Marlene took a couple of shallow breaths to calm herself. Her mind was reeling with so many questions, not to mention that her body was shaking, even after swallowing the Calming Draught that the goblins so kindly provided for her and Remus.
She could not believe what they witnessed. Albus Dumbledore was the last person on this Earth, whom she would have ever suspected to have so much darkness in him. It just did not make sense at all. He was always so serene, all-knowing, and kind, like a gentle elderly grandfather. He exuded this aura of power, and she believed him to be almost omniscient. He was often likened to the legendary sorcerer, Merlin, by their society, and he was borderline worshiped by witches and wizards alike.
How could she possibly process this piece of evidence to the contrary of everything she believed to be true about the Headmaster?
She gulped and spoke. "I-, I c-can't do t-this." She stammered, her voice slightly shaky. "I have a luncheon appointment with the H-headmaster to discuss the Potter will. H-he-, h-he made it seem like h-he was merely too busy to attend. I don't remember anything else, b-but I have this urge to go to h-him and tell h-him everything I know."
The Director and Healer Zaire shared a worried glance.
"Would you permit me to scan your mind to assess the extent of the control he inflicted upon your person?" Healer Zaire asked politely.
"Please." Marlene agreed, swallowing her nerves.
The large goblin nodded, and stepped directly in front of the trembling witch, drawing a half circle motion near both of her temples. He closed his eyes, muttering a silent incantation, that was so long, that it took five minutes for him to cast the detection spell.
What he saw inside her mind made him almost gasp. Almost, but not quite. It was unbecoming of a goblin to show such blatant surprise, thus he controlled his emotions and looked around. He surmised that Miss McKinnon was not the brightest tool in the shed, and she was extremely pliable to another's will, a prime candidate to be controlled by another.
He was alarmed about the amount of blockages, cracks and tendrils connected to Dumbledore's magical signature, that he discovered. Some of them were older than others, but it was plain to see that the witch was under the Headmaster's sinister thumb, ever since she arrived at Hogwarts.
Zaire paled slightly when he attempted to unblock and unravel the damage on her mind-scape. He hastily withdrew, his eyes wide and slightly panicked, which was unbecoming of his kind.
He glanced towards Ragnok, who raised an eyebrow, and spoke. "I am afraid it is not possible to remove Dumbledore's machinations from Miss McKinnon's psyche, they simply go far too deep. The earliest trace of his signature that I have found can be dated back as early as when she was merely eleven years old." He grunted with a frown.
Marlene's eyes widened slightly, and her trembling increased. Remus, who was listening quietly, stepped forward and looped an arm around her protectively. He was absolutely furious at the audacity of the Headmaster, even though he was having an inner battle about his character all the same. It was hard to match the person who graciously allowed him and his furry little problem to attend his school and looked out for his well-being, with a manipulating, murderous puppeteer.
"What can be done to protect Miss McKinnon from further attempts at controlling her mind and actions?" He asked cautiously, Marlene nodding her grateful approval at asking this important question, when she was unable to do so.
Director Ragnok peered at the humans and sighed. "Mind Control is a vastly difficult and dangerous area of expertise, and unfortunately Albus Dumbledore is a Master of the Arts, furthermore his experiments into the field of Alchemy are most alarming, especially when combined with the Mind Arts. I am afraid there is not much we can do about this, as he not only has a back door to Miss McKinnon's mind, but the traces of his magical signature further aid him in controlling her."
Marlene paled. "H-how can I p-possibly have lunch with h-him with all this knowledge, and without b-being able to p-protect myself?" She choked. She was angry and terrified of what was to come. She was not built for drama and subterfuge.
Griphook frowned. "You must act the part, Miss McKinnon, to do anything else would have disastrous consequences." He told her plainly.
