Searching for the Truth

Part Four

Connie was now thirty-three. She had kept her word for fourteen years. She was so intent on keeping herself a secret from Harry that she cut off all communications to anyone she knew in England, except for Frank. It was because of this that she was surprised to receive this letter in the mail.

'Dear Connie,

I know it has been a very long time since we last met. However, it is of vital importance that I meet with you as soon as possible. I have an interesting proposition for you, one that I should have considered back when you were thirteen. No need to send word, just drop in.

Hoping this finds you well,

Albus Dumbledore'

Fifteen years, and now he wants to make me a teacher, she thought, smiling to herself. She well remembered her first day at Hogwarts the year she went there as an exchange student. The way he and McGonagall stared at her! Well, she thought, it's been long enough, I really should go and see how everyone is.

~

"Wonder who we're going to have in Defense Against the Dark Arts this year," said Ron, a tall, gangly boy with flaming red hair.

"Well, look then, she's right there!" answered a girl with lots of brown hair, though not nearly as much as Connie, whom she was pointing at.

"Ron, Hermione, I've just thought of something."

"What, Harry?" they asked eagerly.

"Well, it's probably going to sound stupid, but I swear I've met that witch before. She looks so familiar, but I can't place her." Harry scratched his head. Unbeknownst to them, Connie was watching them. She knew Harry instantly, though she had only seen him in the vision. I was right, she thought, he looks exactly like his father. And there's the scar. I wonder if he knows about Sirius, and Remus, and Peter.

"Hey, did you see the new Dark Arts witch? She's a fox!"

"She has a huge scar across her bottom lip. D'you think that's attractive, Fred?" laughed Ron. Over the years, Connie had imprinted very obvious teeth marks into her lip from biting it so much.

"So if he does? I think she's rather stunning myself," replied George, Fred's twin. They and Ron were brothers, and three of Harry's closest friends. Hermione scoffed, dug out The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 and propped it open on the table. Ron looked at her in disbelief and turned his attentions to the teacher's table. He nudged Harry with his elbow.

"Hey, Harry, check out Snape." Harry looked up. For the first time in all of Harry's years at Hogwarts, Harry saw Snape looking something other than loathsome. He looked almost wistful, and longing.

"You know, I think he fancies the Dark Arts witch," observed Harry. Fred and George looked scandalized.

"Sure, like she'd ever go for scum like Snape. If he went anywhere near her, she'd probably turn him into a toad," said George.

"You're just mad that she's too old for you," said Ron. They had to stop talking then, as Dumbledore had stood up.

"Now that we've finished our feast, I'd like to introduce you to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Longsworth." Connie waved at the students as they applauded. She noticed the expressions on some of the boys' faces and grinned. What have I gotten myself into, she thought. I'm going to spend the entire year with 500 boys staring at me without listening to a single word I say. They won't learn anything. At least I'll get some respect. It wouldn't be until her first class the next morning that she would find out how wrong she was.

~

Glancing at her schedule, she noticed that she had a fifth year class first. Her heart leapt. Harry's gotta be a fifth year, she thought. Then she noticed it was Slytherins. Sounds like fun, she thought sarcastically. She remembered them as well. But she always gave everyone a chance.

"Hello everyone," she said smilingly as she entered her class.

"You're an American?" sneered a boy with white-blond hair. "What are they going to give us next, a Muggle?" Connie bit her lip, but instead of yelling at the boy, she laughed. The rest of the class joined in. The boy looked smug.

"Tell me, what's your name?"

"Draco Malfoy," he responded.

"Well, Draco, you're very witty. I'll have to reward you. Let me see, yes, I think a fifty point deduction from Slytherin should be well received." The class glared at her. Connie paid no attention, but hopped up to sit on her desk. "I was going to skip the lecture today, but since your friend Draco here seems to doubt my teaching ability, I'll just jump right in and prove him wrong." She picked up a large folder of notes and slammed them on her lectern. Plucking her out-sized reading glasses of her head and planting them on her nose, she flipped it open and began class.

When the bell rang, the class filed by her, each of them giving Connie a dirty look. She smiled at them all in a very sarcastic way. When the last one had left, she let out a huge sigh of exasperation and sat on her desk.

"If this next class is as bad as this one, I'm hopping the train out of here tonight," she thought aloud. She leaned back and distractedly swung her glasses around by the arm.

"What happened, Professor, if you don't mind us asking," came a voice behind Connie. She turned around.

"Oh, hello," she said. It was Harry, and his two friends, the girl with the big hair and the tall kid with the red hair. She smiled at them. "Be forewarned. Don't insult that Longsworth witch, she'll take points and then make you work. If you're nice you'll get to talk and stuff. So who are you?"

"Hermione Granger."

"Ron Weasley."

