Chapter 15
In the Nest
Aberforth blinked, "Mr. Potter, you've had many people quite worried for your safety."
"I know." Harry answered quietly.
His former Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher shook his head slightly, "Miss… Nymphadora Tonks? You are an Auror, are you not? Are you the one who found him?"
"No sir." Tonks said meekly, for once not demanding she be addressed by her surname only.
"I must contact the Ministry." Aberforth said as he turned around. "I will need-"
"Professor!" Harry stepped into the cottage and reached for him arm, stopping him. "Not yet, sir. There's something you need to hear."
"About my brother?" Aberforth slumped his shoulders wearily. "Whatever your business with him is, I cannot help you. I am too old, too tired… I just wish to live out the rest of my life in peace…"
Harry felt sympathetic, and he knew what he came here to say would only hurt the old Professor more, but he knew it was necessary. He, along with everyone else, had tried to think up a gentle way to break this terrible information to Aberforth, but it was impossible. Harry took in a deep breath, "Professor… your brother… he's in league with Grindelwald."
Aberforth took in a sharp breath. He brushed off Harry's hand from his arms and turned, his eyes flashing with anger, making Harry tremble and take a step backwards. "How dare- He is grieving for his daughter and you dare bring up accusations like-"
"P..P..Professor!" Tonks stuttered as she fumbled out her wand and Harry didn't blame her. It took every ounce of willpower for Harry not to do the same and point his own wand at the enraged wizard. "Pl..please calm dow-"
Even in the heat of rage Aberforth managed some control and simply flicked one hand at the weapon aimed at him, making it twist out of Tonks' hand and clatter on the floor. He took in a deep breath through flared nostrils and glared at Harry, "If this is about those… those accusations thrown at my brother by Barschüler and Malfoy..."
For a fraction of a second, there was something in his eyes that Harry managed to catch. His former professor was still angry and defensive, but there seemed to be the tiniest hint of uncertainty. Harry swallowed nervously, "You… you knew then? About… your brother and Grindelwald?"
"Of course I did!" Aberforth shot back instantly. His fists were clenched, but he stared off slightly to the side, not quite meeting Harry's eyes. "Everything he did was for Ariana, everything was for our sister, Mr. Potter. He.. He.. made an unfortunate choice of friends that summer, but he did not know the depths of depravity Grindelwald would later sink to. He was youthful and naive, longing for a friend that he felt was his intellectual equal, perhaps something more, but by the time he returned, he knew what kind of man Grindelwald was and turned away from that dark path. When he returned to England, it was with our sister and no one else."
"What if they kept in touch?" Harry asked softly and the glare was directed at him once more.
"Do you think Barschüler or Malfoy or even you were the first to throw these accusations in his face?" Aberforth let out wearily. "When Grindelwald started acting out in the open, people remembered my brother and their escape. If there was anything at all that connected Albus to that monster, do you truly believe that the Ministry of Magic would sit on their hands and do nothing about it? There was nothing, Mr. Potter, nothing at all. My brother cut all ties with that madman long before anyone in Europe knew to fear crows."
"We have proof-" the words came out scratchy and Harry had to repeat himself. With slow movements he reached for a pocket and pulled something out. "We have proof, that your brother and Grindelwald were in contact long after he returned. Long after they were supposed enemies fighting of the opposite sides of the war."
The uncertainty was more pronounced now and Harry thought he also saw a glimmer of fear as Aberforth tentatively took the letter from Harry's hand. He knew what kind of reaction to expect now that he had watched so many people read the letter. Confusion followed by slight embarrassment, the degree of which depended on the person. A little frown would appear, although it was much deeper with Aberforth since the name that appeared was his own brother's. Then seconds later, a sharp intake of breath. There was a final reaction that Harry didn't get from anyone else, although he probably should have expected it. At the final word of the letter, at the name signed, Aberforth went red, almost purple, with rage.
