The weeks slowly began bleeding away after that. Classes proceeded slowly as they would with Ace and Vanessa quickly seizing the top spots in every class. Ace because he already knew all of the material, and Vanessa because she had Ace to teach her. Though Potions was a bit of a sore topic, Snape hadn't dared to make another move against Harry and had seemingly begun accepting him a little as a student… however much it seemed to hurt his pride.
When Halloween came around, Ace was a little more on edge than usual. He had always hated this day no matter what time they were in. Seeing everyone celebrating the death of his parents always took a toll on his mind.
This evening it must have been even clearer than ever. Vanessa hadn't left his side the entire day and she was constantly trying to make him smile, though it was getting pretty mixed results. So as they sat the table that afternoon, Ace didn't particularly feel like eating anything.
Ace did look up with everyone else as Dumbledore stood up and politely asked for everyone's attention.
"Yes, yes. I'm sure we are all enjoying this delicious feast on this fine evening. But as we celebrate Halloween both for the holiday itself, we also celebrate the defeat of Voldemort at the hand of our own Harry Potter" said Dumbledore, though everyone could hear the somberness in his voice "But we must not forget what else happened that night. Two of the bravest people I have ever known gave their life that night, two of the brightest students to have ever passed through Hogwarts gave their very lives so that the Dark Lord may be defeated. So I ask all of you to stand and share with me a toast!"
Slowly everyone stood and raised their goblets, though only a few of the older years had caught on and most of Ravenclaw table was now looking at Harry with apologetic eyes and very red ears.
"To James and Lily Potter!" called Dumbledore
"To James and Lily Potter!" called the entire hall back (minus most of Slytherin House)
After that a more peaceful feeling fell over the great hall as everyone held a moment of silence in honor of the two. Ace had tried to keep the tears back but had failed; his head was buried in Vanessa's chest as he quietly cried for his lost parents.
It was later at the feast that Ace caught Dumbledore's eyes and gave him a very appreciative smile that the old man returned with a small smile and a wink.
Of course nothing peaceful lasts and sure enough the doors burst open with a frantic Professor Quirrel.
"TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" he screamed as he stopped in front of the head table "Just thought you ought to know" then he fainted
The chaos was immediate as everyone began screaming and scrambling around, not really sure of where they were supposed to go. Dumbledore quickly rose from his seat and fired off an explosive spell into the air, silencing everyone.
"Prefects round up your houses! You will all remain here in the great hall until the teachers have dealt with the threat! I shall be sealing the door behind me as we leave!" said Dumbledore in a clam tone, but thanks to the Sonorous charm it reached the entire hall.
Everyone seemed to calm down tremendously; Ace had to give it to the old man. He was one hell of a leader when he wanted to be, and thanks to a little insight from Ace's side, Dumbledore didn't foolishly send his students out into the castle all willy nilly.
The large doors to the great hall shimmered slightly as Dumbledore sealed the doors shut, leaving a forgotten Professor Quirrel on the floor and at the mercy of a rather angered eleven year old Ace.
A silent and wandless stunner struck Quirrel when nobody noticed, ensuring that he wouldn't be getting up any time soon. Ace sat next to him and pretended to be looking over him as he searched for signs that he was possessed.
"Finding anything, Ace?" asked Vanessa as she joined him
"Not really. He might really be clean of possession this time…" replied Ace, though he didn't sound so sure
"It's supposed to be at the back of his head here, right?" she asked as she gestured to the back of the turban facing her
"Yeah… I wonder if stunning Quirrel stuns the head on the back…"
"One way to find out" said Vanessa as she grinned like a devil and very promptly slammed her knee into the back of Quirrel's head without anyone seeing.
When there was no reaction and Vanessa felt like she just hit his skull, they both accepted that there probably wasn't any possession, but there was still time though.
Two hours passed before the charm on the door vanished and the teachers returned. They looked tired and Filius seemed to be walking with a slight limp.
