CHAPTER FOUR: THE ATTACK
The term had been under way for a week with almost no problems. There was an incident in the sixth-year Potions class involving swelling solution and a few well-placed Dungbombs, but it was nothing Professor Cypher couldn't handle. Once everyone was restored to their original size and the guilty students given detention, everything returned to normal. However, the Divination instructor, Theodore Chaplain, insisted that the peace wouldn't last, and as much as they all questioned his competence, the rest of the faculty knew he was right. Things never stayed calm around Hogwarts for long.
Armando Dippet was thinking about Professor Chaplain's comments about the calm coming to an end, but soon moved his thoughts on to other things. Chaplain was a good man, but in his opinion, a little peculiar. He made it a point to never wear matching socks, and his favorite thing to do besides take away points from Ravenclaw students (supposedly, the reasoning behind that was he had a grudge against Rowena Ravenclaw because she was tall, and no one was quite certain where that came from) was predict Dippet's death. Quinn Grindelwald would often tease Chaplain by saying something like, "How is Armando going to die this week?" Chaplain would always give an answer, and he was always very serious about it. Then he would warn Grindelwald to watch his back, because he could very well be next.
Dippet turned his mind away from Chaplain and started to compose a reply to the letter he received earlier that day from Tobias Hawkins, the Minister of Magic. Hawkins was growing more and more concerned about the war going on in the Muggle world and how it would affect the wizards. He was also wondering if the wizards should get involved. Dippet had mixed feelings about that issue; it was a Muggle war, and therefore, really none of their business, but on the other hand, Muggles were becoming a bigger part of the wizarding world, and it wouldn't be much longer before half-blood and Muggle-born wizards and witches caught up to the amount of purebloods. Whether they wanted to admit or not, the wizards were a dying race - they had always been outnumbered by Muggles a million to one, and more and more of them were growing old and dying without ever having children. If they wanted to save their world, they had to save the Muggle one first.
~~~
When he saw that the long, dark hallway was completely deserted, the man wearing the long, dark cloak smiled to himself and made his way over to a statue of a gargoyle standing against the wall. He glanced to the left, and then to the right to make sure no one was coming, and then whispered a single word: "Matterhorn."
The gargoyle slid aside, revealing the entrance to a winding staircase. The man looked around once more to make sure he was still alone, and then began racing up the stairs.
~~~
Dippet was so engrossed in the letter that he didn't even realize someone was coming until the intruder burst into his office. Shocked, Dippet looked up at the strange man in the black cloak, and instantly knew his intentions were to harm. He reached for his wand, but was too slow - the attacker already had his wand out and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
A blast of red light hit Dippet, and the Hogwarts headmaster fell out of his chair and onto the floor. He lost his wand in the fall and also had the wind knocked out of him, allowing the man to switch his wand in favor of something else - a knife - and come charging at him.
The man leapt over Dippet's desk and brought his knife down. The strike was meant for his heart, but Dippet managed to roll away just in time. It missed its target, but the headmaster didn't get away unscathed - the blade left a long, deep gash in his left arm. He had no time to think about the pain, though. If he didn't act fast, he would lose a lot more than some blood.
Dippet raised a foot and kicked his attacker in the back, causing him to fall forward. He scrambled to his feet and began to look around for his wand, which was nowhere in sight. No more time for that - the man was back on his feet and rushing at him with the knife.
The attacker let out a cry and brought the knife down. Dippet grabbed him by the wrist and snapped it with a quick twisting motion. The man let out a howl of pain and dropped the knife. Dippet took advantage of his enemy's distraction and threw a palm strike at his face. His hand made contact with the man's nose, and Dippet was almost sure he broke that as well.
It was now quite obvious who had won the fight. Dippet located his wand - it was lying a few feet away - and then used it to stun his attacker. Only then did he realize how serious the the wound in his arm was. Not only was it bleeding profusely, it was also deeper than he originally thought - all the way to the bone. He had to tell the rest of the faculty about this attack and then get down to medical.
Dippet placed his right hand over the gaping wound to slow the blood flow and then started down the stairs.
~~~
The first people Dippet saw as he made his way through the school were Albus Dumbledore and Quinn Grindelwald, who were walking in the direction of the staff room together. Shocked looks crossed both of their faces as they laid eyes upon the headmaster. "Armando, what happened to you?" the horrified Grindelwald asked.
"Someone attacked me," Dippet answered, "just now, in my office. I don't know who or why." His mind was starting to go numb from pain and blood loss.
