I changed a few things in this chapter. Not very much, but it reveals a bit more about what's really going on. I hope you all like the story so far.

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Chapter 7

Noticing the awkward silence, Lierin returned her attention to the Headmaster and she noticed he had been studying her. His scrutinizing look with his light blue almost transparent eyes made her feel highly uncomfortable and she had to push away the unpleasant thought that Dumbledore could see right through her.

"There's really no need to be so hostile towards Severus..."

"There's no need for him to be hostile towards students either."

"I realise Severus' teaching methods are a little unorthodox but he's really a fine teacher."

"A little unorthodox? The man is completely unfit to teach! Have you ever noticed he takes delight in torturing his students? I should know. I've experienced his hatred for students first-hand. Or have you forgotten about my leg?"

"Nevertheless, there are other reasons why Severus is a teacher at Hogwarts; reasons which are really no concern of you at the moment." His voice didn't sound angry but there was a mild warning in it not to press the matter.

"Now do you care to explain why the Dementors were after you?"

Lierin shrugged her shoulders.

"I wish I could tell you but to be honest, I have no idea what that was all about. There is something else I should tell you though. You see, right before my "accident," I was on my way to see you after you had sent for me. There was something I needed you to know, anyway. I kind of tricked you into hiring me as a teacher here. And I'm not really a teacher; just a freelance adventurer who stumbled upon her next adventure. Beauxbatons never approached me to become a teacher. I just made it up so you would hire me."

"I know," said Dumbledore.

Lierin had expected such a thing, but expecting it and hearing him say it were two entirely different things, she was baffled to say the least.

"You know? How-"

"Do you really think I would just hire you without verifying your letter first? I contacted Beauxbatons about it right after I received your letter."

"But if you knew, why did you hire me in the first place?" Lierin was dumbfounded. She knew Dumbledore often acted by his own mysterious reasons but what was the point in hiring someone when you knew this person was lying, thus deceitful and untrustworthy? The realisation Dumbledore might think of her as a lying and untrustworthy person was painful because Lierin always had the uttermost respect for the old headmaster, even in her bold years. Dumbledore shook his head in a sad manner, as if he knew what she was thinking.

"I witnessed you as a student at Hogwarts and I know fate hasn't been kind on you. I also know you always tried to live by the virtues of honesty, loyalty and justice. Even in your years of struggle and hardship, maybe even especially in those years, you kept living by those "rules." During your school years I got to know you quite well, so when I read your letter and discovered your little lie, I understood you had approached me with a special reason and I trusted, hoped, that in due time you'd tell me."

Lierin could feel a lump in her throat. She should have realised she couldn't fool Dumbledore. Sometimes she thought he knew her better than she did and he had understood her so well in the old days. But it wasn't the right time to dwell on the past so she pushed her wistful thoughts away and she began her story.

"The past few years during my travels I had lot's of encounters with what muggles would call 'the supernatural.'" My interest, however, was drawn to the ancient relics and artefacts and my good friend Charlie helped me on my way. As you know, Charlie is now working with dragons in Romania and one unfortunate day he stumbled upon an ancient goblet stuffed away in a small store with antiquities. He sensed an oddity in the goblet and he inquired about it but he learned nothing about it. The goblet was virtually worthless because a gem was missing from it's setting. Charlie wrote me a letter about the goblet and how it had unsettled his nerves. After his letter I had my suspicions and I should have traveled to Romania immediately but I was so stupid to ask for a detailed description of the goblet first.

By the time he received my letter, some muggle professor in history had identified the artefact as the goblet from which Nostradamus one evening had drunken poisoned wine and lived, so they put the infernal thing on display in a local museum. It was all over the muggle newspapers as well as our own."

The usual twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes was gone. He looked very serious and solemn instead.

"The Goblet of Might." stated Dumbledore.

Dear Merlin, so that's why she was here. He never would have guessed. He should have known something was wrong when he first noticed the clouds. But how could he have foreseen that this would happen so soon? So soon? Dear Merlin, Albus! You knew what was going to happen from the day that Voldemort got absolute power!

