Mrs Steadfast was leaning over her desk and staring at Harry with a deep crease between her eyebrows. Harry’s hair was shuffled and he wore Muggle clothes which were not his own. At least Mrs Steadfast did not recall ever having seen him in those before, and yet they were old and dirty as if often worn. It was Saturday morning, and she had been called in early by the attending Auror who reported that Mr Potter had apprehended three suspects.

“But he’s a student,” she had argued over the floo, not yet quite alert, having been torn from her sleep. “He has no right to arrest people.”

“I don’t think he has arrested them, strictly speaking, Mrs Steady,” the Auror said. “He only brought them in. He’s depending on us to do the rest.”

“But he brought them in by force?” she asked.

“Oh, yes. They seem perfectly terrified of him,” said the Auror.

“They do, do they? What has he done to them? This doesn’t sound good at all, Freddy,” said Mrs Steadfast.

“Well, they’re here,” said Auror Freddy Savage. “We haven’t apprehended a Shifting member or a Death Eater for months. Do you want to interrogate them? I’ve got the impression that Mr Potter has already done some interrogation of his own.”

“Spinning Saturnus! He’s in no position to… I’m coming in to interrogate Mr Potter, first and for all! Alert Professor Snape at Hogwarts and ask him to join me in my office.”

So, here she was, a little bit more awake than before, but still puzzled. Severus should be there any moment. She opened her mouth to address Harry, when the door swung open and Snape entered the room. He stopped and examined Harry from top to toe.

“Been sleeping rough?” Snape asked curtly.

Harry who had not said much hitherto, but who had shown some defiance in front of Mrs Steadfast’s apparent disapprobation, blushed.

“Are you in disguise?” added Snape in disbelief. “If you’ve sent him on some kind of mission without my knowledge, Audrey…”

“I haven’t! Gracious! Who do you take me for? He’s a student! A half-time, first-year student! And he’s going to account for having arrested three suspects without my authorization.” She glared at Harry. Snape closed the door behind him. The three of them were alone in the office because the prisoners were being guarded by Auror Savage in an adjacent interrogation booth.

“You don’t have much faith in me, do you? Either of you?” muttered Harry, glaring back at Mrs Steadfast.

“Well?” she said.

“I was attacked!” exclaimed Harry. “I was attacked and I defended myself! I have a right to defend myself, don’t I?” Mrs Steadfast sighed.

“Let’s sit down,” she said in a calmer tone. She seated herself behind the desk and Snape who had become mute as soon as he realised that Harry was in an agitated temper, leant lightly against the edge of the table at one corner. Harry remained standing, tense and with a feverish glow in his eyes.

“These people know something,” he said. “They know something about that cave hosting Voldemort’s Pleasure Temple. Not so much the younger Shifting member, but the older Death Eater does. He’s the one I concentrated on. He admitted having been to the cave several times, but claimed it was always dark and that he couldn’t give a proper description. We should…”

“Start from the beginning, please, Harry,” said Mrs Steadfast. “Where did you encounter these people and what happened before you… started to interrogate them?” Harry made an impatient gesture.

“It’s not important! What matters is finding the Pleasure Temple. I’ve an idea how we might find out…”

“Answer Mrs Steadfast’s question, Mr Potter.” Snape nailed Harry with his dark gaze. The severe teacher’s tone still seemed to have an effect on Harry who fidgeted, but sighed, frowned and then started to explain in quick, hurried words, while pacing the office in front of Mrs Steadfast’s desk.

“I had been out late and… and I had had some drinks…” Harry shot a quick glance towards Snape. “I didn’t want to disturb my friends by coming home so late, so I decided to sleep at this other place where I’ve gone a couple of times in similar situations.”

“Where was that?” Mrs Steadfast intervened.

“A shed… North parts of London, nearby Finsbury Park.” Harry spoke quickly. Both Mrs Steadfast and Snape furrowed their eyebrows.

“A shed!” exclaimed Mrs Steadfast with incredulity. “You’ve been sleeping in a shed?”

