Chapter 35

Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts

"I must be in hell," Ron commented when he saw Malfoy casually take a seat next to Harry at the Gryffindor table. By the looks of it, the Slytherin "ferret" intended to have breakfast with them.

"Whatever you say, Weasel," the said "ferret" replied, mildly amused. The half smile on Draco's lips died as soon as he saw Ginny looking at him from two seats down the table.

School had resumed and students were back at Hogwarts, prepared to begin courses once again, some of them extremely excited to attend Apparition classes in particular. Hermione had already read an entire book on the matter.

Ron looked belligerently at Malfoy, who had the nerve to sit with them as if it was the most natural thing he could do. What annoyed him even more was the fact that Harry wasn't doing anything to get rid of him.

Malfoy conjured a fork and eyed Harry's plate with interest.

"Too bad we have Herbology this morning," he drawled. "I wish we had a free period for once. I have something to tell you Potter, you won't believe what happened last night. I was brilliant."

"I have no doubt about that, Malfoy," Harry snorted, pushing Draco's fork away from his plate. "Get your own food, you snake."

"Such bad manners, Potter, tsk, tsk," Malfoy made a hurt face and grabbed a plate, stuffing it with eggs and bacon.

"What are you going to do about my manners, tell your daddy?" Harry taunted, quivering with laughter.

"Shut up, Potty. You should have seen me, I was amazing." He bowed to Harry's ear, so only the Gryffindor would hear his explanation. "Parkinson attacked us at the safehouse last night. I got him so well he will not dare to cross my path ever again. Almost sent him to Riddle in a matchbox as a present. He deserved it... how dare him attack my family, imagine."

"Is your mother all right?" Harry whispered.

"They are OK, but they had to leave the house. They are with Dumbledore now; he is arranging another accommodation for them."

Ron looked from Malfoy to his best friend, distaste written all over his freckled face. He had been right to try to keep the Slytherin away from his younger sister. He did not know what had gotten into Ginny to accept him as her date to the Winter masked ball, but having to put up with her moping most of the time during holidays had been really getting on his nerves. He had finally managed to get rid of Lavender Brown for a short period and Hermione had also spent the holidays with them at the Burrow this time. It could have been a nice vacation, had Hermione not spent all her time comforting Ginny in her room. His sister was usually strong and composed, but since the ball she had seemed extremely depressed to him. His worst fears were confirmed when Ginny spent the entire breakfast time throwing daggers at Malfoy with her eyes.

"Have you seen Liliana this morning?" Harry asked Draco quietly, dropping his teasing act.

"Yeah, she came back in the morning, stains of blood on her clothes. It did not seem like her own though. She was not hurt. We did not get to speak, people were already up."

"She went to meet her contact person right after midnight," Harry told him. He had no idea who the person was.

"What the fuck?..." Draco yelped. "No way!"

He stood up abruptly, only to feel a hand on his shoulder pushing him back in his seat.

"Bon appétit, Malfoy," he heard a familiar voice, and Liliana sat down at his side.

Ginny threw her a menacing glance that Slytherin girl ignored.

"Good morning," she said, smiling. "You don't mind if I join you for a few moments, do you?" she asked.

Nobody bothered to answer. Ginny's eyes were instantly attracted to the black notebook Liliana had put on the table when summoning a plate and a goblet. Ginny would have recognized that notebook anywhere and she shivered. She tried to catch Harry's eye, but he seemed now focused on something that Hermione was telling him.

"Bloody hell!" Seamus Finnigan suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to him. "I can't believe it!"

He had just received the new edition of Daily Prophet. The title on the front page he read out loud made everyone cringe: "He-who-must-not-be-named makes another appearance. Gellert Grindelwald killed in duel against the Dark Lord."

The metallic sound of a goblet hitting the marble floor interrupted the silence which followed Finnigan's words. The Gryffindors watched Liliana stand up slowly and walking to Seamus, snatching the newspaper from his hand. She was dead-pale as she skipped through the article, the other people at the table watching her silently, uncomprehendingly.

