Dumbledore sees a Gringotts Owl fly into the Great Hall during breakfast, about two weeks after the Aurors came to Hogwarts…and land in front of Tom Riddle and Evelynn Peverell.
As soon as Tom unties the letter, it flies off at once - much as he wants to question the teen, he's been walking on thin ice with both Dippet and Slughorn for the past two weeks. They were less than impressed, to put it lightly, with his efforts to expose Tom Riddle's true colors to the rest of the world - and either the Aurors sent to question him were completely incompetent, or Tom charmed them out of performing Priori Incantem on his wand. Surely, it would've shown his guilt.
But no, instead Dippet has been refusing to talk with him unless it's a school-related matter and Slughorn has been giving him such venomous looks that he'd think the man was actually half-snake if he didn't know any better. A snake that would dearly like to strike him, at that.
As he watches, Riddle and Peverell read whatever document it is he got, and then Peverell says something to him that makes a look of realization come over his features. What it is, Albus can't say, as they're too far away for him to hear - but Riddle gets an unmistakable look of utter shock on his face at whatever it is Peverell just said to him.
Wait, that was a Gringotts owl…no, no its not possible! There's no way the Goblins would know…Marvolo would surely have disinherited…
He's got to get to Gringotts at the earliest opportunity! Or the Ministry, if he can't keep Tom Riddle from the power of a Lordship!
If he gets even the Gaunt Lordship, despite the detail that they were destitute, he'll be Emancipated. No Trace, no way to keep him at Wool's where he's at least semi-controllable…it'll be a disaster of the highest order. And that's not to mention anything connected with Slytherin himself - the Slytherins would follow him to the ends of the planet and back if he claimed to be the Lord of Slytherin, as would most of the rest of the Purebloods. All the old, dark, influential ones, for sure. And if he can't convince the Goblins to withhold Tom's possible Inheritance, he can try getting himself made the boy's Magical Guardian at the Ministry and maybe prevent an utter disaster like that.
Maybe I should do the same with Peverell, I'll kill two birds with one spell. Get the Hallows, and find out once and for all if she's working with Gellert or not.
First, though, he's somehow got to convince people at the Ministry that he's a perfectly good choice for Guardian of two teenagers when he hasn't shown any interest in them before now if he goes down that route. He'll have to be fast, though, as once they're Emancipated they don't have a Magical Guardian.
He'll go on Easter break, as most of the Muggleborns go home that week - he can just say he's going to board the train to see them there safely, in case something happens. Dippet will surely believe that.
Death shakes his head at Dumbledore's utter stupidity, and glances over at Lady Magic while asking "Is there anything we can do to prevent that?"
"Dumbledore's attempt at getting custody over your chosen one?"
"Both of them, but yes."
Lady Magic chuckles, and says "For someone so determined to be alone forever, its happening remarkably fast."
Death mock-sighs, and says "I know. They seem to be equally stubborn."
Lady Magic pseudo-casually says "Well, they'll never be bored with one another. It seems they constantly push one another on to greater and greater things. Are you not sad, though, that she's averted a bloodbath?"
Death shakes his head, and says "Most everyone dies eventually. All those souls will eventually come to me in the end. And, if she keeps going, she'll make Wizarding Britain flourish. I'm going to assume your pleased with that." It was the whole point of the Hallows, after all.
Lady Magic smirks and nods, saying "Indeed I am. You and your toys chose well."
Death snaps "The Hallows aren't toys, Magic! You, of anyone, know that. You helped me make them!" Nearly a Millennia later, and she still calls them toys!
She laughs, and asks "Then why do you get so riled up?"
Death grumbles "Back to the traitor, Lady Magic."
She nods, her smirk turning vicious, and says "Indeed. The traitor to magic, the one that's worked to deny all magical traditions and throw the world out of balance. Albus Dumbledore. I do so like your chosen's names for him, though."
Death hums, and says "If we can keep him away for the remainder of the school year, he won't have enough time to go through all the red tape between the clients and the formidable director of Gringotts, be shot down so deliciously thoroughly, and then get to the Ministry and talk them into giving him custody before she's Emancipated and out of his grasp."
Lady Magic hums, then says "I could slip in on the night of the Equinox. Leave him a little something that'll take his mind off of young Evelynn Peverell and Tom Riddle until the end of the year?"
