Prophecy
Harry walked back to the Gryffindor quarters. He had a lot on his mind but that was quickly overwhelmed by the scrum of students teeming in the hall. Several Hogwarts students were present, and they were attempting to restrain a burly Durmstrang wizard with murder in his eyes. The Durmstrang Champion was clearly on a mission, although Harry noted that he was at least not brandishing his wand
"Let me go." yelled an irate Viktor Krum.
"Viktor, you signed with Puddlemere United this season. If you get killed or arrested, you won't be able to play." Two red headed twins argued vociferously.
Many of the wizards there nodded in agreement. Harry knew that Puddlemere had tons of fanatical supporters but he would have never guessed that Fred and George were so loyal to any one team. The twins had always been fans of the best odds. He went to a cluster of fourth year students.
"What's going on with Krum?" he asked them.
"He is upset because of Magnus, his little brother - understandably so. He thinks that Credence or Aurelius is to blame even if Magnus has gotten better over the last month." said Hermione.
The youngest Weasley boy scowled at Hermione's sympathetic tone. He didn't understand why Hermione, a muggleborn unaware of the nuances of the British wizard world , was paying any attention to a foreigner. "Eh - if that glory hound got kicked out of England, it would serve him right. George and Fred bet on Puddlemere to win the League at 3 to 1. That's the only reason why they care." Ron asserted.
"Maybe, they think he is a good guy, and they don't want him to get into trouble." Hermione said.
"You are not buying that stupid accent, are you? Why are British birds think foreign wizards are sexy for speaking bad English. It is not even in 12 Ways to Charm a Witch." Ron complained. "HER_MY_KNEE" he said in a nasally accent not even remotely similar to Krum.
Several witches hissed at that comment. Harry hadn't realized people thought Viktor was such a prize but then again his nickname was the Bulgarian Bon Bon. Harry wasn't sure if he trusted this Aurelius fellow, but Newt and Ariana vouched for him.
He tapped the angry Krum on the shoulder. "Viktor, can I talk to you? About the person in the nursing wing?" The Durmstrang wizard nodded and Harry and Viktor walked away, not noticing the open mouths on the witches and wizards left in the hall.
Harry and Viktor went to an empty classroom. Harry cast multiple privacy spells. His cast a Finite to make sure there were no listening charms. He scanned the walls to assure himself the portraits were empty and that then cast a Muffliato to block any noise from escaping through the window.
An impatient Viktor growled when Harry finished the spells. "Is this Credence the person who attacked Magnus?"
Harry thought about his options. He could mislead Viktor. He could act mysterious like a certain Headmaster and offer evasive philosophical tidbits. Or he could just tell the truth. Harry chose the third.
"Yes, he attacked Magnus." Harry held out his hand to calm the Bulgarian. "But it is not as simple as that, Viktor."
"Vat do you mean?"
"I am not going to pretend to know completely what is going on but his fate is somehow tied to Grindelwald. Credence or Aurelius has a destiny, and he is important to how we deal with Grindelwald. I think the Dark Lord is somehow using him."
"But he was a bad man who hurt Magnus." Viktor cried.
"Credence isn't just a villain. Terrible things have happened to him. Those are the memories he showed Magnus. That is why he attacked Dumbledore. He blames the Headmaster for what happened to him."
"And is the headmaster to blame?" Viktor said.
Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, I don't know. I am quite confused myself. But I would hold off on confronting him, until we know more. He has been through a lot." Harry thought about the memories he saw of Credence's childhood as an orphan in New York.
"Okay, Harry. You are a good man and a good leader. Others may have lied to me, but I think you told me the truth. I will trust you — for now."
"Viktor, I told you what I know now. I am not saying it might not change. But the enemy isn't Credence. It is Grindelwald and Voldemort. They are the ones to blame."
"Ven the time comes, I want to help you fight them." Viktor said.
"When that time comes, we will need every wand possible.' Harry replied.
Harry exited the room to find a mass of fourth years waiting for him. He expected Daphne and Susan of course. Those two witches were ambitious and well educated on the cut and thrust of recent events. There were others though. Both Patils were there, Anthony Goldstein, Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson, and even Lavender Brown flirting with a preening Ron Weasley.
"Harry, what can you tell us about this Aurelius Dumbledore?" Daphne asked, bold as brass. Harry hesitated. He was under no obligation to share what he knew but if war came to Hogwarts from either Dark Lord, he could certainly need to call upon allies. He knew that if he didn't satisfy their curiosity, the alternative would be wild salacious rumors, much like the Daily Prophet.
"Alright, Daphne. You can all gather around. I will tell you what I know, but I am not sure how much it will satisfy you. Frankly, I am still puzzled." Harry said.
They all sat down around a large table in a deserted classroom. Harry sat down with Hermione on his left and Neville on his right. Ron would have forced himself into that seat but he was distracted by a giggling Lavender.
"First, we don't know who Credence or Aurelius is. He says he is Dumbledore's lost brother but the facts don't make sense. The three Dumbledores don't recognize him. He was clearly manipulated to attack the Headmaster but that doesn't mean he is not connected to the family." Harry said.
