Funny How Love Is

Funny How Love Is

Testing, testing... It looks like it's working – say something.

What is this?

We record all the interviews now with a Dicto-Quill. Apparently, the Muggles do it with tape. Harry said –

Just get on with it, please, Arthur.

Yes, of course... Arthur Weasley, Deputy Minister, interviewing Severus Snape in the matter of the suspicious death of Antonio Silva, foreign national. Please state your name for the record.

You just stated it.

Please, Severus, this is awkward enough.

Fine. Severus Snape.

Thank you. Could you please describe, in brief, your movements from eleven o'clock last night?

I was attending a dinner in Miranda Silva's chambers at Hogwarts. Shortly after the time specified, she and I were alerted to an incident in the infirmary. We proceeded there and remained for perhaps half an hour. After returning to the dungeons to speak briefly with Miranda, I collected Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy from my office...

Please go on.

Is this necessary? I didn't kill the man.

Your movements will establish that, Severus. Have you heard of something called an 'alibi'?

Of course I have.

Well then –

It's personal.

[pause of eleven seconds]

As much respect as I have for your personal life, Severus, I must point out that in a possible murder investigation, nothing is private.

Very well. I collected Hermione and Draco from my office. We went to Hermione's chambers. Draco Flooed to Malfoy Manor. I remained with Hermione until half past six this morning when I left for my rooms to shower and change clothes. After dressing, I returned directly to Hermione. I was still with her when Neville Longbottom summoned us to the scene, if you will.

Thank you. I, er, need to ask you some specific questions now.

Yes, yes, get on with it.

Did you, at any point, see or interact with Antonio Silva alone last night?

I did not.

Were you alone – that is to say, out of the presence of witnesses – at any point after eleven o'clock last night?

When I was walking through the halls, yes. And this morning in my chambers, from half past six until seven.

What about during the night?

What are you suggesting, Arthur?

Er... Could you have left Hermione's rooms without her noticing?

I daresay I could have, but I didn't – until half past six, as I have already stated.

Could Hermione have left without your noticing, then?

I suppose so, but I find it unlikely. I sleep lightly.

[pause of six seconds – shuffling of papers]

Let's discuss the knife. Did you recognise it?

Of course. It's my knife.

You admit that.

Yes. Why shouldn't I? I didn't stab the man with it.

Who else had access to the knife?

Anyone who has access to my office. I use... used it to open my post.

Who has access to your office, Severus?

Flitwick, as Headmaster. Filch, as caretaker. Poppy Pomfrey. Draco Malfoy. Neville Longbottom. Hermione Granger. Miranda Silva.

Anyone else?

Possibly. I'm not sure.

That's quite a long list of people, Severus. I imagined, for some reason, that you would keep your personal space more secure.

I have nothing of value and nothing to hide.

When was the last time you were aware of the location of your... letter-opener?

Yesterday morning when I opened my post.

And then?

I returned it to the top left-hand drawer of my desk.

Would you say that, after that point in time, anyone who had access to your office could have taken the knife without your knowledge?

I suppose so.

Were there any occasions yesterday during which you were obviously absent from your office?

From lunchtime onward.

The only time you returned to the office was to collect Draco and Hermione last night?

Yes.

So they were in your office without you. For how long?

I don't know. Half an hour, maybe.

Do you know of anyone else who might have gone into your office yesterday?

No.

[pause of four seconds – shuffling of papers]

A claim has been made that you threatened Antonio Silva's life last night. Is this true?

Yes.

What prompted your threat?

Arthur...

Please, Severus. I don't like this any more than you do.

Silva had... assaulted Hermione. I warned him of the consequences should he do so again.

A claim has also been made that Hermione threatened Antonio Silva's life last night. Were you a witness to this?

Yes.

What prompted her threat?

The same thing that prompted mine.

Can you think of anyone else who might have wished Antonio Silva harm?

I really don't know. He and I were not close.

[pause of eight seconds – shuffling of papers]

Allow me to summarise what you have said, please. You left your knife – the possible murder weapon – in an unsecured location from approximately noon yesterday. Anyone who had access to your office also had access to this knife, although the only people you know for certain entered your office yesterday were Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger. You yourself claim not to have returned to the room except to collect your guests late last night. You were alone last night and this morning on a number of brief occasions, including one half-hour stretch between half past six and seven o'clock today. Although your knife is involved in the crime, you claim to be innocent of wrongdoing, despite having threatened the deceased's life in the presence of witnesses. Is this correct?

