Disclaimer: I own nothing of Albus Dumbledore or any of the other
Harry Potter characters. This story is set a year after Harry
Potter's graduation in the midst of the controversy and rebuilding of
wizardly society after the horrors of the "Voldemort incident"
described "After Hogwarts" at http://www.harrypotterah.homestead.com/
and on the Yahoogroup list
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrypotterAH though you don't need to
have read it to understand the story.
One year ago
Albus Dumbeldore's office
1:54 A.M.
Albus Dumbledore was going to die. It was something he'd known he was
going to do for quite some time but he'd never actually expected that
it would be at his own hands. Albus had always expected to die
surounded by friends and loved ones or perhaps in mortal combat with
some terrible Arch-wizard. Instead he was sitting in his office alone
with his cookoo-clock approaching two o'clock with a nicely written
scroll detailing his reasons for suicide next to his left hand and
his wand waiting for the killing spell next to his right.
"Well I had best get this over with now shouldn't I." Albus felt the
white of his beard even as Fawkes looked at his accusingly on a
nearby perch. The Phoneix was a symbol of everlasting life, curious
for a bird which died routinely, and it was obvious the old bird had
no desire for him to take the action that he was about to do. Albus
had left instructions on whom Fawkes was going to pass into the care
of in his letter but he was sure Fawkes would go to whomever he felt
was next most full of life.
'And I feel very dead inside.' Albus shook his head and thought of the
reasons why he was taking the Coward's way out.
***
9 a.m. That morning
Ministry of Magic Building
Third Period of Voldemort inquires
Benjamen Stormblower, the new Minister of Magic was sitting behind
the black obsidian table which had been newly installed for these
inquiries. The chambers were different than the old ministry building
trial rooms and much more cold and uncomfortable to Albus. The fact
that the old building had been destroyed in a Dementor attack led by
Lucius Malfoy made the building simply another reminder of the former
Headmaster's abject failure.
"Archwizard Dumbledore can you describe what steps you took to deal
with the...staggering...loss of life upon Voldemort's assault on
Hogwarts?" Benjamen asked as his gaze pierced the old magician's
heart. The Scottish sorcerer had been a Hogwarts allumni when Albus
was merely the Transfigurations teacher and it hurt the Wizard deeply
to see one of his old students look at him like this.
"There wasn't much that could be done Minister." Albus said, he was
dressed in a black plain wizard's robe with no pointed hat or
adornment. His shoulders were sagging and the life had gone out of
him. There was nothing wise, majestic, or magical about the
Headmaster of Hogwarts now as he looked like nothing more than an old
man broken by life. Albus always did believe one's face reflected
the truth in a man.
"Tell us Headmaster. We need a positive record of what happened for
these proceedings." Alastor Moody had been made Director of the Auror
Inquisitor's board that had been given sweeping powers in the
aftermath of Voldemort's death to try and contain the perils of Dark
wizardry forever. It was comforting to Albus that his old friend was
in charge but it disturbed him to no end that in the wake of such
tragedy so many families were taking bloody revenge. Alastor had lost
his reputation as a paranoid old man and become a moderate in the
public eye. A moderate whose opinions had not changed but the
climate which now loved them and went beyond them.
"As you know Voldemort was able to escape the trap the ministry had
laid for him with an invisibility spell and hidden broomstick. Master
Potter, Mistress Hermione, and Sir Black then divided themselves up
with some old friends of mine to track him down...which they
eventually did to the Caer Snape..." Albus spoke very softly and
tried to shake the images out of his head. He had the further guilt
of knowing that because he had failed to kill Voldemort then and
there, Severus's wife had died. Severus didn't blame Albus for the
event but the guilt was there still.
"Where the leader of the Death Eaters died in a conflaguration caused
by his own spells along with Mister Black who held him there. We're
aware Master Albus, we're concerned about the steps you took to try
and save those under your cares's lives." Armando Lestrange was the
new head of Education following his 'heroism' against the
Deatheaters. It shuddered Albus that the public would praise a man
for murdering his parents in cold blood no matter how evil they were.
"Yes. There weren't any steps however that could be taken
Secretary....the Fusionic Reaction spell that had been set off..."
Albus didn't know how to describe the horror of what was recorded in
the burning remanents of a place children should have been laughing,
eating, safe. The smell, the silence, the darkness.