"Harry Potter." The rest of the class had come in by this time and sat down. Connie took attendance, making a point to remember everyone's first name.

"Professor Longsworth...." Connie winced.

"Ugh! Hermione, don't call me that, it makes me feel so old."

"Well, what would you like us to call you?"

"Since I can call you by your first names, I think it's only fair that you call me by mine. Call me Connie, but if another teacher is around, just add 'miss' in front of it."

"Well, Connie," said Hermione uncomfortably, "what were you talking about when we came in?" Hermione didn't look as though she thought her question would be answered. However, it was just the thing Connie needed to get started on a lively class to get her caught up on who was what among the students.

"Oh, that. Just the fifth year Slytherin class. So what's up with that Draco Malfoy?"

"Is he giving you problems, already, Connie?"

"Yes, Seamus. He seems to have a low opinion of me because I'm American. He insulted me right to my face. I was going to do something like this in every class, but for that I deducted fifty points and made them take notes. So what's his deal?"

"He thinks he's so great just because he's pure-blood. He insults everyone who's Muggle-born, like me," said Hermione. Connie wrinkled her nose derisively.

"I don't see where he gets off with thinking that. You know, I'm not Muggle-born, but I don't care who is or isn't. One of my closest friends was Muggle-born, one of the nicest people I ever met. And it isn't exactly right to go around ripping on people when you look like a drowned rat that crawled out of a sewer." The Gryffindors laughed loudly.

"I think he knows it, too," said Ron, "I mean, why else would he walk around with Crabbe and Goyle guarding him all the time?"

"So, tell me, who else have you had for Dark Arts?"

"First year we had Professor Quirrel."

"Never heard of him."

"Then we had Lockhart," added Ron. Connie leaned forward with a look on her face that said she couldn't believe what she had just been told.

"That loser?" she asked, laughing, "I feel bad for you all."

"You know Lockhart?" they asked.

"Yeah, I met him in Romania once, when I was on vacation. He's a real fruitcake if there ever was one. He wanted me so badly, and I wouldn't give that conceited megalomaniac the time of day. He got over it eventually though." She gave them a mischievous grin.

"Two years ago we had Professor Lupin," said Dean Thomas, "He was the coolest." Connie almost fell off her desk at the mention of that name.

"Remus Lupin? He taught here? Wow, that brings me back."

"You know him, too?" asked Harry. Connie yawned and stretched, causing her shirt to lift a bit, exposing part of what looked like a huge, red scar.

"Yes. To be honest, I spent a year at Hogwarts as an exchange student. Twenty years ago, exactly. We were friends, quite close, actually. But we lost touch over the years." Harry leaned over and started whispering to Ron and Hermione. "Then who...Harry James Potter!"

"Yes, Professor?"

"Two things, OK? One...Don't call me Professor. Two...The reason we're not taking notes is so you all can talk to me. No side conversations. And that goes for the rest of you. As I was saying, who was it last year?

"Mad-Eye Moody."

"Are you kidding with me? I've heard so many stories about him. I never got to meet him, though. What's he like?"

"You don't want to know," they assured her. At that moment, the door opened, and Snape walked in. Connie immediately started talking, as though she had been lecturing the whole time, and placed her glasses back on her face. She looked up as Snape neared her stool behind the lectern.

"Can I help you, Severus?"

"No, Professor Longsworth, I wondered if I might be of any service to you. Do you need any guidance to the Great Hall?" The class stared at Snape with their mouths open.

"No, thank you, Severus, that's quite unnecessary. I can find it myself. I once attended Hogwarts, don't you remember?"

"How could I possibly have forgotten you? I just thought I'd ask nevertheless," he replied. He considered her for a moment, then added, "Your hair looks quite lovely today. Do you use anything special in it? Perhaps I'd like to try some." They couldn't believe their ears. This was Snape?

"Thank you, Severus. It's only shampoo and conditioner. And I agree with you. You should try some. You'll have to excuse me, Severus, I'm in the middle of a class." Snape turned and left the room. "One moment, guys." Connie pointed at the door. "Anti-Eavesdropping Charm. All right, let it out." Everyone started howling with laughter, even Connie. The laughter lasted for at least ten minutes before it started to die down. Then, finally, when the laughter stopped,

"What was all that about, Connie?" asked Seamus. The rest of the class nodded in encouragement, leaning forward eagerly.

"All right, I told you all that I was at Hogwarts, right?" They nodded. "Well, Professor Snape was there when I was. And obviously, from that performance, he was quite taken with me. He insisted on walking me to Potions every week. I hated every second of it. Of course, my attentions were caught by someone else."

"Who, Who?" they all asked. Connie frantically tried to find an excuse not to tell them. Fortunately, (for Connie) they ran out of time.

