A/N: I do not own Harry Potter nor the Advent of the Archmage. They are owned by J.K. Rowling and Mo Xiang respectively.
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is considered by the vast majority of the wizarding world as the best and most light wizard in the past century. His fame extends to the vast corners of the magical world.
He was mostly known for his efforts made during his time in the ICW, the International Confederation of Wizards, and his research material.
Dumbledore has almost singlehandedly ushered in a new age of communication between wizards around the world. He allowed magic to be universalised with bits and pieces of magic theory from every corner of the world to be easily accessible.
Magic from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and Australia. A lot of the more obscure spells or traditional magic were shared. It was an incredible show of trust and foresight. This brought forth a great amount of advancement in magical research and spell theory.
His research in Alchemy, magical theory, and Magical beasts anatomy, has helped mages around the world to further develop potions, magic arrays and different uses of animal body parts as ingredients.
He may be an incredibly powerful mage, one of the most powerful currently alive, but that is not his most defining feature. He accomplished so much for mage kind.
However, at this moment, he felt as foolish as a quidditch fan sitting in the wrong box, cheering for the opposite team. He was rushing to his office so that he may speak with a few allies he has in the Wizengamot. There is something of great importance that he must rectify.
He cannot begin to imagine how he had missed such an obvious, now that he thinks about it, loophole. Wouldn't they be in grave danger should the worst happen?
He also must request a meeting with the teaching staff in the near future. Young Link's ingenuity and ability are truly beyond the scope of reason. He is so far ahead even the best of prodigies it is a little frightening. However, Dumbledore couldn't bring himself to feel anything but excitement at the tremendous rate Link was improving at.
Portkeys were not a new invention, far from it. There are so many variations like the voice-activated, time activated and touch-activated variants, and their combinations. Although Link used existing types, he is still a 12-13 year old that was able to accomplish such a feat. To top it all off, he also was able to raise some pretty solid wards at his home. They weren't the best or most secure of wards, but they could still protect someone long enough till reinforcement arrive, which again is incredible.
Now was not the time, he still had to speak with his colleague so that they could take steps to rectify this mishap. Though it would not be easy, the Dark would not relinquish any form of advantage they could get their hands on.
Once behind his desk, Dumbledore wrote an emergency summons to his closest allies in the Wizengamot. Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE and Lady of House Bones, Madam Agusta Longbottom, Lady Dowager of House Longbottom, and Lord Amos Diggory, Lord of House Diggory.
Each of them possesses a certain amount of influence amongst their circles and position in the Wizengamot. They are an incredibly important bloc in the Light Faction. They along with Dumbledore were key driving forces in the direction the Light Faction will take regarding any decision.
Once the notes were written, Dumbledore called for a Hogwarts elf to deliver these notes to the intended hands, it is of utmost urgency.
After that was done, all he had to do was wait for a bit, they will be here momentarily.
As a measure for secrecy and importance, he has instructed the Gargoyle guarding his entrance to not allow anyone to enter, even if they had a passcode unless it was of utmost urgency.
It would not take long for them to come.
People are full of insecurities, some are better at hiding them than others. Some are prone to be easily agitated at the slightest hint of disability in their everyday life.
Rose Potter had lived a life where she had to forcefully hide her emotions for fear of reprisal from her relatives. Years of emotional neglect and abuse from her cousin had a deep psychological effect on her. Though there was still a part of her that rebelled. That refused to be broken, bent maybe, but never broken. It had fueled within her a rebellious nature and a staunch unyielding will. It had been forged through the fires of Durskaban.
Though that bellied the fact that she had to constantly battle with her insecurities in order to clear a path for her. Her timidity and self-doubt were greatly alleviated since her arrival at Hogwarts. However, 1 odd-year was surely not enough to counter all these years of negative affirmations. Even if Link was actively working on increasing her confidence.
Today was one such occasion in which her vulnerability was more pronounced. Link had been furious last she saw him, he claimed that someone had attacked his parents. Which was horrifying in of itself, they were great people who accepted her and provided her with a home away from home. Then she saw him disappear, or apparate as she had remembered from her study sessions with Link.
To make matters worse, she had tattled on him to Headmaster Dumbledore.
'Is he ok? Are his parents fine? Will he hate me? Will he stop speaking with me? No, no we are friends… but I snitched… he was in trouble… you betrayed his trust… he needed help… he…'
She was stuck in a loop of self-loathing and self-assurance.
Luckily she did not have to be stuck for long, as she had just seen Professor Dumbledore walking inside, that means Link should be behind him, right?
When she hadn't seen him immediately she was half a mind to catch up with the Headmaster to understand the situation but held herself. 'He could be outside, I'm sure, let me check.'
