Chapter 5 – Startling Revelations
The breath in Harry's lungs seemed spent as he took in what he'd just heard. Time just seemed to stand still. The shock of Dumbledore's statement would've ensured that a pin could be heard if it were dropped to the floor at that very moment.
'What?! You… you know?!' Harry stammered in disbelief to Dumbledore, who'd now dismally buried his face into his hands. 'But… how?! You put a charm on me. It's… just not possible!'
Dumbledore sat bewildered for a moment, but raised his head to look directly into Harry's disbelieving face, his tired looking eyes betraying what seemed to have been a long few weeks of worry.
'I am afraid so Harry.' Dumbledore said with a hint of dismay, 'The charm I applied to you late last year is beginning to unravel. Much to my regret I confess.'
Harry seemed speechless, he had always trusted Albus Dumbledore to the utmost limit when it came to magic. You couldn't help but trust him. He was wise and undoubtedly the most powerful wizard alive, but to hear that a charm he'd cast himself, had worn off so quickly, made a million questions jump into Harry's head. How can a charm created by the strongest known wizard just fade away? Dumbledore, fortunately for him, seemed to sense questions like this whenever he was speaking face to face with someone, and in order to settle Harry's unease, promptly made to explain.
'Harry, when I cast that charm on you last year, I had fully intended it to protect you from mental intrusion.' Harry sat there listening in a bored fashion, he'd heard this speech before. Dumbledore continued. 'Sadly, the effect of the charm seems to have dissipated quite prematurely, as is evident by these dreams you've been having lately.' Dumbledore sighed, it seemed hard for him to tell a student who'd trusted him so long that his protection from harm had been compromised.
Almost by chance, a thought suddenly struck Harry.
'Err… professor?' he asked tentatively, 'What exactly was the charm you put on me?' Dumbledore looked up at him abruptly, still with sadness in his eyes, but now with a hint of the familiar warm smile he usually wore.
'The charm I placed on your mind was in actual fact, a combination of two different types of magic. One, was a spell of my own making. I thought at the time that perhaps a personal touch would make it more difficult to break, I won't bother to explain the technicalities of it however, the magic is far beyond your capabilities...'
Harry sat there rapt now at this startling information, lapping it all up as best he could. Dumbledore though, took a moment to pause and let it sink in, which proved effectively unbearable.
'Err… go on.' Harry prompted impatiently. Dumbledore breathed deep for a second as though bracing himself for a bad reaction. Harry's attention heightened.
'The other magic however…' Dumbledore continued, 'was an ancient piece of work, who's origins extend back to the time of Merlin. No one is entirely sure who did create it, but judging from it's power, I suspect that it was patented by Merlin himself. When translated from his ancient runes, it is pronounced as "Vilendair" – To Protect.'
Harry, who'd been listening with every inch of concentration was hit by a curious thought.
'Wait a second! I've recognized that word before.' Harry said with a start, taking Dumbledore slightly off-guard. 'Vilendair… I saw it in a textbook once, Hermione showed me, I remember now.'
Dumbledore looked to Harry in a satisfied sort of way, before he prompted him further.
'And tell me Harry, what did that book describe Vilendair as being?' he said shortly. Harry again starting sifting through his memories, still unsure what he was searching for. Hermione had always borrowed some of the most abstract books from the library. Few had made any sense to him, but this scrap of information seemed to lunge at him at just the right time, though he couldn't tell exactly why.
He continued to think hard, until finally the answer hit him in a way that shocked him to the core.
'Vilendair…' he said quietly. 'It's a ward!' Dumbledore nodded in a defeated sort of way.
'Yes Harry. Yes it is.' And he stood up gingerly, before pacing around his office in a sultry manner. 'Though it grieves me to do so Harry…' he continued, starting to strain, 'What I'm about to tell you must not leave this room, do you understand?'
Harry nodded submissively, his ear tuning even more to the headmaster's voice. 'Are you aware of the article that was written in the Daily Prophet this morning?' he asked. Harry thought for a moment and remembered what he'd read earlier. He was sure he was referring to that.
