A Visit to Albania
Chapter 28
Sunday, September 22
"I can't believe Voldemort could have stayed here for more than ten years. How could he have survived like that?" said Sirius, taking a drag from his cigarette and stepping over a particularly gnarled trunk of a felled tree.
He was walking along with Dumbledore through the dark forest, which had taken them a little more than a week to locate in Albania. Sirius and Dumbledore had portkeyed into Valböne, a small village nestled between the mountain passes of the Albanian Alps. It was a little ominous to learn that they were also called the Accursed Mountains.
Dumbledore had taken Sirius to a Wizarding village not far from there, making sure they were disguised to look unassuming and they had made some inquiries. It was tedious work as they had to ask around without raising suspicions on where they were heading. A wizened warlock, older than even Dumbledore, and looking thoroughly drunk, had finally given them a clue indicating that Aurors from their own Ministry had visited a forest about 600 miles from where they were staying.
Sirius and Dumbledore had then travelled to a Muggle village close to the forest and got themselves a place to stay. They had woken up early in the morning to travel into the forest, relying on only their wands to show them the way. The black pine and beech trees were tall and formed a canopy, which made it seem like sunlight had never reached the ground and the fallen leaves had been squelched together liked a mushy blanket, muffling their footsteps.
"I believe, as it was only his soul that survived and not his physical body, he did not need sustenance. Possibly, he possessed small creatures to tie his soul to a body. It must have been excruciatingly painful and yet he chose this path towards immortality," said Dumbledore tiredly. Travelling on foot at his age was not ideal even though he was surprisingly more agile than Sirius had believed him to be. But, it did take his toll on him.
"Serves him right, if you ask me," said Sirius scathingly. "What are we looking for again?"
"Some place where there are traces of Dark Magic in abundance," said Dumbledore, as he marched along the forest, his travelling cloak trailing behind him across the wet ground. "If Voldemort has hidden his soul, he no doubt has enough enchantments around it for protection."
oOo
After half an hour of aimless searching, Dumbledore heard a rustle nearby and both of them froze as they looked around. Sirius dropped his cigarette to snuff it out and pulled out his wand muttering, 'Homenum Revelio' but there was no one around. The screech of a bat in the distance made him wonder if it was some sort of animal nearby.
He looked around searching for anything that might give it away, when he heard the low growl of a wolf.
Two gleaming eyes shone from behind the large trunk of a tree and immediately, Dumbledore raised his wand and shot a spell at it. But, the wolf jumped and Dumbledore turned on the spot to Apparate behind the wolf.
He quickly saw the big, black dog that was Padfoot bounding forwards and leaping on top of the grey wolf. The wolf barked as it tried to bite down on Padfoot's neck but Padfoot rolled over and slashed at the wolf viciously, clawing a deep gash onto its side. The wolf howled in pain as it tried to retaliate but Padfoot stood his ground and gave a deep, threatening growl.
The wolf turned tail, yelping in pain and Padfoot barked loudly at its retreating form.
A moment later, Sirius was standing in the place of the dog, hair slightly tousled and not at all looking like he had fought a wolf single-handedly.
oOo
Sirius walked towards a stunned-looking Dumbledore. "Oh, come on! I do this every time when I'm with Remus."
"I see," was Dumbledore's only response as they walked along. Sirius lighted a fresh cigarette again. He had tried to refrain from smoking in front of his former headmaster, but after four days, his resolve had weakened. Dumbledore never commented anything about it, so Sirius took it as his cue that he could do so in his presence.
After another hour, and nothing remotely interesting happening other than Sirius' cloak getting caught on the brambles twice, Sirius was growing restless. "How will we know when we find the place?"
"Magic leaves traces. You will understand it when we find it," said Dumbledore simply. He used the Point-Me spell and motioned Sirius to follow him, as he had been doing for quite a while now. A light wind rustled the leaves making Sirius tense slightly.
