Chapter 14
Tying the loose ends
Cloaked in darkness he crawled forward. He could feel the change in the brightness. It had certainly dampened since the last time he had visited. And that was a welcome change. With a new found vigor he pushed forward continuing the search, but nothing was found. He roamed here and there without any success. His earlier hope of finding something started to wane. The frustration of his futile endeavor angered him so much that he decided to leave the infuriating place. So he turned around and there, hidden beyond the folds of repulsive brightness found what he was looking for. A dark hairline fracture, a gateway that would grant him the answers he had waited for this long.
Harry woke up with a start, soaked in cold sweat. He could still feel the hideous laughter that flooded his mind with fear. Automatically his hand touched his prickling scar. The cold touch made him shudder. With a practiced habit he tried to find his glasses but then realized he didn't need them anymore. He took few deep breaths and then looked around. The room was almost dark only for the diffusing streetlight coming through the window. It helped Harry to see the silhouette of a lightly snoring Ron. But unlike every other time, instead of feeling reassured, he felt envious anger filling his senses. He felt jealous for Ron having a carefree normal life while he had a complicated one. He didn't realize where those feelings came from but he felt lonely and bitter, dumped back into the darkness of his cupboard under the stairs. He searched his bedside for his wand as an evil thought crept into his mind. A vicious spell he never had heard before had begun to form in his head. As he found the wand his fingers immediately curled around the handle absorbing the comfortable warmth from the wood. With an eerie smile he pointed his wand at his sleeping friend, but suddenly just before he could incant the spell a white ball of feathers dashed towards him, nipping sharply on his fingers making Harry drop his wand promptly. He blinked as an unexpected pain flooded his mind releasing it from the vise like grip of a daunting presence. Hedwig hooted loudly; flapping around Harry, she made sure he didn't pick his wand again.
"Harry, what happened? Are you alright?" Ron asked sleepily trying to figure out why Hedwig was making a ruckus at this time of night.
The question was enough to drag Harry out of his nightmare induced darkness. The concern in Ron's voice evoked a wave of guilt in his mind. He was horrified by the thought of harming Ron and thinking of dumping his crappy life on him. He felt selfish for forgetting Megan or Sirius's great efforts to take him out of his cupboard and trying to make his life worth living.
"Harry", Ron asked again this time sitting upright, alertness clear in his voice.
"Just a bad dream" Harry lied trying to calm his friend.
"Want to talk about it?" Ron asked awkwardly. He remembered when he was little and had some nasty dreams mostly involving spiders his father asked him the same question and it always worked for him. "You know it helps" Ron insisted getting up from his bed.
Harry watched Ron's dark figure moving along the sidewall and cautiously searching for something. A moment passed and Harry heard the telltale sound of a wand tapping followed by a yellowish light bursting from the lamp which was magicked to light up whenever someone touches it with a wand.
Ron observed Harry silently, stubbornly waiting to get a response from his mate.
The genuine stare augmented Harry's guilt by a thousand times. He thought about spilling his gut but realized he couldn't expect Ron to understand and explain what just happened a moment ago or why his scar was behaving odd lately. He silently thanked Hedwig for interrupting him on time and avoided the unthinkable. But he did owe an explanation to Ron of course omitting a few details.
"Sorry to wake you up Ron." Harry started with what seemed a simple apology but in reality he knew it wasn't enough. "I had a nightmare. Hedwig helped me out of it." Harry showed his scratched fingers.
"That looks nasty mate" Ron replied sympathetically as he threw a thoughtful glance towards a silently sitting Hedwig on her perch. "So what exactly did you see in this nightmare?"
Harry hesitated for a moment but then remembered Ron deserved to know at least some of the truth. "I didn't see anyone. I just felt a thick darkness trying to suffocate me. I struggled helplessly to get free, to breathe but I just couldn't. And then I suddenly woke up feeling angry and abandoned."
"Harry, you are not alone and you already know it." Ron demanded trying to make sense of what his friend was talking about.
"Of course I know it Ron" Harry gave a guilt driven honest response.
"That's good then" Ron relaxed a bit deciding not to pry further. He remained silent until a yawn escaped his mouth and forced him to change the subject. "You remember Ginny told us to meet in her room first thing in the morning. I think Hermione found something about the locket after camping four days in that damn library. And if you are feeling okay then I suggest we should try to get as much sleep as we can before Hermione stuffs our brain with some tedious information."
"Oh I forgot." Harry grinned already forgetting the bad dream. "And you are correct about being better prepared than sorry when facing a charged up Hermione. I bet she is still torturing those crazy books to squeeze out some last moment information."
"Yeah, that's true" Ron laughed tapping the magical lamp which immediately switched off drowning the entire room once again in peaceful darkness.
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Fawkes landed smoothly on his perch catching Dumbledore's attention. But unlike every time Dumbledore greeted him with a tired smile to which Fawkes responded with a soft trill trying to sooth whatever was bothering his old friend.
"I'm grateful to have you Fawkes" Dumbledore thanked him. "So how was the hunting?"
The bird trilled in response getting a nod of praise from Dumbledore.
"Lemon drops" Dumbledore offered the sweet.
If fluffing your plumage and looking away from someone meant an irritated look from a bird then Fawkes just definitely gave it to Dumbledore.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot you don't like lemon drops." Dumbledore nibbled on one saying "they are soothing you know".
Fawkes just flapped his wings and busied himself in preening.
"See your familiar dislikes it too." One of the stern looking headmistresses pointed out the fact through her portrait. "And for Merlin's sake instead of sucking on those sweets why don't you try some real breakfast. If I remember correctly then missed last night's dinner too. I don't get it but is that thick tomb you are reading really important than your health? "
"Yes, it is Amanda. The magic described in this book is powerful and brilliant and that makes it extremely dangerous too." Dumbledore stared blankly at the stone basin he to analyze various memories he had collected over the last five years. "Two years ago I forced myself not to discard the possibility of someone using such vicious magic and now it seems I was correct. Tom does know how to use this knowledge. "
"But what about that boy then?" asked another stern looking portrait of a former headmaster. "Why you are not preparing him for what is waiting for him in the future? Why are you keeping him in the dark?"
Dumbledore looked amusingly at the portrait of Phineas Black. "And you seem quite worried about it".
The Phineas in portrait glared haughtily with an aristocratic sneer plastered on his face. He hated the current headmaster with passion. "Don't be ridiculous Albus. The boy is naive and doesn't have a thread of self-preservation. He has his own kind of foolish heroism. He thinks he can endure anything and if he neglects reality the pain will go away. Mark my words Albus, the boy needs a firm hand which will teach him lying about nightmares is not a very good thing to do."
"A nightmare?" Dumbledore asked inquisitively.
"Yes, a nightmare. The one he had last night. Albus, he was clutching his scar and looked disturbed when he woke up."
The mention of Harry's scar alerted Dumbledore. It made him think for the millionth time about Harry's safety. "How is he now?"
"He seems fine now, at least to his red head friend. But he can't fool me. I say him last night aiming his wand murderously at the same friend."
Dumbledore wasn't expecting that. He knew Harry so well that his odd behavior made worried Dumbledore.
Suddenly all portraits including that of Phineas Black became still. Dumbledore adjusted his own expression to polite curiosity and waited for a knock. As he expected a knock came followed by the opening of the office door by a very serious looking Severus Snape.
"Ah, Severus, what a coincidence! I was just thinking about you."
"Good morning Albus" Severus greeted curtly.
"Good morning Severus, have seat. Would you like to have some breakfast?"
"Thank you for asking but I already had mine" Severus replied taking the seat.
"You are welcome. So what brings you here at this early hour?" Dumbledore asked with smile.
Severus stared silently at his mentor trying to decide whether he should test his theory or not. He chose the second option considering Dumbledore's ability to become a mastermind whenever time required it. So without breaking eye contact he slowly retrieved the scroll, the same one he had shown to Megan four days ago. "I received this." Severus offered the scroll.
Dumbledore took the scroll, opened it and slowly read it through his half-moon spectacles.
The lines written inside the scroll wiped out the pleasant smile from the old wizard's face. He looked up gazing directly into Severus's obsidian eyes.
Severus didn't dare to look away. He knew that rare look that reflected a ruthless powerful wizard.
"I suppose you received this scroll immediately after the ritual."
"Yes, I found it lying on my owl post" Severus answered truthfully without missing Dumbledore's efforts to keep his composure. Severus tried not to pry but he could see the wheels beginning to turn inside that ancient brain.
"Why did you wait this long then?" Dumbledore's voice softened a bit as he saw an invisible tiny ray of hope clinging to the scroll he was looking at. Until that moment he wasn't expecting something of such a grave importance to happen. But now he could see the hidden possibilities.
