Chapter 12 Harbinger

"But above and beyond there's still one name left over. And that is the name that you never will guess; The name that no human research can discover- But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess…" T.S. Elliot in The Naming of Cats (Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats 1939).

AN: Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats is one of my personal obsessions. I was six or seven when I found Lloyd Webber's musical version of the poems that T.S. Elliot wrote for his godchildren. I particularly love The Naming of Cats. I used to break into singing it off key at the least provocation and, sometimes, even unprovoked, to my parents and siblings despair. Nowadays I have a sense of decorum prompted by the fear of ridicule most of us adults are afflicted with. But the little seven year old inside my head, sang along while I was writing the quote… And, yeah, she is dressed in a cat suit… The horror.

No one can claim originality in regards to the idea of a primordial language. It has been part of the myths of humanity for a long time. Some take the idea as far as encountering common roots in diverse tongues from Native American to Indo-European, for example in regards to Theos, which designates the divine in many places. I admit my primordial language owes a debt of gratitude to Ursula K. Le Guin. My Farouk could easily be a wizard of her Earthsea. He is here to help reinforce the idea of inevitability in Albus' and Gellert's tale.

The dragon warning devise may seem excessive given the M rating on my very mild version of Teleny, but I have some male friends reading me that appreciate the adventure side of my fic while not fully engaging in the boy on boy romance part of it. They were a bit shaken when J.K. admitted to an intense sexual aspect to the relationship, because they know I like mild erotica (like Teleny, often attributed to Oscar Wilde) and that I try to stick to official sources in my treatment of characters. So the warning signs are there basically for them. I'll make it as unobtrusive as possible. Having explained and shown how it works, from this chapter onwards only the Latin phrases will be recorded. On that note: Kolia, sorry for defiling the room of requirements, I know it is one of your favorite HP concepts. In my defense, in a school full of teenagers, I cannot possibly be the first or the last to do it.

"What was this Zoroastrian wizard looking for in your Professor's office?"

I smiled: "I didn't really give him the chance to explain his presence. I cast a binding spell on him."

He cocked an eyebrow: "Better safe than sorry? That doesn't sound like you, Monsieur Dumbledore."

"One hears dreadful things about Zoroastrian wizards, Monsieur Grindelwald."

"The only one I have encountered was a more decent fella than a lot of wizards I went to school with."

"Why am I not surprised that you have met one? And, sorry my friend, coming from a place with Durmstrang's reputation, your classmates may not have set the bar too high..."

"May I remind you I was expelled from the place for not communing with their beliefs? I've also told you I've been around. Though, in my experience, the Zoroastrians don't take outsiders into their confidence. I'm surprised one is being brought up on the subject of your close friends, Albus. Most people think they are ascetic celibates."

"You said it yourself, Gellert, I'm bizarre. And I cannot judge all Zoroastrian wizards by my experience with Farouk, but I can tell you that, though he is ascetic, he most certainly doesn't practice celibacy. He is as practical about the matter as you are… I guess I have discussed the subject once before, not really, he did most of the talking I was in no position to argue intelligibly. Farouk thinks of it as an act akin to eating or sleeping, something that is part of the scheme of things. It just is."

He smiled inquiringly: "Do you concur?"

"On principle yes, yet one cannot ignore certain societal and even ethical considerations, not to mention practical implementation of any theory is always… problematic."

"You are an odd duck," he smiled and grabbed a lock of hair that had fallen on my face, he passed the lock gently behind my ear. "I'm verily intrigued to find out what it takes to keep you from arguing. But let us go step by step, you were telling me you had cast a binding spell on the man."

"Farouk undid the spell and I was about to duel him, when he did something absolutely unexpected."

"That is the Zoroastrian's hallmark, doing the unexpected."

"He sure caught me by surprise. He surrendered. He fell to his knees, put his wand on the floor and said he could see I walked with omens about me so his life was in my hands, for he wouldn't dare alter the balance fighting me. I was astounded."

Gellert whistled: "Well I'll be... omens fluttering about you... You have been told twice and you still not believe."

"If one is to believe the Daily Prophet's divination section, we all have omens floating in our morning tea. It is truly surprising the amount of tall dark strangers and fate changing encounters that seem to lay in store for everyday Johns and Janes."

"I won't waste my time trying to convince you. I knew it the moment I laid eyes on you and I'm never wrong. Believe what you want, belief won't change a thing. What did you do then?"