“Only once in a while,” Harry answered defensively. “Although the word might have spread among the underworld people and that’s how the Shiftings were probably able to find me. I mean, even if I was disguised by Polyjuice most of the time when arriving at the spot, I would leave as myself, wouldn’t I? They must’ve ended up checking it out with regular intervals knowing there was a chance I would make an appearance. I should have changed location, I realise that. Lesson learnt, okay?”

“No, it’s not okay!” thundered Snape all of a sudden, standing up. “You should not sleep at insecure places. You should not even visit places alone that have not been secured by the Aurors. What were you thinking of, Potter? And why did you use Polyjuice in the first place?” Snape was red in the face. Harry stared at him.

“Why do you even care?” he said, more puzzled than upset and shaking his head. “Anyway, the important thing now is to find out about…”

“They attacked you, you say? When?” asked Mrs Steadfast.

“A couple of hours ago,” Harry answered. “I had not slept for very long. I woke up by the sound from my ward breaking. Because I did set up wards, you know - I’m not completely ignorant and unsuspicious.” Harry glared at Snape who had resumed his previous position. “I was able to disarm them all before they got a chance to hurt me. Well, only a scratch.” Harry made a movement with his left hand. Snape half rose to examine the injury but sat down again as it was clear even from a distance that it was nothing but a small bruise.

“Harry, why are you dressed in those Muggle rags?” asked Mrs Steadfast. Harry flared up.

“It’s not important!” he said between his teeth. “Do you want to find the last Pleasure Temple or not?”

Mrs Steadfast hesitated, eyeing Harry suspiciously.

“Otherwise I can just leave right now and let you handle the rest. It’s not as if you can arrest me or anything, is there?” threatened Harry. When Snape and Mrs Steadfast continued to stare at Harry, he sighed with exasperation. “Listen, if I didn’t think that this was important, do you think I would have bothered to bring them in? I would have fended them off and returned home as if nothing had happened, right? Not risking your disapprobation - not to speak of that of Professor Snape’s.” Snape frowned and lowered his head.

“Now, Harry, we’re only worried about you.” Mrs Steadfast had softened a little bit. “What makes you think these people can lead us to the cave? None of them is the Secret Keeper, are they?”

“No,” sighed Harry. “I realise it’s a long shot, but there is a tiny bit of a chance that the information they have – that the oldest Death Eater is in possession of that is - that it might lead us to the cave. I’ll explain…”

“How did you make him confess?” asked Snape. Harry bit his lip.

“I… I believe I frightened him a bit…” he answered.

Snape lifted one eyebrow.

“First I used Legilimency on him…” Harry turned his head away. “Then I… I used the Strangling Incantation, okay? Among other things…” he muttered.

“I’ll be forced to pretend I didn’t hear that,” said Mrs Steadfast. “Do you think he’ll be ready to repeat what he told you, here, at a proper interrogation?”

“I think so. He already spilled the piece, didn’t he? And he’s in fact rather peripheral in all this, but he was able to give me this one piece of information that might, just might, help us move on with this terrible business of the Pleasure Temple. We’ve waited long enough, haven’t we?” Mrs Steadfast nodded slowly.

“Soundy will kill me if I don’t take the opportunity to solve this once and for all, regardless of the legality of the situation. He’s so frustrated with us not making progress. Okay, tell us, Harry,” she said.

Harry finally sat down at the opposite side of Mrs Steadfast’s desk and leant in towards his boss and Snape. His right hand was pressed flat on top of a heap of Mrs Steadfast’s reports, and his face was screwed up in concentration.

“I pressured the old Death Eater, I pressured him rather hard like I said… I admit I was frustrated and I took it out on him…” Harry’s voice faltered.

“He’s still in one piece, since you brought him here, isn’t he?” Snape asked dryly. Harry nodded with what almost seemed to be a grateful glance at his former professor.

“When he told me he’d only visited the Pleasure Temple by night, I realised that we needed to find someone who had been at the place during daytime,” Harry continued. “Such a person, even if they’re not the Secret Keeper, might be able to describe the surroundings enough for us to put up a surveillance of the place and catch the Secret Keeper when arriving at the place. He or she – might be Mr Hatch or his daughter, or Mr Burgess – they must go there now and again, right, if the place is still running?” Mrs Steadfast nodded.

