left him behind at the hospital?” Snape’s voice grew louder as he spoke. Mme Pomfrey recoiled from him and Mrs Steadfast intervened.

“I had the impression that you were going to accompany him for his test, Professor? Why did you not inform me of the change of plans?” she said sharply. “You know very well he’s a target of what remains of the dark side and we’ve agreed to keep our eyes on him.”

“You have abstained from having a personal Auror trail him. It’s your responsibility if you lose him,” Snape spat irritably at her.

“He’s your student!” Mrs Steadfast spat back, with fire in her brown eyes.

“Please! What should we do? Go back and look for him at St Mungo’s?” asked Hermione, struggling to steady her voice and to be rational.

“Who did you leave him with?” asked Mrs Steadfast of Mme Pomfrey.

“Healer Solomon,” the care-witch whispered with a terrified glance at Snape. “He had appointments with patients the entire afternoon. He said he could use some help. Harry was happy to assist him.”

“Well, Healer Solomon is not likely to receive patients at eleven o’clock in the evening,” snorted Snape, knitting his eyebrows harder.

“What has become of Harry then?” whimpered Ginny.

“Is he likely to have gone out, in London... you know, to have a drink, or to a club? Maybe he wanted to enjoy his freedom?” said Mrs Steadfast.

“He hates that,” said Ginny. “Oh, yes, I know he does,” she added with a look at Hermione who seemed to want to protest. “He only goes out because I ask him to,” continued Ginny. “He likes to dance with me, but he hates the attention he gets from everybody else. He wouldn’t do it on his own free will.”

“Maybe if someone he got to know at St Mungo’s asked him to?” said Mrs Steadfast.

“He had an appointment with us.” Hermione shook her head. “And he had promised Mme Pomfrey that he’d Apparate straight back to Hogsmeade. Harry usually keeps his word. Something serious must have happened to delay him.”

Ginny let out a little wail.

“Oh, don’t worry, Miss Weasley,” Snape intervened dryly, “serious things always happen at hospitals. Mr Potter will have joined in any activity that struck him as interesting. Thoughtless of him not to let us know that he was delayed, though.” Ginny looked at her headmaster as if she wanted to clutch to a straw.

“You’re right, Professor,” she exhaled. ”He was so excited to go to St Mungo’s. He really looked forward to it. He’ll have wanted to learn something. He’s just obsessed with learning all those healing things. The books he’s been reading…” She shook her head. ”He likes to save people, you know... Always has... That’s probably it. But I hate it when he puts himself in danger.”

“Well, St Mungo’s is not a very dangerous place for fit people,” continued Snape. “Now, I want Miss Weasley and Miss Granger to return to Gryffindor and wait there. I guess you left Mr Weasley upstairs, in case Mr Potter would come back when you were out, did you?” Ginny and Hermione nodded. “Well, go and check with Mr Weasley, then. I won’t tell you to go to bed, because I reckon you won’t comply. We’ll let you know as soon as we have tracked Mr Potter down.”

Ginny and Hermione withdrew reluctantly and climbed the staircase to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Mrs Steadfast looked as if she wanted to say something, but kept her lips pressed together until she heard the hole behind the portrait shut. Then she riveted her gaze on Snape.

“I hope, by Dumbledore’s hat, that his friends are right insomuch that Mr Potter did not adventure himself out of St Mungo’s tonight,” she said with feeling, “...because tumultuous events ravaged London this evening. Killings in the underworld. Settlements with great casualties. I’ve been working for hours. But surely Mr Potter has no connections...? There was Mundungus in the Order, of course, but he died in the battle...?  I’ve been interrogating people all evening and surely, if Mr Potter had shown up in the area, it would have been brought to my knowledge…?” She shook her head.

“Unlikely,” agreed Snape, but a small crease deepened between his eyebrows.

“They tell me the strangest things, though... I must say, Severus... Oh, here’s something, now.” Mrs Steadfast interrupted herself and pulled out some sort of old watch in a chain around her neck and scrutinised it. “Simmings is alerting me. Potter’s coming in... now that’s a relief!”

Mme Pomfrey let out a little yelp and moved towards the door. Snape, on the contrary, withdrew into the shadows beside the stairs. The cherub responsible for the torches in the western staircase was known to be tired towards the evenings and lights went out already at nine thirty.

