Chapter 11: Of Unspeakables and Urban Legends
"Might I presume you four are the Mage's Guardians?" Unspeakable Erikson inquired.
The Guardians nonverbally agreed to let the man only as far as the foyer, where they all sat stiffly in straight-backed chairs. Narcissa discreetly slipped from the room, but Draco knew perfectly well that she was nearby, listening. Narcissa had become quite fond of Hermione even before learning she was the Mage.
"Yes," Draco said through gritted teeth. "Tell us what you think you know." He was barely comfortable with this interview, but a tiny shake of the head from Ron confirmed to the others that this man wasn't carrying the Darkness with him.
Erikson held himself like a professor about to deliver a lecture.
"The legend of the Elemental Mage goes back over seven hundred years but was known only in local folktales. Then in the late sixteenth century, a member of the Black family overheard a prophecy by a well-renowned Seer and copied it in the form of a verse. The Blacks were known to be exquisite poets in those days, and this was the first time the legend was transcribed. The prophecy rapidly spread by word of mouth until it became a beloved bedtime story for young wizards.
"Over the next few centuries, the verse was altered, misunderstood, and mistranslated until it became completely distorted into a fanciful legend. It was believed that only one true copy of the original remained outside the Hall of Prophecy, likely hidden within the heirlooms of the Black family. Unfortunately, the death of Sirius Black several years ago ended the true line and the Black ancestral home remains hidden. Around the same time the Hall of Prophecy was damaged, and the prophecy of the Mage was lost. This means that we can no longer confirm much of what we once knew."
"I inherited the Black house," Harry said. "Your people asked me for access to the library last year, but we hadn't found it yet."
Erikson's eyes opened wide. "And now …?"
"We've found it. We have the Mage Elementum." Harry glanced sideways at Theo. Theo slipped a hand into his bag and cast a Gemino to make a copy of Ginny's neat writing.
Theo handed it to the Unspeakable, who took it with a shaking hand as though holding a priceless treasure.
"Merlin," he breathed as he leaned back in his chair, scanning the text at what Ron secretly called Hermione-speed. "If the Mage is aware of the full contents of the true prophecy, she may not be in danger …" He eyed the four young wizards facing him. "However, she appears to be one Guardian short?"
"No," Harry answered. "There are five of us. If you're concerned that her powers are dangerous, we've already completed the bonds to stabilise her magic."
Erikson breathed another deep sigh of relief and rubbed his forehead. Theo wasn't sure how the others felt, but he recognised the signs of a fellow scholar in this wizard. He felt oddly at ease, trusting that the Unspeakable only sought the truth.
"And I take it your fifth Guardian has escorted her away from the premises?"
Draco gave only a curt nod.
"Very well. As I said, I have no desire to harm her. I would've liked to meet her, but … I will tell you everything I would have told her."
He paused and Draco noticed his eyes kept returning to Theo.
"I'm sorry; I believe I recognised this gentleman here as one of the Weasley family, but you, sir–"
"Theodore Nott IV." Theo answered.
The eyebrows went up again as his eyes flitted between the four of them. "Another Sacred Twenty-Eight–"
"The Sacred Twenty-Eight is irrelevant," Harry said, annoyed. Erikson slowly shook his head in disagreement.
Harry leaned forward, fuming. "I have no tolerance for prejudice, and as you've told us nothing of value–"
"Mr. Potter, please don't misunderstand," Erikson said quickly. "I've no prejudice against blood status; I'm half-blood, myself! I already knew the situation here was utterly misjudged, and I sent my colleagues away because I'm not interested in causing a row. My colleagues believed that Mr. Malfoy was harbouring the Mage against her will, which is why our first approach was less than cordial."
Draco and Ron tightened their lips, but Ron nodded at Harry, who slowly sat back in his seat. It was a mark of how Ron had grown from the war and the bond that he was much more level-headed than he used to be.
"Gentlemen," Erikson sighed and pulled off his rather thick glasses to wipe them clean. "I understand your hesitation. I've been studying the legend of the Mage for a long time, and I'm not ignorant to how protective her Guardians are. The last thing I intend to do is get in the way; unfortunately, I've been operating under the assumption that the Mage didn't even know who she was, much less that she managed to control her power!"
He paused for a moment; he seemed to be gathering his thoughts.
"I'm bound by secrecy enchantments of my Department to not reveal that which is not mine to share, so I may not be able to tell you all I know, but I'll do my best. I presume, Mr. Potter, since your friend is Muggle-born, you were aware of the efforts the Ministry took during the war to catalogue all Muggle-borns within Britain–"
"And lock them up," Ron said fiercely.