"Never you mind. Go to lunch, I never stayed behind to hear what a teacher had to say about something. Go!" Reluctantly, they all got up and left. As soon as they got in the hallway, though, they all started talking about Connie in a very excited way.

"She's going to be the best Defense teacher ever! Even cooler than Lupin!"

"We get to call her by her first name! How cool is that?"

"She does seem to be very nice," said Hermione, "But I'm not sure she should be gossiping like that during class."

"Hermione, you always find something wrong with everybody," said Ron exasperatedly, "It was the first day of class, she just wanted to give us a break, that's all."

"Well, I still don't think she should have talked about Snape like that. And Malfoy, calling him a drowned rat!"

"Yeah, that was great," Ron said with a wistful look in his eyes.

"No, Ron, it wasn't great. She could get into a lot of trouble for that."

"But you have to admit, it was hysterical when Snape came into class. I can't believe she said that right to his face. So what were you trying to tell us in class, Harry?" Ron and Hermione leaned closer so Harry could whisper to them.

"She knows Professor Lupin. Professor Lupin was friends with my parents."

"So what are you trying to say, Harry?"

"She must've known my parents, too. And she knows my middle name, it proves it."

"What are you getting at, Harry?" asked Ron.

"She knew my parents," Harry repeated, "Why hasn't she been mentioned before? No body ever told me about anyone named Connie Longsworth."

"You heard what she said, Harry, she was only here for a year, and she lost contact, that's all there is to it," replied Hermione firmly.

"No, Hermione, when is anything all there is to it?"

"Never," she answered slowly. "But how can we find out anything? She doesn't seem to want to talk about it, she practically forced us out of class so she wouldn't have to tell us that last thing about her when she was here."

"We can write to Professor Lupin. She said they were close friends, he'll know." Later that evening, Harry went up to the owlery to send his owl Hedwig to Lupin's house.

~

"Sirius, you'd better take a look at this," said Remus.

"What is it?" Sirius came in from the bathroom with a towel around his neck and patches of lather on his face.

"It's a letter from Harry. He says he wants to know something about his new teacher. She told the class that she knew me, and he wants to know more about her."

"Well, who is she?"

"Connie Longsworth." Sirius dropped his razor on the floor.

"Connie? She's back at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, in my old job. And unless I'm mistaken, she has no idea about you escaping from Azkaban, much less about you being innocent."

"So what you're saying is that it wouldn't be in my best interest to visit her?"

"Just not yet. Especially looking the way you do now. Let me go see her first. I'll explain things to her."

"Do you think she still hates me?"

"Well, the last time anyone talked to her about you was before Harry was born. And she was still angry."

"But what about now?" Sirius persisted. Remus heaved exasperatedly.

"I don't know, I haven't talked to her for about fourteen years. The last letter I got from her, she asked for James's father's name. When I answered, I asked her why, but she never wrote back after that. I was beginning to think she had died or something. We were very good friends, you know."

"When you see her, will you ask her about me?" Remus rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Sirius, I'll ask her."

~

"Harry, Hedwig's got your answer." Hedwig landed in front of Harry and hooted. Harry removed the letter from Hedwig's leg and opened it.

"Dear Harry,

Yes, I do remember Connie. She was also friends with your parents, you guessed right. The reason I never mentioned anything was because, well, I hadn't heard from her for many years, and I thought she had forgotten, for lack of a better word. I'm planning on writing her and possibly setting up a visit in the near future. Hopefully Sirius and I will see you soon.

Stay out of trouble,

Remus Lupin."

"D'you reckon he knows something else, Harry?" asked Ron.

"I don't know. But I'd like to know who Connie was involved with. And what that scar is from."

"Why, Harry? That's none of our business."

"Maybe, Hermione, but there is something about her that I need to find out."

"Whatever could that be?"

"I'll know when I find out. I know I recognize her from somewhere." Off they went to class.

During the next few weeks, all anyone talked about was Connie. Even after her first day gab-fests, as she called them, her lessons were still interesting. Everyone quickly got over being uncomfortable with calling her by her first name. She was very approachable, and many of the students had taken to asking her advice on personal problems. Everyone like her straight forward, frank attitude. One day in October, Harry was held back after her class.

"Harry, I received a letter from Professor Lupin. We're having a reunion this weekend. Thank you for sending the letter to him in the first place. If you hadn't I'd never have met up with him again."

"Why didn't you write to him yourself?" She looked uncomfortable, but answered anyway.

"Well, if you hadn't written to someone for years, you'd be a little embarrassed to send a letter out of nowhere, wouldn't you?"

"Er...."

"Enjoy your lunch, Harry."

"Thanks, Connie." He left her classroom feeling very confused.

~

"Ray! Oh, it's good to see you again, it's been too long." Connie jumped from her desk, where she had been grading papers and rushed over to Remus.