"Murderer!" a voice rang out from the back of the Trial chambers and
Albus turned around weakly to see Anne Magrew the mother of five
Hufflepuff students. All of them who'd been in the blast and none of
them had been older than their second year. She was being forcibly
restrained by the Aurors at the door but was shoving herself past
them to shout at Albus. "You lying stinking son of a dragon! You
said they would be safer at Hogwarts!" she shouted at the top of her
lungs. Tears were streaming down her eyes as she was finally shoved
through the ironwood doors and they were locked against further
intrusion.
Albus put his hands to his face and let his own tears string down.
"Now that the disturbance has been dealt with, let us resume the
inquiry." Armando Lestrange said causally.
***
Albus Dumbledore had been found not guilty of any negligence by the
Tribunal and the appointed Wizardly jury. The Jury had been
carefully screened by his lawyer and thus sentiment was that he was
actually a hero of the 'War' against Voldemort who had the foresight
to prepare when inept leadership had failed the Wizardly community.
'Poor Cornelius.' Albus thought, sickened by what had happened to the
inept minister who had died in Voldemort's initial assault. He had
been a good man with a family and his only crime had been hoping too
strongly for peace.
The current Minister of Magic had seen it clearly that Albus had
utterly failed the students put in his care and the Headmaster of
Hogwarts agreed with him. Benjamen had, quite calmly, after the
hearings suggested to to Albus that he resign from his position as
Hogwarts headmaster in order to avoid the negative publicity of
removing him from office that might cause 'incidents'. Hogwarts had
been Albus's home for as many years as he could remember and never
had the possibility existed that they would banish him from it.
'It's not anything I don't deserve either.' Albus acknowledged the
most telling truth that was driving to this action was not that he
was being driven away from Hogwarts. Albus had lived everywhere on
Earth from Dracula's castle to the undersea kingdom of the Mermen and
had slept on beds of nails with Indian pashas to luxurious pillows
with half-sidhe princesses (though they always had hogged the
covers). No, the exile from Hogwarts signalled merely the
recognition about what he should have recognized years before.
"My hubris killed the children of England's witches and wizards and
nothing more." Albus said the words outloud like the acknowledgement
of a condemnation from Heaven. The Archwizard lifted up his wand and
put it to his chin. Tears rolled down again his eyes towards the
ground as he recalled the horrofic events which had led to this
moment.
***
Nine Months prior
Hogwarts Northwest Tower
9:30 pm
The Final Battle of the Second Death Eater Uprising
The Army of Voldemort was the greatest gathering of evil creatures
since the days of the 1905 War between the Nome King and Fairy Kind
which had led to the Pax Magical unilateral disarment. Hogwarts had
been cut off from flight escape by the presence of mercanary Dragons,
Harpies, broom riding Death Eaters, and even a Djinn or two. On the
ground Voldemort had an army of Giants, Growleywogs, Vampires,
Werewolves, Mimics, Phafsms, and several manticores. Albus had made
contact with the peoples of the traditionally evil viewed races as
best he could and with Remus Lupin and Hagrid's help they had made
Voldemort's Legion of Darkness half the size that it could
have been. Albus had predicted this would happen and had prepared
Hogwart's defenses as best he could against the oncomming assault
that would mean the difference between liberation from the shadow of
the Dark Mark for all time and possibly eternal slavery to Voldemort.
Voldemort knew now Fawkes's tears would grant him immortality if
brewed in a special potion and it was the perfect pretext for taking
his revenge.
"You don't honestly believe that you'll win do you Old Man?" the
voice still made Albus sick to his stomach to hear. Tom Riddle was
so choked with hatred for the world and everything within it that it
sounded like he was cursed with a lung infection. Voldemort's black
oak broomstick was to one side of the evil magician and the two
Archwizards were alone on the tower's top.
"Your General, Lucius Malfoy has proven himself a coward already
Voldemort. The students, their parents, and the 'Old School' as I
call them are defending the castle admirably against your forces.