"The Department of Mysteries provided falsified evidence to the Wizengamot that Muggle-borns were stealing their powers," Theo said darkly. "You can appreciate why we have little trust for your Department."
"Regrettably, it was my predecessor – Death Eater Augustus Rookwood – who authorised the release of that ridiculous data," the Unspeakable responded firmly. "One of the Department's major areas of study is old magic. Rookwood incorrectly claimed that Muggle-borns broke the laws of old magic to steal their powers, which would be utterly ridiculous to assume possible of a non-magical person …"
At a somewhat blank look from Harry, Erikson clarified, "Old magic is a collective term to describe magic that predates modern spell-casting. Old magic can't be easily replicated today because its methods have been lost over time and it often predates the use of wands. The laws of old magic are difficult to understand, but often have strong ties to love, family, and protection. There are old protections built into the walls of Hogwarts, for instance, which have lingered since its construction. Old magic is also sometimes called elemental magic."
Sideways looks were exchanged between the Guardians. Harry's memory suddenly returned to one of the worst nights of his life: the night Voldemort came back. "His mother left upon him the traces of her sacrifice … this is old magic …"
"While you are correct, Mr. Potter, that the list of the Sacred Twenty-Eight is generally irrelevant, the fact remains that the old families – most of which are on this list – are believed to carry old magic in their blood, inherited from centuries past. Mr. Malfoy, you're the master of your estate, yes? You're tied to the old magic of your family line, and I suspect you felt it when we temporarily adjusted the old enchantments to access your grounds."
Draco bit his lip. It was true, just as Theo was master of his estate and could sense its magical protections. It was also long believed that the Headmaster or Headmistress of Hogwarts had better knowledge of the castle's protections than any other teacher, for the same reason. Hogwarts had even gone so far as to bar Umbridge from the Head's office when it didn't recognise her as its rightful master.
"Rest assured the old magic is still in place and your home is not unprotected," Erikson told Draco encouragingly. "It took much energy from three experts on our team to make the tiniest adjustment for our entrance, and as I said, we mistakenly believed it necessary. The average wizard would never be able to breach your protective walls."
"But Voldemort could," Ron muttered under his breath. Draco and Erikson nodded together.
"He indeed broke many rules," Erikson said, with almost a snarl.
Harry wondered if the Unspeakables considered their study of old magic sacred, and perhaps that was why they wanted the Mage. He stifled a shiver as he imagined Hermione locked up in a room in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries while they poked and prodded at her to find the limits of her power.
"You believe our connection to old magic is the reason the Mage chose us?" Theo ventured carefully. Erikson nodded.
"Three of you belong to the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and Mr. Potter here is … well, I doubt there is a more powerful wizard alive today. If my research is not mistaken, you're descended from the Peverell family through your father's blood and should by all rights be on the list as well. You've also escaped death several times with the assistance of old magic itself … therefore, the old magic wisely bound you to the Mage. If the prophecies were correct, the Elemental Mage is the epitome of old magic, and of course she would require support in kind."
"So, we're all from old magic?" Ron hissed to the others. "What about–?"
"He is, too," Draco murmured back. He wanted Blaise to remain unknown to the Ministry in case he needed to keep Hermione safe for longer. "But she isn't–"
"Indeed, the legend says the Elemental Mage comes from an unknown name," Erikson said as he readjusted his glasses for the fifth time. "I've studied prophecies for most of my career, and there is another that was made two centuries after the Mage Elementum. In short, 'A catalyst of old magic shall emerge after termination of a great darkness unlike anything the world has known before.' I believe this prophecy also refers to the Mage, and the great darkness it refers to was" – he coughed – "V– Voldemort himself. He not only caused more deaths than any other Dark wizard for centuries, but he also managed to break laws of old magic, which should be impossible by all accounts, no matter what Rookwood claimed."
Harry frowned as he flashed back again to the night Voldemort returned. He'd gone "farther along the path to immortality" than any other wizard, suggesting he'd made more horcruxes … but when he had no body Voldemort had also managed to possess other souls – like Quirrell and Nagini – and admitted to possessing animals like snakes. Normal wizards couldn't do that, but the Darkness could. Did that mean the Darkness could also break the laws of old magic?
"I came into my current position in the Department of Mysteries just after the war," Erikson continued. "My top priority was to locate the Mage since she could've appeared at any point after Voldemort's defeat."