"No." the long wrinkled fingers trembled as the parchment was lowered. "No, Mr. Potter. Even if for a second I believed this letter was genuine and not a work of venomous fabrication worthy of Salazar Slytherin himself, this proves nothing. If you think this letter proves my brother was colluding with one of the darkest, most vile wizards of our time, then you are sorely mistaken. It does, however, give me some insight on where you have been all this time… Have you learnt nothing, Mr. Potter? Tom Riddle cannot be trusted!"
Harry grimaced at the raised voice, "You don't under-"
"He murdered my niece!" Aberforth roared, something completely unlike the kind hearted old man that used to teach his classes.
"Professor Riddle saved my life!" Harry shouted back. He understood the anger of the man standing before him, but he was frustrated at how easily the world turned their backs towards Tom Riddle. "Your niece tried to kill me! The spell she used would have killed everyone, including herself, if Professor Riddle hadn't… if he hadn't..."
Harry tried to draw in a trembling breath as he remembered that day. Of all the dangers he had faced since the moment he arrived at Hogwarts, he didn't think he had ever been closer to death.
Aberforth Dumbledore stared at him in stunned silence. He looked down at the boy's white knuckled fists and trembling shoulders. He stared into the face that had gone from red to white in a matter of seconds and at the deep green eyes that were shaky and unfocused as they replayed a memory long past.
"Kendra would do no such thing." Aberforth said with surprising calm and with a complete certainty that was lacking in his words about his brother. "If you were in any danger, it was because of Riddle. She must have discovered some nefarious plan of his and-"
Harry shook his head, "No. She tried to used the Killing Curse on me even before he arrived. I froze at that moment and… If the Headmaster hadn't pushed me aside… I would be dead."
There was a gasp. Tonks. For a moment Harry had forgotten she was here as well. Her voice was a whisper, "Wh..why would she try to kill you?"
Harry chewed on his lower lip and regarded her. This hadn't been part of the plan. They had told Tonks almost everything else, but details of the prophecy was something they decided to keep quiet. It was not simply a matter of trust. After all they had, up to a certain degree, trusted Kendra. They had no idea how a person would react if they had such knowledge, and like the Unspeakable herself, someone might consider it a necessity to act on it.
Harry looked over to Aberforth, who was waiting with a strange expression on his face. His instincts told him that his former Defence Professor would not consider the murder of a fifteen year old boy a viable option, but he couldn't be sure. What was definite, however, was that without revealing the truth, Aberforth Dumbledore would never believe what had transpired that day, he was too blinded by the obvious enemy, the Headmaster of Hogwarts who had gone out of his way to direct blame on himself.
"At the end of my third year..." Harry began slowly, "Kendra visited Hogwarts. The Nullificare Charm was… acting up and she helped fix it. After I left, she stayed behind and during her conversations with Professor Riddle, she told him about something that came up during her work as an Unspeakable. It… It was a prophecy..."
Harry could easily imagine the shouts that would have been coming from his pocket, had there not been a very effective Silencing Charm placed on it, as he told the two people why Kendra Dumbledore had tried to kill him.
When he finished, the silence was so utter and complete that for a moment he wondered if the spell that Professor Riddle had used on the mirror had spread throughout the entire room. With a bit of an effort he managed to raise his head only to cringe and look back down at the soft red and black carpet he was standing on.
"B..but that's… She wasn't completely sure it was about you though, right?" there was a complete lack of confidence in Tonks' voice. "And… I don't really know about these things… but… there is a chance that… it won't happen right?"
Harry ignored the Auror's questions, took in a deep breath and looked into Aberforth's eyes. When Harry addressed him, the old wizard flinched slightly, "Professor Dumbledore, that's why she tried to kill me. That's why Professor Riddle took the blame and went on the run. It was for my safety, he couldn't risk the prophecy getting out into the open. He thinks the prophecy can be stopped, and during the duel, he never stopped trying to convince Kendra until the last moment. He offered her several chances to stop fighting and work together, but she never took it."
"She would not… She would not..." Aberforth mumbled, but the certainty had drained out of him.
