Book Two: Snape's Memories

Chapter Eight

"Going to lunch, or are you eating at your desk today?" Ron asked Harry from the doorway of the record's room. Harry was filling out several forms that were required to request reports from muggle law enforcement.

"If you give me a minute," Harry, "I'll come with you. I'm taking the afternoon off though, we've got a case conference with Hermione and the mindhealer about Tim."

Ron nodded, "I think Hermione said something about it this morning."

Harry finished his forms and with a flick of his wand, sent them off down the hall to the Muggle Liason Office, "All right. Let's go."

"Meeting your cousin was a real surprise. I didn't expect him to be quite so..." Ron trailed off looking for a word.

"Human?" Harry said sardonically, "Me neither. I feel like my life's been sort of turned upside down in the last week. Between Dudley and Tim..." Harry shrugged, "Brings up a lot of old stuff."

"I suppose." Ron shook his head, "How is Tim?"

"Tense, frightened, quiet. He's settled down a bit. Actually slept through the night last night." Harry paused, smiled fondly, "Of course, apparating to a roof top takes it out of you."

"He alright? Didn't splinch anything?" asked Ron.

"Yeah, he just scared himself." Harry replied. Ron and Harry headed out to the street, "Ginny took him to school this morning with Lily." while many wizard children were privately tutored in their early years, Harry's children had attended a school set up for wizard children, organized along the lines of a muggle primary school, "Ginny owled me this morning, she said it went well when she dropped him off."

"So are you still planning on that leave you keep saying you're going to take?" asked Ron, "Seems like a good time."

"That's what Ginny said."

At promptly two o'clock Harry met Ginny outside of the Office of Wizard Child Protection. Harry held the door so Ginny could go through first and she playfully swatted his hand as she always did.

Hermione and one of the mindhealers from St Mungo's was there. Hermione was reading a parchment that seemed to have just arrived. Harry didn't like the way she was biting her lip. Apparently neither did Ginny, because she said quietly, "Is that about Tim?"

Hermione looked up, her face an impassive, professional mask, "Not out here." she said shortly, indicating the public front office. She was right, it would be just their luck if some snoop from the Prophet was hanging about. Harry and Ginny didn't often make the paper anymore, but still.

Hermione ushered them all into the case conference room. Once inside, she handed the parchment to the healer and, to Harry and Ginny's surprise, augmented the room's own privacy spell with several of her own, including a muffliato aimed at the door.

"Hermione, what..?" Ginny started.

"Harry," said Hermione sitting herself, and indicating chairs for Harry and Ginny, "This might actually turn into a case for the Auror's Office." she said very seriously.

"Sorry?" said Harry, mystified.

"Penny sent over an observation report from this morning, and it's...highly disturbing." said Hermione, "Can you tell me what Tim's told you of his life with his mother?"

Ginny sighed, "He won't talk about it to me. Just says his mum's ill sometimes."

"Any mention of his father?"

"No," replied Harry, "The family friend I met yesterday said he'd never seen the man. Apparently, the grandmother thought he was trouble."

"And he's very distrustful of men?"