'The one about the wards? Yes sir.'
'Good… Well, in that case, you should know that wards have been failing all around Britain, as the prophet has so avidly described. I've no doubt you're already aware of that though.'
Harry nodded again, still unsure where this was leading.
'However, the public is being lured into a false sense of security about this matter. It's unfortunate that this occurs all too often, but the Daily Prophet has not told us the whole story as I know it.' And at this, Dumbledore's expression darkened, and he tightened his grip on his robes.
'This issue of failing wards is far more extensive than either the prophet or the Ministry believes. Wards haven't just been failing in places around Britain… they've been failing everywhere. Port key travel is near impossible now, as destination points are hardly ever set up without wards. Should you try to go somewhere at this moment, the port key would take you to a field of reality known simply as Limbo. You would not arrive at your destination any time soon. In fact, you may never. Several people have already gone missing because of this. In addition, wards also act as magical shields to protect wizarding kind from harm of all sorts. I believe the most common type you would be familiar with is muggle repelling charms.
Fortunately, those seem to be holding, although our Quidditch stadium was sadly revealed not too long ago. I've no doubt that that will be the first of many such cases. Luckily however, we were let off lightly this time. Only twelve muggles escaped the Obliviators that night. But when the problem escalates, as I'm sure it will, the wizarding world will no longer be kept the secret it once was. We will begin to interact more and more with muggles in the near future whether wizard kind is ready for the change or not. This is why your dreams are returning Harry, the ward that has shielded your mind is failing, and I fear that Voldemort may use this knowledge to his advantage, if he has not already begun to enter your mind. For the mean time at least, I will have to teach you Occlumency as you were before.'
Harry was suddenly brought back to reality as Dumbledore stopped speaking. He'd completely forgotten the exact reason he was there in the first place. But now that he saw the expression that Dumbledore had etched over his old, wizened face, he just couldn't find it in him to tell him of his dreams, for fear of worrying the elderly mage any further.
'This can't be right!' Harry said in disbelief. 'What's causing the wards to fail? Isn't there something we can do about it?'
'Ah Harry, I admire your desire to repair the problem. It rivals my own desire to see things put right. But… sadly, I have not been any closer to finding the cause of this than the Ministry of Magic itself. I regret that I can see no end to this problem Harry, things can only become worse for the wizarding world from now, and we are all caught in the middle of it.'
Dumbledore finished with a sense of finality. It felt utterly terrible seeing him like this now. Harry thought then that perhaps he'd spent more than his fair share of time trying to resolve the issue, and he couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards him.
'Professor?' Harry asked cautiously, 'If everything you say does come true, then… what will happen?'
'…Anarchy Harry, and chaos. Wards are an ancient magic devised by wizards and witches from a time long before Merlin, in an age that few records remain. We present day spell-casters can do little but replicate the genius that these forerunners entrusted to us. I feel that whatever is doing this to the wards is nothing that we can benefit from, as ironic as that sounds to you. The only conceivable way to undo this entire mess as I see it, is to create brand new wards. And that however, is a skill that even I do not possess… Not too long from now, I expect that all wizard kind will start to feel the effects of losing this foundation magic, when our world is finally exposed to the muggles. And from there, all wizards in Britain who have any form of sense, will immediately head for the one place that is still protected by functioning wards. The one place, that will be invisible to muggle eyes…'
Harry sat on the edge of his seat, and neared Dumbledore with every word he spoke. The anticipation continuing to intensify.
'And what is that place professor?' Harry asked nervously.
'Hogwarts…'
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Chapter 5 down. Maybe I'll make history! The story is coming along nicely now, and for all my loyal fans, thanxs for your support, especially to one in particular - yes you know who you are. If that chapter hasn't made you want to find out more, then I don't know what will. But, if you want to find out how hogwarts will survive this (if they do at all) then you know what to do. Chapter 6 will be there soon enough so stay tuned...
