Chapter 9

With Amanda's last word came action. Madam Pomfrey jumped at her ordering Sirius to carry her to the hospital wing. The two left as the others sat in silence.

Remus looked around the room slowly. He felt the tears leave his eyes, this had to be a joke that Ginny and Amanda had designed. This was them getting the group back for the pranks last year. Remus tried to convince himself but in his heart he knew it to be untrue.

He heard Dumbledore as he turned to the others

"Dyfan go see Alastor Moody now, and get a team over to the Dunn's. Try and get it to be kept quiet until someone has spoken to Molly and the boys."

Remus saw Ddraig nod; he made to leave before turning back and walking towards Branwen. The old man held her in a tight hug and whispered something. She nodded and watched him go. The others remained where they were as she turned to Dumbledore

"I have to go and see nhad; he's in Tad's room."

She didn't wait for a response she was already out of the door. Remus watched as Lily leaned into James and began to weep. Alice did the same leaning into Frank while Joe moved to Alice's other side rubbing her back. The boys tried to comfort the girls but didn't know what to say.

Mummers sounded from the stairs. People were coming down to see what the noise had been. Yet as they saw the Headmaster stood there with McGonagall they turned around. It seemed that each person knew something had happened, but they had no idea what.

"Back to bed everyone. Nothing to see."

Dumbledore looked at them and silently they headed back up to their dorm. Then he turned his attention to each person sat around the fire and Remus noted his usual smile had left he looked old and tired.

"Boys why don't you all go up to your dorms, go on."

Remus looked closer at them unable to move. Professor McGonagall stepped forward and took charge.

"Potter, Longbottom come on pick those two up and follow me, you to Pettigrew, Wild."

They did as she said and all headed up the boys dorms.

Remus was left alone with Dumbledore neither said anything only looked. After a while Dumbledore sighed.

"Come with me Remus"


"Remus there is a lot I feel we need to discuss."

The boy focused his attention from the window in Albus' office. The night sky danced happily not echoing the turmoil of the world below. Albus could see the sorrow etched on the boy. He didn't want to discuss this; truth be told. But he couldn't deny the linger of love that seemed to have followed the young couple. He needed to understand to move on.

"Why her?"

"Remus there could be a thousand reasons –"

"Tell me the reasons that you suspect."

There was age in the boy that was beyond his youth. His troubled life had forced him to mature. With a tiny nod Albus closed his eyes thinking. Why would Voldemort target the Dunn's? Well he had his theories.

"This is all speculation but there are clues littered through Miss Dunn's life which could explain this. Now first we shall consider her closet friend."

"Amanda. This is because of her?"

His voice was even. It was clear that he was trying to remain level headed although that was difficult.

"No. We cannot blame the innocent. However Ginny may have been targeted by Alistair Dixon to send his daughter a message."

The boy sniffed suddenly. Albus offered a handkerchief to him. He was grieving. Now was probably not the best time for this but…

"I need you to understand this. Alistair Dixon was there to send a message to his daughter. But he wouldn't have decided the target on his own. This brings us to a second reasoning…"

"Which is?"

"You."

"Me! Why me?"

"Remus not you as I see you now, you at the full moon."

"You mean she was killed because I'm a werewolf?"

"Possibly so. This school has eyes that we believe do not exist. Voldemort has people here that see things that we would never consider to be dangerous information. However love is more dangerous than anyone who has felt it can contemplate."

"What?"

"Each of us fears the loss of the thing we love most. People in this school knew that you had a close relationship with Ginny. They would have seen the two of you around the school. So what you might say. But that's where Voldemort gains his strength. He considers love to be a weakness. Through Pettigrew and other ministry officials he has records of all those bitten. I am assuming that he wishes werewolves to join him; that he is offering them something that most wizards do not."

"Which would be?"

"Acceptance. You Remus know more than most that friendship is one of the strongest things in the world. That having people see you as equal is a strength. But most werewolves don't have that. So Voldemort by offering it to them will get their support. However he also knows that you have been accepted. So it is my guess that he is trying to force you to leave the people you care about. He is trying to make you think that by being close to someone they will end up dead. Then when you are alone he will target you to join him."

"So she is dead because I love her. No."

"Remus you are innocent in this. She is not dead because of you she is dead because of who she was. She could look past faults in people and love them. Voldemort didn't want that. He wanted you to feel alone. But Remus this is as I have said speculation. There is a more plausible explanation for her death, to which you play no part."

Tears were running down the boys cheeks. He made no move to wipe them away as he looked at the headmaster carefully.

"So why?"

"I believe that the most likely reason for her death is my fault."

"Yours!"

"Yes although I do not claim sole responsibility. No the Dunn's were a strong and popular family. They had made enemies of Voldemort themselves, even if they were unaware of it. I believe that it would only have been time until Alex was targeted to join them. He would have refused and then they would have been targeted."

Remus looked confused as his eyes met with Albus'.

