Chapter 21 – Repercussions
Sirius Black wasn't yet fully recovered from his stay in Azkaban. Physically he was well, perhaps psychologically also, but there were consequences...
Since he was saved from his cell, he had received many surprises, and continues to receive them. Each astonishment was accompanied by a strange sense of absurdity, as if at the same time he was still living in the same world he had left when he was arrested but also in another one very different, just connected with that by the faintest traces of similarity.
It was amazing and absurd to discover his godson, who had just begun his studies at Hogwarts, being the most advanced and powerful magical practitioner in the world. It was amazing and absurd to discover that the greatest advances in magic since Merlin came mainly from a muggle woman younger than him. It was amazing and absurd to find that, while he had been arrested for a decade without being sentenced, Lucius Malfoy, so guilty, had been free with the excuse of being controlled. It was amazing and absurd to figure out the degree of corruption that the magical government was immersed in, and everyone accepting the situation without complaint. It was amazing and absurd to discover that he began to accept the whole situation without feeling crazy.
Life had taken on a surreal tone. Sometimes he felt like a mere character in a play, suffering amnesia about his real identity, fearing for the time the show was over and he didn't know what to do next. Other times the feeling was the opposite, as if everyone was crazy and he was the only sane, but unable to convince the rest of the extent of their problems or their need to treat themselves. There were times when he felt like a child, still needing an adult to take him by the hand and help him in his first steps, while in others he felt too old to keep up with the breakneck pace of events. When he struggle trying to understand what happened, he felt a kind of nausea, as if everything began to spin too fast for the eye to follow...
The visit to Hogsmeade was interesting, but served as proof to him that he was not yet ready to live outside the Foundation. Helping defend those people from the attack of Acromantulas made him feel alive and useful, but the fact that such danger have existed for so long so close to a village and a school ... It was another difficult absurd to swallow, so far of the methodical and rational life at the Foundation!
Another facet of this absurd was the sense of nostalgia that had taken Sirius at seeing Hogsmeade again after a decade. No changes! The shops were the same, with the same façade in the same colours. Sirius would bet high that the same people were still selling the same products. It was as if the place had stopped in time without a change. But, why?
After returning to the Foundation he couldn't sleep. The contrast between the Foundation and Hogsmeade was so striking! Here every day was full of surprises and novelties, always something new to do or discover, one more step away from what was and close to what could be. And there in Hogsmeade things remained as they were, each day a repetition of the previous one.
A crazy thought, perhaps even subversive or heretical, crossed his mind: what value would immortality have if every day was lived only as a copy of the previous one, if there was nowhere to go, if everything was always the same as it had been? People complain about the brevity of life, but they let themselves fall into the routine of the day-to-day as if there was nothing more, nothing better to do. They lived with no goals to achieve, without a direction to follow, just repeating today what they did yesterday, as if security in repetition and stagnation was better than the uncertainty of progress and change. Fear, they were afraid of changes.
But what right had he to judge those people? Would it be worth trying to change them if they didn't want to change? Gradually he began to understand the position of his godson and others in the foundation: he had the right to disagree and find another way, but didn't have the right to impose his way to others. All he could do was give an example of the alternatives available, but he must respect the right of every one of them to make their choice to follow or reject the option.
When Sirius realized how much progress the Foundation had done, how many riches had being accumulated and how much power they could get with a few wizards and witches dominating that knowledge and that new form of magic, he thought immediately in starting a revolution and transform the magical world, bringing them to the present and pointing out the direction of the future. Now he was beginning to understand that he would have become another tyrant, another Dark Lord, wanting to impose their conception of what the world should be to people who do not agree with their ideals. Now he saw that the only revolution that we can really do was within ourselves, and that any attempt to change others was doomed to failure if it is imposed by force. The Foundation was right: what could be done, which was worth to be done, was to set an example and support those who chose to follow them of their own accord. Anything else would be a form of violence, an imposition of the will of one over the will of another.