"I'll get Trudy," Grindelwald said, referring to Trudy Burton, the school nurse. Dippet acknowledged this with a nod of his head, and Grindelwald took off running.
Dumbledore noticed that blood was seeping through Dippet's fingers, and he wondered just how badly he was hurt. "Sit down," he advised. "You look like you've lost a lot of blood."
Dippet did as he was told, and Dumbledore knelt down next to him on his right side. "How deep is it?" Dumbledore asked.
"To the bone," was Dippet's response. He was glad Dumbledore insisted that he sit down, as he was starting to feel light-headed.
Hurry up, Quinn, Dumbledore thought to himself.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of someone gasping and several large books hitting the floor. "Professor Dippet! What happened?" came the surprised, worried voice of Minerva McGonagall.
"He was attacked," Dumbledore explained as Minerva dropped to her knees on the headmaster's left side.
"Should we get someone from medical?" she asked frantically.
"Quinn just went," Dumbledore answered. "He should be back here soon."
"I stunned the attacker," Dippet said weakly. His breathing had quickened, and his breaths were not as deep. "He's in my office."
Minerva reached for Dippet's left hand. It was covered in blood, both his own and his attacker's, but she didn't care. "Hang on," she told him, squeezing his hand as tightly as she dared. "We'll find out who did this."
Dippet's eyes turned toward her, and he managed a small smile.
"Should we alert the Ministry of Magic?" Dumbledore asked, searching for a way to get back into the conversation. He didn't know why, but seeing Minerva hold Dippet's hand made him anxious.
Dippet slowly nodded. "Yes, I believe that would be in order. You can use Floo powder; the fireplace in the Great Hall is connected to the one in Tobias Hawkins's office for emergency purposes."
"All right." Dumbledore stood up. "I'll go to the Ministry." He looked at Minerva and said, "Stay here."
She hated not being able to do more, but also knew that there was really nothing she could do. "Hurry," she told him, but he was already gone.
~~~
When Tobias Hawkins heard that Dippet was attacked, he almost went through the roof. "WHAT?" he shouted when Dumbledore told him the news. "HOW COULD THAT HAVE HAPPENED? THE MAN IS THE HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY!! HOW THE HELL DID SOMEONE GET IN THERE?"
Dumbledore tried to avoid flinching as the Minister of Magic shouted. "We don't know, sir," he said when Hawkins finished his rant. "I thought we should let you know."
Hawkins nodded. "Good call, Dumbledore. Dippet needs protection. You have to take me there."
Dumbledore motioned toward the fireplace and said, "Let's go, then."
~~~
"I assure you, Tobias, I do not need protection," Dippet told the Minister of Magic as Trudy Burton mended his arm.
Hawkins wasn't convinced. "Security was compromised, Armando," he said. "What reason do we have to believe it won't happen again? Until we can find out who is behind this, you are vulnerable. You need a bodyguard of some sort. I'll speak to McCarthy and see about arranging for an Auror to protect you." Noah McCarthy was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"Minerva was an Auror until two weeks ago," Grindelwald pointed out. "Shouldn't her presence be enough to ward off-"
"She's a teacher now, not an Auror," Hawkins interrupted, "and it didn't prevent this attack from happening." Then, he got an idea. He looked at Minerva and said, "But maybe she knows of someone suitable for the job?"
Minerva thought for a few moments, and then said, "Moody. Alastor Moody. He's the best we've got."
Hawkins nodded approvingly. "Yes, I think I've heard his name a few times. I'll see if McCarthy's willing to let go of Moody for a while and bring him here first thing in the morning."
"Thank you, Minister," said Dumbledore. "We'll be waiting."
Hawkins excused himself, and Grindelwald offered to walk him back to the Great Hall. Trudy put the finishing touches on Dippet's bandaging and said, "That should do it. You'll be able to regain full use of your arm, Professor Dippet, but you'll have to be careful for a few days."
"Thank you, Trudy," Dippet said. Dumbledore helped him to his feet, and after thanking him, the headmaster said, "We should all try to get some rest. There's no sense in worrying about this any longer."
"I'd feel better if you spent the night in the hospital wing, Professor," Trudy said, "just so we could keep a better eye on you."
"So would I," Dumbledore said. "There's more people in there; safety in numbers." Minerva voiced her agreement, and after she did, she and Dumbledore glanced at each other and made eye contact for a moment.
Dippet wasn't too thrilled about being under constant surveillance, but he knew there would be no getting out of this one, so he reluctantly agreed. Trudy escorted her patient to the hospital wing, leaving Dumbledore and Minerva standing alone by the statue of the gargoyle.
