Author's note: I wasn't really planning on publishing this story so early, at least without finishing my first, but I'm very eager to continue writing for this story. I'm hoping this will be a four-part series. Please leave me any constructive feedback! Please go to my profile to find the link to the playlist that corresponds with this story. Music plays an important role in the influence of my writing, particularly with this story and the specific time it takes place.
Prologue - Gimme Shelter
December 22, 1969
Snow came down in sheets, covering the vast, Scottish Highlands. The world, it seemed, was a peace. And peace usually came during the Holidays, specifically in the McKinnon household. And who knew peace and teenagers could exist together, under one roof? Perhaps it was because during these holidays, the family was together for the first time since Marlene and Aiden went off to Hogwarts in September. The family sat in a dining hall far too big for just the four of them, and it seemed only a quarter of this hall was ever used.
Marden McKinnon sat at the head of the table, watching his children rather intriguingly. They only got off of the Hogwarts Express an hour or so ago, and he knew they were tired, but they were awfully quiet. Too quiet for teenagers. Even Aiden, who was much more brash and outgoing than his sister, sat with his cheek supported by his hand, poking about at his food. He resembled his father remarkably, with long, brown curls resting at his shoulders. Long hair seemed to be the style these days. His eyes were the same shape as his father's as well, though they were more of a greenish color that often changed to blue from time to time. He was also incredibly tall, and incredibly handsome. It wasn't hard for his parents to notice how girls pined for his attention and affection.
Marden looked to his wife, who shared the same concerning look. She looked down at their daughter, Marlene. She was much more reserved, like her father, and shared the same eyes and stern look, but more so resembled her mother, with straight, golden blonde hair. She was also quite beautiful, and Marden often tore up letters that boys would send her over the holidays. Not my daughter, he would catch himself saying.
"So..." Marden spoke up, breaking the silence. "Anything, uh...interesting happen over the term? How's Hufflepuff doing in the Quidditch cup?" He asked his daughter, who was seeker for the Hufflepuff team.
"Well, we beat Slytherin in the first match, but then Ravenclaw did us in at the last. But we're not out yet." There was some enthusiasm in her voice, so at least that was a start.
Marden nodded, never knowing he had would have a Quidditch star in the family. He wasn't very athletic during his time at Hogwarts. "What about your subjects? Finding them to be alright?" He asked, leaving the question up for the both of them.
"I suck at Ancient Runes." Aiden said, stilling poking his potatoes.
"Well, you don't really need Ancient Runes unless you want to be a Curse Breaker, I would assume." Marden echoed, though this didn't seem to help. They were still early enough in their school careers to be unsure of what they want to do when they graduate, but next year would be their O.W.L.s, which was the starting point to find their strengths and weaknesses. Both Marden and Ailene weren't too worried about Marlene, she seemed to have a knack for helping others. It was Aiden they were more worried about. He didn't have many interests, and the only thing he was good at was getting into trouble.
"Yeah, and Professor Slughorn talks about you as if you're the Christ Reincarnate." Aiden remarked bitterly. "Always tells me how well you did in Potions, and how I should be just as good. And that I should've been in Slytherin instead of Gryffindor."
"Well, I'm not that special...Slughorn just likes to brag about who he knows. He did it when I was there, too..."
"Yeah, tell that to everyone now that you're the new Head Auror." Aiden said dismissively. Marden instantly gritted his teeth. He wasn't even sure he liked the new position. Don't get him wrong, it was an honor, he never expected it going into the job when he was 21 and bright-eyed, but many people were eyeing that position, including one of his closest friends. Now, that friend seemed to not want anything to do with him. Not to mention the work he had ahead of himself. The Auror Department had become ineffective over the years. He'd have to gut that department if anything was going to get done from here on out.
Aiden shook his head again and scooted back in his chair. "Can I be excused?"
"No. You may not. You barely touched your dinner." Ailene now spoke up. "What's wrong? You' haven't said a word since we got back from King's Cross..."
"Nothing, just not feeling well." Aiden sat back in his chair, grabbing his fork with no intentions of eating. Of course that was a lie. He seemed perfectly fine to his parents.
"Well, Marlene. What about your classes? Everything going alright?" Ailene asked her daughter, who shrugged tiredly.