"Yet, Voldemort is not the only great darkness," Theo said softly. Harry wondered if Theo had been thinking along the same lines as himself. Erikson nodded his head in understanding.
"The other Darkness you allude to that hunts the Mage is quite different from a Dark wizard. Though it isn't my specialty, there are other Unspeakables who study phenomena beyond the Earth itself, including H–" Erikson suddenly choked.
Harry looked confused, but Draco understood. "You can't say it."
Erikson slowly shook his head.
"Hell," Ron said bluntly. "The Darkness comes from Hell."
The Unspeakable closed his eyes and nodded, though it seemed to pain him as he winced. Those are some tough secret-keeping spells, Theo mused to himself.
"I'm relieved you understand much of what I wanted you to know," Erikson proceeded carefully, as though afraid to speak the wrong words. "The Darkness can do things no wizard can do – no wizard until Voldemort, that is. It can alter old magic. It can possess people … if more of their soul is devoted to Dark than Light, the Darkness can take control of it and … it …" he seemed stuck on his own words again.
"It can make people do things," Harry said softly as he felt Draco tense beside him. Erikson nodded.
"Wizards can do that," Draco defended. "I mean, we can use the Imperius Curse–"
"It's not the same as possession; the Imperius Curse can be fought," Theo replied. Erikson nodded in Theo's direction.
"The Darkness cannot be overcome by willpower alone. If a wizard has surrendered to the Darkness, they are no longer protected by Light magic – old magic. When a wizard dies under the influence of the Darkness, the theory goes that their souls are taken to – well, Mr. Weasley said it."
Draco's head throbbed. I surrendered to the Darkness when I let Hermione go.
"It is theorised …" Erikson said slowly as his eyes passed between the young wizards. "One of the Mage's Guardians can see the Darkness itself, and one can heal a person from its influence."
None of them moved. Erikson simply nodded.
"I will not ask," he said. "You seem well-informed, but you may not know the reason Voldemort's demise woke the Mage. He was Dark beyond the Darkest wizard because when he chose to split his soul – something that you, Mr. Potter, know all too well – he broke the very laws of old magic on a fundamental level. As a result, Voldemort wasn't just influenced by the Darkness. He took on its very essence."
Harry exchanged a look with Ron; they didn't like the sound of that at all.
"You see, the aim of the Darkness is to create and collect as many Dark souls as possible. Torture, fear, suffering, murder … these things feed the Darkness. By splitting his own soul and breaking old magic, Voldemort began to channel the Darkness in a manner beyond that of any other wizard. It never possessed him, simply because it didn't need to. They became allies."
Ron had a sickened look on his face.
"I don't know if you're aware of the reason Voldemort took it upon himself to make multiple soul-keepers in the first place?"
"He was afraid to die," Harry replied. As though of a memory, he felt a tiny pressure behind his scar.
"And because Voldemort allied with the Darkness, it granted his wish." Erikson said softly. "He escaped his own death for many years. His influence sent so many souls to the Darkness and poisoned the very essence of old magic itself … the response was for the old magic, the elemental magic, to create a counter-balance: The Elemental Mage."
"She's Voldemort's opposite?" Draco breathed. Could that be the reason he'd been drawn to Hermione after he wanted nothing more to do with Voldemort? Maybe that's also why her best friend was Harry Potter of all people–
Theo looked thoughtful. "If he sent souls to the Darkness, perhaps she can save them from it." Their interim lecturer nodded.
"And in accordance with my studies, the Mage will restore and strengthen old magic where it faltered and broke under Voldemort. Many alchemists say the old magic comes from the fundamental elements, and the Mage is the conduit for its rebirth. Her magic is supposedly limitless …" Erikson swallowed. "You know Voldemort's fate, of course, and he became what he did largely because he kept all his power to himself. The Mage did the same at first, but she could not long survive such quantities of raw magic on her own, which is precisely why she needs the Guardians. I was so concerned about locating her because if she hadn't known herself – if she didn't complete the bonds – she could've been ensnared by the Darkness and the sheer magnitude of her unbound power might've allowed her to become the next Voldemort."
They all sat quite still for a moment before Erikson continued, "The ritual of bonding itself is fundamentally incomparable to modern spell-casting, and the bonds that exist between each of you and the Mage are unique. I assume you were guided to a discreet location by the old magic, likely a location of magical significance with a connection to one or more of the elements?"
"Yes," Theo said softly. "I believe her magic guided us to act by instinct."