When Harry came in through the door, he was met by Mme Pomfrey’s relieved countenance and by Mrs Steadfast’s stern one. He looked tired and cold, with hunched shoulders, but smiled at the two witches and made an apologetic gesture.

“I’m sorry I’ve kept you up, Mme Pomfrey. I reckoned you would start missing me as soon as the others came back from the Three Broomsticks. I did as fast as I could,” he said.

“I’m just glad that you’re back, Harry,” said Mme Pomfrey with a sigh.

“Sorry,” Harry mimed at her. He turned to Mrs Steadfast with an inquisitive expression. “What are you doing here, Mrs Steadfast? You must have other things on your mind... or, do you want to interrogate me about the events this evening? Surely it can wait until the morning? I’m all done in. I have nothing to do with it - I can’t help what others say...” Harry ranted on defensively.

“Interrogate you is a strong word,” Mrs Steadfast interrupted him, somewhat puzzled. “But don’t try to wrestle yourself out of this, Mr Potter.  You have everything to do with it, I‘d say.” Her voice rang with retribution.

“I do?” Harry looked sheepishly at her.

“You were reported missing. That’s serious enough to bring me here to investigate. Tell me what you’ve been doing since Mme Pomfrey left you at St Mungo’s,” commanded Mrs Steadfast. Harry started hesitantly.

“Well, we went back to the ward and started to receive patients.” He suddenly smiled broadly. “It was great! Healer Solomon taught me how to examine hearts. You know - you do a silent incantation and you actually feel the heart pumping in your hand!” Harry moved the fingers of his left hand to illustrate the beatings of a heart.

He went up to Mme Pomfrey and positioned himself behind her left shoulder and pulled his right arm around her from behind. He was a head taller than the care-witch. His wand pointed at her heart and his left hand was stretched out at her left side, palm turned upwards.

“You stand close to the patient and you sort of lift a copy of the heart out into your left hand and you feel your way carefully over the muscle to detect where it contracts less, which means the area is damaged. I got it right from the third patient and Healer Solomon said I did really well.” Harry made a pause in his enthusiastic account and let go of Mme Pomfrey. He gestured vividly with both arms.

“There were other patients as well. We received a rich witch who had wanted to adorn her inner organs with gold. Could you conceive of such an idea! It was a disaster, of course, and she has had so much trouble from both her heart and her kidneys. It was the third time Healer Solomon saw her and he had to talk to her for nearly an hour and we were delayed and...”

“Mr Potter,” interrupted Mrs Steadfast, ”I appreciate you had an instructive afternoon with Healer Solomon, but will you please move on to what happened after you finished with your patients at the ward?”

“Instructive? It was brilliant!” cried Harry, not able to hide his exultation. When he noticed Mrs Steadfast’s stern look upon him, he checked his enthusiasm, however, and continued:

“Well, we were late, as I said, and we were just about to have something to eat. Didn’t have breakfast, nor lunch, you know - I had started to feel dizzy. But then they called Healer Solomon from the Emergency. He was on senior call and he had just told me how unusual it was for him to be disturbed. The work at the Emergency is mostly left to the younger healers, you see. But this was a number one alert, which they had not had since the battle against Voldemort, and we Apparated right back to the Emergency Hall. And there were hords of wounded people there… They all arrived at the same time… There had been a fight, or some kind of mass attack in the underworld... But surely, you must know all about this, being the head of the Aurors? That’s why I was surprised to see you here… There must be much more important things to do, than come looking for me, surely?” 

Mrs Steadfast closed her eyes and lifted a hand to her forehead.

“But of course, Potter! How stupid of me. Naturally, they would all have gone to St Mungo’s! You must have been invaded,” she exclaimed.

“We were! It was absolutely chaotic. At first, I tried to stay out of the way as I thought I could be of no help - not being trained or anything, but Healer Solomon waved me over. There was this thirteen-year-old witch… A poor girl… They think she lived on her own on the street. She had been caught right in the middle of the battle and she had been wounded by a Rasping Curse in her back which looked bad and needed to be attended to. The girl yelled out of pain. They told us that an older witch had been killed right beside her and that the girl had panicked. They could not work with the Swallowscope on her because she would not be still and she wouldn’t swallow any potions. She fought with four care-workers at the same time and spat out whatever they tried to make her ingurgitate - all the while shrieking in pain from the wound in her back. I approached her and was able to catch her attention, and so I did a Relieving for her and after that she calmed down enough to accept the treatment.” Harry caught his breath. He looked intently at Mrs Steadfast.