Yes... Arthur, why do you keep saying 'possible' murder?

It is, of course, possible that the knife was not the cause of death. We will be testing for poison, as well as inspecting wands for the casting of lethal spells.

I see. And, since you have it in custody, am I to assume you have inspected my wand?

Not yet.

I see.

[pause of five seconds]

So what happens now?

[pause of four seconds]

Unfortunately, nothing in your statement exempts you from suspicion. Er... I'm going to have to take you to Azkaban, pending further developments.

I am a suspect, then. Are you going to charge me with anything?

Not at this time, no. As you know, the law provides for a detention period of up to seven days before charges must be laid.

You're going to keep me in Azkaban for seven days!

Hopefully not. We are continuing to investigate, and the moment we find anything to support your innocence, we'll release you... Don't look at me like that, Severus. You know I would do anything to keep you out of that place. But it's your knife in that man's chest, and nothing you've said proves that you didn't put it there.

[pause of twelve seconds]

Very well... Interview terminated at fourteen minutes past nine.

***

So, was it you what done it, then, Hermione?

This is no time for joking, Ronald. What the hell is that?

It's a Dicto-Quill. Oh, oops, forgot to say – Ronald Weasley, Auror, interviewing Hermione Granger in the matter of the suspicious death of Antonio Silva, foreign national. Er, please state your name for the record.

I will do no such thing. This is absurd.

Come on, Hermione, please –

No. I want legal counsel.

What? What for?

I refuse to answer any questions without a witness to this... interrogation.

But, Hermione, look, it's all being recorded –

With a quill? Please. I could tamper with that with my eyes shut. I'm not going to be railroaded by the Ministry. I demand a solicitor be present.

A solicitor? We don't even do that stuff, Hermione. If you don't answer the questions now, I'll have to get a writ to use Veritaserum.

Are you insane? You can't do that.

This isn't the Muggle legal system, Hermione. We do things differently.

No surprise there.

Please don't be bitter. Look, just do this voluntarily. I'll see to it myself that nothing happens to the transcript.

[pause of six seconds]

Why are you questioning me? Surely there's some kind of rule about conflicts of interest.

Er...

Oh, right, You do things differently. Fine. Ask your questions.

Good. Okay. State your name, please.

Hermione Jean Granger.

First, could you please describe your movements from eleven o'clock last night?

I was at a dinner party hosted by the Silvas in Miranda's chambers. After the meal, Antonio Silva escorted me to my rooms. When we got there, I offered him a cup of tea. He said he didn't want tea and tried to kiss me. I attempted to push him away, but he restrained my hands and tried again, so I bit his lip. He was angry and smacked me across the face. You see the bruise. Then he shoved me against the wall and started groping me.

He what! That bastard –

Please, Ronald. Then Draco came in and Stunned us. I came to in the infirmary and attacked Silva. Severus and Miranda had shown up by then, and Severus ordered me and Draco to leave. We eavesdropped for a little while, but Miranda caught us. So we went to Severus's office and waited until he came to get us. Draco Flooed home from my fireplace, and I went to bed. I got up this morning just before seven and made some tea. Severus came in and had a cup with me. Then Neville showed up and we found out what had happened.

Okay. Yes. Good.

May I leave now?

Er, no. A claim has been made that you threatened to kill this Silva.

That's right, I did. If he ever touched me again.

Right. And did you recognise the weapon? The dagger, I mean?

Yes, it was Severus's letter-opener.

Where does he usually keep it?

In his desk drawer.

Where is his desk?

In his office. Obviously.

And you were in his office last night with Malfoy? For how long?

About half an hour. See – this is exactly what I was talking about! I didn't stab him!

Fine, you don't need to get so belligerent. But you were in the room where Snape keeps the knife. And you were alone all night, until about seven o'clock this morning.

Well...

What?

Not exactly alone.

Who was with you?

Well... Severus. Until about half past six. I heard him get up and leave.

You spent the night with Snape!

Yes, Ron. Get over it.

Okay, yeah.

[pause for eight seconds – rustling]

Could he have left, in the night, without your hearing?

Probably.

How long was he gone from your room this morning?

About half an hour, I should think.