"Take those glasses off, you look ridiculous, and remind me of Sybil Trelawney. How long has it been, fifteen years now?" he asked as he embraced her. Connie slid her glasses so they were perched on top of her head.

"Fifteen since we've seen each other, fourteen since we've had contact."

"You always had the specifics on everything."

"So how are you?"

"I'm doing fine. Thank heaven for Wolfsbane Potion."

"Oh yeah, I've heard about that. Too bad they haven't found a cure yet, huh? You were so sure that year when I told you about that potion." Connie caressed her abdomen, as though it hurt.

"I remember that well. It was my sixth year. So how about you, I suppose you're married now?" She looked at Remus as though she thought he was kidding.

"Nope, I'm as single as they come. Practically an old maid, at the ripe old age of thirty-three."

"You? No way, come on, you're pulling my leg."

"I'm really not, though. Mr. Right never showed up." Connie turned and walked to sit on her desk.

"Maybe Mr. Right got lost. It looks like he's gotten stuck inside your rear. I don't remember it looking like that."

"That's what I get for eating too much junk. And maybe Mr. Right ditched me for some blond whore who paraded him around like a doofus."

"You can't tell me you're still mad at him for that."

"Not for that, for giving me a black eye."

"He hasn't forgiven himself for that, not since that day at King's Cross. After you got on the train, he ran down the platform, calling you. He'd finally come to his senses, so to speak."

"You know if I'd heard him I'd've stopped that train in an instant. All I ever wanted from him was an explanation. If he wanted Debbie, fine, but he shouldn't have flirted with me one day, and then turned around and hooked up with her." Connie wouldn't speak about him until the end of their "reunion."

"You know, Ray, I'd have settled for even a note from him. Can he receive letters in Azkaban?"

"He's no longer there. He escaped two years ago." Connie was unfazed by this news, to Remus's surprise.

"I knew he didn't betray Lil and Jay," Connie said, biting her lip, "But those poor Muggles...Peter deserved what he got."

"That's right," Remus said, a slight grimace forming on his face, "You don't know what really happened." Remus's face was oddly sad as he said his next words, "Peter's not dead. He's been alive all these years. Sirius went after him, Peter blew the street apart, transformed into a rat, and ran down into the sewer. Peter killed the Muggles."

"Then what?" Connie asked sharply.

"He took refuge in a wizarding home. Ron Weasley's to be exact. He stayed that way until Sirius and I forced him to show himself two years ago."

"So Sirius was pardoned." Remus shook his head glumly.

"No. Peter escaped us. He went back to Voldemort and brought him back to power. He took Harry's blood, so now Voldemort has the protection Lily left on him."

"He's back? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Connie asked in a panic.

"We hadn't heard from you in such a long time, we thought you were dead or something."

"I thought I lost everything; that I had nothing left. I was very depressed for a while. Didn't talk to anyone. Not even Brian, and we lived together for a while after my mother died. I guess after a while I got too embarrassed to start up again."

"That and you didn't want Harry to know about you, so Dumbledore told me. Why?" Connie looked sheepish as she gave her haphazard reply.

"Well, it really made no sense, I'd be in America, he'd be here and it wouldn't make a difference whether he knew me or not, I'd have no impact on his life whatsoever."

"Connie, I may not have seen you in fifteen years, but I still remember how secretive you try to be. There's another reason. Why did you stop writing after I told you who James's father was? And why did you even need to know?"

"I'll tell you, but you've got to promise not to tell anyone, especially Harry. It isn't time for him to know, not yet anyway. I'll tell him when he's ready."

"You have my word. Now spill."

"Right before I wrote you the last time, I reread the letters my father sent to my mother. I finally looked at his name. I put two and two together, but I asked you to make certain."

"Make certain of what?"

"That my father was also Jay's father." Remus gaped at her.

"That means that you a-and James a-and Harry..." he stammered. Connie's mouth pulled into a small grin.

"That's right. After you answered me, I went straight to Dumbledore. I asked for Harry, Dumbledore said no, what do I want with Harry, I'm only eighteen. Harry was all I had left, and I lost him. I wanted all or nothing, I got nothing. I was so distraught after that I decided to stop singing."

"You're not serious, are you?" he looked almost disgusted with her.

"Yes, I am. I haven't sung one note since I was eighteen years old, not even hummed."

"You're unbelievable." He left, shutting the door behind him rather sharply. What does he know, she thought, biting her lip. He isn't alone in this world, he has a family.

~

Connie was still fuming much later, when she was trying to go to sleep. After tossing and turning until well after midnight, she finally decided to get some hot chocolate from the kitchens.