“There were loads of people with Avada Kedavra wounds. Spells that had failed to kill by being ill aimed, but that had damaged different parts of the victims’ bodies. It’s bound to have been a serious fight. You’d know how many dead, Mrs Steadfast. The attackers must have aimed to kill - I mean, not just to chase people away. I can’t understand why - those were low-rank people, poor people, small criminals maybe, but not dangerous persons. And some of them told me they had recognised their attackers as people from higher up in their own organisation.”

“Did they, now?” said Mrs Steadfast thoughtfully. “You’re right, Potter, there were surprisingly many dead - more than twenty, between you and me - and you’re right about the victims too. They belonged to the same organization - one in collaboration with the Death Eaters, we believe, and at the bottom of it - quite right again. You’ll make an excellent Auror, Mr Potter - if you don’t go into the healing business, that is. You seem quite fascinated by the subject. Now, it could have been an adversary gang, right? That would be your first guess. But taking into account what the witness told you, it sounds almost as if it were a deliberate sort-out ordered by their leaders. That’s so cynical! By Jupiter! You’ve given me something to think about. Tell me more about the wounded you met.” Harry thought for a moment.

”They were terrified,” he said slowly. ”The attack came out of nowhere. The victims spoke of a green-haired wizard monster that launched Avada Kedavras in all directions. They were still jumpy, at St Mungo’s, which did not make it easier to treat them. Anyhow, I helped Healer Solomon examine those with chest injuries. If an aborted Avada Kedavra goes through part of your heart, you only have a few minutes before the damage will start permanenting itself. The longer you wait, the poorer result you’ll get. So we identified seven persons with chest injuries. I examined three of them and two needed the treatment, so I did it in the way I had been taught during the afternoon. Healer Solomon checked them out afterwards, of course, but he said he couldn’t have done it more thoroughly himself.” Harry sounded proud, but his face became sombre as he went on.

“One of the wizards I treated spoke to me quite freely and I don’t know what to make out of it. I learnt from Mr Burgess some weeks ago that rumours had begun to spread, but I really thought it ridiculous at the time...”

“Mr Burgess?” asked Mrs Steadfast with a frown.

“Yes, well he had caught a rumour, he said to me. He didn’t know any details, but he told me the same thing that this wizard stated tonight...” Harry made a pause. “He said that the son of Voldemort would emerge and take his father’s place.” Harry shook his head as if he wanted to get rid of the words he had just uttered.

“And...did this person have any proof?” Mrs Steadfast pressed on.

“He claimed that some note book of Voldemort’s had been found and that it said he would be resurrected by his heir,” Harry muttered reluctantly. Mrs Steadfast scrutinised him. Apparently, it was not the first time this evening that she heard such a statement.

“Preposterous!” A voice came from the shadows beside the stairs. It made Harry jump and clutch his wand. Professor Snape stepped forward into the light. Snape did not look at Harry, but at Mrs Steadfast.

“The Death Eaters would have heard about a son, wouldn’t they? Voldemort would have wanted to give prominence to such a fact,” said Snape.

“Maybe he wanted to keep it a secret,” said Mrs Steadfast. “Or maybe he didn’t know he had a son until recently?”  

“That recreated body of his could not produce a child, surely?” Snape looked disgusted and shook his head. 

“We’re not speaking of a baby here, I think. No, in case there is any truth in this strange rumour, it must be a grown-up son, or nearly grown-up. Everything from a few years younger than Harry, or older - much older, even. Voldemort was in his fifties when he disappeared after the curse on Harry backfired on him and he was gone for thirteen years. Maybe he didn’t have time to learn about a son, or he didn’t know about him, or care about him until at the very end,” said Mrs Steadfast.

“I don’t think he would have wanted a son,” intervened Harry. “He cared only for himself. When he wanted to become immortal he chose other means...” Harry looked uncertainly at Snape because he did not know if Mrs Steadfast had been let in on the secret about the horcruxes, but Snape still ignored him. “And he killed his own father, remember...” Harry went on.

“He still might have begotten a son, without knowing or thinking he did. Such things happen,” said Mrs Steadfast, in a matter-of-fact tone, “But he might have decided to use the fact when it revealed itself to him.”

“Or it might just not be true at all,” Snape said dryly, still disbelieving.