"Alright, I have an idea," said Sirius and in the blink of an eye had changed to the black dog again. He thought he had smelt something funny when he had changed to Padfoot earlier and it would be well worth a try to follow it, instead of meandering about hoping to stumble onto the place where Voldemort had hidden.
He sniffed the ground and after a few seconds woofed at Dumbledore and jerked his head as if asking him to follow. Dumbledore chuckled, "Of course."
Padfoot wagged his tail and trotted along at a moderate pace to allow Dumbledore to keep up. After almost an hour, Padfoot stopped suddenly; his hackles raised and he emitted a low growl.
"Can you feel it too?" came Dumbledore's quiet voice as he put out his hands in front of him as if searching for something.
"I can feel something's not right, but I can't say what," came Sirius' voice as he had changed back to his human body.
Dumbledore was staring into the darkness before him, his hands still raised as if pushing an invisible glass wall. "It is a shield, of sorts. We cannot pass through."
Sirius put out his hand too, but could feel nothing. "How can that be?" he asked curiously. "There's nothing stopping us physically."
"It detects magical presence and if I'm not mistaken rejects it," said Dumbledore who then muttered to himself, "How curious…"
"What happens if we walk forward anyway?" asked Sirius.
Dumbledore merely smiled. "You are welcome to try."
Sirius looked at Dumbledore for a moment before deciding to throw caution to the wind and walked forward. Immediately, as if a large hand had grabbed him by his shoulders and yanked him, he was thrown back.
"Okay, I get it now," muttered Sirius crossly, as he got back on his feet and inspected his grazed hand. "Can't we undo the enchantment?"
"Knowing Tom, it will not be that simple to undo, though I believe there is a way in. The only problem is finding the entrance," said Dumbledore.
Sirius watched as Dumbledore murmured something, his hands raised as if he could physically touch the magic in front of him. He wondered how Dumbledore had detected that it was a magical shield. He could feel something dark crackling in the air when he was Padfoot, but nothing was specific enough for him to understand exactly what kind of magic was in front of him.
He stretched out his hand, wondering if he would be able to feel anything like how Dumbledore had. Suddenly, the air before Sirius shimmered with a bright white light.
Sirius and Dumbledore were startled as they aimed their wands but a moment later, the light had dimmed to reveal a faint archway which seemed like the entrance Dumbledore was talking about.
"How did you do that?" asked Dumbledore, only a little incredulously.
"I don't know!" exclaimed Sirius, breathlessly. "I just tried to feel around the shield like you did, and suddenly it happened."
Dumbledore looked thoughtful before asking Sirius to show his hand, which had been grazed when he had fallen.
He hummed in understanding. "Ingenious. The entrance required blood as payment which you unwittingly gave."
"Blood as payment? Sounds like Voldemort's idea alright," said Sirius as he looked back at the archway with interest. "We're very lucky to have stood exactly before this entrance when I put my hand out."
"I do not think it had anything to do with luck, Sirius," said Dumbledore, studying the entrance too. "Somehow, as Padfoot, you must have recognized the exact point where the entrance was. The enchantment of the shield is, curiously, not any brand of Dark magic; only the blood payment at the entrance is."
"Is it safe to go in?" asked Sirius.
"After me," said Dumbledore and walked, very bravely in Sirius' opinion, through the entrance.
Again, Sirius felt the sensation that someone had grabbed him by the shoulders and he braced himself for what was to come, but immediately the sensation ceased. The silence was deafening inside the entrance. There was no sound of even a bird chirping or the wind rustling the leaves. All seemed deadly quiet and darker than it had been outside the invisible shield.
A gnarled looking tree that was probably the biggest and oldest tree that Sirius had ever seen stood further ahead. The rotten smell of decaying flesh stung his nose and he silently cast the Bubble-head charm on himself. He watched Dumbledore walking towards something on the ground. On closer inspection, it turned out to be the skeletal remains of an animal, probably something as large as a horse.
