The House-Whisperer

Waifs and Strays pt. 5

'Morning, I brought you a cup of tea.'

'And why does that involve you getting in my bed?'

'I just wanted to make sure you drink it and didn't go back to sleep. You don't realise how much hard work went into making that cup of tea.'

'MERLIN! You've got cold hands!'

'Well, I can't help it if you don't wear a top in bed.'

'Comfy now?'

'Very! Will you explain it to me, the thing you do with the walls? Can you actually talk to houses?'

He laughed. 'Not quite. I can temporarily soothe and whisper away negativity, I can draw out love, hope. But I can also temporarily trick, so, the night I came to Manor I cast a charm to send a house into a trance-like state. It doesn't last long but can be useful, especially on rescue missions like in your case. I did a lot of research after I realised what was happening here. I discussed it with Hermione, of course, and she helped with her expertise on curses. I learnt to specialise in reading the heart and soul of different buildings. I even did some work with the Unspeakables for a bit. Maybe I was always susceptible to feeling the heart of house with all those years living under the stairs at Privet Drive...'

'Wait. What do you mean 'living under the stairs' and no more 'long story' evasions?'

'After my parents were killed I was taken to live with my aunt and uncle. They had a serious problem with looking after me but did so begrudgingly at the bequest of Dumbledore. Even Aunt Petunia knew better than to try to double-cross Albus Dumbledore. But they did the bare minimum, basic food, if any, chores, beatings, more chores, and sleeping in the cupboard under the stairs on a bare mattress until I came to Hogwarts, plus locking me in there when they thought I'd done wrong, which was generally anytime something bad happened, from burning a piece of toast to accidental magic.'

'Oh, Merlin. I need to kiss ... those memories ... away...'

'Stop ... distracting ... me...'

'But ... it's ... hmmm ... nice...'

'I thought you wanted ... to hear about ... house-whispering...'

'Okay ... what about the evil Dursleys, did they get their comeuppance?'

'Well, it's in the past now...'

'Are you pushing that conversation away?'

'It's easier not to dwell on it for too long. The point is, I think I came to understand the heart of that house on Privet Drive, even though it was non-magical. I looked after the house, I gave it love amidst my own heartache and it felt that, and here's the crux, my little cupboard offered me comfort even in the worst of times. The house repaid my kindness. And it needed to do that. It was protecting its inhabitants. That is its role in life. That happened here too. In showing that tiny bit of care for the house, the house suddenly knew it could help me too. We worked together to ease out of a stasis of depression. And this is where the difference between normal houses and the old houses lies. Normal houses get moved on, the inhabitants change, the life is transient. There is still a heart and soul and a purpose for the house, but the old houses have, well I guess you describe it as an old soul. But it's more complex than that, especially in the old houses that belonging to the old wizarding names because they have a future to protect too. Perhaps it's easier to explain by dividing the lore of house-magic into four clear parts: its heart; its soul; its purpose; and its future. The heart is the simplest area, it is created by the inhabitants love and feelings for the physical house: the giving of love and making it a home. That was my first step in the journey here at Grimmauld Place, you know how I described the house coming alive again, breathing?