”Do you think that green-haired wizard who launched the Avadas could be…?” Harry asked hesitantly. Mrs Steadfast shook her head, visibly troubled.

”We have no means to tell,” she answered slowly. ”When the Aurors arrived at the scene of the battle, the attackers were already gone.” They all pondered upon this for a short while.

“Harry!” Mme Pomfrey broke the silence. She had seemed terrified while they were talking of Voldemort, flinching every time his name was pronounced. “Have you had anything to eat today?” Harry looked at her in surprise, as did the others. Harry blinked and answered honestly:

“Well, I told you I missed breakfast and lunch. I had some apples in Healer Solomon’s office... three apples - I was hungry - and some old biscuits. That’s all.”

“My dear boy – that’ll not do. Come with me. I’ll get you something to eat from the kitchen. A whole day without proper food... With such exertions... And dangers...” she muttered to herself.

“Mme Pomfrey!” Snape suddenly snapped at her. “I forbid you to give Mr Potter any rewards. He has broken the rules of the school, caused his friends to worry and wasted Mrs Steadfast’s valuable time. He will not have any food before he goes to bed!”

Harry, who had taken a step to follow Mme Pomfrey, stopped. A surge of anger seized him and the old loathing of Snape’s unfairness mounted in him like a blaze of fire. His green eyes flared at Snape as he turned on the spot and made to climb the stairs, without uttering a word. The unhappy protests of Mme Pomfrey did not stop him, but Mrs Steadfast joined in.

“Don’t be silly, Mr Potter. Of course you should have something to eat before you go to bed!” She turned to Snape. ”I believe Mr Potter has proven a legitimate cause for his lateness tonight, Professor,” she tried to persuade him.

“Don’t worry about it, Mrs Steadfast,” Harry said grimly. “Going to bed without food was the favourite punishment of my aunt when I was a child. It happened ever so often. It’s just that I was getting used to being treated like an adult. After all, I’ve been given the title - quite falsely, I’m aware of that, but all the same - of Healer, all day long.”

“You stayed behind without Mrs Steadfast’s or my permission!” Snape scolded him.

“I had my afternoon off, Sir. I’m of age and I can do what I please during my spare time,” Harry answered heatedly, fighting to keep his temper under control.

“You’re to comply with security measures! But you’ve always disregarded the efforts others put in for your safety and thrust yourself into dangers, just like your father, for the fun of it!” Snape spat out the words.

“I have not!” Harry was on the verge of starting to shout back at Snape, but bit back the retort and turned resolutely to Mrs Steadfast. “I’ve declined personal security and I withhold that decision. If there are other measures that I should apply to, I’d appreciate if I was told beforehand. It’s hard to comply with security measures I haven’t been clearly informed of. Am I not allowed to leave Hogwarts?”

Mrs Steadfast looked bewildered, standing in the cross-fire of glaring gazes from Harry and Snape as if they both expected her to give their version priority.

“You’re allowed to leave Hogwarts, Harry, but I’d prefer to be informed of where and with whom.”

“You did know where I was and with whom,” protested Harry.

“I thought Professor Snape was going with you today. Not that Mme Pomfrey has failed her duty in any way...” Mrs Steadfast inclined her head in Mme Pomfrey’s direction, ”but naturally she does not have the authority of Professor Snape.”

“So I’m punished because he changed his mind,” Harry said irritably. “Well, I long to graduate from this place in six months and start being treated like an adult for once.” He glared at Snape who snorted and narrowed his eyes.

“You might graduate,” he said maliciously, ”but you won’t end up at the Healer’s program at St Mungo’s, if that’s where you’re aiming. They require a NEWT in Arithmancy which is a subject you’ve never taken at Hogwarts.”

A silence followed his statement. Harry looked at him subdued and pityingly at the same time.

“I’m aware of that, Professor,” he finally said stiffly. He turned to mount the stairs again. “It still was a good day,” he said. His voice was composed, but sounded small somehow. “I learned things. They might come in useful, anyhow.”

“You did so well today, Harry,” Mme Pomfrey called after him. “They were impressed by you at St Mungo’s, I heard them...”

“Your skills will most assuredly be appreciated, Mr Potter.” Mrs Steadfast tried to comfort him. “As an Auror it’s a great advantage to have healing knowledge. There’s a lot to do on the field before you send them off to the hospital. If you enter the Auror’s program, perhaps we could have you do six months or something at St Mungo’s.”