"A unicorn," said Dumbledore. "He needed unicorn's blood to keep him alive."
Dumbledore walked towards the tree now, which was surrounded by small bones like gravel. The trunk was almost twice as thick as the Whomping Willow and Sirius noted that there were no leaves at all on its branches, which looked burnt and deadened.
"Is this where he must have hidden when he escaped?" said Sirius, nearly whispering.
"It seems most likely," murmured Dumbledore, "if the evidence of Dark Magic here is any indication."
The massive tree had a large, dark hollow and Sirius watched as Dumbledore stretched his lit wand towards it. Sirius craned his neck eagerly to look inside.
He was almost disappointed when it turned out to be empty.
Dumbledore was murmuring incantations again as he touched the trunk of the tree and Sirius watched quietly. After a moment, Dumbledore said, "I thought so. There are traces of Dark Magic here no doubt, but it is old. Whatever might have been here, Tom must have removed it."
"Great. All this work for nothing." It was hard to keep out the disappointment from his voice.
"I would not say so," said Dumbledore, placidly. "We now have an idea of the defences that Tom is capable of and most likely has used to protect the other Horcruxes. It seems we can rule out Albania from the list of potential places where Tom must have hidden his Horcruxes. This is worrying as we are running out of places that we know for certain that Tom has visited."
"Right," said Sirius, grimacing. "On that disappointing note, can we leave now? This place is giving me the creeps."
oOo
Thursday, September 26
Sirius breathed a sigh of relief as he flopped into his warm bed in Potter Manor. It had been a long fortnight with Dumbledore in Albania, the search having been quite futile. They had returned home that evening, a slight delay having been caused when they had run into a vampire colony on their way back in the forest. Dumbledore had left for Hogwarts as soon as they had arrived as he needed to rest.
Sirius had thought of calling Harry through the mirror, but it was a weekday and he didn't want to unnecessarily disturb Harry's schedule. He would probably write to him tomorrow. Besides, there was an Order meeting the next day and he groaned at the thought of having to explain to everyone why he had not been present at the last three Order meetings.
Dumbledore hadn't given him an alibi, but had been firm that nobody ought to know that Dumbledore was travelling in his company. The Order members wouldn't dare ask Dumbledore twice, if he refused to share details with them. But, Sirius was fair game for them.
They were going to make the connection that Sirius had been absent during the same time as Dumbledore and were going to want answers.
He really wished he could have had Remus with him right now. Remus knew what it was like to go on Order missions without the knowledge of the other Order members, for that was how it had been during the last war. And was also, quite possibly, the main reason that Sirius had doubted Remus and not trusted him with the task of being James and Lily's Secret-Keeper. One of his many regrets.
Remus would understand and trust him unquestionably this time and could even try to make the others back off. Would everyone start to doubt his loyalty again? Sirius didn't think he had the energy for a 'round two' of mistrust and suspicion. He contented himself with the fact that Harry and Remus would be by his side, even though they couldn't be so at the Order meeting tomorrow.
It looked like he was going to fight them on his own.
oOo
Friday, September 27
"—has been out of Hogwarts for days! What is Dumbledore up to? Why haven't the Aurors outside Hogwarts been able to keep an eye on him?"
Catherine wondered if it was wise to wait a little longer to knock the door. Surely, the Order needed to know that the Minister of Magic was suspecting Dumbledore and having him tailed?
"Dawlish has reported that he tried to follow Dumbledore, but apparently he lost his trail," said Gawain Robards, the Head of the Auror Office. "You must know, Rufus, that this is Dumbledore, we're talking about! If he doesn't want to be followed, I don't think anyone can do so successfully."
"That is rubbish! Why haven't you got Kingsley stationed at Hogwarts instead?" ground out Scrimgeour.
"Kingsley is one of our most valuable assets in dealing with Muggle relations. I can't pull him out for a simple task as tailing Dumbledore," said Robards, with slight annoyance.
