Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas to all you beautiful people out there! Here's a new chapter for you, as an early Christmas present!
I'm not sure what day it is over there, but here, it's already Christmas Eve tonight. so to spread the Christmas cheer, I do hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 11: Albus
Bellatrix Lestrange was one of the last people I was expecting to see so near the property line of an identified Order member. She looked wild - well, wilder than she typically is, anyway. Her focus had been particularly intent on a hemispherical dome made of hard packed earth before we arrived.
Arthur and Molly were the first to get to her. I suppose that's what old age does to a person: it slows you down, a lot. Arthur fired a disarming spell while Molly followed with a stunning spell. They quickly rained a barrage of attacks, driving her back away from the dome. Peter Pettigrew, supposedly her backup, was the first to dis-apparate and flee.
Finally, Bellatrix decided she was far too outnumbered and escaped herself.
"Shit!" Arthur cursed loudly, "Do we follow her?"
"No, no. Let her be," I shook my head, "Although, if she wasn't here to attack us, it makes one curious what her real intention was and why she gave up so easily."
I stepped forward and studied the dome, running my good hand along its rough surface. It seemed exactly the same composition as the ground we are standing on. Around the dome was a shallow ditch. It was as if the ground around the dome was lifted and folded up to make the dome. There was something about all this that seemed…
Well, I dare not make groundless assumptions. Besides, it was impossible, wasn't it?
Part of the top of the earth dome was gone. It must've been where Bellatrix's spell hit it. I was about to turn around and leave when I thought I heard someone inside the dome groan.
"Arthur, Molly, do you think you could break down this dome for me? But do it gently, if you would."
They looked confused, but set to do the task anyway. They conjured up shovels and pickaxes, then strategically chipped away at the walls.
After the last strike hit, a significant part of the wall came crashing down. "Lumos." The tip of my wand glowed, illuminating the interior of the dome.
Behind me, Molly gasped. And rightly so. Inside lay two boys. I felt a lump grow in my throat. Children! Bellatrix was hunting children here near the Weasleys' property.
Arthur was the first to spring into action. He crouched down beside the boys and checked them over. "Ferula," he casts a bandaging charm on one of the boys and strips of bandages were conjured up and wrapped around the boy's shoulder. "They're still alive, but only just. They'll be needing medical attention as soon as possible. And…" Arthur looked back down at the boys. "one of them is Malfoy's kid."
True enough, the one with the newly bandaged shoulder was Draco Malfoy. Something inky peeked out of his left forearm, and I can only assume the worst - that I was too late and another young man was brought into the ranks of Voldemort's army. Whether the indoctrination was voluntary or not, I am not sure.
Draco Malfoy is a trump card. I can never tell what he is thinking. I have to admit, though, I quite admire his Occlumency prowess, and from such a young age, too. I know that what he shows me is not who or what he truly is, but that's what makes him so unpredictable. I don't know if I could trust him enough. He hasn't given me reason to for the past five years, anyway.
"...bledore! Dumbledore!" I realized Molly was calling me. I shook my head slightly to clear it and acknowledged her with a nod. "I was saying that we have to take them back. We can't leave them here, they wouldn't last the night."
I thought about it, I really did. But I didn't think that adopting two more boys under the Order's care, with one of them being a possible Death Eater, into a safehouse meant for protecting other children - I just didn't think the risk would be well worth it. It could compromise the safety of the said house.
I know that their delicate conditions cannot afford them to apparate very long distances, but I suppose we'd have to try rather than put the rest of the children at risk. There was no choice but to take them to St. Mungo's for immediate medical attention. I was about to give them the instructions to do so when I noticed the other boy. It was a bit too dark to see his features, but I did manage to see that he wore a unique set of clothes, but what intrigued me the most was the symbol on the back of his coat.
It… can't be… I decided right then - they are to go straight to the Burrow.
"Can you carry them? We have to get them back." Molly's face brightened significantly, but I almost didn't notice. My mind was rather preoccupied. I had conjured a Patronus and told it to get Poppy to the Burrow as soon as possible, and that two lives were at stake.
