Harry Potter and the Curse of V'Ardian
Chapter 22
Of Elves and Elections
Standard Disclaimers Apply
oOoOo
The wizarding world was changing far quicker than anyone would have liked. The day that the Ministry of Magic announced to the general public the name of the new Minister brought about a major change that nobody could have foreseen. With Fudge out of office, things were finally running smoothly for the Order, hindered only by Dumbledore's increasing lack of attendance. In fact, the great wizard had not appeared in public for so long, that many feared him to be dead already.
When Dumbledore heard these rumours, he chuckled, saying, "Even Voldemort can't kill me that quickly." No one thought it was very funny. This prompted Dumbledore to make a public appearance. Maybe it wasn't as public as a lot of people would have hoped, but public enough to prove his very much aliveness, and in particular, to dissuade any victorious notions that Voldemort might be feeling. It wouldn't do to have him start massacring people because he had heard that his nemesis was on his death bed.
This not-so-public appearance involved nothing more than appearing in the Great Hall for dinner one evening, and the timing of this appearance couldn't have been any better, for reasons which will shortly be discussed. Of course, Dumbledore was having trouble walking, and this showed weakness, so Dumbledore, in what must have appeared to be a far from weak display of power, had hitched a ride with an invisible Fawkes and made a grand entrance in a ball of fire.
Dumbledore had spent the best part of the day in correspondence with various entities, some with good news and some with bad. One of the main issues, which had involved a very long letter and much paper work, as well as much worry on Dumbledore's part, was the vampires. More specifically, the V'Ardian clan. Dumbledore had spoken with Snape, who denied Voldemort's knowledge of the subject of the prophecy, but it seemed suspicious that the clan had suddenly and openly declared their alliance with the Dark Lord. It seemed that the prophecy was well on its way to completion.
And then, of course, there was the issue of Harry Potter. The frenzied media had come howling at Dumbledore's door (metaphorically, of course), when news of Harry's disappearance got out, and it hadn't stopped in the week since it had happened. This was another reason that Dumbledore had finally decided to make an appearance. It wouldn't do if the leader of the Order and one of the greatest wizards alive, and the Boy-Who-Lived both appeared to have died.
Dumbledore had smartly skirted around the issue, claiming that Harry was simply in hiding for the time being, but it was a weak argument. Snape, failing to disclose all of the details of course, had informed Dumbledore of the events that occurred during his last sighting of Harry, which happened to be the same night that Katherine had been returned safely to Hogwarts. Harry Potter had not been since.
This stressed Dumbledore to no end, and he felt quite relieved when he finally sat down to Dinner at the head table that night- a small semblance of normality in an otherwise hectic world. It was just as the main meal had ended and desert was appearing on the table, that the convenience of Dumbledore's timing became known. The doors of the Great Hall flew open as though by their own will and Dumbledore could not have been more shocked at the nature of Hogwart's visitors. He leapt from his chair in an action he was sure he would not be capable were it not for the adrenaline now flooding his system, and bowed deeply.
"King Variel," he intoned, his voice strong. Elves were a strong race, valuing strength and spurning weakness. With tales of Dumbledore's failing health rife in the wizarding world, it would not do for such an important potential ally to have entered Hogwarts only to find the esteemed headmaster absent. The Elven King bowed low in returned, flanked by a second elf with a bow strung across his back. A party of eleven others stood silently and respectfully back. The students, and some teachers, gazed on open-mouthed.
"Albus Dumbledore. It is good to see you after so long. It has been…what? Thirty years?"
"I believe so, my Lord. To what do we owe the honour of this visit?"
Variel took a deep breath, as though what he were about to say cost him a great deal, and Dumbledore waited with increasing impatience.
"The Elves had made the decision to pledge their allegiance to you, Albus Dumbledore."
Dumbledore felt a surge of triumph and bowed deeply.
"This is a great honour, my Lord. May I suggest we discuss this further in my office?" King Variel nodded his agreeance, and Dumbledore proceeded to guide them to his office and away from the astonished stares of the Hogwarts population.
"My good friend, Illirian," said King Variel, gesturing to the silent man at his side, and behind him, "the Coucil."
"May I ask," said Dumbledore, once they were seated, "What has prompted you to leave your kingdom and extend the hand of peace?"
King Variel's answer was direct and disturbing.
"The lamia have once again turned to the Dark Lord. We have refused to join the Darkness and it will not be long before they respond unfavourably. You know, I am sure, of the history between the Elves and the lamia, and know that we could never join them."
Dumbledore nodded. He was about to speak again when Variel did.