Young Master Potter is already engaged with your only remaining
leader of any skill and once he slays Orek the Giant with
Gryffindor's sword the tide will have turned to our favor." Albus
gestured to the battle where magical traps proved the death of
monster after moster. It was grizzly work that Albus knew would scar
many of the seniors and juniors of Hogwarts for life but it had to be
done. Magical illusionary moons caused werewolfs to attack their own
allies. Specially prepared carpets wrapped up entire groups of
vampires before flying out of apparation barrier distance to teleport
to the sunniest spot on Earth. Albus's personal favorite for the
defense was the Wealsey brothers gigantic exploding bubblegum wrap.
"I can assure you that I will punish Lucius for his cowardice once
this affair is over. As for what happens to my army, the destruction
of them all is of little consequence to me. They simply exist to
distract Hogwart's little army long enough for me to kill you and
then Potter. The only two wizards in the world who have actually
ever caught my annoyance long enough for it to blossom into hate."
Voldemort lifted up his phoneix tail wand and Albus lifted up the
wand that was the father to it as Potters was it's brother. Voldemort
had stolen his wand from Albus and it was only fitting that Albus use
a double to take it back.
"I can assure you Voldemort that death is certainly an unavoidable
thing today however it is not going to be my death or young Potters
but you and your dreams of immortality. I am not so bound by
tradition that the hero of this story has to be the one to deliver
the killing stroke to the victem." Albus's next words were a torrent
of war-spells leftover from the Great War and Second World War.
Battle magic like the kind not seen ever by cowards such as Voldemort
exploded against the evil Wizard's magical defenses. Albus
transformed countless spells of entertainment, wonder, and common
household chores into deadly weapons whose simplicity allowed a dozen
to be called off for every one of Voldemort's long dark curses.
"Your parlour tricks annoy me Dumbledore. AVADA KREVADA!" Voldemort
had not become the Dark Lord for nothing and where his own magics
failed him, the protection he had gleaned from inhuman pacts with
demons, and the fact he no longer was human at all gave him strength
to emerge merely wounded from the onslaught.
"ADAVA ADAVERK!" Dumbledore shouted as he lifted up a magical diamond
from Deepest Africa. The Killing Curse struck the diamond and
exploded into a dozen beautiful rainbow colors that caused daisies to
grow from stone, Voldemort's nose to turn blue, and their robe turn
into handsome shades of pasley.
"WHAT!?" Voldemort stared in outrage before releasing a torrent of
monsters, windstorms, and worse from his wand.
"You really are a one trick wonder sometimes Little Tommy." Albus
called Voldemort by his old Hogwarts school nickname. "It was only a
matter of time before someone...Young Hermione in this
case...discovered a way around your killing spell. It's all academic
anyway." Dumbledore was Voldemort's equal, no more, no less as they
battled on. The only difference was that Tom Marvelo Riddle had paid
with his immortal soul to achieve what Albus had done by rising to
the occasion to help his fellow man.
"SILENCE!" Voldemort screamed at the top of his lungs. "Severus
Snape has betrayed me again! Only through him could you know about
the intricacies of my spell!" Voldemort lifted himself up in a spell
that would destroy everything in a ten foot diameter for half a mile.
Albus merely reached in his pocket to blind the wicked sorcerer with
flash powder.
"Argh!" Albus spun Voldemort's wand out of his hands and held it away
from him with a holding spell.
Albus hated the idea of killing a man in cold blood but there was no
real way around the excessive evil of Lord Voldemort but his utter
destrcution. The spell Albus had prepared was the only spell in the
world that would finally forever eradicate Voldemort and it's title
was the Lament Everlasting. Once cast it would destroy Voldemort's
body forever and send his soul directly to the abyss it deserved with
no chance of recovery.
"I have a secret...Albus...curses...foiled by flash powder...a common
Muggle stage magician's trick." Voldemort couldn't help but laugh
despite his immenent doom and that made Albus extremely suspicious.
"Do tell as I send you to perdition Voldemort." Albus lifted up his
wand and pointed it at the evil Wizard. There would be no escape for
Tom Riddle this time and Albus tried to keep his courage about ending
a spectre that had haunted him and the Magical lands for decades.
"I've rigged young Master Goyle as a human bomb." Voldemort said with
dripping malice. Young Goyle had shown the first bit of brains in his
lifetime when he and young Sir Malfoy had fled back to Hogwarts when
the Dark Lord had demanded their school chum Crabbe's father cut out
his son's own heart to prove his loyalty. Malfoy was already proving
his worth by battling at Harry's side even if his motives were
selfish and egotistical they were not stupid. Goyle still was a
coward and Albus had hidden him among the children too young to fight.