Erikson nodded with a small smile. Theo suspected the man was bursting to ask for details, but he politely withheld his curiosity.
Something still bothered Ron. "How'd you find out who she is and that she's with Malfoy?"
The Unspeakable frowned. "In accordance with the second prophecy, I believed the Mage would come to be in Britain within a year of Voldemort's demise. The Ministry's records positively identified all witches who would turn nineteen within this timeframe. My team has been monitoring them carefully, but after ruling out so many we deduced the Mage must reside at Hogwarts. There were still around ten possible witches, but we received an anonymous letter several weeks ago from Hogwarts identifying Hermione Granger as the Mage."
"What?!" Ron leaped to his feet and the others shared his look of fury. Erikson held his hands up.
"I swear, I don't know who the informant was! I received the information second-hand."
Ron returned to his chair, but he was growling in fury. Somebody betrayed us.
"Hermione Granger fits the profile of the Mage perfectly," Erikson said softly. "We would've likely identified her by now regardless of the tip. She is Muggle-born, she excelled beyond all others in her studies – you wouldn't likely know she was even provided a Time-Turner by the Department several years ago–" Theo went wide-eyed "–and we know she performs very powerful magic. The Minister himself has praised her by name.
"Our informant also suggested she was involved with Draco Malfoy, and we knew she was good friends with Harry Potter, both wizards with strong ties to old magic. Once we confirmed her date of birth, I knew she must be the Mage."
"If you knew she was dating me, why'd you think I was holding her against her will?" Draco demanded.
Erikson looked at his hands and sighed.
"I regret that not all members of my team are as open-minded as I about blood purity or blood traitors, if you will, which many now use interchangeably with 'suspected Death Eater.' I was overruled. I stand second in the hierarchy of the Department, but my superior is not as flexible as I."
"And what does your superior demand now?" Theo asked bluntly. "Are you tasked with bringing the Mage back to the Department to study her and run tests–?"
"I won't lie and tell you that wasn't part of my assignment," Erikson said bitterly. "Of course, nobody believed that she was as safe as she seems to be. I would be foolish to pretend my Department can offer her better protection than her Guardians! Personally, I wish for nothing but to assist the Mage and offer guidance, but I regret that my superior is not content with this. He is determined to study her, firsthand."
The Guardians didn't bother hiding their tense shoulders and tight lips and Erikson inclined his head to them.
"Though I won't deny I would like to meet her, I know much better than my superior how protective the Guardians are of the Mage, and I will make no demands of you. I would, however, be honoured to ally with you if you permit it. I intend to inform my superior only that the Mage has found her Guardians and is no longer dangerous; I will say nothing further of our conversation."
The four wizards exchanged careful looks and nonverbally agreed. They would never trust the Department of Mysteries, but Erikson at least seemed to be on their side.
"We'd appreciate your help," Draco said.
"I expect now that you five are attempting to master your elemental magic?" Theo nodded for them and the Unspeakable almost looked excited. "Now that I know the Mage is protected, I intend to redirect my research into the roles of the Guardians. Her power is now stable among the five of you, but it will take time for you to learn to control and use it. I hope you'll accept any assistance I can provide."
"We can correspond with you directly, but we won't enter the Department, nor answer to your superior," Harry said firmly. "She'll go nowhere near your team, and we also need an oath from you that our secret remains safe–" Erikson was already nodding in agreement.
"If it's agreeable to you, I'll meet with you here on my own after your school year is complete. Miss Granger's presence will not be required unless you wish it. My team will have completed much research by then and I hope to be of more help at that point. I do swear that her identity – and yours – remains safe with my team. I would make an Unbreakable Vow, though the Department's enchantments forbid it, I'm afraid."
A few more careful looks were exchanged between the young wizards. They nodded and all rose to their feet as Erikson politely returned to the door. Draco waved the door open, but Erikson suddenly stopped.
"There is one more thing … though her power is now shared among you, I must warn you that the enemy will still primarily target the Mage. She is, as you know, the catalyst behind your magic."
"You're saying, if the Darkness can take her …" Ron said slowly.
Erikson closed his eyes.
"… it takes all of you."
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Hagrid's hut might've never been so crowded – especially after Harry sent his Patronus to retrieve Ginny – but he seemed thrilled to be hosting. He dug through many cupboards to ensure everyone had a teacup, or at least something that would hold tea. Ron thoroughly Scourgified a clay flowerpot and Blaise held a large vessel in two hands that Harry joked might've been baby Norbert's bathtub.
