Lord Cyrus Greengrass walked into his study in a daze. He couldn't believe it. He sat down and meticulously went over the contract again. He had just come back from a meeting with his solicitors. Why hadn't he known about this? If he had, he would have done something to ensure that his daughter wasn't trapped in a loveless marriage. Now it was too late. There was a time limit mentioned in the contract. Since so many years had passed without another Potter being born, the contract had activated.
He didn't have a choice. The contract was very specific. Should there ever be a situation where either family was reduced to one member alone, the betrothal clause would come into effect. Logically, since his daughter had not signed it, it wouldn't bind her to it. But unfortunately, the contract had been signed in blood, and because there was no escape clause expressly mentioned, the will of magic would determine if the contract was voided or not. If that were to happen, with magic having found his daughter and Harry Potter having violated the terms of the contract, it would be disastrous. The situation was still too unpredictable to comprehend. His solicitors had advised him to accept the terms of the contract without fighting it.
But how could he do that? This was his baby girl, his daughter!
"Any luck?"
Cyrus shook his head as his wife Elizabeth sat in the armchair by the fireplace. "It's iron-clad," he explained. "They have to get married before they turn twenty-one."
"Who's the boy's guardian?"
Cyrus scowled. "Albus Dumbledore. There is no way am I talking to that man about something as delicate as this. I –"
He was interrupted when he sensed an owl enter the wards and head directly for the study. A beautiful snowy white owl entered through the window and dropped a letter on Cyrus's table and took off.
"What a stunning bird," murmured Elizabeth. "Who is it from?"
"The object of our conversation," exclaimed Cyrus in shock. "Harry Potter!"
"Really? What does it say?"
Cyrus opened the letter and read it out loud. Harry basically said that he wanted to meet them during the Yule holidays to discuss the contract. He also wondered if Daphne knew about it because while they were acquaintances, he didn't want her to be in the dark for long. He also requested them to not contact Albus Dumbledore about the betrothal, since the boy wasn't comfortable with the headmaster knowing about it.
"Well, it looks like we have a new guest for our Yule Ball this year," said Elizabeth. "We can invite him here the day after the holidays start. And he's right; we better inform Daphne soon."
"I'll first send a reply to the boy," grimaced Cyrus. "I don't even want to think of the political ramifications of this betrothal. Daphne is going to be pissed, and she has every right to be!"
"Give her some credit, dear, she'll understand," Elizabeth said softly.
"I sure hope so," muttered Cyrus.
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Harry received a letter from Cyrus Greengrass the next morning, inviting him to Greengrass Manor the day after the start of the Yule holidays. Harry sent a brief reply saying that he would be honoured to accept their invitation. The day continued with Harry's first Transfiguration class with the Slytherins. It proceeded without any issue. He was able to get the spell correctly on the first try. After lunch, he had double Potions with the Hufflepuffs. Harry knew a lot about Severus Snape from reading his parents' journals. It was quite satisfying to see both points of view, from James' angle and from Lily's as well.
The potions master had been best friends with his mother since before Hogwarts. Harry knew that Snape had been abused by his Muggle father and that abuse turned him into a very bitter individual. When he had met James Potter on the train to Hogwarts, he had insulted James' father, with the latter throwing insults back at the former, starting a rivalry between them that never ended, mainly due to both of them, according to James, having affections for Lily. Their hatred for each other had only grown over the years and had become a lot worse when James and Lily began dating in their sixth year. At first, Harry wondered if his father had gone overboard, but there were several instances that were written in both his parents' journals that recounted incidents where Snape had proved himself to be very dangerous. James Potter's attacks on Snape had been humiliating, but nothing dangerous. Snape's attacks on James Potter, on the other hand, were malicious and lethal.
Harry decided to keep his guard up in front of the potions master.
He entered the classroom and took a seat at the back of the class. The door of the classroom burst open and Snape strolled inside. When he began talking the roll call, Snape's eyes flickered to Harry as he said in a very soft voice, "Mr Potter; our new celebrity."
When Snape looked into Harry's eyes, something strange happened. Harry had to do everything possible to not cry out in pain or clutch his head as a memory slammed into his conscious mind.
