A/N: A huge thank you to everyone who's kept up
with this story and reviewed. Eclecticmum, Kittenmommy, lily luna, Crookshanksthecat, MicroMouse, Mage
Melery, Aaren, Snow Lily, Inane Author, venus black… You all have my undying gratitude. Sorry that I haven't been so quick getting this up – real life
keeps getting in the way. You know how
it is. : ) The next instalment shouldn't be more than a day or two away, so
keep checking, K? And keep reviewing,
too… Words cannot express the extremes
of delight which I derive getting reviews. ; ) This chapter should answer a few questions for you, although it will probably
create some new ones, too. *evil grin* Enjoy!
.Chapter 11.
Looking around
Dumbledore's office, Remus felt very faintly comforted by the knowledge that
some things, at least, did not change. He still remembered with startling clarity the wide-eyed little boy who had
stood on this very threshold over twenty years ago, gazing about with awe and
terror fighting for precedence in the pit of his stomach. The well-lit room with its bright
tapestries, intriguing cabinets and enormous fireplace looked a little smaller
now than it had then, but apart from that the differences were negligible.
"Please sit
down," Dumbledore gestured vaguely at the plush armchair which faced his own
beside the hearth. In the grate, a fire
crackled softly.
Remus complied,
watching apprehensively as the Headmaster followed suit.
"You know, in
all honesty I find myself longing for small talk," the older wizard said
presently, steepling his fingers and peering benignly at Remus over the top of
his glasses, "For I would very much like to know about the year you have spent
away from us. But catching up will
regrettably have to wait for another day. Other matters are at hand."
His expression
became more serious. "You may, I
suspect, have already guessed the subject I wish to speak with you about. It concerns Miss Greenstone."
Remus
suppressed a wince, and nodded wearily. "Professor, I know what you're going to say, and I assure you – "
But Dumbledore
held up one hand in a gesture of silence. "I doubt very much, Remus, that you do know what I'm going to say. You might have guessed the subject, but not
the subject matter." He paused, as if
choosing his next words with care. "You
are aware, I think, that Elena Greenstone is not an ordinary witch. Her background is unusual, her Gift is rare,
and her past contains certain … painful events … which she may or may not have
chosen to talk about."
Remus's
eyebrows drew together in a frown, surprised at the direction Dumbledore's
conversation was taking. He nodded
soberly. "She told me her family is
dead. I don't know any more than
that. But you only need to look into
her eyes to know that she has suffered."
"Yes,"
Dumbledore's voice seemed sad, "I thought you would notice that. She has indeed borne more pain and loss than
one person should ever be forced to endure, but much worse that, she has borne
it all on her own. I only wish she had
written to me sooner."
"Sir?" Remus
was confused.
The old
Headmaster looked at him sharply, then sighed. "There is a lot that I need you to understand, Remus, if you are to
undertake the role I have in mind for you. It is difficult to know where to begin. Elena didn't tell you, I suppose, how her family died?"
"No. She didn't want to talk about it. Understandably."
"Then I will
have to tell you. I know I don't need
to say this, but I shall: what I am about to tell you must not go beyond this
room."
Remus
frowned. "No, of course not."
"Good. Because Elena Greenstone's family did not
die peaceful deaths. They were murdered
by Death Eaters, a little under twelve months ago."
Remus felt as
though he had been punched. "Murdered?" He repeated
weakly. The image of Elena's face
surfaced in his mind, twisted in pain as she blinked at her tears. My family is dead… He clenched his fists, overwhelmed with
helpless empathy for the young Charmer's grief. "Why…?" He managed, and
Dumbledore seemed to understand.
"I do not know
for certain why her family was targeted. But I do have my suspicions. And
if those suspicions are correct, then it is safe to assume that Miss
Greenstone's life is in very serious danger."
"And does Elena
know this?" Remus demanded sharply, "That her life is in danger?" He did not even notice that he had used her
first name. Dumbledore did, but did not
comment.
"She is aware, yes,"
he replied gravely, "What she does not know is why. As I understand it she only narrowly escaped
the scene of her family's murder, and experienced another attempt on her life
very soon after that. Since that day
she has been on the run from a nameless and persistent enemy, too afraid to
stop in one place for more than a night or two, and too frightened to hold a
conversation with a stranger lest they remember her face. Trying all the while, without success, to
discover the motive behind the attacks. Struggling to understand why anyone would want to see her entire family
annihilated. With her family gone and
her few friends consisting of Muggles from a village she could never return to,
I think you'll appreciate the depths of her anguish. She was totally, absolutely alone in the world."
The old man's
gaze turned to the leaping flames in the grate. His expression became introspective. "It was about two weeks ago," he went on, "That I received her
letter. In it, she explained that she
had seen my picture on a dropped collectors card, and had noticed a strong
resemblance between myself and her own late father. She asked if I was connected in any way with her family, and if
so, whether I knew anything at all that might help her uncover the answers she
searched for."
"And…? What were you able to tell her?"
"I told her
nothing."
"What? Why not? Surely she has a right to know - "
"Remus, I said
I had my suspicions. I am certain of
nothing. And until I am sure, there is
nothing I can say to Miss Greenstone that will make her life any easier. It is too serious a matter to be spoken of
lightly. Voldemort is on the rise
again, and if this woman is who I think she is, her identity will be her death
warrant. But I may be mistaken. Telling her of my suspicions now will only
increase her already considerable burden, perhaps unnecessarily. Soon I will be sure. Until then, she is safer in ignorance."
Remus released
a long breath. "Very well,
Professor. I won't question your
decision. I'm sure you have your
reasons. But I still don't understand
why she is in danger, or where I fit into all this."
"I am getting to that. It's not an easy thing to explain. For you to make any sense of it, I think I will have to go back very
long way, so I ask in advance for your patience with an old man's
ramblings." Dumbledore paused, collecting his
thoughts.
"It all began
over a century ago, with a very brilliant young wizard known as Phoebus. Only one other could rival his powers, and
that was a fierce young witch named Justina. After a long and rather terrifying courtship, they managed to pause long
enough between duels to get married. After a few years, Justina fell pregnant, and there was never any
question that the child was going to be an impressively talented witch or
wizard. But Phoebus and Justina took
things one step further. Working
together, they created a unique spell which penetrated Justina's womb and
seeped into the very lifeblood of their child. It's purpose was to ensure that all the considerable talents of both
Phoebus and his wife were combined and inherited, at the same time as giving
the unborn baby a measure of protection against the influence of Unforgivable
curses. Not immunity, of course. Just a few extra defences.
In any case,
the child was born. They named him Lux,
and as expected, he grew up more powerful than both his parents. But the gift had its limitations. For example, his extraordinary magical
ability was strictly limited to White magic. When it came to performing Dark magic or Curses or even the simplest of
Hexes, Lux's ability was that of any ordinary wizard. But this did not matter much, because he was a man with extremely
rigid ideas of right and wrong. He held
the Dark Arts in contempt, and did not regret the limitation of his gift.
When Lux
married, he fathered sons. Twin
sons." At this, Dumbledore's face
seemed to close over slightly, but his voice did not falter as he continued
with his story. "He named the boys
Aurorus and Albus, and of course, they both inherited their grandparents'
gifts. As the years passed, they became
known as Dumbledore's Heirs."
For a long
moment, Remus was silent. Then he said,
very softly, "I never knew you had a brother, Professor."
Dumbledore sighed. "Very few people do know. But there is a good reason for this. Give me a chance, and I will explain."