All the others woke up at about the same time. When they entered the kitchen, Narcissa was reading the Daily Prophet and Sirius was reading a book. Rose was discussing possible gift boxes they could sell for special occasions like birthdays (gender and age specifics), wedding, retirements, Christmas, Valentine's day... with Fred and George. Kreacher, who had heard them wake up, was getting everyone's breakfast ready.
Everyone settled around the table for some breakfast.
Dudley didn't know what to expect for breakfast here, but he was pleasantly surprised. The house elf knew how to cook and it was much better than what his mother made, not that he'd ever tell her that. Kreacher had even prepared a small plate on the table for the two Pygmy puffs, both of them happily settled around the plate and ate, managing to be incredibly cute as they did.
"So, what happened last night? Is everyone alright?" Harry asked Sirius.
Remus had already left to go to work, the twins had asked him not to tell the store employees that they would come earlier and he agreed. He'd mostly be doing some paper work in the office anyway. He was in charge of the work schedules and with the full moon coming up, he had to make sure everything was organised well.
"Every Death Eater either escaped or was killed trying to escape. Lucius escaped too, though Sirius here made sure he'd regret it." Narcissa replied instead of Sirius.
"You tortured him?" Draco asked in a calm voice.
Dudley was quietly watching the pictures of the newspaper moving. All of this was still new to him. He listened to the conversation quietly, knowing this was a grave moment.
"Not really... I knew that with Voldemort coming, and being so close to the doors, I wouldn't be able to catch him and if I killed him, Voldemort would kill me right after so I simply cursed him... I used one of the hair coloring spells I tried for my white strand. A very ancient and most importantly powerful spell... Your father is now stuck permanently with flashy pink hair." Sirius replied and laughter erupted all around the table, even Draco laughed.
"They mention it in the Prophet. I suspect they're all enjoying this particular piece of news." Narcissa told her son.
"Everyone else? Peter, Jenny Collins?" Harry asked.
"Peter's dead, Jenny escaped with Voldemort. According to what we found out, he broke her out himself. An auror mentioned overhearing Voldemort telling her that he had special plans for her." Sirius replied.
Harry turned to Rose, along with everyone around the table.
"I'm fine, don't worry. She did warn me that she'd do it if she was given the chance. She doesn't scare me anymore. I guess it means that Voldemort reads the Daily prophet too." Rose smiled at her brother.
"Any injuries on our side?" Ron asked.
"Your brother Bill and his girlfriend Fleur got hit by cutting curses, but they'll both be as good as new by this afternoon. Your mother still decided to stay with them though. The only serious injury..." Sirius stopped and looked at Luna.
"Daddy got hurt, didn't he?" Luna asked in her clear voice, not sounding really surprised.
By the tone of her voice, it was as if she already knew.
"He'll be fine, but he'll have to stay at St Mungo's for about 2 weeks. You'll be able to see him a little tomorrow, we'll take you there, but you won't be able to stay long at first. Unfortunately you can't go today." Sirius told her.
"He'll be fine though?" Luna asked.
"Yes, the Healer assured me that your father would be fine given some time to heal and rest. I told him that you could stay with us for as long as he needed to stay at the hospital. I'll take you home later so you can grab more of your clothes." Sirius told Luna, glad that she was made of stronger stuff that it appeared.
"What about Grandma?" Neville asked, worried.
"She's fine, she went home to rest after the battle and I told her that she could take her time before picking you up. She replied that she'd come at the end of the afternoon. She knows that you're safe here, and with friends, so she's not worried." Sirius assured Neville who nodded thankfully.
"What about us? Not that we mind being here, but we're kind of crowding you." Ron asked.
"Don't worry about that, I don't mind a full house. Your parents will pick you up tonight, after dinner. Your father will try to change your mother's mind with a little dinner, just the two of them." Sirius replied and the Weasley children frowned, thinking of their parents being romantic.
"I could go home sooner if we're too much for you." Hermione offered.
"Of course not, don't worry. The house is big and if you're too loud, I'll just send you over to Remus' or to the headquarters." Sirius joked.
After that, he left the room, followed by his cousin while the teenagers took their breakfast and read together the Daily Prophet. Rose and Fred stepped outside.
"Are you okay Dud?" Harry asked his cousin.
"Of course, it's a bit weird that there's this war going on in your world that we have no idea is going on, and hearing talking about this battle like it's an habit is weird, but I'm fine, I'll get used to it. I'm not scared for my safety if that was your question. I trust you." He smiled.
"Well, Fred and I are leaving, work and all that. You guys have fun without us. Ron, tell mom we'll sleep in the apartment above the store tonight, with the full moon coming, we have too much work. As for Rose, I'm sure that between kisses, Fred is telling her not to come over today, to stay here and rest." George told them.