"My Lord, I have important news," said a figure kneeling before him.
"What is it Severus?" he asked in a silky voice, red eyes boring into the black ones of his Death Eater.
"My Lord, I did what you asked of me. I went to Hogwarts to request a teaching position. While in the Hog's Head, the old fool was in the process of interviewing a Seer, Sybill Trelawney. At first, it was all senseless babble, but suddenly, she said in a weird voice that the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. Before I could hear more, I was discovered and was forced to flee."
Red eyes narrowed in contemplation. Who had the power to defeat HIM? He was Lord Voldemort, the greatest wizard that had ever existed. Surely this prophecy was fake?
But what if it was genuine? He had to eliminate the threat.
"You have done well to tell me this, Severus. You shall be greatly rewarded for your loyalty. Bring Rookwood before me. I need to confirm this with the Department of Mysteries."
Harry gasped as he exited the memory, clamping down his Occlumency shields as he did so. His hands were shaking, gripping the desk tightly as he listened to Snape talk about potions and their uses. He closed his eyes and tried to suppress a pounding headache that was driving him insane. What had just happened?
"Potter!" said Snape suddenly, bringing Harry's attention back to the teacher. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Harry blinked for a second before his face became impassive again. "The Draught of Living Death, Professor," answered Harry promptly.
Snape's eyes narrowed. "Where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"
"In the stomach of a goat, Professor."
"Which is the potion that requires Lacewing flies, powdered bicorn horn, shredded boomslang skin and Fluxweed?"
"Polyjuice Potion, sir."
"Which potion uses Occamy eggshell and Ashwinder eggs?"
"Felix Felicis, the potion which is also called as liquid luck."
"Well, why are none of you writing that down?" barked Snape as people began scribbling in their notebooks furiously. He then gave them instructions to brew a simple potion on how to cure boils. He watched Potter like a hawk and his suspicion was confirmed.
The boy used all the spells needed to get the best of the potion; spells no first year was taught. Potter had charmed the rods to be self-stirring; the fire was magically controlled, including the temperature; a timer was set for the potion and a shield had been cast around the area. These were spells which were not taught to first years. In fact, they were not taught until N.E.W.T. level.
Snape watched as Potter meticulously and carefully cut his ingredients into equal parts. Not once did he look at the instructions on the board or in the textbook. He was also the first to finish as he filled a sample in a phial, charmed it to be unbreakable, and came to submit it to Snape. The potions master locked eyes with the boy and pushed slightly. When he encountered shields, he backtracked quickly. He didn't know if Potter had detected him, but since he didn't react, Snape knew that he had narrowly escaped.
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"He's a natural Occlumens, Albus," said Snape grudgingly as he sat down in front of the headmaster. "There is no better theory to explain his strange behaviour. He has also been tutored by people who are well versed in Potions. The spells he uses; the way he cuts the ingredients and the state of the potion itself; he has been trained well."
"That is ... troubling," Dumbledore muttered, frowning slightly. "Did you try Legilimency?"
"Tried, but I encountered shields, so I was forced to withdraw immediately. I couldn't risk it without facing legal action. I barely managed to avoid detection, but he won't be able to prove it even if he had felt it."
Dumbledore grimaced. Harry was reminding him of the young Tom Riddle every day. Tom was also a natural at the Mind Arts since a young boy, just like he himself had been, though both he and Tom had favoured Legilimency, unlike Harry and Grindelwald who favoured Occlumency.
"Try to find out everything about him, Severus," said Dumbledore, stroking his beard. "He is quite an introvert, which is disturbing. I will keep an eye on him as well."
The headmaster exhaled tiredly. He was already forced to return the boy's Invisibility Cloak. James Potter had lent it to him, yes, but the man had demanded an Unbreakable Vow to give it back to Harry or Lily if something were to happen to him. That vow had compelled Dumbledore to return the cloak when Harry had asked for it. To think he was forced into surrendering one of the Deathly Hallows!
