Chapter 9
It had now been a little over a week since Allen had woken up in Hogwarts castle. In that time he'd slept, had bandages changed, gotten lost five times trying to find Timcanpy, had memorized how to get from his room to the Great Hall without getting lost, gotten sick from eating too much and severely reprimanded to slow down while his body readjusted to normal, still eaten enough to service a village, and slept some more. More importantly he had begun to walk without the crutches, though he was slow and awkward and had to balance himself against the walls at times. But his legs no longer hurt, and Allen had to give it to Madame Pomfrey: the medicine was working like a charm.
Luna had continued to join him for meals, and although she remained one of the oddest people he'd ever met, he liked her. She told him about her father's magazine and their summer trips to find more magical species. He told her carefully selected stories of his travels with Mana and Cross, making them sound as if they'd happened last year instead of long ago. She didn't ask anymore about his injuries, and he never asked why she was always alone. They made for an odd pair, but a good one.
It was lunch time and Allen had just found the Great Hall when McGonagall's voice called for him from behind. Standing just outside the double doors, Allen waited for her to catch up.
"Professor Dumbledore would like to speak with you, Walker."
Allen glanced longingly at the Hall, and McGonagall raised an eyebrow, a touch of humor in her eyes. "It'll still be there when you get back."
Allen sighed and turned away regretfully. "Alright, I'm coming."
They arrived at the office in no time. McGonagall left Allen at the entrance and he went up alone. After a couple of soft knocks and admittance to come inside, Allen popped his head in the door and said, "You wanted to see me, Professor?"
"Yes, Mr. Walker. Come in."
Allen limped to the front of the desk but didn't sit down. He glanced over to another student standing in the office, a bushy-haired girl in a red tie who he recognized immediately as Hermione Granger. She looked as surprised to see him as he was at seeing her again. He nodded in greeting before facing Dumbledore.
"What did you need, sir?"
The old man was seated, just like last time, and his scarred hand was hidden. His eyes smiled up at Allen as he asked, his voice completely genuine, "How are you feeling?"
"Better, sir," Allen said, already feeling a little cautious. "Madame Pomfrey says I should be back to normal in another couple of days."
"What are your plans after that?"
Allen didn't reply, too surprised by the question.
Honestly, he hadn't thought about it—not beyond finding Timcanpy, leaving the castle, and just moving on. The idea of staying in any one place too long didn't appeal to him, and from the last conversation he'd had with Dumbledore he didn't think the old man would let him stay much longer. "I'm not sure," he replied at last.
Dumbledore nodded, as if he'd expected as much. "I would be willing to allow you to stay a little longer, if you so desire."
Allen's eyes widened in surprise. Dumbledore's lips quirked up in humor. "What? I mean—uh—"
"If you still want to look into finding a clue to fixing your condition, I'm willing to open the library to your disposal, and when you feel finished with what we have to offer, you may continue on your travels. You may leave us at any time if you feel you are ready to, and in the meantime we will do what we can to ensure your safety and protection within the school grounds while you are here."
Allen stared, his mouth gaping slightly as the generosity of the offer washed over him. It was…wow. Allen was still reeling when Dumbledore continued. "Now, of course, since you are technically a Muggle and unable to use magic, I will have a student with you at most times to ensure you are not caught unawares. This is a school filled with inexperienced witches and wizards, and accidents do happen." He smiled at that, knowing all about one recent incident in particular.
Allen's mind stopped reeling and he had to hold in the disappointment. He shouldn't have been at all surprised. But the fact that he was being followed around, untrusted, again…he shouldn't have felt so upset.
Schooling his features he nodded after a minute. "What do you want in return?"
"What do you mean?" the professor asked.
Allen sighed and let some of his annoyance slip through. "You wouldn't offer something like this if there wasn't a catch. So what is it?" He knew he was being rude; he didn't care. Dumbledore considered Allen for a moment, but Allen had the nagging suspicion that the man was just pretending to think about it.
"I would like to learn a little more about the substance you call Innocence, and these Akuma creatures you were telling me about. I have never heard of them, and from the sound of it, they are Dark creatures."
Allen frowned. "Why?"
"The wizarding world is currently engaged with a person called Lord Voldemort, who is set on conquering the world and ridding it of Muggles—people like you and any others who cannot perform magic."
Allen stared at Dumbledore and then said quietly, "Are there a lot of people who will die or have died?"
"So far, there have been disappearances and some attacks on Muggles. But the last war with Voldemort took thousands of lives, and this time I feel that he will attack more aggressively and with greater intention. His plans, such as we know them, include recruiting more Dark creatures and forces, which may include things we haven't seen before."