They all turned to watch, outside, Fred and Rose making out.
"Or maybe he won't tell her, just make sure she stays here and rests, has fun." George told Harry who nodded.
After that, they saw George joining his twin outside and calling him. After about a minute, he had to pull Fred away from Rose, creating a very comical scene for everyone who was watching from the kitchen.
.
The rest of the morning went by quietly enough. Luna was worried for her father, but she had faith in the healers of St Mungo's to take good care of him and she knew that she was safe. There was nothing more she could do except have fun with her friends until she could visit her father.
Around 3pm, Tonks joined them and Sirius used this opportunity to take Luna to her house so she could get everything she'd need. Tonks let him go with her while she watched over everyone else with Narcissa. He decided to use his old motorcycle, which had been renovated since he got it back. Luna sat behind him, held on to him tight and let him drive to her father's house.
The Lovegood house was a bit out of the way and it would have been impossible to reach it with a car but the motorcycle did the job just fine and Luna was able to pack a bigger bag and close the house so nobody else would be able to get in. Sirius added extra wards to make sure it would be fine and they drove back to the Marauder's lair.
When they came back, everyone was in the pool, except for Narcissa who was lounging on a chair in the garden. Even Tonks was in the pool. They all seemed to be getting along and it made Sirius happy. He had been afraid Dudley would have felt rejected, but he seemed to be having plenty of fun with wizards.
"You should go and put your things in Rose's bedroom, then you'll be able to join them if you want." Sirius told Luna who nodded, smiled, and left.
"Did everything go well while I was gone?" Sirius asked his cousin, getting on a chair next to her.
"Yes, perfectly. They basically watch themselves." She replied, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her skin.
"Good, then we can nap." He smiled.
"Sirius, if you need help now that you have two more kids for 2 weeks, let me know. I could take Luna to see her father at St Mungo's if you want." She offered.
"Are you sure? You're not afraid of being spotted?" He asked her.
"No, I want to help, I don't care if my cover's blown anymore. Plus, I can use the floo to arrive directly at St Mungo's, I doubt the Dark Lord has spies there." She replied.
"Then I'm sure Luna would feel more comfortable with a woman to help her handle what's happening to her father." he smiled.
Neville's grandmother came to pick him up at about 6pm. He was glad to see that she was, indeed, fine. He was also happy to know that he'd be allowed to come back for a visit later during the summer.
.
The next morning, everything was a bit quieter at the Marauder's lair. Ron and Ginny had left with their father the previous evening, a little after dinner and that morning, Tonks had taken Hermione back to her parent's house on her way to work.
Narcissa and Draco had gone back to Headquarters after dinner and Draco came back around 10am, to spend the day with his new friends.
Dudley called his parents two times a day on the mirror to reassure them. He figured that if everything went well this time, maybe he'd be able to see more of them later. Maybe even for Christmas, maybe with his parents.
Spending time with Luna, he couldn't help but think that it would be fun to see his father meeting her. Would he find her cute and endearing like Dudley did or would he think her crazy like, apparently, her schoolmates?
.
Albus had been about to grab the box holding Gaunt's ring/ Horcruxe when the Daily prophet arrived. He turned around and went to read it. On his way to his favorite chair, Albus smiled, spotting the flowers he had caught at Lupin's wedding. Of course he had kept them, and they were now on a shelf in his office.
"No need to look at me like that Fawkes." Albus complained as his Phoenix looked at him going away from the box like a parent looks at his toddler walking away from the cookie jar.
Opening the newspaper, Albus wasn't expecting much. The front page was about some ministry measures helping the werewolves, an article saying they didn't have anymore news about the Death Eaters who had escaped, another one saying that Azkaban was back to being secured and that new measures had been taken to make it even safer.
More articles that weren't too important until, on the foreign news page, he learned of Gregorovitch, the wand maker's mysterious death. He had been tortured and killed, some wands had been stolen, but no clue was left behind to identify the murderer.
Albus frowned.
Could it be Voldemort? He was away around the same time and he was obviously looking for answers about his wand problems...
Albus frowned and kept on reading the different articles until one caught his eye, shocking him, forcing him to sit back in is chair. He finally felt the weight of his age on his shoulders and had trouble breathing.
Grindelwald's guards had disappeared, a large magical fire had been set in Gellert's cell and Gellert Grindelwald was no more. No body had been retrieved, only ashes, but it was suspected that he was dead. It was believed that families of people who had suffered from Grindelwald in the past had finally acted on their anger. The guards were suspected to have run away and to have locked Grindelwald in his cell, making sure he wouldn't be able to escape.
"Dead..." Albus whispered, a hand over his heart.