Lierin had stopped wondering about Dumbledore's wisdom and knowledge a long time ago so she didn't even look surprised when Dumbledore already seemed to know about the goblet.

"Exactly. Charlie promised me to keep me informed about the goblet."

"Crafted by the hands of lore

The nightfall's gain of long before

Alloy the mighty cup and gem

Drink the spirits and feel it when

All your powers are multiplied by ten."

"I can see you did your homework but yes, that's the idea. The Goblet of Might, the dark ruby "Nightfall's gain" and the spirits in the riddle referring to the Potion of Spirits. All these items combined makes you ten times more powerful, ten times more intelligent and it makes you virtually immortal. I'm sure you can understand it's a very desirable object for Voldemort to have, it could restore, even multiply his powers."

"Yes, of course, but it doesn't explain why you are here."

Lierin looked at the headmaster thoughtfully. Why did she have the feeling it wouldn't matter if she explained. That he knew very well why she was here? "Well, it's kind of my own fault if someone from the wizarding community would recognise the goblet. It's a very old legend and I gave a very detailed description of what the goblet should look like."

"And how did you know what the goblet looks like if it's indeed such an old legend?"

"Because the description I used in my book came directly from an excerpt of Elrick Woodling's account of the dark ages. According to him, he had the Goblet of Might in his possession and he knew someone who could brew the Potion of Spirits, but he had no idea of the whereabouts of the dark ruby."

Lierin paused and wondered if it wasn't very foolish what she was about to do. She searched for eye contact with Dumbledore and she pulled out the heavy chain around her neck from under her tunic and dangling at the end of the chain was a large golden ring with a ruby so dark it could pass for a black onyx.

"This ruby. It's been in my family for generations and I really have no idea about it's origin or how it came in our possession."

An odd expression darkened Dumbledore's face but before Lierin could determine what this expression could mean, it was gone.

"I see. What happened then?"

"A terrible accident. Elrick was attacked by a werewolf. Completely ripped apart. It was a freak accident even in those days. Elrick should have taken the warning more seriously."

"Now you're telling me something I didn't know. A warning? What kind of warning?"

"Actually it's more of a curse. You know those exotic wooden puppets and how they are believed to bring bad luck if you keep them apart? It's kind of the same thing. As long as the Goblet of Might and the dark ruby are apart, the goblet brings bad luck."

"Bad luck as in.....?"

"Bad luck as in, unite the goblet with Nightfall's gain as soon as possible or be destroyed."

"Your typical case of bad luck then. And how about the ruby?"

She closed her eyes and leaned back in the comfortable cushions. She was so very tired. She sighed deeply and hoped Dumbledore would notice her fatigue.

"The ruby is neutral. It doesn't bring bad luck because the ruby can be used for good as well as evil. The 'good' being yet another goblet. Nobody knows it's origin or when it was made but it's supposed to be the counterpart of the Goblet of Might. If it's true, it destroys it's evil powers. Like the Goblet of Might, it needs Nightfall's gain to be activated but unlike the Goblet of Might, you need to drink the elixir of life from it and not the Potion of Spirits. Unfortunately that's about all I know of it."

Lierin recognised the look of understanding in his eyes that had been there all along.

"Ah, so that's why you are here. You are hoping to find the other goblet before Voldemort steals the Goblet of Might."

"Exactly. But that's not all. There's a book and it tells about the ruby and that it has been in my family for generations. For as far as I know it's the only book that mentions the use of the ruby and it's connection to the Goblet of Might, so I took the ruby here because at the moment this is the safest place for me to be with the Dementors protecting Hogwarts and all. Just in case someone might actually find a copy of that particular book and gets it into his head to chase me."

"Yes, yes. Mm, I take it from what you told me so far, you also came here to do more research about the other goblet?"

Lierin sighed with relief, glad he understood.

