Chapter Ten: The Pressure.
Life, Albus Dumbledore sighed, truly can be tiresome.
Currently, the ancient Headmaster sat at his desk, sifting through the books, tomes and scrolls he had piled haphazardly. His organisation skills were extraordinary: every book was set in subject area then rowed by alphabetical order on his shelves in his office, scrolls cleanly stored in pigeon holes and the more sensitive works protected under lock and key within several charmed glass cases. His paperworks were neatly filed away, ready for reference and other similar forms stacked on a small cabinet. Everything was organised, except at his desk.
He dealt with running the largest and most prominent Magical School on the British Isles, which meant micromanaging budgets under the frankly irritating Malfoy-Controlled Board of Governors, maintain the repairs and reinforcements of the ancient structure he resided in, kept the wards from the more dangerous greenhouses to the massive area wards doming the castle and grounds, stay updated on the discoveries and happenings in the Magical World to keep his school's education relevant, up to date and safe which also included the difficulties of tip-toeing around Pureblood Laws both ancient and subtly pushed through the Wizengamot (again, courtesy of Mr Malfoy) to legally confiscate the neverending Dark Artefacts the majority of Slytherin and the scatters across other houses insisted on trying to smuggle into Hogwarts.
"The-Evil-Control-Freak indeed, with the hyphens!" He snorted in exasperation.
Yes, because he didn't want Mr Bletchley to keep his book that just 'happened' to detail how to cast Fiendfyre he was obviously on a mission to censor Magical Education. Brilliant logic, really, except for the fact that most of the confiscated books end up in the Restricted Section. Banned items were sent to the DMLE as required, he worked for the government for gods sake! Setting standards and not being above the law and all that. Besides, he already had those ones himself in his quarters.
One of his favourites was the idea that he knew traced back to Mr Nott Senior, was that he was gradually diluting Hogwart's education subjects and their quality. Of course he, Albus, was point blank refusing subjects such as Alchemy to be taught, it made perfect sense. Ignoring the fact of course, that he could quite confidently say he was the only practitioner in the country the last time he checked.
One of Tom's early objectives was building his power base of knowledgeable and powerful witches and wizards. Any who refused him, died. No exceptions. That was, of course, after he had ripped through their mind to ruthlessly steal any knowledge he could get.
Oh yes, Tom had gotten very, very good at Legilimency. While he had been one of Hogwart's greatest students, there were simply things that they had not been able to teach nor could he research. Masteries and other knowledge and secrets were learned while travelling usually to other countries, as was traditional for magicals. Tom choose to take a short-cut, becoming a Master Legilimens to an extreme. While he was able to be subtle to some degree, his main speciality was brutally plundering minds for their knowledge. Emotions influence magic to many degrees, and Tom took perverse pleasure and joy at inflicting the levels of pain that came from a mind being ripped apart.
The few Alchemy practitioners in the country at the time were hunted down by him, and due to the Vows they had took to Nicolas and himself alongside the magic he and his mentor wove on the students, were unable to educate any other person on Alchemy. Tom gleefully had butchered them regardless, put them back together (not all the parts had been returned to the right corpse), animated them into Inferi and sent them to Hogsmeade. Young Barbara had a message carved into her back.
These are the elite who gained life beyond death without a stone. I shall grant all my foes the same honour.
It was signed with the Dark Mark. And so he never took on any other students again. Through part his own hesitance to condemn any others to that horrible possible demise, and through part nobody else was dedicated or not fearing retribution to learn the art in their sixth or seventh year.
Albus felt quite frankly, overworked. He was running around doing three official jobs and other unofficial. All the problems that came with being Headmaster of Hogwarts in addition to the fact is was him who was Headmaster (Malfoy and his ilk always making trouble), He was also the Chief Warlock to the Wizengamot, his most hated position. He'd never liked politics, but when Tom's supporters were starting to make subtle pushes of their agenda before and during the war, he worked his way into the position to oppose them.