After almost a full minute of awkward silence, Minerva spoke. "Who could have done this?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't know. Armando isn't the type of man who has many enemies."
"Are you and he close?"
"We're friends," he said with a nod. "He's always been closer to Quinn, but they've also known each other much longer."
"Indeed." Her eyes went to the books lying scattered on the floor, and she knelt down and began to pick them up.
"Let me help you," Dumbledore said, and dropped to his knees next to her.
"Thank you," she said as he handed her a book. Once they were all in her arms, they both stood up, and she said, "You know, Professor Dumbledore, we would talk for hours at a time when I was a student, but since I've become a teacher, we've barely exchanged two words. Why is that?"
Dumbledore didn't know whether to give her an honest answer or make something up. Luckily, he was saved from doing either by Grindelwald announcing his return. "I'm back," he said. "Where's Armando?"
"Trudy took him to the hospital wing," Dumbledore said.
"Good. He should be safe there until Hawkins brings Moody here," Grindelwald said. He glanced at the gargoyle and spoke again. "Think we should take that stunned scumbag that attacked Armando down to the dungeons and let Mr. Pringle deal with him, Albus? This is ten times better for him than a student out of bed after hours."
Dumbledore had almost forgotten that the attacker was still up in Dippet's office. "Good idea. We'd better tell Apollyon not to kill him, though; he'll need to be taken in for questioning."
"Do you need my help?" Minerva asked.
Grindelwald smiled at her and said, "Thank you, Minerva, but I think we can handle him. Try to get some rest."
"Very well, then. Good night, Professors."
"Good night, Minerva," Dumbledore said.
"Yes, a very good night to you," Grindelwald added.
Once Minerva was out of earshot, Grindelwald said, "You called her Minerva."
Dumbledore shrugged. "So did you."
~~~
Early the next morning, Dippet, Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Minerva all went to the entrance hall to meet Hawkins and Moody. Dippet was still against the idea of having a bodyguard, but the rest of the staff insisted it was necessary, so he gave in. Hawkins and Moody were due to arrive any minute, and soon enough, there they were: the Minister of Magic walking up the stairs, followed closely by a man wearing the uniform of an Auror.
But there was a problem.
The man with Hawkins wasn't Alastor Moody.
It was Tom Riddle.
The term had been under way for a week with almost no problems. There was an incident in the sixth-year Potions class involving swelling solution and a few well-placed Dungbombs, but it was nothing Professor Cypher couldn't handle. Once everyone was restored to their original size and the guilty students given detention, everything returned to normal. However, the Divination instructor, Theodore Chaplain, insisted that the peace wouldn't last, and as much as they all questioned his competence, the rest of the faculty knew he was right. Things never stayed calm around Hogwarts for long.
Armando Dippet was thinking about Professor Chaplain's comments about the calm coming to an end, but soon moved his thoughts on to other things. Chaplain was a good man, but in his opinion, a little peculiar. He made it a point to never wear matching socks, and his favorite thing to do besides take away points from Ravenclaw students (supposedly, the reasoning behind that was he had a grudge against Rowena Ravenclaw because she was tall, and no one was quite certain where that came from) was predict Dippet's death. Quinn Grindelwald would often tease Chaplain by saying something like, "How is Armando going to die this week?" Chaplain would always give an answer, and he was always very serious about it. Then he would warn Grindelwald to watch his back, because he could very well be next.
Dippet turned his mind away from Chaplain and started to compose a reply to the letter he received earlier that day from Tobias Hawkins, the Minister of Magic. Hawkins was growing more and more concerned about the war going on in the Muggle world and how it would affect the wizards. He was also wondering if the wizards should get involved. Dippet had mixed feelings about that issue; it was a Muggle war, and therefore, really none of their business, but on the other hand, Muggles were becoming a bigger part of the wizarding world, and it wouldn't be much longer before half-blood and Muggle-born wizards and witches caught up to the amount of purebloods. Whether they wanted to admit or not, the wizards were a dying race - they had always been outnumbered by Muggles a million to one, and more and more of them were growing old and dying without ever having children. If they wanted to save their world, they had to save the Muggle one first.
~~~
When he saw that the long, dark hallway was completely deserted, the man wearing the long, dark cloak smiled to himself and made his way over to a statue of a gargoyle standing against the wall. He glanced to the left, and then to the right to make sure no one was coming, and then whispered a single word: "Matterhorn."
The gargoyle slid aside, revealing the entrance to a winding staircase. The man looked around once more to make sure he was still alone, and then began racing up the stairs.
