Rosabella Black |Daughter of Sirius Black| (Book 6)

Christmas

This was pure imagination, however, as we had had no opportunity to tell Hermione what we had overheard. She had disappeared from Slughorn's party before we returned to it, or so we had been informed by an irate McLaggen, and she had already gone to bed by the time I returned to the dormitory. As Michael, Harry, Ron, Ginny and I had left for the Burrow early the next day, we had barely had time to wish her a happy Christmas and to tell her that we had some very important news when we got back from the holidays. I was not entirely sure that she had heard us, though. Ron and Lavender had been saying a thoroughly non - verbal goodbye just behind us at the time.
Still, even Hermione would not be able to deny one thing. Malfoy was definitely up to something, and Snape knew it, so Harry felt fully justified in saying "I told you so," which he had done several times to Ron already. I still couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this then we were seeing.

Harry and I did not get the chance to speak to Mr. Weasley, who was working very long hours at the Ministry, until Christmas Eve night. The Weasleys and their guests were sitting in the living room, which Ginny and I had decorated so lavishly that it was rather like sitting in a paper - chain explosion. Fred, George, Harry, Ron, Jacob and I were the only ones who knew that the angel on top of the tree was actually a garden gnome that had bitten Fred on the ankle as he pulled up carrots for Christmas dinner. Stupefied, painted gold, stuffed into a miniature tutu and with small wings glued to his back, it glowered down at them all, the ugliest angel I had ever seen, with a large bald head like a potato and rather hairy feet.

We were all supposed to be listening to a Christmas broadcast by Mrs. Weasley's favorite singer, Celestina Warbeck, whose voice was warbling out of the large wooden wireless set. Fiona and Lucas were sitting on one of the sofas. Roseanna was snuggled against Lucas's chest and was falling asleep. Fleur was gushing over her.
Fleur, who seemed to find Celestina very dull, was talking so loudly in the corner to Fiona that a scowling Mrs. Weasley kept pointing her wand at the volume control, so that Celestina grew louder and louder. Under cover of a particularly jazzy number called "A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love," Jacob, Fred and George started a game of Exploding Snap with Ginny. Micheal watched the game along with Jason, though Jason didn't seem that interested. Ron kept shooting Bill and Fleur, Lucas and Fiona covert looks, as though hoping to pick up tips. Harry and I were snuggled up on another sofa, my head resting on his shoulder. Meanwhile, Uncle Remus, who was thinner and more ragged - looking than ever, was sitting beside the fire, staring into its depths as though he could not hear Celestina's voice.

"Oh, come and stir my cauldron,
And if you do it right
I'll boil you up some hot, strong love
To keep you warm tonight."

   "We danced to this when we were eighteen! Do you remember, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley said, wiping her eyes on her knitting.
   "Mphf? Oh yes . . . marvelous tune. . ." Mr. Weasley said, whose head had been nodding over the satsuma he was peeling.
With an effort, Mr Weasley sat up a little straighter and looked around at Harry and I, who was sitting next to us.
   "Sorry about this. Be over soon." Mr Weasley said, jerking his head toward the wireless as Celestina broke into the chorus.
    "No problem." Harry said, grinning.   
    "Has it been busy at the Ministry? Feels like I only have one brother these days." I asked, softly.
    "Very. I wouldn't mind if we were getting anywhere, but of the three arrests we've made in the last couple of months, I doubt that one of them is a genuine Death Eater - only don't repeat that, Harry, Rosabella." Mr Weasley added quickly, looking much more awake all of a sudden.
   "They're not still holding Stan Shunpike, are they?" Harry asked.
   "I'm afraid so. I know Dumbledore's tried appealing directly to Scrimgeour about Stan. . . I mean, anybody who has actually interviewed him agrees that he's about as much a Death Eater as this satsuma. . . but the top levels want to look as though they're making some progress, and 'three arrests' sounds better than 'three mistaken arrests and releases'. . . but again, this is all top secret. . ." Mr Weasley said.
    "We won't say anything." I said.
Harry looked at me hesitantly for a moment, wondering how best to embark on what we wanted to say.
Celestina Warbeck began a ballad called "You Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me."
   "Mr. Weasley, you know what I told you at the station when we were setting off for school?" Harry asked.
   "I checked, Harry. I went and searched the Malfoys' house. There was nothing, either broken or whole, that shouldn't have been there." Mr. Weasley said at once.
   "Yeah, I know, I saw in the Prophet that you'd looked . . . but this is something different . . . well, something more . . ." Harry said.
And he told Mr. Weasley everything we had overheard between Malfoy and Snape. As Harry spoke, I saw Remus's head turn a little toward us, taking in every word. When Harry had finished, there was silence, except for Celestina's crooning.
   "Oh, my poor heart, where has it gone?
It's left me for a spell. . ."
   "Has it occurred to either of you, that Snape was simply pretending -?" Mr Weasley said.
    "Pretending to offer help, so that he could find out what Malfoy's up to? Yeah, we thought you'd say that. But how do we know?" I said quickly.
  "It isn't our business to know." Remus said unexpectedly.
Uncle Remus had turned his back on the fire now and faced Harry and I across Mr. Weasley.
   "It's Dumbledore's business. Dumbledore trusts Severus, and that ought to be good enough for all of us." Remus said firmly.
   "But, just say - just say Dumbledore's wrong about Snape -" Harry started to say.
   "People have said it, many times. It comes down to whether or not you trust Dumbledore's judgment. I do. Therefore, I trust Severus." Remus said.
   "But Dumbledore can make mistakes. He says it himself. And you -" Harry argued and then looked Remus straight in the eye.
   "- do you honestly like Snape?" Harry asked.
   "I neither like nor dislike Severus." Remus said.
I opened my mouth to argue
   "No, Ro, I am speaking the truth." Remus added, as Harry pulled a skeptical expression and I to stop me from arguing.
    "We shall never be bosom friends, perhaps, after all that happened between James and Sirius and Severus, there is too much bitterness there. But I do not forget that during the year I taught at Hogwarts, Severus made the Wolfsbane Potion for me every month. Made it perfectly. So that I did not have to suffer as I usually do at the full moon." Remus said.
Uncle Moony us a hard person to argue with.
   "But he 'accidentally' let it slip that you're a werewolf, so you had to leave!" I said angrily.
Remus shrugged.
   "The news would have leaked out anyway. We all knew he wanted my job, but he could have wreaked much worse damage on me by tampering with the potion. He kept me healthy. I must be grateful." Remus said.
   "Maybe he didn't dare mess with the potion with Dumbledore watching him!" Harry said also angry.
   "You both are determined to hate him." Remus said with a faint smile.
   "And I understand. With James and Sirius as your fathers, with Sirius as your godfather, Harry, and James as your godfather, Ro, you have both inherited an old prejudice. By all means tell Dumbledore what you have told Arthur and me, but do not expect him to share your view of the matter. Do not even expect him to be surprised by what you tell him. It might have been on Dumbledore's orders that Severus questioned Draco." Remus said.