There was a soft knock on the door and then it slowly swung open. Professor Riddle stepped inside with his hand raised, clearly showing his intent was not to fight. "Kendra Dumbledore grew up during a time of war. She had her uncle, one of the most talented Aurors of our age and her own father projected an image as one who stood in the forefront in the fight against the darkness. In her own misguided way, she was trying to do what was right."
Tom Riddle's voice didn't even waver when Aberforth pulled out his wand and aimed it at his heart. The wand hand shook violently as waves of varying emotion washed over the old man's face, from anger, to confusion, to heart breaking sorrow. Harry wanted more than anything to take out his wand and ready a Shield Charm in front of the Headmaster, but he doubted it would have any effect. If anything, Tonks' and his presence would only serve as a distraction should a duel actually break out.
He couldn't stop himself from letting out a small sigh of relief when Aberforth's shoulders slumped and he lowered his wand. He let out a sigh of a broken man, "I cannot… If my brother is truly what you say he is, I just… cannot. He is family, the only I have left."
"Your brother brings war, Aberforth. It was the very thing Kendra was trying to prevent." Riddle spoke softly.
Aberforth shook his head, "I will not betray my brother on the words of your mother alone. Albus has his flaws, but he wouldn't… Murder, Riddle? There is no way..."
Riddle turned to Harry and gave him a little nod. Harry quickly fumbled a little eyeball out of his pocket. He looked around the room and found a patch of empty wall. He aimed the eye towards it and tapped it with his wand while mumbling a spell.
"It is, unfortunately, not a clean confession, but it is one nevertheless." Riddle said as the images started flickering on the wall. He fell silent as everyone turned to watch Pettigrew's confession. Even after the declaration that the Zeugen worked for his brother, Aberforth didn't flinch. After each blow of terrible revelations, it seemed nothing could faze him any more. "Even though he was under Veritaserum at the time, there is no more conclusive proof in this than is in the letter from my mother. I do not expect it is enough to make you believe the worst of your brother, but I hope that perhaps it is enough to make you want to find the truth."
"What do you mean?" Aberforth asked in resignation.
"I have tried, for decades, to find if there was any truth in the last words my mother left me, but as hard as I tried, there was nothing ever conclusive. Just whispers and convoluted connections." Riddle suddenly looked as tired as Aberforth did. "Perhaps I could have done more, but I was too attached to my position as Headmaster of Hogwarts. I felt that what I did for the students mattered more. But now… Albus is working towards something, you know he is, and certain things that I have discovered recently has made me realise that he could be even more dangerous than I had originally thought. We need to know where his true allegiance lies, we need to know what he plans for the wizarding world as well as the Muggle one. You can help us get these answers."
"If he has been keeping such a secret for all this time, what makes you think he would tell me now?" Aberforth let out a cold and humourless laugh.
"He would not." Riddle agreed. "If he hasn't let it slip for so long, I do not think there will ever be a chance we would get a confession from his own lips. But there must be something, hidden somewhere he believes no one could ever get to, that will tell us what we want to know."
"You want to break into his home..." Aberforth realised. "Break into the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix."
Riddle nodded, "By all accounts a place even more heavily guarded than the Ministry of Magic itself. It would be impossible to infiltrate without someone skilled, someone with close knowledge of Albus' magic. Someone like you, Aberforth."
"Aberforth! It's been an age and a half since you've been here! Shouldn't you be a the cemetery? Kendra's funer-" there was a stunned pause then the voice rose several octaves for the cry of, "Harry Potter! Harry! Oh dear, we were all so worried about you! By Merlin's clenched cheeks! Where have you been?"
"Professor Dumbledore found me, er..." Harry tried to rack his brain for the name of the witch, the solitary guard currently stationed at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, but he couldn't remember.
"Oh, goodness! Well we need to contact Dumbledo- er… Albus!" then the witch frowned slightly.
"I think it is best not to disturb him right now." Aberforth suggested, there was a pained look in his eyes as he imagined the funeral that was taking place on the other side of the village. "Harry isn't going anywhere and Albus needs to make peace with Kendra's death."
The witch chewed her lip and nodded hesitantly. "I suppose you're right."
