Chapter 36: Beginning of the End
The funeral of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin First Class, Grand Sorcerer, was a spectacle. An empty, transparent coffin raised on a dais, wreathed in flowers, was set to be lowered into the ground to symbolically lay the former Headmaster to rest. Behind where the grave would be, a small platform was set up for the speakers, remaining family, and dignitaries who would preside over the ceremony. Ringed around the grave site were hundreds of somberly dressed wizards and witches who had come to bid farewell to one of the greatest wizards the world had ever known.
Professor Minerva McGonagall, now acting Headmaster of Hogwarts, gave a warm, emotional memorial speech, detailing his years of work as both teacher and Headmaster, as well as Albus's great and evident love for all the students who passed through the school. The matronly teacher broke down in tears as she related the story of how he had personally helped her in her own struggles as a teacher and helped her understand what it was to be responsible for young minds. The current Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, who had won the vote after Cornelius Fudge stepped down, gave a rather officious recognition of Dumbledore's many accomplishments and services. There was no emotion there, but it was somewhat awe inspiring, and Harry had to admit that it was appropriate.
Then Elphias Doge stood and gave a magnificent euology. He told personal stories and gave an accounting of Albus's early life before concluding with a beautiful tribute to his old friend. "Albus Dumbledore was never proud or vain; he could find something to value in anyone, however apparently insignificant or wretched, and I believe that his early losses endowed him with great humanity and sympathy. I shall miss his friendship more than I can say, but my loss is as nothing compared to the Wizarding world's. That he was the most inspiring and the best loved of all Hogwarts headmasters cannot be in question. He died as he lived: working always for the greater good and, to his last hour, as willing to stretch out a hand to a small boy with dragon pox as he was on the day that I met him." There wasn't a dry eye left before Elphias concluded.
Even Harry had tears in his eyes as he went up to the platform, much to the surprise of the funeral organizers, who had not planned on the Boy-Who-Lived to speak, and even if they had, they would not have called upon him to give the conclusion. But when Harry met their subtle looks asking him to please refrain with his fierce green eyes, they relented and gave up the podium for him to say his piece. He was, after-all, a close acquaintance of the former Headmaster, and more importantly, not someone to be trifled with.
"First of all, I am sure Albus would want to thank you all for this wonderful, wonderful tribute. And I am sorry, really I am, for butting in here at the end." Harry turned and gave a grateful nod to Elphias Doge. "That was a touching euology and I couldn't think of any better way to say goodbye to the Headmaster than that, so thank you." Harry turned back to the crowd giving, drawing their attention to him with a pause. "But there are some things I really must clear up."
Harry made flourish with his hands and the glass coffin was illuminated with a bright, glowing light. "If you notice, the coffin that is supposed to hold Albus Dumbledore's remains is empty, and there is a good reason for that. You see….Albus is not dead."
A shocked murmur went up from the assembled crowd. One wizard belligerently called out, "Hippogriff dung! Dozens of people saw He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named kill Dumbledore with the Killing Curse! It was in all the papers!"
"Yes, I know," Harry said, now amplifying his voice with the sonorous charm. "I was there. I saw it. That's not a lie, Tom Riddle did hit Professor Dumbledore with the Killing Curse, and it was only because Albus was protecting me that it happened. I was trying to protect my friend, and Dumbledore was trying to protect me. Otherwise, neither of us would have been hit by that curse." This was news to most of the crowd. The story in the Daily Prophet had not mentioned such specific details. "But let me ask you a question: what happens to the body of the victim when it is hit by the Killing Curse?" Harry waited a second. "Why isn't his body lying there in that coffin?"
There were a few murmurs.
"Tom Riddle did hit Dumbledore with that curse, but Dumbledore did not lose that day," Harry said, breaking into a smile. "He won! He accomplished what Riddle had always wanted but never could achieve."
There were more murmurs. Who was Tom Riddle?
"Some of you may be confused because I am using the man's real name instead of the one he made up. So let me show you what he showed me in the Chamber of Secrets when I fought him then." With that, just as he had with Horace Slughorn, Harry took his wand and spelled out the name 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' in magical flame, then rearranged the letters to form the sentence 'I am Lord Voldemort' for all to see. "Tom Riddle is the real name of the person who has been calling himself Voldemort all these years."