Albus wasted no time as he realized Voldemort had let the pair escape
with such a minium amount of fuss not because they didn't matter but
because of a plan. Spinning around he lept into the air and with
flying spell he sailed toward the room where the children were
protected, ignoring the Dark Lord's escape on broom. Albus hoped for
a second that Voldemort had fooled him and he had fallen for a bold
faced lie....
However he was not long believing that.
The explosion tore through Hogwarts shattered every window in the
building before Albus could even get through the front doors. The
damage was incredible and Albus had no doubt that whatever spell had
been placed on Goyle it had utterly annhilated everything around him
for an half an acre.
With Voldemorts forces in retreat...Hogwart's survivors merely
stopped to stare in horror at the tragedy that devastated their
school more surely than Voldemort's forces ever could have.
***
Albus looked at Fawkes as the Phoneix stared at his ultimate betrayal
of life. Old Al Dumbledore couldn't stand to look at the small bird
without thinking somewhat of how he had found the poor Phoneix. He'd
simply been wandering one day when the creature had landed on his
head at Hogwarts and stayed there all day no matter what he'd done to
it. It was the 19th century then and he'd only been a second year at
Gryffindor.
"You'll like it with Harry, Fawkes." Albus said and the Phoneix merely
continued staring. Young master Potter would feed the Phoneix the
essence of heroism and decency the immortal being needed to survive
and which Albus could no longer provide. He'd known for years Harry
would become Fawke's keeper but he'd hoped it would be under
different circumstances. Albus had been approached by all of
Hogwart's teachers to try and cheer him up. Professor Mcgonegal had
even offered him a part time position teaching transformations in
order to ease his transition into retirement. It didn't mitagate
what he'd done to the one people he truly loved however; the
children. No more would Albus Dumbledore harm and he took a deep
breath to mutter the Lament Everlasting upon himself.
There was then a rather large and heavy knock at the door.
"Switch and blazes what now." Albus said getting up from his desk and
going to the door. Outside was a budding woman both lithesome and
with large round eyes. Her complexion was pale like her fathers and
her hair the same midnight raven but there was an elegance about
her which made all of which was unattractive about her father shine
brightly and beautiful.
"Yes Miss Snape?" Albus said blinking his eyes a bit. Frankly it
piqued the old wizard's curiousity how the young Slytherin woman had
managed to sneak around the Bloody Baron, Hogwart's new magical
defenses, and past Professor McGonnegal. Albus would put in his
recommendation that she be appointed in his plane, not that there was
any real question about it. Her heroism had endeared the entire
Witch and Wizard community to her.
"Hello." Davina Darkstone poked her head past the elegant young
woman. Davina was a Gryffindor herself yet somehow had become
Alchema's closet friend at Hogwarts fast enough that already the two
were inseperable both on and off campus. With Davinia's unknown
power and Alchema's prodigy nature at lore, Albus suspected there
would be hades to pay trying to keep them under control. He also
pitied as well as congradulated any boy who gained the wands to try
and date one when they were alittle older.
"Well Professor Dumbledore we hate to disturb your most important
rest this late in the eve especially when such a much honored wizard
such as yourself must have important work in the works suitable to
your station..." Alchema's next words were muffled by her friend's
hand on her mouth.
"What Alchema is trying to say Professor is that she's hear to say
thanks." Davina removed her hand from Alchema's mouth. Albus
suspected that the ongoing prank feud that had initially kicked off
their school year was going to be a continuing one despite their
friendship.
"I owe you my life for dispatching Master Black to save it and its'
been weighing on me for sometime. I thought in light of recent
events you'd like to hear something of that...not to be presumptious
of course sir." Alchema performed a little curtsy before Albus that
made him smile.
"Thank you both. However it is very late and I suggest you both go to
bed. First years can't be found roaming the hall at a time like
this." Albus shut the door slightly and locked it before putting his
wand away and deciding to destroy the scroll with the killing spell.
Fawkes had a look on his face that was disturbingly close to a grin.
"Smugness is a most unbecoming trait in a supernatural creature
Fawkes." Albus said shaking his fist and the Phoneix flew around the
room playfully for the first time in months.
-Comments?