~~~
Dippet was so engrossed in the letter that he didn't even realize someone was coming until the intruder burst into his office. Shocked, Dippet looked up at the strange man in the black cloak, and instantly knew his intentions were to harm. He reached for his wand, but was too slow - the attacker already had his wand out and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
A blast of red light hit Dippet, and the Hogwarts headmaster fell out of his chair and onto the floor. He lost his wand in the fall and also had the wind knocked out of him, allowing the man to switch his wand in favor of something else - a knife - and come charging at him.
The man leapt over Dippet's desk and brought his knife down. The strike was meant for his heart, but Dippet managed to roll away just in time. It missed its target, but the headmaster didn't get away unscathed - the blade left a long, deep gash in his left arm. He had no time to think about the pain, though. If he didn't act fast, he would lose a lot more than some blood.
Dippet raised a foot and kicked his attacker in the back, causing him to fall forward. He scrambled to his feet and began to look around for his wand, which was nowhere in sight. No more time for that - the man was back on his feet and rushing at him with the knife.
The attacker let out a cry and brought the knife down. Dippet grabbed him by the wrist and snapped it with a quick twisting motion. The man let out a howl of pain and dropped the knife. Dippet took advantage of his enemy's distraction and threw a palm strike at his face. His hand made contact with the man's nose, and Dippet was almost sure he broke that as well.
It was now quite obvious who had won the fight. Dippet located his wand - it was lying a few feet away - and then used it to stun his attacker. Only then did he realize how serious the the wound in his arm was. Not only was it bleeding profusely, it was also deeper than he originally thought - all the way to the bone. He had to tell the rest of the faculty about this attack and then get down to medical.
Dippet placed his right hand over the gaping wound to slow the blood flow and then started down the stairs.
~~~
The first people Dippet saw as he made his way through the school were Albus Dumbledore and Quinn Grindelwald, who were walking in the direction of the staff room together. Shocked looks crossed both of their faces as they laid eyes upon the headmaster. "Armando, what happened to you?" the horrified Grindelwald asked.
"Someone attacked me," Dippet answered, "just now, in my office. I don't know who or why." His mind was starting to go numb from pain and blood loss.
"I'll get Trudy," Grindelwald said, referring to Trudy Burton, the school nurse. Dippet acknowledged this with a nod of his head, and Grindelwald took off running.
Dumbledore noticed that blood was seeping through Dippet's fingers, and he wondered just how badly he was hurt. "Sit down," he advised. "You look like you've lost a lot of blood."
Dippet did as he was told, and Dumbledore knelt down next to him on his right side. "How deep is it?" Dumbledore asked.
"To the bone," was Dippet's response. He was glad Dumbledore insisted that he sit down, as he was starting to feel light-headed.
Hurry up, Quinn, Dumbledore thought to himself.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of someone gasping and several large books hitting the floor. "Professor Dippet! What happened?" came the surprised, worried voice of Minerva McGonagall.
"He was attacked," Dumbledore explained as Minerva dropped to her knees on the headmaster's left side.
"Should we get someone from medical?" she asked frantically.
"Quinn just went," Dumbledore answered. "He should be back here soon."
"I stunned the attacker," Dippet said weakly. His breathing had quickened, and his breaths were not as deep. "He's in my office."
Minerva reached for Dippet's left hand. It was covered in blood, both his own and his attacker's, but she didn't care. "Hang on," she told him, squeezing his hand as tightly as she dared. "We'll find out who did this."
Dippet's eyes turned toward her, and he managed a small smile.
"Should we alert the Ministry of Magic?" Dumbledore asked, searching for a way to get back into the conversation. He didn't know why, but seeing Minerva hold Dippet's hand made him anxious.
Dippet slowly nodded. "Yes, I believe that would be in order. You can use Floo powder; the fireplace in the Great Hall is connected to the one in Tobias Hawkins's office for emergency purposes."
"All right." Dumbledore stood up. "I'll go to the Ministry." He looked at Minerva and said, "Stay here."
She hated not being able to do more, but also knew that there was really nothing she could do. "Hurry," she told him, but he was already gone.
~~~
When Tobias Hawkins heard that Dippet was attacked, he almost went through the roof. "WHAT?" he shouted when Dumbledore told him the news. "HOW COULD THAT HAVE HAPPENED? THE MAN IS THE HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY!! HOW THE HELL DID SOMEONE GET IN THERE?"
Dumbledore tried to avoid flinching as the Minister of Magic shouted. "We don't know, sir," he said when Hawkins finished his rant. "I thought we should let you know."