"Quite right, quite right," said Scrimgeour immediately. "Who else have we got stationed there?"
"Proudfoot, Savage and Tonks. They're three of the best here."
"That's not enough," snapped Scrimgeour. "They're probably growing tired and not paying attention if all three of them have missed the fact that Dumbledore has left the school grounds for days. I want another two Aurors to join their team by the end of this week."
"We can't pull out Aurors from the office for something like this!" said Robards, incredulously. "We're already in need of all hands at the moment. There have been three attacks just last week and –"
"Then use your Trainees," suggested Scrimgeour. "This must be good practice."
Catherine heard Robards give a long-suffering sigh, "I'll do that."
Catherine thought she had dawdled along quite long enough and knocked politely. The door opened and the Minister of Magic himself walked out, sparing her a curious glance. Catherine nodded. "Minister."
He nodded back and left the place. Catherine entered Robards' office with a smile plastered on her tired face. "Good afternoon, sir."
"Ah, Johnson," he said looking relieved. "I see you have the reports."
"Yes, sir," said Catherine as she placed them on his desk. "Last week's, all sorted and filed."
"Good, good," said Robards distractedly.
"I'll be taking my leave then," said Catherine as she turned to leave when Robards said immediately, "Johnson. How would you like to be stationed at Hogwarts for three months?"
Catherine was not surprised as she had already had an inkling that Robards would ask her, when she had entered his office just after listening to the Minister's talk. She had almost expected him to ask her, because as long as it was herself, Dumbledore would have one less person to worry about. She chose to play naïve instead. "Uh, sir?"
"You'll get extra credit and you'll only be working eight hour shifts everyday with weekends off," said Robards, almost pleadingly. "What do you say?"
"How much extra credit do I get if I say yes?" asked Catherine curiously.
"Twenty. Also, can you suggest me someone else to join you?"
"Matthews," said Catherine, quickly. He was the least likely person to turn against Dumbledore for something as silly as credit or impressing their superiors.
"Good. You can inform him that you will both be transferring to Hogsmeade next week. Good day."
oOo
That evening, Catherine arrived at Headquarters, eager to share the information she had overheard about the Minister's attempts to tail Dumbledore. Most of the members had already arrived and Moody was saying, "Jones and Diggle tell me that Macnair was behind the death of Joanna Abbott. And it seems they are planning to attack her brother-in-law, Edmund Abbott by the end of the week. We need to ensure he is informed and protected or moved to a safer place. I'll also need volunteers to stand guard –"
"Count me in, Moody," said Sirius Black as he joined the others at the table, late as always.
"Look who finally decides to show up," said Charlie with a grin at Black, who was ordering Kreacher to get them all dinner.
"Where have you been, Sirius?" asked Bill, inquisitively. "Tonks said you asked her not to contact you for two weeks."
"I had other work to do," said Black casually, unbuttoning his coat and taking his seat at the head of the table.
"Do you mind sharing with us what sort of 'work' this was?" asked Hestia.
"I don't think it's any of your business to know," said Black, superciliously. "Now, we were talking about volunteers. Besides myself, who else are volunteering?"
"We are," came the voices of Fred and George in unison.
"But what about your shop?" asked Charlie, looking quizzical.
"Since school has started, we have a somewhat manageable crowd," said Fred and George added, "Our staff must be able to take care of it for a few days without us."
Arthur Weasley was shaking his head. "You're not properly trained up yet –"
"And what better way to train than in the real world," said George, cheerfully.
"If your mother hears about this—"
"She can't dictate every single thing we do!" said Fred hotly.
George added, "And no, dad, you are not telling her about this."
"Don't worry, Arthur. They'll be with me," said Black, with a smile.
"We'll volunteer too," said Hestia, jerking her head towards Dedalus, who eagerly nodded. "Of course."
"That's settled then," said Moody. "You'll need to start with protective enchantments around Abbott's house first. I reckon Sirius and you two," he nodded towards Fred and George, "can take the night shifts while Jones and Diggle take the morning ones."