"What I should have done in the first place. I asked him how he had managed to get in and what he was doing in Professor Dippet's office. And he told me he had been invited by Professor Dippet, the date must have been automatically saved in the Floo Network. Any exception to enter Hogwarts by Floo has to be authorized by the Ministry and the Board of Governors. Given the amount of red tape involved in such requests, I bet that the confirmation had arrived when Professor Dippet had already left to tend to his father. I had forwarded his correspondence, but his father had taken a turn for the worse. I understood why he hadn't gone through it. As for the reason of him being there, Farouk said his Eye had sent him on a quest to restore balance. He had been called to act as a Hand of Fate."

"Az istenit!"

"I also felt my soul falling to my feet. But the handsome young man politely introduced himself as Farouk Shabani, a Montenegrin wizard and he explained that Professor Dippet had been helping him investigating Graphorns and Streelers, which seemed innocent enough."

"Ah I guess some of your sentiments regarding the Ottoman Empire can be explained by a friendship with someone of the Principality of Montenegro…"

"I won't deny my information of the conflict in Albania was colored by a certain perspective I share with someone that I consider a friend presently, but I would never condone the massacre of any people under any circumstance, barbarism is barbarism, regardless of who wields the sword or the wand."

"I agree. Now, for other important matter: My friend, you truly didn't think to ask this handsome chap why would a Zoroastrian wizard on a quest for balance be keen on investigating one of the most magically resistant and aggressive creatures of the world along with one of the most poisonous ones? The word chimera would be the first one to come to my mind. The next ones would be unholy and monstrosity."

"I know you think me naive, but yes, the implications of the inquiry did cross my mind. Especially since Professor Dippet specializes both in DADA and Magizoology. However, I was more interested in having the man off the school grounds as soon as possible. And the quickest way to do so seemed to be to aid him. After introducing myself, I did just that. It took me only a couple of minutes to find the books with the information as Professor Dippet keeps his libraries well cataloged. There was only one problem: both books were in High Goblin and Farouk did not speak the language. We had been conversing in French and I told him that I could translate the passages for him but that it would take me some time. He impressed upon me the urgency of his request. This was the first time he had been called to act as a Hand and he was eager not to fail. Something about his pleading eyes was very persuasive. So we agreed he would come to collect the translations the next day in Hogsmead."

"Monsieur Dumbledore, one of these days you need to learn to say no to a pair of pretty eyes." He smiled wickedly: "Other than mine."

I didn't respond to his witticism: "Professor Dippet wouldn't have been willing to help him if he didn't believe his request to be right. So I did offer to help the man and I spent all night up translating the passages of the book that dealt with the beasts. It was a rather exhausting task, what I had failed to noticed at first glance, was that the books were actually written in a mix of High, Middle and even some Low Goblin that demanded much more work to get the nuances right. I only managed to sleep a couple of hours by skipping breakfast and going to my exam just as I woke up. It almost cost me the O in my Arithmancy N.E.W.T. I was so sleepy that I made a minor mistake in the demonstration of Paracelsus Matter Reformation Theorem. I think I might still have managed to get an Exceeds Expectations, but, fortunately, I realized my mistake and was able to correct it before turning in my scroll."

He sniggered: "Merlin forbid you got a mere Exceeds Expectations."

I shrugged: "Marks were important to me, they were the only way to prove my worth and give me chances of surmounting the difficult circumstances you are already aware of."

"You are right, I shouldn't make fun of that. I could drop out with no consequence, you couldn't."

"It's fine Gellert. It did sound a bit like I was bragging. I finished my exam, took a bath that I much needed and grabbed a quick lunch. Then I went about my day, preparing the next day's N.E.W.T. in Muggle studies, finishing grading papers and teaching my class. I had an early dinner brought to Professor Dippet's rooms by a house elf and, afterwards, I went to The Three Broomsticks. There I waited for Farouk to arrive, nursing a tall glass of gillywater."

"I should have guessed you are the one in thirty wizards that actually likes gillywater. It tastes too much like algae for my liking. Be careful or you will reincarnate in a merman, my friend. I'm more of a red currant rum wizard. It has a nice kick."

I laughed: "I positively love the taste of gillywater, I even like the chewy bits of gillyweed it sometimes has. I'll remember that you like red currant rum the next time we are somewhere I can buy you a drink."

He smiled: "One drink, and that is all I'll allow you to invite me, one of these days, if we are ever in a place where it makes sense for you to do so."

"You are going to do your best to guarantee we aren't, are you? I'm not dirt poor, you know?"

He didn't respond to that. Instead he said: "Was it wise giving a Zoroastrian an appointment in a public eatery?"

"Probably not, they are entirely unpredictable, but I didn't want to meet the man alone and in Hogwarts' grounds our meeting wouldn't have gone undetected."

"But you said entrance through the Floo Network needs to be approved, so someone must have known that your Farouk was coming, at least the first time."

"Not necessarily, Professor Dippet won't shirk away from bending the rules for what he thinks is right. Besides, he is so well respected that I doubt anyone would question him in regards to whom he receives in his office. He is next in line to become the Headmaster. The authorities probably knew Professor Dippet expected a visitor, but they may have not been aware of who was visiting him. That would have not applied to me. Setting up a meeting on the grounds could be problematic. I guess I was also hoping the man would behave if we were in public."

"And did he?"

"After some initial awkwardness, he did behave through most of our meeting."

"Initial awkwardness?"

"He tried to order firewhiskeys and the bartender refused to serve him without proof of him being of age. Farouk was asked to cast a spell without activating a trace, to which he refused as he saw it as wasteful. The bartender said he then had to order another drink. Farouk asked the bartender in a very low and rather menacing voice if his word on it was not considered sufficient. The cheeky bartender replied that no, it did not suffice. I thought that was going to be it. I honestly thought he was going to try to kill the bartender and I, of course, couldn't let that happen. But after inhaling deeply, Farouk muttered between teeth that he couldn't expect good manners from a heathen. It was lucky that the bartender decided not to be offended by that either. In a loud voice Farouk said that he would drink whatever I was drinking."

"Az istenit, Albus!You served gillywater to a murderous Zoroastrian wizard?"

"No of course not, I am aware it is an acquired taste. I explained that very few people favor the drink and suggested he drank a butterbeer instead. He grabbed my glass tasted it and said the gillywater would be fine. Once we were set with our drinks, I handed him the translation. He skimmed through it and asked how was it possible that what amounted to one and a half paragraphs in the original had turned into six sheets of double pages with no spaces and small cursive letter in the translation. I explained the difficulties of the task and that I had done my best. I punctuated that I had tried to leave out as little as possible, but Goblin, especially Low Goblin can convey volumes with a mere grunt. Finally, the description of the methods for neutralizing the Graphorns magical resistance were vague, some clarity could be gleaned from reading both books concurrently, but that made it impossible to be either literal or brief in the translation. I had even had to reference other works to get it right."

"Since you are alive and telling me the story, I surmise that it ended well. I cannot easily see how that happened, though."

"Farouk cursed, he said he didn't have time for reading a dissertation nor could he afford to risk the loss of valuable information contained in a grunt I may have decided to omit. He demanded that I accompany him in his quest. I tried to protest but he said it was obvious I had spent the whole night perusing the books, so taking me and the books with him would be better than taking any paper. He implied I could either accompany him voluntarily or else…"

"You, of course, refused, didn't you?"

I blushed and looked away.

"Merlin's mercy, Albus! Is it your habit to run off with every handsome Quixote that comes to you with a preposterous quest? Though I should probably not complain about that given I have profited from it."

I smiled: "You probably shouldn't complain. In my defense, I didn't endangered Professor Dippet's books, I didn't need to, for I had memorized them. And I did ask him to explain me what exactly was his quest. He said that a greedy man who owned a magical carnival and menagerie was attempting to create a chimera, just as you have guessed, that merged Graphorns and Streelers in order to create a profitable attraction. Farouk's Eye, who is also his twin sister, had seen that the man was about to succeed and in order to prevent an imbalance, she had sent her brother to stop him. Obviously no one with half a brain would allow that unholy monstrosity as you called it to be created, so once I was informed of it, I did indeed agree to go with Farouk and aid him in as much as I could."

Gellert stared at me wide-eyed: "Someone intended to merge those two magical beasts in order to create a circus attraction? The stupidity of men knows no bounds!"

"I agree, the idiot was trying to create a magically resistant, stationary snail that could change colors and that his patrons could use as shooting target for one of his games in what he hoped could be a cheap way. He didn't seem to be concerned about safety."

"There is no way to predict what characteristics of the beast involved in the spell will be inherited by the chimera. That blubbering idiot may have very well ended with a magically resistant, highly poisonous unruly bull that could carry a mountain troll on its back!"

"That is precisely what Roshan, Farouk's sister, had seen happening and, whilst I don't believe in prophecies, the mere possibility of it persuaded me to act. I needed to stay four more days in school to fulfill my compromise as a substitute teacher and also so I could have my last couple of exams. It took some negotiation but he agreed, afterwards we set out to look for the carnival. I will spare you a detailed account of what it took us to be able to track Le Cirque Arcanus to Wallonia. Suffice to say that we did after a particularly rough fortnight, for our inquiries alerted the circus performers and caused us to be attacked several times. I had tried to convince Farouk to peruse our sleuthing in a discreet manner, but he is not one for discretion. It was only through calling in favors and profiting from acquaintances good offices that we were able to traverse half west Europe in hot pursue of them with only minor infractions to the Statute of Secrecy. We finally caught up with the accursed circus performers as they were setting down shop in the Sambre's riverbank near Charleroi. It was my idea to conceal our identity with a transmutation spell and pretend to be rogue centaurs in seek of employment to gain their trust and be able to inspect the premises before they flee once more."

"You can transmute yourself and others into centaurs? Isn't human-creature transfiguration supposed to be impossible?"

I smiled: "In regards to the subject of transfiguration expectations on me were particularly high. I was undefeated champion of all magic schools. I needed to top myself in order to be able to impress the examiner into getting an O. I did it by creating a spell that can actually allow humans to magically transmute into creatures, but due to it requiring a wand, does not allow a creature to transmute into a human. Misuse of such spells by other magical creatures is what makes all references to them targeted for expunging by the Mysteries department. Even considering my spell breaches no law, I haven't been able to publish it due to safety concerns. It is a rather complex spell that requires protective invisible sigils to be casted and sustained on the surface of your wand during the duration of it. That demands skill and prowess not many wizards have. Coming back to you by your own means also requires a lot of skill and, frankly, a big ego, so most people shouldn't attempt it. But I will gladly share it with you, I think both your skill and ego are fit for the spell."

He chuckled: "I think I have an idea of what the spell may entail. I once transmuted into a giant version of myself. How is that for ego, my friend? We'll compare notes later. Zoroastrians are weary of any kind of human transfiguration. How did you manage to convince the chap to go through with it?"

"A little mystery is becoming. I'll just say that my performance as mediator between Farouk and the Wizarding world during that fortnight, gained me his confidence. I can also be very persuasive when my life is at stake, Gellert."

"I'm sure you can, Albus. So you went in as centaurs, what happened?"

"The owner was a bitter old warlock with a suspicious nature that examined us head to tail and, even after finding nothing, demanded we made a prophecy to prove we were who we claimed to be. It was lucky that Farouk was able to deliver, Roshan had apparently foreseen the difficulty and armed him with what we needed to pass off as seers. He said that Eyes participating on a quest are called Weavers and are active participants, though from a distance in all aspects of the quest. He spoke proudly of his twin sister. And I must admit that he had knowledge of the carnival and its denizens that was difficult to explain."

"I keep telling you that divination is real. Sure, there are a lot of frauds, but some of us are the true item."

"Even though, I still doubt the value of what could very well be self-fulfilling prophecies or cold readings from particularly smart people with insight on the human nature and the power of scrying which has been factually proven. Besides, if things are truly preordained, what can we gain by knowing them beforehand?"

"Nothing is set on stone, there is room for free will, Albus. Past and future are all about possibilities, predictability is limited but possible within a range. The paths of the future can be navigated like the paths of the past. The fact that you keep encountering those who trek them, should tell you something, my friend."

I wasn't and I probably still are not in a position to listen to such talk, Elphias. I decide not to acknowledge it. I don't know if that makes me a fool or a very wise man.

"We secured employment both as performers and work mules."

"I'm curious, what was your act?"

"Feats of archery and supposed mind reading. I did the archery and Farouk posed as a mind reader. I didn't enjoy fooling the circus goers, especially children and I was weary of fooling even some circus performers who seemed to be innocent too, but it was a necessity."

"Don't fret, Albus, I bet the children loved you as a centaur and most little ones are tougher than we give them credit for."

"I don't delude myself about children. Not even about their supposed innocence. Most were just as you can expect children to be, curious and a tad mischievous, but trying to be good. Yet a few of them, especially those of pure blood lineage who thought themselves better than all other creatures in this world, were awful. I honestly had a hard time not kicking a particularly hideous one who pulled my tail once. In any case, after a couple more days we managed to find the monstrosity we had come to find. A fight ensued during which I learnt firsthand just how destructive Zoroastrian magic can be. Trying to salvage some of their livelihood, the carnival folks surrendered. I had insisted that the Ministry in Belgium should be aware of our suspicions and our inquiries. We had only been half believed and all upon the word of my French Alchemist friends of whom you are already aware of and that are also hold in high regards by the Belgians."

"You are too much of a knight, my friend. It would have been easier to go rogue."

"We basically were. The Belgian Aurors had only promised loosely to send some back up, if we did manage to find anything of worth. There was no better way of alerting them to the fact that we had indeed found something of worth than sending an owl to Charleroi. The message would have to be relayed from there to Strasbourg. We were waiting for their arrival while handling the chimeras, for there were several. After some hardship, we managed to destroy the most dangerous ones. The beasts were far from successfully completed and, regardless, they were fearsome things to behold. As you have pointed out, my friend, the stupidity of some men knows no bounds. We had also secured the unfortunate hybrids which posed lesser danger that had been created in pursue of the wizard's pipe dreams of obtaining cheap targets. I was in the process of encasing some of the most poisonous ones in magical cages that could resist the foul chimeras' effluviums, when Farouk cast a spell that blinded the owner of Le Cirque Arcanus. He did it offhandedly, after the guys had already surrendered. Needless to say the rest of the troupe fled along with what they could carry. The owner's oldest boy, a mean looking burly brunette, well underway to becoming a rotund man, with brown lanky hair, incipient beard and narrow eyes, swore that he would avenge his father before a particularly mean looking house elf carried the blinded old man and forced the burly boy to exit left of stage."

"Zoroastrians are unpredictable."

"Yes well, after the Aurors finally arrived and took over, we were questioned in a perfunctory fashion. The chimeras were taken and we were sent on our way. I welcomed it. For reasons that will be readily apparent to you, I had no interest in drawing attention to myself. Having powerful friends can come in handy."

"So you are a Knight but not a saint either."

"Given what happens to the average saint, I can very easily live without being one. We made it back to Hogsmead by portkey and I immediately made us enter an abandoned local, some sort of unfortunate bar where squalor and filth seemed to have been the regular patrons. The place was marked by a bloody boar head, if the sign had ever had lettering, the painting had not survived years of neglect. I'm not surprised the business hadn't prospered. Once inside, I called Farouk on his wrong doing and he said there was no right nor wrong and that he had done nothing but what was already foretold. I told him that I don't believe in prophecies, but that I do believe in right and wrong. I also told him I didn't appreciate it that he had made me party to blinding an old man that no longer posed a threat. I felt insulted and demanded satisfaction."

"Oh Albus, honestly! You demanded satisfaction of a Hand of Fate in one of their quests for balance? Are you harboring a death wish?"

"I'd say no, but I've followed you through time and space into a run in with gambling Lutines and deathly mercenaries. And I'm about to follow you into a half-giantess criminal mastermind lair. Not to mention I'm ready to follow you in your bid to end the Statute of Secrecy and bring down all Wizarding governments, so there is some room to argue, Gellert Grindelwald."

He laughed: "Having just heard confirmation of you joining my quest, I don't feel like arguing with you, Albus Dumbledore. I'm relieved you made it out of that other argument alive, though. How exactly did you manage?"

"Ooh, the warning is here."

"You are winding me up, luv! How do you go from pleading to bring down the Statute of Secrecy and telling about fighting with a Zoroastrian wizard to bloody dragons? There must be some sort of mistake."

"No, my love, it's here in plain Latin: Hic sunt dracones." She showed them: "See?"

"Damn him! Even from death he keeps toying with us!"

"You can stay or you can leave, but you have been warned. And if you do stay you have to be quiet and do not interrupt. What's it going to be?"

Ron scoffed: "I'm not leaving, this just got interesting. I still think it is a mistake."

"What about you, Harry?"

"I'm staying too. I want to find out what happened with the Zoroastrian wizard."

"Farouk claimed he hadn't blinded the man. I laughed harshly and pointed out that I had been right there when he cast the spell. He said the man was blinded by greed and that the spell did nothing but restore the balance by bringing about consequence. It was not final, if the man managed to repent and make amends with good deeds, his sight would be restored. For what I had seen of the man, that wasn't going to happen. Farouk said that was not his fault, nor mine. I wasn't quite believing him. He said that my lack of faith wasn't his fault either. Then I did something that you might think rash."

"What did you do, Albus?"

"I told him that I was calling his bluff. If the spell was indeed innocuous for the guiltless, he should cast it on me."

"Lófaszt! That's not rash, my friend, that is just stupid!"

"Farouk said no one but babies still clinging to their mother's tit are guiltless. I insisted and he said that before doing that to me he would have to asses my true nature. Apparently the process required that he tended to his devotions first. That almost sent me into a fit. We had shared a tent for a fortnight. The man was really ascetic, he claimed to use magic only under extreme need, hence the tent was not enchanted and, though spotless, it was rather small. He was also conscientious about his worship. His devotions included ablutions he conducted in what can only be described as a diminutive loincloth. It had been rather difficult to ignore him being in such close quarters while he genuflected in an outfit that left little to the imagination. I had managed as well as I could, but I didn't much care to repeat the experience."

Gellert laughed unbridled: "Shame on you, Albus, having impure thoughts about the holy man and while he was praying of all times!"

"He called it meditating. And, if I could ever lay my claim on sainthood it would be for those hours I spent staring at the brownish cloth ceiling of that little tent, lost in my own… erm… meditations. While Farouk did his devotions inside the rickety bar, I counted the cobwebs and added some more minutes to my sainthood tally."

He said mockingly: "You poor dear, I'm sure you suffered greatly."

"I survived, but barely. It got worse, I was already experiencing some discomfort when Farouk came to stand in front of me and made me look into his eyes as if he were a mesmerizer."

"Was he trying to hypnotize you?"

"I don't think so. He caught me by surprise, he is a very strong man and he can move fast. As you know Zoroastrians are used to live right along with Muggles and do not shy away from physical confrontation. I ended up with my back to the wall. He bid me to be still. He claimed he needed to look deep into my soul to divine my true nature. We were like that for a while. Until I was overcome by voluptuousness and had the impulse to do something that you will probably think even more stupid than what I had done before..."

He rose an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I assaulted him just like the Ravenclaw girl assaulted me."

He touched me with both hands patting down my arms: "You don't feel like a ghost, but I wouldn't be surprised if you disappeared and I found myself the protagonist of a tale of Gothic horror that ends with me realizing I have been convivial with one of the dead."

"Oh I lived. I hadn't felt more alive, my friend, than I did right then, until I met you."

He chuckled: "I take it he didn't gag."

"No, he did not. He took the attack with amazing sang-froid. A few seconds into it he was responding with outright enthusiasm. As I said, the loincloth left little to the imagination. I'm not as tall as he is, so I could feel his enthusiasm rather pressingly against my belly and my body, one could say on its own accord, responded in kind. That is when he grabbed me. At first I was too shocked to do anything. But as he expertly did away with the barrier of clothing and started to administer certain ministrations on me, I was overcome by another impulse of concupiscence… I grabbed him too."

"Goodness me."

"The wall I was leaning on was covered in sooth and grease which made it slippery. As his ministrations became more insistent, I had lifted a leg and supported it on his outstretched calf to better accommodate him and improve the angle of his dashes. I was also tending him while we kept kissing fiercely, which greatly imperiled my equilibrium. I was very close to the abandonment of full release when I almost fell down to the floor sliding down the accursed greasy wall. Farouk pulled away briefly, which extricated a moaning protest from me. But he was merely looking around for a better surface to support our present engagement. Having quickly assessed that there was none suitable inside the dilapidated bar, he returned to his enthusiastic ministrations and so did I. Once more, I began slipping on the wall, feeling somewhat frustrated at it. I found myself grasping for a hold with the hand that wasn't otherwise engaged, trying to gain the purchase for a very much needed resolution. And that is when I found the doorknob."

"The doorknob? Is that some sort of euphemism?"

"No, it was an actual doorknob! Let me tell you that a few seconds before that doorknob hadn't been there. Then it was and, you know me, I'm rather curious… I turned it, without realizing I was no longer leaning on a wall but on a wooden door. The knob turned, the door opened and I landed on my naked behind over the tiled floor of a moonlit Burtonian seraglio."

"What do you mean a Burtonian seraglio? You mean like a harem?"

"I mean exactly like a seraglio out of Arabian Nights, complete with twisting decorative columns, Arabic arches, latticed walls, an inner garden with exotic plants flowers and birds, a pond with water lilies in which a huge full moon was reflected even though it was midday outside…And, right in the middle of it, a carpeted nest with an assortment of cushions framed by four tall censer stands with censers and oil lamps that provided soft illumination and enticing aromas. It was sandalwood I think..."

"You have read Richard Burton's The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night?"

"The unabridged, subscribe only version of it was in my vicar's library. He was a man of many interests who believed that feeding his spirit and finding joy in life was just another way of servicing his god. Once, when he was still alive, I had questioned him on some reading material he possessed and he said that unlike St. Agustin who had asked god to make him chaste just not yet, he was already chaste but not yet dead."

"Your vicar sounds like a riot. I think I would have liked the man. Now, back to the business at hand. What on earth was a seraglio doing inside a rickety bar in Hogsmead."

"I didn't have the faintest clue. I was taken aback by it. And I was further taken aback by the fact that Farouk claimed the place was all of my doing. He said that the nature of the room where we were in was to give people what they needed. He said it was a very clever spell and that what my want had conjured up was mightily impressive. When he asked if that had been my design from the beginning, I looked at him positively horrified. He said that his inference was understandable since he had noticed me ogling him several times during our chase for the carnival. I just lost it. I understood what that poor Ravenclaw girl must have felt when she said she was so humiliated that she wanted to die."

Gellert narrowed his eyes and asked: "And was the magical seraglio a spell of your making, Albus?"

"No it wasn't! At least not on purpose… I said as much and retorted how he could be sure -if the room gave people what they wanted- that the seraglio wasn't his doing. I pointed out that someone with a half undone loincloth poking outwards like a tent wasn't fit to cast the first stone. He made a gesture as if he were holding something delicate in the cup of his hand and made me float a few inches above the floor and out of the room while keeping the door open. And then he touched a latticed wall with his other hand, all of the sudden, he was inside a broom closet. He said that the room could not give him anything that he couldn't get for himself, so it saw no reason for resorting to trickery when in his presence. Then he took off his hand from the wall, set me back down inside the room and, once more, it turned into the very picture of Arabian debauchery. I blushed to the point of apoplexy. He laughed, the only time I saw him do that. He told me what I have already told you of his opinions on it being a need akin to eating and sleeping and, even though he usually tended to his basic needs in ascetic simplicity, it would be a shame to let such scenery go to waste. But for me, despite what the room and Farouk happened to think, the moment had passed."

Hermione said: "Et abiērunt dracones."

Ron muttered: "I should have left when he mentioned the loincloth."

Ginny nodded: "Yep, that was a dead giveaway."

Gellert chuckled: "You forcibly kissed the man, stroke his desire almost to completion, lured him into a moonlit garden of oriental debauched splendor and then you denied him!? And here I was thinking you were a blushing virgin holding onto your innocence for ethical considerations, when you are actually a torturous tempter, Monsieur Dumbledore. This sheds a new light on the come hither, away with thee tactics that you employ with the moths that are drawn towards your brightness. Should I be weary to burn in it, in which case, would I be able to pull away?"

"I'm not a tempter! And I employ no such torturous tactics. I keep fumbling my way through these awfully awkward situations, which happen to me without any encouragement on my part!"

"Oh, my friend, I think you encouraged him alright. Now I am really curious: What ever did your Zoroastrian do?"

"He is not my Zoroastrian and what he did was his hallmark: the unexpected. Farouk immediately grasped the tide had changed. He shrugged philosophically and said that what should be, will be and that what should not be, will not. He took care of his predicament in the efficient fashion he does pretty much everything, afterwards he washed on the pond. Meanwhile, my predicament had evaporated in throes of shame. I merely looked away and arranged my own clothes. He exited the room. I followed him and the door disappeared behinds us just as swiftly as it had appeared before. Farouk got dressed, while I sat quietly in a dusty chair that could barely support my weight, trying to regain my composure. He packed up his few possessions, which had fallen to the floor when I had pounced on him. When he was done he looked at me and said that as his mission had been accomplished satisfactorily, he would bid me farewell and go home. He wouldn't use magic for mere transportation, so a long voyage awaited him."

He interrupted me: "You have been incredibly lucky to find such sportsmanly playmates so far, Monsieur Dumbledore. Teasers play a dangerous game."

I ignored the warning: "But, first -as a reward for my participation in the matter of the unholy chimera- he would gift me my true name, which apparently had come to him while we were… He protected the bar from prying ears, though no one had even approached the place in all our time there. And then he mentioned a word in his language. Farouk made me repeat it until he was sure I knew how to say it right. He said that the closest translation to it in English was harbinger. He also said that I should keep my true name in the primordial tongue to myself for it can give those who know it life and death power over me... He was bounded by an unbreakable vow to his god not to misuse his knowledge of it. I still don't know how an unbreakable vow with what I think is a figment of imagination works, regardless, I trusted him… And that, my friend, is the extent of my experience. Or, better said, lack thereof."

Gellert Grindelwald was looking at me very pale. He muttered: "Gott im Himmel, Albus, what have I done to you? You said you had seldom left Godric's Hollow and then only to go to Hogwarts. You hung onto that ridiculous tourist guide as if it were the scriptures when we visited Paris. You considered a trip in the metropolitan railway an adventure! You didn't want your soul to be altered and I agreed with you, because it has been a really long time since I've met someone whose purity of intent was worth preserving. How could I have known you'd had your true name revealed to you by a Shaman? I had to go around the world twice, overcome a hundred obstacles, perform a hundred task in order to be even considered. You stumbling upon it is so preposterous! You have to believe me! I didn't mean to!"

I looked at him: "Gellert, I don't understand you, what are you talking about?"

He moaned: "The tattoo, Albus, and the rite to make it permanent. The missing piece is finding your true nature. How was I supposed to know that you had already found yours while a Hand of Fate was giving you a hand?"

I giggled mirthfully.

He shook me by the shoulders: "Don't laugh! This is serious. Don't you understand that I've permanently and inadvertently altered the nature of you: the soul you believe in and of your magic too? You are a shadow walker now! There are always prices to be paid for power and I cannot be sure of what price will be asked from you. The fact you stroke the bargain unknowingly, won't exempt you from paying!"

"I do understand. And now, do you believe I wasn't lying when I told you that weird things keep happening to me uninvited? As for the price, I'm used to covering my debts and, even, the debts of others visited on me. You should have seen the amount of money my father owed by the time of his arrest. Or the quantity my mother had squandered before I took over the family's finances."

"That is not the kind of debt I am talking about. And you know it full well. Now I am deeply indebted to you. For, unlike you, I am aware of the price that the shadows may excise from you." His face was somber: "If I had fully understood my price beforehand, I might not have gone through with it... My bargain entails either emerging victorious or relinquishing my freedom for years of unspecified servitude. For me, that is a fate worse than death. I used to think that would make me even more eager to succeed and it would be an edge, but recent developments have introduced me to fear of failure. Now I tremble too when I think of what the shadows may ask of someone as fearless as you. It was never my intention to visit my demons upon you. I'm sorry, Albus, I truly am." He ended looking away from me and down to the floor.

I held him from behind. "Don't be, as I've said, I was already convinced to join your quest. I would have probably undergone the full rite at some point. This saved us two trips around the world and hundreds of tasks and obstacles. Now, as far as the shadows are concerned… Let me tell you that a few weeks after our last encounter I got a letter from Farouk. His sister Roshan had seen something else about me. According to the girl I'm a harbinger meant to be the halberd wielding herald that makes a wound in the thickest of darkness so that light can once more pour through it. So if the shadows try to come excise their price from me, it may very well be the case that they are the ones who end up regretting it."

He turned around, still in my arms and smiled: "He is fearless I tell you." Then he kissed me once more and all thought of shadows and prices to pay was dispelled.

My good Elphias, pardon me for never confiding this to you before. It was my intention not to burden you with all of my demons and I stuck to that until the end. This will explain to you why I was able to enter and leave Hogwarts undetected and why I could avoid being found, least I wanted to be found, even when the Ministry or the Death Eaters were doing their best to find me. I know several members of the Order of the Phoenix wondered at my ability to do so and at my unwillingness to share the secret of it with them. Believe me, I never shared it in order to protect them; for I am now convinced that the price you have to pay to obtain such power is just not worth it.

I was a cocky fool, even more so than most teenagers are. Messing around with my very soul. Speaking lightly about things I couldn't fully understand. Mind you, even after being part of several, I still don't believe in prophecies. I think that belief in them makes them happen more often than not. However, I now believe in omens and portents. There are forces walking among us that at time manifest in unexpected ways. And it might have been wise to take heed of some of their warnings… The shadows did excise their price, how was I supposed to know the pound of flesh and blood they would take from me weren't going to be mine?