CHAPTER 5

"Good morning Tom." Harry greeted Tom when he stepped into the dining room.

"Good morning, where is Rose?" he looked around for the excitable child.

"I already dropped her off in London."

"So we're alone?"

"Yup, no need to watch our language." Harry smiled at him. "Come have breakfast."

Tom sat next to Harry and proceeded to serve himself a cup of coffee from the carafe that Hale had deposited on the table.

"I noticed you these past few days that you drink a ridiculous amount of coffee."

"Habit I suppose. The students run me ragged at times."

They took sips of their doctored coffee until Harry asked. "How long have you been teaching?"

"I thought you looked me up."

"I'd rather hear you tell me about yourself."

"Five years."

"Do you like it?"

"It has its good and bad moments."

"Like any job." Tom nodded. Hale reappeared with their breakfast. "Tell me more about your life."

"What would you like to know?"

"Anything you feel like sharing."

"For some reason I can't think of anything at the moment."

"That's alright. We have all day."

"You're not working today?"

"No, I need a break."

"You really don't have plans?"

"Nothing besides checking in on Rose. Might floo Andromeda again this evening."

"How is she doing?"

"She's doing well. Complaining about her patients."

"Is that something you miss while doing research?"

"Dealing with complaining people? No thank you."

"So if you're not working today, what do you want to do?"

"Hmmm. Boxing Day isn't a holiday here so everything is open. I can show you the sites if you want."

"That would be great. Thank you."

"No problem. I love playing tourist."

They were standing in front of the most famous piece at the Museo Nacional de Antropologia.

"It has become the modern day emblem of this country."

"It looks unfinished, there are protrusions of uncarved rocks on the left."

"You have a very good eye. And yes, it's unfinished. Otherwise it would have been painted."

"Who is the figure in the middle?"

"Most identify him as the Sun god Tonatiuh."

"Is that why it is called the Sun Stone?"

"Partly. The stone details the current cosmos as the Aztecs saw it. Each era, from beginning of life to its end is called a sun. The one we live in now is the fifth sun, and this is the calendar for it."

"Are the suns only numbered?"

"No, see the square glyphs around the main face? Those are the names of the suns before. From top right going anti-clockwise. They are Jaguar, Wind, Rain, Water."

"Death by jaguar?"

"Yes."

"Was it one and if so what was its name?"

"Tezcatlipoca, he was a god that ended the era, his symbol was a jaguar."

"Interesting. What is the name of the fifth?"

"Earthquake."

"You mean earth?"

"No. Actual quakes. It's broken earth, shifting ground. The suns are named after what ends the era. Death by jaguar, by high winds, by rains of fire, by water."

"How? It hasn't ended yet."

"It's a prediction of what is to come."

"A prophecy for the end of times?"

"Their civilization was surrounded by volcanoes and there is a fault line. The reality of deadly earthquakes is not a myth."

"You believe it?"

"In '85 there was an earthquake that killed an estimated ten thousand people here."

"I wasn't aware…." Tom paused. "If that is the end, what was the beginning?"

Harry gave him a one sided smile then looked back at the giant stone on the wall in front of them. "Two gods agreed to sacrifice themselves."

"That's, um…why?"

"One god does it to create the sun, the light giving sun in the sky this time, but it doesn't move. Another gives his life to put the sun in motion. So because this world came to be as a result of sacrifices, humans need to feed the gods by offering sacrifices themselves."

"Paying back for what was given. That makes sense. What kind of sacrifice is required?"

"Animals. Or human blood."

"How much blood?"

"Through piercings, or actual human offerings."

"Right. That's a big difference."

"The ring around the main figure depicts the twenty days of the calendar, outside of that are rays of the sun."

"The largest ones are pointing to cardinal directions."

"Yes. They believed that the universe was divided into quadrants associated with them. In fact, the capital, Tenochtitlan, was divided into four replicating that cosmological diagram."

Tom looked at the stone more carefully. "Are those serpents creating the outer ring?"

"Ever the Slytherin, snakes can't escape your notice."

"And what is that coming out of their mouths?"

"Faces."

"Faces?"

"They are fire serpents, they have faces in their faces, I didn't decide that."

"And what are fire serpents?"

"They carry the sun across the sky. They represent time."

Tom looked at the information placard for the stone. "Created between 1502 and 1520, how was that decided?"

"The glyph for Montezuma II is by the main face, upper left, between the ornamental triangle on top of his head and the glyph for the Wind era."

"It was discovered in 1790, that's a relatively short period of time it was lost."

"Yes but it was buried by the church so that the Aztec would be forgotten. And if it wasn't for the accidentally unearthing, who knows how much longer it would have stayed that way."

After giving the stone one more look they moved on to the rest of the exhibits. Many ancient artifacts later and they were in the courtyard enjoying the views it lent.