“We’ve already thought about that, and we know the general area where the cave should be located, but it’s too big for us to cover,” she said.

“What did you learn?” Snape asked Harry.

“I pressed him hard to make him reveal every single person he knew of, or had heard of, who had visited the cave in daytime. I pushed him to think back in time, long ago. This is an elderly Death Eater, Vermoth – have you heard of him?” Harry looked at Snape.

“Of course, but he was never a very prominent Death Eater. A man in the periphery, but dedicated. He always used to be a criminal, I think, from a young age, and joined together with a gang of wizards from London, who had never attended Hogwarts.” Harry nodded.

“He could only think of one occasion when the cave was used in daytime.” Harry started to breathe quicker and looked expectantly at Snape and Mrs Steadfast.

“And?” Mrs Steadfast said impatiently.

“When the Longbottoms were brought in to be tortured by the Lestranges and their gang,” said Harry. Snape and Mrs Steadfast stared at Harry. Snape’s shoulders slumped and Mrs Steadfast sighed.

“All those present at that time are dead, Harry,” she said in a low voice. “Bellatrix Lestrange was the last to go at the battle at Hogwarts almost two years ago.”

“Not Frank and Alice Longbottom,” Harry answered, riveting his intense green eyes at hers.

“But Harry, they’re…”

Harry rose in one swift movement and started to pace the room again.

“The Longbottoms have been hospitalised at St Mungo’s ever since that horrible Crucio session, I know,” he said. “They’ve been subjected to various treatments, among them many Obliviatings. Now, I happen to know that their son has argued for months with their doctors to undo those Obliviate spells. They’ve gone through several stages of preparations, but they’re hesitant to perform the last step. I know this because I have it as first-hand information from Neville Longbottom himself. He has persuaded his grandmother that this is the right way to go, and together they’re fighting the management of St Mungo’s to be given the authorization to perform the last Desobliviating spell.”

“This appears to be a sensitive business, Harry. If it’s stuck with the administration it might take a long time,” Mrs Steadfast objected.

“Well, not if you advance our arguments from the Auror side,” Harry insisted. “This might help us save people in that cave, don’t you realise?”

“We’ve been looking for it for so long. I must admit, Harry, that I’ve almost lost hope. I’m almost afraid to think about it - why, it might be better for those prisoners if they perished long ago…” Mrs Steadfast grimaced.

“But what if they are still alive? You wouldn’t say that if they had been kidnapped yesterday, would you? Then you would do everything to save them. Well, you should reason in the same way now. We should go directly to St Mungo’s and insist that they try the treatment on Mr and Mrs Longbottom. It might mean the difference between life and death for someone in that cave.”

“It might mean the death of the Longbottoms, have you considered that?” asked Snape. Harry turned and looked at him.

“Neville has thought so much about this, for so long. It’s really up to him and his grandmother to decide whether the risk is worth taking,” said Harry in a low voice. “The kind of life the Longbottoms lead… There can’t be much to lose from their perspective… I’ve seen them myself… Have you?” Harry added and looked at Snape who shook his head.

“Let’s go then,” said Mrs Steadfast. “You’ve convinced me of at least having a try. I’ll speak to Soundy to interrogate the prisoners and charge them with the assault of you, Harry.”

“Ask him to gather a team and have it ready in case we learn something from the Longbottoms and want to act on it,” said Harry and stared hard at Mrs Steadfast. She hesitated.

“He’s right, Audrey. However slim, this might be our best chance for eighteen months since we discovered the first cave. We mustn’t lose time once we’ve got the information,” said Snape.

“If we get the information…” Mrs Steadfast shook her head. “More than eighteen years ago… eighteen years of insanity… Do you really think they’ll remember?”

Harry said nothing but stared defiantly at her. She sighed, nodded and moved toward the fireplace in the Auror common room.