The breath in Harry's lungs seemed spent as he took in what he'd just heard. Time just seemed to stand still. The shock of Dumbledore's statement would've ensured that a pin could be heard if it were dropped to the floor at that very moment.
'What?! You… you know?!' Harry stammered in disbelief to Dumbledore, who'd now dismally buried his face into his hands. 'But… how?! You put a charm on me. It's… just not possible!'
Dumbledore sat bewildered for a moment, but raised his head to look directly into Harry's disbelieving face, his tired looking eyes betraying what seemed to have been a long few weeks of worry.
'I am afraid so Harry.' Dumbledore said with a hint of dismay, 'The charm I applied to you late last year is beginning to unravel. Much to my regret I confess.'
Harry seemed speechless, he had always trusted Albus Dumbledore to the utmost limit when it came to magic. You couldn't help but trust him. He was wise and undoubtedly the most powerful wizard alive, but to hear that a charm he'd cast himself, had worn off so quickly, made a million questions jump into Harry's head. How can a charm created by the strongest known wizard just fade away? Dumbledore, fortunately for him, seemed to sense questions like this whenever he was speaking face to face with someone, and in order to settle Harry's unease, promptly made to explain.
'Harry, when I cast that charm on you last year, I had fully intended it to protect you from mental intrusion.' Harry sat there listening in a bored fashion, he'd heard this speech before. Dumbledore continued. 'Sadly, the effect of the charm seems to have dissipated quite prematurely, as is evident by these dreams you've been having lately.' Dumbledore sighed, it seemed hard for him to tell a student who'd trusted him so long that his protection from harm had been compromised.
Almost by chance, a thought suddenly struck Harry.
'Err… professor?' he asked tentatively, 'What exactly was the charm you put on me?' Dumbledore looked up at him abruptly, still with sadness in his eyes, but now with a hint of the familiar warm smile he usually wore.
'The charm I placed on your mind was in actual fact, a combination of two different types of magic. One, was a spell of my own making. I thought at the time that perhaps a personal touch would make it more difficult to break, I won't bother to explain the technicalities of it however, the magic is far beyond your capabilities...'
Harry sat there rapt now at this startling information, lapping it all up as best he could. Dumbledore though, took a moment to pause and let it sink in, which proved effectively unbearable.
'Err… go on.' Harry prompted impatiently. Dumbledore breathed deep for a second as though bracing himself for a bad reaction. Harry's attention heightened.
'The other magic however…' Dumbledore continued, 'was an ancient piece of work, who's origins extend back to the time of Merlin. No one is entirely sure who did create it, but judging from it's power, I suspect that it was patented by Merlin himself. When translated from his ancient runes, it is pronounced as "Vilendair" – To Protect.'
Harry, who'd been listening with every inch of concentration was hit by a curious thought.
'Wait a second! I've recognized that word before.' Harry said with a start, taking Dumbledore slightly off-guard. 'Vilendair… I saw it in a textbook once, Hermione showed me, I remember now.'
Dumbledore looked to Harry in a satisfied sort of way, before he prompted him further.
'And tell me Harry, what did that book describe Vilendair as being?' he said shortly. Harry again starting sifting through his memories, still unsure what he was searching for. Hermione had always borrowed some of the most abstract books from the library. Few had made any sense to him, but this scrap of information seemed to lunge at him at just the right time, though he couldn't tell exactly why.
He continued to think hard, until finally the answer hit him in a way that shocked him to the core.
'Vilendair…' he said quietly. 'It's a ward!' Dumbledore nodded in a defeated sort of way.
'Yes Harry. Yes it is.' And he stood up gingerly, before pacing around his office in a sultry manner. 'Though it grieves me to do so Harry…' he continued, starting to strain, 'What I'm about to tell you must not leave this room, do you understand?'
Harry nodded submissively, his ear tuning even more to the headmaster's voice. 'Are you aware of the article that was written in the Daily Prophet this morning?' he asked. Harry thought for a moment and remembered what he'd read earlier. He was sure he was referring to that.