How complicated was it all, and how limited were what could be done and how quickly it could be done!
Remus was the intellectual of their group; it might be time to renew that friendship. He was already helping the Foundation as one of the translators. Sirius knew him well and knew how the environment and objectives of the Foundation would be good to his friend. As soon as the others woke Sirius planned to expose his motives and ask if Remus could receive a chance to participate more actively in everything.
-o0o-
When Lucius Malfoy began acting it was not quite day, the sun just a promise on the horizon. There was much to be done, and the goblins were the first in his list, and luckily the first to be available at morning.
Banks are great, while you do not need a lot of them, at which point you become a hostage and victim of high interest rates, exorbitant fees and special fees for every little service out in a reasonable time. When he left the bank, the mighty lord Malfoy felt like a totally shorn sheep prepared for slaughter. But at least half of his fortune was safe: part with his child in a safe to ensure his studies and the early post-school life; part with his wife in a safe under her maiden name; and the biggest part, his, divided between numbered accounts without indication of the owner, in the Zurich, Paris and Amsterdam branches of Gringotts bank.
Next step, that clown Fudge and the Daily Prophet. With his defence ready, it was time to start some attacks.
-o0o-
Dumbledore began his day a little later and a little less excited. His mission, as promised to madam Bones the night before, was to eliminate all traces of traps and protections put to the Philosopher's Stone, and return the stone to its rightful owners, before breakfast in the morning. That the defences put in the twenty meters of corridor to the door that housed Fluffy were most ingenious and difficult to overcome than those imagined by himself and his best teachers would be a shame to the Hogwarts headmaster for a long time.
-o0o-
Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody left his tour thru the floo network with wand in hand and his magical eye scanning the entire place for threats, before turning to the woman sitting comfortably in an armchair waiting for him.
"Good morning, Amelia. What so important happened for you to interrupt my breakfast? "
"A lot, Alastor. Start by seeing those memories of my visit to Hogwarts last night," said the woman, pointing to the Pensieve on the table before her.
Madam Bones managed to put much of her paperwork in order until finally, his old friend and mentor has completed his analysis of the memories.
"That crazy old man is impossible; always complicating what could be easier! How much trouble he is in this time, Amelia? "
"For my part I do not know yet. I'll let Fudge and the Wizengamot make their moves before deciding. Even if displease me to allow Albus keep his multiple positions, I have to consider that any substitutes may be even worse than him."
"Indeed!" said Alastor, laughing at large. "What a situation, huh? And what is my situation, Amelia? What do you expect of me?"
"Quirrell" she said simply.
"Much better and more useful than hunt the ghosts that I have been recently hunting."
Amelia raised an eyebrow, silently questioning her friend about his latest adventures.
"Albus asked me to find Sirius, the Lovegoods and little Potter. No tracks from any of them since August, except for the trial of Pettigrew" he said. "I'm happy to leave this quest for another more important. Even now I have a good guess at where to start ... Albus mentioned something about Albania in one of our conversations."
"Unfortunately, I cannot offer much help at the moment, except from my own pocket. The Ministry has not helped, by contrast, has only cut my budget year after year, and I do not trust Fudge taking the right decisions, not with Malfoy muttering suggestions for him every other day."
"I know very well what the situation is, Amelia. That's why I left the Department."
-o0o-
Lucius was lucky. Fudge arrived alarmed and in despair at the Ministry, watching the world falling upon his head without knowing where to run. He had read (in secret, of course, like all members of the Ministry do) the full report of the night's events in The Critical Thinker, and was panic-stricken. It was enough that Lucius displayed a calm posture and confidence that everything could be used on their behalf for the Minister to stay docile and cooperative. Soon they were at the offices of The Daily Prophet, Lucius saying what he wanted to be done and Fudge placidly giving its approval.