Fawkes flew over to his shoulder, trying to reassure the old man, to make him feel better.
He should have visited him, shouldn't he? They had shared something so deep, something he had never been able to find with anyone else after that... He regretted not visiting him in his cell.
"Can he really be..." Albus whispered, looking in the article, in his mind and in his heart for any reason to hope that his old companion was still alive somewhere, as silent tears rolled out of his eyes, getting lost in his beard.
If he really was dead, shouldn't he feel it in his heart?
But the solution was so simple... The ring was right there, all he had to do was place it on his finger and he'd be able to see him again. Speak with him, make peace...
Temptation was too big, he stood up and went right for the locked box. Ignoring his faithful Phoenix's protests, Albus opened the box and grabbed the ring.
He could feel the dark magic of the Horcruxe in the ring but he ignored it, the pain and need for answers too big, and placed it on his finger, letting temptation win.
The effect was immediate and while he couldn't see his dearly departed loved ones, he could feel the dark magic poisoning him. He was suffocating and he couldn't use his powers to rid himself of this ring or his dark power.
Using what little strength he had left, he started to head to the other side of the room where Gryffindor's sword laid but he fell on the ground, unable to stand back, before he could reach it. Understanding what he was trying to do, Fawkes flew there and quickly came back with the sword, dropping it right in front of Albus' hand.
Albus grabbed the sword and managed to use it. He lifted it high enough and let it fall on the ring. Finally, he was able to take the ring off, but it didn't change a thing, he was still in bad shape.
Unable to stand back up, Albus looked up at the Phoenix pleadingly.
"Go get Severus, please." He pleaded.
The Phoenix left in a burst of flames and came back, in the same burst of flames, less than 10 minutes later. He had apparently just grabbed the potion professor and left.
"Albus, what's in Merlin's name is going on here?" Severus asked.
At first the potion master seemed annoyed to have been grabbed and transported like this, without being warned first but as soon as he saw his headmaster on the floor, he rushed to his side, trying to find out what was wrong. of course he could already feel the dark magic working.
He quickly helped him up and carried him to his armchair.
"Help me..." Albus begged and Severus simply nodded, getting to work immediately on the elderly man's cursed hand.
"I can't take the curse off, but I can help contain it to this hand." Severus explained after a while and Albus nodded.
"Thank you, Severus. How long... How long do I have left?" He asked, aware of what it meant.
"Months, a year at most if your careful and if you don't overdo it, which we both know you will definitely do, so... I'm sorry to say it's probably just a few months." He replied.
Of course Severus tried to know more, to find out how Albus had done this, and why. When it became obvious that he wouldn't get a clear answer, he swore to keep the secret from absolutely everyone and left, going back to his previous activities before Voldemort found out that he was missing.
Albus was still in his armchair, trying to gather his thoughts and strength, when his chimney light up and his brother walked out of it.
"Albus, I heard the news about Grindelwald and I came to see how you're holding up. I know it's been a while and I never liked him but, well, I know it must affect you..." Aberforth started to say before he stopped and noticed the state his brother was in.
"What's going on?" he asked seriously.
"Sit down Abe, I think it's time I told you everything..." Albus declared before he told his brother about the Horcruxes he was looking for, why he was looking for them and how they could be destroyed.
Then he told him of the Deathly Hallows he had been looking for a long time ago with Gellert and how he believed the stone in the ring was the resurrection stone.
"I just wanted to make sure he was gone, to speak with him one last time, speak with Ariana, with... I was so stupid Aberforth, so weak... I let myself be tempted... I should have known better, I should have been stronger than this." he shook his head.
Aberforth looked at the ring.
"Did it work?" he asked.
"No, it didn't. I'm not worthy of it probably... And now..." Albus breathed out, showing his darkening hand to his brother.
A look of horror appeared on the younger Dumbledore. The hand looked dead.
"How long do you have left?" He asked.
Of course he understood. He had never been as smart as his brother but he had seen enough to know what this hand meant.
"A year at most, probably less." Albus replied.
"Can nothing be done?" Aberforth asked, glancing at Fawkes.
"No, nothing... Can you... Can you promise me that you'll look out for Harry and Rose? Please?" He pleaded.
"I promise you, I will. I know how much you care for them. They're family." Aberforth nodded.
The brothers stayed together for the entire day, Aberforth wanted to make sure his brother was resting well.
The next day, Albus visited his brother in his pub and the headmaster appeared to be fine, though he would tire faster than before now. He couldn't use his black hand, and it hurt a bit, but he'd handle it, he'd suffer through it as punishment for his weakness.
So, I know some of you won't like the way I did this. The bond between Grindelwald and Dumbledore, the fact that he's in the same state as in the book... It had to be done.
Review please
Lorelei Candice Black