Charles Phipps
tcp@zoomnet.net
Harry Potter characters. This story is set a year after Harry
Potter's graduation in the midst of the controversy and rebuilding of
wizardly society after the horrors of the "Voldemort incident"
described "After Hogwarts" at http://www.harrypotterah.homestead.com/
and on the Yahoogroup list
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrypotterAH though you don't need to
have read it to understand the story.
One year ago
Albus Dumbeldore's office
1:54 A.M.
Albus Dumbledore was going to die. It was something he'd known he was
going to do for quite some time but he'd never actually expected that
it would be at his own hands. Albus had always expected to die
surounded by friends and loved ones or perhaps in mortal combat with
some terrible Arch-wizard. Instead he was sitting in his office alone
with his cookoo-clock approaching two o'clock with a nicely written
scroll detailing his reasons for suicide next to his left hand and
his wand waiting for the killing spell next to his right.
"Well I had best get this over with now shouldn't I." Albus felt the
white of his beard even as Fawkes looked at his accusingly on a
nearby perch. The Phoneix was a symbol of everlasting life, curious
for a bird which died routinely, and it was obvious the old bird had
no desire for him to take the action that he was about to do. Albus
had left instructions on whom Fawkes was going to pass into the care
of in his letter but he was sure Fawkes would go to whomever he felt
was next most full of life.
'And I feel very dead inside.' Albus shook his head and thought of the
reasons why he was taking the Coward's way out.
***
9 a.m. That morning
Ministry of Magic Building
Third Period of Voldemort inquires
Benjamen Stormblower, the new Minister of Magic was sitting behind
the black obsidian table which had been newly installed for these
inquiries. The chambers were different than the old ministry building
trial rooms and much more cold and uncomfortable to Albus. The fact
that the old building had been destroyed in a Dementor attack led by
Lucius Malfoy made the building simply another reminder of the former
Headmaster's abject failure.
"Archwizard Dumbledore can you describe what steps you took to deal
with the...staggering...loss of life upon Voldemort's assault on
Hogwarts?" Benjamen asked as his gaze pierced the old magician's
heart. The Scottish sorcerer had been a Hogwarts allumni when Albus
was merely the Transfigurations teacher and it hurt the Wizard deeply
to see one of his old students look at him like this.
"There wasn't much that could be done Minister." Albus said, he was
dressed in a black plain wizard's robe with no pointed hat or
adornment. His shoulders were sagging and the life had gone out of
him. There was nothing wise, majestic, or magical about the
Headmaster of Hogwarts now as he looked like nothing more than an old
man broken by life. Albus always did believe one's face reflected
the truth in a man.
"Tell us Headmaster. We need a positive record of what happened for
these proceedings." Alastor Moody had been made Director of the Auror
Inquisitor's board that had been given sweeping powers in the
aftermath of Voldemort's death to try and contain the perils of Dark
wizardry forever. It was comforting to Albus that his old friend was
in charge but it disturbed him to no end that in the wake of such
tragedy so many families were taking bloody revenge. Alastor had lost
his reputation as a paranoid old man and become a moderate in the
public eye. A moderate whose opinions had not changed but the
climate which now loved them and went beyond them.
"As you know Voldemort was able to escape the trap the ministry had
laid for him with an invisibility spell and hidden broomstick. Master
Potter, Mistress Hermione, and Sir Black then divided themselves up
with some old friends of mine to track him down...which they
eventually did to the Caer Snape..." Albus spoke very softly and
tried to shake the images out of his head. He had the further guilt
of knowing that because he had failed to kill Voldemort then and
there, Severus's wife had died. Severus didn't blame Albus for the
event but the guilt was there still.
"Where the leader of the Death Eaters died in a conflaguration caused
by his own spells along with Mister Black who held him there. We're
aware Master Albus, we're concerned about the steps you took to try
and save those under your cares's lives." Armando Lestrange was the
new head of Education following his 'heroism' against the
Deatheaters. It shuddered Albus that the public would praise a man
for murdering his parents in cold blood no matter how evil they were.
"Yes. There weren't any steps however that could be taken
Secretary....the Fusionic Reaction spell that had been set off..."
Albus didn't know how to describe the horror of what was recorded in
the burning remanents of a place children should have been laughing,
eating, safe. The smell, the silence, the darkness.