-o0o-
"Albus, we're talking about Voldemort, who caused so many deaths!" yelled Alastor Moody, reinforcing his words with his fist on the table of the old headmaster. "With an enemy like that in the loose, why do you insist on looking for such a young boy who did nothing wrong?"
"Alastor, young Potter is critical to the survival of our society. Trust me at this point."
"No, Albus, you know me and know that I only trust myself," said the ex-Auror, "My current priority is Voldemort. If you want me to change my mind, give me facts for it."
"Alastor, I would love to provide you with more information, but it is too risky. You must trust me in this case. Nothing is more important at this time than to bring the little Potter under our control and protection again. Before that, any confrontation with Voldemort will be premature and doomed to failure."
"By Merlin's seven horns, Albus, if you think I'll let Voldemort free to prepare forces against us to leave in search of a boy who has suffered enough and who is in the custody of his lawful guardian without a valid reason and not just your mysterious and unexplained statements, you are more senile than I thought!"
-o0o-
With The Daily Prophet aware of its new role, and a credit line from the Ministry to finance its activities, the next step in Lucius Malfoy agenda was to move the Wizengamot against Dumbledore and to block Amelia from improving the DMLE. Who knows, maybe he could get two victims with a single spell? Fudge was so cooperative that it might work...
-o0o-
Rita Skeeter isn't a person accustomed to failure. Rita never gave victory to anyone, and does not expect to start now. So The Critical Thinker can bring the facts to the reader before The Daily Prophet? One advantage, of course, but not everything in journalism comes down to speed. Emotion! This is what drives most people, and that's what Rita will provide the readers, to win them back.
The visit of the powerful Lucius Malfoy and the Minister of Magic himself had been a blessing for the famous but hated journalist. For some time she had been arguing that the newspaper must adopt a harder line to face the competition. Finally she had received carte blanche to act the way she wanted! Well, she was not quite so free, it became clear during the meeting who were the prime targets and who was safe, at least for now, from the bitterness of her quills, but it was a considerable progress, and Lucius' ideas were a recipe for the 'journalistic creativity' of Rita.
Target number one: Dumbledore. After all, the old man had committed several slips and putting the lives of children at risk, beyond what Malfoy made an interesting business proposition for a bit of bad publicity over the old man. Target number two: The Critical Thinker. They would place the opponent as an instrument of a secret and unscrupulous group, perhaps from abroad, wanting to subvert order and peace of the good British magical people, manipulating information, undermining the economy, deriding traditions and customs, criticizing their renowned and esteemed school and trying to put the people against the government to advance their vested interests. Target number three: the Boy-Who-Betrayed-Us, manipulated by these vested interests, serving as a naive spokesman for the foreign group operating The Critical Thinker, helping to damage the image of our government and our country abroad, instigating dissatisfaction among us and trying to subvert order.
Yes, this would be the way, shouting loudly to defend the ideals of the magic society and Britain, placing herself in the position of the defender of fatherland against harmful external influences, creating a conflict in which the Critical Thinker is the enemy and the Daily Prophet the stronghold to fight the forces of evil! And Rita would be the spokesman of this movement, the tireless warrior using her pen as the most powerful weapon in this movement for the nation and its traditions. And the readers would be eager to buy every new edition of the Daily Prophet, to be instructed by her, Rita Skeeter, about the new attempts to manipulate Britain magical society and how they should proceed to get rid of the danger that surrounded them.
-o0o-
"Are you sure, Lucius? Amelia Bones? She never seemed ambitious, always the loyal and hardworking Hufflepuff ..." commented the Minister to his most important adviser.
"Think about it, Cornelius. You are the Minister of Magic, should be the most knowledgeable person in the government, and the natural leader in any major action. And how you learned of what happened last night? Through a publication whose owners we don't know, and whose interests are unknown to us, while Amelia was there with a group of Aurors, participating in the defence of Hogsmeade, the capture of the trolls and the confrontation against the mad professor, knowing where to be and what to do while you slept peacefully, ignoring everything that was going on. Of course she and The Critical Thinker are in cahoots, acting together to improve Amelia's image while throwing mud on your reputation as a leader in our community. It's a shame, but I am sure that all this is part of a coup being prepared against you, Cornelius, and we must act with determination to protect ourselves from this serious threat."
"I'll fire Amelia immediately and will open an inquiry to ascertain all the facts!"
"No!" Lucius objected vehemently. "Amelia received a lot of publicity with her actions yesterday; it would be political suicide to attack her now. We must act carefully, first to undermine her position, and then eliminate the threat, or a popular demonstration could make Amelia even more dangerous."
"We put Skeeter against her?" Fudge suggested.
"Oh, yes, soon, but first we will make you regain some prestige, using yesterday's events. Call the press to a news conference in the afternoon. Give Amelia an Order of Merlin, third class will be enough, to have followed your orders so well to protect efficiently the Hogsmeade community and the children of Hogwarts."
"Orders? What orders?" asked Cornelius naively, but he realized what Lucius had in mind quickly, seeing the mischievous expression of his friend. "Yes, yes, protection orders, of course. It was a department of the Ministry who acted quickly to avoid disaster. And it is fair that the Minister receive part of the good publicity when the Ministry manages so resounding victory!"
"Of course, Cornelius. But Amelia not having told you everything that was happening was a serious mistake on her part. We will use this error as justification to reduce a bit her power, and make it clear who is in control. And she will have to conform that any success her department had is a victory of the whole Ministry, and in particular of the minister."
"If Amelia has intentions about my job, I need to neutralize it ... The problem is that Rufus would be the natural replacement for her, and he seems to be even more dangerous politically..."
"Dawlish is loyal to you, Cornelius. Maybe we can give him a little push up the hierarchy, so that he can assume Amelia's post in the near future, leaving Rufus behind. Maybe we could create a personal guard to the Minister, led by him and independent of the DMLE... We can think about it later. At the moment, you should prepare for this conference and how to benefit from Amelia's success, making clear your position as leader."
"What about Dumbledore, you think we can lower his power?"
"Let Skeeter release some of her articles first. Even if she cannot mobilize the population, they will generate some questions that we can use to our advantage. After all, more than a Constitution is the popularity of a political the factor that determines what he can or cannot do. With your popularity at high and his at low it will be easy to disarm him."
"Do you think he will insist in that farce about Voldemort being back, Lucius? This is unthinkable! You can't return from the Beyond! Voldemort is dead and buried, and that's final! But people still fear his name; it will be chaos if people believe this lie!"
"Another reason to debilitate Dumbledore as soon as possible, Cornelius. We must be hard with Amelia. You must determine the position that all government officials must abide by, and make it clear that there is no room for dissent in the government. As for Dumbledore, the Prophet would not publish his statements and the Critical Thinker will soon have its credibility questioned. The old man will be talking to himself, and if he persists, will put his lucidity in doubt. This could even give us the opportunity to interfere at Hogwarts..."
-o0o-
Among the night's events, the hours of insomnia to digest all the news, the talk with Alastor earlier in the day and the coordination of the attack on what was left of the Acromantula colony in the morning, Amelia was exhausted when she returned to the Ministry for a late lunch. She was totally surprised by the Minister at seeing herself in front of a small crowd in the lobby of the Ministry, receiving an Order of Merlin third class and being escorted to the first fireplace with the rest of the day and the following off to rest from her exemplary service to the magical community. All that she could say in the meantime was a "thank you" when receiving the medal.
Now well rested, Amelia was furious.
In front of her on the table, the Daily Prophet brought Cornelius Fudge's photograph taking almost the entire first page, with the headline in bold letters 'This man saved us all!'
The interior of the newspaper had such an amount of lies that Amelia had to work hard to keep reading and get a picture of the type and size of advertising effort which she faced. For those who had lived through the events of that night, the distance between what actually happened and what was stamped there was unbelievable.