“That would be really nice, Mrs Steadfast,” Harry said earnestly. He stopped for a second before he disappeared into the darkness of the stairs. “Goodnight,” he said.

As Harry continued to climb the stairs, he heard Mrs Steadfast’s fiercely reproving voice.

“By all white-hot goblin’s sword points, that was cruel, Severus Snape!” she cried.

“I pointed out a mere fact.” Snape sounded defensive. “The boy shouldn’t be left in the delusion that he might enter the healer program when he doesn’t have the qualifications...”

Harry did not care to listen to Snape’s answer. His head was simmering out of tiredness. His legs were heavy and had begun to tremble - from lack of energy, Harry thought and walked slowly. From below, the scolding voices of Mrs Steadfast and Mme Pomfrey grew louder.

Images from St Mungo’s floated before Harry’s eyes: hundreds of faces he had met that day, green-clad figures, the grey hair of Mrs Starglobe spread over a pillow, Healer Solomon stooped over a patient... And  finally, the buzzing of the over-crowded emergency hall, the mixed feeling of dread and excitement, the satisfaction of helping out, the strong sense of purpose as he had treated those injured wizards and witches… Harry smiled to himself. He had enjoyed himself thoroughly. Snape could not take the experiences of the day away from him.

The quarrel below escalated. Snape’s deep voice vibrated furiously and Harry heard Mrs Steadfast yell back at him.

“If it comes to my knowledge that you’ve been seen within three curses distance from that Rita Skeeter woman, I will arrest you! I mean it, Snape!”

It was only then that it occurred to Harry that the Daily Prophet had published the extracts from Rita Skeeter’s book in the day’s print and that Snape must have read the entire account of what he, Harry, had said to Voldemort about Snape and Lily during the final duel. Snape’s most private secret had been laid bare, for everyone to revel in and to speculate about. All things considered, Harry stopped to think, he was lucky to get away from Snape on a day like this, with as little as some verbal abuse and deprivation of food.

He leaned carefully over the banister to look down on the scene in the Entrance Hall. The two witches were facing Snape, both of them hunched up, as if prepared to fight. They scolded him in turns, Mrs Steadfast more vigorously than Mme Pomfrey, waving their wands to his face, making him back off. From time to time, Snape took a few steps aggressively towards them as he retorted, with the result that they rocked back and forth in the hall in a queer dance. It reminded Harry of the agitated and complaining patients in the waiting hall at St Mungo’s. On an impulse, he brought out his wand.

A rain of glittering stars fell over the Entrance Hall. Mrs Steadfast stopped, surprised, in the middle of a sentence. She cast a bewildered look around her and stared foolishly at a star that landed on her sleeve to dissolve slowly. The puzzled faces of Snape and Mme Pomfrey met hers as she lifted her head. She raised her eyes higher and, although she could not discern anyone in the darkness of the stairs, a broad smile spread over her face.

“He’s showering us with Appeasing Stars, Mr Potter is!” she exclaimed. “That’s so sweet of you, Harry!” she cried out. ”You shouldn’t go to bed with hard feelings in your heart, right? My grandmother always said so, but who taught you? Some very wise witch, no doubt. You’re absolutely right, Potter, don’t let him ruin a perfect day. He’s not fit to waste hard feelings on - or any feelings at all, for that matter!”

“Hmph!” Snape snorted, but before he could retort, a new rain of stars landed on them.

“Bless you, child!” cried Mrs Steadfast, “I know you want to be treated like an adult and that indeed you are... but you’re younger than my own children, so just allow me the expression... But some of those stars landed on Professor Snape, Harry. I’m not sure he deserves them...” She cast Snape a gaze filled with loathing.

“Leave them with him, Mrs Steadfast, he might need them, anyhow,” said Harry in a small and tired, but clear voice. Mrs Steadfast suddenly became serious.

”I’m ’Mrs Steady’ to you, Harry, I would be honoured. You’re a beautiful kid, Harry Potter. I forgot to congratulate you on your achievement today. Your mother would have been so proud of you!” she said. There was a silence.

“Thank you, Mrs Steady,” was heard from upstairs, almost in a whisper.

Snape stared at Mrs Steadfast, shoulders suddenly slumping, before bending his head, turning abruptly and disappearing in the corridor leading to his office.