Chapter 37: To Meet An Idol
"So Harry Potter is still a student, yet a prophecy claims he is the one to put an end to the Dark Lord," Regulus asked, once the door had closed behind Severus. The concept seemed a bit far fetched to say the least.
Albus nodded, expression grave as his kind eyes met Regulus's own. "I am afraid so. As such, I must ask you not to do anything rash in a need for revenge, even if that need is justified. I believe anyone else who tries to take Voldemort out will fail because Mr. Potter is supposed to succeed. Prophecies are tricky that way. They weave the right circumstances around themselves to ensure they come to pass, even if in the most unlikely of ways."
"While I can't claim to precisely understand how all that works, I assure you that I shall not be making an attempt on the Dark Lord's life," Regulus said. "I watched my father die and my cousin and the Lestranges have their minds twisted the last time we tried that. I always planned to leave it to someone more qualified and prepared after that failure. To learn that this is apparently a boy in whom the likes of Kreacher and Severus have very little confidence does concern me a bit, however," he admitted.
"That is the funny thing with prophecies," Albus said with a twinkle in his blue eyes that suddenly served to lighten the moment. "They work with what they have in ways one could never imagine. Sit back and allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised. And in the mean time, help me to make Mr. Potter the most protected on all fronts that he can be."
Regulus nodded readily. "Of course. When would you like me to begin?"
"At the start of term," Albus said. "Once Harry has returned to Hogwarts, I would like you to come to this office at least three nights a week. Severus will make sure that Harry meets you here. Within Hogwarts walls, you shall be safe from prying eyes."
"Severus? What about you," Regulus asked, confused.
"Oh I am dead, so that won't be possible," Albus said casually. He chuckled at the shocked look on Regulus's face. "Well as far as most people are aware, that is," he hastily corrected himself. "I will actually be at Durmstrang, teaching Transfigurations and using that very skill to make myself appear unrecognizable."
"I really don't follow the news, and it appears I should probably start, because a lot is happening in the wizarding world of late," Regulus said. It was a good thing that he'd remained unaware of albus's death, though, as otherwise he may have had no reason to come to Hogwarts. It would've been just another mishap due to being ignorant of the facts and he'd had quite enough of those, thank you very much.
"Kreacher stopped getting the paper after Mistress died," the elf murmured. "He can order a new subscription, though, for Master Regulus if he would like."
Albus shook his head. "I wouldn't recommend it. For the same reason that while beginning Harry's lessons even before term starts would've been preferable, we can't risk it. If we were to begin sooner, the change may attract Voldemort's notice and we can't have that. That is also why Harry cannot know that I still live, so when you meet him, I must ask both of you to keep your minds securely shut tight on that matter."
Kreacher and Regulus both nodded. "Do you think the Dark Lord is spying on Harry Potter, then," Regulus asked, openly intrigued.
"I am quite certain of it," Albus said. "Voldemort and Mr. Potter have a link."
As Regulus and Kreacher listened, Albus explained how Lily Potter had saved Harry with her last breath. "Sacrificing your own life to save another, when the love motivating that sacrifice is so pure and intense, provides powerful protection," Albus said. "Powerful enough to withstand the killing curse and have it rebounding onto Voldemort instead. Harry has a lightning bolt scar on his forehead, the only sign of that magical exchange. It also serves as a link to Voldemort, though, connecting them in a way that can be quite dangerous."
There were a lot of fascinating magical implications there, Regulus thought, exchanging a look with Kreacher. This provided plenty of fodder for their usual magical theory talks when they had a bit of down time. A sudden knock came at the door and heaving a sigh, the Headmaster rose to answer it. "What now," he muttered half to himself, opening the door just wide enough to peer out. Regulus rose to stand at Albus's shoulder, ready to help if something was wrong. In a flash Kreacher was at his side. Both got in one another's way attempting to see around Albus into the hall. A thin blond young man stood holding the sorting hat in one hand. A slightly taller and equally thin youth with an Italian look about his dark features stood at the blond's side. Both were well dressed in black slacks and short sleeved black silk button-down shirts. In spite of the fact one was blonde and the other was dark, both were slender, clean shaven and dressed so similarly that they quite looked like a set.
The blonde thrust the hat at Dumbledore and said, "According to the hat there appears to be a breach in security."
Albus only appeared mildly concerned.
"Thank you both. I've never been warned by the hat before...That is indeed interesting." As he spoke, the hand that wasn't holding the hat lifted to thoughtfully push up his half moon spectacles. "Though this time it may not be a dangerous breech. We'll still check it out to be sure, though."
