Chapter Thirty Six – A little Annoyed
"So when is Sinclair supposed to be bringing his 'friend' by?" Kennedy asked.
"They should be arriving in a few minutes," Lady Aydin replied. "I'm surprised Dawn and Rupert are not here."
"Giles is dealing with a problem in Germany," Willow said. She was standing at the far end of Lady Aydin's office studying one of the pictures on the wall. "He finally got Dawn to go home and get some sleep a couple of hours ago. We decided to let her be. She doesn't need to be here for this. She's work free until the morning."
Lady Aydin heard the anger in Willow's voice. She had debated trying to keep the Council out of this meeting. But that simply was not an option. They were angry. Very angry. Both at her and MI5 for failing to give them complete information and at themselves for failing to ask the right questions. Keeping them from this meeting would have exacerbated their anger. Not that she could have. She very much doubted the buildings wards would prove much more than a nuisance to Willow. No they needed the answers from Sinclair and Dumbledore as badly as she did.
"That's assuming Dawn hasn't figured out how to hack past your firewalls," Kennedy said. "She's not one to walk away from a research project."
"She has to be able to turn on her computer first," Willow said. "Or open a book in order to do any work."
"Honey, what did you do?" Kennedy asked
"I just made sure Dawn couldn't do any work," Willow answered. She continued to stare at the picture. "She's had maybe three hours of sleep in the last two days. I'll let her have her shot at these guys when she's fully rested."
"A fully rested and pissed off Dawn Summers. Their funeral," Kennedy nodded and turned her attention back to Lady Aydin, "How are your guests?"
"Moody is still sedated," Lady Aydin answered. "He has a radial fracture of his right arm, a couple of broken ribs, a broken jaw and a severe concussion. Black is in one of the dorms used by the SAS. Sinclair's talk seems to have calmed him down for the moment."
"And the Death Eaters?"
"Pettigrew is being kept secured, the others are still being treated for their injuries," Lady Aydin replied. "Malfoy in particular is a tough case. In addition to a broken arm, most of his ribs are broken, cracked or bruised. And he had severe trauma to his spinal column. It's debatable whether or not he will be able to walk again."
"I'll have to talk with Debra about controlling her strength when dealing with normal humans," Kennedy said. "Granted, the guy's lucky he's not dead, but she didn't need to do that much damage to take him down."
Lady Aydin shook her head. She had to agree with the assessment though. With her strength the Slayer most likely could have crushed Malfoy's heart with one blow.
"At least we caught some bad guys," Willow said. Her back was still to Lady Aydin as she continued to study the picture. Lady Aydin was fairly certain Willow wasn't even seeing the picture. Her shoulders were tense. The whiff of power continued to flow from her. Magic responded to emotion. And Lady Aydin had spent enough time studying people to know there was a lot of emotion in Willow right now.
"I assumed Faye would also take part in this meeting. She is running point on your dealings with Wizarding world," Lady Aydin said.
"She's taking some down time," Kennedy said. Lady Aydin remember watching Faye deflate when Sinclair reappeared at the compound and explained that Sirius Black and the others were actually working for Dumbledore against Riddle. The other Slayers present had reacted quite badly. She recalled her experience in the astral plain. The Slayer was a predator. A predator that hunted killers. How does being involved in the death of an innocent affect a Slayer, she wondered. Eric had shuffled her off the compound fairly quickly.
"Just how well do you know this Sinclair guy?" Kennedy inquired.
"I've known him for nearly fifteen years," Lady Aydin replied. "My Uncle knew him longer. He is a guarded man. He knows that Her Majesty's government prefers to take a hands off role when dealing with the supernatural. As such he tends to push for the most radical course of action in an effort to push us into taking some action."
"Sounds like a devious guy," Kennedy noted.
"He mentioned something about being sorted into Slytherin once," Lady Aydin said. "He said that meant he had little choice in the matter. I'm not certain I fully understand the reference. Something to do with the house structure at Hogwarts. I believe he meant it as a joke."
Willow looked away from the picture she was 'staring' at and towards the front of the building.
"Sinclair and someone else just arrived outside," Willow said. "They should be up in a couple of minutes."
The night air was cold and damp. Two old men appeared in alley a block away from Lady Aydin's office. They walked out of the alley and towards their destination. The hour was late and almost no one was on the street. If anyone had seen them they would have been startled by how different and yet how alike the two were.
One was neatly groomed with short hair and a well-trimmed beard wearing a conservative if somewhat dated business suit. The other had long unkempt hair and long beard that looked like it hadn't been trimmed in decades. He was wearing a suit that would have been considered loud in the seventies.
