There was so much to think about, and his thoughts were so jumbled that Harry almost would have forgotten about visiting Luna.
Ginny hadn’t, though. She ate almost nothing for breakfast before she got up and announced she would go visit Luna.
“Do you want to talk to her alone?” Hermione asked.
“No, I –” Ginny stared at her feet. “It would be better if someone else was there, too. Just in case she’s angry and tries to hex me ...”
“Does she usually do that?”
“No, it’s just ... I’d deserve it, really. And Tom might have convinced her she ought to take revenge. He tried that with me.”
“Who do you have to get revenge on?”, Ron asked, around a piece of toast he was shoving into his mouth.
“Fred and George, mostly. But it doesn’t really matter.”
They all walked to the Hospital Wing, Ron eating his toast while walking, Harry discreetly took crumbs of toast out of his pocket and swallowed them, and Hermione ... Hermione either had managed to eat enough before, or wasn’t that hungry.
Harry wasn’t that hungry, yet, either, but living with the Dursleys had taught him to not forego a meal if not absolutely necessary – you didn’t know if you would be getting the next one.
Madam Pomfrey fortunately was willing to let them see Luna. “Only ten minutes”, she said sternly. “And don’t do anything to upset her.”
She led them to a room off the main corridor. “Ten minutes. And no loud talking.”
Luna was sitting up in bed and reading a book. She looked at them with large blue eyes. “Hello. Why are you here?”
Stunned silence ensued, until Hermione finally said: “To see how you are, of course. When we left yesterday, you were unconscious.”
“Yes.” Luna blinked. “I just wonder why you care.”
That made Ginny burst into tears, but Harry didn’t think Luna had done that intentionally. She sounded just like Harry might have sounded if, instead of Dumbledore, it had been the Dursleys who had visited him after his fight against Voldemort last year.
“Ginny is very sorry she, uh, wasn’t so nice to you before”, Harry explained.
“Oh. So that was not a dream?”
“You heard her apologize?” Hermione asked, while Ginny seemed to hope the floor would open and swallow her.
“Yes. She was there at the platform.”
“Platform?”
“I was waiting for a train”, Luna recalled in a dreamy voice. “It was snowing and I was waiting at Hogsmeade station to take the train back home to mum.” She smiled. “I was sick, so sick I had to go home, and I felt terrible, but I knew it would all be over when I got home. The train wasn’t on time – I waited for a very long time, and then suddenly she was there and apologized.”
“What happened next?”, Ron asked, horrified fascination clear on his face.
“The train came”, Luna recalled. “I wasn’t feeling so bad anymore, but I still wanted to see mum, and perhaps I would have gotten onto the train, but then, Professor Snape was there and asked me why I didn’t have my cloak.”
“Sounds like him”, Ron commented.
Luna nodded. “I told him I must have forgotten and he gave me his, and then he said I had to come back to the castle because my father was waiting for me. Then I woke up.”
“That’s interesting”, Hermione mused. “There were a lot of people standing around and talking, but you really only noticed Ginny’s apology.” She frowned. “Wait – Snape actually talked to you like you were really at a train station in the winter?”
Luna nodded. “He probably can enter dreams.”
“I never heard of that!” Ron exclaimed.
“It would be a fairly rare skill” Hermione commented. “I recall reading something about Native American people being able to do that, sometimes, but there aren’t any books on it in the library.
“Oh, there is a lot more to magic than what you can find in the library”, Luna said, her eyes lighting up like Hermione’s did when she was talking about something that fascinated her. “Here – dad brought me a copy of the Quibbler, I read it already, you can have it.”
Hermione took the magazine and looked at it. “Oh. That is – thank you very much, Luna. Are you sure you don’t need it anymore, for re-reading?”
“Don’t mention it. Dad has tons at home.”
Luna told them her father was actually the editor of that magazine, but before she could go into more detail, Madam Pomfrey appeared and told them their time was up.
“I’m not so sure about this magazine”, Hermione said while they walked back to Gryffindor tower. “They don’t really quote any reliable sources, and it does look a bit like conspiracy theories ...”
“It is all nonsense”, Ginny said. “That’s why everyone makes fun of her. She’s a bit ... strange.”
She was, but that didn’t make it okay to bully her.
And Harry suddenly realized that there hadn’t been any get-well-cards on her nightstand. No gifts, nothing, just the magazine her father had brought.
**
Hermione was quiet all day, but didn’t go to the library, just sat in a corner in the common room, deep in thought.