***

Both Snape and Mrs Steadfast could be very forceful and persuading when they decided to. In front of the hospital management and highest administration, they made a clear case of the necessity to undo the Obliviatings of the Longbottoms because they were witnesses in an ongoing investigation. This naturally craved some explications. But Healer Solomon who was Chief Healer had always been extremely conscious of Harry’s position in wizard society and was liable to side with the Boy-who-lived-and-conquered-Voldemort. The hospital lawyer started to give in when she realised that Mrs Steadfast was ready to take responsibility for any legal repercussions of the case. It sickened Harry a bit to realise that these people did not have the best of the Longbottoms as their primary goal, but were only interested in protecting the reputation of the hospital.

The one person who was hardest to persuade, however, was the Professor of mind healing who was also the Chief of the Department. He was in his seventies and had worked at St Mungo’s for fifty years. He was, in fact, responsible for all the Obliviating treatments given at his ward during decades. He believed in the good of Obliviatings and felt personally insulted by the fact that they were now being disputed.

On their side, Harry, Snape and Mrs Steadfast had Healer Frankiss. Mr and Mrs Longbottom were his patients and he was sensible to the objections against Obliviatings in general and had long ago yielded to the arguments of his patients’ relatives. But his chief persisted stubbornly in refusing to give his permission to perform the final spells. At last Healer Frankiss turned to Healer Solomon and said:

“I take full responsibility for what happens, if you give the authorisation to bypass this prohibition.”

Healer Solomon looked from the Head of Department to Healer Frankiss, to Harry and hesitated.

“The Longbottoms do not have much to lose, believe me. And their son will not press charges if we fail,” said Healer Frankiss.

“There are even more lives at stake here,” said Harry. Healer Solomon nodded.

“You have my authorisation to proceed,” he said.

When hurrying back to the ward, Harry overheard Snape mumbling to Healer Frankiss:

“You’re a courageous man and you have my deepest respect. For last year of course, but also for today.”

Healer Frankiss had given testimony last year at the inquiry in Snape’s favour. As a consequence, he had been abducted and tortured by Mr Bellamy Burgess and the Shiftings. Harry understood that Snape felt indebted to Healer Frankiss, and he agreed with Snape that it was true that the man showed uncommon rectitude and moral integrity.

Neville and his grandmother were already alerted and present at the ward. Alberta Longbottom was sitting by her son’s side, a little pale and uncharacteristically silent while Neville rose from a chair close to his mother’s bed when they all entered the room.

“Thank you, Harry,” Neville whispered, watching the squad of people pouring in: Healer Frankiss, another healer, Solomon, the lawyer, four care witches, Snape and Mrs Steadfast.

“Is it okay that we stay during the procedure?” Harry asked.

Neville nodded.

“All of us?” asked Harry.

Neville glanced toward Professor Snape and nodded again.

“It’s okay,” he said. “You’re all with the Aurors. I understand you’re hoping my parents might remember something that might help you save other people?”

It was Harry’s turn to nod.

“That would be great,” Neville said in a stifled voice and returned by his mother. Snape advanced towards Harry.

“Should I wait outside?” he asked. Harry was surprised that Snape showed such explicit insight that Neville might not want him in the room.

“No, he says it’s okay…” replied Harry, clenching his jaws and opening his mouth again. “I can’t believe you treated him like you did in school!” Harry hissed in a surge of indignity on his friend’s behalf. Snape looked warningly at him.

“This is not the time, Mr Potter, nor the place,” he said drily and retreated further back in the room.

Harry shook his head. He felt shaky, in an anxious and apprehensive sort of way, the adrenaline from the attack in the morning still coursing through his body. What had he launched into? This was his doing, wasn’t it? What if Neville’s parents died from the treatment? With a mix of terror and rapt attention, Harry watched the preparations.

When everything was ready, Healer Frankiss sat down on a chair between the two beds, so that he could face both Neville, his grandmother and the two patients at the same time. The latter were propped up by cushions under their heads and were staring emptily in front of themselves. Healer Frankiss cleared his throat.

“We’ve spoken of this many times over the past six months,” he said. “But given the circumstances and the precarious situation with your relatives, I’d like to ask you one last time, in front of these witnesses, if you’re both aware of the risks that this treatment comprehends?”