He hadn't counted on wealthy Death Eaters walking free, and he couldn't find a suitable replacement without one of them worming their way into the position.
He knew he should have made his moves when they came forward with their claims of Imperius, but frankly, he couldn't for a multitude of reasons.
For one, he was far too tied up in the loose ends left by Tom's sudden disappearance. With the whole of Britain celebrating, security had plummeted spectacularly. The Ministry was out nearly every hour obliviating Muggles due to some of the more, ahem, enthusiastic events. Dedalus Diggle and his fireworks for one.
When Tom disappeared, he had already told his Inner Circle where he would be going, before leaving. From what Severus told Dumbledore at the Order's Headquarters, he said he would be striking the Potters then the Longbottoms, and promised that with this the war would be over. When he did not return after a few hours, the news was broke through Death Eater ranks that he must have been defeated at Godric's Hollow, though the Potters were dead. Severus broke this news himself after alerting Dumbledore, so that Hagrid could be sent in time to rescue Harry.
Bellatrix Lestrange, believing all the Potters dead due to Severus's deception, led Rodolphus Lestrange, her brother-in-law Rabastan Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr to the Longbottom Manor, to find out what was so important about that family and to get information on her Lord's disappearance.
Frank had just brought down their own Fidelius and few other minor wards to allow the moving of his family after being alerted by the Order member on rotation, who had been present for Severus's message to Albus, that he was in danger.
The Fidelius Charm was based entirely on trust. The spell bound the resident or residents as the anchors for the charm to the location in question, while the Secret Keeper was chosen, someone who the resident(s) must truly have faith in. The anchors cannot leave the boundaries of the Fidelius unless it is broken or lifted, and the Keeper is the only person able to reveal the existence to others. To those not in the know, the place does not exist. Someone in the know cannot in any fashion reveal the secret, either by writing it down themselves, manipulating another to do so, or allow the knowledge to be took from their mind. The magic of the spell does not allow it. The only person who can reveal it is the Keeper. Since the Charm had trust at the basis, it was the strongest security possible on the warded house. Other minor wards could be woven within, but ones such as the advanced Protego Totalum would not work in conjunction with a Fidelius.
The Potter's Fidelius Charm having seemingly been brought down by Tom through methods unknown (though revealed later to be the work of Sirius Black) made it clear they had to hastily abandon Longbottom Manor, only for the four Death Eaters to arrive by the just reignited Floo.
The Order members led by Alastor Moody arrived six minutes later as Frank was late arriving to Headquarters, those six minutes were too late. Bellatrix had just finished carving 'Blood Traitor' into Alice's upper arm, the woman's helpless spasms coursing through her when Alastor brutally send the crazed Lieutenant into the wall. Rodolphus Lestrange and Rabastan Lestrange dueled against the party of six, Barty Crouch Jr had already been stunned by Sturgis Podmore as the party left the Floo.
Poor Benjy was hit by Rabastan's Confringo, blowing him to pieces. In the end, the four Death Eaters were captured, while Frank and Alice would never be the same again. Thankfully, young Neville was unharmed.
The fact that they arrived too late to save the Longbottoms cemented the built hatred for Severus within the order. Many blamed him, accusing him of deliberately delaying to allow the Death Eaters to hit the Manor first.
He was also practically shoved into the position of Britain's ambassador to the I.C.W post World War Two, and shortly thereafter he was voted into the Supreme Mugwump position.
Oh, that was a truly lovely time to have that job. Aside from the whole war itself, there was the issue with the German relations as Gellert had completely took over the Magical German Ministry. There were some who had escaped in time, and others who'd took up resistance against him.
The Unspeakable equivalent, Die Unsäglichen, was lead by Kopf Unaussprechlich (Head Unspeakable) Erich Sauer. The man who orchestrated the assassination of Hitler. The single most disputed use of the Imperius in history.
