The purest snow would not have been as white as Natalia's face. The chocolate she had consumed had no effect on her now. Her breaths came in ragged gasps as her lungs refused to inflate properly for her to inhale air. Her Mother took her hand and applied a Sedatius Spell on her.
The shock instantly disappeared; although it would come back another time for the spell was only temporary. Natalia finally found the words she needed to ask.
"How can this be possible? I thought that everyone who looked upon the Shangri-La died." She looked at Dumbledore questioningly, "How would you know that this is the Shangri-La? You are still alive."
Dumbledore chuckled softly.
"And who told you that whoever looked at the Shangri-La would die?"
"Professor Binns."
The Headmaster laughed aloud.
"This must be the first time in the history of Hogwarts that Professor Binns has made a mistake!" The Headmaster's eyes twinkled in amusement.
"No, Natalia, one will only die if they try to use the wand and are not worthy of it." He looked very closely at her. "You see, the Shangri-La is so powerful because it was designed to take the power and life of any who touched it that were not strong enough to withstand it. Many wizards have fallen under its temptation and died because of it."
Natalia nodded, seeing that it all made clear sense.
"But how did you know that my wand is the Shangri-La?"
The professor's eyes grew somber as he leant back in his chair, his mind going back in time to darker days.
"Do you know of the wizard Grindelwald?"
Natalia's brow furrowed in recognition of the late Dark Wizard.
"It is said that I defeated him, but in truth, he defeated himself." He paused, contemplating on how to tell a story so grim.
"Many believe that Grindelwald was the same man by the name of Adolf Hitler. The Muggle world never found his body after they thought him dead."
The old wizard closed his eyes and took a deep breath, going back to the darkest day of his life.
A man with auburn hair, slightly graying at the roots who looked no older than fifty-five descended into a dark abyss that seemed to swallow him further in with each step that he took. His bright blue eyes were the color of raw sapphire, and needed no light to guide them. Every step taken seemed to be an old friend.
Albus Dumbledore had just celebrated his 105th birthday. The world had been terrorized by the Dark Wizard Grindelwald for years now, and Dumbledore had spent the last two years battling him. However much Dumbldore proved to be a worthy opponent for Grindelwald, the azure-eyed wizard knew that another approach had to be taken to defeat the Dark Wizard.
The man reached the deepest part of the tomb. Although he did not know the way to his destination, the one who controlled his mind led him on with ease as if he were walking in his own dwellings.
Upon reaching a large stone casket, Dumbledore raised his hands, placing them on the cold marble. At his touch, the rock came to life, humming with warmth beneath his skin. Words engraved from a golden pen lit up on the marble:
"Aliq ta luwia narrdu Qu'a."
All who enter must be pure of heart.
The stone rumbled and pried itself open, showing a chamber beneath the marble casket. The man entered and eagerly walked toward a light that shone softly from the depths of the room. Lying on a large slab of alabaster was a cylinder of ice, and inside it was a wand like an icicle, long and slender, piercing as a ray of sunlight. The man took the stone and suddenly disappeared from the tomb.
Reappearing in another part of the world, Albus Dumbledore slowly approached a man, shorter in stature but far more imposing. An abrupt dash of a mustache stuck to the top of his lip while the shine of his plastered hair reflected the light of the chandileers above.
"Ah, Albus, it seems that you have proved yourself more capable thatn I would have ever thought." the stern faced man said in a rapid-fire staccato. His eyes greedily took in the sight of the ice form, his hands taking it from Dumbledore and setting it on the desk. The man sat Dumbledore down on a chair that seemed completely out of proportion with the room. Ornately furnished with antiques and gold trimming, the chamber made the painfully plain chair stick out like a thorn in a wool scarf. Binding the wizard to the chair by means of magic, the curt looking man released him from the Imperius Curse, at which Dumbledore's eyes shone clearly again, power surging through his veins once more.
"Grindelwald," he said calmly, more so than would be humanly possible, "You do not have to do this. I can assure you that it will only lead to your destruction."
