Chapter 15: Questions and Answers

The Library, Hogwarts...

Record books of all sorts littered the tables in Hogwarts Library. Piles upon piles resembling little mountain tops. It wasn't hard to believe that one, Hermione Granger would be surrounded by them. This was her usual mode of function. What had been difficult to process was that she wasn't alone. For the first time since Madam Pince had seen her stroll through her open doors, Hermione had not been alone in her rigorous study. Harry Potter sat one end of the lengthy table with his nose buried in a book as well. Ron Weasley sat at the opposite end also with his nose buried in a book. The shock had not set in for Madam Pince just yet, when both Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson entered the library. They sat down with The Golden Trio and started rummaging through books as well.

The older witch could not believe her eyes and made a point to check her spectacles repeatedly as she gazed upon the sight. If someone had told her about something like this occurring she never would have believed it. The history between these five students had been near on official record and none of them had ever been interested in coming to the library in all the years she had known them, except for Hermione Granger of course.

"Have you found anything yet?" asked Harry looking over his book and at Hermione, who had been meticulously scanning a book of her own.

"No." she replied without looking up from the pages. "Keep searching."

Harry's green eyes went back down to his book.

"There's got to be something here." grumbled Draco painstakingly scanning his own book.

"I've got nothing so far." chimed Pansy reading as well.

"Bloody hell!" said Ron growing rather impatient with all the reading. "I wish something would just pop out already."

Several minutes passed and Hermione put down her book with an exasperated sigh.

"What are we missing?" she asked the group.

"Let's try and go over what we know so far." said Harry helpful.

"Well we know that she rich." said Pansy.

"And that she's a Pureblood." added Draco finding his own disgust with the last word.

"Harry told us Dumbledore said she went to school here." said Ron finally contributing something of worth to the conversation.

"Sebastian told me that she was married." recalled Hermione. "But her husband died some years ago."

Harry looked at Hermione for a moment. He had gotten an epiphany.

"That's what's wrong." he replied.

Everyone looked at him.

"What are you talking about Potter?" asked Draco.

"If she's a widow of course we wouldn't find her name here." explained Harry.

Hermione eyes lit up.

"Of course." she said in agreement. "We're all searching for the wrong name...or maybe in the wrong place."

Hermione suddenly got out of her seat and briskly walked over to the section where past issues of The Daily Prophet had been kept for students wishing to learn about journalism.

"Off she goes." said Ron shaking his head.

Harry tried his best to stifle a laugh.

Draco and Pansy looked at each other in confusion.

"Is Granger always like this?" asked Draco looking at Harry.

"Only every time she gets her sights set on some seemingly impossible question." replied Ron. "Can you imagine what she's dragged us through over the years?, it's a wonder we're still alive...all that studying and monsters...bloody hell!"

Harry tried to stifle yet another laugh. This time he had not been the only one as both Draco and Pansy had done the same.

Several more minutes had passed before Hermione reappeared with an arm full of three large books covered with dust. She sat each of them down in the middle of the table. One book had been in front of Draco who inadvertently breathed in some of the dust and began coughing.

"Bloody hell Granger." he said waving away the particles. "Did you have travel back in time for these?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

Harry looked from her to the books.

"Mione what are these things?" he asked waving away dust as well.

Hermione looked at him with an expression that suggested that she was about to go off on one of her know-it-all tangents. Ron's eyes widened as he came to the same conclusion.

"These are books containing articles from The Daily Prophet dating all the way back to 1980." she said. "They will give us a time frame to work with now that we know what we're looking for."

"And just what are we looking for?" asked Pansy looking at her as if unimpressed.

"Anything pertaining to a recent marriage of someone named Hamershal." answered Hermione.

She took one of the books passed another to Harry, while Draco and Pansy shared one. Ron looked at her with his eye brow raised. He had been the only one without an article book.

"Mione..."he said looking at the other. "Where's the book for me?"

Hermione sighed.

"You'll need to keep checking the record books Ron." she replied. "Just in case we missed something."

The group got to work looking through article after article. Nearly an hour had passed before Harry suddenly stared down at a picture of none other than Theodora Hamershal.