“We are,” Neville answered quickly. Healer Frankiss nodded.

“Mrs Longbottom?” he asked.

“My grandson has explained everything to me,” she replied at bit haughtily. “He conquered Voldemort you know.” She looked proudly around the room.

“Grandmother,” Neville exclaimed, embarrassed. “It was Harry who…”

“Without your killing Nagini, he’d still be here,” Harry responded quickly. “Please, go on, Mrs Longbottom. We’re all aware of Neville’s invaluable contribution.” Mrs Longbottom nodded slowly to herself in satisfaction, then her eyes fastened on her son and her face darkened.

“I was against it at first, but then I tried to put myself in their situation.” She made a pause. “I don’t think that my son, nor my daughter-in-law would want to go on in this way for much longer. I deemed it important while Neville grew up to show him that his parents were alive and that he could visit them and meet them in flesh and blood.” Neville turned his head away. “And we… I still had hope at the time that we should see an improvement of their condition.”

“Of course,” said Healer Frankiss. “And now, how do you feel?” Mrs Longbottom riveted her eyes on the grey-haired healer.

“Young man, you see an old woman in front of you,” she said matter-of-factly, but with a dramatic touch. Healer Frankiss made a gesture. “Oh, spare me the flattery…” said Alberta Longbottom with a dismissing gesture. “I’ve clearly seen my best days, but I hang on, because I’m reluctant to leave Neville alone in the world. I’d like him to have… someone. And I would so much like to say good-bye to my son in a proper way before I move on, with him looking me in the eyes, sane and conscious of my presence.” Her voice wavered a little. “I believe this is my one chance of that happening.”

Healer Frankiss did not say anything, but put a hand on her arm and kept it there for a short while. Then he moved his chair even closer in between the two beds and started to explain the proceeding to the patients. Harry was impressed. This was a flagrant example of two patients who probably did not have the mental faculty of understanding an ounce of what was happening to them, and still Healer Frankiss took pains to speak to them gently and in detail.

Harry had seen several examples of impatient healers who simply cast their healing spells on unsuspicious patients, unpleasantly surprising them and scaring them. He had noticed that those kind of healers either loathed their patients, reasoning that this was quicker and that patients did not understand healing procedures anyway, or they were extremely stressed out healers who believed themselves not to have time to enter into explanations. Harry had observed that the cutting of corners often proved counterproductive since the healer in question had to take care of the reaction to the spell in retrospect instead, and that the effect of the healing treatment often seemed to be diminished when the patient was unprepared.

In the case of Frank and Alice Longbottom there might, moreover, be the unknown element of lock-in. One or both of Neville’s parents might in fact be able to hear and comprehend everything that Healer Frankiss was saying, despite being unable to show any response, because they looked completely blank when he was speaking. Harry shuddered and felt himself tense even further.

When the healers started singing their incantations, Harry was probably, next to Neville, the most affected among the audience.

When the powerful magical words echoed out of the room, the first thing heard was a pained growl from Frank Longbottom. Harry hastened up to his side. The man was in obvious pain, writhing on the bed, opening and closing his eyes while emitting little gasps. He managed to lift his shaky hands to his head and grip it. Eyes were almost bulging out of their bulbs, but he fastened them on Mrs Longbottom who was leaning in from her chair, trying to hold and embrace her son.

“Mother,” said Frank Longbottom. The stern Alberta Longbottom broke into tears.

“You recognise me?” she said. “But you’re suffering… Oh, please, what have we done? Can you help him? Help him, please!”

Healer Frankiss and his mind-healer colleague were at Frank Longbottom’s side, assessing their patient.

“I can… we must do a Relieving on him,” said Harry and sorted his wand. A Relieving was the only option for such a frail person as Mr Longbottom senior. Suddenly, Harry felt himself pushed to the side, not all too gently, by Snape, who gripped Harry’s wrist and forced him to lower his wand.

“Let me do the Relieving,” he said, nailing Harry with his dark eyes once more.

Harry opened his mouth to protest.

“I know that you have some experience of the Crucio, but not to the same extent as I do. Both from the casting and from the receiving ends – believe me. I have a better chance of understanding this kind of pain and of containing it. It’s a special case, don’t you see? It’s not just any Relieving,” said Snape quickly.