"Murderer!" a voice rang out from the back of the Trial chambers and
Albus turned around weakly to see Anne Magrew the mother of five
Hufflepuff students. All of them who'd been in the blast and none of
them had been older than their second year. She was being forcibly
restrained by the Aurors at the door but was shoving herself past
them to shout at Albus. "You lying stinking son of a dragon! You
said they would be safer at Hogwarts!" she shouted at the top of her
lungs. Tears were streaming down her eyes as she was finally shoved
through the ironwood doors and they were locked against further
intrusion.
Albus put his hands to his face and let his own tears string down.
"Now that the disturbance has been dealt with, let us resume the
inquiry." Armando Lestrange said causally.
***
Albus Dumbledore had been found not guilty of any negligence by the
Tribunal and the appointed Wizardly jury. The Jury had been
carefully screened by his lawyer and thus sentiment was that he was
actually a hero of the 'War' against Voldemort who had the foresight
to prepare when inept leadership had failed the Wizardly community.
'Poor Cornelius.' Albus thought, sickened by what had happened to the
inept minister who had died in Voldemort's initial assault. He had
been a good man with a family and his only crime had been hoping too
strongly for peace.
The current Minister of Magic had seen it clearly that Albus had
utterly failed the students put in his care and the Headmaster of
Hogwarts agreed with him. Benjamen had, quite calmly, after the
hearings suggested to to Albus that he resign from his position as
Hogwarts headmaster in order to avoid the negative publicity of
removing him from office that might cause 'incidents'. Hogwarts had
been Albus's home for as many years as he could remember and never
had the possibility existed that they would banish him from it.
'It's not anything I don't deserve either.' Albus acknowledged the
most telling truth that was driving to this action was not that he
was being driven away from Hogwarts. Albus had lived everywhere on
Earth from Dracula's castle to the undersea kingdom of the Mermen and
had slept on beds of nails with Indian pashas to luxurious pillows
with half-sidhe princesses (though they always had hogged the
covers). No, the exile from Hogwarts signalled merely the
recognition about what he should have recognized years before.
"My hubris killed the children of England's witches and wizards and
nothing more." Albus said the words outloud like the acknowledgement
of a condemnation from Heaven. The Archwizard lifted up his wand and
put it to his chin. Tears rolled down again his eyes towards the
ground as he recalled the horrofic events which had led to this
moment.
***
Nine Months prior
Hogwarts Northwest Tower
9:30 pm
The Final Battle of the Second Death Eater Uprising
The Army of Voldemort was the greatest gathering of evil creatures
since the days of the 1905 War between the Nome King and Fairy Kind
which had led to the Pax Magical unilateral disarment. Hogwarts had
been cut off from flight escape by the presence of mercanary Dragons,
Harpies, broom riding Death Eaters, and even a Djinn or two. On the
ground Voldemort had an army of Giants, Growleywogs, Vampires,
Werewolves, Mimics, Phafsms, and several manticores. Albus had made
contact with the peoples of the traditionally evil viewed races as
best he could and with Remus Lupin and Hagrid's help they had made
Voldemort's Legion of Darkness half the size that it could
have been. Albus had predicted this would happen and had prepared
Hogwart's defenses as best he could against the oncomming assault
that would mean the difference between liberation from the shadow of
the Dark Mark for all time and possibly eternal slavery to Voldemort.
Voldemort knew now Fawkes's tears would grant him immortality if
brewed in a special potion and it was the perfect pretext for taking
his revenge.
"You don't honestly believe that you'll win do you Old Man?" the
voice still made Albus sick to his stomach to hear. Tom Riddle was
so choked with hatred for the world and everything within it that it
sounded like he was cursed with a lung infection. Voldemort's black
oak broomstick was to one side of the evil magician and the two
Archwizards were alone on the tower's top.
"Your General, Lucius Malfoy has proven himself a coward already
Voldemort. The students, their parents, and the 'Old School' as I
call them are defending the castle admirably against your forces.
Young Master Potter is already engaged with your only remaining
leader of any skill and once he slays Orek the Giant with
Gryffindor's sword the tide will have turned to our favor." Albus
gestured to the battle where magical traps proved the death of
monster after moster. It was grizzly work that Albus knew would scar
many of the seniors and juniors of Hogwarts for life but it had to be
done. Magical illusionary moons caused werewolfs to attack their own
allies. Specially prepared carpets wrapped up entire groups of
vampires before flying out of apparation barrier distance to teleport
to the sunniest spot on Earth. Albus's personal favorite for the
defense was the Wealsey brothers gigantic exploding bubblegum wrap.