Harry paused, taking in the reactions of the assembled crowd. "Tom Riddle made up that name because he was afraid—afraid of dying. He wanted to become someone so feared he would never have to be afraid of anyone attacking him, even if he did horrible things. Riddle has done unspeakable things to try to avoid death, but he is not really immortal. Unlike Albus now. Yes, Riddle killed Dumbledore, but Albus came back!"
Harry clapped his hands and there was a burst of flame above him, as Albus appeared with a cry and a song. In the past few days he had grown to his full size, and now his red and gold feathers tinged with purple were vibrant.
I am so happy to see you all!
The crowd could not understand him, but they could feel the sentiment.
"Albus?" McGonagall called out. "Is that really you?"
With a chirp, Albus flew over to the acting Headmistress of Hogwarts, his longtime friend, and flew around her head, singing. Tears of happiness began to stream down her face as she could feel so much familiarity in the warm and comforting magic that was being spread around.
"He says he has full faith in your abilities to take over as Headmaster, Professor," Harry interpreted for her, giving her a smile as she reached up to stroke Albus's head. And then he flew back up into the air and on to Elphias Doge.
Albus made a round, visiting his good friends specifically for a few seconds while he merely flew around those he had been less close to. Then Albus flew back to land on Harry's shoulder and turned his head to the young wizard expectantly. Being a phoenix felt the most natural thing in the world to Albus. He was going to enjoy spending his first hundred years or so as a magical fire bird alongside Harry Potter.
Harry turned to the crowd. "As you can see, Albus is as cheerful as can be. He is really grateful for your thoughts and kind words, but he does not want any of you to be sad. There is no need for tears, and there is no need for fear. You see, for the past several years the Headmaster has been—"
"DOOM!" The word boomed out from the front row of the gathered crowd. Everyone looked to see the source, quickly landing on a familiar looking redhead whose eyes had turned into hollow whites. And then Ron Weasley's head tilted back, his body rising slowly into the air as he began to speak. "The doom of the Dark Lord is nigh! He who was marked as equal shall gather the power the Dark Lord knows not. Before the ninth month dies the doom shall be set and the Boy Who Lived shall not be touched by the dark power. The doom of the Dark Lord is nigh!"
Then Ron crumpled to the ground.
"Ron!" Hermione called out from next to him.
"Wha—?" Ron said groggily as he began to sit up, apparently unharmed but somewhat woozy. "What happened? Is the funeral over?"
"Mr. Weasley! Mr. Weasley!" a man called out excitedly. "Is it true?"
Ron looked at the man, a reporter from the Daily Prophet, apparently, and scowled. "Is what true?"
"Is the dark lord doomed to lose to Harry Potter?"
"Is that what I said?" Ron asked looking over to Hermione, who nodded her head. Ron shrugged. "Well, I guess it's going to happen then. If that's what the Portents of Fate are saying, then it's a sure thing."
From the podium overlooking the crowd, Harry let his voice boom. "As I was about to say, Albus spent the last several years training me to take on Tom Riddle. And now, I'm ready. You heard it from the Weasley Seer! Voldemort gave me three months to give up or face him in a duel. Well, I'm giving Tom Riddle until the end of September! If by that time he has not surrendered to the authorities, I will destroy him!"
Weasley Seer
The next morning, the front page of the Daily Prophet was dominated by three powerful stories. These stories would shape the belief and expectations of the wizarding community far more than their authors would likely ever know.
Dumbledore Lives!
by Marcus Goodberry
Of all the many shocking and marvelous feats of magic that Albus Dumbledore has accomplished in his illustrious career, perhaps greatest of them all was witnessed just yesterday when he showed up alive and well to his own funeral service!
The revelation that the 115 year wizard still lives began with the surprise addition of Harry Potter, Dumbledore's protégé, as a speaker at the service. Mr. Potter, an Assistant Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy, announced that 'Albus' still lived. When challenged on the fact, Potter astutely pointed out the oddity of there being no remains to be interred, before revealing that Dumbledore escaped death…by transforming himself into a phoenix!