Molly picked Draco up and Arthur took the other boy. I heard them complain that though the other boy was shorter, he was somehow far heavier than he should have been. Together, we apparated at the Burrow front door.
When we entered the house, I was surprised to see the remaining occupants all lined up by the door. Harry aimed his wand at me and asked, "Sir, when we came from Professor Slughorn's house, what did you say you were going to give me?" I mentally commended him for remembering to check our identities first before allowing us in.
"I said I'd be giving you private lessons after classes for the rest of the school year, that is, if you'd like," I answered.
Harry nodded, satisfied with my response.
Miss Granger held her wand at Molly next, "Mrs. Weasley, when I first came to the Burrow yesterday, you offered me some cookies to eat. What did we talk about?"
There was a heavy sigh before she answered, "We talked about what happened last month in the Department of Mysteries, and how I wish I could do more to console dear Harry because of Sirius."
Ron Weasley was the next to question Arthur. "Who's my favorite Quidditch player?"
"Ron, that is hardly a security question!" Arthur chided him, "Everyone knows that you liked that Bulgarian Seeker Viktor Krum best until two years ago when-"
"ALRIGHT, THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH, DAD. THANK YOU!" Ronald screamed, a prominent blush creeping up his face.
Viktor Krum… Viktor Krum… Where have I-? Ah, yes. He was the representative of Drumstrang to the Triwizard Tournament two years ago. Could it be because of the young lad's interest in Miss Granger? If I remember correctly, the youngest Weasley boy fancied Miss Granger, did he not? Oh, I see. That was why he started disliking the young, talented Viktor Krum.
Viktor Krum showed some interest towards Miss Granger, and she hinted at some infatuation for him as well, on her part. Although, I'm pretty sure it was only a fleeting crush to Miss Granger's defense. If I read correctly, the one who she really fancies is Ron Weasley himself. Why they still haven't come together is beyond me.
I smiled inwardly to myself, thoroughly amused. Oh, to be young and in love!
It was then that the youngest of the Weasley siblings, Ginny, asked, "What's he doing here? Why's Malfoy here?"
The older children reacted quite violently to that revelation, as well. I know that rivalry runs deep between these Gryffindor students and Slytherin students, and I wished it weren't so. But I suppose that's just how life for a Hogwarts student is. Whether currently enrolled or not!
"Professor, what is Malfoy doing here? Who's the other boy? What happened out there?" Harry inquired. Or, perhaps demanded would be the more apt description for his tone of voice?
"Yeah, Mum, what's that git doing here?" Ron addressed his mother.
"As much as I would wish to entertain your questions, I am afraid that right now, I cannot. These two boys are both in need of immediate medical attention. So if you would please step aside and make room, we need to let them lie down on the couch, at least until Madame Pomfrey arrives to have a proper look at them."
I am afraid I really do not have the luxury to have a chat with them to justify my actions, for if I am right, and I am almost sure that I am, I would be gaining a very valuable ally. But only if this boy can be saved in time.
I saw a flash of uncertainty flicker across their faces. I don't blame them. I understand that bringing unfamiliar characters to a designated safehouse would be jeopardizing it's safehouse status. But there is something I need to check; I need to know for sure.
When they've all lowered their wands, I rearranged the living area so that the couch had turned into a makeshift bed for two. I indicated for Arthur and Molly to make the two boys lie down. Molly set straight to fixing Draco's bandages and Arthur helped. My focus was mostly directed at the other boy.
Now that we are in proper lighting, I see that I was right in thinking he had golden blonde hair, although his hair is brighter than I first thought it was. His skin is also golden, as if sunkissed, which is sort of an impossibility in this country where the sky is overcast most days.
His clothing option was indeed very unique, sort of Muggle-inspired, but at the same time outlandish. Material-wise, he enjoyed leather, that much is obvious. But what really intrigued me was the symbol printed on the back of his coat. It was of a snake draped on a cross, as if crucified there. Above the cross was a crown with wings on either side. Most will not understand the significance of this emblem. But among alchemists, it is known as the Flamel - as in my friend, Nicolas Flamel.
