A/N: As a word of explanation, those of us who are true lovers of the 1987 TV series Beauty and the Beast remember the importance of dreams of foreshadowing or foretelling in the series. This chapter contains a dream of premonition, not the actual events themselves. Our heroes (and heroines) will take appropriate steps to prepare in light of what they have learned.
Now, as they say, on with the show.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Dreams and Towers
Harry's Chamber, The World Below
Morning, September 1, 2001
The dream started as the two previous ones had. He was in a room – it had the feel of exam rooms the world over. Nervous students, lists of exam times and locations, people reviewing notes or reading last minute pages in textbooks, people reviewing wand gestures and motions -
the wand motions told him before the colorful clothing did that this was a magical exam room.
He himself seemed to be sitting in a chair, looking over his notes on Transfiguration and the only thought in his mind was the fact this was the last exam he would write or practice to complete his OWLs. He recalled the hours of drill and practice that Hermione had forced him to undertake – when it came to studies, the woman was possessed.
At first he did not notice the strange looking old man who had entered the room. After all, in a room full of strangely dressed people what was one more person – even if he looked like a picture book version of Merlin and he had the most lurid colored robes he had ever seen. It was not until the man was standing directly in front of him that his dream self appeared to take notice of him.
"Harry Potter?"
Although this was only a dream, he could still recall the anger that rose up when he put a name to the old man in front of him. He could readily guess who he was – the several descriptions of him given by Hermione, Fleur and Sebastien had left no doubt. That plus all the things that had been shared about him came to mind the moment he opened his mouth. But Harry recalled his decision not to tip his hand.
"Excuse me?"
"Harry Potter?" the old man repeated.
The spirit of pranksters past stirred up within him and he looked around himself to the right and left, then turned back to the old fool. "I'm sorry, but there doesn't appear to be a Harry Potter here. Have you enquired at the registration desk?"
The old man's eyes flashed for a second and then a twinkle returned. "My apology. I had assumed you had still kept up your birth name, Harry. I'm Albus Dumbledore and I have been searching for you for a very long time.
"I don't know you and I don't recall giving you permission to use my first name. What can I do for you?" In his dream, Harry's cold tone in voice and body came through loud and clear. However, Dumbledore appeared to ignore Harry's attitude.
"Harry, my boy, I was a friend of your parents and was even your magical guardian until you disappeared. I was so disappointed when you failed to appear at Hogwarts back 10 years a go and I have spent many years worrying about you and searching for you.
"Then when my old friend Remus Lupin told me that you had been found, I rejoiced and when I found out through my ICW connections that you were taking your OWLs, I volunteered myself to become your Transfiguration examiner.
"After all, I am a Master in Transfiguration and I felt it was the least I could do for the son of my old friends," There was now an expectant look in the old man's eyes and in his dream, Harry remembered feeling some compulsions urging him to trust the old grandfatherly man.
However, he recalled shaking his head to clear off all outside influences and he then replied in the same hard tone. "I do not accept your 'volunteering' on my behalf. And you have no right to call me Harry."
There was a disappointed look in the old man's eyes, but somehow, to his dream self, the disappointment was only skin deep.
"I regret that I do not have the relationship with you that I should have had, Mr. Potter," he said more formally. "You would have been my student at Hogwarts and I would have had the opportunity over several years and helped you to adjust to the wizarding world.
"However, let us start anew and fresh, Mr. Potter. Will you allow me to help you with your OWL practical in Transfiguration?"
"NO! And it is not Mr. Potter, but Mr. Wells," Harry was firm on that regard.
The disappointed look returned and Harry felt a subtle compulsion as well as a light touch on his mind. He looked away; severing what he knew was a legilimency touch.
"Stay out of my head, old man. I think we're done her," he got up as if to leave.
"Mr…. Wells, I found some important mementos of your parents. May I at least give those to you?" Dumbledore tried again.
Intrigued despite of himself, Harry nodded.
"May I suggest that we step out of this reception room to an empty testing room?" So Harry got up and followed, figuring that Dumbledore would not try anything here.
The old man opened the door and ushered Harry inside the empty room before reaching into his robes and pulling out a rubber duck. "Mr. Wells, could you hold this please while I search for those mementos?"
Harry took the rubber duck, wondering for a second why an old man would be carrying such an item, before he heard Dumbledore say "Portus", saw the duck glow blue and felt a hook grab him by the navel.
"For the greater good, my boy," was the last thing he heard.
The next clear image of his dream was coming to on a stone floor of a cold, dank room that could only have been a dungeon. The damp walls, the heavy stones and the chains hanging in one corner gave proof to that idea.