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Two weeks passed without any incident. Ron Weasley tried to talk to Harry, but the latter didn't have the patience to deal with the fool. A compulsion charm ensured that the boy wouldn't bother him. Weasley's mind was surprisingly easy to control. Saturday morning, in the third week of September, Harry was sitting in front of the lake with a book in hand, under a tree. He was surprised when he saw a girl sit next to him.
"Hello, Greengrass. Can I help you with something?"
Daphne took a deep breath. It had taken her more than a week to come to terms with what had happened and she was finally here to meet him.
"I received a letter from my mother last week," she finally replied.
"So you know about the contract," Harry said softly. He flicked his wand in the air, casting a privacy charm around them both.
"Yes. While I'm not happy with it, I've come to understand that it's unbreakable, though my father says he will look into any loopholes."
"There aren't any unless you are willing to tempt magic and fate," muttered Harry as he closed his book. "I had my lawyers go through it thoroughly. I wasn't really pleased when I found out about the contract either, but I've had time to think things through. Look, Greengrass –"
"Daphne," she interrupted him. "Call me Daphne. We're betrothed, anyway."
Harry could hear the bitterness in her tone but decided to ignore it. "Okay then, Daphne, you may call me Harry. As I was saying, I'm not exactly your usual eleven-year-old wizard. I have seen you observing me for the past two weeks. That is something which you have come to realise as well. I know nothing about you and you know nothing about me. Frankly, I don't know where to start as I am at a loss."
He couldn't hide his frustration at that. Daphne looked at him and observed his face. There was no denying that he was very cute, but he was always cold. She wondered why that was. She too had been frustrated by the situation, but her mother had been able to advise her on how to proceed.
"Well, I have a solution," Daphne said slowly, catching his attention. "How about we start by being friends? We can get to know each other and hang out. What do you say?"
Harry thought for a minute as he tilted his head slightly. "Friends," he murmured. "I've never seen the point in having friends before. I was forbidden from having friends when I was younger. But perhaps you're right. Maybe being friends would help."
Daphne looked at him critically. What was he talking about? She came to understand that Harry Potter had a lot of secrets; secrets he wasn't willing to part with. Not that she cared. Her life wasn't really looking bright at the moment thanks to that bloody contract. She took a deep breath to hide her anger that was simmering. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't blame the Potter scion for the situation they were in; it wasn't his fault that he was the last member of his family. So, she held her tongue and spoke with what she hoped was a hostile-free tone.
"Friends it is, then."
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Harry was prowling in the dark. It was now the first week of October and he was searching for a very important tool. He was wearing his family's invisibility cloak as he tried to locate it again.
"Point me, Marauder's Map," he whispered again. The wand changed direction again as he moved forward. Just as he entered a secret passageway, he was confronted by the Weasley twins.
"Hello, Harrykins," said one of them, grinning broadly. "What are you using? Disillusionment Charm? Invisibility Cloak? We know you are here!"
Harry smirked. The other twin had a sheet of parchment in his hand. This was far too easy.
A jet of red light was all that Fred and George saw before they were knocked unconscious. While Harry had observed that the twins were quite cunning, who would expect a first year to know a wide area stunning charm? Harry plucked the sheet from George's hand and activated it. He smiled as he saw the map of Hogwarts. He deactivated the map and put it in his pocket. Now all he had to do was ensure no one knew about the identity of the thief. He wasn't actually stealing it because it was a family heirloom, but he doubted the twins would be willing to part with such a treasure. He certainly wouldn't.
"Confundo!"
"You shall not remember seeing my name on the map. Both of you shall forever remember that the son of Prongs reclaimed what was his right by birth. You shall not go looking for the map."
"Rennervate!"
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Harry spent the entire night browsing the map. It was truly a marvel in its making. Not everyone could create such a device. The only reason it worked was due to a drop of James Potter's blood which was used while enchanting it. The blood of the heir of Gryffindor was enough for the wards to connect to the map directly, displaying the location of everyone at Hogwarts.