"But I don't understand how that would then be your fault."

"No you wouldn't yet. You see Remus I have a connection with the Prewett brothers, Fabian and Gideon. Now for you to comprehend my part you need to realise that the ministry is failing us. It is filled with corruption from the lowest point up to and including the Minster himself. The traitors are sabotaging the system of government from the inside out. Because of this I along with others have felt the need to by-pass the ministry completely."

"I still don't understand."

"Remus I have set up a small organisation that runs outside of the control of the ministry and its officials. This organisations goal is to root out the supporters of Voldemort and to try and stop him from destroying our world. Now I do not wish to go into details about this group but I will tell you that I approached the Prewett brothers and that they have become members of it."

"So Ginny is dead because her brothers work with you."

"Indeed. You see only last week were they cornered by supporters of Voldemort. They were given the option to join him or to face horrors that they could not even contemplate. In response they made their position in the war known. I believe this is why the Dunn's were targeted. It is my belief that the main motive in the attack was to teach the boys a lesson. It was just unfortunate that Ginny had yet to return to the school."

"UNFORTUNATE! That's all you can say! A family have been murdered! The woman I love is dead and it's just unfortunate!"

Albus let the boy rant. He watched silently as he threw objects around the room. Behind him the portraits of past heads mumbled their disapproval but he silenced them. He let Remus work off his anger. He remembered that feeling of helplessness. He himself had felt it once before, so many years ago.

As the boy screamed his own eyes lost focus. His mind dragged him backwards through time to a memory that he had long tried to forget.

"More tea?"

Albus nodded as Perenelle poured him another cup. Nicolas beamed as his wife headed back towards the kitchen.

"You do realise Al that you have placed yourself in a dangerous position."

"Come on Nick. Grindelwald is evil. We must do all that we can to stop him."

"The young are always quick to make rash judgements."

"I'm not that young Nick."

"Talk to me when you're five hundred!"

Albus laughed as Nicolas Flamel stroked his lengthening beard. As the creator of the Philosopher's Stone he was both blessed and cursed with eternal life.

"Al I have seen situations like this more often than you've had home cooked meals. In every generation a witch or wizard comes along and starts trouble. Some are worse than others, but they all have similar plans."

"Yes Nick but that means you should understand. The only way to prevent a terrible outcome is to stop the wizard in question, in this case Grindelwald, as quickly as possible."

"Indeed. However I have learnt that whoever attempts to finish it always ends up losing the most precious thing to them. Grindelwald is dangerous Al. He has powers that I haven't seen in someone like him since Philinus and we both know how that played out."

"I'm not Luke though."

"No but Luke wasn't that different to you. I remember it like it was just yesterday. The year was 1593 and I was still a young man back then. Philinus was a terror to the French system. He could have completely destroyed us. Then Luke stood up to him. He made it clear that we the French wouldn't allow him to obliterate our way of life. So in response he went on to kill Luke's entire family. Then of course Luke made it his mission to defeat the man and look at what it turned him into."

"Nick Grindelwald may be the new Philinus but I am not the new Luke. I don't have it in me to murder people. I couldn't kill innocent people because I had lost everything. Besides it's not as if I'm going to be a target. I'm not going to go out there and try to defeat Grindelwald. I was just making a point that it is time we stand up to him and show him that we won't give into his demands."

"That may be but you need to be careful. If not for yourself Al at least do it for Karen. She is much too young to be a widow yet."

Perenelle came running into the room at that very moment.

"Albus you need to come quick! I've got Armando Dippet in the fire. He's calling for you."

Albus got to his feet and followed Perenelle into the kitchen. Armando looked alarmed as his head floated among the flames.

"Albus you need to go home. I've just had Antonio Galen here from the ministry. There's been an attack at your home. I'm afraid Karen is –"

Albus didn't let him finish the sentence. His anger boiled up suddenly from nowhere and he threw one of the chairs to the floor. Cursing he left his friends standing there as he went home. On entering the house he could hear the voices of the ministry workers. Then on the kitchen floor he found Karen…

As Albus focused his attention back to the present he found himself impressed with the damage that had been done. It looked about the same as his home had on that day all those years before.

"Remus I don't think there is anything left to break."

As his words faded the boy fell to the ground. His body shook violently as sobs left him. Albus just stood there watching. The grief of the boy was too much. Things needed to be done, they needed to end this war and soon.


Okay so Dumbledore is gay. I can live with that, I have no problems about it. Except that I think it third year I introduced the fact that Albus was married to Karen. Well maybe it was a sham marriage. Okay she was pregnant when she died, but who's to say she wasn't having an affair! Ha no I'm just kidding (don't yell at me Karen!) No umm ... I'm going to keep going with it and you probably won't hear of his marriage again. Although I'm trying to right minor mistakes as I go along (the Prewett connection to Molly Weasley, adding Tonks in, and even Half-Blood Snape - that's still to come) this is a mistake that will have to be kept.

Kris xx