"The troll has been dealt with. Prefects take your houses back to their common rooms. You will all be escorted by your Heads of Houses!" announced Dumbledore
Everyone began leaving though Ace and Vanessa stayed back. Ace caught Dumbledore's gaze and the two shared a nod. Dumbledore quietly informed Filius that he was going to talk with the two and just take Ravenclaw to their common room; he would escort the two back when they had spoken.
Ace looked over Quirrel one more time and had to choke a yell as he looked at the teacher's hand. It was the Gaunt ring! How the hell had he missed that for months?
"Something the matter Mr. Potter?" asked Dumbledore as he approached
Ace looked around, and thankfully there was no one but the three of them in the great hall now.
"Look at his hand, sir" said Ace
Dumbledore looked down and held back his own surprise "The Ring… I thought you said it was safely hidden away in the Gaunt home?"
"I thought so too, sir. I think this was an alternate way for Voldemort to control Quirrel this time… this isn't good, sir" said Ace with a bit of shakiness entering his voice
"I can see what you mean, Mr. Potter. If young Quirrel here was possessed with the ring… then who is to say that the remaining Horcruxes have not changed as well" Dumbledore spoke Ace's unsaid worry
"There is no getting around it now, sir. We need to use the holidays to look for the remaining Horcruxes, we need to know what has changed" stated Ace as he slowly levitated the ring off Quirrel's finger and into the black box that Dumbledore conjured.
"Might want to add a few protective spells there, sir" said Vanessa as she looked at the black mist that slowly seeped out of the box
"Quite Miss Weaver" said the Headmaster with a nod as he began weaving his wand in a few motions and the box glowed for a moment as runes appeared around the sides of it.
"There we go. That should contain the Horcrux for as long as we need" said Dumbledore
"There is one more thing, sir. With the ring in our possession… we now have all three Hallows gathered in one place…" the words were careful, calculated… they needed to be careful now
"Merlin…" breathed Dumbledore as he looked carefully to the wand still in his hand, the Elder Wand.
"Though I must admit to be curious, Albus. What was one supposed to achieve by wielding all three Hallows and becoming the Master of Death?" asked Ace as he stood, though he re-stunned Quirrel for good measure.
"No one knows, Harry. None have wielded all three Hallows at the same time. Though that might not be so true… tell me, Harry did you ever wield the Elder Wand before your rebirth?" asked Dumbledore
"I did for a moment, sir. I beat Voldemort using my Staff, but I disarmed him and grabbed the Elder Wand" replied Harry with a pensive look
"By disarming and holding the Wand, the mastery of it passed to you. Tell me, did you wield the Cloak and Stone at the same time?"
"No, sir I didn't. The cloak was in a secure location and the stone was given to the Flamels for safekeeping alongside the Philosophers stone"
"That might have been enough; you were in possession of all of them at one time or another. Is that correct?"
"I guess that is true" said Ace with a shrug
"Try something for me, Harry. Close your eyes and focus on the Hallows, try and feel their power" said Dumbledore
With a nod, Ace closed his eyes and began focusing. He tried to home in on the powers of the two Hallows right next to him. He felt a small pull towards the stone in the ring but nothing defined. He could definently feel the cloak currently hidden in his trunk. It felt like it was calling out to him, to wield it.
"I-I can feel the stone slightly from inside the ring… and it almost feels like the Cloak is calling out to me. I can't feel anything from the wand though" said Ace with confusion coloring his tone
"Hmm… I would have assumed that the control of the Hallows would follow you even through a rebirth. Death is universal after all. But it would seem I was wrong in that assumption" said Dumbledore, though it seemed like he was slowly going into his own little world
"Should we move this guy somewhere, sir?" asked Vanessa as she poked Quirrel in the ribs with her foot
This sprung Dumbledore from his mind and he waved his wand "I shall call Amelia Bones and have her bring an Unspeakable. Perhaps we can get some information from Quirrel here" said Dumbledore as he levitated Quirrel and began guiding his two students towards his office.