Several pictures and titles on the front page gave a good idea of what the article contained. There was no doubt, Gellert Grindelwald had been killed on the evening when Voldemort had interrupted their family reunion at Nurmengard. A smaller title said that Dumbledore had been present as well and trying to hide the facts. Rita Skeeter was promising full disclosure of Dumbledore's secrets in her new book. From her point of view, Dumbledore had been an accomplice to Voldemort's crime this time.

Liliana let the newspaper fall on the table. Her eyes briefly met Snape's anxious ones from across the room, before she turned around and practically charged out of the Great Hall. Snape immediately got up and followed her. Harry also made a move to stand, but Draco laid a hand on his arm:

"This is not for us to deal with, Potter."

Reluctantly, he resumed his seat.

Dumbledore had been waiting for Liliana to appear at any moment since he had seen the newspaper first thing in the morning. Therefore, he was not at all surprised to see her bursting into his office uninvited, a murderous expression on her face. He was happy he had just instructed Hagrid to take the Malfoys to another safehouse in Bulgaria. At least one pressing matter was out of the way.

He had been perhaps too confident in his ability to discuss anything diplomatically with Liliana, because before he could even reach for the wand on his desk an invisible force pinned him to the wall behind him. He tried to summon his wand, but it was too late. Nothing could get through the force she had created; a dead weight seemed to be crushing his chest and he had to fight for air.

She advanced cautiously in his direction, as if trying to make sure he would not be able to escape before she was too close. Taking the Elder Wand from his desk, she studied it with detached interest before putting it back in its place.

"Miss Karkaroff," Dumbledore said. "I hope you do not take for truth everything Rita Skeeter wrote in that article."

The Slytherin Heiress closed the remaining distance between the two of them, until they were mere inches apart.

"Did you kill my grandfather?" she asked coldly.

Dumbledore tried to breathe deeply. The crushing sensation was still there.

"No, Liliana, please use your logic…" he started. "Is this really necessary? Let's sit down and talk openly."

Her eyes fastened on his.

"Did you participate or not participate in my grandfather's murder?" she reiterated, slightly reformulating her previous question.

"No, I did not!" Dumbledore spat, furious in face of her lack of consideration. "I would have never killed or hurt your grandfather!"

Something about the underlying anger at the accusation she had made against him prompted her to finally react, and the force crushing his chest dissipated.

"Why were you at Nurmengard that night?" she asked.

"You were there that night as well." Dumbledore replied evenly. "Voldemort had retrieved his wand and he could only get it from you. I know you went there, Liliana, and that you met with Gellert."

"I asked first!" she retorted.

"I thought you understood by now. I had set guards to inform me if you came to meet Gellert! I informed the ministry that Voldemort might try to contact your grandfather, but in fact I was expecting you to contact him. I thought you might try to help him escape from prison."

Liliana seemed only mildly surprised.

"Yes, but I wouldn't have expected you to show up in person," she said; she waved her hand and the force holding the headmaster against the wall disappeared. "Why did you go there?"

Dumbledore breathed deeply before answering:

"I wanted to persuade Gellert not to leave Nurmengard. Had he left, he would have been in more danger than in prison. I would have had to chase him down."

"I bet you would have enjoyed that," Liliana spat resentfully. "It felt nice, did it not, seeing Voldemort slain him right in front of you? Admit it! You did not have to stain your own hands with his blood, and still the job was done. Feeling rather grateful towards Voldemort now? He let you live too."

Dumbledore felt a wave of nausea overcoming him in reaction to her words. He swayed uncertainly on his feet until he reached his chair and sat down, hiding his face in his hands and breathing heavily. It was so unfair, he thought, that he would now have to justify himself for things that were all outside his control. Fate was so cruel at times. His past never seemed stop coming back to haunt him.

Liliana eyed him carefully, a spiteful look marring her features.

"This kind of display does not impress me much," she announced.

Quietly, Dumbledore grabbed his wand and brought its tip to his temple, extracting a very painful memory and redirecting it to his Pensive.

"Have a look," he said, with difficulty.

Liliana continued to look at him with caution, but complied nevertheless. The liquid in the Pensive swirled and she was transported in Dumbledore's memory of the night when her grandfather had been killed. He watched her in silence, experiencing the same discomfort, until Snape entered hesitantly in his office.

"Everything all right, headmaster?" he asked.

"Give us a few more minutes, Severus, please," Dumbledore said and the DADA professor accepted, disappearing quietly.

Liliana turned to face him after a few more moments. She looked utterly confused.

"I don't understand. You seemed to know my grandfather very well."

Dumbledore laughed: it was a humorless laugh though. "Of course you don't," he said. "How could you? Even I don't understand completely. Yes, I knew your grandfather. I did not know him for long, but I learned to know him well. We became so close at some point in our youth that I thought I could never be separated from him. I would have followed him and his brilliant mind to the other side of the continent if he asked me."

He saw the confusion in Liliana's eyes increasing and still he laughed more, wryly…He was now so lost in his thoughts that he was not even sure whether he was addressing to Liliana or he was rather speaking to himself.

"Yes, he came one day to Godric's Hallow where I thought I had been sent by fate to atone for my sins…vanity, desire to shine and prove myself, thirst for power…I was barely seventeen years old and wanted to know the world, but the world seemed to have abandoned me; and then Gellert came and he had the solution to all my problems. He was everything I wanted to be and he was free in ways I would never be. His ideas inflamed me so much… For a while I did not care about anything else. Gellert and I would rule this world with the truth of knowledge as our ultimate weapon. I had lost all contact with my cruel, everyday life reality. I just wanted to run away."

"You see, I was responsible for my younger brother and sister. I seemed to have forgotten about this until the day when Aberforth confronted me. Things escalated, Gellert got involved…I never knew…" Dumbledore's voice cracked. "I did not know until he told me which one of us cast that deadly curse. Now he finally told me."

Liliana remembered Grindelwald's words spoken to her that fateful night when he was murdered: Dumbledore had a rude awakening when he lost someone he loved.

Dumbledore's eyes came to rest on her and he seemed to slowly come back to reality.

"Gellert knew that you will want to accomplish where he did not succeed. I can't help you with that. I don't want to. It's wrong."

Liliana sighed. "You wanted it to, headmaster. Why is it so wrong now? Is it better to leave the fate of our world to corrupt politicians instead? Is it right to let them rule us as they please, while the truly powerful wizards like you and me hide here and refuse to take responsibility? Is this the way forward? I have serious doubts."

Dumbledore shook his head. "You speak just like him. I never knew Cesare Slytherin, but you have so much of Gellert in you, you can't imagine."

"That's why you hate me then?" asked Liliana.

The headmaster laughed again, the same humorless laugh which died quickly on his lips.

"I don't hate you," he said bitterly. "It is very likely that you will follow your destiny, though, and take a number of decisions which will not affect only yourself, but the fate of others as well. I don't know where you are heading, Liliana. Tom Riddle made all the wrong choices, and now he wants you at his side. Oh, no, don't try to deny it, I know the nature of your connection. Maybe you have not yet given into it, but it's just a matter of time. What will you do then?"

Liliana crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, studying Dumbledore intently.

"I don't know. When the time comes, I will just have to rely on my willpower."

"How did he recover his wand?"

She scowled, frustration written all over her face.

"I see your concern. Well, he did not take it from me. I went to ask my grandfather about the Elder Wand. I knew you had the other two Hallows, but I was unsure about the wand. Then Riddle came and grandfather…" she paused, biting her lower lip, "he sacrificed himself. He disarmed me and challenged Riddle."

"I see," Dumbledore said, surprised. He had not imagined Grindelwald surpassing his selfishness, but it seemed that blood never turned to water…He felt a stab of envy at the thought. Egomaniacal Gellert who always put himself first, who did not even look back when he fled Godric's Hallow, leaving Dumbledore alone to bury his sister and care for an estranged and angry younger brother…that Gellert had learned about love and sacrifice.

As if she had read his thoughts, Liliana said: "He did respect you, headmaster. He told me he had an agreement with you, which he honored. He could have left many times that prison, and you know that."

Dumbledore stood and went to open a cupboard. Inside there were many boxes containing letters and old photographs. He extracted a large box and placed it on his desk, making an inviting gesture to Liliana.