"I-I've found her." he said.

In an instant everyone crowded around him anxious to hear about the strange woman's story.

"Well what does it say Potter?" asked Draco impatiently.

Harry looked down at the article and began to read. It had not been much but definitely note worthy to be preserved in the records.

{"Saturday, August 10th, 1980...Theodora E. Prince weds Fredrick Hamershal...Hamershal the wealthiest man in the wizarding world to date was considered by many be the last of his long and prestigious line...Only time will tell if that remains the truth...Harold Splotters..."}

Hermione looked up from the article.

"Theodora Prince?" she said.

"You think she's actually related to Sebastian?" asked Harry looking up from the article.

"It's possible." replied Pansy.

"You have to admit they do look like they could be related." replied Ron. "I mean they even have the same hair."

"Does anyone know if Snape has a sister?" asked Pansy.

"Maybe." replied Harry.

"Is there anything else?" asked Hermione.

Harry flipped through the book some more.

{"October 19th, 1982...Jarvis Fredrick Hamershal born...New Heir of Hamershal line..."}

"Keep reading." said Draco wanting to know more. "What does this have to do with Sebastian?"

"Fredrick Hamershal was killed during the rise of Voldemort in the first wizarding war." said Harry a little sadly.

Ron's eyes widened.

"Wow." he said in disbelief.

"It says that Theodora had worked tirelessly to help bring down the despot as well but had played a role behind the scenes funding Hogwarts and the war effort." continued Harry.

"What else?" asked Hermione.

Harry flipped through the book.

"It mentions her last name being Prince before her marriage to Fredrick again and that she had attended Professor Snape's trial." he said.

His eyes widened.

"She attended Professor Snape's trial?" said Hermione caught off guard. "Could that be where we remember seeing her, Harry?"

Harry looked at her photo for a moment.

"S-She's...well...I think I've seen her some where else before..." he replied unsure. "Only she didn't look like she does now."

Professor Severus Snape had been on trial for the murder of Albus Dumbledore after being captured and rounded up with the rest of the death eaters in an initial sweep by the ministry. There was an unstated irony about him being collared with the testimony of other more "loyal" followers of Voldemort. He had been hauled down to the Ministry of Magic and tried before anyone could catch their breath from the final battles conclusion.

Needless to say, the Prime Minister had been more than shocked to see Albus Dumbledore stroll into the hearing as if he owned the place and demand that they release his Potions Professor. Snape walked away from the nearly unanimous decision to send him to Askaban to suffer from the dementor's kiss. He had been unusually quite and didn't even try to defend the nefarious acts he had committed as told to the jury by his fellow death eaters.

Lady Hamershal had indeed been present and kept a close watch on Severus Snape during that time. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been called in to testify to the jury and describe to them the details of the character of the Potions Master.

"It's possible she was a prisoner of Voldemort." said Hermione.

"Maybe." replied Harry. "Any way that's all there is."

"We all know that her last name was Prince." said Hermione.

"But there's not much record of anyone with that name here." said Ron.

Hermione turned to Draco.

"Is Prince a common wizarding name?" she asked hoping he would know more about the wizarding world's complex social circles.

"They are an old family." replied Draco. "Hardly ever heard of these days."

"So if it's not a common wizarding name..." said Hermione thinking.

"Then she must be an aunt of his or something." said Ron. "Harry said himself that Sebastian's Mum may be dead."

They studied the photos of Lady Hamershal.

"She does look an awful lot like Sebastian now that you mention it." said Pansy.

Harry nodded.

"It's defiantly possible." said Draco. Although he did not want this woman to have any claim on his friend.

"So she's his aunt then." said Harry. "I could explain why she took a sudden interest in him."

"You know what this means don't you all?" asked Hermione still studying the picture.

"That Sebastian does still have family." replied Harry.

Hermione nodded.

Harry had been a little relieved. Even he still had his mother's sister and her so-called husband to pass for relatives while the raven haired wizard had truly been on his own. Ron closed the book he had been pretending to read.

"So." he said. "Who's going to tell the bloke about this?"