When you were... eavesdropping outside the infirmary, could you hear any of what was being said inside?

Sadly, no.

Can you think of anyone who might have had a reason to harm Silva?

Of course. Severus.

Because this Silva molested you?

Well, maybe. But also because Severus was carrying on an affair with his wife.

Really?

Yes. Since before Christmas. I don't know the details.

Why did Snape spend the night in your room, then?

It's complicated.

Okay... Why would this affair have given Snape a reason to kill Silva?

Maybe he was jealous. Maybe he wanted Miranda for himself. I don't know.

Hermione... I have to say, that doesn't sound very Snape-y.

He's not been himself.

What makes you say that?

Nothing in particular.

You're being evasive.

Well, I can't see how this is relevant to your investigation anyway.

Fair enough.

[pause of four seconds – shuffling of paper]

After the incident in the infirmary, did you see or interact with Antonio Silva alone?

No.

Were you alone at any point after eleven o'clock last night?

Only this morning while Severus was gone.

And that was for half an hour.

About that, yes.

What did you do in that half-hour?

I carried on sleeping for most of it. Then I got up, put on some clothes, and made tea.

Apart from the time you spent there with Draco Malfoy last night, did you at any point yesterday enter Snape's office?

No.

Can anyone corroborate that?

No.

Let me sum up, then. You were involved in a private altercation with the deceased shortly after eleven o'clock last night. After leaving the hospital wing, you then spent about half an hour with Draco Malfoy in Severus Snape's office where you had access to the weapon used on Antonio Silva. When Snape collected you, you went to your chambers and remained there with him until half past six this morning, at which point you were alone for half an hour. You claim to be innocent of any wrongdoing, despite your threat of harm to the deceased. Is this correct?

Yes.

[pause of four seconds]

You must be aware, Hermione, that you have no alibi.

Why should I be aware of that? You haven't even told me what time the man was killed.

We think it was sometime early this morning. We'll know for sure once the body has been inspected more thoroughly.

What am I supposed to do until then?

[pause of five seconds]

What is it, Ronald?

I have to take you to Azkaban, Hermione. Until more evidence comes to light.

How long are you going to keep me there?

Not long, I hope. Legally, we can hold you for seven days. I promise to do everything I can to make sure your time there is as short as possible. Hermione... I'm sorry.

[pause of four seconds – sound of weeping; rustling]

Oh, hell... Interview terminated at twenty minutes past ten.

***

Snape sat disconsolately on the narrow bed of his cell in Azkaban. It was hardly the Easter visit to the prison that he had envisioned. And yet, he had to admit that the place wasn't nearly as awful as he remembered. With the Dementors gone, the prison retained only the faintly hopeless feel of all such institutions, rather than its former crushing, soul-destroying bleakness. The air was lighter, the damp less oppressive. Through the small, barred window high on the back wall of the cell, a spring breeze wafted in, and weak sunlight drew patterns on the clean stone floor. The cheerful whistling of the Auror on duty in this corridor echoed incongruously. Snape supposed the guard had every reason to be cheerful; the inmates in this cellblock were hardly violent or dangerous.

The sound of voices approaching made him sit up a little straighter; his cell was the third from the end of the corridor and the door through which, a little over an hour ago, he had been escorted as a new inmate. Presumably someone else was being brought in. The voices separated from the echoes, and the clacking of footsteps became clearer, more distinct: he could discern now what was being said.

'Just relax now.' Familiar voice, male – Snape couldn't place it. Sound of the door opening into the cell next to his own. 'I'll have you out of here as quickly as possible.'

'Promise?' Hermione. Snape's chest constricted.

'Yes, I promise.' Recognition clicked in Snape's brain: Ronald Weasley. The door clicked shut; one pair of footsteps retreated back the way it had come.

Quiet filled the corridor again. Snape lay back on the bed and put his hands behind his head. If he hadn't felt so alert, so perfectly awake and aware, he would have believed this to be a dream, and not a particularly good one. The image of Antonio Silva, dead on the hearthrug, arms outstretched, swam to the forefront of his mind and, with it, all the questions he had struggled not to ask himself as the morning had passed. Who had stabbed the man? Why had Snape's own dagger been used? Why had Hermione accused him? And the new question brought to his attention by Arthur Weasley: was the dagger really what had been used to kill Silva? Snape's understanding of the matter was only slightly greater than Arthur's, for of course he knew that he had not been responsible for Silva's death.