"What are we going to do with the ring, Albus?" asked Ace
"Better lock it away until we are ready to destroy it" replied Dumbledore as they reached the office
Quirrel was placed on the floor and had a body bind cast on him by Dumbledore. The Headmaster then stuck his head in the floo and attempted to contact Amelia.
"Halloween is interesting around here" quipped Vanessa
"Always is. Each and every god damn year something odd happens at Halloween" replied Ace
"So we are going to be spending Christmas hunting those Horcrux things? My parents aren't going to like that…" mused Vanessa
"You can go home to them… in fact I'd rather you did. Until we are sure just what sort of protection the Horcruxes have I'd rather not put you in danger" added Ace as an afterthought
"I can defend myself you know…" grumbled Vanessa
"I know you can. But you also need to go home to your family. I still haven't gotten hold of Celeste so I don't have anywhere to go this Christmas anyway. Might as well use it hunting Horcruxes with Albus" shrugged Ace as he pulled out his wand and began looking it over
"Something off about your staff?" asked Vanessa as she sat down in a chair
"Not really… I'm just curious about why both Amorpha and Rose seemed so… so odd about giving me this. Amorpha was really sketchy about why I got this specifically and Rose seemed like she had won the lottery when she found out. Neither of them are speaking so…" replied Ace as he sat down across from her
"It's supposed to be some legendary artifact, right?" she asked
"Yeah…" grumbled Ace in response
"Amelia will be here in a moment with Unspeakable Croaker. What have you in such a mood, Harry?" interjected Albus as he came over and joined the two in a conjured chair
"Well… you see, sir… how to explain this…" grumbled Ace as he kept thinking
"Ace is a staff user, sir" interrupted Vanessa with a bored expression
Dumbledore perked up a little at that and looked impressed at Ace
"I must say Mr. Potter that is quite impressive. I don't even need a staff to use magic. Is there an issue with it then?" asked Dumbledore
Harry just grumbled something as he spun his wand and transformed it into staff form and held it out for Dumbledore to see. The old Headmaster turned white as a sheet as he slowly began backing away… while still in his chair.
"Mr. Potter kindly put that back into wand form!" exclaimed Dumbledore as he began shaking
Ace did as asked and looked at the old Headmaster like he was crazy.
"What's the problem, Albus?" asked Vanessa
Dumbledore was currently taking large breaths as he kept glancing carefully at the now and formed staff.
"I shall rather not ask why you are wielding the mark of the Royal family, Mr. Potter. But I cannot contain my curiosity" said Dumbledore
"Amorpha gave it to me, sir. She was the one that built my old staff as well… it broke when I escaped from the Wizarding world originally" said Ace with a darkened tone
Dumbledore flinched at the mention of Ace's escape "Two staffs from the Ashwoods… Mr. Potter you continue to amaze me. How is the situation with the Dark Elves if you don't mind an old man's curiosity, I haven't been to the Ashwoods for nearly eighty years"
"I can only assume they are quite good, sir. I haven't seen their cities yet, Amorpha would always meet me in a small clearing in the forest" replied Ace
"I can only recommend visiting their Capital then. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the honor of witnessing" added Dumbledore
They didn't have time for further conversation as the floo lit up and Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE stepped outside followed by a tall man wearing a dark cloak that covered his face.
"Dumbledore, a pleasure as always" greeted Amelia as she shook the Headmaster's hand
"Likewise Amelia. Unspeakable Croaker, good to see you again" greeted Dumbledore
"It is good to see you as well, Dumbledore. Where is Quirrel?" asked Croaker
Dumbledore gestured to the man on the floor. Croaker released the body bind but stunned the man short after and levitated him up so he was sitting in a chair. Moments later, Quirrel was bound by conjured ropes. He wasn't going anywhere for the moment
"This must then be young Mr. Potter and Miss Weaver I take it?" asked Amelia as she looked towards the two children
"Ah yes, yes. Allow me to introduce Harry Potter and Vanessa Waver, two of the brightest minds to have stepped through Hogwarts in a long time" said Dumbledore
There was a short exchange in pleasantries before Quirrel stirred and focus fell on him.
