Book Two: Snape's Memories

Chapter Fourteen

To: .uk

From: ddbartondurs .uk

Subject: Lunch

Harry,

Hoping this finds you. Hermione told me that this was the best way to contact you, if I don't have an owl. Phillip was all for getting one until he found out how expensive they were. And the kind of mess they leave. :-)

I don't even know how we'd get it back if we let it go. Yours used to go out and hunt for itself as I recall, didn't she? She was a beautiful thing.

I was hoping we could get some lunch soon? I've got Mon. off. Do you have time?

Hermione says to tell you to just reply with the delivery owl. Address it to my email address, ddbartondurs .uk. The owl will know what to do with it. If you want to send it with your own owl, make sure she knows to take it to Gringotts.

Dudley

Harry smiled as he penned his response, pleased that Dudley had written to him. He had some idea of going to see Dudley at some point, but truthfully he was a little nervous about bothering him. He also didn't know how he'd take owl post. Trust Hermione to have anticipated this.

Dear Dudley,

Lunch sounds great. I'm free Monday. I can meet you at 12:00 at your house.

Thanks,

Harry

"Harry?" called Ginny from downstairs, "Hermione's here."

Think of the devil and she appears.

Harry addressed the letter to the odd address Dudley had included.

"Harry?" called Ginny again, she sounded worried.

"Give me a minute." Harry tied the letter onto the owl's foot and sent it back out the window.

Harry trotted down the stairs to the kitchen. He assumed Hermione was here about some fairly routine paperwork regarding Tim. He was unprepared for a Hermione who was pale to the lips. She sat at the kitchen table, across from Ginny. Kreacher was handing her a cup of tea which spilled as her hand shook slightly.

"Hermione?" Harry asked in a low voice, "What's happened?"

"Tim and Lily are at school today?" asked Hermione, she looked at her cup rather than at Ginny or Harry.

Harry sat down next to Ginny who clasped his hand.

"Yes," replied Ginny, "Why?"

Hermione closed her eyes and nodded. SHe took a deep breath before looking at the two of them, "Tim's mother was released from hospital yesterday...and...and they found her...dead this morning." she paused as though forcing herself to go on, "The Muggles are assuming it was an OD, but there's signs that it was...Ron and Ackerly are checking it out...there's signs that she was killed by dark magic."

A shard of ice seemed to pierce Harry's stomach. He squeezed Ginny's hand then let it go, spreading his hands out on the table in front of him. A trick to stop them trembling, "What signs?" he asked calmly, as though this were a witness interveiw. The tremor was caused by that spike of adrenaline that accompanied a new case.

"She was found dead this morning. In a house that had been abandoned and taken over by some drug addicts. She died without any signs of violence. When the police went around asking, someone apparently reported seeing her arguing with a man at a bus stop. They left together. She was found later in the squat by some other people...they thought she was still off on a nod." Hermione grimaced, "She was dead. The Muggle coroner is going to do an autopsy. I don't think he'll find any conclusive evidence of drugs."