"There is another matter of which I specifically wanted to talk with you of. When I said that the Elves have decided to pledge allegiance to you, the Light side, we mean specifically the Order of the Pheonix."
Dumbledore successfully contained his concern and shock.
"You know of the Order?"
"We know," the king replied simply and meaninglessly, much to Dumbledore's consternation.
"How?" he asked. Best to be polite when addressing the King of the Elves, he thought.
"A member came to us, asking for our help. At the time we refused them, but now…"
To say that Dumbledore was mad would be an understatement. He was absolutely furious. A member of the Order, his Order, the Order of the Pheonix, had gone behind his back and tried to recruit Allies. This in itself was not such a bad thing, even though Dumbledore would have liked to have known about it. No, it was the fact that the person had acted foolishly. The move could have been dangerous. And then there was the question of how they had passed the supposedly impenetrable barrier to the realm of the immortals.
"Who was it?" Dumbledore asked, his voice trembling ever so slightly. King Variel and Illirian traded glances, a move not missed by Dumbledore. They knew the importance of the answer they now gave.
"In reality, we do not know of they actually are a member, only that they had quite an extensive knowledge of the Order of the Pheonix. We assumed them to be a member. As to their name…all we can tell you is that they hold the title of a Lord of V'Ardian." They knew more of course, but they knew the danger that could come from revealing the Lord's true identity. They saw the glint of panic in Dumbledore's eyes as they revealed the identity of their visitor.
Lord V'Ardian had knowledge of the Order of the Pheonix.
This certainly changed things. It meant that it was likely that at some point, the Order would be betrayed. Dumbledore wondered what that would cost them, how many lies would be taken in the process. He needed to find this person at all costs.
oOoOo
"Severus, what news do you have?" Severus sneered, which Dumbledore knew was never a good sign.
"The Dark Lord has moved him since the last meeting; we did not see him at this one."
"And you have no contact with him? No idea at all of where he is?"
"I would have told you, Albus, if I knew anything," hissed Snape. He was not in the mood to play word games with the old man.
"You are in the Inner Circle, Severus."
"I have talked to no one who knows where he is. The Dark Lord is keeping him hidden. I think he suspects that someone is a traitor."
"What does Tom say about Harry?"
"He gloats at his victory, and says we will all have the honour of watching him kill Harry. Soon."
oOoOo
"Where is he, Ron?" Hermione asked tearfully, laying her head on his shoulder.
"He'll come back, Hermione. He always does," replied Ron, but his voice held no conviction, no certainty.
Hermione sniffled louder.
"What if he dies, Ron?" Ron held in a sigh of sadness.
"He'll come back, Hermione. He will."
oOoOo
It would be one week before Severus Snape was called again, one week before the day that Lord Voldemort intended for Harry Potter to die. In that time, the light and dark forces were gathered, massing in preparation for the greatest battle the wizarding world would ever see. No one knew when the great battle would take place, but they could feel it in the air, a sense of foreboding falling upon them all, as though they were straddled on the edge of a precipice above a bottomless ravine, and one small tremble would send them tumbling over into oblivion.
And at the centre of all this preparation stood a special few, some well known, some not, but all played an important role in the events that were about to unfold. There was, of course, Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord who sought to rule the world. He hid himself behind his minions, rarely leaving the safety of his head quarters, cloistered in a pocket of wards and spells. With him was Harry Potter; the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, Lord V'Ardian. Yet for all of the latter title's renown, only one other save for Harry Potter himself knew his true identity. And Severus Snape would take that secret to his grave.
Harry Potter; hated by some, loved by many and a child of fate so dark that many would have spurned him had they known the truth. He carried a burden that few knew of or even cared to know of; as long as they were safe they didn't need to worry about his well being. Harry had long since accepted this fact. It was the way of the world. Severus Snape understood this only too well. Snape played a pivotal role in this war, one that would only become more important as time wore on. He was taciturn, rude and abrupt, and more often than not it was not a façade, as some thought it might be. After all, such a loyal spy pretending to be a Death Eater couldn't really be that mean, could they?
Few would understand what drove Snape until the war was over, and by then it would be too late to gain his trust.
oOoOo
A/N: This was a strange chapter to write and I thought that it would be much, much longer. The next chapter is long. I promise. Thanks to all those who have reviewed already, and thankyou to all those who intend to review. Tell me if you think Dumbledore should die! I haven't really decided yet and I need some help. I'm going to start including some events from HPHBP, altered for my story line of course, and one of these may include the scene where Dumbledore dies. Your comments on this idea are greatly appreciated. Read on and enjoy- Wujjawoo
Chapter 23: Of Return and Realisation