"Can't sleep, Connie?" Connie turned from the table where the house elves had just placed a large tray of sweets which Connie had long ago given up, to no benefit whatsoever to what age had done to her body.

"Oh, no, Professor Dumbledore, I'm...never mind," she trailed off sheepishly.

"Connie, certainly by now you can call me Albus. None of the other teachers call me Professor Dumbledore. Éclair?"

"Now, what is keeping you up at this hour of the night?"

"I had a reunion with Remus today. He left kind of upset with me." She leaned over the table propped up on her elbows.

"Why? There has to be a good reason." Connie shifted herself uncomfortably.

"Well, I told him about James being my half-brother."

"That can't be all, continue, please."
"Then I told him that I came to see you about Harry, how I tried to get him away from the Dursleys."

"Then what?"

"I told him I gave up singing, he told me I was unbelievable then left."

"I can see why he's upset. You gave up something you love, and that you are blessed with, and should share with everyone." Connie once again bit her lip.

"He doesn't understand. He's not the one with no family; he's not the one who lost everything by the time he was eighteen. Singing was all I had left, and Harry was all the family I had left. I had no reason to keep doing it. I stopped. So what? The only person I'm hurting is myself. If he cares so much, why didn't he bother to check on me for fifteen years? In fact, the only person who ever bothered with me since I found out who fathered me was Frank."

"How is Frank?"

"He moved to Australia and married a girl down there. He's got a few kids. I went down there last winter. But that's not the point. The point is that you all thought I was dead, but never bothered to find out for certain. You never bothered with Frank, either."

"How could we have when we had no address?"

"How hard is it to tell an owl, 'Go find Frank'?"

"How hard is it to tell an owl, 'Go find Remus, or Dumbledore, or anyone?'" Connie shot Dumbledore a pouty glance.

"You made me yell like that on purpose." Dumbledore sighed and peered through his half-moon spectacles into Connie's brown eyes.

"You are a very smart woman. However, you are very emotional and you make decisions based on them. Sometimes you need to stop and think before you do things, Connie. Otherwise, you may miss out on something good. Oh, and we did send you letters. Maybe you never got them. We have lost a lot of owls trying to contact you."

"Bucky came home all bloody one day. I thought it was odd, because he didn't have any abrasions. I didn't think anymore on it, just thought he had a really hard time hunting. Then he would be gone for weeks at a time. Then eventually, he never came home. I really am alone, Albus. My pet owl even left me."

"Connie, as long as you have friends, you will never be alone." Connie went to sleep as stubborn as ever, but with a much lighter heart. Then she sat bolt upright.

Bucky killed those owls. I always thought he was such a sweetie. Stupid bird, she thought. She rolled over and went to sleep.

~

"Well, Remus, did she say anything about me?"

"Yes, quite a lot, actually."

"What did she say? Is she still mad?"

"You should really write to her. Tell her about the Imperious Curse. She's still the same, won't let you get a word in edgewise. That's all she's wanted, Sirius, an explanation. She knows about Peter now. She told me she already knew you didn't betray the Potters. But she didn't know about what happened after, with the sewer and everything. Not the truth anyway." Sirius ran his hands distractedly through his hair.

"Remus, I must've started hundreds of letters to Connie. I could never figure out how to tell her. You know I still care about her."

"From what I could tell, she feels the same way. She actually wanted to know if she could send you a note in Azkaban. But you need to talk things out."

"Who am I kidding, she'll never listen to me." He leaned despairingly over the table and ran his hands through his hair.

"No, but she'll listen to Harry."

"What are you saying, Remus?" Sirius asked, looking up.

"I have an idea. I just need to write a letter to Harry, Ron and Hermione. They'll help."

~

"Harry, you've got an owl," Ron said through a mouth full of scrambled eggs. A barn owl had landed in front of Harry, who was too busy staring at Cho Chang to notice. He opened the letter.

"Dear Harry," he read aloud in a whisper. "Connie will probably have our heads for this, but Sirius and I have something to share with you. When Connie was at Hogwarts, she and Sirius were very interested in each other." Harry looked up. "So that's who she was involved with!" He turned back to the letter. "Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond Sirius's control, things didn't exactly work out, to say the least. Be very discreet, and do some snooping. Let us know what you find out. Be careful. We'll be in touch soon. Remus Lupin."

"What are we snooping for?" asked Hermione.

"I don't know," replied Harry, "But I think it has something to do with what I need to know."

"Well, it's going to have to wait," said Ron, "Because we're going to be late for Herbology. We can ask Connie questions later." Which was indeed what they did the instant they sat down in her class later that morning.

"Connie, have you always worn you hair in that half-bun?" asked Hermione, having bushy hair herself, it was a good topic.