He fell asleep for a while, surprised and pleased to learn that he could unwind enough to do so. He awoke in the late afternoon feeling rested but stiff and began to pace back and forth across the small cell, trying to loosen his cramped muscles. As night fell and the prison grew darker, his equanimity dripped away bit by bit. They were going to make him spend the night here, he realised; in the dark, it was easy to imagine the black-cloaked horror of the Dementors, the misery and the nightmares that other people had experienced in this very same cell, the muted screams and murmurs that had once filled the giant building. His stomach seemed to coil in on itself. If he didn't put a halt to his morbid fantasies, he would be sick.

Perhaps he would be sick anyway. Clutching his abdomen, Snape lurched to the basin in the corner of the cell and heaved over it futilely. Nothing came out; the only sustenance he had consumed all day was a cup of tea more than twelve hours ago. He wondered if the meal regimen here was still as stringent as it had been twenty-five years ago. He heaved again and wiped the back of his hand across his sweat-beaded brow.

'Snape!' a voice shouted suddenly. 'Are you here?'

Startled, he jerked back and slammed his shin against the bed frame. Groaning, he dropped onto the mattress. 'Hermione?' he called.

'You absolute bastard!' she screamed from the next cell. 'How could you do this?'

He paused, rubbing his leg, and felt his muscles go rigid with defensiveness. 'Do what?'

'You killed him! That was your knife sticking out of his ribs. I recognised it!'

Slowly, Snape drew himself into a standing position and stalked to the bars fronting his cell. 'You think I killed him?' he said, iron in his tone.

'Do you deny that was your dagger in his chest?' came the incredulous response.

'Do you take me for an imbecile?' he roared suddenly, unable to control the violence of his anger. 'I wouldn't stab a man with my own knife!'

'You'd use someone else's, then?' she replied venomously, obviously having approached the front of her cell, too. 'I notice you used your own wand to kill Dumbledore. Was no one else's available?'

Snape froze. 'How dare you,' he hissed. 'I was with you all night, comforting you. Do you think I slipped from your bed to kill the man, then came back to soil your innocence with my blood-stained hands?'

'And why wouldn't you?' Hermione snapped, her anger echoing in the stone corridor. 'You've been quite happy to put your hands in all sorts of places, all year.'

'What about you, then?' Snape snarled. 'Don't pretend you're as pure as the driven snow, Miss Granger. You had as much opportunity as I, not to mention a far more immediate motive.'

'I, unlike you, don't kill people!' she shouted.

'And you, unlike me, have all the subtlety of a fucking freight train,' Snape shouted back, driven by his frustration into uncharacteristic profanity. 'If I had killed him, I wouldn't have gotten caught.'

'That's your defence?' Her tone dripped with feigned incredulity. 'You loathsome, amoral...'

She continued to abuse him, but the fight had gone out of him now. Wearily, he retreated to the bed and lay down again, this time on his stomach, his arms hanging off either side of the mattress. After several minutes of getting no response, Hermione quieted. The silence pressed in on him; the darkness in the cell was absolute.

Against all expectation, Snape fell asleep again. He dreamed of Dumbledore, not as he had been during the last few years of his life, but after Voldemort's first fall, when optimism had still been possible and the coming of Harry Potter to Hogwarts had been many years away.

***

Arthur Weasley, interviewing Severus Snape in the matter of the murder of Antonio Silva, foreign national. Please state your name.

Severus Snape.

I won't ask you if you slept well last night, but I hope you didn't endure anything too unpleasant.

Not if what I've heard about Muggle prisons is anything to go by.

Well, quite. The Minister has requested that you be interviewed under the influence of Veritaserum. Are you prepared to grant this?

Who prepared the potion?

Draco Malfoy.

I will grant the Minister's request, then.

Thank you, Severus. This will help us, and you, a great deal. Drink up.

[pause of six seconds]

Please state your name.

Severus Snape.

Please state your occupation.

Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Were you acquainted with the foreign national, Antonio Silva?

Yes.

Are you aware that his recent death was caused unlawfully by outside agency?

So I am told.

Did you yourself bring about his death?

No.

Did you stab him with a knife, and so bring about his death?

No.

Did you cause him any physical harm that could have led to his death?

No.

Do you know who brought about his death?