"I can assure you that I will punish Lucius for his cowardice once
this affair is over. As for what happens to my army, the destruction
of them all is of little consequence to me. They simply exist to
distract Hogwart's little army long enough for me to kill you and
then Potter. The only two wizards in the world who have actually
ever caught my annoyance long enough for it to blossom into hate."
Voldemort lifted up his phoneix tail wand and Albus lifted up the
wand that was the father to it as Potters was it's brother. Voldemort
had stolen his wand from Albus and it was only fitting that Albus use
a double to take it back.
"I can assure you Voldemort that death is certainly an unavoidable
thing today however it is not going to be my death or young Potters
but you and your dreams of immortality. I am not so bound by
tradition that the hero of this story has to be the one to deliver
the killing stroke to the victem." Albus's next words were a torrent
of war-spells leftover from the Great War and Second World War.
Battle magic like the kind not seen ever by cowards such as Voldemort
exploded against the evil Wizard's magical defenses. Albus
transformed countless spells of entertainment, wonder, and common
household chores into deadly weapons whose simplicity allowed a dozen
to be called off for every one of Voldemort's long dark curses.
"Your parlour tricks annoy me Dumbledore. AVADA KREVADA!" Voldemort
had not become the Dark Lord for nothing and where his own magics
failed him, the protection he had gleaned from inhuman pacts with
demons, and the fact he no longer was human at all gave him strength
to emerge merely wounded from the onslaught.
"ADAVA ADAVERK!" Dumbledore shouted as he lifted up a magical diamond
from Deepest Africa. The Killing Curse struck the diamond and
exploded into a dozen beautiful rainbow colors that caused daisies to
grow from stone, Voldemort's nose to turn blue, and their robe turn
into handsome shades of pasley.
"WHAT!?" Voldemort stared in outrage before releasing a torrent of
monsters, windstorms, and worse from his wand.
"You really are a one trick wonder sometimes Little Tommy." Albus
called Voldemort by his old Hogwarts school nickname. "It was only a
matter of time before someone...Young Hermione in this
case...discovered a way around your killing spell. It's all academic
anyway." Dumbledore was Voldemort's equal, no more, no less as they
battled on. The only difference was that Tom Marvelo Riddle had paid
with his immortal soul to achieve what Albus had done by rising to
the occasion to help his fellow man.
"SILENCE!" Voldemort screamed at the top of his lungs. "Severus
Snape has betrayed me again! Only through him could you know about
the intricacies of my spell!" Voldemort lifted himself up in a spell
that would destroy everything in a ten foot diameter for half a mile.
Albus merely reached in his pocket to blind the wicked sorcerer with
flash powder.
"Argh!" Albus spun Voldemort's wand out of his hands and held it away
from him with a holding spell.
Albus hated the idea of killing a man in cold blood but there was no
real way around the excessive evil of Lord Voldemort but his utter
destrcution. The spell Albus had prepared was the only spell in the
world that would finally forever eradicate Voldemort and it's title
was the Lament Everlasting. Once cast it would destroy Voldemort's
body forever and send his soul directly to the abyss it deserved with
no chance of recovery.
"I have a secret...Albus...curses...foiled by flash powder...a common
Muggle stage magician's trick." Voldemort couldn't help but laugh
despite his immenent doom and that made Albus extremely suspicious.
"Do tell as I send you to perdition Voldemort." Albus lifted up his
wand and pointed it at the evil Wizard. There would be no escape for
Tom Riddle this time and Albus tried to keep his courage about ending
a spectre that had haunted him and the Magical lands for decades.
"I've rigged young Master Goyle as a human bomb." Voldemort said with
dripping malice. Young Goyle had shown the first bit of brains in his
lifetime when he and young Sir Malfoy had fled back to Hogwarts when
the Dark Lord had demanded their school chum Crabbe's father cut out
his son's own heart to prove his loyalty. Malfoy was already proving
his worth by battling at Harry's side even if his motives were
selfish and egotistical they were not stupid. Goyle still was a
coward and Albus had hidden him among the children too young to fight.