"Why don't we sit down?" Aberforth suggested and they moved down the hallway and into the room where Harry had overheard Moody speaking with Gideon some months before. When the witch turned her back, speaking of tea and a nice warm meal, Aberforth discreetly took out his wand and waved it languidly in the air before making it disappear again.
"I'll just- oh dear…" the witch gave a wide yawn which she quickly covered with her hand. "Goodness. I think the last few days are catching up to me..."
"It's been a trying week for us all." Aberforth said gravely. "Have a seat, I shall take Harry to the kitchen and get him a cup of tea myself."
"No, I-" the witch yawned again, eyes blinking sleepily. "House elves..."
"Yes, we will ask them..." Aberforth supplied in a soothing voice. "Don't you worry now..."
The witch gave a soft incoherent reply before she started breathing slowly, punctuated by a little snore now and again. Harry moved to follow Aberforth out of the room. After closing the door shut, Aberforth called out four names and even before Harry heard the pops of the house elves appearing before them, the elderly wizard moved with efficient speed, stunning the lot before they even realised what was happening.
He gave the unconscious house elves a brief apologetic look before turning his wand at the front door. It swung open and an unfamiliar man stood there. He tried to take a step inside the house, before pausing and cocking his head at Aberforth. For a moment he only stared back at the stranger, but he eventually waved his wand, making the door frame glow briefly.
"You have my wand." Tom Riddle, disguised by Transfiguration spells, said quietly as he entered the building. "Because I trust you to see this through."
Aberforth gave a terse nod before stalking down the hallway towards the stairs. They climbed in silence until they reached the third floor. Harry cleared his throat, "Here. This was the only place that I had trouble exploring while I stayed here."
Aberforth produced his wand and slowly traced it in the air. He muttered something under his breath and gave his wand a little flick. Harry didn't see anything change, but he felt it. Aberforth gave a satisfied nod, "We move forwards."
They walked past several doors, giving them little attention other than a quick press of a wand, or brush of fingers in Riddle's case. They eventually reached a door that Harry knew was the right one, even before the two former Professors could examine it with their magic.
"Do you recognise the spell?" Riddle asked.
"Vaguely… A few more than others..." Aberforth muttered. He lightly tapped the four corners of the great, sturdy looking wooden door. Each tap released a vibrating hum that Harry could feel even standing several feet away. "There is layer upon layer of magic here. Whatever is inside, my brother does not want anyone to see."
"Can you get us inside?" Harry asked.
"I think I could, Harry." Aberforth said distractedly as he continued to trace his wand over the dark wood. "But there is a problem. The magic needs to be dispelled all at once, otherwise Albus will immediately know what is happening. He will be back even before we have a chance to search whatever lies beyond..."
"That is not an option." Riddle said grimly.
Aberforth lowered his wand and slowly turned to Riddle. "I suppose this is where I have to decide whether I can really trust you..."
By the look of pain in Aberforth's eyes, Harry could tell he was once again thinking about his niece. With a heavy sigh, he pulled out another wand from his robes and wordlessly handed it over to Tom Riddle. He gave a grateful nod, "Thank you, Aberforth."
He merely grunted in reply and turned his attention back to the obstacle. They spoke quietly to each other, Harry was certain it was in English, but he had absolutely no clue as to what they were actually saying.
"Are you ready, Riddle?" Aberforth finally asked.
"Harry, stand back." Riddle nodded and crouched slightly, his wand level with a little hole in the centre of the door.
Then they began chanting in unison. It definitely wasn't in English this time and Harry was sure it wasn't in Latin either. A fine mist began to emerge from the tips of their wands and it spread over the door, finding little slits and cracks and embedding itself into those tiny spaces.
They stopped, paused for breath and began anew. This time the incantations clashed horribly, as they summoned different spells in completely different languages. Aberforth spoke with a strong continuous Latin, while Riddle let out a quiet song like hiss that Harry instantly recognised as Parseltongue. Amongst the two discordant voices, Harry managed to catch a few words, such as 'open', 'break' and 'prise'.