Mr. Potter, who apparently is now able to communicate with the XXXX rated magical creatures, claims that the transformation was entirely accidental and is not under the former Chief Warlock's control. According to the Boy-Who-Lived, 'Albus' is no longer a wizard and is fully a phoenix. However, this reporter suspects that this was Albus Dumbledore's secret plan to achieve immortality all along, and that in time he will return to wizard form.
After the announcement of Albus Dumbledore's return as a phoenix, Albus briefly visited with close friends, all of which confirmed the identity of the fire bird, after which there was a brief interruption as Ronald Weasley, famed seer, spontaneously made a prophecy [see article, page 1] regarding an unrelated matter.
The service concluded with Harry Potter transfiguring the glass coffin and memorial headstone into a crystalline statue of a phoenix, complete with magical fire and a message of hope.
He-Who-Should-Be-Ashamed?
by Rita Skeeter
Many in pure blood society have sympathized with the motivations of the Dark Lord, while others have gone so far as to openly express admiration for him and his goals, despite the many murders he has committed over the years. Those known as Death Eaters, his devoted followers, by and large are from notable pure blood families, some even ancient or noble wizarding families.
How, then, would they think if it were widely known that the one who styles himself as Lord Voldemort and professes to be of a pure lineage tracing all the way back to Salazar Slytherin, was actually the son of a Muggle?
The Daily Prophet has come to discover sealed and hidden records revealing that the supposed pure blood is not only of mixed heritage, but that he has a shameful past.
The self-styled "lord" was actually born Tom Marvolo Riddle, named after his Muggle father. While it is true that Mr. Riddle is descended from the Slytherin line, his mother Merope Gaunt being a pure blood of an ancient family line that went extinct years ago, his father was entirely non-magical.
But the scandal goes much further than that! Not only was his father a Muggle, but his mother force-fed him love potions in order to make him love her and have his child. When the Muggle was no longer fed love potions, he ran off, not wanting a relationship with a witch!
This writer would feel nothing but sympathy for the poor halfblood, if not for his pretense at being a pure blood and his murdering of Muggle born out of self-loathing. The Boy-Who-Lived, Riddle's most famous victim, revealed that the name 'Voldemort' is actually an anagram of his Muggle name! Readers puzzle it out by rearranging the letters of Riddles full name into 'I am Lord Voldemort' (see page 7 for more magical word puzzles).
While it may be admirable to stand up for traditional magical beliefs, this writer finds it difficult to find any nobility in purebloods bowing to a halfblood with a scandalous history.
Weasley Seer Predicts Dark Lord's Doom
by Marcus Goodberry
Whether you are a firm believer in the art of divinations or a confirmed skeptic of all things prophetic, you have to admit that the Ronald Weasley, better known as the Weasley Seer, has had a stellar career as a prognosticator, and he is still technically a student at Hogwarts!
From his first prediction of a lightning storm that could have been fatal if not for his warning, to the famed flying-pig in Hogesmeade event, to the amazing undefeated run of the Chudley Cannons in Quidditch, Ron Weasley has never been wrong when speaking with his Inner-Eye. Even things he has said in passing, without the need of any trance state, have turned out to be true. His talents are so prodigious that he has taken over the post of Divinations teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after the passing the Sybil Trelawney.
So, whether you believe in the discipline or not, it is wise to take note when the Weasley Seer speaks. And yesterday, at the funeral of the not-as-dead-as-first-thought Albus Dumbledore (see page 1 for story), speak he did!
Shortly after Albus Dumbledore's shocking return as a magical creature, Ronald Weasley suddenly spoke with a loud booming voice and uttered a shocking prophecy. The text of the prophecy is transcribed below, edited for clarity and your convenience:
The doom of [He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named] is nigh! He who was marked as equal [Harry Potter] shall gather the power the [He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named] knows not. Before [the end of September] the doom shall be set and the Boy Who Lived shall not be touched by the dark power. The doom of the [He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named] is nigh!
During the giving of the prophecy, it appeared that Ronald Weasley was fully possessed by an outside force. His eyes turned white, he levitated in the air—without the use of any wand—and he spoke with an otherworldly voice that sent shivers down this reporter's spine. When questioned afterwards, Weasley had no recollection of anything he had said, a hallmark of true prophecy.
