Sickening surge of remorse. Neither Ron nor Hermione spoke, but Harry felt sure that

They were looking at each other behind his back, communicating silently.

He turned around and caught them turning hurriedly away form each other.

“I know I shouldn’t have called him a coward.”

“No, you shouldn’t,” said Ron at once.

“But he’s acting like one.”

“All the same . . .” said Hermione.

“I know,” said Harry. “But if it makes him go back to Tonks, it’ll be worth it,

won’t it?”

He could not keep the plea out of his voice. Hermione looked sympathetic, Ron

Uncertain. Harry looked down at his feet, thinking of his father. Would James have

Backed Harry in what he had said to Lupin, or would he have been angry at how his son

had treated his old friend?

The silent kitchen seemed to hum with the shock of the recent scene and with Ron

and Hermione’s unspoken reproaches. The Daily Prophet Lupin had brought was still

lying on the table, Harry’s own face staring up at the ceiling from the front page. He

Walked over to it and sat down, opened the paper at random, and pretended to read. He

Could not take in the words; his mind was still too full of the encounter with Lupin. He

Was sure that Ron and Hermione had resumed their silent communications on the other

side of the Prophet. He turned a page loudly, and Dumbledore’s name leapt out at him. It

Was a moment or two before he took in the meaning of the photograph, which showed a

family group. Beneath the photograph were the words: The Dumbledore family, left to

right: Albus; Percival, holding newborn Ariana; Kendra, and Aberforth.

His attention caught, Harry examined the picture more carefully. Dumbledore’s

Father, Percival, was a good-looking man with eyes that seemed to twinkle even in this

Faded old photograph. The baby, Ariana, was a little longer than a loaf of bread and no

More distinctive-looking. The mother, Kendra, had jet black hair pulled into a high bun.

Her face had a carved quality about it. Harry thought of photos of Native Americans he’d

Seen as he studied her dark eyes, high cheekbones, and straight nose, formally composed

Above a high-necked silk gown. Albus and Aberforth wore matching lacy collared jackets

And had identical, shoulder-length hairstyles. Albus looked several years older, but

otherwise the two boys looked very alike, for this was before Albus’s nose had been

Broken and before he started wearing glasses.

The family looked quite happy and normal, smiling serenely up out of the

newspaper. Baby Ariana’s arm waved vaguely out of her shawl. Harry looked above the

picture and saw the headline:

EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT FROM UPCOMING

BIOGRAPHY OF ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

By Rita Skeeter

Thinking it could hardly make him feel any worse than he already did, Harry

began to read:

Proud and haughty, Kendra Dumbledore could not bear to remain in Mould-on-the-

Wold after her husband Percival’s well-publicized arrest and imprisonment in

Azkaban. She therefore decided to uproot the family and relocate to Godric’s Hollow,

the village that was later to gain fame as the scene of Harry Potter’s strange escape

From You-Know-Who.

Like Mould-on-the-Wold, Godric’s Hollow was home to a number of Wizarding

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 936