Another thin wisp of smoke, this time green, came out of Professor Riddle's wand, which coiled tightly and forked at the end, like a flickering serpent's tongue. It darted inside the hole and there was a shuddering pulse, which pushed Harry back an inch. Robes shook and fluttered, but the two wizards themselves remained unmoved. With a harsh bark, flames erupted from Aberforth's wand and connected with the hovering mist, reacting with a faint orange glow. The wood was creaking and groaning and it let out another repelling wave, this time strong enough to almost knock Harry onto the ground.
Suddenly, there was the sound of splintering wood, but it was as loud as lightning striking a great tree, and just as bright. As quickly as the noise and the flash had come, they disappeared just as fast. When Harry looked up, despite all the dramatic effects, the door remained standing, looking as sturdy as ever. It hadn't worked.
Both of the former professors stepped back as they lowered their wands. They turned to Harry and he was relived to find them both smiling contentedly. Professor Riddle looked especially pleased, "We're in."
Harry let out a breath of relief, "Thank Merlin… I thought-"
Harry froze. He wasn't sure what it was he was seeing. It was a single flake, a single splinter that lifted away from the wood and quivered slightly in the air. He lifted his wand quickly and bellowed, "Protego!"
The two men jumped back, their eyes wide, quickly turning back to face the door. It shattered into thousands upon thousands of tiny needles which crashed against the barrier that Harry had only just created in time. Harry's arm shook with effort and sweat trickled down his face, but within a second, before either of the other two could react, it was already over.
Harry slumped slightly, that single spell had left him drained, but he grinned at the fierce look of pride on the two faces of the men that had a hand in teaching him during his time at Hogwarts.
"I take back what I have said about it being too dangerous for you to come with us." Professor Riddle smiled.
"Indeed." Professor Dumbledore agreed. "You've always had a talent for Defence and it seems your time away from the school hasn't dampened any of it."
"Remus." Riddle said as he pulled out a mirror from his pocket. "Did anything happen just now?"
Harry went cold as he remembered what Aberforth had said about the spells blocking their way. There was a pause and Remus' voice came clearly through, "No. Dumbledore, Albus I mean, is still sitting here."
"Good. Keep watch. Alert us if anything happens." Riddle said as he put the mirror away. "Looks like that last spell wasn't interwoven with the rest."
"That is why we could not detect it." Aberforth hummed in thought, "A final trap should everything else be dispelled. To go to such lengths to hide whatever is inside..."
After exchanging a look with the other two, he entered with his wand carefully raised in front of him. Riddle followed behind him in a similar stance and Harry did so as well, although he felt slightly silly for doing so. It wasn't as if he would be able to detect another trap like the two wizards could, but should the need arise, he was more than capable of another Shield Charm.
They entered a simple office. There were shelves full of books, papers and little trinkets, none of which were giving off any malicious or evil vibes. At the centre of the room was a desk, large enough to seat a dozen people or more, which was also littered with stacks of parchment. There was also a smaller writing desk to the side, which had quills and ink pots carefully arranged at the back. Other than that, there were several boxes and chests or varying sizes and material around the room.
Aberforth eventually lowered his wand, "I do not think Albus has used protective charms within this room. I suppose he thought that no one would be able to enter."
"It was certainly difficult enough." Riddle snorted lightly as he tapped himself with his wand, Transfiguring himself back. "Well then, shall we have a look around?"
Aberforth went towards the smaller desk while Riddle went for the large table in the middle. Harry was drawn towards one of the bookcases. There was, unfortunately, no book titled 'My Struggles of Trying to Take Over Europe' or the sequel 'My Struggles of Trying to Take Over the World', but there was practically everything else. Thick tomes ranging in subjects from Transfiguration to war tactics, books about magical beasts and plants to even the Occlumentic Arts that Snape had attempted to teach Harry earlier this year.
Harry pulled out a very dry looking book titled 'Thaumaturgic Theory and Tradition' and flicked through the pages, not really looking at the words but hoping for an incriminating letter to fall out or something. With a disappointed sigh, he returned the book back in its place and turned his attention to another shelf, which had fewer books and more strange objects.