Following that clairvoyant episode, The Boy-Who-Lived expressed confidence in the prediction's veracity by challenging He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (see page 1 for details on the name) to wizarding combat by the end of September.
Regardless of one's views on the reliability of the field of divinations, we should all be hoping that this one comes to fruition.
Weasley Seer
With Hogwarts classes cancelled for the week due to the death of the Headmaster, his subsequent return as a magical creature notwithstanding, and all the students sent home until classes resumed, it was an opportune time to convene a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. Kreacher and Dobby prepared the dining room for guests, while Sirius held a conversation with his mother's portrait, doing his best to convince her to remain civil and polite.
Harry, however, had an errand to run before the meeting would begin later that evening. He entered Gringotts bank with a slight bit of trepidation as there was some chance that there would be unexpected difficulty and working with goblins was always an unpleasant affair. Albus had suggested that business with the goblins would be smoother without the presence of a phoenix, but promised to come at Harry's call if needed. He would always come when Harry called, his former teacher had promised. So, it was with that on his mind that the young wizard went up to the teller, Sorting Hat tucked carefully away within his robes.
"Harry Potter to see Sub-head Kargut," Harry announced, trying to sound polite but business-like. Goblins despised rudeness, but they had contempt for the overly nice.
"Sub-head Kargut is busy," said the teller with bit of a growl. "What is your business with Gringotts?"
Harry looked the goblin in the eye, challengingly. "Sub-head Kargut and I have business to conclude. However, if he does not care to collect the fee that was negotiated until later, I can leave and deal with other matters."
The teller snarled, but turned to an assistant next to him and spoke something in Gobbledygook. The assistant quickly scampered off, Harry's subtle threat of the bank Sub-head being displeased having the intended effect. After just a few minutes, the assistant returned, telling Harry to follow.
From within Harry's robes a familiar voice spoke up. "Mr. Potter, I must insist that you return me to Hogwarts. I have been absent far too long." The Sorting Hat was none too pleased with this excursion.
"Shh," Harry hushed the hat. "This is not the place to make noise. I promise, after today, I will bring you back to Hogwarts."
"Very well, Mr. Potter," the hat acquiesced. It helped that the hat had a good idea of Harry's character, otherwise it might have continued to protest.
"Sub-head Kargut will see you," the goblin escorting Harry announced after leading Harry to the goblin-liason's office.
When the other goblin left, Kargut fixed Harry with a hard stare. "You know of the deal between Dumbledore and Gringotts?"
Harry nodded and produced a key: the key to the Dumbledore vault. "Albus told me everything, including the part about your personal fee. I understand the amount owed Gringotts has already been put through, but your galleons were waiting on Dumbledore's signature. Is that right?" The goblin nodded. "I can take care of that. Dumbledore named me executor of his estate."
Kargut handed Harry an official bank scroll authorizing the transfer of 2000 galleons for exemplary service. The young wizard signed the form and passed it back to the goblin, who took it with his clawed hand and quickly examined it.
"Hmph. Perfectly valid," Kargut said with satisfaction. "That concludes our business then."
Harry shook his head. "Not quite. There is the little matter of the Sword of Gryffindor to take care of. The Headmaster left it in your keeping just before he travelled to the Ministry and Albus arranged for the swords use for me, correct?"
The goblin stared at Harry, sizing him up. After a moment he smiled toothily, then nodded. "You are correctly informed. Wait here while I get it."
Kargut left the room only to return a few minutes later bearing a sword of gleaming silver with ruby handles and the name 'Godric Gryffindor' etched into the blade. He proffered the sword to Harry who took it by the hilt.
Harry frowned. "This is not the Sword of Godric Gryffindor," Harry said and returned the blade to the goblin.
"Are you refusing to take the sword?" Kargut asked, his beady eyes boring into Harry.
"I am here to take possession of the original sword, not a replica."
"And what makes you think this is a fake?" Kargut asked, showing his teeth.
Harry scowled. "I've held the real thing and I know the feel of its power." Then Harry reached into his robe and pulled an identical looking ruby-hilted blade. "This is the real Sword of Gryffindor."
Kargut's eyes bugged out. He quickly opened a hidden compartment in his office and a miniature vault opened up. It was empty.
