Connected

Chapter 24 'Calling For Help'

Chapter 24 ‘Calling For Help’

“So Snape was offering to help him? He was definitely offering to help him?”

“If you ask that once more,” said Harry, “I’m going to stick this quill —”

“I’m only checking!” said Ron.

 All four of them were in the common room at lunch time. Apparently, Harry didn’t allow them to waste much time on eating and get back to the common room as soon as possible on which Ron was completely annoyed. But soon they all had forgotten about food and Evanna had forgotten about Harry choosing Luna over her, when Harry recounted his last night’s spying on Snape and Draco. 

Snow was drifting past the window in front of them with great elegance and grace.

“Yes, Snape was offering to help him!” said Harry. “He said he’d promised Malfoy’s mother to protect him, that he’d made an Unbreakable Oath or something —"

“An Unbreakable Vow?” said Evanna, looking stunned, “Nah, he can’t have… Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” said Harry. “Why, what does it mean?”

“Well, you can’t break an Unbreakable Vow…”

“I’d worked that much out for myself, funnily enough. What happens if you break it, then?”

“You die,” said Evanna simply.

“Fred and George tried to get me to make one when I was about five. I nearly did too; I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He went mental,” said Ron, with a reminiscent gleam in his eyes, “Only time I’ve ever seen Dad as angry as Mum, Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since.”

“Bellatrix used to do it for fun with the squibs she used to keep as prisoners,” Evanna narrated, looking dreamily like Luna at the falling snow out of the window, “She always used to put in vows which would have loop holes. Poor squibs! They always died and when their soul would be leaving their bodies...” Evanna trailed off after that but soon returned; shaking her head like throwing out a thought, “well, forget about that. The question is; was Snape joking?”

“Snape and joking?” Harry asked in a matter of fact tone to which Evanna rolled her eyes.

“What I mean is; Snape might be lying...”

“No one is that good of an actor,” Harry replied.

“Pity you didn’t hear what Malfoy’s actually doing, though,” Ron said.

“I couldn’t have done, could I? That was the whole point; he was refusing to tell Snape.”

Hermione who had not yet commented; sat in thought for a moment and then said, “Don’t you think —?”

“— he was pretending to offer help so that he could trick Malfoy into telling him what he’s doing?”

Harry finished her sentence.

“Well, yes,” said Hermione.

Harry said grudgingly, “But this definitely proves Malfoy’s planning something, you can’t deny that.”

“No, I can’t,” she answered slowly.

“And he’s acting on Voldemort’s orders, just like I said!”

“Hmm… did either of them actually mention Voldemort’s name?"

Harry frowned, trying to remember. “I’m not sure… Snape definitely said ‘your master,’ and who else would that be?”