It is curious that someone so young should be given the right to brandish this symbol. Only alchemists of a certain caliber have the right to do so, you see. And there are only so few who qualify the impossible standards. But looking back, I believe that there is enough evidence to speak for this young man's abilities. The earth dome which protected them is the largest one I have to go on. Based on clues found at the scene, I hardly think it was conjured up using magic. Therefore, I can only think of one other explanation - alchemy.
This fact, combined with his unique and obviously foreign features, I have a good guess who he might be. Although, thinking about it now, it is quite an impossibility. But there is this nagging feeling at the back of my head, urging me to take a chance on what if. It overwhelms my logic.
My internal contemplations were cut short by a commotion on the other side of the couch. Draco was going through hypovolemic shock seizures. I quickly moved to support his head and neck. Arthur grabbed his legs and body, to avoid him accidentally hitting Molly, who is tending to his shoulder. I watched helplessly as my student bled out onto the couch and floor. I held his head until he rode out the seizure.
"Wh-wh… What happened…?" Harry asked again, but this time with a little less bite to his words.
"Later, Harry."
Bloody bandages surrounded us, as Molly conjured more and more to try to stop the bleeding. But with every seizure attack, the wound rips open anew.
Blood dripped down the corner of the boy's mouth. He must've bitten into his tongue during one of the episodes. I elevated his head, hoping it would prevent him from drowning in his own blood. After what seemed like forever (though it must have been only three minutes, at the longest) the seizure finally stopped and the boy slumped back down, breaths coming in short, labored, shallow gasps.
Arthur got up to check on the other boy. "I'm not quite sure what is wrong with this other one, but his breath is short and labored. He also seems to be running a very high fever." There were no physical indications on what is wrong with the lad, but such symptoms are hard to write off as simply stemming from severe fatigue.
"I certainly hope that Madame Pomfrey will be here soon. I don't think these boys can last much longer without proper medical attention," I replied.
As if on cue, the fireplace lit ablaze with green flame, and out stepped Hogwarts' matron nurse. "Just in time, Poppy," I stood up. "I would've brought them to you at Hogwarts, but their delicate conditions make transporting them long distances impossible."
She nodded and quickly got to checking the boys' conditions. Her eyes grew wide with disbelief when she saw that one of her patients was Draco Malfoy. I nonverbally promised to explain everything to her later. She then stood up and said, "Please clear the room. I only need Molly to assist me. Everyone else, please wait in the kitchen."
Arthur ushered the children to the next room, and I brought up the rear. It was evident that the children were getting restless, they wanted to know what was going on. I mentally prepared the speech I was to give them when they start asking questions.
When we were all in the kitchen, I conjured up a curtain divider and threw a Muffliato charm on it. Honestly, Severus was just brilliant coming up with such a useful charm.
"Bloody hell, what was that? What happened to them?" Ron asked again, his voice slightly irate at not getting any straight answers until, but mostly disturbed with what he saw earlier.
I implored them all to take a seat. It will be quite the long story to tell, and I am sure a lot of questions will be raised. I started pacing up and down as I told them what happened.
We talked for quite some time. Arthur and I gave them the abridged version of what had happened, they asked questions, we tried to answer them as briefly as possible.
Soon we came to a dead end, where I can no longer truthfully answer their questions without making some baseless assumptions of my own. So they finally decided they were satisfied with my explanations, at least for the time being.
It must be close to four in the morning. Arthur was asleep on the kitchen table. The children were in and out of sleep, as if they were sleeping in shifts. I was left alone to my own thoughts for the past hour or so.
I was contemplating on whether or not I have indeed made the right call to bring the boys here. I know that if I left them out there, they didn't stand a chance at survival. But at the same time, I wondered if I had placed these people in my care in an unnecessary risk by bringing these two here. It is sort of like a damn if you do and damn if you don't situation, I reckon.
However, no matter how much I think about it, I still think that if there is a chance, however slim, that I were right, the benefits would outweigh the risk.