"Why isn't he in a jail cell? He attacked Dumbledore in front of everyone." Padma Patil said.
"He might be able to give us information on Grindelwald. But if he is a Dumbledore, then his relatives will want to help him, and figure out what happened. Imagine if you had a long lost sibling appear out of nowhere." Harry said.
"Is he working for Grindelwald?" Susan asked.
"He may have been. But Ariana wants to talk to him. Maybe Grindelwald led him astray or controlled him somehow."
"What about his age, Harry? How can he be Dumbledore's brother - he can't be much older than 20. Dumbledore is 110 years old." Ron said.
"The headmaster is actually 112." Hermione announced.
Harry didn't want to bring up time travel. He would have to bluff his way here. "We think there is some powerful magic involved, and that somehow it revolves around Grindelwald and this Credence/Aurelius person. Their fates are tied together."
"Blimey! Is he a child of prophecy? Someone who will change our world like Merlin." Ron asked. Harry could see that many of the purebloods were impressed by these hints of a mystical destiny.
"I have no idea. There is a lot more to Aurelius Dumbledore than we understand." Harry said. He could see the wheels turning in many of the clever witches there. Harry knew he would need to find out more about Aurelius, and very soon.
Far away in Little Hangleton, another wizard was curious about Aurelius Dumbledore. Voldemort seethed with the indignity of his deaths. Twice, he had been killed now, and while he was immortal, the insult was too much to bear. Yet, Voldemort was not a simpleton prone to foolish rages. Striking at Harry Potter would be infernally difficult. He had no fear of the 14 year old boy. The power of the Cloak and the Stone were different, and wholly unpredictable. The new wards backed by the ghosts of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin were also unknown. Voldemort would have to let the boy live for now.
No, Voldemort was interested in Aurelius. The obscurial had somehow slipped through and nearly slain Dumbledore. Voldemort knew that the Headmaster was dying. In a different world, he would simply wait for the curse to kill the old bugger. But, who was this assassin? And how could so young a wizard face the great Dumbledore? He hoped the wizard prostrate at his knees had the answer.
"What news from Hogwarts, Barty?" Voldemort asked greedily.
"My Lord, perhaps it is best for you to see." the man answered.
Since the debacle with Snape, Voldemort knew now that even his legilimens could be deceived. He dived in anyway, seeing the confrontation at the Great Hall. Barty had been close enough to see the boy's powerful, and hear the words of Ariana Dumbledore.
"A Blood Curse. How did this Aurelius curse Dumbledore's blood?"
"My Lord, it must have happened as Dumbledore spoke. He appeared perfectly fine, until he collapsed like a rag."
"Fool, I know about Blood Curses. But how did he get the blood? No wizard is an idiot enough to leave his blood for his enemies. Why haven't you found out more?"
"Master, this Aurelius is being guarded closely. The Minister has posted aurors around him. Ariana Dumbledore also is with him and she wants to know if he is truly her brother."
Voldemort could care less about any Dumbledore family intrigue. There was only one member of that family with any real power. Who cared about a brother tended bar at a seedy little tavern or a sister who dedicated her life to healing.
"What does Dumbledore think?" It is obvious which of the three Voldemort referred to.
"I do not know, my Lord. He has been closeted with the other teachers, attempting to research this."
"Why has he not asked for your help?" Voldemort said
"I teach Defense Against Dark Arts, not Divination." Barty replied.
"Then you must find out. Find out what these people have been saying."
Barty blanched. Even the Defense Against Dark Arts teacher, not a very well respected post at Hogwarts, enjoyed a higher status than the frauds who did Divination.
Hermione Granger tromped to the library bright and early. She had read Predicting the Unpredictable and Soothsaying Seers of the Southern Steppes last night. It was all a bunch of nonsense - about how birds, crystal balls, and the breaking of twigs could somehow forecast the future. At least, wizards didn't practice harumancy any more, and no animals were sacrificed so frauds could poke at their liver or entrails.
She was not alone in her interest. The hints that Aurelius Dumbledore was a Chosen One with a great and tragic destiny had swept through Hogwarts like the plague. The Divination section of the library had been ransacked last night, and multiple witches had been discussing omens and portents. It had rather put her off her food.
Harry was there with a slim book, looking confused and scratching his head.
"Is that?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded and turned the cover over. The Predictions of Tycho Dodonus. He showed her the quatrain he was puzzling over, and the twentieth of the fifty prophecies in the volume.
"Is he the son, or the avenger or both?" Hermione hesitantly said.
"I have no idea. I can't make tails of it. Who is the daughter in despair? And what are these wings? Are they important? Nobody knows anything about Credence, except whatever stories Grindelwald has fed him about being some great lost Dumbledore." Harry said.
"Maybe we are looking in the wrong place. We have been trying to figure out who Credence is to understand Grindelwald." Hermione said.
"So?" Harry replied.
"Maybe we should research Grindelwald." Hermione said.