Remus scowled. "How could she possibly "act the part", when she is so obviously terrified of the thought of even appearing in front of him? She is not built for this. She always wore her heart on her sleeve, so unless something is done, this is simply not an option. We cannot throw her to him unprepared, who knows what else he would do." He ranted, anger rolling off of him in waves. He had a strong instinct to protect Marlene, and protect her he will, even if he was playing with fire.
Eanraig twitched, his hand itching to wield his trusty blade and run this irritating hybrid of human and wolf through with it, but a cold stare from The Director reigned his murderous inclinations in. It would not do to anger his boss after all. Only the furious scowl on his face told of his intentions.
"I understand your concern, Mr. Lupin." He said soothingly. "With permission, we would be able to suppress the recollection of this meeting, and implant some fake memories, which she could then relay to the Headmaster." He murmured solemnly, and turned to look at the witch. "While we are not equipped to break his control, we would suggest that you take your Potter inheritance and leave Britain. Dumbledore never had any designs on foreign countries, and you would be out of the danger zone." He hummed.
The witch and wizard stared at him, slack-jawed.
"W-well-" Miss McKinnon cleared her throat. "I always wanted to o-own a s-small shop somewhere, I s-suppose it doesn't matter where it is." She swallowed, squared her shoulders, and looked at the imposing goblin leader straight in the eyes. "I grant you permission to suppress my recollection of this meeting, and I would like to ask that you also plant a nudge for me to leave the country, and stay away from the H-headmaster. I d-don't necessarily wish to remember all that I know about h-him now, but I want to be away from h-his manipulations, and I am taking my little brother with me." She said with determination gleaming in her eyes.
Remus was disheartened that she would be leaving the country without any memories of this meeting, however he understood her worries and reasoning, and he wished for her safety, even though he desired to be selfish and keep her company, however that was vastly unlikely now. He frowned to himself and shook his head. He had no right to desire anything, much less desire such a beautiful and innocent witch. It would probably be for the best that she would be leaving Britain, as he would have made a fool of himself otherwise with his advances.
"Very well, it shall be done." Ragnok nodded, and ordered a nondescript goblin to escort Master Goldmind to their location, as the wise elderly goblin was the most skilled with the Mind Arts, and they needed his expertise to pull this off.
Master Goldmind was the eldest and wisest goblin scholar in the Goblin Nation. Whenever the goblins were seeking knowledge lost or forgotten to them, they sought his wisdom and guidance. Goldmind was also the most efficient practitioner of the goblin version of Legilimency, thus his aid was necessary to implement the required alterations to Miss McKinnon's mind-scape.
A secret door materialized on one of the marble walls, and two goblin guards escorted a pale coloured, almost completely white goblin robed in the finest golden fabrics, holding a peculiar meld of wood and crystal object shaped into a sort of staff, but since it was punishable by Wizarding law for goblins, or other sentient magical beings to wield wands, or staves, the unique object most certainly was not any of those.
"Master Goldmind, what an honour to be in your presence." Ragnok bowed politely, as to do anything else would have been great offense, even if he technically ranked higher than him. "We require your vast experience in the field of the Mind Arts for this young witch's aid."
"Director Ragnok, the honour is all mine." He returned the greeting in kind, with a bow of his own. His pale eyebrows furrowed as his eyes trained on the witch and the obviously hybrid wizard. His nostrils flared at the scent of musky earth after the rain, which clearly meant that he was part wolf. He scowled. "With all due respect, why would we come to their aid, Director? Witches and wizards are known to disrespect, belittle and humiliate our kind. So again, I ask, why would this witch be any different?" He echoed. His slanted eyes had a golden hue about them, and he looked every inch a sentient magical creature demanding respect. Even Ragnok did not have the aura that he was exuding at that moment.
Marlene and Remus were stunned at the vicious tone of the goblin, and even though they did not like it, they had to admit that he was right. The Wizarding world was cruel even to their own kind, if they were anything less than a Pureblood. It was wrong, but that is how they grew up, thus they accepted it.