She opened the box, surprised to see tens of envelopes. An old photo showing two young men, one with long, auburn hair and blue, dreamy eyes and the other with fair, curly hair and a merry, handsome face was on top of the envelopes. Liliana lifted it. Grindelwald was looking somewhere in the distance, smiling as if to a private joke. Young Dumbledore was looking at Grindelwald with a certain amount of fascination which was visible even in the photograph.

"I see," she said, putting back the photo and sealing the box. "I had no idea you had been this close."

"We had the same ideas, a long, long time ago." He showed her the newspaper. "It will soon become public knowledge and I will need to defend myself. Know that what we have discussed is all true; I cannot hide it from to you, but I will deny it publicly. I have no choice. Voldemort has begun his campaign against me. The chief editor was sacked last evening. The main newspaper is in his hands to control now. And I don't know if you have seen this already, but…" he turned to page two, so that she could read a big title: Minister for Magic killed in accident. Pius Thicknesse to take over. Liliana gasped. "He has now control of the Ministry too. With Scrimgeour dead, he will now eliminate anyone who is undesirable."

"So it's done," Liliana said gloomily.

"I am also concerned about something else," he continued. "As you could see in my memory, he did not intend to kill Gellert, therefore writing that he did it on purpose means only one thing: he's calling you out."

"I know," she said quietly. "But if I seek him out, I will have to play by his rules. I have no intention of doing that."

Dumbledore looked satisfied with her answer.

"What do you think is his next target?" she asked suddenly. "Now it is likely that he will interfere at Hogwarts, through the Ministry. He might sack you, so I can be left without protection if I refuse to play by his rules."

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said meditatively. "He also said I am due for later, which might mean that Hogwarts is due for later."

"This school is our last refuge, headmaster. We must secure the grounds."

"They are secured."

Liliana closed her eyes and counted to ten, trying to calm down. "They are not. Riddle came looking for me twice already. He had no trouble getting in, flying."

Dumbledore looked shocked for a moment... but only for a moment, before smiling.

"He sure is the brightest student to ever attend Hogwarts. He figured it out."

"You seem to underestimate him. Don't do that."

"So, he cannot stay away from you, can he?"

Liliana shook her head and turned to look through the window. "We need to become more aggressive in our approach to this subtle war he's fighting. By not going public at all, we have eased his path to take on the Ministry and the press. If we sit here quietly while he takes over everything, we will lose."

Dumbledore eyed her back worriedly for the first time.

"What do you mean?"

"Attack is the best defense, that's what I mean."

"Liliana…"

"I have followed your plans without questioning so far, but I think we have not done much to prevent him from taking over. He has dominated this war so far. We need a change of tactic."

"Liliana, my powers are limited…since you gave him so much magic, he's stronger than me now. I alone can no longer stop him, and he knows it."

"I will help Harry find the diadem. Then, just leave things to me. I have made progress by myself these months. I am not afraid of confronting Riddle."

"You are not ready."

She turned around to face him: "Your lack of action has taken us nowhere. He's been slowly, but surely taking over everything since he came back. If we do not take action now, I am telling you, we will lose!"

"I cannot let you of all people challenge him," Dumbledore said resolutely. "Our fate cannot lie in your hands, Liliana."

"And why is that?" she asked, the mocking undertone clear behind her cold façade.

"You will not be able to destroy him, because of your feelings for him. When the time comes, you will not do it."

She grabbed the doorknob. "Do whatever you consider necessary, headmaster. But from this moment forward, know that I will not abide by your instructions anymore."

With that, she opened the door and stepped out. She found Snape waiting at the base of the rotating staircase. They exchanged a cold, guarded look, and then Snape hurried upstairs. He found Dumbledore leaning on his elbows against the desk, his face hidden by his hands.

"Headmaster?" the potions master asked tentatively.

"Yes, Severus. Come in, please."

"Have you told her?"

It took Dumbledore a moment to remember what Snape was talking about.

"I guess it was not the best moment," he said, waving a hand, as if to push the thought away.

"May I just remind you, headmaster…we do not have any time to spare. And the Potter boy, he's as efficient as always, taking an enormous amount of time to conduct the task. What if he does not find it fast enough? What do we do then?"