The four Guardians who met the Unspeakables talked over each other quite a bit, but finally most of the vital information was communicated. Theo had sunk into deep thought and Ron and Blaise kept exchanging furious expressions as they tried to figure out who betrayed them. The Slytherins all agreed at this point that it couldn't've been Pansy – nobody believed she could figure out the secret of the Mage on her own and Draco steadfastly reassured them that Pansy did not read the Daily Prophet. She would have no reason to write the Department of Mysteries.
"So, the Sacred Twenty-Eight actually is important," Hermione mused disbelievingly. "I never would've guessed."
Ron glanced over at Blaise. "Draco said you're from an old family too, but Zabini isn't on the list."
Blaise shook his head. "Zabini's my mother's name. My father was Thomas Yaxley."
"Yaxley?" Ron frowned.
"My father died when I was three," Blaise answered. "The Death Eater Yaxley was his cousin. I never even met him."
"Sorry," Ron mumbled. Blaise just shrugged.
"You lot felt like you could trust this Erikson bloke?" Ginny asked worriedly from Harry's lap. "You didn't tell him too much, did you?"
"We didn't need to," Harry replied. "He figured out just about everything except which Guardians we are, but he didn't ask."
"So, now we know our witch here is the anti-Voldemort," Blaise said, half-jokingly. Hermione chewed her fingernail.
"I wish I could've become the Mage sooner," she said softly. "Maybe we could've saved more people."
"We can save them now," Harry said firmly as he tried not to fall into the same train of thought. "It's not too late."
"Hermione, it was so hard for you to accept the Mage," Theo reminded her softly. "If you'd acquired your power during Voldemort's rule, perhaps while out on the run somewhere or when the Death Eaters ran Hogwarts you wouldn't've found us." Hermione remained silent, but she knew Theo was right.
"So, you guys are Hermione's horcruxes," Ginny teased. "You're just her Light horcruxes." Harry grinned weakly at her attempt to lighten the mood.
"I think it makes sense that Hermione was being hunted by Dementors," Theo went on. "They quite literally spread fear and gather souls for the Darkness, so they wouldn't want Hermione around."
"That's also why they loved Voldemort," Harry muttered. "When he came back, he told the Death Eaters he was going to recall our natural allies. I reckon he meant allies of the Darkness, too."
Ron made a face. "I can't believe the Ministry ever managed to control literal creatures of Hell!"
"They gave 'em Azkaban," Hagrid grunted. He was perched on the bed, as all the chairs were filled. "Th' Dementors fed on th' souls in there and it kept 'em happy."
"Then they abandoned Azkaban 'cause the Dark Lord promised them more souls," Draco muttered. "During the war they fed on all the fear in the air … Father told me stories about the Death Eaters entering Muggle towns and just running loose. They'd attack but not kill, so the Dementors could go through and just … eat all the souls they wanted."
Everyone looked a little sick.
"'Course they all want Hermione; she's got the most powerful soul out there," Ron mumbled.
"But you've all got some of mine, so you're targets too!" Hermione said worriedly. "We must be sure to stay away from them–"
"But Erikson told us something else," Draco said as he slid his chair closer to Hermione's. "We all share your soul now, so if the Darkness gets you, it gets all of us." Everyone was silent for a moment.
"Erikson understood that the Darkness possesses people," Ron said as he drained his flowerpot. "So, we were right about that, but maybe we should've asked him why it tries to go after Hermione with knives and stuff instead of the Killing Curse if it wants her dead so badly."
"I have a theory," Theo said slowly. "If the Darkness lives on suffering and pain, perhaps it prefers to kill more slowly. It's like Gangrous said, the Killing Curse is technically a mercy when you compare it to bleeding to death."
"It also wants fear," Ginny reminded them. "The poem says the Darkness wants to cause fear, which is probably why Dementors scare people so much, so they can feed the Darkness. I bet Hermione's fear feeds it even more and that's why it takes its time and doesn't just jump out and do her in."
Hermione felt Draco tense beside her. Hermione quickly shot him a look that said it wasn't you. Unfortunately, she agreed with his train of thought – it was probably thrilled to control Draco because it terrified her, and it certainly took its time before actively trying to choke her.
Ginny watched them curiously and Harry squeezed her hand. They hadn't told Ginny about their whole weekend, and he didn't want to do so in front of Draco.
"Malfoy," Ron said as he rose to his feet. "We've got the Final next weekend, let's get in some practice!"
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