No. Arthur, I must say, this is all very tedious.

How fortunate for us both, then, that I have what I need now. I'll put this before Kingsley as soon as possible. Should have you out by tomorrow at the latest.

I'm breathless with anticipation.

Sarcasm becomes you, Severus. Interview terminated at nineteen minutes to eleven.

***

Snape was jolted out of his stupor later that afternoon by the sound of Hermione's voice along the corridor.

'They questioned me under Veritaserum this morning,' she stated. 'Just so you know.'

He didn't answer.

'I didn't kill him,' Hermione said. 'It made me wonder, though, if you could say the same thing under similar circumstances.'

His eyes rolled silently, almost of their own volition.

'You know what, though? I'm not sure I care anymore. What difference should it make to me if you killed your lover's husband?' she went on pensively. 'It's nothing anyone who knows you would be surprised about. I must have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of first-hand examples of your vindictiveness over the years. I defended you, you know. All those times that Ron and Harry insulted you and abused you, I took your part. I thought you were noble. Obviously, I was wrong – your behaviour since I started working at Hogwarts has been everything but noble.' She paused for breath.

'I didn't think it was possible for my expectations of prison life to sink any lower, but the proof is incontrovertible: there truly is nothing so bad that it can't get worse,' a silvery deep voice, carrying the barest hint of amusement, interjected.

Snape bolted upright in surprise and pushed his hair from his face. 'Lucius?'

'I'm afraid my skills as host have deteriorated of late. I should have welcomed you yesterday. How are you, Severus?'

Snape approached the bars and tried to peer down the corridor. He could just see a flash of pale hair in the gloom. 'What a stupid thing to ask,' he responded fondly. 'I'm in jail.'

'I couldn't help but overhear your predicament,' Lucius said smoothly. In the cell next to Snape's, Hermione gave a small squeak. 'I understand someone has been stabbed?'

'Antonio Silva,' Snape confirmed. 'You knew his family.'

'Ah, yes.' There was a long pause. 'It was your knife?'

'My letter-opener. The one you gave me.'

Lucius laughed softly. 'And is that Miss Granger I hear as well?'

'Yes,' Hermione snapped through her teeth. Snape could picture her self-righteous expression and the thought made him smile.

'The famous Hermione Granger, friend of Harry Potter, sent down for murder. Quite the change in status for you,' Lucius commented. 'How does it feel?'

Snape leaned as close to the bars as he could and saw Hermione doing the same. 'I haven't been sent down,' she said. 'I'm just temporarily detained.'

Lucius laughed again. 'Is that so.'

Silence fell in the corridor. Snape remained where he was for a little while; eventually, it became obvious that Lucius had said all he was prepared to say.

It wasn't until the sun had gone down, and the cells were wreathed in darkness, that Lucius's deep timbre resonated along the corridor again. 'How is the good Señora Silva?' he asked.

'Miranda?' Snape answered, surprised.

'Yes, of course,' Lucius answered. 'You used to teach her, didn't you, Severus?'

'She's the Charms professor now. She...' Snape trailed off, unsure what to say.

'She's been sleeping with Snape,' Hermione supplied suddenly.

'Gossip?' Lucius's voice perked up noticeably. 'Do tell.'

Snape fumed silently while Hermione recounted, with unattractive glee, his affair with Miranda, up to and including the duel – had that really only been four days ago? – that he and Draco had lost in front of the entire school. He was amazed that she would speak so frankly to someone she despised and distrusted, her friendship with Draco notwithstanding, but was hardly shocked to note that she left out her own role in the affair.

Lucius, however, had not lost all of his perceptiveness in captivity. 'Jealous, Miss Granger?' he taunted when she finished speaking. 'Severus mentioned slipping from your bed... has he been leading you a merry dance?'

'Bastard.' The epithet was almost under her breath; Snape wasn't sure if she was referring to him or to Lucius.

'Such unladylike language,' Lucius murmured suggestively. 'So they questioned you with Veritaserum. What about you, Severus?'

'Yes. This morning.'

A weak gasp issued from Hermione's cell. Snape ignored it.

'Who killed him, then?' Lucius mused, but in such a way as to make Snape suspect it was a rhetorical question. 'Tell me, Severus,' he added abruptly, 'how much did you know about Miranda Silva's marriage?'