Allen leaned against the chair facing the desk, hand clutching the headboard. "Professor, when the last war was going on, did the families of the dead sometimes disappear for a while, just to turn up again later? Were there ever any deaths that might have been magic but couldn't be explained by magic?"
Dumbledore nodded before asking, "Have you seen or heard something like this before?"
Allen sighed. "Maybe," he answered. "If it's Akuma, you have a really big problem on your hands." Allen leaned against the arm of the chair, since his legs were aching again, and as he did, caught a glance at the bushy-haired girl that Allen had completely forgotten was even there. Hermione was glancing from Allen to Dumbledore, looking more than a little confused.
"Professor, I don't think I quite understand why I'm here," she said, clearly fishing for an answer.
"Ms. Granger, I apologize," Dumbledore said pleasantly, gesturing to Allen. "Hermione Granger, meet Allen Walker, a guest of Hogwarts. I asked you if you would be willing to escort him around during his stay, and you did agree."
Allen stared at the girl, really looking at her for the first time. Aside from the alarming amount of bushy hair on her head she was a pleasant, if a bit plain-looking, girl, with intelligent eyes that now stared at Allen with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
Looking away from Allen at last she said, "I don't quite understand what you want me to do."
Addressing both of them, Dumbledore answered, "Mr. Walker is looking for a counter-curse. He is not a wizard himself, but he possesses something called 'Innocence' which exempts him from being a typical Muggle." Addressing Allen directly he continued, "Ms. Granger is currently a prefect, a student leader, and one of the best students Hogwarts has ever seen," (she blushed pink at the praise), "and I believe she may be able to help you, as long as it does not interfere in her school work and other duties."
Hermione glanced at Allen and then nodded, once and sharply, before saying, "I can do it, sir. It won't interfere with my work."
Dumbledore smiled at her and then turned to Allen. "If this arrangement is agreeable, Mr. Walker, do you still wish to try and find your solution here?"
Allen stared at the old man, and then at the girl beside him. There were some definite perks here, and then he said, "Can I ask you a few more questions? In private?" he added, trying not to glance at Ms. Granger as he said it.
Dumbledore nodded, turning to her. "If you would excuse us a moment. I'll call you back inside when we are finished."
"Yes, Professor."
When she was gone and the door clicked close, Allen turned back on Dumbledore. "I have a request."
"What is it?"
"I need a promise that I can roam the castle freely without fear of harm coming to me."
Dumbledore nodded after a moment and then replied, "Of course. Any person who enters my school is granted safety and care during their stay. There's no need to worry about that."
Allen let out a soft sigh of relief, and again Dumbledore had to wonder. The boy looked up again and said, "One last thing: what kind of protection does Hogwarts have?"
Dumbledore considered Allen for a moment, his expression infuriatingly pleasant, not revealing a thing he was thinking. "Why do you need to know this?"
Allen paused, knowing he needed to word this right. Thing was, words weren't really his niche. Swallowing he said, "I told you before that people are after me. They're…" Powerful didn't seem adequate, but it would have to do. "They're powerful. Where I come from they are very hard to fight. Well, I'm just…wondering…" It was definite that at some point he'd have to come clean about the Noah, and if he was here too long, why they were after him. Hopefully it wouldn't have to come to that.
"Even someone as powerful as Lord Voldemort cannot enter these grounds without very considerable effort, and he is one of the most powerful wizards living today," Dumbledore replied carefully.
Allen frowned. "One of them?"
Dumbledore just smiled then, his eyes twinkling knowingly over his glasses, and Allen leaned back slightly as the realization came to him.
"Akuma cannot be destroyed by anything other than Innocence," Allen said finally, deadly serious. "The defenses of the castle might not be enough. If they come here…" he swallowed, and then reconsidered his next words. They would only get him thrown out. And, for some inexplicable reason that Allen wouldn't ever be able to explain, he looked at the man in front of him and knew, just knew:
He could trust Dumbledore. He already did, possibly from the moment he'd met him, which was so weird, especially considering everything that had happened in his life lately. Yet, it was true.
Dumbledore seemed to understand. "All I ask in return for your time here is information that can be used to protect my students, should the need arise," Dumbledore reiterated. "I hope that we can benefit each other."
Putting all his internal warnings aside, realizing that he was looking at what might be the one opportunity he had to get out of his situation alive, he pushed back everything that was warning him to leave now and said in a strong voice, "I'll do what I can to help."
Dumbledore smiled and called Hermione back inside.
A/N: I am sad I didn't make it to Christmas in the story before Christmas came in real life, but oh well. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas day, and Happy Holidays!