Harry realised that this was not the moment to enter into an argument with Snape. Frank Longbottom needed his treatment. Harry took one step back, leaving room for Snape to make an attempt to lift the pain away from Neville’s father.

“You go in second, if one Relieving is not enough, okay?” Snape turned to look at Harry who started to feel ashamed over the fact that he had been so quick to take offence. What mattered here was the patient, not his petty personal feelings. He nodded his assent to Snape, who started on his incantation.

The transfer was immediate and plainly visible at the end of the singing, as Snape went rigid, then actually tumbled a few steps backward before gripping the edge of a table with a shaking hand and a gasp, and crouching beside it, bending his head down so that his long hair hid his face. Healer Frankiss cast a look at him over his shoulder before turning back to his patient, and Mrs Steadfast hurried up to Snape, squatting beside him with a worried look on her face.

“Don’t touch him,” said Harry. “He needs to process the transfer in his body before it abates. Professor Snape’ll be okay, but it was a strong transfer no doubt.”

Mrs Steadfast pulled back the hand she had stretched out to put on Snape’s shoulder.

“It was a thorough Relieving, Professor,” continued Harry, peaking over Healer Frankiss’ shoulder at the patient. “Mr Longbottom seems to be less in pain. I don’t think I need to do a second treatment, not right now, anyhow.”

Snape lifted a shaky hand in signal that he had heard Harry’s communication and thanked him for the information, but he still kept his head lowered. Healer Frankiss turned towards them again.

“The patient is free from pain, but is extremely weak,” he said. “The inner organs are revolting and failing as in a delayed reaction from previous damage. It’s what we feared might happen. We’re not sure he’ll make it, but he’s lucid. If you want to ask him something, you’d better do it right now.”

Mrs Steadfast rose and advanced towards the bed. Harry followed. The cave! Now was the moment of truth, he thought. Would Frank Longbottom be able to help them with the location of the cave?

The former Auror’s recollection of the fatal day when he and his wife were captured by Bellatrix Lestrange and her husband, together with Barty Crouch Jr and other ruthless young Death Eaters, proved to be both vivid and detailed. There was a farm nearby the site where the torture took place, and Frank Longbottom had guessed the location of the farm from the sight of two small villages in the far distance by recognising one of the church towers. There was a small mixed forest next to the farm; there was a brook and a bridge and a cliff covered in ferns – there was the entrance to the cave.

“It’s enough to go on,” said Mrs Steadfast. Harry felt the excitement rise within him. They had a chance of finding the last Pleasure Temple and rescuing the possible victims who were still prisoners within. “You don’t need to describe the interior of the cave,” added Mrs Steadfast. Frank Longbottom closed his eyes.

“I want Alice,” he said. “And I want to see my son. They’re fine, you said?”

“I’m here, Frank,” a soft voice was heard. Healers and care-witches rose, backed off and made way for the emaciated woman who had risen from her bed and who, supported by her son, advanced towards her husband. Alberta Longbottom rose from her chair to embrace her daughter-in-law under tears and make her sit down at her place. A care-witch brought another chair for the old lady who rounded the bed and sat down by her son’s other side. Both women leaned in on him and talked softly. An expression of bliss and serenity spread over Frank Longbottom’s face.

Neville stood close by his mother, with red spots on his cheeks and a glow in his eyes unlike anything Harry had ever seen in his friend. Harry felt a stab of something in his breast and forced himself to stand completely still.

“She was locked in,” said Neville, looking at the staff around the bed. “She has been unable to communicate or express anything, but she has been aware of us all this time. She told me she remembered every visit of mine. All those times when I spoke to her, she really listened…” Neville’s voice broke. “She’s been there all along,” he whispered in a tone of wondrous gratitude.

At this time, a roaring sensation inside his body overpowered Harry to the extent that he started to shake. He managed to stifle the gasps that wanted to make their way out of his mouth and he backed off all the way against the farthest wall to escape drawing attention to himself. He tried to grind his knuckles against the rough wall behind him in order to contend the chaos of feelings. He watched Alice Longbottom turn toward Neville and gently draw him down, and he watched Neville embrace his father.