They remained quiet, their gazes rooted to the ground, lest they would offend Master Goldmind further. They sensed the situation for what it was: if they wanted help from this established goblin, they better remain humble and quiet, and Remus had to reign his temper in, because if he as much as uttered a single angry word, they would be in a world of deep trouble.
Director Ragnok invited Master Goldmind to take a seat, and took the next twenty minutes to explain the situation at hand, starting with the tragic woes of The Boy Who Lived, and continuing on, outlining everything that happened in the past couple of days.
To say that Master Goldmind was shocked and horrified would be an understatement. He was absolutely disgusted by Dumbledore's actions against a mere child. In their society children were rare, and as such they were considered the highest gift Fate could bestow upon any mated pair. With a sigh he realized that The Director would treat this situation especially seriously, as he was one of the few who knew of his tribulations with getting his mate blessed with bearing a goblet under her heart.
He looked at the witch speculatively, and taking in her tense state, he came to a decision. "Very well. Considering that the circumstances are so dire and need delicate handling, I will assist you in your endeavours, but let's not make a habit of this. You need to realize how privileged you are to even be in my own, not to mention The Director's presence. I hope you will not abuse this opportunity."
The slightly out of sorts witch seemed to have found her voice. "I am h-humbled by y-your presence, Master Goldmind." She stammered. "I apologize for the atrocities that my kind had inflicted upon y-you. I am honoured that y-you decided to come to my aid, even if I don't p-particularly deserve it. I never meant to inconvenience y-you."
Goldmind was surprised at the witch's sincerity, and glanced at The Director, who seemed to be smug. He inwardly snarled at that, but he wouldn't publicly disrespect his superior for acting in such a way. "Very well. Let's move on, shall we?" He suggested, and urged McKinnon to stand up, staring at her inquisitively for a while.
He sought her permission, and received a curt nod as confirmation, before diving into her damaged psyche, looking around completely shocked by the state her mind was in. He also attempted to do a little bit of damage control, to no avail. Dumbledore certainly did a number on her mind, if even he was not able to help.
He switched his focus from trying to sort the mess, to altering her recollection of this meeting, and planting the discussed memories, the unexplainable need to keep away from the Headmaster, and the nudge to move aboard with her family.
Once he did everything he could, honouring his promises, he withdrew from her mind. "It is done." He said with an air of finality about him, and glanced at the werewolf. "I trust that I do not need to do you any favours, wolf."
Remus caught the witch before she fainted, and his jaw tightened at the goblin's biting quip. He bit his tongue before he could insult him though. He learned his lesson from offending Griphook, and he was merely an Account Head. It would not do to offend a goblin Master.
"Thank you for helping Miss McKinnon, Master Goldmind." He muttered with a leveled voice, and the goblin snorted with amusement, knowing full well the werewolf was struggling with his spirit.
He merely nodded in acknowledgement, facing Ragnok once more. "I must take my leave, Director. We have much to discuss later, please join me at your earliest convenience at my premises." He bowed.
Ragnok bowed in kind. "Thank you for your assistance, Master Goldmind. I shall adhere to your request at the earliest opportunity."
The same goblin guards escorted the Master goblin back to his residence, leaving the room to its discussion. They have dealt with the situation of the McKinnon witch, but that was only a small part, as they still had to tackle Lupin's situation, and then he had much to discuss with Griphook. He was growing to trust the Head of the Potter Accounts immensely.
Marlene came to her senses, still secured in Lupin's arms, thoroughly confused by her position. The last thing she remembered was accepting her inheritance, and being escorted to this room to officially claim it.
"Have you eaten today yet, Miss McKinnon?" Griphook nonchalantly asked. "Low blood sugar can cause fainting episodes." He said, not unkindly.
She untangled herself from Remus' arms, blushing something fierce. "I am sorry for falling on you, Remus." She said softly, turning towards the goblin teller. "Well, I don't usually eat breakfast, so you must be right. I apologize for the inconvenience."