But the differences ended there. Anyone who took the time to study the men would note that they both walked with confidence. Both had eyes that seemed to miss no detail of world around them. Both projected an air of power.
"It is a late hour for a meeting," Dumbledore said.
"You can't exactly leave school in the middle of the day without attracting Dolores' suspicions," Sinclair replied.
"You know these people better than I Edgar. Any further advice."
"The grandfather act will not work on Sophia," Sinclair said. "She is an intelligent and insightful woman. And she already has ample reason to be wary of both of us."
"And this Council of Watchers and Slayers you spoke of?" Dumbledore asked.
"I have had little time to learn anything of them," Sinclair replied.
"Your granddaughter works for MI5, surely she has provided you with information."
"Only a limited amount. I will not use her as a spy against MI5. Jennifer has grown into her own woman. She is loyal to the Crown. Besides Sophia and Sir Ian would see through such a deception with ease."
"And it would be unworthy of you to use her in such a manner," Dumbledore smiled. "So what do you know?"
"I do not have to tell you not to be fooled by appearances," the Elder replied. "These Slayers have power. Of what nature I do not yet know. They learned of the Wizarding world on their own. And found a way around the protective magic of the Covenant. They captured five of Tom's Death Eaters and one of them took Alastor by herself."
"Impressive," Dumbledore said. "They could make powerful allies. We must be careful in how we approach this meeting. We do not know their connection to the old magic. We dare not tell them of our longer term goals."
"Agreed," Sinclair replied. "But we need their aid to deal with Tom. But until we know more of their power, this remains a battle with Tom."
"We shall learn soon enough," Dumbledore looked up at the building. The two entered the lobby and walked up to the guard at the desk.
"Mr. Sinclair," the guard said. "Two visits in one week. Here is your visitor's badge. You are Mr. Dumbledore I presume?"
"Yes," Dumbledore answered.
The guard handed Dumbledore a sign-in sheet. "Read the form and sign your name at the bottom. I'll also need to see your identification."
"And what is this?" Dumbledore asked handing the guard the card Sinclair had provided him.
"Standard security form," the guard answered. "I'll ring Lady Aydin that you have arrived. Just wait a few moments and someone will be here to escort you up," the guard turned his attention to the phone. Lady Aydin always got the most interesting visitors he thought. Although he much preferred the attractive young ladies that had arrived earlier.
A few moments later another guard arrived and escorted the two men up to Lady Aydin's office. Teresa had already left for the night so the guard announced the arrival of Lady Aydin's guests and showed them into her office.
Albus Dumbledore took the time to study the three women in the room. Lady Aydin sat calmly behind her desk. She was middle-aged, vigorous. Dumbledore met her eyes and saw the steel in them. Edgar was right, a formidable woman. She would not be flustered or handled like Cornelius Fudge.
His attention turned to a young woman seated at one of the chairs. A brunette. Power radiated off the woman. One of the Slayers Edgar spoke of. She was young but she had the eyes of a person much older. Someone who had seen and done far too much. Harry's eyes were starting to become like that. Dumbledore felt a moment of regret that the world demanded the young grow up so fast.
The third person in the room was standing off to the side. She acknowledged the arrival of the two with a nod. A redhead. He was reminded of the Weasley clan. She didn't radiate power like the Slayer did. But she had the same eyes, although perhaps even older.
"Elder," Lady Aydin acknowledged then shifted her attention. "You are Albus Dumbledore."
"I am," Dumbledore replied.
"I know this is inadequate," Lady Aydin began. "I offer my sincere apologies on the death of your friend. If ..."
Dumbledore cut her off, "I understand the reasons for your people's actions Lady Aydin. Much of the blame for what happened rests on my shoulders as well. You were caught up in Edgar's and my mutual deceptions. Sirius and the other members of the Order will most likely not see it that way, but rest assured, I do not hold any animosity towards you or your people."
"I respect your understanding Headmaster," Lady Aydin replied. "Permit me introduce the others. This is Kennedy Winston and Willow Rosenberg."
"Ladies," Dumbledore said. Kennedy nodded at him. Willow was still standing off to the side of the room, seemingly indifferent to what was happening.
"Headmaster," Lady Aydin said.
Dumbledore held up his hand. "Edgar has told me much about you Lady Aydin. Please, call me Albus."
"Very well," Lady Aydin replied. "Albus. The Elder has already explained your Order of the Phoenix and its purpose. But I want to know what your group's intentions are and how you plan to proceed from here."
"Wrong question."