On the way back from lunch, she finally told Harry and Ron what she had been thinking about. “Harry, I think I know a way to get you away from your relatives, but ... you won’t like it.”
“Are you kidding me? I’d do everything to get away from them. Well, except dying for real, I suppose.”
Hermione grimaced. “That’s good. Because we will have to tell Professor Snape what they did.”
“What? Are you insane?”, Ron protested.
“No, listen, he was really helpful when – when Harry had a problem a while ago. And he won’t tell us that Harry’s relatives really love him, because he doesn’t think like that. He said everyone would bully Luna even worse if they knew she’s unhappy about it, do you remember?”
“Still, a plan that involves Snape can’t be good.”
“Oh yeah? Do you have a better plan?”
“I’ll come up with one! Just so you know! Fred and George will have an idea – see you, Harry.” Ron hurried to catch up with his older brothers.
“Not so sure a plan involving those two is any better”, Hermione mumbled.
“Hey, they did get me away from the Dursleys last year.”
“Yes, but Dumbledore would never listen to them. We need a teacher. Please, Harry, you don’t have to come, just say I can tell Professor Snape.”
“No! Whatever you do, don’t tell Snape! He’ll ...” Harry didn’t want to imagine what Snape would do with that kind of knowledge. Humiliate him, for sure.
“Give you detention?”, a familiar, much-hated voice asked.
Of course, Snape was right behind them!
“What is Miss Granger not supposed to tell me, Potter?”
Harry turned around to defiantly stare at Snape. “Nothing!”
“Ah. Then she may tell me everything?”
“No! I mean, there is nothing to tell!”
Snape raised an eyebrow. “Miss Granger, as I know how dearly you wish to really know everything, I suggest a deal. If you tell me Potter’s secret, I shall give you the answer to one question you have. Any question of your choosing.”
“Any question at all? You promise, sir?”
“Any question, provided I actually know the answer and it is nothing the law forbids me to tell you. Now?”
Hermione looked at Harry. Did she think he would change his opinion?
Then it hit him – that was their opportunity to find out about his mum! He nodded slightly, hoping Snape wouldn’t see.
“Perhaps we should talk in your office, sir. It is a secret, after all.”
“Hey! You just sell me out for one answer?” Harry complained, doing his best to pretend to be offended.
“Very well. Potter, come along. I have a suspicion I will wish to talk to you after Miss Granger tells me your secret.”
Harry very much didn’t want to be there when Snape found out about the Dursleys – he would like at least a break before Snape started making fun of him for it – but on the other hand, he did want to be there when Hermione confronted Snape about Lily Evans. Snape might lie, or refuse to answer despite his promise, but Harry hoped he would be able to tell what the truth was, from Snape’s reaction alone.
They entered the office, and Harry felt suppressed memories float to the front of his conscious. He had told Snape he was in love with Lockhart! How had he even survived the shame?
“Now, Miss Granger?”
“After the love potion incident”, Hermione began, and Harry flinched. “Harry said he couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about, because he had had worse happen to him.”
Curiously, Snape paled. “Explain.”
“Well, he told me his cousin had tricked him into drinking rat poison that made his nose bleed for days after.”
“Hm. And his aunt did nothing about it?”
Harry wanted to yell at Snape that he was standing right there, but then, Snape might actually talk to him, and he’d rather not risk that.
“That’s what shocked me so, sir, he said his aunt and uncle were probably proud of their son for doing that.”
“Ah. You investigated further, I presume?”
“Yes, sir. I asked Harry about other things his cousin did, and the other thing was just his cousin bullying a snake at the zoo, but then, Harry freed the snake with accidental magic. And he told me he was locked in his cupboard for weeks after for doing that.”
“His cupboard?”
“He said that was just what they called his room because it was so small, sir, but ...”
Hermione, you traitor! Harry seethed silently, not wanting to draw any more of Snape’s attention.
“You don’t believe him?”
“Not really, sir. And even if, it doesn’t matter. They put bars on the windows of his new room, and ...” She frowned. “Harry, didn’t Ron or his brothers tell their parents they had to rescue you?”
Harry wasn’t sure. “I think they mentioned the Dursleys had starved me, but ...”
“Starved you?”, Snape asked quietly. “Explain.”
“I was just exaggerating”, Harry said, his stubborn pride winning out. “I got a tin of soup each day.”
“Soup”, Snape repeated with a blank expression. “What kind of soup?”
“Tomato soup, soup with vegetables, you know the like.”
“I see.”