With that she walked towards the door, exiting the castle. Thankfully Link was in clear view, he was just seated on the grass outside.
Exhaling a sigh of relief, Rose made her way to her, hopefully still, friend.
She was greeted with a small smile when she reached the boy, reassuring her greatly.
Smiling, she sat next to him and just enjoyed the silence until he broke the silence.
The Department of Magical Law Enforcement, or the DMLE, was once the pride of the Ministry. It stood in the way of all who opposed their way of life, it made sure that everyone lived in relative safety. They were the organisation that once existed for the sole purpose of roaming the country to try and save the witches and wizards from the witch hunts. Contrary to what they would like to believe nowadays, mages may be more powerful than muggles in one on one situations, most of the time, as even that was not guaranteed, muggles had always outnumbered the magic users.
In an era of non-systematic education, and sometimes ignorance of their magical abilities, most mages were not able to resist the hunts. It was why Hogwarts was created, it was also through proper education that the DMLE, formerly known as the Order of Merlin was created. They would wander the land, save any magical human they could get their hands on and send them to Hogwarts. The only safe haven for their kind.
It was later decided out of necessity that the wizarding world must segregate itself from the muggle world.
Centuries later the DMLE had long since fallen from grace. More specifically the years of corruption and deliberate sabotage from the Death Eaters machination, and Fudge's stupidity.
The DMLE is now relegated to a smaller floor. There were fewer aurors compared to just 10 years ago. The budget has been halved, it was a nightmare. Not surprisingly there was an increase of events that slip through the cracks, so they could not perform their duties to their fullest capabilities.
However, There was a change in management not too long ago. Amelia Bones has risen to power for a year now, and her achievements within the department are exemplary. As the Lady of a noble house, she was able to withstand the pressure that the dark families were trying to impose on the DMLE. With her alliance with Lady Longbottom and Lord Diggory, including Dumbledore, she was able to move things around to slowly but surely bring back the DMLE from its destitute state. All she needed was time.
She was a tall slender woman with fair skin, blue eyes and blood-red hair.
Seated within her Office, Madam Bones was reviewing a case regarding some rather unsavoury werewolves when she heard a little pop.
With reflexes honed from her years in the department, a wand was instantly pointed at the sudden intruder a spell at the tip of her tongue.
Just when she was about to unleash her stunner, she realised the intruder was a house-elf, and instantly lowered her guard. The elf is Dumbledores, she recognised him as the Headmaster always sent this particular elf when he had something to communicate with her.
"It's just you, iggy, you scared me"
"Me is sorry Madam Bones. Headmaster Dumbledore asked iggy to deliver this note to Madam Bones." was the soft reply as the elf handed a piece of paper over to the woman.
"Thank you, Iggy, you may leave now."
"Yes Madam Bones" with another pop, the elf left as quickly as he came.
Reading the note, Amelia's calm demeanour was quickly displaced as alarm took its place. The note itself was rather simple, only three words.
"Emergency Meeting Immediately"
When Dumbledore asks for an Emergency meeting, you best leave everything behind and go to the meeting. She instantly apparated away after a quick notification to her secretary.
Something similar happened at two different locations, the recipients making their way to Hogwarts post-haste.
"I just went to check up on them, thankfully they are safe" he started, breaking the silence in order to offer a little explanation as to why he left and where.
"That's a relief, I was afraid something was wrong. Ummm… I'm sorry about telling Dumbledore, I didn't know what to do and you told me that auntie and uncle were attacked. I panicked and…"
"You did nothing wrong, Rose. I am, contrarily very happy. I am glad that I have a friend that will make sure my family and I are ok. Even if you think it will betray my trust. I can appreciate that, very much."
Rose blushed at that. Happy that Link wasn't mad, and embarrassed at how he praised her.
"You are a good friend"
"You are too"
They smiled at each other and enjoyed their free time just sitting by the lake enjoying the view, content in the fact that they had found true friends.
Sometimes, it feels weird to Link. After all, he was a 30 something-year-old man mentally, yet here he was befriending a girl a third his age with a connection to her had had never felt before in his previous life. It was weird, but he wouldn't trade it for the world.
It felt a presence, long forgotten.
It felt another, foreign, but promising.
It will do.
It sent a probe, the presence will get closer. One more month before they could connect.
The trifecta of the Light alliance arrived one after the other at the Headmaster's office, their expression solemn. The serious persona the Headmaster is taking shows he means business. Whatever the topic at hand, it would probably alter a few things in the wizarding world. They sat after brief greetings.
"I'm glad you are all here. It has been quite some time since we last met. Anyone care for a Lemon drop?" Dumbledore started smilingly.
"Cut to the chase Albus, you issued an emergency summons. What's the issue?" Augusta cut in severely. If an emergency summons was issued then the topic is most likely of grave importance.
