Madison Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Chapter 25: Have a Holly Jolly XMas

Madison Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Chapter 25: Have a Holly Jolly XMas

Ginny and I decided that it would be fun to decorate a Christmas Tree and put a garden gnome on top.

As we pulled carrots from the garden earlier, a gnome bit Ginny so we stupefied it and put it in a tutu and put it on the tree.

Later that night, in front of the fireplace, I was spending some quality time with Lupin and my brother and Mr. Weasley.

"Has it been busy at the Ministry?" Harry asked Mr. Weasley.

"Very. Out of the three arrests we'd made in the past two months. I doubt that one of them is a genuine Death Eater, but don't repeat that," Mr. Weasley told the both of us.

"Are they still holding Stand Shunpike?" I asked.

"I'm afraid so," Mr. Weasley sighed. "Dumbledore has tried talking to Scrimgeour about it, but anybody who as ever interviewed him believes that he's about as much as a Death Eater as this satsuma... But high levels want to look like they are making arrests, and three arrests sounds better to them that three mistaken arrests and releases."

"Mr. Weasley," I began to ask. "Have you heard anything about-"

"The Malfoy's? We checked. There was nothing that shouldn't have been there."

"Yeah, we saw in the Daily Prophet, but Harry believes that this is more..."

Harry and I told Mr. Weasley what we overheard. As Harry and I took turns talking, Lupin got a little more into the conversation.

"Has it occurred that Snape was pretending-"

"Pretending to offer help so he could find out what Malfoy's up too?" Harry asked.

"It isn't our business to know," Lupin unexpectedly told us. "It's Dumbledore's business, and he trusts Snape, and that must be a good reason for all of us."

"I think that it's quite within our right to know. Harry and I should be able to know at least. I mean, we are dealing with an overall enemy that killed our parents," I announced, probably sounding like a know-it-all.

"Yeah! What if Dumbledore's wrong about Snape and-"

"People have said it many times, Harry. It comes down to whether or not you trust Dumbledore. I do, so I trust Snape," Lupin revealed.

"But Dumbledore can make mistakes," I told my godfather. "Even he said so! And do you honestly like Snape?"

"I neither like nor dislike Severus," Lupin replied.

Harry and I gave him a look of disbelief.

"Madison, Harry, I am speaking the truth. We will never be friends, after everything that happened between James, Sirius, Snape and I- there is too much bitterness there. But the year I taught at Hogwarts, he made me the Wolfsbane Potion every month. Made it perfectly so I didn't have to suffer like I usually do at the full moon..."

"But he also 'accidentally' told everybody that you're a werewolf! You had to leave, Remus! I would have loved for my godfather to stay!" I told himS

He shrugged. "It would have been revealed anyway. We all know Snape wanted my job, but he could have done much more damage if he wrecked the potion. I am thankful for that."

"Maybe he didn't mess with the potion because Dumbledore was watching!" Harry said.

"You both are very determined to hate him," Lupin told us both, a faint smile evident on his save. "With James as your father and Sirius as your godfather, Harry, and me as yours, Madison, you have inherited an old hatred."