***

Two hundred miles away, in the cosy comfort of her dungeon sitting room, Miranda Silva was sitting stiffly on the hearthrug before the fire. Across from her rigid form, equally uncomfortable in a brocade armchair, looking with interest around the dim room, was a young man – thin, an inch or two shorter than six feet tall, with vivid green eyes behind round-rimmed glasses, the barest hint of white scar shining through the unkempt black hair that fell across his forehead.

'Professor Silva,' he said in a soft, deep voice. 'The Aurors questioned Hermione and Snape this morning with Veritaserum. Neither of them appears to be responsible for your husband's death.'

For a few moments, Miranda didn't react. She was a lovely woman, Harry reflected; her long, straight hair fell in a black curtain to the carpet behind her. Her face was perfectly sculpted and almost ageless; stark, midnight blue robes made her blue eyes stand out radiantly above her pale cheeks. Her expression, however, was cold and still when she finally responded:

'I knew it wasn't Hermione. I tried to tell the Minister.'

Harry met her gaze and risked a little Legilimency. His skills had improved; he was able to do this even while speaking of other things. She didn't seem to notice his silence or his intensity, and she wasn't trying to block him, but her calm shut him out as surely as any active attempt would have done.

'Do you think Snape killed your husband?' he asked gently.

Emotion leapt into her mind: confusion. 'I don't know. Aren't there ways to get around Veritaserum?'

'Yes, and he would know them, if anyone would,' Harry confessed.

'Didn't he kill Albus Dumbledore?' she pressed on.

Harry leaned back in his chair and rested his hands on his knees. Her confusion was growing stronger now; he couldn't pinpoint anything definite, but it was clear that there was some great conflict in her mind. 'He did kill Dumbledore, yes.'

'Doesn't that precedent suggest anything?' she asked insistently.

He knew what she was getting at; the reasons for her internal conflict grew clearer as he looked at her steadily. 'Believe me,' Harry said, 'no one understands ambivalence about Snape better than I do.' He smiled at her.

'What do you mean?' She knew, but she wanted to hear his explanation anyway. In fact, there was an obvious need in her to hear it, as if she wanted confirmation from Harry of everything she had ever suspected about Snape. He was afraid his words would disappoint her.

'Snape gave Voldemort the information that led to my parents' deaths and almost led to mine,' he said bluntly. This was a part of the story he had tried to keep quiet, not wanting to expose Snape's shame, or his own pain, to the wizarding world. 'He claimed to love my mother, but he was happy to see her husband and child destroyed. He persuaded Voldemort to spare her, even knowing that if she lived, it would be because she had lost the people she loved the most in the world.'

Miranda grew still again. Harry watched her carefully as he continued. 'My mother died anyway, as you know, trying to protect me. Snape never forgave Voldemort; he worked all those years for Dumbledore because of what had happened to my mother. He tried to protect me and help me for the same reason. But he did it grudgingly and unwillingly. He never tried to like me. I didn't know any of this until what I thought were the last moments of his life, when he gave me his memories. I found out that he had only killed Dumbledore because Dumbledore forced him to. I also found out how Dumbledore had betrayed him, and me, for years, making Snape protect me so that I would live long enough to die.'

'How you must hate him,' Miranda murmured softly, settling against the stones of the hearth.

'I don't hate Snape,' Harry corrected. 'He suffered for years and knows that he brought all of his pain on himself. He's had to live with that knowledge; he wasn't granted the release of death. And while I'll never be able to forgive him, who am I to say that he hasn't suffered enough?'

These words, spoken so sympathetically, seemed to have an effect on Miranda. Looking into her eyes again, Harry didn't need Legilimency to see that her conflict was beginning to resolve itself. Suddenly, the whole of her emotions coalesced in front of him, almost as if she were projecting them. He stood up slowly and moved toward the door.

'Hermione and Snape will probably be released tomorrow, as we have no reason to hold them any longer,' he said matter-of-factly. Miranda followed him to the door and opened it courteously for him.

'Thank you for coming to let me know,' she told him.

He met her eyes again and said deliberately, 'We'll need to speak to you again, unfortunately.' Slowly, carefully, he added, 'I'll come on Thursday. Will that be all right?'

Miranda smiled; for one instant, her expression became soft and warm. 'More than all right. Thank you again, Harry Potter.'

Nodding, he passed into the hallway and heard her door close quietly behind him.