He had no idea what any of them were, they were made of varying combinations of glass, wood, stone and metal, and looked completely unlike anything Harry had seen before, as well as completely unique from each other as well. They smoked and shimmered and shivered, all different and all completely entrancing to watch. As much as he wanted to, he didn't dare touch anything, not without knowing what they would do.
He sucked in a quiet breath when his eyes came across something that he did actually recognise. That familiarity of it was what made him carefully extend his fingers and wrap them around it.
He heard a single heartbeat, perhaps his own, and then he felt lightheaded. Then he felt fine, better than fine actually. It almost felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He stared down at the little bottle that was nestled in his hand as he tried to gather his thoughts.
It was nothing at all like the Nullificare Charm that he was burdened with during the summers, those gave off a feeling of oppression, making his limbs feel heavy and calming him to a point of unfeeling. It wasn't at all like the one that he and his friends had stolen from Filch the caretaker during his second year, with the giddy burst of energy that almost made his finger itch with a desire for. Almost. Maybe it was the other one, the Affirmare Charm, like the one Ron's Uncle Gideon used-
"Harry!" Riddle's sharp voice caused Harry to look up. "Put that down."
He quickly followed the instruction and took a step back, shaking his head when he felt a slight twinge in his head that disappeared just as quickly. "I'm okay. It's not… anything I've felt before… It didn't really do anything, I don't think..."
Harry stepped back so that Riddle could lean over and examine it. Looking at it now, it looked older, somehow cruder than the ones that Harry had seen before. Riddle gave it a sharp poke with his wand and made a sound of irritation, "So much secrecy in these…"
"What is it?" Aberforth walked over to them. When he saw the bottle, he gave them a strange look. "That is not what we came here to look for. We must hurry before my brother returns."
Riddle returned it to the shelf with a carefully blank expression, but Harry knew what he was thinking about. The bottle caught in the photograph, during his third year. One that Kendra Dumbledore was helping them to investigate. There was no reason to think that this one was the very same one in the photo, but it seemed strange to find one in Dumbledore's hidden office.
Harry turned away before he was tempted to touch it again and crouched onto the floor and carefully opened one of the many chests. They all disappointingly contained very little of interest. He felt a tingle of hopeful excitement when he saw the words 'Ministry of Magic' printed at the top of a stack of papers he found, but it had absolutely nothing to do with whatever Dumbledore was up to now. The dates went as far back as twenty years ago. There was absolutely nothing concerning Muggles.
He sighed in frustration as he opened the next box, a slightly sturdier looking one made of metal, it contained more paper. These didn't have the Ministry logo at the top, and didn't contain the dry interdepartmental memos of bureaucracy in action. They were written in a tight, concise script that reminded him of Hermione's handwriting. Most of these papers were bound together in little bunches by some string, like handmade books or leaflets. He glanced at one, titled 'Imo Vix Cogitari Possit' and shoved it aside, then picked up another one, which was thankfully in English.
"The Nature of Prophecy..." Harry muttered the title. Although it wasn't what they had come here to find, it was something that was often enough on Harry's mind. It was like reading a textbook, and a terribly boring one at that. He recognised a few words and phrases from when he attempted to learn more about prophecies when he overheard his own during his time at Durmstrang, but if the text was telling him anything new, he certainly couldn't tell.
"There is nothing here." even though softly spoken, Aberforth's voice startled Harry. He dropped what he was reading and stood up. "Riddle, I think you were mistaken about my brother..."
Tom Riddle didn't respond. He was still staring down at the table filling the centre of the room. He picked up a roll of parchment gave it a quick look and dropped it onto the floor. The he used his arm to fling down everything else that was on top of it. Harry thought for a moment it was done in frustration, but Riddle crouched onto the ground until his eyes were level with the surface of the table.
Riddle slowly raised his wand and tapped it lightly, "Revelio."
For a second it looked as if nothing was happening, but then the surface of the table rippled. It was like a still lake that had been disturbed by a stone throw, and as the little wave spread from the centre, it grew to form shapes of landmasses and oceans.