The goblin spun around and pointed his clawed hand at Harry. "If you could draw the blade from the hat, why waste my time with this charade! Did you come here to mock me, wizard?"
Harry took a couple of swings with the weapon before turning to face the goblin once more. "I came here to set Albus's banking affairs in order, Sub-head Kargut. But while I was here I thought I would allow you to hand over the sword honorably. I never expected you to go back on your word."
The goblin made a strangled sound, his hand going to his dagger, but he restrained himself, not removing the weapon from its place. "Mind your words, wizard!" Kargut cried. "I have broken no agreement. Dumbledore negotiated for your right to use the sword, nothing more. There was no requirement for Gringotts to deliver the sword to you."
Harry frowned for a second. Then he nodded. "I see. It is my mistake. I should not have assumed goblins would think like wizards. For us, if someone has the right to use something, you are also supposed give it to them. I guess among goblins, if someone is stupid enough to fall for a fake, that's their own fault."
Kargut glared at the young wizard a moment, then he removed his hand from his dagger, his honor satisfied by Harry's apology. "Good. So, you are not so stupid as some of your kind."
"No," Harry said, "I'm not. But do not attempt to fool me again, goblin, or there will be consequences. And make sure the rest of Gringotts knows about my right to this sword. I would not want to be accused of being a thief when I walk out of here with it."
Kargut nodded.
Then Harry shocked the goblin by waving at the concealed doorway and forcing it to open. "I'll see myself out," the boy said with a grin, then walked out unescorted Sword of Gryffindor in hand. He had memorized the way back. There would be surprised goblins all the way out of the bank.
Kargut swore in Gobbledygook and immediately began the paperwork to ensure that all Gringotts goblins were wary of Harry Potter from now on. Not only was the wizard not stupid in the way of many of his kind, he had also managed to replicate goblin magic. A dangerous wizard, indeed.
Weasley Seer
Harry stepped out of Gringotts rather pleased with himself. He had a couple more things to take care of in Diagon Alley before—
"Potter!" a familiar voice called to him in a loud whisper.
Harry looked around, seeing nobody in the direction the sound had come from. There were witches and wizards coming and going, but the area by Gringotts where the sound was coming from was mostly empty.
"Potter! Over here!" the voice called again.
Harry silently cast the hominem revelio spell, and instantly he knew exactly where the voice was coming from, a relatively secluded area behind one of the bank pillars. Someone was there, under an invisibility cloak.
Harry surreptitiously drew his wand, silently casting several protective spells over himself. He had a good idea who was calling him from under that cloak, but no idea why this person would approach him like this.
"What is it, Malfoy?" Harry asked looking directly at the empty space where the Slytherin student stood.
The top of the cloak came off, revealing Draco's blond head. "Keep it down!" he stage whispered, "I can't be seen talking to you."
Harry shook his head in annoyance. "You could always come to me at Hogwarts, although I will be taking leave for the next month. But right now, I don't have time for this." Harry turned to walk away.
"Wait, please!" Draco pleaded.
Harry stopped. Draco Malfoy had never asked him for anything before, certainly not politely. There had always been challenges, insults, demands, or at best grudging tolerance. Harry weaved a privacy ward around the pair, making it so prying eyes and ears would see and hear nothing.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked again.
"I'm here to offer peace," Draco answered, "between the Malfoys and the Potters."
Harry paused for a second then laughed at the absurdity of the statement. "Draco, you might not believe it, but your father is a Death Eater who has tried to kill me on more than one occasion. Why would I ever trust you, and why would I be willing to just let him off after all he has done? To say nothing of how you treated me back in our first years at Hogwarts?"
"Potter, look, I'm sorry for how I acted. I didn't know you would be so powerful. You are my better and I should have treated you with respect," Draco pleaded, his voice above a half-whisper. When that got no reaction, Draco continued hurriedly, "You were right about the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters, okay? My father…he wants safety."
Harry's eyebrows raised. "Okay, I'm listening."
"The Dark Lord—"
"Call him Tom Riddle," Harry demanded.
Draco hesitated, but then quickly nodded. "You're right. Riddle is a fake. To think we've been bowing and scraping to a half-blood all this time." Clearly the article in the Daily Prophet had had an effect.