At ten minutes past four, the curtains parted and out came Poppy. "Headmaster, I have managed to stabilize Draco Malfoy's condition. He lost a lot of blood and his splinched shoulder got infected with all that running through the dirt. But he was fixed up quite easily. The other one, however, I am still unsure what ails him. I've given him everything I could think to give. All that's done is lower his body temperature, but his fever still hasn't broken and he's pale as death."
I was about to tell her to do whatever it took to revive the other boy. He was, after all, the very reason why I decided to take this risk. But before I could, the curtains opened again and Molly's head peaked out. "Poppy! Poppy, come quick!"
I followed Poppy in, but was severely shocked with what I had seen on the other side. It was as if the boy was possessed. His body arched farther than I thought was humanly possible. His head was thrown back in a voiceless scream. Blood was gushing from everywhere, his nose, mouth, ears and eyes, which were now wide open.
That stopped me in my tracks. His eyes were like pools of molten gold, it shimmers and shifts, even in the dim light, like they were luminescent on their own. Even tinged with blood and blank with pain, they were still alluringly beautiful.
And awfully similar, too…
Just as suddenly as his episode had begun, he fell back down, limp on the couch. I sidestepped slowly around the couch, as if any sudden moves might trigger a more violent reaction from him.
It was then that I realized that Draco was no longer on the couch with him. I tried to compose myself best as I could before asking, "Where's Mr. Malfoy?"
Obviously, Poppy was just as speechless as I was. "He-He's up stairs, in the twins' old bedroom, resting," Poppy looked genuinely scared when her eyes met mine. "Headmaster, what are we to do with this one? He's dying, but I don't know what it is he's dying of. I have never failed to accurately diagnose anyone, and I'd hate to start now."
I inwardly sighed. "Poppy, no one blames you." She is having a nervous breakdown right in front of me, and I am unsure how to respond.
"But I do, Headmaster. As a healer, it is my duty to attend to those who are ill. If I cannot save one nameless boy, then what am I?"
"Check for snake bites," came a raspy voice from the top of the steps. Imagine my surprise to see Draco standing on top of it. Granted that he's leaning heavily on the banisters, but to be out of bed so soon after such severe blood loss is commendable.
Poppy, however, doesn't think so. "What do you think you're doing out of bed, young man? Get back up there, now!" Even distressed her voice sounded commanding! A true matron nurse.
"Snake bite. Check for snake bites." Why would he think this was caused by a snake bite?
"I think I know what snake bites look like, Mr. Malfoy. This is no snake bite."
"Not if… not if the… snake… is a ma… maledictus…" Draco was now at the bottom of the stairs. Molly caught the poor lad as he fainted, telling him off for being out of bed, then carried him back up to the rooms. There were some protests, but it would seem Draco is not well enough to really become insolent at this point.
But then it hit me like a train. A maladictus! That's it! That explains all this!
Poppy was still otherwise preoccupied with grumbling about hard headed patients who don't know how to remain in bed. I cleared my throat to get her attention. "You know, Poppy, what Mr. Malfoy says is correct. A regular viper would have killed with far less pain. But a maledictus' bite carries its own resentment with the blood curse it has in its venom. While it's bite is not infectious by nature, unlike that of a werewolf, it's venom is a hundred times more potent and its effects cause far more excruciating pain, if left untreated."
She turned around, shocked that I agreed with Malfoy rather than her professional opinion. "But where would this boy be bitten by a maledictus? They are incredibly rare, nowadays. It's close to impossible to find one, let alone a venomous one!"
"Voldemort owns one as a pet. Nagini, his viper, is rumored to be a maledictus." Yes, that must be it. Severus confirmed that the Dark Lord has been residing in Malfoy Manor since his resurrection last year. That must've been where he got bitten and where he met Draco. Why they are together is still a mystery, however.
Skeptically, she started inspecting every inch of the boy's body. But she needn't look far. As she pushed back the right sleeve of his outer coat, a very angry, very inflamed, purple-black bruise was one the boy's forearm. In the center was a thin red wound leaking blood and pus. Sepsis has already started as his veins were turning a greenish black up to his upper arm.
