A Change of Heart

Chapter Forty Four

Harry sat before Dumbledore. "So, I don't have to go back to the Dursleys any more?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, Harry. Voldemort is gone forever this time."

"But Tom escaped," said Harry.

"Yes, but you need not worry about that anymore. He shall never come near you again."

"And Sirius is free," murmured Harry. "I can stay with him."

Dumbledore smiled. "I believe Sirius is already on a frenzy of cleaning his house in anticipation of you moving in."

Harry chuckled. "I can't imagine Sirius cleaning his house."

"I believe he got Kreacher to help."

"Kreacher?" Harry was surprised.

"Yes, Harry, Kreacher." Smiled Dumbledore. "Sirius decided to make peace with him and to treat him with kindness and respect as I have been trying to impress upon him for long."

"It all worked out well in the end," said Harry. He tried not to think of Tom. Dumbledore had told him Tom would never come near him again. He had also told Harry that whatever connection there was between Tom and him through his scar was no longer there. But he had refused to elaborate on the nature of the connection.

"Not yet, Harry," Dumbledore had said. "Later, when you are old enough."

Harry had looked mutinous and Dumbledore had said soothingly. "There are some things, understanding which requires more maturity than fifteen. I shall tell you all I know one day, I promise."

Harry had to be content with that.

The next few weeks were hectic with Harry moving in with Sirius and Ron and Hermione coming to visit. Sirius was happier than Harry ever remembered seeing him and he laughed and smiled often. Kreacher too had changed. Perhaps it was being away from Grimmauld Place that did it, but he was dressed in clean clothes and was polite to all of them, even Hermione.

Remus came to visit too, and Harry and his friends listened to tales about the Marauders' adventures. Most of them were funny and Harry particularly enjoyed the Motorcycle story where his dad and Sirius had been chased by Muggle policemen.

Harry had asked them about what he saw in the pensieve and both Sirius and Lupin looked uncomfortable. But their regret over the incident was quite genuine and Harry decided to accept the fact that his father and Sirius had been arrogant bullies at one point, but had changed.

Remus told them he had got a job. Dumbledore had campaigned actively for werewolf rights and for integrating them into the wizard world and to provide Wolfsbane to them free of cost. Though there were reactionary elements that resisted the reforms, Dumbledore's influence and popularity had never been higher and the anti-werewolf legislations were repealed and the new legislation was passed. Lupin told them he was going to Hogwarts to teach Defence Against Dark Arts again.

It was the best summer Harry ever had.

The night before term was about to start, Sirius came to his room. "Do you remember asking me about any childhood friends of your mother?"

Harry nodded.

"There is one," said Sirius. "He knew her from the first year, maybe even before that. They kind of fell out in our fifth year, but till then, they were very good friends."

Harry sat up eagerly. "Who is it?"

Sirius chuckled. "You won't thank me for telling you his name."

Harry frowned. "Who is it?"

"It is Snape, Harry. That was one reason why James was particularly vicious towards him."

Harry wanted to refute, to tell him that he was wrong, Snape had called his mother Mudblood, they could not have been friends. But he could see the expression on Sirius' face.

"Thank you for telling me," said he. Perhaps he could try and be nice to Snape. Not so difficult now that Snape would no longer be his teacher. His OWL results had come and he'd got only an E in potions. Which meant his dream of being an Auror was not going to materialize anyway.

Sirius had shrugged. "There are other careers," he had said. "There's no need to lose hope."

Harry knew there were other careers, but none of them would be like being an Auror.

He got his first surprise of the term when Professor McGonagall was handing out time tables.

"Why hadn't you opted for potions, Potter? It was my understanding you wanted to be an Auror?"

"I got only an E" Harry pointed out.

"I know, but Professor Snape has relaxed his hitherto stringent criteria. There weren't enough students with an O in potions to continue on to NEWT. So he has agreed to take those with E as well. "

"But we had not got books or potion ingredients," Harry said hesitantly.

McGonagall smiled as she handed over two packages.

"Sirius had them sent here last night after he learned of the changed circumstance."

She tapped her wand to a blank time table and gave it to Harry. He saw that it now had all his new subjects. He had a free period and then DADA.

"Professor?" He asked. "May I be excused?"

She looked at him curiously but nodded.

Harry made his way, not to Gryffindor Tower but to Snape's offices, having decided to beard the lion in his den before he lost his courage. He was a Gryffindor after all. And Snape was his mother's friend. Now that he was going to be in Snape's class, it might be better to clear the air between them.

Snape looked surprised at seeing him, but not angry, which Harry took as a good sign.

"What is it Potter?" He asked impatiently. "I have a class coming up."

"Sirius told me you and my mom were friends," said Harry, speaking in a rush. "I was wondering if you could... tell me about her...."

His voice trailed off. Snape stood still, an inscrutable expression on his face. Then he gave an infinitesimal nod. Harry smiled widely.

"Don't expect preferential treatment in class because of it," said Snape as he took something out of his desk. He handed over the slender box to Harry.

"The Dark Lord asked me to give this to you."

Harry took the box with some trepidation. It was long and slender and with shaking hands, he broke the seal and opened it. He stared at the object that lay inside.

He took it out, his hands trembling. "It's his wand," said he stupidly. "What does it mean?"

"It means he's never coming back," said Snape. "I have to go to my class."

"Yes, of course." Said Harry mechanically as he put the wand back in the box and turned to leave.

"Harry," said Snape. It was the first time he ever used Harry's first name. "I think he really cared for you."

"Thank you," whispered Harry before he fled to Gryffindor Tower. Back in his dormitory, he took the wand out again. "Thirteen and a half inches. Yew." He remembered Ollivander's words when he was first buying his own wand. His fingers caressed Tom's wand. His brain told him to break it into pieces, that it was the wand that killed his parents, that gave him his scar, that killed Cedric and countless others. But Harry's heart knew that it was the only remnant he had of Tom. He put it back in its box and put the box inside his trunk.

He took off his glasses and wiped his eyes and he put them back again. He was in Hogwarts with his friends, he was going to be an Auror and he was living with his godfather.

Life just couldn't get any better for him.