Memory Lane

Chapter 36

The next two days pass in much the same way. We sleep together at night, eat together during the day, and work on ridiculously advanced new potions/arithmancy/runes discoveries together in the lab.

Whatever my mother said or didn't say to Granger, she seems perfectly alright, so I haven't pried. Butterworth came back by this morning to see her again and I dropped off two dozen more vials of alba pellis with Snape, fetching my stack of books back in the process.

And I think I'm finally onto something with the Mandrakes.

The leaves themselves were producing the same load of nothing as the Campanula rapunculus. I'm taking a spear of inspiration from Granger's combinations of arithmancy-and-runes that she's currently torturing herself with.

The swapping of projects for fresh eyes was a good idea in theory, but it turns out that Granger is uniquely suited to her half in a way I am not. It's twofold: her knowledge of advanced arithmancy far surpasses mine, of course, but also - she works better without having to recalibrate her brain.

It's a marvel to watch, really.

She can step away and come back to it a hundred times - not without a McGonagall-level of irritation, mind you - but it's as if it stays forefront in her mind. If she changes gears to investigate my work instead, it takes her longer to get back on track with her formulaic experimentation.

Also, I told her I was going to sort out the Mandrake question specifically so I can describe every single step in excruciating, slow detail when we finally collapse into bed at night.

('promises, promises')

Indeed.

Jasper shows up with the post. Another letter from Ginny to Granger, and I'm intensely curious for news of the attack strategy, if she was willing or able to put anything in writing.

And a medium-sized boxed package from Morocco.

I actually fist-pump in the air.

* * *

Granger is increasingly delighted by each gift and it makes my heart soar. First is the letter from Ginny, which I had nothing at all to do with anyway, but it makes her so happy to hear back from her best girl friend. In regards to attack plans, all Ginny reveals in writing is that they hope to have a good reunion with some old friends a week from Sunday.

"So it'll be that Saturday night, then," I observe. Roughly ten days away. Good.

"Who all do you figure they mean?"

"Well, you, obviously. But also, people like Mr and Mrs Weasley, who have to stay visibly uninvolved, just going about their regular lives. They can't risk raising suspicions that anything is afoot, and they aren't the only ones separated from family just now."

Granger doesn't offer details from the rest of the letter and I don't ask. I do make a note to go by the park again tomorrow and make sure Severus is aware. I'm sure he is but it can't hurt to share information, and I can give Blaise a much-needed update.

Next come the books that I'd sent to the park for her to use, a stack of tomes for Horcrux research - done, now - and advanced arithmancy combined with potion-making. Granger lights up, almost tripping over her words in her enthusiasm.

"Oh, these books were fantastic. You sent the best ones, the ones left here have been helpful, but these - I had so many notes from these, too! Did Snape happen to send -"

I confirm, "He did, with a shockingly profuse - for Severus, anyway - apology that he didn't bring them by the other day. They've been locked away out of sight and he's had a lot on his mind. I believe your notes are tucked into the Ancient Numerology text."