"No, I haven't actually. When I was younger, I always wore it in two big buns. It looked really stupid, but I was very self-conscious about my hair. When I was at Hogwarts, I had help from a few friends, and I got over having people see my hair all poofy like this." She pointed to the half of her hair that was down, which was easily three-quarters the volume of Hermione's whole head. They had never noticed how much hair she really had.

"Who were you friends with, besides Professor Lupin?" asked Harry.

"Well, there was Frank Baynes, Peter Pettigrew, Lily Evans, and James Potter. Yes, I was friends with Harry's parents" she answered the question Ron was about to ask. "Now, really, enough talking, you've got a test next week." They all groaned. When the bell rang at the end of class, Harry, Ron, and Hermione ran down to the Great Hall, talking excitedly.

"Now we've got to write back and ask who Frank Baynes is," said Hermione. "He's the next step in the puzzle. Harry, does that name ring a bell?"

"No, I don't remember ever hearing about him, either."

"Well, we'll soon find out," answered Ron.

~

"Harry's gotten back to us already, Sirius."

"What does the letter say?" Remus read the letter aloud.

"Dear Professor Lupin and Sirius. We've asked a few questions and gotten some answers. We asked who her friends were at Hogwarts. She mentioned everyone except for Sirius. Someone we don't know was also mentioned. Now we need an answer from you. Who is Frank Baynes? He's our next clue. Harry, Ron and Hermione."

"The next clue to what?" asked Sirius, taking the letter to read for himself. "What are they up to?"

"I don't know, looks like they're doing some kind of investigation. You know how they are. By now, they've got to be suspicious of every Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I'd better get back to Harry on Frank. I wonder whatever happened to him?" Remus reached for a quill.

"Frank Baynes was Connie's closest friend at Hogwarts. He was in Ravenclaw. He was never really close with the rest of us, so I couldn't tell you what he's been up to lately. However, if you can contact him, I believe he can tell you what you need to know." Harry refolded the letter.

"So now we have to get in touch with this bloke?" Ron looked aghast at the thought. "Harry, this had better be a good secret she's hiding."

"We don't have to write him right away," said Hermione. "Besides, remember what Connie told us about her owl, the one she kept sending overseas? It went nuts and stared killing owls with letters to Connie from her friends from Hogwarts. We'd better give Hedwig a rest."

"But we'd only be sending her around the country," said Ron, "Why would she go bonkers?"

"How do you know he's still in Britain?" shot back Hermione, "He could be in Antarctica for all we know!"

"Don't you two ever stop arguing?" Ron, Hermione, and Harry turned around. Connie was standing behind them.

"Oh, hello, Connie. We weren't arguing, we were just discussing...ummm...." Hermione struggled to find an excuse

"Owl psychology," jumped in Ron. "We were discussing what you told us about your owl, the one who went nutters."

"Well, if you're set on sending Hedwig on one long journey, I wouldn't worry about it. Just don't send her there every other week," she laughed then went off.

~

"Frank, you've received a letter."

"Let me see that." Frank drew a letter out of the envelope. "Blimey, it's from Harry Potter!"

"Why would Harry Potter be writing to you?"

"Give me a minute and I'll let you know." He read silently for a few minutes. "Connie's teaching at Hogwarts, and he heard we were friends and wants to know more about her. He already knows that she was involved with Sirius, but needs more about it, if possible. He also wants to know about her family. I wonder why he needs to know that. Oh well, I should write back and tell him."

~

"Well, Harry, does he have what you're looking for?" asked Hermione after he had read Frank's letter.

"According to Baynes, Sirius left Connie for this Debbie Davis girl. No, but I'm getting closer, I just know it. All we have to do now is find out who her father is. Baynes said that she doesn't know who he is."

"Harry, that's going to be impossible!" groaned Ron.

"Maybe if we write to this Debbie Davis he mentioned," suggested Hermione.

"Let's ask Sirius and Lupin first, though. I don't reckon Sirius would want us digging up his old girlfriend. I certainly wouldn't," said Harry. Harry was right. Sirius responded that it was a can of worms best left sealed.

"Now what?" said Ron, "Our lead is gone."

"We find another way," answered Hermione. But that proved difficult. They could not think of anyone else to contact. Even Lupin was of no help.

"You know what you need to find out. The identity of Connie's father is the answer. Keep searching."

"Who cares what Sirius thinks? Let's write that Debbie person," Ron was getting tired of going in circles. "At least we'll learn something."

"But how will Debbie know who Connie's father is?" Hermione pointed out.

"I'm all for it, let's at least get somewhere." Harry sent the letter that night. The response was irritated.

"Yes, I remember the freak. As for anything on her father, I can't tell you much. One day, I heard her talking to your mother about him. She said something about finding letters that he had sent to her mother. Maybe she still has them. Don't see why you really want to know, though. Trip her for me. Good luck finding out, anyway."

