Chapter 14: Research
Dumbledore sat in his office looking down onto the autumn exposed grounds and mingling students.
It had been forty years since that faithful night when Voldemort left Hogwarts for the last time after been refused the job he had once been promised.
Ever since the school had never kept a Defence professor for longer than a year but despite this Dumbledore knew he'd done the right thing.
Over the years many things had happened, orphaning of Harry Potter because of the prophecy and the pause in the war because of Voldemort's underestimation of love the most recent blow that Voldemort had dealt them was the death of Horace Slughorn.
When Dumbledore had taken Harry to retrieve the old professor he had found the man dead in the most horrifying ways and Dumbledore knew why.
Voldemort was protecting the information of his immortality and Slughorn was the last living thing on earth that held the key to the specifics.
Now with the death of the retired potions professor the Light side was at a loss of how to defeat the monster and Dumbledore could not risk letting Harry out of his sight just in case they lost the last hope that the wizarding world had.
"You wanted to see me professor?"
Dumbledore looked around to see a bushy brown haired Gryffindor looking slightly nervous.
"Ah Miss Granger take a seat,"
"Sir if this is about the exploding suits of armour I swear I wasn't involved," she blurted nervously.
Hermione Granger had been best friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley since her first year.
The two boys had a knack for getting into trouble and one or even both were often been called to professor's office.
This was her first time there and she was a bundle of nerves.
"Relax dear child this is nothing to do with the prank, Mr Potter and Mr Weasley performed this afternoon. It is however something to do with a very secretive subject and I'm afraid Miss Granger that I'm going to need your word that you will mention the reason to this meeting to no one other than myself and professor Snape," Dumbledore said his white hair glinting in the candle light.
Hermione instantly became cautious and curious.
After a moment though she nodded.
"Of course sir, I promise,"
"I need you to research the Le Feu De Mort potion , Miss Granger, and the possible cures for it. I need you to do it efficiently and secretly. No one can know about this, it is a possible way to securing Mr Potter's victory over Voldemort," Dumbledore said seriously his eyes not twinkling as they normally did.
The Gryffindor in front of him had the mind of Ravenclaw herself and it was against his best morals that he asked her to become involved in the research that had foiled so many of them, including himself.
He passed her some of his notes that he'd made over the years.
"I wish you a successful research task," he said softly.
"I won't let you down sir, I'll do anything to help Harry," she said accepting the papers and leaving the office.
"See what you have driven me too, Tom, asking barely of age children to help destroy you," Dumbledore sighed aloud.
Professor Severus Snape entered the office.
"I'm taking she accepted then, Headmaster," Snape said his greasy curtain of hair contrasting his pale face.
"Just as I knew she would," Dumbledore nodded.
"And are you still showing Potter the old memories?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"All those important ones without the NaStasia girls in them,"
"Very few then,"
Dumbledore sighed.
He knew the NaStasia twins were a way of having one up on Voldemort, the dark lord had always given the school a wide berth because he knew somewhere inside were his sisters and he could not risk them getting hurt.
"Have you been able to part their hands yet?" Dumbledore asked.
Snape shook his head.
"It seems even in eternal sleep they have their magic, any time I try either a purple or a redy-orange shield will appear, sometimes it is even a mix of both and over the years it has become stronger,"
"As students they were some of the most powerful I have ever taught, if their magics have matured within them they will no doubt be some of the most powerful beings in the world second only to Voldemort and Harry,"
"Do you think the boy will be able to complete the prophecy? Especially with the Horcruxes still in place?" Snape asked.
Dumbledore sighed.
"Yes but I am afraid it may be at the cost of his own life and many others, he is not yet ready for this burden and allowing him to carry it is weighing him down,"
"Potter's arrogance will no doubt cost him his own life but is it really fair to allow it to cost the Order theirs," Snape said sneering at the thought of the boy being the reason he died.
"The boy is far from arrogant, Severus, he has had an upbringing as bad as four of my other students, yourself, the NaStasia twins and Voldemort himself and he is the only the second one that has come out of it as purehearted as they went into it with,"
"Who is the other?"
"Rubicelle NaStasia,"
"She belonged in the Slytherin house-"
"Only by choice, the hat had wanted to place her in Gryffindor, she stood up for the weak gallantly, she was the voice of reason among Voldemort and her sister,"
"And if Granger's research brings us a way of awaking them as well as curing them what do you plan to do?"
Dumbledore looked at the man who had seen and caused so much pain and torment and felt nothing but trust.
"I plan to change the minds of the wizarding world. I plan to create memories in everyone's minds that show a life of the twins from eleven onwards in this time, they will be place in separate houses, Amethyst in Slytherin and Rubicelle in Gryffindor and then Voldemort will forget about the prophecy for a moment in urgency of getting his sisters back at his side," Dumbledore said sadly.
It was a terrible manipulation but it needed to be done, the twins were a key to Voldemort's weakness.
"Headmaster that is-"
"The only way," Dumbledore interrupted looking at the potions master sadly. "Voldemort is stronger than ever before and without the information Horace Slughorn held we must use any advantage over Voldemort that we have. What are two lives if they save millions?"
Snape shook his head.
"I have stood beside you through many decisions headmaster and despite it being against my better judgement I will stand beside you in this one,"