Death cheerfully says "That would be wonderful, Lady Magic. Lets get to work, shall we?" Honestly, even he's getting tired of his obsession with the two of them. And he's an immortal, timeless being that can literally be anywhere, anywhen he wants, and doesn't usually care what a mortal that'll eventually die does while they're alive. Yet even he's getting beyond disgusted with the old man's continual attempts to control Evelynn and Tom.
Some time later, the two have a pile of Hex Bags intended for none other than Albus Dumbledore - going back in time and gathering clippings of his hair whenever he had a haircut, old thrown-out clothes of his, and herbs intended to confuse him and prompt him to keep his distance from Evelynn and Tom was nothing to the two deities. Time means nothing to Death, after all - people are always dying, literally, a person dies every second and if Death were bound by the same laws as mortals he'd never get his job done and still have time to check in on his 'Mistress' - and the same goes for Lady Magic.
Albus Dumbledore, Death decides as he watches Lady Magic empower the bags, really shouldn't have disregarded the old tales and traditions. He and Grindelwald wanted to rule over the Muggles, and Dumbledore hasn't given up on that dream - he's just going about it in a much more insidious way, worming his way to the top and getting everyone to almost literally worship him.
And once the Muggles learn of magic, the old man assumes, they'll see the benevolent old man that all but leads the society, that everyone looks to for guidance and hope, and follow him as well. It wouldn't happen that way, even if he were alive and in his former position when the Muggles learn of magic, but that's neither here nor there.
He's helped keep Magical Britain so far behind the rest of the Magical World, convinced the Ministry to make Creatures outcasts and traditions banned instead of educating those raised in the Muggle World - which is the real reason why most Purebloods dislike Muggleborns, their ignorance instead of their actual blood 'purity' - and as a result…Magical Britain was practically breeding itself to extinction. It turned into a vicious cycle, with Dumbledore making it worse and worse as the years went by, and by the time the Second Magical War was over…it was too late, the damage was irreversibly done.
All because one manipulative man named Albus Dumbledore decided he could play at being a deity, decided he knew what was best. Decided that anyone that ended up wearing a green and silver tie was automatically evil, and that he was worthy of being the 'Master' of Death.
Albus Dumbledore is in for a very uncomfortable conversation with Lady Magic and himself when he finally dies, as neither of them are very happy with him.
Tom and Evelynn exchange glances over breakfast the morning of the Equinox - something's happened. They don't know what, having gotten into dissecting a dead Pensieve - perfectly preserved, but entirely void of the maker's magic - to pass the time between classes, meals, and homework.
And it really is a good distraction - the sheer amount of tiny little Runes to be copied and translated alone is enough to have Evelynn all but drooling, not to mention the Charmswork that went into it as well. The two of them have been going between trunks for reference books from Slytherin's library and such for weeks now, just to identify all the Runes, and it's a fascinating piece of magic that should legitimately be called a work of art.
It's also what's kept Evelynn from going homicidal on Dumbledore, the challenge and mystery enough to take her interest after the old man's stunt with the Aurors.
Still, they've been working on the Pensieve all this time, they haven't done anything to Dumbledore himself yet. Haven't even said a word in his classes bar the incantations to spells he's 'teaching' them, doing literally nothing to draw his attention.
So why can the both of them sense something different in the castle?
By the time Transfiguration is over, they've determined its something affecting Dumbledore himself. His eyes would glaze over if he looked their direction, for Merlin's sake, that's pretty obvious.
Still, they aren't sure what's been done, only that it literally happened overnight and it wasn't either of them. A spell, perhaps?
Something to look into at a later date, after they're finished with the Pensieve. Whatever it is, though, they're not complaining one bit.
AN: Yeah, did anyone not see Dumbledore decide to leap into action as soon as he became aware the Goblins actually know Tom exists? Makes me wonder...did the old man keep him from Gringotts originally? The kid was a genius, after all, he almost certainly found out about his relatives at some point - did Dumbledore, the guy who ADMITTED he watched Tom constantly, keep him from finding out that the Gaunts were actually a House? With a Lordship and such? I mean, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere Marvolo was the Lord Gaunt at one point...so, what gives?
Anyway, enjoy! More updates coming soon!