"I'll do it, Headmaster. I'll be back in a few minutes," Regulus said. He was already moving toward the door as he spoke.
"Kreacher is coming. Kreacher will apparate us outside," the elf insisted. He placed a tender hand on Regulus's arm, face turned up to him as he spoke. He was clearly as unwilling to separate even briefly as was Regulus and that was nice to know. Regulus gave a brief nod of agreement, but Kreacher was already apparating them outside.
"I think our arrival, or more to the point, my arrival was what set off the wards, but we shall search the entire grounds just to be certain," Regulus told Kreacher. "I shall carry you because I plan to move very fast. I can cover the grounds in less than three minutes and if anyone is here, I will certainly catch them."
"How did Master Regulus set off the wards? Simply by being a vampire," Kreacher wondered. Regulus nodded as he scooped Kreacher into his arms.
"Indeed. If the wards are good they would detect any difference at all." With Kreacher held close, Regulus set off across the grounds so fast that the wind blew his hair back from his face and had it fanning out behind him. Breath coming rapidly in excitement, Kreacher clung to Regulus's neck. As they raced across the grounds, Regulus opened his mind completely, disabling all of his mental shields. If anyone skulked about, he would hear their thoughts. Just to be safe, he made a double circuit of the grounds, and nothing untoward turned up. Without slowing, he returned to the castle. Upon reaching the front door he slowed down only long enough to enter the building before picking up his pace again. The faster he returned to Albus's office, the less chance there would be of anyone spotting him in the halls and coming to the headmaster with questions. Soon he was gently setting Kreacher back on his feet outside the door to Dumbledore's office before knocking. When Albus opened to them, Regulus gave him an apologetic smile, before peering past him to see the room full of people! The two young men who he'd previously thought of as a set were still there. There was also an elf wearing a tunic in a spiderweb design along with a willowy blonde woman who gave off vibes of ice water and a shortish compact man whose Italian features put Regulus a bit in mind of the dark haired young man in the set.
"I must have set off the alarms, Headmaster," he said apologetically, his gaze dropping in embarrassment and discomfort as everyone in the room turned to look at him. "We double checked and all is undisturbed."
"Thank you, Regulus...Kreacher," Albus said politely as he stepped back to allow the two to enter the office.
"Regulus! Welcome to the dead club," the ice water blonde woman cried, stepping forward to offer Regulus an amused smile. "I'm famous for killing all my husbands, and this one right here has died 7 times for that fun little trick, but it's kept us off of Voldemort's radar. Anyway, vampirism looks good on you. You've not aged a day," she concluded dryly.
Regulus didn't have to have all of his mental shields down to know that everyone in the room knew who he was and that they had a general idea of his situation from Albus. It was practically radiating off of all of them. Rather than being angry at the headmaster for betraying his confidence, Regulus understood that Albus had told these people because he trusted them and believed Regulus could benefit from them being aware of him. It occurred to him then that they may be working with the Adler man that Severus had mentioned, in which case they would all eventually know his story anyway. The more he studied Ice water, the more familiar she became. He believed she'd been in Slytherin, perhaps two years ahead of him.
"Sabra, isn't it," Regulus said with a polite smile and she nodded. "And let me guess, your husband is an unregistered metamorphmagus?" He arched a slim dark brow, intelligent blue eyes a mix of amused and curious.
"That's right," Sabra said, nodding approvingly.
"Master Regulus is the most brilliant wizard there is," Kreacher murmured proudly as if to himself while still making certain everyone else could hear. "He always figures out the puzzles that make up secrets."
Regulus glanced down at the elf, open fondness in his eyes as he smiled at him. "You are too kind, old friend."
"Kreacher is never kind," he protested, smiling fondly in return, expression plainly belying the words.
"We were in Slytherin together, but he was a few years younger," Sabra explained turning to the blonde youth who wordlessly nodded.
It then struck Regulus that the 'set' of young men were likely brothers. One was blonde like Sabra and the other dark like her husband though with Sabra's willowy build and haughty cold Ice water features. The blonde son had more of the Italian husband's fire in his eyes and demeanor, though like the dark haired one, his build was willowy like Sabra's own. It was interesting that Sabra only directed her comment to the blonde, though, as if the dark haired son should already be aware of what she was sharing. Regulus was almost startled when the blonde turned to him and spoke. "You discovered this Voldemort's Horcrux?" He appeared more interested in this than the unusual way Regulus had faked his own death. Intriguing. The young man's accent was German, his voice breathy with a slightly husky undertone. Were Sabra's parents German? Had this particular son chosen to live abroad? That would account for why she would be explaining some things to him specifically.