Harry frowned. Draco was not winning him over with this pureblood talk. While it was good that some wizards would no longer want to serve Voldemort, the reason was not very appealing to Harry.
Draco saw Harry's reaction and quickly changed tack. "Riddle has taken over our home. He tortures our family, abuses my father in front of everyone for some supposed 'failure' that happened while he was gone. Tom Riddle is using us and nobody seems to care. Please, you've got to save us. When you destroy…Voldemort…spare my family."
Harry almost reacted in shock, but just barely managed to keep his expression neutral other than for a brief widening of his eyes. Draco Malfoy now believed that not only was Harry the right side, but that he would defeat Voldemort. This was massive. But he had to make sure.
"Your father sent you to me?" Harry asked, looking Draco in the eyes, carefully employing legilimency to see the truth.
Draco shook his head, "My mother," he answered. Harry saw the moment in Draco's mind where Narcissa Malfoy took her son into a closed room and asked him to seek Harry out. "But my father knows and agrees." Lucius had pulled Draco aside after Narscissa had tasked Draco with appealing to Harry, just as Draco had said. "He told me to save our family, and that I can offer you whatever you want, within reason."
Unless Draco was a near perfect Occlumens, he was telling the truth. Harry broke eye contact and Draco was none the wiser of what had just happened.
"What do you have to offer," Harry asked.
"We've got money," Draco started.
Harry cut him off, "Not interested."
"Information!" Draco said next. "Even though my father is out of Riddle's favor he keeps him around to bully. He hears everything!"
Information was something Harry needed. "For example?"
"Severus Snape. He's been—"
"A double agent working for Voldemort all along, I know," Harry said, cutting off Draco mid-sentence. "He got Dumbledore killed by delaying my message."
That, of course, was not exactly what happened, but Draco would believe it was what Harry believed, and in the unfortunate situation that Voldemort read Draco's mind, this would offer Severus Snape a little additional protection. Unfortunately, there was nothing Harry could do to protect Draco and his family if Voldemort read their minds, but Draco knew this before he ever came to find him.
Draco, for his part, was floored that Harry already knew about Severus Snape's allegiance. He had thought it would be the big surprise that would win him and his family Harry's assistance. Everyone knew of the great enmity between the Head of Slytherin and Harry Potter, and Draco thought revealing this would please Potter enough to seal the deal. Now he was left scrambling for something, anything useful to offer his former rival.
"The Ministry!" Draco blurted out. "Voldemort wants to take over the Ministry using the Imperius curse! Yaxley is trying to put someone high up under the Imperius so Tom Riddle can take over the government."
This was news. Harry nodded. "Okay, Draco. If you and your family act as spies on Voldemort, I promise when everything is over that your family will be spared. But your father will have to pay for the lives he has taken. He won't get off free."
"I understand, Potter. But my mother, she hasn't done anything. They may want me to join, but…"
"Then you join. Just don't kill anyone, whatever you do, and I will make sure you are pardoned. Kill anyone, and you have no promise. The same goes for your father. If he kills anyone from here on out, he will get no mercy. But if your family tries to make up for what you've done wrong, I'll make sure the Ministry is as lenient as they can be."
There were tiny tears in Draco's eyes, which he brushed away. "I was wrong about you, Potter," he said. And he meant it.
"How do I know I can trust you not to betray me to Voldemort, Malfoy?" Harry asked.
"I swear it," Draco answered. Then he took up his wand. "I swear on my magic that the Malfoy family will serve you until you defeat Tom Riddle," he said, the tip of his wand lighting up as he did so.
Harry nodded, then took Draco's hand and shook it. "I'm going to do my best to save your family. And I will destroy Voldemort. Now I have a meeting to go to about how I'm going to win."
Draco nodded, then pulled the invisibility cloak up over his head. There was a quiet pop and he was gone.
Harry took a deep breath. Now, he just needed to get a few supplies and get the Sorting Hat back to Hogwarts. He was going to have a lot to say at the upcoming Order of the Phoenix meeting and there was a lot to do before his confrontation with Voldemort.
Author's Note: The euology given by Elphias Doge in this chapter comes directly from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling.