'Do you need help with the book, Professor?'
It was Harry asking. He looked tired and a bit lost and anxious.
'Thanks, Harry. I might in a bit. I'm just considering various translation spells. I've managed to get quite a few paragraphs into a readable form already.'
Hermione glanced up. 'Anything interesting?'
'No, mostly just complaints about Godric and, er, observations about Rowena. He's quite a complainer.'
'Oh, I don't know,' said Harry, rather unexpectedly. 'I mean, it doesn't sound like Godric was all that nice to him. It sounds like he was always baiting him and tormenting him like — like Snape.'
Lupin and Hermione looked at Harry in astonishment. 'That reminds me,' said Lupin, suddenly remembering. 'Did you hear back from Snape about the love potion?'
Both Hermione and Harry flushed. 'Yes, we did,' said Hermione, a bit unwillingly. 'He said there wasn't a reversal spell — that he knew of,' she added hastily.
'Ah,' said Lupin, although his heart sank. 'Well, he doesn't know everything.'
'He said it was curable only by death,' added Harry.
'Well, most spells are,' Lupin pointed out. 'Even being a werewolf is curable by death. I'd hardly call it a terribly helpful point.'
Hermione set her chin. 'I think he was just trying to be discouraging.'
'He does like to be contrary,' said Lupin neutrally, although he privately disagreed. If there was one thing Snape wouldn't lie about, it was his beloved potions. 'Right now,' he said, wanting to change the subject, 'it would be best it we concentrated on finding Draco, but once we've found him I'll be happy to write to the Potions masters at Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, perhaps they might be able to help.'
'I was wondering, Professor,' said Harry, suddenly. 'If Narcissa kept anything of Draco's from when he was a baby — like hair, or any of his baby teeth, or anything — could we make another Epicyclical Charm and try to use that to find him?'
'It's a good idea, Harry. I suggested that to Sirius. But given Lucius'
Dark Arts proclivities, he thought it was unlikely that Narcissa would have kept anything like that. Too easily turned against Draco.
No, I believe we're going to have to go through other channels to find him.'
'Other channels?' echoed Hermione. 'Like the Ministry?'
'No,' said Lupin, wishing that Sirius would come back already and help him out with this conversation. 'Actually, we were hoping you might be able to help us out with that, Harry.'
Harry blinked. 'What can I do?'
'Well, it's entirely up to you, Harry, but — '
The library door opened and Sirius came in, alone, without Narcissa.
He looked over at Lupin; his eyes said, have you told him yet?
Lupin looked back. Right in the middle of explaining. Care to help out?
Sirius crossed the room and sat down on the desk, facing his godson. He looked at Harry intently. Without any preamble, he said, 'Do you remember after you and Draco took the Polyjuice potion, how, to some extent, you knew what he was thinking?'
'Yeah,' said Harry, raising his eyebrows.
'But that went away once the Potion came off, didn't it?' said Hermione, who as usual had twigged to the point that Sirius was trying to make before Harry had. 'Didn't it?'
Now Harry looked slightly uncomfortable. 'Well,' he hedged. 'Not exactly.'
They all looked at him.
Harry took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly.
'Look,' he said. 'I don't know what Malfoy's thinking, if that's what you're asking. And I certainly don't know where he is. But I can sometimes tell what he's feeling and, er, sometimes I can tell what he's dreaming. Which lately has been all bad, I don't mind telling you.'
Hermione looked astounded. 'Why didn't you say anything?'
'Because I find it weird and disturbing. And because it's fading. It's less every day.'
'But that can be reversed,' said Sirius. He looked over at Lupin.
'Can't it?'
Lupin looked thoughtful. 'That connection you two had through the Polyjuice potion. It isn't a connection that's at all unheard of, historically. It is very similar to the connection one might find between a Magid and their Source. Whatever bonded you to each other; it hasn't been dissolved, merely shut down. You can open that channel back up, I believe. If you want to. It would be perfectly understandable if you didn't want to, because-'
'Because he's dangerous?' said Harry. 'Yeah, I know he thinks he is.'
'It's more than that, Harry,' said Sirius. 'He isn't just dangerous, he's dangerous specifically to you. You can locate him for us, but you can't go after him with us. We'll have to do that.'
Harry looked blank. 'Why?'
Sirius sighed, and explained. Harry's eyes grew wide, but he didn't look as surprised as Lupin had thought he would. 'Slytherin blood,' he said, finally, looking grave. 'So that's why the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin.'
'You're not a Slytherin, Harry,' said Hermione firmly. 'Whatever your…genetic inheritance might be.'