“That’s something I can’t prove, sir, but I can prove that Harry didn’t have any decent clothes when he spent the easter holidays with my family. It was all castoffs of his cousin’s, and .... there’s nothing wrong with second hand clothes as such, but Harry’s cousin is double his size and I don’t know what sports he’s doing, but they were pretty much all in a terrible state. We gave him some clothes of my cousin’s, so you wouldn’t have seen.”
Snape nodded. “What sports is your cousin into, Potter?”
Harry shrugged. “Beating up younger children, mostly. He doesn’t really do any regular sports other than boxing. Uncle Vernon insisted that he learns how to ride a bike, but after his stunt went awry, I haven’t seen him on one ever again.”
“Stunt?”
“He tried to jump over a car with it. Trouble is, it was a neighbours car. The insurance paid out, but I don’t think Mr. Jones from across the road ever forgave him.” In fact, Mr Jones had allowed Harry to hide from Dudley between his prize-winning giant broccolies a couple times after that – he still somewhat believed the Dursleys’ lies about Harry being a troublemaker, but had told Harry that he would always be on the side of the boy who hadn’t done any damage to his property. “Mr. Jones was there to witness it, so they couldn’t blame it on me.”
“They usually do that?”
“If there’s no witnesses? All the time. It’s still their insurance that has to pay for the damage, but I suppose they just prefer everyone to think their little Duddikins is perfect.” Even though he usually tried to not think of the Dursleys, it felt surprisingly good to be able to talk about them.
“I see. Back to your clothes, Potter, it appears you do have a new set of robes.”
“Yeah, I bought those myself.”
Snape raised an eyebrow. “With your allowance?”
Allowance? Oh, right. Normal children apparently got that sort of thing. “No, sir. With the money my parents left me.”
“And you did not think to buy some muggle clothes with that?”
Right, you could exchange galleons against muggle money. The Grangers had done it. “Why? I only wear muggle clothes when I stay with the Dursleys, and they’d probably think I stole something if I turned up with clothes that fit me.”
“Surely, you did not wear robes to your muggle school before you went to Hogwarts?”
Harry frowned. Snape was being intentionally dense. “Back then I had no idea my parents had left me any money. Or that they could do magic.”
“Is that so?” Snape turned and walked to his fireplace, threw some floo powder in, and called Dumbledore.
The headmaster stepped out of the fire just the same as last time. “Something about this situation feels familiar”, he said blithely. “What is the matter?”
“The matter is”, Snape informed him tartly. “That Petunia Dursley is not fit to take care of a child.”
“That again? Severus, if you would just get past your prejudice - ”
“No, Albus, this time we are not talking about Petunia spoiling her nephew. This time we talk about how she encourages her own son to feed rat poison to his cousin.” Snape was almost yelling now.
“Now, now, Severus, I know how it must look to you, but all siblings fight sometimes. Harry is obviously still with us.”
“Sir, I told you everything – how can you not see Harry has to get away from them?”, Hermione blurted out.
“Do you agree with her, Harry? You haven’t said anything”, Dumbledore asked gently, and Harry felt a glimmer of hope.
“Yes, sir, I’d like to live with the Grangers.”
“I will see to it that you can spend part of the holidays there. It is pretty much impossible, legally, to get a child away from his blood relatives, you see, but - ”
“You are Supreme Mugwump and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. Don’t give us any of that nonsense!”, Snape cut in.
“Ah, Severus. I am heartened to see you be so passionate about Harry’s wellbeing. We shall discuss it later. For now, I have urgent matters to attend to, I’m afraid.” He turned to Harry. “Rest assured, I will have a little chat with your aunt and uncle. Now, enjoy your free time at Hogwarts!”
Harry didn’t respond. He didn’t feel able to speak. Stunned, he watched Dumbledore vanish in the floo again.
“I’m sorry, sir, I should have told you – I already tried talking to the headmaster.”
“That is quite alright, Miss Granger. I would hardly have believed it had I not witnessed it myself.” Snape paced around the office. “Now, I do keep my promises. What was the question you wanted an answer for?”
“As it is Harry’s secret, I think he should get to choose the question.”
Harry had relied on Hermione, and found himself at a loss. “No, you know what I need to know, please, you are better at – at wording things.” Wording things in a way so that Snape couldn’t find a loophole, especially.
“No, I’m not – not really.” Hermione sighed. “Alright. Professor Snape, why did you never tell Harry that you are the father of his half-sister?”
Snape didn’t look shocked at all. Had he known they would ask that?
“Because I am not”, he replied calmly.
Chapter 11