I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good: Gemma and questions

Gemma never EVER stops asking questions. You can tell she belongs in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, Ravenclaw because they're supposed to be so curious about everything or Gryffindor because she'll ask the wrong sort of questions. Although she's five, so she can get away with a bit more.

Philip is seven now, nearly eight, and the babies are toddlers. They'll turn two in September.

Anyway, Neville, your parents came up at dinner the other night. Mrs Stretton wanted to know if I knew you. I said yes, I tutor you in Transfiguration. And she wanted to know how you'd taken the news about your parents, and she talked a bit about the sort of parents who'd abandon -- well, you know. Anyway, I said the things I was expected to say and she went on to talk about the bean harvest.

But this got Gemma wondering about MY parents.

She wanted to know if they were Slytherins, first of all, because we'd been talking about Houses after she said she wanted to be in Hufflepuff because yellow is her favourite colour. I'd told her that her parents would want her to be in Ravenclaw like they were. So she asked if my parents were in Slytherin. I said no, they weren't. So then she wanted to know what house they were in. I said they were both in Ravenclaw. So then she wanted to know if they were cross that I was Sorted into Slytherin. I said I didn't know, because I don't ever see them. So then she wanted to know WHY I don't see them.

I said, my mum is a mudblood. My father is a blood-traitor who married a mudblood. People like that aren't allowed to talk to their children because they are not good subjects and they might give me wrong ideas.

She said, a mudblood like Maureen? Maureen is the muggleborn who takes care of the twins. And Gemma and Phillip too, but especially the twins. She's -- well, I've seen her around. She's older than me. Maybe Percy's age, but I'm not sure.

I said, yes, a mudblood like Maureen.

She said, but Maureen doesn't have a House!

I said of course not, because NOW we know better than to let mudbloods into Hogwarts. But in the old days, when wizards lived in secret, they DID go to Hogwarts and that's when my mother went, and she was Sorted into Ravenclaw.

And she said, did your parents know my parents when they went to school?

I had no idea. I hadn't thought about it. My first thought was no, because Gemma's parents must be older than mine. Mine had me very soon after they got out of school, and Jeremy is older than me. But I said I didn't know and I thought she'd leave it at that.

But NO. Gemma ASKED THEM at dinner. 'Did you know Sally-Anne's mum and dad were Ravenclaws too? Did you know them when you were at school?'

Mrs Stretton looked horrified and said it wasn't polite to ask that sort of question. But Mr Stretton started talking at the same time and said yes, he knew my parents. Not very well as they were firsties when Mr and Mrs Stretton were in sixth year, but he did remember them and he started telling this funny story about my mum, how she got so lost her first week she just gave up on getting back to Ravenclaw Tower late one night and went to sleep behind a suit of armor, and the prefects had to go look for her.

And then he suddenly realised what he was saying and the room was very quiet for a moment. Then he said, 'well, and this goes to show how mudbloods don't belong at Hogwarts! she couldn't even find her way back to her own House!'

Which was funny as I was thinking I could imagine that happening to Hydra.

I tucked Gemma into bed tonight (it's Maureen's job actually but Gemma thinks it's a treat when I do it) and she asked me if I at least got to see my parents last summer, when I didn't come to live with the Strettons. I said no, I went to live with a different foster family. She wanted to know if perhaps they could send an owl to Mr and Mrs Stretton for me and Mrs Stretton could check to make sure they hadn't said anything bad that I shouldn't read.

I told her to stop worrying, she's a pureblood and her parents aren't traitors so no one will ever keep her from owling them.

She said, 'I know I'm a pureblood, silly.' And then asked me whether I could make my mum a bracelet.

I don't know if I can stand it if she keeps going on like this.