"Yes, you know very well Hogwart's houses the largest library there is to find in the wizarding community. If there's information about the other goblet at all, it should be here."

Dumbledore didn't reply, he was in one of his pensive moods and Lierin could tell he was very far away with his thoughts, so when he suddenly returned his attention to her (and he did it with so much intensity) again, it gave her a start.

"Has it occurred to you those Dementors you encountered down there might have something to do with Voldemort having discovered the hiding place of the ruby and wanting it in his possession?"

If it weren't for the fact Lierin was already sitting, she would have dropped to the floor in shock. Of course she knew Voldemort would want to get the ruby, but she had counted on the fact that he would steal the goblet first because the whereabouts of the ruby had always been a mystery because there was only one filed book that mentioned it. To find a copy of that book would be sheer dumb luck. Even she, Lierin, had stumbled on it by accident, years before she knew about the existence of the Goblet of Might. Finding it was the direct reason she started a research about her ruby and thus she had learned about the Goblet of Might, and that was long before Charlie found it in the antiquities shop. Yes, she had considered the fact someone might actually find that one book, it was one of the reasons she was here, but she had thought that possibility to be so unlikely that she never really gave it much thought. Now she realised how careless she'd been and the first thought that popped into her mind was a very selfish one.

"I'm in danger aren't I?"

"I think so, yes."

"But why the Dementors? What do they have to gain with this?"

"Dementors are strange creatures Lierin. They only guard the prisoners in Azkaban because it means they can feast upon human emotions. It's also the only reason why they are after Black, the escaped criminal. They never really were on our side. They don't choose any other side but there own. Perhaps they struck a deal with Voldemort."

Lierin sighed again.

"Well, we must stop them at all cost. We must find the other goblet before it's too late."

"Is there something else you haven't told me yet, Lierin? You seem kind of anxious in getting that goblet. I understand Voldemort would get his power back by getting that goblet and of course, that's terrible. But, we have defeated him once. I'm sure we could do it again."

"With all due respect Headmaster, but I don't think so. Look, I've been really foolish. I was over confident and thought no one would succeed in finding and activating the goblet. I got cocky and I put too much confidence in my own knowledge and powers and believed it would be a piece of cake to find the other goblet and destroy the Goblet of Might. Not once did I consider the fact it could be dangerous. Remus was the first one to point that out to me and now it turns out it's a far more dangerous situation than I first anticipated. You see, the Goblet of Might does not only multiply ones physical powers, the Potion of Spirits in it also intensifies ones strongest emotions and it keeps one in a permanent state of that emotion. Can you imagine the terrible things that would happen if Voldemort would get the goblet in his possession? What would happen if his hatred for muggles, his lust for world domination and his thirst for power were multiplied by ten? Voldemort would create havoc in our community as well as in the muggle community and we are already vulnerable as we are. There's too much division and Voldemort would love to spread us even further apart. To be honest, I don't think we would survive if Voldemort would get that powerful. Look at the last time he was in control. We barley kept ourselves standing that time and if it hadn't been for young Harry......Well, I'm sure you get the idea."

Again that strange expression spread across Dumbledore's face and for one awkward split-second Lierin was convinced the odd expression was a look of knowledge, as if Dumbledore knew something she didn't. Involuntary Lierin shivered as the thought crossed her mind that something was going on she had no comprehension of. It was as if she was merely seeing the tip of an iceberg knowing beneath the waterline disaster was waiting; or, as if a snowball was heading her way fast while growing larger and larger and larger. So at the moment Hogwarts had three problems. Firstly, an escaped convict who believed that by killing Harry Potter he would bring back the Dark Lord. Secondly, Dementors conspiring against the entire wizarding community by supporting the Dark Lord. Thirdly, Voldemort, the Dark Lord himself who wanted to be the most powerful wizard and who took advantage of the dementors' lust for human souls to reach his goal.