"I preferred to check its validity first and then do some research of my own. Especially under the circumstances where you presumed it wasn't important to inform us about certain ramifications of consuming the Elixir." Severus promptly justified the delay but he also got confused by the gentleness that replaced Dumbledore's incensed expressions. And then he realized fearfully that he just lost the tiny hope of the old wizard saving him from the bizarre situation. He realized he had just presented a golden opportunity on silver platter.
Dumbledore heard the accusation which was partially true but he had his reasons to take advantage of assets offered by their combined fate. The unexpected resurrection of Voldemort made him desperate to search for a stronger option that would provide Harry with better support, something that Petunia or Sirius wasn't able to do. And then there was also the guilt of not giving Harry a happy childhood. Hence when he met Megan he didn't waste any time. He just analysed her and found out she was good for Harry. Fortunately she possessed a repairable magical core and Dumbledore saw the opening. In a short period of time he came up with the idea of the elixir. And there he made the mistake. He ignored to do a thorough research which Severus did and now he was demanding an explanation.
"Severus, I need you to trust me when I say I was unaware of this particular effect." Dumbledore sounded genuine but Severus kept his stoic expression up and made Dumbledore confess the entire truth.
"Severus, the scripts I found were original and the potion master who invented this elixir only mentioned about its ability to heal the magical core by siphoning magical strength through a temporary bond. He didn't mention anything else. If you want to reconfirm then I'm happy to lend you the original scripts."
"No need of that Albus, because those scripts are useless now. And any way I've my own set of research which clearly indicates that the potion master who you are referring to failed to do further examination of his invention because he died tragically just after he invented the damn potion. But apparently he wasn't the only one who had knowledge of this elixir."
"And who was the second person?" Dumbledore asked trying to understand what went wrong.
"It was my great grandfather, Henry Prince. And like my mother he also had interest in potions. I found his study journal describing detailed effects of this elixir on every person participating in the ritual. "
"Then it's my fault and I apo... "
"Albus, don't" Severus snapped "it's unbelievable that you couldn't know nothing about elixir's effects. What about the temporary bond? Didn't you think you needed to warn us about that?"
"And if I did so, do you think you or Harry would have participated in the ritual?" Dumbledore asked matter of factly. "I thought it was a good opportunity for you to understand Harry and if possible Megan too. And that's it. I didn't anticipate it to work this effectively." Dumbledore stopped giving Severus time to understand his reasons.
But instead of approving the unnerving thoughts Severus's jaws tightened before he snapped once again "And do you think it's a good idea Albus; trying to force me into something this insane?"
Dumbledore could see anger taking hold of Severus which wasn't a good sign especially when he was thinking of suggesting an option, which would solve many of his worries in a single shot.
"Albus..." Severus was up for the argument but Dumbledore stopped him.
"Severus, it should be premature to say anything. In my opinion instead of trying to fix this we should accept the facts and must work on the necessary arrangements."
"That's impossible Albus and you know very well why. I came here for a solution not the opposite." Severus scowled as he heard the utterly unexpected advice. He was certain that Dumbledore would never ask of him something that would jeopardize his role as a spy.
But apparently Dumbledore had something else in his mind and was trying to ignore Severus's objection as much as possible.
"There is no solution other than acceptance Severus and the sooner the better." Dumbledore said gently trying to figure out how this new twist of events was going to affect their future altogether. And the only way to find it out was helping Severus to take the correct decision, which also meant winning an exhausting argument against an utterly stubborn Slytherin.
For the next few minutes Dumbledore said nothing. He just waited and gave Severus time to think which turned out to be a wise decision.
Severus never liked to be controlled by anyone. But unfortunately he had lost that right the moment he broke his friendship with Lily and joined the dark forces. And now he had two equally powerful and demanding masters. The only problem was they wanted to destroy each other and Severus happened to be working in middle. In other words the situation left him with a narrow range of freedom to make his own choices. One wrong decision and he knew the Dark Lord would be waiting for him with a Crucio or an Avada kedavra. And that's why the option Dumbledore was suggesting was a totally dangerous prospect to think about. But again hadn't he suffered enough to atone for his sins. May be it was his only chance to attain the ultimate salvation and also end the dual life he was living for a very long time.
With those unbelievable thoughts in mind Severus collected all his courage and asked the horrifying question tormenting him for more than two weeks.