Dumbledore turned his attention back to Willow. She was still studying a picture on the wall.
"Miss Rosenberg, you have a question?" Dumbledore asked.
"What makes Riddle different?" Willow asked.
"Excuse me," Dumbledore replied. "I'm not certain I understand the question."
"You heard me. And I'm pretty certain you understood me," Willow said. "What makes Riddle so special?" She turned to face him. Her eyes were like stone. "You two have power. I can sense that. Why don't you use it? Why play the games?"
"Voldemort is very powerful," Dumbledore replied. He focused his stare at her.
"That's not an answer," Willow said. She matched his stare. Dumbledore thought he saw the white streak appear in her hair. "Grindelwald had power. You dealt with him. Most of your people can't even say the name Voldemort and when they hear it they flinch. What makes him so damn special?"
"Honey?" Kennedy said. Dumbledore noticed the concern in her voice.
"Not now Kennedy," Willow said. "I want to know what about Riddle makes him this big threat. You two operate behind the back of your own government. You deliberately withhold evidence that proves Riddle has returned, and please don't say that your not, nobody in this room is an idiot. You set up your own groups and from what I can see hide information from them as well. So what's the deal?"
"The situation is complicated," Dumbledore said.
"I'm a smart girl," Willow replied.
Dumbledore looked over at Sinclair. How much of the truth did they tell these people? Sinclair shook his head.
"I don't feel this is best time to go into such matters," Dumbledore said. "Edgar and I need..."
Dumbledore felt the power this time. He was about to reach for his wand when Willow simply cocked her head, another streak of white appeared. Suddenly his wand lying on the floor in the middle of the room along with Sinclair's. They were joined less than a second later by his portkey and an old key Dumbledore knew Sinclair used as a portkey. How had she done that? It had been decades since anyone had caught him so off-guard. He had assumed the danger would come from the Slayer.
He reached out with his hand to draw his wand back. It didn't move. He tried again and found that his arm could not move. A paralysis spell. He hadn't even sensed it being cast. Power didn't begin to describe this woman.
"You don't need your wand to answer my question," Willow said.
"Willow," Lady Aydin said. "This is not how I intended to conduct this meeting."
"Not your meeting anymore," Willow said. "I don't like being used by a couple of old men and I'm tired of not knowing what's going on. I want answers."
Kennedy turned back to Lady Aydin and shrugged her shoulders. "My girl wants answers. And so do I," she said. She then looked and Dumbledore, "And you two might want to start answering her questions. This is Willow when she's annoyed. You don't want to see her when she gets angry."
"Sophia," the Elder said. "What do you plan on doing about this?"
"I plan on sending a memo to Sir Ian to modify our directives with regards to the Watchers Council," Lady Aydin replied. "Currently there is a page saying simply, do nothing to anger Willow Rosenberg. It seems he needs to add a page saying to nothing to annoy Willow Rosenberg."
"This is hardly a joking matter," Sinclair replied. "I can't move."
"Depends on ones perspective," Lady Aydin noted. "I had intended to do this much more diplomatically. It seems that is no longer an option. Your deliberate withholding of information has made Her Majesty's government and me responsible for an innocent man's death. I have shown you trust over the years Edgar. Trust which you betrayed. If you want to re-earn that trust I suggest answering Willow's questions."
"You two are strong," Willow said. "Another couple of minutes and you'll break past the paralysis spell and then things might start getting interesting." Willow motioned with her hand and both men slumped forward as the paralysis faded.
Dumbledore rose to his feet, reached out to draw back his wand and hit a mystical barrier.
"Wait Ablus," Sinclair said. "We need them if we are defeat Tom."
Willow motioned with her hand again and the barrier disappeared. "Ok, cards on the table time," Willow said. "We know your world is dying. Your isolation has done something to you. Your culture and your magic have stagnated. We know Tom Riddle is not the main threat you face. He is connected to something larger and more dangerous. We can't help you if you insist on playing your little games."
Dumbledore studied the young woman in front of him. Almost half of her hair had turned white and power radiated off her. But it was her face that drew most of his attention. The look of resolve. She would have her answers one way or another.
"Forgive me ladies," Dumbledore said. "I have grown so use to keeping secrets that I tend to keep them even when the time for secrets has passed." He sat back in his chair.
"Edgar?" Dumbledore looked at his friend.
"It would seem are choices have been reduced to one," Sinclair said. "As I said we need them. Far more than they need us. You were there at the start. It is your tale to begin."
"Then I shall tell you of Tom Riddle and his connection to the mysteries of our world."