A hint of an amused smile formed on Harry's lips as he saw many couples all over the school in various places of hiding, doing things no teacher would approve. Oh, the blackmail material this offered was huge! He saw the names of two sixth-year boys in a broom closet on the second floor; another boy and girl in the Astronomy Tower; another female couple in the prefect's bathroom. He didn't frown at the same-sex relationship. While it was rare, the magical world didn't look down upon something like that. The magical population only frowned upon those who didn't have children, but it was quite easy for two men to combine their DNA and have a woman carry the child. It was done in the case of every same-sex relationship. There were several other social stigmas in the magical world, but this wasn't one of them.
As his eyes darted to the Gryffindors, Harry had to bite his tongue from exclaiming in shock. No, this couldn't be! The man was supposed to be dead, wasn't he? What the hell was Peter Pettigrew doing in the dorms of the first years? Harry's eyes bulged out of its sockets. Ron Weasley's rat ... Peter's Animagus form.
Damn!
He had to get the rat here, NOW!
"Tippy!"
The house-elf popped in front of him and said, "What can Tippy do for Master Harry?"
"Tippy, listen very carefully," said Harry as he gave his instructions.
Five minutes later, Harry smirked as he saw the stunned rat in the impenetrable cage he was holding in his hand.
"Very good, Tippy," he said quietly. "Take this rat and keep an eye on him. Feed him, but be very careful. I can't free my godfather without him being present."
"Yes Master," nodded Tippy as she disappeared with the cage.
Harry exhaled in relief as he slumped back on the bed. His parents' journals had mentioned that Peter Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper, so Harry had been quite confused when he found out from the old newspapers that Sirius Black had been sent to Azkaban for betraying the Potter family. A few discreet inquiries had resulted in him knowing that his godfather had never gotten a trial. Harry wasn't exactly sure why he was doing this. He didn't remember his godfather, but his conscience wouldn't let an innocent man rot in prison.
He also couldn't help but feel that Sirius could be very useful. He was the scion of the Black family which held massive political power; well, used to have political power at one point in time. The power of the Blacks had dwindled over the last ten years. New players like the Malfoys had taken control of what influence the Blacks had previously.
Now how was he going to get his godfather freed? Stripping nude, Harry slipped under the blankets and tried to sleep, but the question kept nagging at the back of his mind. One hour later, he suddenly shot out of bed and rushed to his trunk. Tapping it with his wand, he unlocked it and quickly summoned his father's journal.
His godfather, Sirius, had been engaged ten years ago. And it so happened that the person he was then engaged to, was now a woman who was in a position to help him. Harry only hoped that she would listen to him. After all, he was just a first-year Hogwarts student. Why would the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement listen to a mere eleven-year-old?
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Amelia Bones looked at the letter with a glazed look in her grey eyes. A lone tear slid down her face and fell on the sheet of parchment. She had received it late at night, at her home instead of at her office, delivered by a beautiful snowy owl. It was a letter from Harry Potter. The boy was claiming that he had proof of Sirius Black's innocence. He hoped that they could to meet on the twenty-ninth of October in secret. Harry claimed that his proof was enough to get Sirius exonerated.
This was a letter sent by Harry, a boy Amelia hadn't seen since he was a baby. She crumpled the letter into a ball as she trembled due to anger and grief. Memories of all those times she had tried for guardianship with her offer being repeatedly rejected flooded once more into her mind. From what she had been able to find out ever since she became the Head of the D.M.L.E., Harry had been sent to live with his maternal aunt. Amelia remembered Lily telling her long ago that Petunia hated magic and that they didn't get along at all. Her heart clenched with guilt.
She had failed them all.
Taking a deep breath, Amelia walked to her bedroom and opened the wardrobe. She flicked her wand and disabled the concealment charm. She reached over and grabbed one of the photographs. There were several other possessions in the closet as well, including an engagement ring. In the picture, she and Sirius were standing side by side, grinning, with his arm around her waist.
Amelia collapsed against the wall, sobbing, holding the picture frame to her chest. She had never been able to get rid of it all. She had never wanted to believe that he had been guilty, but she, like everyone else, had been led to believe that he had been given a trial. If there was even a shred of proof that claimed that he was innocent ...