"Don't worry, Severus," Dumbledore said tiredly. "The inevitable has happened already. Liliana Slytherin will now take matters into her own hands. Expect the worst to come."

Snape's sallow face became paler than usual. "What can I do, Headmaster?"

"Use your talents to shield the school in any possible way. It seems to me, that it will not be long now until Lord Voldemort attacks Hogwarts. Get Minerva to help you. We need to be prepared."

"So you're preparing for one hell of a humiliating defeat tomorrow, Potter," the "Slytherin prince" remarked casually, on his way out of the Great Hall and heading for Herbology class.

"And why do you think that, Malfoy?" Harry replied, not paying much attention, his thoughts still focused on the news he had read in the Daily Prophet.

"I heard Weasel here is your new Keeper. You are bound to lose then."

"Shut it, Malfoy! It's not like it's my first match!" Ron retorted. It was bad enough that he was extremely nervous about the match next day, now he had to put up with the ferret's taunting remarks.

"It's nice to have good friends to get you a spot on the team, isn't it, Weasely?" Draco continued.

"You shouldn't talk, Malfoy. Your daddy got you on the Slytherin team in the first place," Ginny snorted, trying to pass by them on her way to Potions class.

"Well, at least I proved myself worthy," Draco said, suddenly annoyed that the attack had come from her. He followed her down the stairs to the Dungeons.

"Herbology is that way!" Ginny said, indicating the space behind him.

"I need to talk to you, Weaselette, so drop the act, will you?" Draco asked.

"Sorry, I have no time for conversations with you. Class is starting," she said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms.

"What's gotten into you, woman? I already said I was sorry for leaving that evening, but I had pressing matters to attend to."

"These pressing matters have a name too," Ginny said, distaste lacing her words. "Look, Malfoy, I don't care about your business. Just leave me alone."

She moved aside just in time, making way for an angry Pansy Parkinson, who was taking the stairs to the Entrance Hall.

"Oi, Parkinson, easy," Draco said when pushed roughly aside, but the pug-faced girl didn't even spare him a glance.

When he turned to Ginny again, she was gone. Draco made a face, his exasperation clear. He had to continue the discussion and soon. He was fully aware that he had committed a mistake when he had completely neglected his date to the Winter Masked Ball because of the incident in which Liliana had been involved, but of course, the redhead could not understand the importance his friend held in his life. He decided not to let the matter drop. He had quite recently started enjoying the redhead's company and he had decided not to give her up just yet.

Little did he know that Ginny had similar plans.

As soon as Draco was out of her sight, she returned to the Entrance Hall, and waited carefully hiding behind a suit of armor. From there she had a good view of everyone entering and exiting the castle. It did not take long for the person she was waiting for to make her appearance. Liliana came down the stairs into the hall, seemingly bothered by something. It was pretty clear that she was in no hurry to get to Herbology class.

She stopped in the middle of the Entrance Hall, staring broodingly at the floor.

"Karkaroff, finally!" Ginny suddenly heard Pansy yell. The level of annoyance the Slytherin girl experienced seeing Liliana's face had just increased tenfold.

"Here!" Pansy said, landing flat an envelope in the other girl's palm, before turning on her heels and strutting away.

Liliana looked after Pansy with some confusion, then again at the letter in her hand. She made a gesture to tear the seal open, but Ginny decided she had waited long enough. Taking a step away from the armor, she called Liliana, who gave her an inquiring look, her eyes quickly travelling to the object Ginny was holding. When she acknowledged what it was, she paled slightly.

"You forgot it on the table," the redhead said, a knowing smile on her face. "I could not believe it at first. I thought Harry had destroyed it years ago."

She took a few steps in Liliana's direction.

"How does it feel?" she continued. "I was almost afraid to open it today. How does it feel to be around him?"

The surprised look in Liliana's eyes lasted for a few moments, before it turned to false indifference.

"It's just a notebook. Give it back."

Ginny handed it to her, the same smile in place.

"I saw you with him," she stated and the other girl froze, her fingers gripping tightly the notebook.