'The one about the wards? Yes sir.'
'Good… Well, in that case, you should know that wards have been failing all around Britain, as the prophet has so avidly described. I've no doubt you're already aware of that though.'
Harry nodded again, still unsure where this was leading.
'However, the public is being lured into a false sense of security about this matter. It's unfortunate that this occurs all too often, but the Daily Prophet has not told us the whole story as I know it.' And at this, Dumbledore's expression darkened, and he tightened his grip on his robes.
'This issue of failing wards is far more extensive than either the prophet or the Ministry believes. Wards haven't just been failing in places around Britain… they've been failing everywhere. Port key travel is near impossible now, as destination points are hardly ever set up without wards. Should you try to go somewhere at this moment, the port key would take you to a field of reality known simply as Limbo. You would not arrive at your destination any time soon. In fact, you may never. Several people have already gone missing because of this. In addition, wards also act as magical shields to protect wizarding kind from harm of all sorts. I believe the most common type you would be familiar with is muggle repelling charms.
Fortunately, those seem to be holding, although our Quidditch stadium was sadly revealed not too long ago. I've no doubt that that will be the first of many such cases. Luckily however, we were let off lightly this time. Only twelve muggles escaped the Obliviators that night. But when the problem escalates, as I'm sure it will, the wizarding world will no longer be kept the secret it once was. We will begin to interact more and more with muggles in the near future whether wizard kind is ready for the change or not. This is why your dreams are returning Harry, the ward that has shielded your mind is failing, and I fear that Voldemort may use this knowledge to his advantage, if he has not already begun to enter your mind. For the mean time at least, I will have to teach you Occlumency as you were before.'
Harry was suddenly brought back to reality as Dumbledore stopped speaking. He'd completely forgotten the exact reason he was there in the first place. But now that he saw the expression that Dumbledore had etched over his old, wizened face, he just couldn't find it in him to tell him of his dreams, for fear of worrying the elderly mage any further.
'This can't be right!' Harry said in disbelief. 'What's causing the wards to fail? Isn't there something we can do about it?'
'Ah Harry, I admire your desire to repair the problem. It rivals my own desire to see things put right. But… sadly, I have not been any closer to finding the cause of this than the Ministry of Magic itself. I regret that I can see no end to this problem Harry, things can only become worse for the wizarding world from now, and we are all caught in the middle of it.'
Dumbledore finished with a sense of finality. It felt utterly terrible seeing him like this now. Harry thought then that perhaps he'd spent more than his fair share of time trying to resolve the issue, and he couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards him.
'Professor?' Harry asked cautiously, 'If everything you say does come true, then… what will happen?'
'…Anarchy Harry, and chaos. Wards are an ancient magic devised by wizards and witches from a time long before Merlin, in an age that few records remain. We present day spell-casters can do little but replicate the genius that these forerunners entrusted to us. I feel that whatever is doing this to the wards is nothing that we can benefit from, as ironic as that sounds to you. The only conceivable way to undo this entire mess as I see it, is to create brand new wards. And that however, is a skill that even I do not possess… Not too long from now, I expect that all wizard kind will start to feel the effects of losing this foundation magic, when our world is finally exposed to the muggles. And from there, all wizards in Britain who have any form of sense, will immediately head for the one place that is still protected by functioning wards. The one place, that will be invisible to muggle eyes…'
Harry sat on the edge of his seat, and neared Dumbledore with every word he spoke. The anticipation continuing to intensify.
'And what is that place professor?' Harry asked nervously.
'Hogwarts…'
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Chapter 5 down. Maybe I'll make history! The story is coming along nicely now, and for all my loyal fans, thanxs for your support, especially to one in particular - yes you know who you are. If that chapter hasn't made you want to find out more, then I don't know what will. But, if you want to find out how hogwarts will survive this (if they do at all) then you know what to do. Chapter 6 will be there soon enough so stay tuned...