To this day, Germany's relations with the I.C.W were shaky at best, as the resistance fighters and remnants of the old pre-war Administration were steadfastly supportive of their Head Unspeakable.
While Gellert's personal followers, known by most of the world by their German name Das Geheiligte (The Hallowed), were among an elite fighting force, the Unspeakables were something else. Unspeakables all over the world are almost entirely independent from their Ministries, for a good reason. While the Aurors were a true fighting force, the Unspeakables used magic unknown the the wider worlds. Naturally, there had been many attempts on their secrets and facilities, but they were not just scholars, no. They specialised not in duelling or battlefield combat, but Guerrilla Warfare. Many an Unspeakable had previously been a Master Auror or Head Auror, or exceptionally talented individual or Master. When honed in a team with such tactics, they had to be sworn out of wars. Their potential if wielded by the Administrations would be catastrophic.
It was years after Gellert had escaped the M.A.C.U.S.A the war began in earnest. Armed with the Elder Wand, followed by a fanatical force personally trained, he orchestrated a coup on the German Ministry on August the thirty first, nineteen thirty nine, a planned action coinciding the next day with the invasion of Muggle Poland. This was followed by Poland's Ministry of Magic on the third of September. News had only reached on the second of the month by the surviving Administration, aided by the Unspeakables.
Grindelwald had been planning it for years with the steady decline of health of Germany's elderly German President, Paul von Hindenburg, and assisting in Hitler's rise to power. Hilter had been in the known, working with Grindelwald by covering up magical events and turmoil by the planned war and ascension of the Nazi party.
Grindelwald had personally lead the attack on the Unspeakable's Department during the German Coup, and while they would have perhaps fought and won for a time against only Das Geheiligte, Grindelwald was in a league of his own, and powered by mastery over one of the greatest magical artefacts, the Elder Wand. Suffering unexpected losses, the Unspeakables had gotten what key research and artefacts they could before overloading a hidden artificial Magical Nexus, blowing the whole department to pieces to cover their escape.
They had retreated to a location only known to them, to organise and store what they had recovered. It was on November the eighth they made their first move. A direct assassination attempt against Hitler was thwarted by Grindelwald. The bomb in question had actually been a magical device, which explained why it went unnoticed and why the Geheiligte never found it. Grindelwald's quick reactionary shield saved himself and Hitler.
After that, the attacks began directly against Grindelwald's forces and the New German Ministry.
Unspeakable Vows make it impossible for them to fight in a conflict, magical or non-magical. However, there were loopholes.
Erich Sauer argued that they were still the Unspeakable Department, and they were indeed allowed to defend themselves against direct attacks from their own Ministry and retaliate in due kind to the offenders. They were banned from taking the power themselves, however. So, he argued that since they were in power and had attacked his department, it was a Ministerial conflict. Unless the current Ministry resigned from their position of power, they were indeed in power and thus were guilty of being the offenders. Grindelwald and his supporters were equally grouped as the current Auror Force.
While the war raged on, he was teaching at Hogwarts. During his first few years, Tom relentlessly studied and built up the base of what would be his future Death Eaters. Of course, he couldn't use Tom as an excuse as to why he never hunted out his old friend out to defeat him as the Basilisk Attacks never begun until Tom's fifth year, in nineteen forty three.
The truth was, he was afraid. The last time he and his friend fought, his sister Ariana lost her life, and himself and his brother could not even defeat his friend when it was two against one. He hadn't even had the Elder Wand.
'This is for the Greater Good, Albus!'
It was his fault.
'She was met with hatred, my friend! Look at what they done! Look at what they DO!'
If he had been paying more attention to his sister, instead of playing with Elphias, she wouldn't... They wouldn't...
'Look what THEY made her! The best we can do, is use her sacrifice!'
Dear, sweet Ariana was never the same again. Her magic went inward, became explosive, drove her mad with fear. She became an Obscurial. When Gellert found out, he was eager to harness her, to use her as a weapon. It put into perspective then, what they were truly planning, the actual consequences of their actions. The enslavement of the non-magical world. For a time, when Gellert used her as an example, he was convinced they were in the right.