"She seems rather bitter," Hermione noted.

"Who cares? We've reached a dead end," Ron was annoyed. After all the letters they'd sent, all the people they'd contacted, they would not be able to find out. Harry was at a loss.

"Well," he said slowly, "we'd better tell Lupin and Sirius what we've found out. Sirius won't be happy about it, mind you, but they'll probably have a way to get us those letters."

Good work, you three, the next letter said, We'll find out where the letters are, then get back to you. Don't worry, Sirius isn't that upset that you contacted Debbie. He'll get over it. Just as long as she doesn't start stalking him. Merry Christmas."

"They are getting at something, Sirius. I do believe they'll find out who Connie's father is by the end of the year."

"Yes, granted she tells us where the letters are."

"It just struck me, Sirius. What happens if the letters are in America?"

"You know those three. They'll sneak out of school and go there. At least Harry and Ron will."

"Do you think we should give them a hand?"

"Well, we should at least find out where those letters are. Then we can worry about how they are going to get a hold of them. Write another letter to Connie."

"Why don't you write to her?"

"Oh, that'd make for a nice letter. Dear Connie, Hi, sorry about what happened all those years ago, I was under the Imperious Curse. Tell me, where are those letters that your father sent your mother? All the best, Sirius Black."

"All right, all right, you've made your point. I'll ask her."

~

Why does Ray want those letters, Connie thought, well, he'll have to do without them, they're back in the States.

"They're where?" Ron asked incredulously. "How in bloody hell are we going to get there?"

"Lupin and Sirius said they had a plan. But it's going to have to wait until the Easter Holidays."

"I'm warning you, Harry, if this isn't good, I'm going to strangle you."

"Relax, Ron, I'm sure Harry wouldn't have us on this wild goose chase for nothing." Harry spent the next few months quite anxiously awaiting for further details from Remus and Sirius. In March, Remus sent another letter to Harry and the others.

"The three of you are spending Easter with Sirius and me. We've already got permission from Dumbledore. You'll get a full briefing on the plan when you get here. See you soon, Remus Lupin."

"Well, that explains a lot," Ron said sarcastically. But Harry didn't mind. He knew that Lupin and Sirius had a good reason for not telling them, but why, he didn't find out until a few weeks later.

~

"I will not," cried Hermione indignantly.

"But Hermione," protested Ron, "We're so close. We can't do it without you."

"But I can't break into someone's house, especially a teacher's."

"Don't think of it as breaking in, just think of it investigating," said Sirius. "Besides, you won't actually be breaking in. All we're going to do is send there by Floo Powder."

"Right," said Remus. "Then all you have to do is find the letters, and get yourselves back here. It's as simple as that."

"Fine, I'll do it. But I'm not happy about it." Harry and Ron cheered, because they had heard that Connie's house was gigantic, and they had no idea where she had put the letters. Remus walked over to the fire and threw Floo Powder into it.

"Just step right in and say 'Celestial Gardens.' That's what Connie named her place. God knows why, though." One by one, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stepped into the flames and were whisked away to Celestial Gardens.

"Woah," breathed Ron, "This place is so, empty."

"Well, that's good, it'll leave us less places to look." Harry crossed Connie's sterile living room and opened the door into the foyer. "Hermione, you check this floor, I'll go in the basement, Ron, you look upstairs. Then the three of us will do the attic."

"What makes you think there's a basement, Harry?" asked Ron.

"Well, it's a big house, isn't it? It should have a basement." Harry went off in search of a door to the basement. He finally found it off the kitchen. He descended the stairs to another door, this one locked. He pulled out his wand, and said 'Alohomora' as he tapped the lock. The door swung open, and Harry stepped inside Connie's basement. The walls were covered with cedar panels. He could tell no one had been in there in years, because the sheets draped over the various structures were thick with dust. He pulled off the nearest sheet. It looked like some sort of sound board. He pulled off each sheet in turn, revealing more and more sound and recording equipment. He couldn't believe his eyes. He ran to the top of the stairs.

"Hermione, get Ron and come down here. You won't believe what I've found!"

"What is it Harry, have you found the letters?" Hermione rushed over to Harry.

"No, but you'd better have a look all the same. Come on." Harry led Hermione down to the basement.

"Harry, why does Connie have a recording studio in her basement?" At that moment, Ron came pelting down the stairs. His face was excited.

"I found them in Connie's bedroom. I looked under her table and there they...." He looked around the room. "What is all this stuff?" Harry explained to Ron about recording equipment. "So what you're saying is that Connie was a singer, like Celestina Warbeck?"

"Maybe, who knows with her?" responded Harry.

"Well, Ron, what about the letters? Who is Connie's father?" Hermione looked impatient and worried, almost as though she expected Connie to burst in on them any minute.

