( Lilo: my font is kind of weird on my comp right now but it's ok I guess. Anyways, here I am, writing and eating cookies!!! Lol, i didn't make any sense, did i? Ok, anyways, yet another chapter this week. I can't think about anything else but this story right now so that is why I am updating sooner! ^_^ yay! By the way, this chapter is shorter because the next chapter is finally Hogwarts (or the train) ^_^! I just wanted to get this over with and ya, sorry for this tiny thing but it's not tooo short … okk not that I have this out of my system, go ahead and read the next chapter!
Marikue: *shakes his head* we don't own Harry Potter or Yu-Gi-Oh! *fades into the background*)
~Chapter 19~
~The past is catching up~
"You called for me?" Dumbledore entered a small room where a Goblin named Sauro sat behind a huge desk full of papers, books and other odd objects.
"Yes" was Sauro's simple reply. His huge blue eyes were lifted from whatever scroll he was reading to observe the headmaster.
"I brought the book, there was nothing wrong with it" Dumbledore quickly said, taking out a book and putting it in front of the goblin.
"That is not what bothers me" the goblin said as his eyes left the book and rested on Dumbledore once again. The only difference now was that Sauro's eyes were now deep gold instead of the faded blue. The change of color didn't move Dumbledore an inch for he was used to such thing while others would've thought that the wise goblin was possessed.
"Then what does?" Dumbledore inquired as he sat down in one of the chairs facing Sauro. He didn't understand what could possibly happen that could worry Sauro so much…
"The memories … were here" Sauro sighed heavily and opened the book.
"I do not recall hearing anything of such." Dumbledore replied politely and noted that Sauro flatted his ears tightly against his skull.
"Do you … feel like walking?" Sauro asked carefully as he got up.
"Of course" Dumbledore replied as he too stood up. It was very unusual for Sauro to walk and the headmaster himself mused for some time if the goblin had a walking disability.
"I was fooled" Sauro began as they descended the stairs. Yes, after thinking over the situation that took place a couple of hours ago, he realized that he was fooled.
"By whom?" the headmaster gaped in shock.
"Memories, Albus, memories" Sauro said it so quietly that blood practically froze in Dumbledore's veins. Not only that but the wisest creature he knew called him by his name …
"What memories of yours can possibly be so depressing?" Dumbledore asked carefully as Sauro's eyes were lifted to look at his face.
"They are … not mine" Sauro said quietly as fear seized his body. They were approaching the vault.
"Voldemort's?" Dumbledore asked in confusion.
"Nooo" Sauro was practically whining. "Look" he said as he pointed his hand at his vault and Dumbledore froze. The gates were covered in darkness.
"What does that mean?" Dumbledore asked in shock as he observed the now closed gateway.
"The memories … exist" Sauro replied as he turned away and slowly began walking in the opposite direction.
"I do not understand" Dumbledore told the goblin truthfully. What the hell was going on?
"It all began in Egypt" the goblin began with a sigh. "And for centuries my line kept the secret. After some time, we were so afraid of them we made ourselves believe that they did not exist" he paused and looked up at a confused wizard.
"They?" Dumbledore inquire once again. What could be so terrifying? Sauro was never afraid of Voldemort or his name, so why was he afraid of them?
"Yes." Sauro replied and took in a sharp breath. "Nameless pharaoh and a thief" he said in a barely audible whisper.
"Pharaoh and a thief?" Dumbledore repeated louder and saw Sauro practically shrink.
"Don't say that again!" he urged the headmaster, looking around for eavesdroppers and anything else that could tell them that he was telling an outsider the story.
"I- forgive me, I didn't know" Dumbledore said in shock. "What did they look like?"
"They are shadows, taking the body of the living as a host for their own evil use!" he told the headmaster as they finally entered his office. "I know not of their appearance."
"Then what makes them so … terrifying?" Albus inquired as he sat down again, his mind trying to find a connection to everything that Sauro told him so far and the mysterious barrier to the vault.
"Centuries ago, they were at war" he began as he closed his eyes. "Demons roamed the earth and caused havoc. Then, the demons were sealed by the pharaoh in tablets and they were placed into the temple of Ra" the goblin opened his eyes to look at Dumbledore. "However, there was a way to summon those demons and bring the other realm to life. Memories would stop at nothing to reach their goal, even if it meant deaths of thousands and fall of a kingdom"
"Other realm?" Dumbledore was curious. As far as he knew, there were only two realms.
"Realm of shadow" the goblin said and Dumbledore's eyes widened.
"Salathar …?" Dumbledore couldn't make fully constructed sentences. Salathar talked about the other realm, Salathar went mad because of the other realm, Salathar died because of the other realm!
"He possessed a key to the realm" Sauro replied knowingly. To wizards, it was shocking to know that they didn't know everything about realms.
"A key?"