"But there's nothing there. All we know is that he was killed when he was 17." Harry stopped for a second. "That's brilliant, Hermione. He was killed when he was 17 - but why? Who killed him?"
"Do you know Harry?" Hermione asked.
"No - but I know someone who might." he said. He took Hermione's hand and they left the library.
Barty climbed the narrow, tightly spiraling stairs in the North Tower. Why the Divination Classroom was held in this extremely remote area of the castle was a mystery to everyone. At last, he reached the circular trapdoor and with a quick alohomora spell, forced his way in.
The Divination class room was a mess, as always. Chairs and stools lay haphazardly about, and the smell of candles, burning incense, and a smoking fire filled the room. Barty smelled something else — sherry. Trelawney had been at the cooking wine again, no doubt so she could access her visions. Barty snorted. The place looked like a gypsy fortunate teller gone to seed, and the stifling warmth of the room could easily place any students to sleep.
Barty found Trelawney asleep, cradling a silvery crystal ball in one hand with a large conspicuously empty bottle in the other. Classes had not yet started this week, and it was clear how Sybil was preparing - by excessive drinking. Barty got ready to cast a legilimens when he heard the sound of the trapdoor opening again. He hid in a corner, behind a vast array of ugly patterned curtains, blending in easily in the cluttered room.
Dumbledore showed up, a frown on his face, as he squeezed through the trap door. He looked at the witch on the couch, and cast an Enervate.
Sybil Trelawney woke up with a start, peered through her great beetle like glasses, and gasped in surprise. "Headmaster, I had a vision of you coming. You wish to consult me."
"That is hardly a surprise. What can you tell about this so called Aurelius Dumbledore?"
"Alas, the Inner Eye is closed." She showed him the crystal ball. "I can see nothing today."
"Do you know anything about The Predictions of Tycho Dodonus?"
"A fraud no doubt! What true seer puts their prophecies on parchment? They are only meant to be uttered when the Inspiration strikes." Sybil said. That was so that she could claim that she had not make her many predictions that did not come true.
"Firenze seems unable or unwilling to help as well." A skeptical Dumbledore said.
"Firenze? How could you consult a mere horse. He has no All Seeing Eye, like a true seer." Trelawney said.
"The centaurs have their own divination, but it certainly doesn't seem practical. Firenze claims it may take years before we know the truth. And his words were ominous."
"Of course not, they just study the night sky instead of useful things - like tea cups and crystal balls. What did that half breed have to say?"
Dumbledore wondered why the teachers at Hogwarts thought they could be so prejudiced and make such nasty comments. Then he realized the answer to the question. It was because he allowed them to. He could not correct this because he had far more important things to do than take care of the education of several hundred children.
"Firenze says the alignment of the constellations has turned bleak. Mars is rampant. He says that only the sacrifice of the greatest wizard of the age can stop the coming bloodshed." Of course, it would have to come down to him, Albus thought.
"What a load of bunk! The centaur will say anything to get attention." Sybil said.
"What can you see, Sybil - It is urgent that I glean any information for the good of England."
"Headmaster, you cannot rush prophecy. The Inner Eye does not see on command. It is not some sort of plot device that you pull out whenever you like. Divination is the most sensitive of magics, unlike transfiguring dung beetles or levitating feathers or mixing smelly ingredients." She quivered in outrage.
Dumbledore took out a thick pouch and counted out twenty gold galleons. "Is this enough inspiration?" he said.
Trelawney grunted. "Have the house elves refill all my sherry bottles too." Dumbledore nodded. She opened a new bottle and took a huge swig of some reddish brown substance. Trelawney stepped from the couch to a chair. She sat up straight and she took off her ridiculous multi colored bandana. Her eyes went rigid. She gasped and made loud theatrical noises. Then she seemed to fall asleep, snoring gently.
Barty also gave himself away by snorting at the absurdity of the whole thing. Here was Albus Dumbledore, reputed to one of the greatest wizards of all time, relying on a drunk and a fraud. Barty would never say it to his face but his master, Lord Voldemort, had feared Dumbledore. And yet the Headmaster put so much faith on this twit.
Trelawney's eyes opened again, and she had lost her fawning dramatic matter. She spoke now in a low serious voice and Dumbledore paid close attention. "Aurelius Dumbledore will defeat the Dark Lord. The Chosen One must choose or else all is lost. Time is running out."
Dumbledore nodded and quickly cast an Enervate on the witch. She came to with a gasp. "Oh Hello, Albus. Did I say anything useful?"
"Yes, it was quite helpful, Sybill. You have been a great assistance to me." Albus said. "I will ask the house elves to come and tidy things up."
The Divination teacher yawned. "I am exhausted. I need some rest." She retired to her tiny bedroom, behind a concealed door in the Divination Classroom. Dumbledore left as well, whistling a happy tune. After a few minutes passed, a pasty young man with straw hair emerged. He looked carefully to make sure the coast was clear, and then took the ladder down.
Barty Crouch was not sure if it was all mummery, but the young man in the Nursing wing was a possible danger to Voldemort. His master would have to be told.