The smile slid off the Headmasters face as he straightened his posture and looked at his guests seriously. They too straightened, it was a rare sight to see the benevolent Professor so serious.
"I just had an interesting conversation with a remarkable young man. Link Granger is a second-year here at Hogwarts. I'm sure you will hear that name soon enough Amelia, after-all his parents were just attacked in muggle London."
"I have received a warning from our department, an hour ago someone used magic in a muggle area but I think it will be too late to get any information now, their trail would have gone cold by now. It seems you already know of this Albus, what can you tell me? How did you go about telling the boy that his parents are dead?"
It might have sounded harsh, but what other outcome can they expect? The poor boy's parents were probably ambushed and killed by a group of wizards. There is little more they could do in such a situation. The three adults clenched their fists in fury and pity. They failed to protect the family of a newly indoctrinated muggle-born wizard, the poor boy must have despaired.
"Quite the contrary, I assure you. Mr Granger is in fact a rarely seen magical prodigy. Even I am no match for him at that age. I dare say that he could even trump most adults in magic. In fact, he may graduate from Hogwarts at the end of his third year. With his NEWT's"
That shocked the three into silence. Such a genius has never appeared in the history of the magical world let alone Hogwarts.
"To further emphasise my point, the reason why I knew that the boy's parents were attacked, and why they were not killed is due to a rather ingenious application of enchantment. You see he had managed to successfully enchant two bracelets that he gave his parents. They deployed a shield automatically if they were attacked, then immediately activate it as a portkey to their home. Which he had warded on his own. Let me say this again, a 12-year-old boy has managed to ward his home well enough that he was able to repel a few wizards from infiltrating it after the portkey sent his parents there. Furthermore, he included a spell that alerted him should they be activated."
The already dazzled Lord and Ladies were even more impressed, their eyes continuously widening in awe as they listened to the incredible feats piling up. Any one of these would ensure a semi well-paying job for any adult wizard or witch, yet a child is able to do all of them. It's infuriating when you compare yourself to geniuses, best not compare yourself at all.
"In-Incredible" stuttered Amos. As much as he would like to say that his son was still better, he just couldn't bring himself to brag on this matter. This Link boy, it's important to know when to place exceptions.
"Remarkable" Amelia was even more excited. She could try to recruit this boy in the near future, he would turn into a powerhouse. They must secure him for the good of the nation.
Though she did not speak, it was clear that Agusta was deeply impressed with the boy too. Though she was the first to break from their momentary daze.
"As impressive as that is, Albus, there must be another reason for this summons."
"Yes, I was getting to that. It was during the conversation that he was explaining to me what he had done with the bracelets that I offhandedly mentioned that it is illegal to create portkeys without authorisation from the ministry, specifically the DMLE. He then pointed out to me that if the intent is to do something illegal why would he register it with the ministry anyway? It seemed to him as a method of surveillance for the more law-abiding citizens rather than a method of limiting crime."
Silence.
More Silence.
Collective facepalm.
"How did we miss something so obvious?" Amelia was seriously questioning their decision back then.
"We should have done more due diligence when we voted this law in" agreed Dumbledore.
"I bet those in the Dark faction were laughing their arses off when they realised what a faux-pas we had done… Damn it!"
"What intrigues me, even more, is, how many people were caught by Death-Eaters because they had access to this information?" Augusta had never looked so grave. So many people could have been killed because of this oversight.
Their resigned helplessness jumped quickly to horrifying realisation. There is a serious possibility of a breach and turned aurors. So many deaths could have been avoided.
The Headmasters looked as though he had aged a few decades with that revelation. He slumped in his chair looking every bit of his 110 years of age. He sighed while rubbing his moist eyes.
He can't help but feel a tremendous amount of remorse and guilt at having implemented such a law. He was indirectly responsible for the death of so many innocent people.
The weight was suffocating.
"Right… no sense in wallowing in remorse. The law was implemented right after the war with Grindelwald, You two had nothing to do with its implementation. We simply overlooked a lot of the issues the law presented. We have to think of a solution now. Prevent any more mishaps in the future."
"Right, you are right Agusta. Let's think carefully about this. What can we do to better this situation." agreed Dumbledore, regaining his wits and began brainstorming.
Link walked Rose back to her Homeroom. They were taking their time, walking leisurely and relaxedly. Enjoying each others company even when the conversation this time wasn't as animated as usual.
Sometimes, the measure of true friendship is the ability to enjoy long periods of silence without having it turn awkward.
After bidding farewell, Link made his way to his dorm. However, he didn't go to bed yet, instead, he took a table in the common room and started reading and writing. He had been interested in a spell this past week.
He read the spell in a book not too long ago, it was advanced.
The Patronus Charm.