"Well, it's kind of hard to make out...it looks like it says 'Jack Potter.'"

"Who's Jack Potter?" wondered Harry.

"We should take the letters back with us, so we can figure it out. It shouldn't take long."

"No, Ron. It's bad enough we broke in here; we can't steal Connie's letters. It's wrong."

"Relax, Hermione, she won't find out. They were hidden, and hadn't been touched in years. She won't miss them."

"I'm with Ron. Let's get back to Lupin's and get this over with." The three of them recovered the equipment and went back upstairs, relocking the door behind them.

"So you found them?" Sirius asked with a smile.

"Yes. And we found something else in her basement," reported Harry.

"Which was?" prompted Remus.

"It was a recording studio. D'you know anything about it? Was she like Celestina Warbeck?"

"Yes, Ron, even more so. But she stopped after Harry's parents died." Sirius looked shocked to hear this.

"She stopped? Why, though? She's so gifted."

"She was grief-stricken. You know how Connie runs on her emotions. But she never intended to stop completely. She decided that a few months later. And that reason, lies in the three of you finding out who wrote those letters."

"You, know, Remus? Why don't you just tell us?"

"Because, Sirius, Connie made me promise not to tell. I'm a man of my word; I can't go back on it. Besides, what's the fun in going to all the trouble of finding the letters and then just being told?"

"I agree with Professor Lupin," said Harry resignedly.

"Me too," added Ron.

"I suppose I do as well. I mean, Ron was right, I shouldn't take us long to find out if we read the letters." Hermione sat down at the kitchen table. "Hand me one of those letters, will you Ron?"

"Wait a minute," interrupted Remus, "You stole the letters?"

"Don't think of it as stealing," replied Harry, "Think of it as gathering clues." In the end, Harry and the others had managed to read through all of the letters, and there were well over a hundred.

"We're never going to get anywhere," moaned Hermione, "There have got to be hundreds of Jack Potters in Britain alone. It's such a generic name."

"Right," said Harry. "But how many have a son named James?" Harry had reached the last letter Jack Potter had ever sent to Connie's mother. "Professor, is Jack Potter my grandfather?" Remus smiled at Harry and nodded. "So that means, Connie's my aunt."

"How long has she known, Remus?"

"The last letter Connie ever wrote to me was right before her nineteenth birthday. She asked me if I knew James's father's name. When I wrote back, I waited for an answer explaining why she wanted to know, but it never came. It was then."

"Well, if Connie's my aunt, how come I ended up at the Dursley's?"

"Well, I only found out about this a few months ago, but when Connie discovered who her father was, she went right to Dumbledore for you. Obviously he wouldn't give you to her, she was only eighteen. But don't think she never cared, Harry, quite the contrary. In fact, the fact that she couldn't have you was the reason she finally stopped singing. After all, you are her only family, and her namesake."

"I'm sorry, but how d'you get Harry from Connie?"

"Not from Connie, Ron," laughed Remus. "Connie's middle name is Harriette, though she'd kill me if she I knew I told anyone. She told Harry's parents that any masculization of her first name wouldn't suit him."

"But how on earth would she know that?"

"To make a long story short, Hermione; Connie has psychic powers."

"But if she had psychic powers, she would have known about Voldemort being after my parents."

"She did, Harry, but unfortunately, by the time she felt it, it was too late. Believe me Harry, Connie Longsworth would have died before letting Voldemort murder your parents." Before long, Easter Holidays were over, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were back at Hogwarts. The first thing Harry did was seek out his aunt.

"Enjoy your vacation, Harry?"

"Yes I did. Aunt Connie." She grinned at her nephew.

"I was wondering when you would figure it out. Ron and Hermione helped, I suppose?" Harry nodded.

"Sirius and Lupin, too. Aunt Connie?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"It may sound a little stupid when I say this, but...Please, please don't let me go back to the Dursley's, please!" Connie laughed.

"Did you really think I would do that to my only nephew? If you hadn't figured it out, I was planning on telling you. Now I have a question for you."

"What?"

"Are you ready for the best summer of your life?"

~

Harry's ride back to London that June was the best he'd ever had. Ron and Hermione were both invited to Celestial Gardens over the summer. The best part though, was to come at King's Cross. Connie strode over to Harry's Uncle Vernon.

"Are you Vernon Dursley?" she snapped at him.

"Yes, though I don't know what...." What Uncle Vernon didn't know, they never found out, because Connie had punched him out. Harry and Ron doubled over laughing, while Hermione looked shocked.

"Ron, Hermione, I'll see you both at Celestial Gardens over the summer. Let's go Harry, before that over grown gorilla wakes up." Harry and Connie walked out of the station together. Harry didn't know what was coming, but he knew he would enjoy it immensely.