"Thank you for explaining it all, and translating."

"Of course. I couldn't let you wonder about it like a tourist."

"I am one, plus it was your idea to visit a museum, like a tourist."

"I would rather come to this museum, then any back in England, showing stolen stories of stolen people. Here it's their history to tell. In their own land, in their own words, with their own relics."

"The English didn't colonize Mexico."

"Only because the Spanish got here first."

"I concede to your vast knowledge of muggle world history."

"Thank you."

"Have you been to the magical sections here?"

"There aren't any."

"Really?"

"We had the witch trials in the middle ages that drove us into hiding. The people here had that, and smallpox. Millions of Aztecs died which is why the Spanish were able to take over. There was hardly anyone around to stop them. It's said that maybe ten percent of the population survived and no one knows how many were magical."

"But there must be witches and wizards here."

"Of course there are."

"If there isn't a magical district, where are they?"

"They're everywhere, they blend in better."

"How?"

"The Nahuas are still around to this day, the Aztecs were of the Nahua ethnicity. They have communities from here to Nicaragua."

"Have you seen their magic?"

"Yes, it's more natural than ours. Used for growing crops, tending to animals. They have a respect for magic that we don't. We use our wands for everything. We're lazy. Levitating items instead of lifting, shrinking instead of sewing, color changing instead of dyeing. I've lived here for years and I only know one spell, as an outsider that is a miracle."

"Then how do you know it?"

"I received permission from an elder in Puebla to study the flowers that grow in their valley. The xochitl, it looks like an orange marigold and has extraordinary healing properties."

"Is that what you put in the potion that cured the Longbottoms?"

Harry shook his head. "No, it only cures physical wounds. But it was fascinating to study. Though I couldn't leave the valley with any samples."

"And you were taught a spell?"

"Accidently."

"Accidently? How?"

"I stayed with them for several days but was isolated, understandably they are wary of strangers. Men that look like me have done more wrong to them than good. I couldn't sleep the first night, too excited that they actually let me in so I heard them cast a spell outside my assigned quarters."

"How did you know it was a spell?"

"I didn't at first but the same phrase was said every night I was there, always outside my door."

"Did you ask someone?"

"Not then, I wrote down what I thought I heard and looked it up later. It took a while to find the right words since I don't know Nahuatl."

"What was the spell?"

"In toptli in petlacalli."

"And what does that mean? What does it do?"

"It's two phrases. Parallelism is used in their language, two phrases combine to make a metaphor. 'In' means the, 'toptli' is chest, 'petlacalli' is box."

"The chest the box? What is that a metaphor for?"

"It's a secret."

"The meaning of it is a secret?"

Harry laughed. "It means something is a secret."

"And what does it do?"

"I forgot the location of the community and the people."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's like a Fidelis."

"That is amazing. Did you learn to cast it?"

"It took me over three year, but yes."

"Will you teach it to me?"

"No."

"No?" Harry nodded. "Why won't you teach me the…why can't I remember what I wanted you to teach me?'

Harry smiled. "It's not my legacy to teach. I learned it accidentally and I won't dishonor them by teaching an outsider."

"But you told me that….what did you tell me? What did you do?" Tom was looking at Harry with a sense of awe and trepidation. "You didn't even use your wand."

"Not all magic is wand-based."

"You bewitched me?!"

"Actually, I be-wizard-ed you. Since I'm not a witch."

"Harry!"

"I would apologize but…."

"But you won't because you don't regret it."

"I can make it up to you."

Tom narrowed his eyes in interest. "How?"

"I'm going to introduce you to the best film ever made in Mexico."

"How is that a consolation?"

"I'll get back to you on that."

Several hours later found the pair lounging on Harry's couch watching the television screen turn from black to gray.

"What did you think?" Harry asked after watching Tom's look of incredulity.

"I haven't decided if that experience was a fever dream or a nightmare themed pantomime."

"I knew you would appreciate its greatness."

"I'm still not sure what the devil has against Santa Claus."

"Me either. You would think he would approve of the coveting that seems to possess people at this time of year. Evil doesn't need a reason."

"I suppose," Tom said, distracted.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked as he got up to rewind the tape of Santa Claus v El Demonio.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Here as in…?"

"Your home. Where your daughter lives."

"Maybe I like to collect orphans."

"Harry!"

"What are you really asking?" They stayed in silence while the tape finished and Harry put it away.

"I feel like I should confess…"

"Alright, I'm not qualified in repentance but I'll listen." Harry sat near Tom and gave him his undivided attention.

"This is harder than I thought. I don't know where to start."

"Shall I put the kettle on?"

"Yes, please."

Harry left the room but was back in a few minutes with a tray with tea and biscuits. He could have used magic but figured Tom needed the time to himself.

"Here you are," Harry said as he passed Tom a cup of milky sweetened black tea.

"I suppose I should start by telling you that I was once an Acolyte."

Harry sipped his own tea. "Alright."

"You don't look surprised."

"Should I be?"

"You knew already?"

"Of course I know. I make it a point to know all of Rose's enemies."

"I'm not her enemy."

"I'm aware. I wouldn't have let her go into the apothecary if you were."

"You saw me?"

Harry nodded and put down his almost empty cup. "Yes. I also have a tracker on Rose at all times."

"I wondered why she was alone."

"Tell me."

"Dumbledore," Tom sighed sadly then in a large gulp drank his entire cup. "He was extraordinary. He made you feel important. Cared for. Like you mattered. I fell for it after my mother died. I felt lost and alone in the world. There was an older boy in Slytherin, Alastor Moody, who told me about him."

"He recruited you."

Tom turned his face away, hands nervously tapping on the cup creating an indecipherable morse code. "My mother loved me but she was weak. She lived long enough for me to reach the age of seventeen then gave up. Broken hearted by my father's rejection of her."

"I'm so sorry Tom." Harry placed his left hand on his shoulder.

"I felt absolutely alone. I had friends, of course I did. But still. I had no family. I think that's what they prayed on. Loneliness. Desperation. It wasn't like Grindelwald. Where he recruited a bunch of angry bigots. Dumbledore collected fragmented souls. You are so relieved that someone is there to pick up the pieces that you'll do anything to make them happy. Give him whatever he asks. He said we were a family. I believed him."

"There is no shame in wanting to be happy."

"I know that," Tom snapped and slammed his cup onto the nearest tabletop.

Harry rubbed his back soothingly. "You joined when you were seventeen?"

Tom nodded. "I received my Acolyte necklace during the Summer Solstice. I wasn't the only one. So many of my classmates were there. Young, eager, ready to serve. Be a part of something bigger."

"What made you change your mind?"

"The Prophecy. After a handful of years in blissful ignorance, working in the ministry for him, then everything was torn apart because of a prophecy."

"You know about it?"

"We all did. He became obsessed with finding the child that would defeat him. The happy peaceful group I thought of as family became monsters. I saw him torture Edward Bones to death for hiding his daughter, because she was the right age to be a threat. A baby was a threat."

"That opened your eyes?"

"Yes, but I couldn't leave. The necklace basically enslaved us. Once you put it on, it could not be removed. No magic strong enough. I even tried muggle tools. There was no way out."

"Unless he died."

"Unless he died."

"Don't feel ashamed for not being able to break free. It took almost the entire Order of Felidae to bring him down. "

"Dozens died that night fighting him. I felt guilty for living for a very long time. Maybe I still do."

"Were you there?"

"No. I was an assistant in the Department of Education. The Head had us all stay late to work on an exchange program with Beauxbaton. It kept being delayed because of the insurrections here but the Ministry was pushing for normality and stronger international ties."

"You didn't get called to fight?"

"No. Those of us that worked in the Ministry were always the last one called so we wouldn't blow our covers in case we were arrested."

"He was clever, I'll give him that."

"I felt the pendant burn, sear and dissolve into my chest. Blinding pain. That's how I knew he was gone. He used to tell us that not even death would part us, we would always be a family. He didn't lie about that, we will always be linked to him."

"That's how his followers were identified by the DMLE. The mark. Do you have one?"

Tom shifted, displacing Harry's hand. He grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked it down to show his chest a bit. Enough to show clear skin. Then he closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth. Slowly, like an lense coming into an image appeared. Carved into Tom's chest was the symbol of the Deathly Hallows. "It took me months to find a glamour that would cover it."

Harry traced the mark with sad eyes. "You didn't kill anyone. You didn't hurt anyone."

Tom let go of his shirt, covering the mark once again. "I didn't report what I saw when I knew he was a madman."

"Could you?"

"No. The pendant…"

"You were questioned under veritaserum. I've read the transcripts. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I fell for his lies."

"A lot of good people did. And many even died defending them. It is not a crime to put your faith in the wrong hands."

"We couldn't raise a wand against him even if we wanted to. My thoughts were my own, but I couldn't do or say anything against him."

"I know."

Tom whispered his confession. "I'm sorry for what Rose lost, but I was relieved when she fulfilled the prophecy."

"It would have been fulfilled anyway. Dumbledore believed that there was a child out there with that destiny, and so it happened."

"I'm glad he's dead."

"So am I."

AN: Yes the movie they watched is real. Santa Claus v Satan. It is as great as the title sounds. If you know Spanish then watch the original but the English dubbed version is almost as insane. Thank you Mexico for your beautiful culture in all its varying facets.