It's an incredible piece of spell work. He had been studying this spell very intensely for the past few days. Apart from the three unforgivable curses, this is the only spell he came across that had a hint of law.
From what he understood, the caster could substitute the power, knowledge and acuity needed as a Level-10 mage, to utilise this spell through intense positive emotions.
The creator of this spell deserves his utmost respect. The extent of knowledge needed to even attempt such a thing, even he can't begin to fathom. It's not that he is incapable, but rather the idea was a completely new avenue that he had never conceived before.
In fact, his previous realm did not have such a thing either.
It is for this reason that he had been studying every aspect of this spell before. His excitement at examining new magic that he had never even heard of before was exhilarating.
He had already mastered the spell in the conventional meaning. He could cast the fully corporal Patronus charm at a moments notice. His was a Dragon, the lofty creature that looked down at all creatures as though they were mere ants in its presence. An apt description. Though there does appear to be some room for a Weyr (= Like a pride for lions).
Link was not satisfied with merely that much though. He went much further. He dissected the spell multiple times in different formats to understand every arithmetic code. He translated the code into multiple languages to understand its meaning in every aspect.
He also translated it into the language of ancient runes, wishing to verify the possibility of a Patronus Array. He feels he is close to a successful trial.
The main purpose of his fervent experimentation is his need to understand how the laws of this world interact with magic. Eventually, he will have to cross that threshold and become a genuine level 10 once again.
Magic had always been his raison-d'etre, it was just comforting to be immersed in it once more after such a day.
Which reminds him that he has to think about how to get back the Malfoys. How should he take care of the boy? Should he kill him? That could be an easy start to taking down the dark family. Though, should he really kill a child for the crimes of his father?
These thoughts continuously float about in a corner of his mind dedicated to thinking up a rough plan.
So many possibilities available, so many options to choose from.
"Should we vote for the law's dismissal?" Amos was anxious. His son, Cedric, is almost at the age of having his apparition licence. He will also be able to use portkeys as he had taught him. He didn't want his son to die due to portkey records.
Augusta was more level headed, by comparison, refuted the suggestion swiftly.
"We can't completely dismiss the law, it will raise too much attention. We have to amend it. We have to realise that the law is not entirely against us either."
"It's best if we dissect this into multiple facets. We need to know what to change if we are to change it. What the law does is provide information regarding the registered Portkey, such as the creator of the Portkey, the destination, the time of use, the number of people using it and finally the item used as a Portkey. It is quite comprehensive. Worst of all is that it's public, freely accessible to all DMLE and Ministry personnel." asserted Amelia, expression grave though she lightened a bit as she continued speaking.
"Although we have discovered the dark side of this law, we must also and in the considerable weight of the amount of good it brought in. For one it allowed a massive reduction in the usage of portkeys in the transportation of illegal or cursed artefacts in and out of the country. As international portkeys were much easier to pinpoint. It was also essential in multiple tips on certain people movements."
Nodding, Dumbledore appeared deep in thought.
"Those are all valid points. We cannot dismiss such an important law, but we can certainly amend it. Let us first start by limiting the accessibility of personnel allowed to access these records. The Head of the DMLE and their First Auror, only. Accessibility requires the confirmation of both these positions at the same time otherwise the files remain unattainable."
The other three nodded in agreement.
Amos also suggested the addition of an aspect not brought up yet.
"We must integrate a scrying technique similar to that used in the monitoring of the underage use of magic in muggle locations. This time utilise it to search for all those unauthorised portkeys. Though instead of sending the perpetrator a letter, it sends it to the head of the DMLE exactly who had breached the letter of the law. The decision to pursue the offender rests completely with the discretion of the DMLE."
The rest were silent for a while before nodding in agreement, though there was a little snag with this suggestion.
"Excellent suggestion Amos, the idea is sound indeed. However, convincing the Wizengamot to vote in favour of the proposal. The Dark and Light sides are equal in number at the moment, with a few in the middle as the Neutral faction. We need to lobby the idea to a few Neutrals, otherwise, we might not be able to change the law. A situation we wish to avoid at all costs. Any ideas?"
"Albus, we also have a few Light families that have been unused for quite some time. The Potter family could help tip the odds in our favour. We also have to have Crouch attend the next meeting. With 2 or 3 Neutral families we would definitely win this, even if the remaining Neutrals side with the Dark faction." commented Lady Longbottom.
"Rose is too young for her to think about these matters, Agusta, don't you agree?"
"Yes, she is young but not too young as to appoint a proxy in her stead. All she has to do is appoint someone. Isn't that ideal?"
With that the meeting was adjourned, it was time to start preparing, they had but 2 weeks till the next meeting, they have to be ready.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. We will start going forward in the coming chapter.
Thank you.