Hawkins nodded. "Good call, Dumbledore. Dippet needs protection. You have to take me there."
Dumbledore motioned toward the fireplace and said, "Let's go, then."
~~~
"I assure you, Tobias, I do not need protection," Dippet told the Minister of Magic as Trudy Burton mended his arm.
Hawkins wasn't convinced. "Security was compromised, Armando," he said. "What reason do we have to believe it won't happen again? Until we can find out who is behind this, you are vulnerable. You need a bodyguard of some sort. I'll speak to McCarthy and see about arranging for an Auror to protect you." Noah McCarthy was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"Minerva was an Auror until two weeks ago," Grindelwald pointed out. "Shouldn't her presence be enough to ward off-"
"She's a teacher now, not an Auror," Hawkins interrupted, "and it didn't prevent this attack from happening." Then, he got an idea. He looked at Minerva and said, "But maybe she knows of someone suitable for the job?"
Minerva thought for a few moments, and then said, "Moody. Alastor Moody. He's the best we've got."
Hawkins nodded approvingly. "Yes, I think I've heard his name a few times. I'll see if McCarthy's willing to let go of Moody for a while and bring him here first thing in the morning."
"Thank you, Minister," said Dumbledore. "We'll be waiting."
Hawkins excused himself, and Grindelwald offered to walk him back to the Great Hall. Trudy put the finishing touches on Dippet's bandaging and said, "That should do it. You'll be able to regain full use of your arm, Professor Dippet, but you'll have to be careful for a few days."
"Thank you, Trudy," Dippet said. Dumbledore helped him to his feet, and after thanking him, the headmaster said, "We should all try to get some rest. There's no sense in worrying about this any longer."
"I'd feel better if you spent the night in the hospital wing, Professor," Trudy said, "just so we could keep a better eye on you."
"So would I," Dumbledore said. "There's more people in there; safety in numbers." Minerva voiced her agreement, and after she did, she and Dumbledore glanced at each other and made eye contact for a moment.
Dippet wasn't too thrilled about being under constant surveillance, but he knew there would be no getting out of this one, so he reluctantly agreed. Trudy escorted her patient to the hospital wing, leaving Dumbledore and Minerva standing alone by the statue of the gargoyle.
After almost a full minute of awkward silence, Minerva spoke. "Who could have done this?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't know. Armando isn't the type of man who has many enemies."
"Are you and he close?"
"We're friends," he said with a nod. "He's always been closer to Quinn, but they've also known each other much longer."
"Indeed." Her eyes went to the books lying scattered on the floor, and she knelt down and began to pick them up.
"Let me help you," Dumbledore said, and dropped to his knees next to her.
"Thank you," she said as he handed her a book. Once they were all in her arms, they both stood up, and she said, "You know, Professor Dumbledore, we would talk for hours at a time when I was a student, but since I've become a teacher, we've barely exchanged two words. Why is that?"
Dumbledore didn't know whether to give her an honest answer or make something up. Luckily, he was saved from doing either by Grindelwald announcing his return. "I'm back," he said. "Where's Armando?"
"Trudy took him to the hospital wing," Dumbledore said.
"Good. He should be safe there until Hawkins brings Moody here," Grindelwald said. He glanced at the gargoyle and spoke again. "Think we should take that stunned scumbag that attacked Armando down to the dungeons and let Mr. Pringle deal with him, Albus? This is ten times better for him than a student out of bed after hours."
Dumbledore had almost forgotten that the attacker was still up in Dippet's office. "Good idea. We'd better tell Apollyon not to kill him, though; he'll need to be taken in for questioning."
"Do you need my help?" Minerva asked.
Grindelwald smiled at her and said, "Thank you, Minerva, but I think we can handle him. Try to get some rest."
"Very well, then. Good night, Professors."
"Good night, Minerva," Dumbledore said.
"Yes, a very good night to you," Grindelwald added.
Once Minerva was out of earshot, Grindelwald said, "You called her Minerva."
Dumbledore shrugged. "So did you."
~~~
Early the next morning, Dippet, Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Minerva all went to the entrance hall to meet Hawkins and Moody. Dippet was still against the idea of having a bodyguard, but the rest of the staff insisted it was necessary, so he gave in. Hawkins and Moody were due to arrive any minute, and soon enough, there they were: the Minister of Magic walking up the stairs, followed closely by a man wearing the uniform of an Auror.
But there was a problem.
The man with Hawkins wasn't Alastor Moody.
It was Tom Riddle.