After that was settled, Catherine decided to relay the bit of information she had heard in the Auror Office. "It looks like the Minister is suspecting Dumbledore's absence from Hogwarts and wants to have him followed. Robards has actually asked me and another Trainee to be stationed there from next week along with the rest."
"You need to make sure the other Aurors don't pay too much attention to Dumbledore leaving or entering Hogwarts," said Moody immediately. "Tonks is there as well so it shouldn't be too much of a problem."
"Do we know where Dumbledore has been going?" asked Arthur Weasley, frowning.
"No," grunted Moody. "And believe me, I have asked him. He has never been more adamant about not telling me something and it is for the best if we stop questioning his decisions."
"Sirius, do you know where Dumbledore has been going?" asked George, rounding on Black with a frown.
"Yeah, you were absent almost as long as he was," said Fred with a gleeful expression. It was plain to Catherine that he was excited by the connection he had made between Dumbledore and Black's absence.
Black was looking back stonily. "No, I don't. I've been away on a personal errand."
"That's enough of this nonsense!" barked Moody, bringing the subject back to Order business. "If Johnson is going to be stationed at Hogwarts, we're one more member short in our tailing routine. Charlie, you're on your own to keep an eye on Crabbe." Charlie nodded solemnly.
"Someone should meet with Edmund Abbott and warn him," said Arthur. "I can do that tomorrow on my way to work. He's in the Floo Department."
"Wouldn't it be safer to simply ask him to go into hiding?" asked Angelina.
"We can't simply ask all the Abbotts to go into hiding. They have jobs and school to get back to," said Bill.
"Since we are aware of the Death Eaters' plan," said Black with a glint in his eye, "our first move will be to try and let them think they have the upper hand. It will be a good opportunity to apprehend and capture them. If we fail, making Abbott and his family go into hiding anyway would be Plan B."
"Right, that's the gist of the meeting done for today. Practice sessions start in five minutes, you lot," grunted Moody and Fred groaned. "Five minutes isn't enough! Give us fifteen, I'm starving!"
"Ten minutes. Or you can practice by yourself today," said Moody.
Though Fred and George grumbled, they shovelled their shepherd's pie into their mouths at alarming speed, eager to not miss Moody's lessons. Catherine had already had dinner before arriving and so she waited, while Angelina and Lee also ate up.
"—come on, Sirius! Why won't you tell us what you've been up to?" asked Hestia, who was sitting adjacent to Black.
"Why does it even matter?" said Black, exasperatedly.
"I'm just curious as is everyone here," said Hestia, casually looking around at the others who were leaning into the conversation unintentionally, Catherine noticed with amusement. "What was so pressing that you disappeared for nearly a fortnight and asked Tonks not to contact you?"
"Fancy a guess?" asked Black, looking on as Kreacher poured him a cup of tea magically
Hestia hummed, furrowing her perfectly arched dark brows in mock seriousness before she snorted. "If I must, I'd say you went into the Muggle world and got yourself a pretty bird or two to mess around with."
Catherine, who had been drinking her tea, tried to suppress a laugh but choked on her tea instead. Charlie thumped her on the back as he laughed openly.
Black, who had been laughing as well, shrugged, "You know, that's not a bad suggestion at all."
"You mean that's not what happened?" asked Charlie, hiccuping.
"That's exactly what happened," said Black with a decisive nod.
For a moment, Hestia looked perplexed, before she scowled. "What in Merlin's name were you thinking? Abandoning Order meetings for... that? If Dumbledore hears about this..."
Black had not even blinked. He looked back with the same amused expression on his face, the corner of his lips twitching. "Why don't you tell him? I definitely want Dumbledore to listen to what I've been up to when I skipped those precious Order meetings."
Hestia pressed her lips, no doubt annoyed. "I think you're taking the mickey out of me." Black shook his head, sniggering. "Nope."