"Don't worry about it, Miss McKinnon." The goblin answered, and gestured towards the nondescript teller. "Please follow our teller, and he will help you with everything you need."
Marlene glanced at the occupants of the room, blushed deeper out of sheer embarrassment, and left in a hurry.
"Well, wasn't that delightful." Eanraig quipped with a sarcastic snarl. He was in a right mood. He absolutely despised humans, especially wand-wielding ones.
The Director looked at his young guard exasperatedly. "You are especially irritable today, Eanraig. Please relax your stance a tad, no one is getting hurt today." He drawled dryly.
"My apologies, Director Ragnok." He grunted, folding his arms with a sneer.
The imposing goblin leader had chosen to ignore him, and turned towards the werewolf. "Now we have to discuss your situation. My question is what kind of oath did Dumbledore have you swear?"
Remus hummed, attempting to recall the wording of the oath. "Basically it was an oath lasting for forty-eight hours, wherein I swore not to disclose any information he shared about the predicament of Sirius and Harry, and I promised to share with him anything I have learned concerning them."
Ragnok chuckled darkly. "Well, as it is, your situation is nowhere near as critical as Miss McKinnon's. It is obvious that he merely wanted information about the will reading, whilst offering intelligence that is not confidential at all."
The lycanthroph nodded. "I cannot tell you what he told me about them all the same." He choked, as he struggled to voice what they talked about.
The tall goblin snarled. "That much is obvious, Mr. Lupin." He was incensed by the werewolf's behaviour, he really seemed like someone who held two personalities, rather than one. On one hand he was polite, on the other he was almost biting their heads off with his temper. It was exhausting. "I assume that he requested your presence sometime in the two day interval of your oath?"
Remus' eyes widened with yet another realization. "Yes-, that bloody infuriating old man did suggest that we meet up for lunch. I guess that he will eat twice today." He snorted, his knuckles white from all the pressure he was putting on his nails violating his palms.
"Very well. I trust you know to keep this discussion in your confidence, Mr. Lupin." Griphook said with authority. "Your inheritance will be placed in a new vault the Potters requested for your use, if you follow me, I will get you all set up with the paperwork."
He merely nodded, and bowed to the Goblin Leader and his guards in respect, and followed the Head of the Potter Accounts out the door. He was revolted by everything he learned this morning, yet he had so many questions swirling around in his head that needed answers.
Answers that he knew he would not get from Albus Dumbledore...
~oo~oOo~oo~
Albus Dumbledore was giddy with the knowledge that soon enough he would have the upper hand again. His trusty pawns would spill their guts about everything he wanted to know, and he could plan his next move.
The Headmaster twirled around in front of his mirror, admiring his reflection. His purple robes were decorated with delicate golden star embroidery, created from the finest fabrics available, and lined with pure Acromantula silk. He thought he looked mighty fine, much like a good wine, getting better and better with old age.
"Oh Gellert, if only you were still here." He sighed wistfully, regretting that his old flame could not see the world his way. They truly could have been quite the pair.
Never mind though, he still had Filius. He would surely succumb to his charms.
He turned around and stroked Fawkes tenderly. "What do you think, old friend? Do I look marvelous today, or do I look marvelous today?" He asked jovially, his eyes twinkling with what the phoenix thought was madness. He glanced at his wizard, whose aura was getting darker by the day, and stared into his bright blue eyes with such sadness, that Dumbledore looked away.
He sulkily grumbled under his breath, as he disliked when Fawkes looked at him like that. He had to give the fire bird credit though. He diligently tried to make him see reason in his own way, but it was ridiculous to assume a bird knew better than he did, even if it was a legendary magical bird.
He sighed, and called for his elf.
"Sippy!" He murmured.
"Master needs Sippy? What cans Sippy do for youse?" She squeaked excitedly.
"I need you to arrange lunch for four. I will eat twice today, each time with a different guest, so I require a completely different menu for each occasion." He instructed. "Let's see-, for my luncheon with Miss McKinnon, I would like you to prepare something light. You know how young ladies are these days..." He chuckled to himself.
"Miss Kinny will find her foods tasty, sir." Sippy bobbed her head up and down.
"Yes, quite." He agreed. "For my meal with young Remus, we need something heartier, something with more meat, considering his, ah-, delicate condition." He trailed off.
"Youse Wolfy will get lots of meat, Master." She confirmed, and popped away with haste to do as her gracious Headmaster ordered her to do, blissful that she could serve him.
Albus smiled fondly at the eagerness of house-elves, and sat behind his desk to await his first guest. He did not have to wait too long, because an hour later his fireplace flared with bright green flames, and Marlene McKinnon had toppled out of the hearth.
"Ah, Miss McKinnon, what a delightful surprise." He said tenderly, his excitement bubbling forth to the surface, but he figured the witch would be honoured that he was so happy to see her.
"Headmaster-" Marlene said hesitantly, as she pushed herself up from the floor. "Sorry for my tardiness."
"Don't worry about it my dear!" He chuckled, and gestured towards a comfortable setting of a sofa, two plush armchairs, and a smaller table between the seatings. "Let us get comfortable, and I will call for our flavourful fare."
The witch nodded politely, and sat down on the sofa, fiddling with her fingers nervously. For some reason that she could not explain, she was feeling extremely uneasy around the Headmaster, and she could not wait to be away from him, only these sentiments did not make sense to her.
Dumbledore of course noticed her odd behaviour. "Are you alright, Miss McKinnon?" He asked genuinely concerned. She seemed different, and that alarmed him.
"I am fine, sir." She said stiffly, which was not convincing in the least.
"Alright." He hummed, and did a light probe on her mind, growing suspicious, as whilst he was scanning the surface of her thoughts, he noticed a touch of foreign magic, which made him feel incredibly irate. He decided to examine this further, but figured that they could enjoy their food first.
He subtly withdrew and smiled at her. "Sippy!" He called for his trusty elf. "Please serve our wondrous meal." He asked, and the elf snapped her fingers, and a mighty feast appeared on the table. Soft cheeses with elf-made wine, fried chicken strips with brown rice and a condiment of spices, fresh green salad, and a large serving of cherry pie, with lemon meringue materialized out of thin air.
Marlene's eyes sparkled with awe at the sight. She had some of the cheese, with a few gulps of wine, and sighed with satisfaction. "This is absolutely delicious." She mumbled, momentarily forgetting her nerves.
"I couldn't agree more, my dear." Albus chimed heartily, sipping on the wine, and subtly leading their conversation to what he wanted to know. "How was your day so far, Miss McKinnon?" He inquired.
The witch stiffened. "Exhausting. I went to Gringotts to attend the Potter will reading." She choked with tears in her eyes. "Lily and James left me some galleons to achieve my dream that they knew about, ever since we had become friends." She swallowed hard, picking at her chicken and rice.
Dumbledore nodded encouragingly. "That was very generous of them to support your dreams. The Potters were good people, it is such a shame that they are no longer with us." He sighed forlornly, acting the part of a wounded grandparent. "May I ask what else happened?"
She furrowed her eyebrows, thinking hard. "Of course, you may, but I am not entirely sure. We had to leave when they completed reading the paragraph pertaining to us." She explained.
The elderly wizard scowled, but quickly masked his facial features. "I see. May I ask who else was there at the reading? It is such a shame I was too busy to attend."
She hummed. "Well, there was Remus, obviously. Then there was Madame Longbottom in lieu of Alice and Frank. I saw Selene Lovegood, Dorcas Meadows, Emmeline Vance, and Andromeda and Ted Tonks. I believe I spotted Amelia Bones-" She murmured, and Dumbledore's heart stopped for a second. "And I believe the only other attendants I saw were Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick with his daughter, Fiona." She recalled the occupants of the room.