"Yes, and my ancestor told me that after Salathar's death, a shadow came to take the scale from him" Sauro continued and held up his hand so that Dumbledore couldn't interrupt. "The shadow is a keeper that lives until the memories find themselves and leave this realm with no door to hell"
"To hell?"
"Hell where it is cold and your spirit is crushed as despair and fear rip it apart. Dementors are walking doors. They suck the soul out so that they could place it there. Hell doesn't have hot flames and ashes, no. The realm that the memories rule is cold and bitter. Only a living can enter it but cannot escape. Demons roam it, searching for escape."
"The monsters that Voldemort summons?" suddenly, some things were making sense.
"Yes, those are the creatures that he summons with one of the summoning tablets." Sauro told Dumbledore knowingly as he opened the book that Dumbledore brought back and showed him a simple block that stood in some kind of temple.
"That is what he uses to summon those things?" Dumbledore's eyes were wide. How can a block of stone summon such creatures?
"The spirits from the temple of Ra come to the tablet when called and there are only four of them left." Sauro continued "we had one in our possession but recently, the memories came and took it away."
"Somebody broke into Gringotts?" Dumbledore was shocked. What the hell was going on? What was the world coming to?
"It will be in the paper tomorrow" Sauro replied with a smile.
"Why are you telling me all this?" Dumbledore suddenly asked.
"Watch out for people with golden items because my time is coming" Sauro warned him.
"I don't understand!"
"The items are the keys and two of them possess the memories" Sauro was getting tired.
"And…?" it didn't make any sense. What was the point? Voldemort could summon a bunch of monsters from hell and he was sitting here listening about some idiots from the past!
"Those memories can summon monsters freely" Sauro said with a smile and that caught Dumbledore's attention like lightning.
"That means that …?"
"While Voldemort can summon three monsters at a time, the memories summon the entire realm!" Sauro finally said as he clapped his hands together.
"Voldemort possesses three summoning tablets?" that was new but now that Dumbledore thought about it, there was one or two monsters attacking them …
"Yes but that matters not! What matters is that memories are alive and here! They came to close the doors before they pass on! Do you understand now? We have to find them! They are our only chance." Sauro was now hitting his head with a book.
"But Harry?" Dumbledore was confused.
"Harry is the one to kill Voldemort but memories are those who can make it possible! They can trap Voldemort and bleed him to a point where one kick from Harry will finish him off! Do you understand their power? They can destroy planets and summon black holes. They can kill everything that moves! But if they sta-" Sauro stopped and gasped for breath.
"What is wrong???" Dumbledore exclaimed as Sauro fell from his chair.
"My time came my friend" the goblin said and closed his eyes.
"No!" Dumbledore exclaimed as the wisest creature he knew turned into sand.
"He told too much" a voice. A voice coming from inside the wall!
"Who are you?" Dumbledore's heart was beating fast. He just witnessed a death of his dear friend and now this! There was supposed to be no ghosts in Gringotts and no walking through walls!
"The keeper" a shadow of a man emerged from the wall and Dumbledore took two steps back. "I once again come to collect something that belongs to us"
"Why- who are you working for?!" Dumbledore inquired in shock as the man in all white carefully picked up the staff that Sauro used to carry all the time.
"I work for my self and … my freedom" the man's blue eyes stared at Dumbledore emotionlessly but the headmaster saw great longing in them as well. Suffering …
"Voldemort enslaved you?"
"You cannot see beyond your nose" the man shook his head and stared at the leftovers of Sauro with slight disgust. "I never thought that he would blab everything to some fool before his death …" the man muttered but Dumbledore heard and felt … well, he felt offended.
"What is going on?" Albus asked. He was sure that he will need a couple of hours alone after today…
"We are collecting the missing pieces and preparing to depart old man. You have enough clues to solve the puzzle" the man told him as he once again began dissolving into the wall when he suddenly stopped and a small smirk appeared on his face. "and he was wrong. There are not only the pharaoh and the thief. There is also a priest" with that, the man completely disappeared leaving a very confused, tired and quite frustrated wizard before the leftovers of Sauro.
"I think I need a holiday" Dumbledore muttered under his breath as he exited the office and went to inform the other goblins of the tragedy that happened a couple of minutes ago. To think, Albus himself had a little trouble coming to terms with the fact that Sauro was, in fact, dead….
~~~
"Pharaoh, it begins" Shadii murmured as he placed the staff next to other items in shadow realm. Soon, soon the consequences of creation of millennium items will be over and he will be able to rest in peace.
"Finally I will die" the same man muttered as a single tear hit the ground soundlessly as the man it belonged to closed his blue eyes in desperation and tiredness. His part in this tale will finally end …
~~~
(Lilo: and here is how this chapter ends! ^___^ this chapter is short by my standards but this was a very fitting conclusion to my before-Hogwarts thing. Well, in the next chapter we will enjoy the train! And yes, I promise it! Well now, this is all I have to ramble about and I will try to get the next chapter out soon! ^_^
Mariku: *sigh* Anyways, R&R^__________^)