"Good morning Professor Quirrel, had a nice nap?" asked Amelia as she stood in front him
"What is going on… last thing I remember is the troll" grumbled Quirrel without his prominent stutter
"Croaker, if you will" said Amelia
Croaker removed a small vial of clear liquid from his robes and dropped three drops into Quirrel's mouth before the Professor had a chance to protest. His eyes glazed over and soon he as looking straight ahead as the Veritaserum took effect.
"What is your name?" asked Croaker
"Quirinus Quirrel" replied Quirrel
"Are you a Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" continued Croaker
"Yes, I'm currently the Professor in Defense against the Dark Arts" replied Quirrel
"Have you ever been possessed or willingly carried a possessed object of Lord Voldemort?"
"Yes"
"Which"
"The ring I carried contained the spirit of my master. He would speak to me through it, and if needed be he would assume control"
"Is Lord Voldemort truly dead?"
"No. My lord is currently in spirit form and is waiting for his Death Eaters to perform a Ritual to bring him back"
This had everyone in the room on alert. Though Ace was a little calmer as it meant that Voldemort was still in spirit form and couldn't do a terrible amount of damage just yet.
"Anything else you wish to know Amelia?" asked Croaker
Amelia stepped forward and looked at Quirrel for a moment
"How did Lord Voldemort keep himself alive?" asked Amelia
"My lord is the greatest Wizard in history" replied Quirrel
"It would seem Voldemort did not divulge that information to young Quirrel" added Dumbledore
"Any thoughts, Albus?" asked Amelia
"It would seem we cannot get much information from young Quirrel as I had hoped. Perhaps it would be best if he was tried for possession of a cursed object and taken to Azkaban. At least that way he cannot cause any further damage" replied Dumbledore with a small nod
"One more thing" interrupted Ace "How many of Voldemort's followers know of you?"
"None. My lord wished to keep me a secret so that I may move unrestricted" replied Quirrel
Croaker administered the antidote and reapplied the body bind. He then brought Quirrel through the fire to the Ministry where he would be put into a holding cell until such a time where he could be tried.
Back in the headmasters office, Amelia wanted to talk a little with Harry.
"It is nice to finally be able to speak with you Mr. Potter" began Amelia
"It's a pleasure Madam Bones, I have heard good things about you" replied Harry with a smile
"I have a few questions about today's events if you don't mind" continued Amelia as he pulled out a small note pad
"Of course not" said Harry
The two covered most of the day, with some input from both Vanessa and Dumbledore. Amelia was on her way a small half hour later, leaving the three alone in Dumbledore's office. The aged Headmaster went over to small cabinet and pulled out a bottle.
"I would offer, but I believe you are both a little young" said Dumbledore with a teasing smile
"Very funny, Albus… I haven't had a good drink in eleven years!" exclaimed Vanessa as she plumped down into a seat in front of Dumbledore's desk, Harry followed suit.
"I had intended to suggest that we go over the plans for this coming Christmas, but perhaps it is best if you two were to return to your rooms and get some sleep. It has been a rather hectic afternoon" said Dumbledore as he downed his glass
Harry and Vanessa agreed and ten minutes later they were both in their beds. Dumbledore followed his own advice moments later, though he did place the small box with the Gaunt ring in his private safe in the office… with a few more protection spells just for good measure.
A/N: One more for the archive. So the plot keeps going and something is shifty with the Horcruxes… just how big was a ripple in time did the Rebirth create, and how many problems will it cause for our two young heroes?
-TheLemonsWillSeeYou