The usual suspects, Dumbledore thought to himself, although he was alarmed about Amelia's presence at the reading. Whatever did she possibly have to do with the Potters? He had no knowledge about any relation, other than being the boss of James. But why would you leave anything for your boss? That was bizarre, and a bit of a food for thought, because it could prove disastrous and troublesome in the future.
"Thank you, Miss McKinnon, you were most helpful." He smiled at her kindly, and when she finished eating a piece of delicious pie, he cast a non-verbal Somnus spell on her, causing her to fall to a deep sleep.
"Sippy!" He called for the enthusiastic elf once again.
"Master called Sippy?"
"Indeed. Please remove the remnants of our meal at once, and make sure that no one can bother me, unless I specifically grant permission for them to enter."
"Sippy is happy to serve the great Master." She squeaked, and cleared away the food, popping back to doing her other general chores.
Dumbledore turned his attention back to the slumbering witch, and forcefully entered her mind, specifically scanning for the foreign magic that he noticed before, scowling when he realized it was a subtle and incredibly skillful bit of memory suppression.
He chanted a few incredibly complex spells and enchantments, breaking the override spell, mentally tipping his hat off to the goblins, as if he was not a true Master of the Arts, he would not have been able to undo their counter-measures, but he was not likened to Merlin for no reason.
Once he unraveled their suppression, he withdrew from Marlene's mind, and pointed his wand against her temple, muttering a spell to remove the memory for his viewing, reaching for his Pensieve.
He was shocked beyond belief once he came back to reality, and summoned a bottle of Ogden's finest, pouring a gobletful of whiskey, and gulping it down in one swell swig. He could not believe that the goblins had all that information at their disposal. He could not believe that they were aware that Gellert was actually dead. He could not process that Lupin and McKinnon now knew about one of his darkest acts, even though it was completely necessary.
He was panicking.
He did not care that the goblins knew about this, because obviously for some reason they never revealed this information, and even if they did, who would believe a goblin? It would only paint them in a bad light, if they were to slander the Great Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.
Who would dare defame his shiny character? Any such attempt would be social suicide.
Yet again, if a respected member of society was to open their mouth, people would stop to think. McKinnon came from a well-respected pureblood family. Some, especially his enemies would listen to her. He could not allow that.
"I am sorry, Miss McKinnon, truly sorry, but I cannot allow you to breathe a word of this to anyone. Memories can be returned, with great effort, but it is not impossible, thus with a heavy heart-, I bid you farewell." He whispered regretfully, raising his wand.
"Avada Kedavra!" He delivered the Killing Curse, the green light striking her chest, instantly stopping her heart.
A/N: Well, I bet you weren't expecting that. Honestly, I did not expect it either. It was one of those tiny evil ideas that won't leave your mind, until you write about it. I had a lot more to write in this chapter, however, I believe this is a perfect spot to stop.
I have something important to say: The Albus Dumbledore in this story is definitely the foulest, darkest, most revolting, most incredibly misguided creature that I have ever written about. I don't know why this happened, because I actually don't dislike his character, but writing an evil Albus is such fun, that I can't even begin to describe it. I apologize if my portrayal of his character offends anyone, because that is not my aim, however if that is the case, please find another story to read, because things are only going to get darker, and there are plenty of amazing authors out there who write about good Dumbledore.
I would also like to state that Dumbledore's moves and plans won't always be stopped. He will have victories, and our heroes are going to have losses, because even though I enjoy stories where Harry and Hermione and their allies are all-knowing and powerful and able to halt Albus' machinations, I would like to write something more realistic, even if his portrayal is intensely villainous.
I hope the chapter was worth the wait. The Fallout will definitely have a third installment, where I will try including some baby Harry and Flitwick family moments, if my muse lets me.
Thank you for reading, and I appreciate your patience in waiting for the chapter. I have so many stories that I am writing simultaneously, which is why I am updating so sporadically, plus sometimes life gets in the way.
I would also like to wish you a belated Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Lexy