Regulus nodded. "I did, mainly through putting two and two together from clues that were dropped." He left it there. He'd spoken the truth, but saying more would involve the Lestranges and for now the least said of them the better until he could be sure they were safe.
"But why didn't you come back when everyone believed Voldemort to be dead," Sabra asked.
Regulus stiffened in discomfort as Kreacher drew in a breath, his face crumbling into a look of abject misery.
"I knew little of vampires when I chose to become one in an attempt to save myself from Voldemort's vengeance. I became very ill from the lake of Inferi through ingesting its water. It was weeks until I could even sit up and hold a quill in order to write Kreacher from where my maker had taken me into hiding for my own safety. I wrote him several times and never heard back so I wrongly assumed he wanted nothing to do with me. And how could I blame him? I nearly got him killed by choosing to follow a twisted mad man, after all." Regulus said carefully, trying to restrain his own emotions on the matter for Kreacher's sake. He was already upset and if Regulus allowed himself to show his own upset, Kreacher's would only grow worse. Idly the vampire wondered if this sort of conversation would ever get easier. He could only hope, because he had a feeling he would be sharing this dreadful story again more than once and more than twice. Any people he would be dealing with here had a right to know.
"Kreacher would never," the elf spoke, low gravely voice breaking. Regulus put an arm around Kreacher and forced himself to continue, though by now he'd rather not have.
"As it turns out, Kreacher never received any of the letters." As he spoke, the brothers murmured to one another in obvious discomfort for which Regulus could not blame them in the least. The dark haired one opened the door to the headmaster's office.
"Oh! Gellert, I have something for you," Sabra said as the two turned to go. "It's a crystal quartz wand from Mag. She said she can make you a more personalized one later but she wanted you to have something for the moment. These are twice as strong as wooden wands because as you know quartz amplifies. Mag has made these for everyone working against Voldemort in our group," she said, reaching into a black sequined shoulder bag with a spider web pattern on the front. Though she wasn't addressing her comments to him, Regulus was very interested nonetheless. The concept of a wand made of crystal was very exciting indeed. The fact it was said to amplify, causing a wand to be twice as strong actually made sense, and he wondered why no one had thought of it before. Crystal was used to amplify many things, even for Muggle devices like radios and watches so why not magic? Sabra drew a willowy quartz crystal wand from her shoulder bag, presenting it to the blonde youth. It was banded in gleaming red copper, another fact Regulus found intriguing. "She said the copper is healing and amplifying so works well with the crystal as well as your own healing abilities," she said, her mildly vague tone obviously implying she had memorized rather than completely comprehended the meaning of the message.
The blonde youth's blue eyes widened slightly in interest as he took the wand into his hands. "Thank you...I shall thank her personally when I see her again, please pass on the sentiment if you see her first."
"Sure," Sabra said with a casual nod.
"It was nice to meet both of you," the dark haired son said politely, speaking at last as he nodded to Regulus and Kreacher. Unlike his brother's his accent was clearly British. Interesting indeed. Why had one brother lived in Germany? It wasn't that Regulus particularly needed to know the business of others, because he wasn't that sort at all...not for the most part at least. But this was more like a puzzle and his mind tended to enjoy solving those. Regulus smiled and nodded back to the brothers.
"You as well. Seeing those I went to school with having grown children of their own is disconcerting, though, I must admit."
"Only one child if that makes you feel any better," Albus said with a chuckle. "Forgive me for I should have made proper introductions. Of course you know Sabra, this is her husband Geo," he nodded at the compact Italian who Regulus already understood to be Sabra's husband. "Their son Blaise, and this other young man is actually Gellert Grindelwald."
Regulus gaped at the blonde, the German accent now making sense. "The...Grindelwald?" So much for the blonde youth being Sabra's son. Upon closer inspection, Sabra's hair was a little darker and her eyes a little lighter. Gellert's tresses were curly while Sabra's were straight.
"It's a bit of a secret, but the three of you are all such accomplished wizards, I have a feeling you may be working together eventually, and today seems to be one for sharing secrets and knowledge," Albus explained.
"But how," Regulus asked, glad for someone else to share their dark story for a change. "You look so young!"
"A draft of life potion," Gellert replied with a slight smile. "Someone kindly bought it for me before I was...liberated from my prison. As you can see it has worked quite well."
"Indeed," Regulus said, impressed. "I do hope to speak with you again. Your accomplishments are quite fascinating."
"Likewise," Gellert said. Then Gellert Bloody Grindelwald gave him a nod and friendly smile before walking out the door of Albus's office with Sabra's son at his side.