Britain was some time ago one of the more conservative countries among the European magical communities, along with Russia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Albania, Turkey and Greece. Quirinus Quirrell, in the previous year, would have been co-opted as an agent of a progressive group to destabilize this position, trying to get the British wizarding society to repudiate their traditions and customs, and to join the Progressive Bloc. How? Causing tragedy to be attributed to the name of which had recently been the greatest advocate of these same traditions: You-Know-Who! His hope was to cause such commotion about to take the quiet and unsuspecting British wizarding society to repudiate such calamities with such force that the traditions and customs that have generated such monstrosity would be set aside in favour of libertarian and progressive ideals.
The Machiavellian plan of these foreign forces began to unfold with the creation of an international publication focused on the advertising of these heretical and revolutionary ideas, and dissemination of carefully architected lies to ridicule and vilify the ancient and honourable institutions in the country: the Critical Thinker. While Quirrell, the traitor was prepared to run the sordid genocide and infanticide plans against Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, the nefarious foreign group would have taken advantage of a misjudgement of the very old and overloaded Albus Dumbledore to abduct and indoctrinate the Boy-Who-Lived, using the voice of the little British hero against his own people, as if he endorsed and defended the ideals of this wicked criminal group.
Page after page, the publication followed in elaborate mental ruminations suggesting various ways this insidious terrorist organization have infiltrated the country and installed doubts and insecurities in the hearts and minds of the poor British wizards and witches, setting the stage for the decisive blow, which only did not occur by the heroic and patriotic actions of one man, Cornelius Fudge.
Amelia was amazed. She never expected that Cornelius had the ability or the courage to participate in such a coup d'état. Goebbels and Machiavelli would be impressed with the job. It was clear that Fudge hadn't done everything alone; Malfoy's finger was clearly present, especially in the defence of the traditions that, in practice, meant to maintain power in the hands of the thoroughbred's conservatives.
It was a masterstroke, she had to agree even if contradicted. And the articles presented the Minister as a kind of Sherlock Holmes, able to have extracted, from the turn of events, the conclusion about the tragedy that was to come, and to take the necessary measures to obstruct the outlandish plans of the terrorists.
But the worst is that Amelia felt dirty and destroyed. She received an Order of Merlin 'for her efficiency in compliance with the orders of her valiant minister' and was placed on the mere position of auxiliary in the events. The Foundation, which solved all the problems almost alone, was now nation's enemy number one. Voldemort, who was at large and extremely dangerous, was said to be just a well-meaning but misguided defender of the traditions under external attack, and definitely defeated in 1981. Oh sure! But what really hurt was the Ministerial Order that she received during the delivery ceremony of the medal, and that only now she could read, decreeing that this ridiculous story was the official position of the Ministry, and that any dissent would be treated as an act of treason to be tried by a court martial.
-o0o-
"This minister is going too far! How could he distort the truth so much? We need to do something drastic against this infamy!" commented Paul Zurkhof while seeing the same article that left Madam Bones so upset.
"How we are rebels today! Adolescence arrived earlier?" Hermione joked.
"My rebellion is against ignorance. I don't think I will go through a rebellious phase just because I'm going into adolescence. By the way ... maybe all this talk that teenagers are rebels is the result of ignorance more than the hormones ... Uh, I need to think better of it, but I think you gave me an interesting idea..."
"How so? Isn't it long-established that teenagers are rebellious by nature?"
"Oh, no. This is a relatively recent myth, and only in Western societies, or Westernized. If I'm not mistaken, this concept originated in the United States in 1905. Before that there was no talk of adolescent rebellion, and anthropologists have found no signs of it outside of Western culture, so it should not be something hormonal or everybody would pass through the same problem."
"But ... what ignorance has to do with it?"