"I'll get you back, Sirius," whispered Amelia in a shaky voice, her cheeks stained with tears. "I promise that I won't let you down this time. And I'll do my best to make it up to you once you are a free man."
With that in mind, the Director of the British Magical Law Enforcement penned a letter to Harry Potter. She had a lot of planning to do.
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
30th October, 2001
Harry was in a daze. His meeting with Amelia Bones had gone very well. They had met in the Shrieking Shack and he had Peter Pettigrew brought to the place by summoning one of his house-elves. Needless to say, Amelia was furious. She had assured him that she would handle everything from her end and also that a letter regarding the trial would reach him when it was due to be held.
But that was not why he was dazed. He spotted Daphne walking towards the Great Hall. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to a nearby classroom.
"Harry, what are we doing here?" she hissed.
"I received a letter from your mother. It is an invitation to the Yule Ball at your manor."
"Oh. It was expected. We're betrothed, so it stands to reason that you'd be invited. Why is that a problem?"
Harry looked at her and blood rushed to his face. Daphne was quite amused because she had never seen Harry blush before. He was usually always in control of his emotions.
"I – I can't dance," he admitted quietly.
"You can't dance?" she exclaimed. Having been trained in different classical forms of dance since she was a four-year-old girl, Daphne was understandably horrified. "Why not?"
"It wasn't worth my time," said Harry defensively. "It was better to spend my time studying or practising martial arts. It wasn't even on my list of things I had to learn, but now ... I don't want to make a fool of myself at the ball. You told me that you're a trained dancer. Will you please teach me?"
Daphne's lips curved into an amused smile. "You want me to teach you how to dance," she stated.
"Yes," said Harry impassively. He didn't know why he was feeling nervous. It was just a stupid dance. He was quite proficient in martial arts; how different could it possibly be?
"What do I get in return?"
Harry smiled slightly. It was the first time Daphne had actually seen him smile. It was quite startling, but it enhanced his features more, making him look quite adorable.
"A true Slytherin, aren't you, Daphne? But considering the nature of our relationship, don't you think it is inappropriate to ask that of me?"
"I still don't know anything about you, Harry," she snorted, sounding annoyed. "How do you expect me to accept you as my fiancé if you don't tell me anything about yourself? I know that you don't like telling people secrets, but a general overview of your life would be enough. Is that too much to ask?"
Harry paused. She was clearly frustrated with him and truthfully, he couldn't blame her. His trust issues could be rather maddening to others who wanted to get to know him.
"Alright, you teach me how to dance and I'll tell you about my life. Deal?"
Daphne shook his hand. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Potter."
With that, she walked out of the room, not noticing the surprised yet admiring gaze of her fiancé.
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The next day had been quite calm so far, but it didn't end that way. The last class of the day was Charms with the Gryffindors. Harry, as always, got the spell right the first time, earning more points for Ravenclaw. Hermione Granger, he realised, did not like coming second place in classes. She seemed to always want to be the first one to get the spell right, so Harry found out that he had unintentionally started irking her. Not that he cared.
After class, Harry and Daphne went to one of the abandoned classrooms in the north wing of the castle. Daphne seemed to have brought a music crystal with her. The crystal started playing classical music after she tapped it with her finger.
"You need to come closer, Harry," she instructed softly. She could see him fidgeting as she approached him. "Is something wrong?"
Harry swallowed as he whispered, "I don't like anyone touching me. It makes me uncomfortable. It brings back bad memories."
He had briefly told her about his time at the Dursleys just the previous evening. Daphne had been quite shocked about the way Harry had lived with his Muggle relatives. Of course, he had only hinted about physical abuse, but from the manner in which he flinched when anyone got too close to him, Daphne realised that he had been downsizing the entire ordeal. Since he had kept his side of the bargain, she decided to be patient. She held up her hands in surrender, giving him some space. Harry took a few deep breaths as he approached her. Green eyes met blue as they stood in front of each other.
"You'll need to place your hands on my waist," she instructed.
When he didn't move, she took his hands and placed them there. She then wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You'll have to relax, Harry," she said softly. "You'll never be able to dance if you are this stiff. You need to feel the music. I'm not going to hurt you or trick you. Please, trust me."