The Dark Wizard sauntered over to the ice case, gently fingering its slender slopes as one would to dew on a morning rose.
"My dear, sweet, naïve Albus. Do you know how long I have waited for this day? I was there you know, I was there when they placed it under his tomb, he who they so mistakenly called Alexander The Great." His eyes gleamed with a childlike glee.
"Yes, I was there, and I watched. I watched as they placed that dreadful protection spell on the tomb. I thought I would never look upon this beautiful work of perfection again. Until I met you, that is." He looked at Dumbldore with his beady eyes full of malice and greed.
"You see, your heart and mind are as pure as the ice that encases the Shangri-La. I knew when I met you that you would be the one. And now," he put a possessive hand on the pillar of ice, "It is mine. All mine."
Sickly yellow flames gushed from his fingers and licked the ice shell, melting it slowly. The water from the melted ice quickly vaporized, leaving the wand suspended above the wooden table. He looked back at Dumbledore one last time.
"This is it, Albus. I am the one to save the world from apocalypse, and after that, I shall rule it. But you," he smiled so sweetly it was almost painful, "You get to have the honor of being my first victim after I have become entirely invincible. Until then, enjoy the show."
He clutched the wand, waiting for the power to surge into his being. Nothing happened for a while, at which Grindelwald tapped the wand lightly on the table as if to wake it up. Almost immediately, bright pale flames engulfed the wizard's hand, seeping into his skin. The light blue-green tint of his veins turned a ghastly white at the touch of the fire and was spread throughout his body. Within a minute, white streaks replaced where Grindelwald's veins had once been, making a frightful contrast against his now sickly yellow skin. He gasped as the fire quenched its thirst on his blood. With every beat of his heart, blood pumped directly to the flames into the wand. Slowly, the wand that he held so dearly drained him of his life and his power. As if this were not enough, the deadly fire slowly devoured his body, burning it away like acid. Nothing was left of this horrid scene, only the beautiful perfection of a wand lying gracefully on its slender side, beckoning for more to come test its power.
Dumbledore quickly broke the binding spell, retrieved a cloth made of liquid ice from his robes and covered the wand. Wrapping it away from the world, he sat it down carefully on the table, contemplating a place to hide it where no soul would be able to find.
A loud knock was heard from the door. The wizard turned, remembering that it was his reinforcements. As he turned, a great winged creature flew in from the window and snatched the covered wand, flying back out before Dumbledore could stop it.
The old wizard drew himself back to the present; all the worries over the years about the wand finally leaving him with the relief of finding it safe with Natalia. His slightly saddened eyes looked up at the girl, wondering what in her had made her special enough to be the chosen one. She looked back at him with her deep green eyes, containing almost as much age as the pair that sat next to her. He smiled quietly at her, knowing in his mind that there was no doubt that she had the power and the heart to be the world's salvation.
"If you do not mind, I must go see to Profesor Snape's healing process." He paused before standing up. "In fact, why don't you come along? Asklepio's magic is a fascinating ritual to watch."
Natalia turned to her Mother, silently asking for permission to leave.
"Of course you may go. I would not want you to miss the healing master's performance for the world." She put a hand on her daughter's arm. "However, I will have to leave presently for I have a convention to attend tonight."
She drew her daughter into a melting embrace, placing a quick, dry kiss on her forehead.
"Be good, darling." she whispered into her ear, "I shall see you again during the Christmas Holiday."
Aurelia squeezed her daughter's hand, gave her one last approving look, and left the Headmaster's office.
The kind old wizard put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder, saying, "I am sure she already misses you also.", as he lead her out to the Infirmary.
Professor Austerus walked to the entrance of Hogwarts with a basketful of Wolfsbane in her hands. She had to stand in for Snape as the Potions teacher while he was indisposed.
As she walked in, she nearly collided with a tall woman who Austerus for some reason thought looked like a spider for a moment.