"Everything! Radio, newspapers and magazines began disseminating information about that time, as most young people was gaining access to higher education. Before, the universities were the privilege of the rich, and basically just went there the children of those who also studied there. But the popularization of education created a large gap that lasted several generations, each one studying more and better than the last. Imagine the size of the generation's gap between a time when almost no one was studying to one in which almost no one stops studying! Imagine conservative and ignorant parents trying to impose their will and traditions to the children who learned much more about the world than they ever would know!"
"Interesting. Then you think this whole story of rebellion is only valid when the children are learning much more than their parents, and trying to get rid of what you think are out-dated customs and superstitions? And as Beth is as intelligent and involved as you, you will not experience the same problems, is it? "
"Maybe... I need to think better about it, but I think that makes sense. Don't you think?"
-o0o-
A week later…
"Lucius Malfoy was here, Albus. I offered to call you, but he preferred to not see you. He came for little Draco. His child no longer studies with us."
"I assume that he has claimed the recent events as proof that his heir in is danger, isn't it? I bet he will use the fact against me in the Wizengamot. Where the boy will study? Durmstrang, I presume?"
"Oh, no. One of the Italian schools. The one at Florence, I believe, to be close to his betrothed. Lucius signed a marriage contract between Draco and a girl from a lower magical branch of the Borgia family. Don't you find it strange?"
"He's afraid, Minerva. I bet Narcissa will be living out of the country soon too. The position of power and fortune that Voldemort promised Lucius, he achieved without the help of his master, and now he fears losing that position with the return of Voldemort. Makes sense."
"Do you think he will refuse to follow You-Know-Who if he comes back?"
"No, the mark on his arm is proof that he has no such freedom. But he is doing his best to save the rest of his family, which is more than I expected. Changing the subject, did you see the new article in 'Transfiguration Today' about a new simplest form of animal-to-animal transfiguration?"
"With so much work to be done here after everything that happened on Halloween? Frankly, Albus, my readings were already lagging well before that, I don't know when I will have free time again!"
"Ah yes. What a pity! Once again, the urgent takes us a chance to deal with the important!"
-o0o-
Sunday, November 17, 1991, Lily Evans Foundation
"Calmer now, Amelia?" asked Selena, visibly worried about his guest.
"Much better, thank you. When I received the news about the creation of this 'Special Ministerial Task Force' I spent almost an hour thinking of different ways to kill Cornelius and Lucius slowly and painfully. I cannot understand how they managed to subvert the order so much in so little time!"
"Propaganda, Amelia" said Xenophilius. "They are manipulating public opinion admirably, though terribly harmful. They are putting irrational fears in the minds of the people, and selling themselves as the solution to all problems. I'm really sorry we can't lower the level of The Critical Thinker to the same game as them. We would lose the credibility we have achieved with the most critical part of the society in exchange for a chance that may not materialize to convince the portion that is less critical."
"I understand. I just really needed to vent. For years I have been asking for funds to expand and improve the DMLE, and nothing! Then comes this 'Special Force' taking a tenth of my Aurors and a fifth of my money, with new uniforms, better pay, more training, special armours in Dragon leather... All I wanted for my employees is given as gift for that force, while my aurors are in an even worse position than before. It's all so unfair!"
"But we will be balancing this soon, Amelia" interfered Sirius. "Basilisk leather is even more effective than dragon hide. You will have your armours. And, being a Black family donation to the DMLE, current laws ensure that Cornelius may not interfere with or take ownership of them."
"And you will also have access to new weapons and devices that we are creating. This will give your staff a significant advantage both against Cornelius' force as against the Death Eaters if they return to active" Beth assured.
"It's more a matter of 'when' than 'if' they come back," said Amelia.
"But you and we also will be prepared," said Xenophilius. "How prepared depends in part on you, Amelia."
"You will have a couple of Dementors soon to make your experiences" Amelia assured. "From what you showed me of your researches, I'm sure that there is no group more likely to find a way to destroy these vile creatures than you. I really hope you can. But some of your ideas are too radical. As much as I approve them as a citizen, I cannot involve myself with them as head of DMLE."