Aberforth let out a little noise, it sounded a mixture of disappointment and relief. "There is nothing incriminating here. This map… there is one identical to it in one of the meeting rooms downstairs."
He pulled out his wand and aimed it towards somewhere in Eastern Europe. There was another ripple, the continent and sea were swallowed back into the wood and then sprouted up again, this time revealing more details such as mountains, cities, rivers and forests. There was also a small dot that was softly blinking red. "What is that?"
Aberforth frowned, "That indicates there is an attack happening there..."
"Zeugen?" Riddle asked sharply. "I am not familiar with this area, where is this?"
"No… something isn't right..." Aberforth muttered to himself. He flicked his wand at the table-map and it shifted once again to a different location. Then another. Then another.
Riddle, who had been looking slightly worried at the mention of an attack, soon grew confused. "Here… I recognise… and this place was well… these were all the places that were attacked on-"
He stopped speaking and his eyes darted a quick glance at Harry. "When?"
"These were all the places that came under attack on Halloween of 1981… the day your parents were killed…" Aberforth said sadly.
"Aberforth." Riddle spared a quick look of sympathy for Harry, but he was preoccupied with a thought, "Can you make the locations of the attacks show up on the first map, the one of the whole continent?"
Aberforth nodded and silently followed the request. With Europe sprawling on the table, he gave another soft flick and about two dozen or so softly blinking red dots appeared on the map. He drew in a sharp breath, "Some of these locations..."
"That day… you left the day before and asked me to cover some of your lessons." Aberforth nodded mutely at Riddle's questions. "Did the Order know these attacks were about to take place?"
"No. At least, not at first. And not all of these..." Aberforth closed his eyes in thought. "We were gathered that day intending to assault and break Nurmengard..."
"Nurmengard?" Harry asked.
"It was… and still is, I suppose, a prison and a fortress first used by Grindelwald and now used to hold his followers and some of the nastier criminals." Riddle explained. "During the later years of the wars, it was the heart of Grindelwald's forces and was considered an impossibility to breach."
"It was an attack that had been in plan for weeks..." Aberforth said. "Word of some of these other attacks came when it was too late for us to pull out. Order members were dispatched to some of them, but we had to rely mostly on Aurors and others who were willing to fight, to hold back Grindelwald's assault. As terrible as it was… I can not deny the fact that these last minute attacks worked to our advantage. Nurmengard itself was less guarded than it normally was… had all of Grindelwald's Witnesses gathered to defend the place, I doubt victory would have come so easily."
"Quite a coincidence then..." Riddle remarked, clearly indicating he didn't think it was a coincidence.
Aberforth sent him a sharp look, "This proves nothing. He-"
Riddle pointed his finger at one of the marks locating an attack, "Paris. The French Ministry itself was attacked, with one of the highest number of casualties of wizards and witches in modern history. With Aurors being sent to deal with troubles across the country with information to have come from the Order, they were practically defenceless. At that time, they were also the most vocal with the desire to pull back some of the power away from the European Ministry back into their own hands. Those talks died, along with their speakers, on that day."
Aberforth's face grew stony. He flicked his wand sharply and the map twisted again. This time, when it grew, it bulged upwards, blooming with colours of grey and black as it did so. The highest point was almost the same height as Harry's head as he stood to watch in awe. "Months, it took months to gather information on Nurmengard. Months and more than a few lives. We had planned for the worst, knowing that it had to be done. We were-"
Harry half listened to the strong words being sent back and forth between the two wizards, but he couldn't take his eyes off the huge looming black-stoned structure that was Nurmengard.
"-ever question how Albus even obtained some of his information about these-"
It reminded Harry of the Dwarven structures he had briefly glimpsed while he watched the second Triwizard task last year. But unlike those that were quite understated and cosy, Nurmengard was an unnatural looking scar upon the cliff and sky. It was grim and forbidding, blacker than black, like the eyes of the Witnesses, against the grey mountainside it jutted out of.
"-am his brother does not mean I am privy to every bit of information concerning-"
Looking closely, Harry could make out a few details. There were turrets and spires, tiny but menacing gargoyles that gave little signs of movement, like wizarding chess pieces.
