All That You Leave Behind

Chapter Three



Harry spent much of his next two weeks of consciousness trying to deal with what had happened, but there were just too many ramifications, too many “What Ifs” and “If Onlys” to contend with.



Ginny stayed by his side as much as possible. He appreciated her being there, needed her there, as she understood. She had seen him at his worst and hadn’t walked away from him. He couldn’t help feeling some bitterness well up in him at Ron’s behaviour (he still hadn’t returned to see Harry, although Hermione had). They’d all lost loved ones in the war – what on earth gave Ron the right to make Snape a focal point of his hatred? Why couldn’t he blame the actual culprit – Voldemort?



Harry sighed. Even now, dead and gone, the creepy bastard was infecting their world. He thought about some of the news articles Ginny read out. He knew she carefully selected which ones to read to him, and the fact that it took her only five minutes to cover all appropriate stories told him that the Wizarding World was still desperately fractured.



The problem was he was bored. He was bored of staying in bed, but couldn’t bear the thought of going out into the world and being held up as some sort of hero. How was he a hero? It wasn’t as if he’d chosen to face Voldemort, the snake faced shit had picked him. He hated the adulation – had always hated it. He wasn’t a hero, wasn’t anything special, he was just Harry. No one seemed to get that. He thought for a moment and amended his ideas: Ginny seemed to get that, but no one else did. Not even Ron and Hermione, as close as they were to him, had ever been able to forget that he was Harry Potter: The Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, or whatever it was he was being called now that it was all over.



He understood what had driven Snape to hide in the dungeons all those years; what had made him angry and bitter at a world that had hated and feared him; what had made him despise Harry.



Harry wanted to hide in the dungeons himself. Just stay there until the world had forgotten him, but, as peaceful as that thought made him, his over riding anger that Snape was to be denied recognition for his part in the war drove him. Harry would go out into the world and make everyone see that Snape had been the hero, not him.



Another few days crawled past, and Harry was ready to scream with frustration. He wanted to get up and start making people see the truth about Snape but he was still weak. His collapse had weakened him, made him susceptible to all manner of colds and complaints, and Madam Pomfrey wasn’t prepared to allow him to leave until at least another week had passed.



At his side was Ginny, as usual. She had a copy of the Prophet and had carefully folded it so that Harry couldn’t read any of the headlines. She read aloud to him, her pleasant voice exactly what Harry needed to calm the riot in his mind.



“Erm, Kingsley Shacklebolt remains hopeful that the last few Death Eaters will be caught soon.” She stopped and scanned the page. “Azkaban has been re-built and new guards are in place. Also new security measures have been put in place to prevent a break out in future.”



She put down the paper before smiling softly at Harry, “Teddy is with his grand mother. He seems to have settled down now. She’s caring for him, and she’s said to my Mum that we can visit whenever we want.” Ginny grinned, “Poor Mrs Tonks, she won’t know what’s hit her if my Mum takes her up on that offer!”



Harry met her smile, thinking about how keen Mrs Weasley would be to ensure Teddy felt part of the Weasley family. He leant back on the pillow, almost content.



Madam Pomfrey entered the room, her starched clothing crackling. “Miss Weasley, I’m afraid you’re needed at once.”



Ginny went rather pale, but managed to smile at Harry and squeeze his hand before following the medi-witch into her office.



The two women emerged a short time later and Ginny hurried over to Harry’s bed, looking distracted.



“There’s a problem with George,” she said breathlessly, “I think he’ll be ok, but the staff at St Mungo’s want us all there in case.” She gulped.



Harry felt terrible. Ginny had been careful to only give him the barest details of George’s recuperation, but he had read between the lines and worked out that the older Weasley was struggling to cope with his twin’s death on top of everything else.



“Go on,” Harry said gently, “George needs you. I’ll be fine.”



She gave him a grateful smile and headed for the fireplace. Moments later she was gone in a swirl of green flames.



At once Harry felt lonely.



To busy himself he tidied up. Usually Ginny did so before she left, but obviously she hadn’t today. He closed his hand over the Daily Prophet, frowning. Ginny had worked hard to keep him safe from the true news out there. Should he risk his recovery by reading something that might anger or hurt him?



He already knew he would. Just as he had had to find out the truth about Dumbledore, even at the cost of his own opinion of the man, Harry knew he would have to read the newspaper, now that it had been left.



The Truth About Severus Snape



As was revealed last week to readers of the Prophet, some magical folk are claiming that Snape was a loyal member of the Light Side at the end. Our investigative journalist, Rita Skeeter, went to find out more…



Rita Writes:



I have always been intrigued by the person of Snape. Can any man be as black as he’s painted? I researched his past thoroughly and was saddened, but not surprised, by what I found.



As a child, Severus Snape caused fights and arguments that broke his parents’ marriage apart. By the age of eleven, he had already befriended a key figure in our World – Lily Evans (later Lily Potter). We can see that Snape was already interested in being involved in key events – perhaps he hoped to twist Lily’s mind and loyalties to join his side?



At school, Snape was hard working, and, as might be expected, knew more about the Dark Arts than any one else his age. He despised the father of our Hero and frequently began fights with James Potter for no reason. During many of these fights, Snape’s use of illegal Dark Magic was evident.



It would therefore appear that Severus Snape was a prime candidate to join the Defeated One’s ranks. We know that he did join the Death Eaters as a teenager, but little is known of exactly what he did. Presumably, use was made of his knowledge of Dark Arts and his skill as a potion maker. Certainly, many Aurors credit Snape’s intervention as the reason for The Week of Torment that was undertaken famously by his master.



He is known to have been associated with werewolves and other dark creatures. And even, as an adult, made Wolfsbane potion to keep one werewolf from harm during his transformations!



Dumbledore claimed that Snape came to him before the Potters’ deaths. It seems likely, therefore, that he was ordered to do so by his true master, and then spent the next decade learning all he could about his master’s greatest enemy. Of course, that enemy changed with the arrival of Harry Potter at Hogwarts.



Many of Harry’s problems at school can be traced back to the abusive relationships he had. Dumbledore was not the benevolent father most think him, and certainly Snape would hardly be nurturing to the son of the man he had tormented at school, a boy, moreover, who had once defeated his master! No wonder then, that Harry Potter’s days at Hogwarts were rife with trouble and danger!



And now we come to Dumbledore’s death and Snape’s role in it. Dumbledore may not have been as pure as some have led us to believe, but did he really deserve to be murdered by one he had long defended and trusted?



Anecdotal evidence from that night (lately given by known Death Eaters) suggests that Snape hated and was revolted by Dumbledore’s weakened state. Certainly as he lifted his wand he “had such a look of revulsion on his face I was surprised he could bring himself to even stare at Dumbledore” as our eye witness put it.



Perhaps the most telling fact of all is that the Dark Lord, before his defeat, personally killed Snape. Surely this indicates what a risk You-Know-Who felt him to be? Who else might challenge the Defeated One? Who else knew as much about the Dark Arts? Only Severus Snape.



Therefore, it seems clear that, whatever certain deluded members of our community say, Severus Snape was always a traitor and a coward.



Harry tore the paper into tiny pieces. Fury filled every inch of his being. He didn’t hear Hermione enter over the rushing in his ears.



“Harry?” she began tentatively, “There’s something I have to tell you…”