"We understand perfectly, Amelia" assured Sirius. "But in no way I can conceive the idea of giving a chance for my dear cousin Bellatrix to go back on the streets next to her nefarious master."
"We're talking about premeditated murder. It is something I promised to fight against with all my strength," said Amelia, a shiver running through her body to the size and the radicalism of the proposed solution.
"In my opinion, it is an act of war in order to weaken the enemy forces and save the lives of defenceless civilians" argued Xeno.
Sighing resignedly, Amelia finally granted. "Just keep the children as far as possible from these actions."
Taking a sip of her tea, Amelia was distracted from the serious conversation watching her niece happily playing with the other kids in the pool. Nothing like a magical greenhouse to produce a perfect summer day in the middle of November in Wales. Interesting how, with all the technological advance, water was still the best known toy for children.
-o0o-
November 23, 1991, fortress on the banks of the Osum River, Albania
"Quirinus, open the door so Nagini could enter" Voldemort commanded the only servant at his disposal at the moment, seeing the former teacher walk with uncertain step by the ancient fortress hall.
They were lucky in their clash against former Auror Moody. The old man surprised them at night while they were resting after dinner, and he almost won, except for the providential warning from Nagini. Moody's spell would cut Quirinus in half without the warning, and Voldemort, still attached to the body of his young servant, would again be little more than a wandering spirit. Quirinus losing his left foot had been a small price to pay in such a situation. Voldemort conjured a new foot for him in pure silver after recovering his body.
It was providential to have stopped to plunder the tomb of his muggle father before leaving England. With these bones, the amputated foot of Quirinus and the blood shed by Mad-Eye before his escape, Voldemort had finally recovered his body. Too bad 'Avada Kedavra' was such a long incantation, or the ex-Auror would also be ex-living.
Voldemort quietly watched the approach of his familiar, and now horcrux, snaking animatedly on the stone floor of the great hall, a bulge in its lean body proving that the snake had found food in its hunt.
The ritual to create the Horcrux had gone well, and Voldemort was aware of his success, but something else had happened. His recovery was taking more time than ever, and he knew that his body, being new and reconstituted by ritual, not fully explained his weakness and the strange sensations that he had been feeling ever since. He was having difficulty concentrating; his thoughts were less human... more instinctive and violent. And the emotions took him more easily now. As soon as he began to think about how to hurt Dumbledore he left the plans aside to revel in his will to make the old man suffer, his hatred burning in his veins like wildfire.
Had he reached the limit of division of his soul? Was he unable to create more Horcruxes? It was a question that no book could answer, because he was farther than any other had ever dared. It would be prudent to wait for more information before attempting to create another horcrux.
With Nagini constantly under his guard and the diary hidden in a distant and inaccessible place to normal wizards, he felt safer. It was time to start planning, seeking to gather his old servants and search for new allies. Malfoy had done a good job disguising his return, but it was wise not to expect that these measures will persist for long.
-o0o-
At the Foundation…
"It wasn't a wise choice to use a snake for a Horcrux, was it?" asked Beth, analysing the data obtained from the new sensors. Fortunately, despite the work involved, they now count with a new type of sensor that remained undetected under common revelation spells installed in places under surveillance: Voldemort, Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts, Azkaban, the Minister's office, the Wizengamot, the Daily Prophet's offices, the former Death Eaters' houses and even at Amelia's office (with her knowledge and approval). They were constantly monitored by the members of the Foundation. They had even discovered the location of the house that Lucius bought in Italy for his wife and son, and it was under the Fidelius Charm now! It was important to be always one step ahead of the enemy.
Too bad they could only find Voldemort after he already have hidden the diary, thanks to information provided by Moody to Amelia, and promptly sent to the Foundation. The old Auror had been a little unwise to attack Quirinus and his guest without back-up, and nearly paid with his life for the temerity of his act. Luckily they hadn't put blockades against Apparition or portkeys, allowing the escape of the former Auror when his wand was destroyed and he was bleeding from multiple wounds.