"I mean, I like Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions, and Care for Magical Creatures, but nothing too interesting besides Quidditch. Honestly, it's been kind of boring."
"Boring? You've done nothing but snog Cassius Dawlish all bloody term!"
There was a loud bang that shook the table, Marlene clearly kicked Aiden from underneath.
"You bitch!"
"ENOUGH!" Marden roared, and his children both looked at their father with wide eyes. Marden was a very intimidating man, even if he didn't mean to be.
"Don't call your sister nasty names!" Marden warned his son, pointing at him in the face.
"And if I find out your kissing boys instead of studying, I'll march up to that school myself!" He turned to his daughter, who bowed her head, shooting dangerous eyes at her twin brother.
"I hate you" She mouthed to him, and Aiden replied by scratching his brow with his middle finger.
The family was silent again. Just as Ailene was going to suggest watching her favorite Christmas movie with everyone else, a bell rang out through the McKinnon manor. It was the doorbell. The four of them looked at each other in confusion.
"Were we expecting anyone, Marden?" Ailene asked, and her husband slowly stood and shook his head. The only people he could think of that would stop by would be his sister with her husband, and son James.
He walked to their grand foyer and opened one of the doors to see a familiar face. The tall wizard stood with a kind smile, a long white beard, and half-moon spectacles.
"Good evening, Marden." Albus Dumbledore greeted kindly. "I hope I'm not interrupting dinner..."
Marden stood quite shocked, unsure of why Dumbledore was there in the first place. "Uh...well, actually yes..." Dumbledore approached him and took Marden's hand, shaking it.
"Congratulations on your new position. A powerful position to have, no doubt." His attention shifted as he looked past Marden and stepped inside their enormous home.
"Hello, Ailene. Lovely to see you again, after all these years. I must say you haven't aged a day." He took her hand and gently kissed it. The old Professor was good at buttering people up.
"Well, it's quite a surprise to see you, too, Mr...Professor Dumbledore..." Ailene looked at her husband.
"I was wondering if I might have a word with your husband? I'm afraid it's rather urgent." Marden saw Aiden and Marlene slip up the stairs to their bedrooms in the background, and instantly became angry. What on earth did they do now? He had no worries about Marlene, it was Aiden he was more worried about. He unfortunately inherited his mother's habit of mouthing off when he felt it necessary.
"Of course! Would you like some pot roast and potatoes, I should have some left over?" Ailene offered as her husband shook his head against offering Dumbeldore food, but she gave him a dismissive look and led the older wizard to their dining room.
"I'm afraid I've already had something to eat earlier, but I wouldn't say no to some good wine." Dumbledore said gently, slowly sinking into a chair as Marden flicked his wand and their dinner flew away into the kitchen. Ailene came back with two wine glasses and a bottle of whatever they had.
Then they were left alone, the door quietly shut behind them. Dumbledore looked worried, which was never a good sign. He twirled the wine around in it's glass before taking a small sip.
"What is this about, Dumbledore?"
"You must know, Marden. I don't show up anywhere uninvited unless it was of absolute importance." Dumbledore's words were as light a snowflake, yet fell on Marden like bricks. He took a deep breath.
"Do you remember a classmate by the name of Tom Riddle?" The old wizard inquired.
Marden sat in silence, his eyes clouded as he thought back to his school years, which was quite a long time ago.
"I think so. Slytherin, he was apart of Slug Club, that's mainly how I interacted with him. Rather quiet. He was the one that found Rubeus hoarding that Acromantula? Got him expelled...blamed him for opening the Chamber of Secrets, killing that Myrtle Warren girl."
"Your memory serves you well, Marden." Dumbledore nodded slowly, setting his glass on the dining table and crossing his fingers neatly upon his chest.
"I had the strangest encounter with your old classmate not but a half of an hour ago." Dumbledore began slowly. "You see, Tom stopped in, previously arranging this meeting and essentially asked to occupy the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Apparently, Professor Dippet offered him the job when he graduated, but turned it down."
Marden watched Dumbledore as he spoke, his brow furrowed. "And this is a concern...because?"
"You see, Tom goes by another name, these days. You might have heard of a one, Lord Voldemort?"