"But what if the Dark Lord finds this out?"
Dumbledore didn't answer immediately instead he let the question hang in the air for a while.
"Severus I have faith in you and that's the only thing that matters here. Everything else can be managed thereafter by involving very few trustworthy people."
"What about Black? Do you think he has matured enough to understand this change?" Severus asked sarcastically.
Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "I guess he will. I believe we could take Remus's help to convince him. Or we can engage him in something else like uniting him with his lost family. I'm sure that will give us some time."
"I must say the suggestion has some potential." Severus admired remembering the second reason for his visit. "Albus, there is something else I would like to tell you."
"And it is about?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"Potter asked me to help him find Peter Pettigrew. He wanted him in order to prove Black's innocence. "
"That's interesting." Dumbledore was intrigued by the mere idea of Harry asking something this important of Severus, which was another good sign indicating Severus and Harry were able to have a civilized conversation "And what was your response to him?"
"I told him it will be more convenient if we take care of Pettigrew without his involvement."
"Did he look convinced?" Dumbledore asked with concern.
"Apparently he was but maybe it was the effect of Megan's presence. In my opinion Potter is much too erratic to be trusted. "
"Hmm, that's a good start."
"What do you mean? Severus narrowed his eyes.
"I'm just admiring the fact that Harry found a very good timing to bring up this matter and approached you which again proves my theory that he will be fine with this new change."
"No, it doesn't prove anything because first, he did not approach me personally; instead he took Megan's help. And secondly he chose to talk to me because somehow he knows I'm working as a Spy. "
"He doesn't cease to surprise me. Anyway it's time Sirius gets his long awaited freedom back."
"I'll never say this again but we really need someone sane or rather insane from our side on that damn aristocratic Wizengamot and school board. And Black has name and power, which makes him a very good candidate."
"Well that's another thing that necessitates Sirius's freedom. But the question remains that how are we going to capture Peter?"
"I've a suggestion that involves a potion and an illegal portkey."
"Sounds good. I suppose you know where he lives then. "
"I've a few guesses, but to confirm them I need at least two days." Severus said making a list of places in his head where he had seen Peter occasionally in the last two months.
"That will also give me some time to talk to Amelia and filing the petition against the Wizengamot for throwing Sirius in Azkaban without any trial." There was a glint in Dumbledore's eyes when he said that.
"I didn't know you can still represent someone in the Wizengamot?"
"Yes, I still can. It's fortunate that Cornelius doesn't know everything about the Wizengamot."
"He is an idiot Albus, nothing less can be expected of him. But one thing is sure, you are going to cause a mass hysteria by representing Black." Severus smirked as he imagined Fudge sweating over trying to deal with Dumbledore and the angry public at the same time.
"Severus" Dumbledore called pulling Severus out from his sweet dreams. "I've an important task for you. It is regarding Harry."
The name made Severus stare exasperatedly at Dumbledore. "What now Albus? I don't want to deal with Potter at this moment. "
Dumbledore continued neglecting the protest. "I think you should start teaching him Occlumency."
"That's ridiculous. And why me when you are perfectly capable of teaching him yourself." Severus argued.
"Severus, I've my reasons. And anyway it's time you passed your skills on to someone worthy of it!" He paused for moment and added with a smile, "I did the same for you. I'm hoping you still remember those lessons. "
The topic pushed Severus down the memory lane. He remembered the way Dumbledore taught him very basics of Occlumency. It was the time when he began to trust Dumbledore and found something he was craving for his entire life, a father like figure who would love him unconditionally, guide him through a very difficult time of life, for which Severus was sincerely grateful.
"But Albus it was different when you taught me. I trust you and you treated me with a lot of patience. I must say I was fortunate to have such great teacher to learn from." Severus explained quietly.
"It wasn't me Severus; it was your desire that made everything possible. And like you Harry is worth investing your time and efforts in. Believe me one day you'll understand that Harry is not much different than you."
"No, it will not, because I'm not you and Potter knows that. He knows I was a death eater and that was a very good reason not to trust me. I'd wager that somewhere in his mind he knows I'm the one responsible for death of his parents." Severus stated bitterly spitting his mind eating thoughts loudly.
Dumbledore didn't deny the fact but he knew there were ways to deal with it. "One step at a time Severus. It's futile to live in the past; it only offers you regrets and suffering. So move on Severus, before it destroys you." There was tremor in Dumbledore's voice. He sounded like he was talking from his own experience.