"I've heard about the Potion of Spirits. Awful potion. I've heard Voldemort used it on traitors. First he'd scare the living daylights out of them and then he'd give them the potion. I've heard at least ten former Death Eaters literally died out of fear. Yes, even his most loyal servants were not safe for his cruelty. That reminds me, I must have a little talk with Severus. You rest now dear."

"Thank you professor… You know, it doesn't make sense. The dementors are here to guard the school against Black, the escaped criminal, but if they were really after the dark ruby, that means they work for Voldemort, just like Black does. I'm sorry, I just can't fit those pieces together."

"Maybe it's just a diversion. Maybe Black and the dementors work together to get the ruby. Maybe he's here to kill Mr Potter because he believes it'll bring Voldemort back. Or maybe all is not as it seems."

Lierin looked puzzled at Dumbledore who stood up to leave the hospital wing.

"Either way, the future holds a few challenges in store."

"Professor, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Remus about the attack. It would only make him worried and since no one knows I grew up with him, it would only seem odd."

The headmaster smiled sadly. "What happened between you and the Dementors is a secret, so I think by now the entire school knows."

"Right. Look, I know at the time we kept it a secret that his parents had taken me in after my parents died, so if anyone found out about Remus' illness, I could still lead a normal life. But I couldn't care less if someone would find out. Still, I don't really feel up to all the questions I'd have to answer if we'd tell everybody about my relation to Remus now. If Remus shows any kind of 'abnormal' concern and people start to ask questions, I'll be honest and tell them the truth. Until then, I'd prefer if we kept it silent for the moment."

"A wise decision. Now, about our earlier conversation, the reason why I said you shouldn't be so hostile towards Severus....."

Lierin interrupted him, Dumbledore was right, Severus was her colleague now so she shouldn't let him get to her so easy. "You don't need to tell me headmaster, you were right, there's no reason not to be polite."

"Severus is not all who he seems, Lierin. I know he seems stoic, distant and cold to you but he might very well have saved your life just a while ago. From what Severus told me, they were about to give you the "Dementor's kiss". So you should be grateful."

With those words still in the air, Dumbledore finally did leave the room, leaving Lierin alone with her thoughts.

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Silently, Dumbledore walked in the direction of the dungeons. So, this was it, the final phase, the point of no return. And to make it more exciting, she knew nothing of the clouds. She simply didn't know they were there. But that was the point of the clouds wasn't it? To give people a second chance to make better decisions, and the decision Lierin had made was the worst of all. He was still puzzled, there were still so many questions left in his mind. Yes, there was still time. It wasn't too late yet. But he sensed she was already going in the wrong direction, she was on the road to destruction. Her motives were still noble, she was trying to find a fabled counterpart to defeat Voldemort. Just like she had back then, outside the barrier of the clouds. Well, not exactly. From what he understood out of the ancient pensieve, they had wanted to drink from the Goblet of Might to become stronger and defeat Voldemort, but they hadn't been able to find the real Goblet of Might, so they created one themselves.

A goblet without the jinx and the requirement of the Potion of Spirits. So far so good. But something had happened. Something that had to do with the four keys who had been present outside the barrier of the clouds as well as here, inside the barrier of the clouds. Four persons who were nothing but a memory outside the barrier and who had no idea of their awaiting fate inside the barrier. The key person, of course, was Lierin. But how was it possible that she was now searching for the counterpart instead of trying to retrieve the Goblet of Might, which she couldn't find back then, outside the barrier? Wasn't it more logical that she would follow the exact same path as she had back then? Or maybe he had underestimated the scheme of the others. Maybe they had already taken care of everything. But Dumbledore knew he still had to keep his eyes peeled. So, now he had to find the other three keys. He had his suspicions about at least two other keys, but he wasn't sure yet.

It was still too early. In the meantime, he would try to steer Lierin away from this path, without revealing more than was allowed. Maybe he could guide his protégée to a better path, if he could just figure out what Lierin was thinking when she handed the goblet over to Voldemort; when she ended the world as she knew it.