"That's why I thought it could not be the same diary; you see, the memory of him was gone when Harry destroyed it. But still, I saw Riddle here, walking to the castle, with you. How does it feel around him?"

The Slytherin girl frowned slightly looking at Ginny. She did not understand how Ginny knew about the diary, about the Horcrux, about Tom…Had Harry told her everything?

"I also saw the two of you that night at the masked ball…" Ginny added. "You may have been able to fool the others, but not me. I would recognize Tom Riddle anywhere. I spent almost 6 months with him, you see…only the two of us."

Liliana took a step in her direction, and Ginny instinctively backed away from her.

"You spent time with Tom?" she asked, bothered. A strange, completely unknown feeling was creeping inside her. A feeling which made her want to strangle the redhead for getting anywhere near her cousin. It was unsettling.

"I was in possession of that diary for a few months. Riddle…showed me some memories of his, made me do things. He wanted to kill me in the end. This may happen to you if you keep it," Ginny clarified, slightly disturbed by the look the other girl was giving her.

Realization dawned over Liliana and she calmed down. She understood what must have happened to the Gryffindor girl when she had been in possession of the Horcrux.

"Nothing will happen to me. Like I said, it's just a notebook."

"I see," Ginny snapped. "Then let me be as blunt as you are…I am sure Draco does not know about Riddle coming here and he does not know that it was Riddle you were so intimate with at the masked ball."

"What do you want?" Liliana interrupted.

"You know what I want. I want Draco, and I want you to stay away from him."

Liliana advanced on Ginny until the other girl almost hit the suit of armor behind her.

"Draco does what he wants. But before you do anything stupid, bear in mind that his priorities lie with me right now."

"Miss Weasely, Miss Karkaroff, why on Earth aren't the two of you in class?" they heard McGonagall call from behind Liliana.

"I will tell him if you don't stay away from him," Ginny said through gritted teeth. "Don't think you can scare me with your act!"

"Just try!" Liliana replied coldly, and turning on her heels, passed by McGonagall on her way to the greenhouses. She did not hear the professor deducting points from both Houses.

As she joined Herbology class, she opened the sealed envelope. Surprisingly enough, it was from Ralph Parkinson, who had previously protested against using owls to contact him.

Dearest,

Much is happening in my heart. Give me a chance to explain my feelings for you.

Love, Ralph

So, her spy was still alive and much was happening in Voldemort's camp. But why he willingly wanted to meet her again so soon was beyond the Slytherin heiress' comprehension. Shrugging, she put the letter in her pocket. She had another pressing issue to deal with first.

Sighing, she made her way through the crowd of sixth year' students until she found Harry and Draco bickering over a pot of flowers.

"Karkaroff, how did it go?" Draco inquired, noting her presence.

Harry seized the moment to snatch the pot from his hands.

"We will discuss it later. Any news about the Grey Lady's whereabouts yet?"

Before Harry could answer, Luna Lovegood chimed in from somewhere behind them.

"Harry, I meant to tell you this morning, but I forgot. Helena's back. I've talked to her on my way to breakfast. She was reading on our terrace-the Ravenclaw tower terrace."

A/N: Finally Liliana and Dumbledore give up on trying to be nice with each other and make clear where they stand. About time too!

About Ginny and Draco, perhaps some of you think this pairing is strange, but look at how different Draco is now! He's confident, perhaps overconfident, hardworking, protective of his family, loyal, and not to forget, he's very brave! These are things that Ginny appreciates in a guy. My guess is she started to like him more after she saw him charging after Voldemort the first time when our favorite dark lord came to Hogwarts.

I want to thank our great beta, BlackRoseRaven for the work on this chapter!

A big thank you to the readers: your feedback is well-appreciated as always and very important to keep the story going! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the story: I will strive to update weekly, if time allows. You can subscribe to the site and you will receive notifications when a new chapter is published.

As for questions regarding Ralph Parkinson: he will play a major role in the last chapters, but I cannot reveal anything yet without spoiling your fun.

As for the next chapters: what is Tom's plan to get closer to his cousin? Will Harry and Liliana get the information they require from Helena Ravenclaw? How will Liliana react when she finds out she has to be the one to kill Harry? ...and more!