"-of those locations that had no warning? Those places that were left to fend-"
At the base of the cliff was a huge gate of gleaming obsidian. It was tightly shut and even looking at the scale model in front of him gave Harry an impression of its impregnability. Harry completely understood why Riddle had said it was considered impossible to breach. Even Durmstrang Institute, which looked less like a school and more like a defensive castle, would look positively friendly next to this monstrosity.
"-obviously added to the map after it had happened! We do not know when Albus-"
Harry's eyes slid up the sleek black walls and reached the highest part of the structure. Like the cruel horn of some beast, it stabbed the air giving off a feeling of menace. From that little tower in the sky, one would probably be able to see around for miles. No. From wherever in that fortress Grindelwald, the King of Crows, would reside, he would be able to see all the way across the continent, through his black eyed fanatics.
"-ought, Aberforth, that you came here with an open mind, not to blind yourself when-"
And as if to represent this fact, there was something on that uppermost tower. It was barely visible, a little gem like object that blended seamlessly with the rest of the black rock. But now end again, it gave a faint red glow like the dying embers of a fire. Almost like a faintly glowing eye...
"-Riddle! You are so determined to see my brother guilty of this, that you will not ever consider the possibi-"
Harry reached out slowly, extending a finger and lightly touched the spot.
"Shi-" Harry managed to say, when he felt an all too familiar tugging on his naval.
If he never touched a Portkey ever again, he would be perfectly happy with it.
He stumbled and fell, rolled once and had his wand trained in front of himself. He quickly stood, spinning on the spot, but there was no one behind him either. With his heart thudding, he looked around but the room was completely empty. It was a room that looked almost identical to the one he had just departed from, with the same furniture down to the huge table in the centre that would probably sprawl into a map once activated. The books and the objects on the shelves and desk were slightly different though, and when he tried to locate the door, he found that there wasn't one. The room was completely walled in. There was just a window behind the desk that only showed a bluish grey sky from where he was standing.
Harry tentatively slid a finger across the table to find a thick layer of dust had gathered. Wherever he was, it was obvious no one had been here in a very long time. "Revelio."
Like it had done for Professor Riddle, Europe appeared before him, but however many flicks, swishes and jabbing motions he made at the map, it refused to change for him. He didn't feel like he was in any danger, at least for now, but he hoped that the two he left behind would be able to work out what had happened.
He stepped around the table and went for the desk, to have a look out the window, but something caught his eyes. He carefully picked it up.
"Harry!" the boy turned slightly at the panicked cry from Riddle. After giving Harry a quick look to make sure he was unharmed, they did what Harry did on his first arrival, and scanned the room for some hidden dangers. "Merlin, you gave us quite a fright..."
They both walked towards Harry, Riddle giving his shoulders a quick squeeze. Aberforth paled as he peered out of the window. "This is…"
"This is Nurmengard." Riddle said with grim triumph in his voice.
"...A prison. It is a prison used by the European Ministry. That must be why-" Aberforth's hoarse voice cut off as he looked down to what Harry had in his hand. "Th..this..."
Aberforth reached for it and took it into his shaking hands. His gaze bore holes into the photograph of two young men standing side by side, looking confident, content and with a slight sense of affection towards each other. A little bit behind them was a young witch, with a gleeful expression on her face. She had a wand in one hand and she pointed it towards some unblossomed flowers near her feet and in an instant, they bloomed vibrant, much to the child-like delight of the witch that had caused it.
Harry knew, even before Aberforth Dumbledore said anything, who the people in the photograph were.
"Albus..." Aberforth said heavily. "What have you done..."
A/N
Sorry this is late. It's been a bit of a rough week. There is going to be two more chapters for Year 5 and one has been written and beta-ed by the wonderful Lord Shasta - thank you and sorry for forgetting to mention you again and again - and I'm still in the process of writing the next one. I want to make sure I finish writing both before I update so I'm sorry to have to say that the next chapter will be a week or two late. Sorry again, and I wish you all the best until then.