Harry looked into her eyes for any sign of deceit and relaxed marginally. Daphne showed him a few basic steps as they swayed to the rhythm. After half an hour, she cast a spell on them which would make them dance. However, the spell jerked their body movements in various different dance moves so it couldn't be used at a ball. It was way too embarrassing, but Harry took it in his stride. Mentally, he was wondering how efficient it would be to cast this spell during a duel. It could be countered easily, but it would prove to be a great distraction as well.
After a few hours, they stopped, breathing heavily. Harry smiled slightly, his eyes displaying the gratitude he felt within.
"Thank you so much for helping me, Daphne," he said sincerely.
"What are friends for?" asked Daphne as she left him with a smile of her own.
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The Samhain feast was quite delicious. Pumpkins and candles were floating all over the Great Hall. Harry was quietly eating while occasionally talking to his housemates when Professor Quirrell burst through the doors of the Hall.
"TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! Thought you ought to know," he said and fainted on the spot.
There was silence for a few seconds before people started screaming. Harry wasn't sure why that was the case. Sure, trolls were dangerous, but why panic when they were all safe inside the Great Hall? The teachers could take care of the troll if it came anywhere near them. Dumbledore took control and ordered them back to their dormitories. Harry stood up and followed his housemates out of the Hall.
Just when they were ascending the stairs to the second floor on their way to Ravenclaw Tower, they heard a scream and a cry for help. Harry frowned as four Prefects immediately rushed towards the girl's bathroom from where the sound had originated. Like his more curious classmates, he couldn't help but follow them, wanting to see what was going on.
When they opened the door to the girl's bathroom, they encountered the troll trying to kill a student.
Just as the troll's club was about to pound Hermione Granger into mush, one of the Prefects pointed his wand at it and shouted, "REDUCTO!"
There was a flash of red light as the club was destroyed to bits. The troll looked at its attacker in anger, but the group of sixth and seventh years frantically shouted at each other to cast spells, their wands raised.
They acted.
"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!"
There was an almighty explosion as the troll was blasted away, destroying a good chunk of the wall and roof along with it. Granger seemed to be injured by the falling debris and was crying. One of the Prefects, Penelope Clearwater, levitated the debris away and helped her get up, just as the teachers arrived at the scene.
"In the name of Lady Morgana, what happened?" gasped Professor McGonagall.
Harry and the rest were quickly ushered back to the tower by Professor Flitwick as the teachers and Prefects handled the incident. Harry mentally frowned as he tried to understand the situation. From his experience in dealing with the wards around Potter Castle, he knew that Dumbledore should have known about the troll's presence. Did he knowingly let the troll roam around the castle or did someone actually block the headmaster's connection to the wards?
Both situations weren't desirable. He would have to think about this.
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The month of November passed by without further drama, however, Harry kept his eyes and ears open. There was something strange going on at Hogwarts. He also corresponded with Amelia Bones who was taking care of the political aspects of the trial of Sirius Black. Harry couldn't really do much about that. He was only an eleven-year-old boy, after all. He had captured Pettigrew; the rest was out of his hands.
He had also used the time to look through the books regarding the accelerated program at Hogwarts. Apparently, it had not been done in the last century, but Harry was determined to get himself accepted into it. In the accelerated program, he would be able to finish his education in half the time. If that was possible, he would be able to take his N.E.W.T.s after his fourth or fifth year.
To ensure Dumbledore's compliance in the matter, he was looking for blackmail material on the old man. There had to be some way to twist the headmaster to make him agree to the program, but that couldn't happen until Sirius Black was released.
Harry knew for sure that Dumbledore knew about Sirius' innocence, but he couldn't understand why the former had thrown the latter in prison. He had a vague idea though. The memory that had flashed to him in his first Potions class had revealed a prophecy. He knew that it was Voldemort's memory, having felt the Dark Lord's emotions, but he wasn't sure how the man's thoughts were transmitted to him. He would need to ask Grandfather Alfred when he returned home for the holidays.