Albus wasted no time as he realized Voldemort had let the pair escape
with such a minium amount of fuss not because they didn't matter but
because of a plan. Spinning around he lept into the air and with
flying spell he sailed toward the room where the children were
protected, ignoring the Dark Lord's escape on broom. Albus hoped for
a second that Voldemort had fooled him and he had fallen for a bold
faced lie....
However he was not long believing that.
The explosion tore through Hogwarts shattered every window in the
building before Albus could even get through the front doors. The
damage was incredible and Albus had no doubt that whatever spell had
been placed on Goyle it had utterly annhilated everything around him
for an half an acre.
With Voldemorts forces in retreat...Hogwart's survivors merely
stopped to stare in horror at the tragedy that devastated their
school more surely than Voldemort's forces ever could have.
***
Albus looked at Fawkes as the Phoneix stared at his ultimate betrayal
of life. Old Al Dumbledore couldn't stand to look at the small bird
without thinking somewhat of how he had found the poor Phoneix. He'd
simply been wandering one day when the creature had landed on his
head at Hogwarts and stayed there all day no matter what he'd done to
it. It was the 19th century then and he'd only been a second year at
Gryffindor.
"You'll like it with Harry, Fawkes." Albus said and the Phoneix merely
continued staring. Young master Potter would feed the Phoneix the
essence of heroism and decency the immortal being needed to survive
and which Albus could no longer provide. He'd known for years Harry
would become Fawke's keeper but he'd hoped it would be under
different circumstances. Albus had been approached by all of
Hogwart's teachers to try and cheer him up. Professor Mcgonegal had
even offered him a part time position teaching transformations in
order to ease his transition into retirement. It didn't mitagate
what he'd done to the one people he truly loved however; the
children. No more would Albus Dumbledore harm and he took a deep
breath to mutter the Lament Everlasting upon himself.
There was then a rather large and heavy knock at the door.
"Switch and blazes what now." Albus said getting up from his desk and
going to the door. Outside was a budding woman both lithesome and
with large round eyes. Her complexion was pale like her fathers and
her hair the same midnight raven but there was an elegance about
her which made all of which was unattractive about her father shine
brightly and beautiful.
"Yes Miss Snape?" Albus said blinking his eyes a bit. Frankly it
piqued the old wizard's curiousity how the young Slytherin woman had
managed to sneak around the Bloody Baron, Hogwart's new magical
defenses, and past Professor McGonnegal. Albus would put in his
recommendation that she be appointed in his plane, not that there was
any real question about it. Her heroism had endeared the entire
Witch and Wizard community to her.
"Hello." Davina Darkstone poked her head past the elegant young
woman. Davina was a Gryffindor herself yet somehow had become
Alchema's closet friend at Hogwarts fast enough that already the two
were inseperable both on and off campus. With Davinia's unknown
power and Alchema's prodigy nature at lore, Albus suspected there
would be hades to pay trying to keep them under control. He also
pitied as well as congradulated any boy who gained the wands to try
and date one when they were alittle older.
"Well Professor Dumbledore we hate to disturb your most important
rest this late in the eve especially when such a much honored wizard
such as yourself must have important work in the works suitable to
your station..." Alchema's next words were muffled by her friend's
hand on her mouth.
"What Alchema is trying to say Professor is that she's hear to say
thanks." Davina removed her hand from Alchema's mouth. Albus
suspected that the ongoing prank feud that had initially kicked off
their school year was going to be a continuing one despite their
friendship.
"I owe you my life for dispatching Master Black to save it and its'
been weighing on me for sometime. I thought in light of recent
events you'd like to hear something of that...not to be presumptious
of course sir." Alchema performed a little curtsy before Albus that
made him smile.
"Thank you both. However it is very late and I suggest you both go to
bed. First years can't be found roaming the hall at a time like
this." Albus shut the door slightly and locked it before putting his
wand away and deciding to destroy the scroll with the killing spell.
Fawkes had a look on his face that was disturbingly close to a grin.
"Smugness is a most unbecoming trait in a supernatural creature
Fawkes." Albus said shaking his fist and the Phoneix flew around the
room playfully for the first time in months.
-Comments?
Charles Phipps
tcp@zoomnet.net