Then, he tried to pitch the idea of her being a martyr, and Aberforth overheard. When his brother told Gellert straight that he did not care if they went off doing 'Magic knows whatever' but his sister would not be used, and not die for their 'foolhardy cause'.
Gellert was enraged, and in his anger, cast the Cruciatus Curse on Aberforth. The duel broke out within the house, with himself casting to stop Gellert and defend himself against Aberforth's angry strikes at both of them, while Gellert aimed to kill them both.
The duel ended when Gellert cast the Killing Curse, Aberforth was already casting a Bombarda, but as soon as he heard the first part of the spell he transfigured a marble block and banish in the path of the green flash.
The green splashed against the block as the Bombara struck.
When the dust settled after the room was blown to pieces and they came to, Ariana was dead.
He and Aberforth hadn't known what truly killed her. The concussion from the blast, the shrapnel from the marble, or the quick death of Gellert's curse.
But if Gellert told him who did it, it needn't matter who because it would crush him all the same, he would win. He knew he'd hesitate in the face of the truth (or lie, for he could not know as his old friend was a Master Occlumens) and Gellert would not hesitate to strike him down.
It take him too long to truly mentally prepare himself to confront his friend. He had to accept his sisters death, not let it consume him, and move on with life. He likened his life to a poem he remembered by a Scotsman, one particular sentence comes to mind.
" I am a walking masterpiece, a true fiction of the ugliness of death. I am her sad music." He murmured aloud.
The War had drained him. Tom's 'Revolution', even more so. He was a tired old man with too many responsibilities he never wanted. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. He did not know if this was applicable to the human race as a whole, but he knew it was true for him. Perhaps there we better men out there, and he only hoped they showed up so he could start to relax for once in his life.
He had recently acquired a horror known as the Mirror of Erised. A mirror that showed not ones appearance, but their hearts desire.
He had seen what he had expected. Socks. Particularly woolly ones, that was snow white. He saw those socks and everything they represented. Dear sweet Ariana used to knit to help calm herself, to steady her shaking hands from her fits, and to make her brothers their Christmas presents. Every year, Albus got his woollen white socks, sometimes with other decorations like twinkling stars, or his favourites, clashing purples and other hues. He still had them, too. Some he still wore to this day, to remember her.
He had asked for Nicolas to send over his Philosopher's Stone, as he had a few experiments he wanted to run. Namely, intent based enchantments.
Some ancient artefacts like the Sword of Gryffindor had long lost intent based enchantments and summoning spells woven into them to allow handling and use based in attributes and pre-dictated 'worthiness', and he was eager to try and replicate these magics. The results would be astounding. For example, if he could vary the scale of the worthiness or intent of ownership, it could revolutionise the Magical World. The birth of this idea came from a meeting with the D.M.L.E he had had. Apparently, thieves had developed new methods to break the latest of Anti-Theft charms. If only people could put this level of ingenuity into furthering life quality...
He needed an object that he could use to test on, though. He wanted to make it as real as he could, and a coveted object such as the Stone would be a great indicator. If he enchanted the Mirror, charmed it to allow the stone to be contained in a subspace within, and only be realised to the viewer when the mirror recognised their desire was something like not wanting to truly use the Stone, then he had a great baseline for his enchanting work!
He had the Mirror, Nicolas was now busy working through the politics for transporting it safely and discreetly to England (the French Ministry and the Goblins kept a very close watch on his mentor annoyingly. They used it as the pretence of protecting the stone and maintaining that it was not illegally used to destroy the gold economy) so that he could get started on his work. Though that was most likely a year away from happening, unfortunately. Regardless, it gave him time to look into and researching magic surrounding mirrors and brush up on his Alchemy in the meantime. That was, if only he could find his blasted gifted journal and borrowed book from Professor Trelawney in the middle of this bomb site of a desk...