"No," said Xeno. "It's the first time I ever heard of using a living being as horcrux, except for the accident with Potter. Even if the magic involved extend the life of the snake, it would reach at maximum the double of its normal lifespan, which would give an expected 30 to 40 years of life in total. We can subtract about 10 years of that total as its current age, and reached an estimated duration for this Horcrux of no more than 30 years."
"Does he know any way to transfer the soul fragment from the snake to some object?" Beth asked again.
"I hope not, but we do not know" said Xeno.
"And Dumbledore? Did the old man managed to escape unharmed?" asked Sirius.
"Not at all, his image came quite tarnished, but he still retains all his positions, although the fight for the leadership of the Wizengamot was a complicated case," said Xeno. "By the way, you were involved in it, even indirectly."
"I? How?" Sirius asked startled.
"To keep his position in the Wizengamot, Dumbledore made some concessions to Lucius Malfoy" said Xeno. "One was interceding with the new school of his son, the young Draco would enter among the first-graders this year rather than restart his studies only next year. Other was not resisting the creation of Cornelius' Special Force. The other point is that Dumbledore promised to intercede with you so that Draco is recognized as presumptive heir to the Black family."
"Crazy, completely crazy!" Said Sirius amazed. "My heir is determined from the day he was born, and nothing will make me take that position from my godson!"
"We know, Sirius" Beth confirmed. "And Dumbledore knows too, and that must be why he offered to help Lucius, knowing it is an empty promise that never would come true. But Lucius has hopes, and thinks that the weight of Dumbledore's support can change your mind. He probably thinks you are still loyal to the 'leader of the Light'."
"And the schools? How are they progressing?" asked Xeno, changing the subject.
"Definitely will open on the first Monday after New Year. January sixth. It's everything ready here on the island and also Germany and the United States. We are progressing well with France, Sweden, Japan, Brazil, Australia and India. The situation is a little slower with Mexico, Iran, China, the Philippines and Greece, but we hope that will be resolved satisfactorily and at time. We have serious difficulties in Africa, bad memories of the colonialism and the imperialism are playing against us, but Egypt, South Africa, Zaire and Senegal have shown interest. If we already had a functioning school to show them, it would be almost certain they would accept. Maybe we can do show them one functioning around the middle of next year. Poland, Portugal, Peru, Georgia, Switzerland, Pakistan and Singapore are in the same boat: we having a functioning school so that they can assess and exam, they will be willing to consider our proposal" summarized Beth. "The Greengrasses made a huge effort presenting our ideas to the magical communities that have expressed interest."
"Excellent, and the hiring of teachers, how is it going?" asked Sirius, happy with the progress reported.
"Oh, your friend Remus is taking care of it, that is why he isn't here with us today," said Selene. "He has been admirable in his efforts. And his proficiency in various languages has been a real treasure."
"Great. It is good to know that the old wolf is being useful and has his own income. He refuses to let me help him," said Sirius.
"Yes, he's a little proud in this regard. But he's a fantastic, highly motivated person with a wide cultural background," said Beth. "An excellent resource for the Foundation! And about the students, with so many children to make overnight trips now we have almost complete listings for each country. Oh, and the adolescence barrier is confirmed for their 'ghost travels'."
"Really? How it was confirmed?" said Xeno.
"Older students joined them," said Selene. "The Weasley twins were the first, even before Halloween. They brought after four friends. The only one who is able to enter voluntarily in this state is Katie Bell, a second-year student. The twins and their friend Lee Jordan, only with the help of someone calling them. The three are third-years and born in 1979. Two third-year girls, Alicia and Angelina, born in the previous year, have passed through menarche and could not follow the others, even when they call the girls. Other older students joined them and followed the same picture."
"Well, a pity that there is a limit, but at least now we are aware of it, and how important it is to reach the students as soon as possible" concluded Xeno.