.Wha—.oh,.yeah,.we.have,..said.Harry,.seizing.gratefully.on.the.excuse..
.What.about?..
That.sneak.friend.of.hers,.Marietta,..said.Harry..
.Yeah,.well,.I.don.t.blame.you!..said.Ron.angrily,.setting.down.his.revision.timetable...If.it.hadn.t.been.for.her…..
Ron.went.into.a.rant.about.Marietta.Edgecombe,.which.Harry.found.helpful;.all.he.had.to.do.was.look.angry,.nod.and.say..Yeah..and.That.s.right..whenever.Ron.drew.breath,.leaving.his.mind.free.to.dwell,.ever.more.miserably,.on.what.he.had.seen.in.the.Pensieve..
He.felt.as.though.the.memory.of.it.was.eating.him.from.inside..He.had.been.so.sure.his.parents.were.wonderful.people.that.he.had.never.had.the.slightest.difficulty.in.disbelieving.the.asperions.Snape.cast.on.his.father.s.character.
.Hadn.t.people.like.Hagrid.and.Sirius.told.Harry.how.wonderful.his.father.had.been?.(Yeah,.well,.look.what.Sirius.was.like.himself,.said.a.nagging.voice.inside.Harry.s.head….he.was.as.bad,.wasn.t.he?).Yes,.he.had.once.overheard.Professor.McGonagall.saying.that.his.father.and.Sirius.had.been.troublemakers.at.school,
.but.she.had.described.them.as.forerunners.of.the.Weasley.twins,.and.Harry.could.not.imagine.Fred.and.George.dangling.someone.upside‐down.for.the.fun.
of.it….not.unless.they.really.loathed.them….perhaps.Malfoy,.or.somebody.who.really.deserved.it….
Harry.tried.to.make.a.case.for.Snape.having.deserved.what.he.had.suffered.at.James.s.hands:.but.hadn.t.Lily.asked,..What.s.he.done.to.you?..And.hadn.t.James.replied,..It.s.more.the.fact.that.he.exists,.if.you.know.what.I.mean...Hadn.t.James.started.it.all.simply.because.Sirius.had.said.he.was.bored?.Harry.remembered.Lupin.saying.back.in.Grimmauld.Place.that.Dumbledore.had.made.him.prefect.in.the.hope.that.he.would.be.able.t.exercise.some.control.over.James.and.Sirius….but.in.the.Pensieve,.he.had.sat.there.and.let.it.all.happen….
Harry.kept.reminding.himself.that.Lily.had.intervened;.his.mother.had.been.decent..Yet,.the.memory.of.the.look.on.her.face.as.she.had.shouted.at.James.disturbed.him.quite.as.much.as.anything.else;.she.had.clearly.loathed.James,.and.Harry.simply.could.not.understand.how.they.could.have.ended.up.married.
.Once.or.twice.he.even.wondered.whether.James.had.forced.her.into.it….
For.nearly.five.years.the.thought.of.his.father.had.been.a.source.of.comfort,.of.inspiration..Whenever.someone.had.told.him.he.was.like.James,.he.had.glowed.with.pride.inside..And.now….now.he.felt.cold.and.miserable.at.the.thought.of.him..
The.weather.grew.breezier,.brighter.and.warmer.as.the.Easter.holidays.passed,
.but.Harry,.along.with.the.rest.of.the.fifth‐.and.seventh‐years,.was.trapped.inside,
.revising,.traipsing.back.and.forth.to.the.library..Harry.pretended.his.bad.mood.had.no.other.cause.but.the.approaching.exams,.and.as.his.fellow.Gryffindors.were.sick.of.studying.themselves,.his.excuse.went.unchallenged..
.Harry,.I.m.talking.to.you,.can.you.hear.me?..
.Huh?..
He.looked.round..Ginny.Weasley,.looking.very.windswept,.had.joined.him.at.the.library.table.where.he.had.been.sitting.alone..It.was.late.on.Sunday.evening: