Albus Dumbledore was at the end of his patience, as he kept checking for the time every minute. He wanted to be in the private reading room at Gringotts, and yet here he was pacing the length of his quarters, instead of sitting in on the action. He absolutely loathed to be an outsider, and unfortunately right now, he felt like an outcast trying to look in.
"Darn the Potters!" He grumbled under his breath.
He was seething with anger that the late couple did not file their Last Testaments with the Ministry, because he was sure that he could have easily gotten a hold of the documents, if that was the case. But no, he was left with trusting Clumsy McKinnon and Wolf Boy to bring information to him.
Albus had a tremendous headache, so he reached up and massaged his temples soothingly, taking slow and deep breaths to calm himself. He could only hope that his pawns did not mess this up for him, because the people under his thumb had a tendency to be less than adequate. Then again, he was painfully aware that he was superior in every way to the average wizard, or witch.
He prided himself on being the best of the best, and his titles gloated about it as well. He was astounded that no one ever questioned the morality of him holding so much power over the wizarding world, but then again, he had every intention to use that to his advantage.
Dumbledore glanced at Fawkes carefully. The red and golden bird was worrying him lately. He had the annoying tendency to just stare at him forlornly, and then he turned around on his golden perch, completely ignoring him for the next couple of days, unless he needed his services. He tried to entice the phoenix with exotic fruit, and an even shinier perch, but nothing seemed to be working.
If he knew it was not completely impossible, he would be worried that Fawkes was planning to leave him, but as that was unthinkable, he crushed those thoughts and shrugged his shoulders. He would obviously keep trying to bring the dumb bird out of his self-imposed depression, but it was nowhere near a priority for him to deal with his familiar's moodiness.
He snorted to himself. He had way more important issues to deal with, namely the Potter will.
"Lunch time could not come fast enough." He muttered, and disappeared into his quarters to get ready for his luncheon with McKinnon.
~oo~oOo~oo~
After the reading was finished and over with, The Director slipped into the conjoint area, where a disguised Healer Zaire, and a few goblin guards were keeping Remus Lupin, and Marlene McKinnon from leaving the Gringotts premises.
"Director Ragnok, what's the meaning of this?" Lupin yelled, with poorly masked anger. "Your goblin warriors have manhandled me and Miss McKinnon into this room, and that is less than proper decorum, especially, because we have not done anything wrong." He gestured wildly, and found himself dangerously close to a goblin weapon.
Eban narrowed his slanted eyes at the werewolf, and snarled threateningly. "You will address Director Ragnok properly, or so help me, you will find yourself impaled on the sharp end of my blade!"
Ragnok watched as the witch's eyes widened, and she was not able to disguise her trembling, no matter how white her knuckles were becoming from her efforts to steady herself. He felt a pang of something similar to compassion for the female human, so he stepped forward, and placed a hand on his guard's shoulder.
"It's alright, Eban. I am sure Mr. Lupin meant no harm, isn't that right?" He stared at the lycanthrophe, a warning glint reflecting in his dark eyes.
The poorly dressed man swallowed his anger and nodded. He closed his eyes briefly, and tried to shake the excessive anger off. He had been extremely irritable and prone to impulsive expression of aggression lately, and that had worried him. It was not like him to act this way, but ever since the death of the Potters, it was like something was unleashed inside him.
"I apologize." He said carefully, taking another deep breath. "I have difficulties with managing my emotions recently, I meant no slight, or offense." He explained, and glanced at Marlene, who was looking ghastly.
Remus stepped closer to the trembling witch, and patted her on the shoulder, which was supposed to be a calming gesture, but did nothing to soothe the witch. She stepped away from the man, and forward towards the goblins.
"May I ask why have we been held back?" She asked softly, with a lot of effort to keep her voice from shaking. "I have an important lunch date to prepare for, and I have some errands to run beforehand." She explained.
"Certainly, Miss McKinnon." The Director answered politely. "You and Mr. Lupin have been detained, because you both breached our security wards in one way or another, and we take such matters very seriously here at Gringotts." He said, and his statement was met with shocked silence.
Marlene's eyes widened slightly, and Remus spluttered in indignation, however taking note of the sharp sword wielding midnight black goblin staring him down menacingly, he thought better than yelling at his imposing leader again, and spoke with a controlled voice.
"But that is impossible. I have no desire to breach any of your wards, or cause any harm to Gringotts." Lupin expressed. "Why would I do such a thing?" He asked incredulously.
"Same here, Director. I have no designs on breaching your security. I have no plans to steal, or infiltrate anything, I was only here today for the reading of the Potter will." She sighed.
Ragnok shared a look with Griphook, who stepped forward from a secret spot, where he was keeping himself unseen, quietly watching the scene unfold without interrupting.
"You have breached our security wards differently." He spoke. "Miss McKinnon here is under potion induced mind control, while Mr. Lupin is under some kind of oath, that was threatening the integrity of the will reading, hence we have read the parts of your inheritance first." The short goblin explained.
The werewolf and the witch shared a worried look between them, and stared at the goblins warily.
"Please calm down-" Director Ragnok said, to hopefully avoid the panic attack that he was sure was threatening to take over Miss McKinnon any second now. "We are aware that you personally are not accountable for this breach of security, however, you are unknowingly controlled by the one you trust the most to look out for your best interests."
Remus furrowed his brows, and paled as realization dawned on him. "That-, that is impossible!" He whispered in a pained voice. "That wizard is the most generous person that I have ever had the blessing to meet." He shook his head in denial.
Eanraig snorted, but kept quiet, as his superior shot him a warning look.
"What are you talking about?" Miss McKinnon asked, slightly confused. She was not adapt at connecting the dots, no matter how obvious they were. For the moment the witch and her question were ignored however, as Griphook and The Director dressed down the moral glory of Dumbledore, in front of his most trusting pawn.
"Very well, Mr. Lupin." Griphook drawled. "Let's look at the facts, shall we?"
The werewolf nodded, albeit reluctantly. "I am listening." He muttered.
"Well, you are aware how Dumbledore is glorified as the shining hero who defeated Gellert Grindelwald, are you not?" He continued, and the werewolf nodded in the positive. "Very well. Did you know that he achieved this with the use of a muggle weapon?"
"What?!" Remus choked, his voice rising, as he jumped slightly. "That-, that is not possible. All accounts describe him defeating the dark wizard in a challenging duel-"
Griphook snorted. "The man disarmed Grindelwald from his wand, and then held a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. Very heroic, indeed."
"That-, that's a lie!" He whispered, violently shaking his head. "Dumbledore is a great wizard, he is! He-, he would not, he would never-" He swallowed his anger and the flood of betrayal that was hitting him. "No, I don't believe this-, I-, I cannot believe this." He looked defiantly at the goblin teller. "Where is your proof?" He sneered at the goblin, who dared to look at him with such an amused expression.
Griphook drew himself to his entire height, which was not much, but he took offense at being called a liar. "First of all, Mr. Lupin, never ever accuse a goblin of lying, as it is a great offense punishable by death if the accusation is proven wrong." He drawled with narrowed eyes. "However, seeing as you are shaken by the reality of the situation, I will let it slide. Just this once."
Ragnok cleared his throat. "I believe it would be wise to calm down, Griphook. Mr. Lupin is apparently both out of sorts, and poorly educated about our society, which is not surprising, considering what wizarding kind thinks about our nation." He said slowly, his eyes trained on the humans. "We do have more pressing matters to discuss however. Mr. Lupin asked for proof, and I will be delighted to supply it." He chuckled darkly.
He motioned to one of his personal guards, and the nondescript goblin disappeared for a few seconds, reappearing with a finely cut, positively sparkling quartz crystal in the shape of a lotus flower. He carefully handed it to The Director, and took his stance behind him once more.
"This is a memory crystal attuned to our Memory Archive." Ragnok explained, and touched the center of the flower shape with his sharp claw, pressing down on it, muttering a silent incantation in his mind, drawing his hand back. "I have called for the memory of one of our own, who was a hidden eye witness of what transpired between Dumbledore and Grindelwald." He explained, and muttered another incantation, and the occupants of the room were all drawn into the memory.
It was a grey day, where dark storm clouds dotted the sky, and the cold wind was noisily blowing the yellow autumn leaves off of their branches. Two tall men were slowly advancing on each other, covered in rich robes, layered neatly on top of an abundance of fabric, protecting them from the chilly weather.
"We meet again, my dear Albus." A low baritone voice said silkily, delight reflecting in his tone.
"Did you expect anything else, Gellert?" Albus asked curiously. He seemed happy to see this man, even if his eyes betrayed his purpose.
"No, of course not. You were always predictable." Gellert chuckled, as he twirled his wand between his fingertips skillfully. "Did you happen to change your mind?"
"Predictable?" The other wizard echoed in an amused tone. "Hardly. And you know that I cannot change my mind. I hoped that you would, but your actions these past couple of years seem to prove otherwise." He sighed heavily, as if the other man's behaviour was merely an inconvenience.
"Pity." Gellert sighed. "I was hoping that you would stop hiding your true colours in your 'morally sound' persona, but I can see that I was a fool for believing that."
"Indeed, my dear boy. I cannot let you continue like this. You are hindering my plans for the Greater Good." He admitted, and flicked his wrist, non-verbally disarming the other man of his wand.
Surprise and betrayal gleamed in Grindelwald's eyes. Clearly he was not expecting Albus to use a Disarming spell before their true confrontation began. Disappointment flashed across his face, as he stared down his former friend and lover, and snorted.
"How dare you speak about the Greated Good? The Greater Good of whom? Wizarding kind? The world? Or the Greater Good of Albus bloody Dumbledore?" He yelled, and reached for his back-up wand, firing a Stunning spell his way.
"Now, oh my boy, you were never so tactless." Albus rolled his eyes, and side-stepped the spell, weaving an intricate pattern with his newly obtained wand in the air, and a whip of flame appeared, quickly cascading towards his enraged opponent.
"What a truly responsive masterpiece this is. I must thank you, Gellert, for going through the trouble of misappropriating this particular wand for my benefit. You are most thoughtful, my friend." He taunted.
"Bastard!" Gellert muttered under his breath, as he ducked from the heat of the flames, and quickly whispered the counter-curse, and a lasso of ice water was swung at the orange fire, and Albus himself.
Albus chuckled darkly and quickly disapparated, and appeared behind the other wizard, holding a small gun flush against his temple. "This is for the Greater Good, my love, it cannot be helped." He mumbled painfully.
"How low you have sunk..." Gellert's voice echoed, as the other man pulled the trigger, and watched his former lover fall to the ground in a heap of fabric and blood. He squatted down next to him, and placed a soft kiss on his lips.
"I will never forget you." Albus promised softly, and gently closed Gellert's eyes, as he could not bear to watch the cold shock on his face.
He looked around, and saw the shocked expression of a few on-lookers, so he cast a plethora of Stunning spells, and quickly got down to work. He Obliviated the muggles, and portkeyed them to only Merlin knows where, then he turned to face down the wizarding witnesses.
"I will offer you the opportunity to either obey me willingly, or I will Obliviate all of your memories, leaving you drooling empty shells of your former selves. Am I clear?" He asked darkly. "Of course, you cannot respond, I have stunned you, how silly of me." He chuckled, and flicked his wrist, reviving the witch and the two wizards.
"Now, what will it be? I don't have all day." He asked impatiently.
They nervously shared a glance, and swallowed their fear and revulsion, somewhat successfully. The witch, who appeared to be pregnant, had lost her lunch on the shoes of Dumbledore, quickly paling as a result, when she realized her faux pas.
"I-, I am sorry." She whispered, holding her arms protectively around her bulging belly, and the wizards stepped closer, ready to protect her, if needed.
Albus frowned, and cast a cleaning spell on his shoes, and turned to study the witch. She was a pretty thing really, albeit not for his taste at all, since he was keen on a different flavour completely. Nevertheless the witch was beautiful with her bright blue eyes, and soft auburn hair. She had high cheekbones, and full plump lips. She did not seem too tall, but was not short either. She was of average height, with average assets, then again, he was not the best judge when it came to feminine viles.
"What's your name, my dear?" He asked.
"A-a-rianne." She stammered under the wizard's blatant stares.
His eyes widened slightly, and he was unable to mask a strained expression. It was just his luck that one of his witnesses to murder bore a name so similar to his late sister. Was this Fate trying to tell him something?
"How far along are you?" He ended up asking thoughtfully.
"S-seven months." She breathed, her body trembling from fear.
Dumbledore noticed her panicked expression, and he reached out to pat her cheek softly. "Now, my dear, do not worry, you have nothing to fear. I am not a completely unreasonable man." He said gently, resulting in Arianne shaking even more under his touch. "Ah, you must be cold." He reasoned, and pulled off his cloak, covering the pregnant witch tenderly. "There you go, now you can stop shivering so violently." He chuckled.
"T-thank you." She replied, even though it was clear to everyone present that she was not cold. At the very least not from the weather.
Albus nodded, and his gaze trailed on the wizards. "Any of them your husband?"
She nodded, and reached for the man on her right, squeezing his hand.
"Perfect." Albus exclaimed in glee, and stared at the husband. "You can help me then. It will really be to your benefit, seeing as you would not want anything to happen to your pretty wife, right?" He asked jovially, twirling a curl of her soft hair between his fingertips.
"N-no, I will help you, if you promise never to harm Arianne and our child." He said in a rough voice, holding his wife's hand in a death-grip.
"Of course, of course. I believe we shall do an Unbreakable Vow, how about it? I guarantee the safety of your wife and unborn child, and your guarantee your silence, and your aid in my cover-up." He nodded, and turned to the other wizard. "You can be our binder, of course, unless you want to, I don't know, suffer an unfortunate accident."
The wizard's eyes hardened, but he nodded. "I will be the binder."
"Perfect. I knew you people were as reasonable as I." He chuckled, and pulled the husband of Arianne up. "What's your name?"
"Hugo." He gritted between his teeth, reluctant to let Arianne's hand go.
"Very well, Hugo. Do you promise to aid me, Albus Dumbledore, in covering up Gellert Grindelwald's death in any way required of you?" He asked, with his wand out and pointing upwards to the sky, but slightly angled towards the man.
"I do." Hugo promised, and stared him down. "Do you promise to protect Arianne Smith and our unborn child from any harm, and leave them without the bitter memory of this day, leaving any other memories in tact?" He asked slyly, after all he had no desire for her wife to ever remember this day again.
Albus' eyes twinkled with admiration of the intellect of this man. Too bad that he would not enjoy it long. "I do."
The other wizard did his duty, and bound their vow.
"Very well. I am sorry that it has to come to this, but... Obliviate!" Albus said softly, leaving their binder without any memories at all.
"But, he played by your rules. That was not fair!" Hugo yelled, and Dumbledore chuckled.
"This is not about playing fair, if you have not noticed it yet." He enlightened him, and turned to Arianne. "I promise to keep you and your child safe from harm, I do keep some promises after all, and fortunately for you, I am bound by our vow, so you have nothing to worry about. You will not remember me, and I am sorry to say, but you will never see your husband again."
"What, why?!" Arianne jumped slightly, with an angry and fearful expression on her face.
"Well, you see, it is like this. I need to cover up that I murdered Grindelwald, and your dear husband is crucial in my ploy. He shall disguise himself as Gellert, and then we will make our way to Nurmengard, where he will spend the rest of his life in prison." He explained cheerfully. "But do not worry, I will always remember the sacrifice, after all this is for the Greater Good." He mused, and lifted his wand, casting a Sleeping spell on the woman.
Hugo stood there frozen in shock. He would never see his child grow up. He would never make love to his wife again, he would never hold her again, he would never feel her warmth ever again, all because he insisted they come for a walk today, 'It's good for the baby.' he said. What an unbelievable fool he was.
"Snap out of it man, and kiss your wife." Albus sighed, and watched as Hugo leaned down to gently cradle her in his arms, whispering words of forgotten promises, and declarations of tender feelings. It was all way too tiresome to the wizard.
"That is enough." He said firmly, and tucked a portkey on the woman, whisking her away to his home to Obliviate and take care of her later. "She is not your responsibility anymore." He warned, and turned towards Gellert, lifting his body, and laying it at Hugo's feet.
"Let us dabble in some dark blood rituals, so you look and feel like Grindelwald..." His voice trailed off, and the memory ended abruptly.
When the memory ended, only the sounds of violent heaving were audible, as Marlene and Remus emptied the contents of their breakfast on the granite floor.
"Healer Zaire, please see to it that our guests get some Calming Draught." He ordered, and sent a nondescript goblin off to acquire some refreshments.
"Certainly." Healer Zaire nodded politely, and reached into the expandable pouch hanging on his substantial waist, grabbing a handful of potions, handing a vial each to the werewolf and the witch. "Drink up!" He instructed, and stepped back.
"Thank you." McKinnon whispered faintly, as her shaking dimmed somewhat. "I never thought-" Her lips quivered, and she broke out in tears. Dumbledore was someone she highly respected, to see him do such unthinkable things frightened her.
"I-" Remus swallowed some bile. "I apologize for offending your integrity, Griphook." He turned to the short goblin. "I never-" He whispered, and shook his head, as if that would make those images fade away from his mind's eye.
Griphook nodded. "Very well, I accept your apology." He muttered, partly because he was feeling a little bit sorry for the humans at the moment, which he never thought he would ever feel like. "Do you need further proof, Mr. Lupin?" He asked bitingly, because he did hold the slightest bit of a grudge towards anyone who ever questioned his honesty.
Remus shook his head rapidly. "No. No further proof needed, I believe you."
The goblin nodded, and they agreed to give a few minutes to the humans to gather themselves, before they discussed the security breach, and found a way to circumvent the mind control, and break the oath.
A/N: Well, that was... icky. I am so shocked at this Dumbledore, who pretty much just written himself to be sicker than Voldemort. And it will only get worse, so much worse. But, I am pausing here, because I cannot handle more right now.
I hope the chapter was worth the wait. I will try to update more frequently. Thank you for your patience!