The matron's expression slowly morphed into that of dread. Her knees buckled, and she dropped into a chair that was, thankfully, just behind her. "Oh Merlin's arse! Where in the bloody hell are we going to get an antidote for that? They are very rare and very expensive!"
"As luck would have it, I know Severus to keep some in his personal stash. For his own security." I swished my wand and a majestic phoenix patronus sprang forth, as if from flames and ashes. "Severus, I need you to come to the Burrow. Bring with you the antidote for Nagini's bite."
Just as it was about to leave, I called it back to add a few more instructions. I might as well test my theory after all this is done. "Severus, I need you to bring some other things as well. Bring-"
I stopped. I see before me a thin crack running down the middle of the curtain where the two halves met. It would seem that in my initial shock of seeing the boy bleed and convulse, I have neglected to close the dividers properly.
Beyond the crack I could see several eyes trying to peer into the room. Such curious little children. I internally sighed. It is no wonder why they always seem to find trouble, they never could keep their noses out of things they ought not meddle in.
I swished my wand and the gap closed. I threw in an extra Muffliato charm on the curtains. I finished telling the patronus for Severus to retrieve something from my desks and that the password to my office is "gumdrops". The phoenix screeched, as if acknowledging that he got the whole message, before flying out through the open window.
"Headmaster," Poppy's voice sounded out of breath from exhaustion, but still demanding, "I believe that now's good a time as any to start telling me who this boy is and what he and Mr. Malfoy are doing here, in the conditions that they are in?"
I sighed. Right, I promised Poppy an explanation when all this was done. "I cannot tell you the whole truth of the matter, for not even I know it. What I have managed to gather is this: these two boys came from Malfoy Manor - that was where they presumably met. Something happened there, though what exactly, we do not know. But it led to them, even Draco himself who is now lord of the estate in his father's absence, being chased out of the manor. Why exactly, we do not know. But it must have been something terrible enough that Bellatrix Lestrange, Draco's own aunt, would want to kill him, too. If I were to guess, however, judging by the bite on this boy and Bellatrix's involvement, I'd say that it had something to do with Voldemort himself."
Throughout my entire explanation, Poppy's expression grew only worse and worse. "All we are sure of is that we cannot let these boys out there to die on their own." Besides, there are still a few things I need to confirm, anyway.
"Headmaster, about Draco, there is something you must know. See, we were getting him out of his soiled clothes and-"
"I know, Poppy, I know. No one regrets it more than I," I cut her off. I do regret it, truly I do. I cannot bear to hear my failure at keeping the child from the Dark Arts voiced out loud. But I suppose it was to be expected, was it not? He was the sole heir of a known Death Eater. Sooner or later, he is meant to be one himself, whether he wants to or not.
Molly came back down the stairs, shaking her head. "Such a stubborn boy. I had to put him to sleep with a spell just to get him back to bed." She sighed heavily, "How is this other one?" she asked, stroking the sleeping boy's head, daintily brushing off stray fringes that fell on his face. His breathing was still short and labored, but his face relaxed when Molly's fingers brushed at his forehead.
"We may have a diagnosis, but we're still waiting on the cure."
The fireplace lit up a second time with green flames. Severus stepped out with a pouch tucked safely under his arm. "You called for me, headmaster?"
"Ah, Severus, have you brought what I asked?"
"Yes, though whatever for I don't-" he stopped short as he approached the couch and saw the boy lying on it. "Who's this? Is-is he the one bitten by a maledictus?"
"Why, yes, that is quite the observation."
His eyebrows furrowed. "Then I would have come just in time, too. By the looks of it, he wouldn't have lasted another five minutes. He must have been battling with the bite for almost an hour!" He said, inspecting the affected area.
Molly shook her head at him, "Try three."
He turned sharply to look at her with disbelief, "THREE?! Three hours he's been battling with this bite?!"
"Plus however much long ago he was bitten before we found him," Molly answered, grunting as she settled on the couch, folding her arms over her chest. "But under this roof, yes, he's gone mostly untreated for three hours."
If it were possible, his eyes grew wider as his mouth moved wordlessly with disbelief. "Impossible…" he finally breathed out.