"Albus, I... "
"No, let me finish. Severus this scroll is meant to change everything. It has the power to change the fate of all three of you and everyone related to you. I don't know what Megan wants but I can tell you what is good for Harry." The old wizard paused midsentence as a picture of a better future began to form in front of him. "Severus, he is a mere child burdened with too many responsibilities. He is the chosen one. And yet too naive to understand what kind of power he possesses. I'm sure one day a time will come when I won't be around to look after him or help him to decide what he should do with his future. I want you to be with him especially at that time, to make sure he won't feel vulnerable. I want you to protect him from the brutalities of life and make sure he never loses his kindness or ability to seek goodness in others."
Severus was speechless; he was baffled by the way Dumbledore was expressing his concern. He wasn't sure what gave Dumbledore the impressions that he would be interested in dealing with Harry in the present or the future. The calculative part of him laughed at the idea but his heart was concerned. Not a very long time ago he was condemning Harry's heroic acts as a foolhardy stunts with a bit of good luck but now after getting a chance to observe Harry closely his opinions had started to change. Now without any prejudice he could see Harry's bravery and resourcefulness while escaping a certain death by the Dark Lord for three times or for four if he counted the encounter when Harry was fifteen months old. It also proved another point that Harry wasn't an attention seeking mediocre wizard; rather there would be a great chance of Harry becoming something beyond their imagination.
Severus sighed as he didn't find a way to run away from the delicate dilemma. He was obligated to act but there was something else he didn't understand. The obvious guilt and urgency in Dumbledore's voice made him think and ask a few questions of his own. But this time he wanted to clear out everything before getting involved further.
"Albus, I'll think about your suggestions but I need the honest answers. No more surprises. Is that fine with you? "
"Sure, ask anything." Dumbledore definitely looked relieved.
This caused Severus to eye Dumbledore suspiciously before asking his first question. "What happened overnight that made you presume a Slytherin like me is better than Sirius, Lupin or even Megan to take care of Harry? Don't you fear that I might teach him few of my own inventions and corrupt his golden heart with darkness?"
"Severus, as I always say the magic cannot be dark or light, it's the intention of the user that makes it good or bad. Fortunately I trust you as well as Harry to use any kind of magic for good reason. It also partially explains why I'm interested in you being Harry's mentor instead of Sirius, Lupin, the Weasleys or anyone else who cares for Harry. I know they are good people but I think Harry needs someone who shouldn't have a restricted view about being affiliated with a certain kind of magic."
Severus was puzzled by Dumbledore's stream of thoughts. "Albus, I don't understand what you are talking about."
Dumbledore looked gravely at Severus. "Do you remember how Harry or more correctly his scar reacts whenever he comes across Tom?"
"I never witnessed such an incident personally but I believe it has to be painful and violent.
"Yes, that's correct. And do you know why Harry has to experience it every now and then? "
"I don't have any idea." Severus replied honestly but deep inside he knew the answer had to be something ominous.
"Nearly fourteen years ago on the Halloween night when Tom attacked Harry he gave him the scar. I myself saw it for the first time while transferring Harry in Petunia's care. But back then I didn't realized its significance until an eleven year old Harry told me his scar always prickled painfully when Quirrell was around. Later it was discovered that it was Tom hiding under Quirrell's turban. The incident helped me to come up with a hypothesis but to confirm it I waited to get a few more evidences. And as expected it happened again in second year and then last year in the graveyard when Harry was captured by Tom." Dumbledore paused as the memory of the dreadful night where Harry came clutching Cedric's dead body flashed in front of him.
Severus too remembered the dark night when the serpent on his wrist had flared to life. He remembered the waves of searing pain that kept coming until he was ordered by Dumbledore to join the dark lord.
"Severus it's unfortunate but all evidences suggested only one fact, fourteen years ago unknowingly Tom had created a link with Harry's mind through the scar."
The ominous words almost stopped Severus's heart. He stared at Dumbledore blankly hoping that what he just heard was a mistake but Dumbledore remained silent confirming everything he said was true. And then a cold fear ran through his veins as the implication dawned on him. "A link with dark lord ", he repeated the cursed words hopelessly as his own hand branded with the dark mark twitched reminding him of what kind of horrific servitude the link brought along.
Dumbledore waited patiently until Severus digested the devastating truth about Harry's scar and then added carefully. "Severus, it's different than your mark but yes Tom can use it to control Harry or worse to destroy his mind completely. And that's why I want you to teach Harry Occlumency before it's too late."