Harry could not stand it any longer and rushed out of the room. He made it halfway down the corridor before he forced himself to stop. What was happening to him? What was he thinking of? He could not flee to the woods like he used to do when anxiety gripped him. He needed to keep close to Mrs Steadfast. It was imperative that she allowed him to be part of the search of the hidden cave. In his confusion he could not really account for the reason why it was so important, but it was. He stopped in front of a window in the corridor and leaned against the sill, pressing his front against the cold glass and trying to subdue the roaring animal in his chest.

He was unable to say for how long he stood there, but gradually he became aware of his surroundings again, noticing that the view from the window where he was standing was a very unremarkable one, with ugly roofs, rusty drainpipes and part of a façade in disrepair in front of him. He felt his eyes suddenly sting, as if the ugliness itself of what lay before them humiliated him on a personal level.

Only when he turned half away from the window did Harry become aware of a figure standing a few feet away. It was Snape. Harry made an attempt to rearrange his features because he had the feeling that his distress could be read in them as easily as in a book. He realised that he probably did not quite succeed, and he turned back to look out of the window again. Snape did not say anything at first, but advanced and positioned himself beside Harry so that they were now both facing out at the uneven parts of the roofs of St Mungo’s.

“It’s perhaps not surprising, given your own history… that you should react to the Longbottoms’ reunion,” said Snape in a slow, slightly hesitant voice. “It’s perfectly understandable in fact and…”

Harry gasped. The roar inside him had risen again to almost the initial level, and Harry was furious with Snape for bringing it on. What was he talking about anyway? He was fine with the Longbottoms’ reunion, why wouldn’t he be? It was only this cursed anxiety that assailed him, and now Snape had awakened it again. Harry clenched his jaws.

“Did Neville thank you for doing a Relieving on his father?” he asked in a stifled, aggressive voice.

“Er, yes. As a matter of fact he did,” said Snape. “But you…”

“Do you imagine that you can atone for your behaviour towards Neville all those years at school in Potions class by Relieving his father of his pain?” Harry burst out with vehemence. Snape drew a short breath and it was his turn to clench his jaws. Harry thought that he was going to get a sharp retort in answer, but he did not.

“Maybe,” Snape said curtly. The answer disconcerted and disarmed Harry.

“Yeah, why not?” Harry muttered and continued to stare out of the window. Snape stayed beside him with a deep crease between the eye-brows, looking like he wanted to say something more, but abstained from doing it.

They heard quick footsteps coming down the corridor and turned their heads. Mrs Steadfast was closing up on them.

“Frank Longbottom has passed away,” she said.

Harry felt his chest tighten.

“Already?” mumbled Snape. “I’m sorry, especially for the old lady.”

“She was grateful for the chance of a proper good-bye,” said Mrs Steadfast. “They had a fine moment together, the whole family. Frank was so happy to be able to see his grown-up son, and to hear of the victory over Voldemort, and young Longbottom’s part in it. Unlike his wife, Frank has been completely unaware of his surroundings - the insanity had a vicious grip on him.” Mrs Steadfast drew a shuddering breath. “Oh, by Mercury, I used to know him,” she exclaimed. “We trained together to become Aurors, Frank and I did. I was abroad when it all happened to him, but oh, how those news got to me when they reached me! This is such a dreadful and sad business.” She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief she already held in her hand.

Snape mumbled something inaudible.

“But we can’t be standing here doing nothing!” Mrs Steadfast concluded with determination and blew her nose. “Frank made one last contribution as an Auror.” She lifted a small vial containing a silvery swirling mist. “He gave me his memory of arriving at that cave. It’s our duty to make the most of it. Soundy is ready with the troops at Headquarters. We need to go!”

Harry felt a sense of purpose fill his body.

“Yes, let’s go!” he said. “Let’s find the cave!” There was a vibrating intensity in his voice and he turned to walk toward the Apparition spot in the hall at St Mungo’s and never noticed Snape’s doubting gaze resting upon him.