"Severus, the antidote, if you would please," I reminded him.
His head snapped up, as if waking him from his trance. He quickly rummaged his pouch for the antidote and retrieved a vial, with a shimmering, deep purple liquid inside. He then went on administering it, but anyone could clearly see his residual shock behind the badly worn scowl.
After a few minutes, Severus straightened back up and informed us that the antiserum was administered successfully, only time will tell if he'll be able to recover at all. He looked skeptical, but the glimmer in his eyes tells me that he really wished that the boy would survive.
"Well then," Molly said, standing up, "I better go get the children upstairs. I'm sure they're all very tired."
"And I'd better get things tidied up here," Poppy said. "I might stay for another hour to monitor the boy's condition, but he looks quite well, already."
Both women went on to do their task. I was left standing alone with Severus and the boy, who, indeed, looked better than he did a minute ago.
"Severus, have you brought the other items that I asked?"
"Yes, Headmaster. But why, I do not understand." He presented the pouch to me.
I opened it and checked its contents. I nodded as I found all that I asked to be brought were indeed inside. "It's just… I had a hunch…"
I pulled at the strings and drew the bag close.
And that was Dumbledore's chapter. I thought I should give him a voice in this story, just so that we'd get a sneak peak into the inner workings of his mind. I'm not even sure if I gave his thought process justice, but I sure hope I did.
That being said, I'm not sure why Dumbledore is even sorted into Gryffindor. I mean, he's far too cunning to be one, anyway. Honestly, the vibes that I get from him is just manipulative. But not necessarily evil-manipulative, just will-do-anything-to-achieve-my-end-goal-manipulative. Plus he kind of comes off to my as stubborn, as well. I mean, it took a whole lot just to get him to see differently than Grindelwald (calling Warner Bros., please don't abandon Fantastic Beasts series. I would really like to know what happens between then until the Harry Potter series). Probably the only person to know him as himself was Severus, and that's just cuz he's got him wrapped around his little pinky.
Likewise, I'm not sure why the Sorting Hat wanted to sort Harry into Slytherin either (just saying). The boy's got no cunning at all! I mean, the only times he ever came around as remotely cunning was only pure luck (or at least that's how I saw it in the movies, please do enlighten me if I'm wrong).
Nevertheless, I really hope this chapter didn't sound too tired or lazy. I really wanted to portray Dumbledore as very reluctant to invite guests into the Burrow, what with it being the temporary safehouse of the Order. I would think he'll much rather maintain the integrity of their security, but what could have compelled him to bend his own rules? Lemme know what you think (seriously, any ideas? This is kind of where I get stuck. I can't decide on the best plot twist to use, maybe an outside inspiration might help?).
But anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing the last chappy:
thecapriciousren - Thanks for feeling that way about the mentions. Seriously, don't get ME started on how giddy I feel about every new view, follow or fave, let alone every new review! Really makes me feel appreciated (and also wonder about all you people who even take the time to read the note, cuz I can't honestly I do, most of the times). Sorry if it's not the POV you thought it was, but I sure hope I produced something acceptable?
Kora - Yey! Thanks! Also, yeah, I mean, it was specifically mentioned a couple of times (I think) how distinct the father and sons trio's hair and eye color are. The skin tone, I hope you don't mind. But I read a few fics that says their skin tone is golden tan as well. At first I found it weird to give the Elrics and Hohenheim that color, since they were colored so light in the anime. But the more I thought about it, the more their arguements made sense. The fic entitled snipers solve 99% of all problems (I forgot who the author is) gave a solid reason that it was because the Xerxians were dessert dwellers. And yeah, I guess being in the dessert should give your skin a natural tan. That, plus Ed's abnormally active lifestyle, should really give him a nice, sunkissed golden tan.
Anywho, please do review if you think I'm doing well (or call me out if you think I'm doing a poor job, I can take criticisms, appreciate them, even). Until next time, bye, guys!
Update: Gots meself a new beta, that I have. Thank you, Realmwalkerdragon for betaing this chaptery!