This instantly made Marden's brow raise, his eyes widening. "He's Lord Voldemort?" Marden then sat back slowly, his eyes clouding in thought. "Looks like I have my work cut out for me Monday morning...you sure it's him?"
"He admitted it to me. Tonight. He told me so himself. My brother, Aberforth, told me he saw Tom with a few other classmates you may recognize at the Hog's Head. Antonin Dolohov. Evan Rosier. Garrick Mulciber. Corvus Nott. They are his Death Eaters. I'm sure you've heard that name, too." At this, the old wizard stood, looking down at Marden as if he were his student once again. "There are those in this world who dislike Muggles, as I'm sure you know this by now."
"Yes, I'm quite aware." Marden nodded in answer, not wishing to think of his own past and how his parents rejected the idea of marrying his now current wife of almost fifteen years.
"And then, there are those who wish to completely eradicate them from existence. Tom, I believe, falls into that category. Especially given all of his more recent, dark activities."
There have been increasing number of disappearances, all wizards with ties to Muggles. These witches and wizards would then turn up dead, their cause of death too dark to repeat. Some barely recognizable. This made Marden incredibly worried. It was no secret that Marden was married to a Muggle, and had two children who were Half-Blood. Many wizards who still worked in the Ministry would not speak to Marden because of this. And now that he was the new Head Auror, he had an even bigger target on his back.
"What would you like me to do, Dumbledore?" Marden then asked, looking down at the glass full of wine that he didn't touch.
"This kind of behavior, this way of thinking, that Mr. Riddle is expressing is very familiar to me. I've seen it before, in an old friend, in fact. The last time we had a war, this kind of thinking was amplified by one man. And if I dare assume, war is in our future once again." Dumbledore turned and looked at Marden.
"For now, to answer your question. I want you to keep a very close eye on Mr. Riddle, as best as you can. Investigate his whereabouts, any sightings of him, and any activity that may be linked to him and his followers." Marden then stood. Not but a month into his knew post and there are talks of war?
"And I certainly don't think a department of Aurors, well trained and skilled, mind you, would be even be close to enough to go against him."
"And what do you suggest then?" Marden asked, walking over to the roaring fire in the massive hearth. He was going to need all the help Dumbledore could offer him.
"In times of desperate need, perhaps bending a few laws is what is best for the whole." Dumbledore suggested his counterpart. "We may need an extension of the Auror Department, an outside organization."
"A vigilante group?"
"Bending the laws, my dear man." Dumbledore echoed, knowing what Marden was thinking.
Marden stood for a long time, contemplating everything that was just expressed to him. Did Dumbledore really doubt his abilities to pull his men and women together in a time of need? Or was Dumbledore just being honest, and that more was truly needed if another war broke out? Professor Dumbledore had been around for a very long time, becoming a notable wizard at a young age. Marden thought of Grindelwald, just barely alive when that war broke out, but what he heard from it was destructive enough to place himself in that time; what would he have done? Would he bend the rules to save people?
"I think we'll be meeting a bit more often, Professor." Marden said finally, looking at his old teacher, who in returned, smiled.
"I think that would be most prudent. I will try my best to assist in whatever you need. You know where to find me." With that, Dumbledore stood slowly, gathered his traveling cloak and placing it over his shoulders. He downed his glass of wine quite impressively. Just before the two men reached the door to the dining room, Dumbledore turned to Marden.
"I would pack your things and go where no one can find you. Not even your closest friends should know." He said gravely, offering Marden a kind smile despite this warning, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Conceal yourselves, and make sure Aiden and Marlene are safe, above all. We're going to need them in a few years, I daresay."
Dumbledore opened the door, and Aiden fell back onto his bum, Marlene not too far behind him. Of course they were eavesdropping, it's what teenagers did best. Besides, Marden knew that word of mysterious, dark things reached the halls of that school. They knew what was going on, and they knew of the dangerous world they'd be soon going into. Before Marden could even round onto Aiden, Dumbledore held out his hand to stop him, taking a step and helping Aiden to his feet. He placed a kind hand on Aiden's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze and looking at him gravely.
"Listen to your father." He turned to Marlene. "Do what you are told, and watch your back."
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