Until that moment Severus thought there was only one thing that linked Harry and Voldemort together, the damned prophecy. The one, he himself informed Voldemort about. And then Lily left him forever leaving behind her and James's son, Harry. A living reminder taunting Severus always about the unforgivable crimes he committed. And now he realized one of the grave consequences of those mistakes. Harry survived not with a simple scar but something terribly sinister, something that had the potential to drag him towards evil. And then it clicked to him. "And now I understand why you want me around Potter It's not only the Occlumency, but you want me as back up in case the Dark Lord, instead of killing Potter, decided to use him as an asset to change our future. And that's when you want me there to clean up Potter's insane or dark doings. You want me there as his Knight in shining armor. Isn't that correct, Albus." Severus demanded clearly disappointed.
"You are twisting my words Severus. We are just discussing some possibilities and precautions. What I want to make sure is no one takes advantage of a vulnerable Harry. And this link makes that easy."
"Or we can do something to sever this link." Severus suggested trying to find a way to escape what seems an eternal castigating commitment.
Dumbledore knew it was coming and was prepared to share the truth. "I was thinking of doing the same, but it seems quite difficult as the only way to disrupt the link is the death of either Tom or Harry."
"So Occlumency is the only way we have then?" Severus asked suspiciously.
"Yes, right now it is the only way I can see. So if it settles everything then allow me to inform Harry and Megan that they should expect your company from tomorrow." Dumbledore smiled with a relief.
But Severus wasn't amused. He was annoyed. "What about Black?" Severus snapped with loathing.
"No need to worry since Sirius and Remus are accompanying me today to take care of some unfinished business. To your ease I'm intending to use this opportunity to inform them about our discussion. Not about the scroll but at least about Harry needing Occlumency lessons. I know Sirius will understand the need."
"It better work, Albus." Severus replied absentmindedly as he remembered something else that was nagging him since he had the lunch with Harry and Megan."Is something bothering you?" Dumbledore asked gently observing Severus carefully.
"Yes, apart from our current discussion there are these two issues that we need to investigate."
"Go ahead." Dumbledore said noticing the genuine concern that filled Severus's eyes.
"I'm observing mild empathetic abilities in Megan. In my opinion we need to keep an eye on her until we fully understand her magical strengths. And the second issue that bothers me is the locket Potter mentioned. If you allow me I would like to help you in the investigation."
Dumbledore looked thoughtful after listening to Severus's concerns. "Severus, I must say it is an interesting development in Megan's case. There are very few empaths I know personally. And if your observations are correct then there are chances of Megan showing certain different abilities as well. But only time will tell us what those are. So in my opinion we need to be patient about her. Teach her what we can and wait until she identifies her own strength." Dumbledore paused until Severus nodded with understanding. And then he approached the second issue about the locket. "Severus, I assume Harry has told you everything about the locket that Miss Granger found in Kreacher's nest."
"Yes, he has. But the question why locket affected Potter remained unanswered. So I'm offering my help. "
"I really appreciate your offer Severus but I think I already know what this locket is. For now I'm safeguarding it as I don't want to alert Tom prematurely and make him hide the remaining items he had enchanted like this locket. I'm thinking of destroying them together. But before that we need to find the remaining."
"You mean there is more than one?" Severus asked with shock. "What are they Albus? And how you are supposed to find them? "
"It is my guess but there should be at least four to five and they can be anything like an ordinary book or something extraordinary like a priceless locket. I always praised Tom for his talent and creativity but unfortunately for him he left a trail of a few valuable witnesses who provided me with the important memories which I'm using to find out the whereabouts of those items. So what I'm thinking is if possible you should accompany me to find next one."
"A wise decision Albus. So when we are visiting this place?"
"I think day after tomorrow will be fine but let me know if something comes on your end."
"Hmm, I'm fine with it."
"That's perfect then." Dumbledore said eying the hourglass kept on the mantle. He knew it was time to leave and do what he should have done fourteen years ago. "Severus, if that's all then I must leave and visit the ministry to make few important arrangements."
"Sure, you do that and I'll make sure Pettigrew will be present for the trial."
A minute later both wizards parted ways to begin something that would bring a long awaited freedom for the wizard named, Sirius Black.
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AN: Dear readers, thank you for waiting patiently. I hope you will enjoy this chapter.