He heard movement behind him and turned to see Dumbledore whipping out his wand and uttering "Petrificus Totalus." His body froze and did not resist as Dumbledore expertly frisked his body and pulled out his wand.
"I am so sorry, my boy, for this subterfuge, but the greater good demands that I move things back to where they would have been had you come to Hogwarts.
"Now, let's see what you have been doing and where you have been for the past eleven or so years." With that he turned his blue eyes on Harry's emerald orbs and Harry's dream self felt as if someone had begun walking through his mind.
Immediately Harry threw up impressive walls in a bid to keep the unwanted mental intrusion out. The old man applied more force, but Harry's goblin teachers had trained him well. What followed was a stalemate that only broke when Dumbledore lifted an ancient looking wand and magic flooded through Harry's mind.
Even then, the hidden fastnesses that Harry had created were still holding out. Behind these walls were hidden Harry's core personality, the specifics about his family, his community and his relationship and dreams of Hermione and Fleur. However the mental projection of the old man was walking through the rest of his mind.
"This will not do. This will definitely not do," Harry heard the old man say again and again.
Finally, his head splitting from a massive headache, he felt Dumbledore withdraw and look at him with sorrowful eyes. "I regret the pain you experienced Harry. I regret so much although they were necessary steps to prepare you for your destiny.
"And now I regret what I must do to you to bring you back to the path you need to take to realize your destiny.
"You will experience some pain, but I can assure you that at the other end you will find a grateful world ready to receive their long lost savior."
He lifted the old wand again and uttered two words, "Tabula Rasa!"
The dream had mercifully blacked out the pain he felt as the spell took hold and what followed were disjointed images and the sense that he was an unwilling passenger on a train speeding down the track to its doom.
Image 1:
In the dream, he could feel his body standing stiff and tall before the crowd of robed witches and wizards. The venue was a large hall in front of a statue showing a wizard and witch as the center of attention of a crowd of adoring magical creatures.
Dumbledore was addressing the crowd and the sound of triumph in his voice was unmistakable even if he tried to speak in a humble tone. "My fellow citizens, I take great pride in unveiling the Chosen One, the Boy-Who-Lived – the one and only Harry Potter, here returned to our fair island to take up the fight against the Dark Lord.
"While he does not have a lot to say, as he is busy training with our teaching staff at Hogwarts to face Lord Voldemort, he does have some words of wisdom for us."
He then turned to Harry, subtly waving his wand as he did so and Harry heard his own voice speak in a slow, mechanical tone.
"I am happy to be back home with my people and I urge all British witches and wizards to rally behind our Chief Warlock in this time of crisis. I call on Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters to surrender – we, your magical family, want to embrace you with open arms.
"I call on Minister Bones to cease her policy of retaliation against those dark forces who have temporarily lost their way. Reconciliation, not violence, is the way to rebuild our society."
Even as several reporters and people were calling out his name and his internal voice was screaming at Dumbledore in fury, he felt himself turn away and walk back following his master.
Image 2:
He was now before a group of some forty purple robed individuals, Dumbledore having finished speaking. "Let us now listen to Harry James Potter as he speaks his mind on his future."
Again he rose and began speaking in a low, but clear voice. "Members of the Wizengamot, I wish to thank Chief Warlock Dumbledore for his tireless search for me and his care of me once I was rescued. It is with feelings of enormous gratitude that I wish to advise this body that I have signed the apprenticeship papers offered to me by Albus Dumbledore which will allow me to learn at the feet of such a great and humble man."
A sudden shout broke the silence that greeted these words. "Aurors, please check to see if Mr. Potter is under any imperio or other potions." A woman with short grey hair and a monocle stepped forward and said in a low voice to Dumbledore. "You've already cost me 50 aurors, Albus, and you may be costing us the war. Are you so foolish as to give up the only strategy that has been keeping Tom at bay?"
The Aurors were halted before they could get too close to Harry by members of the Wizengamot. "Mr. Potter has given us his statement and that is enough for us, Madame Minister. If you wish our support, then you will have to fall in behind our Chief Warlock and his apprentice, The Boy Who Lived.
Even some of the Aurors appeared now to waver and Minister Bones was forced to retreat even as Albus Dumbledore gave a smile of triumph.
Image 3:
"And Harry, I present you to your new bride, the new Lady Potter, Ginevra Molly Potter," the aged Headmaster said, his face beaming with pride. A family of redheads surrounded him, Harry and a petite red haired woman in white.
His suddenly more normal voice broke through the congratulations. "Headmaster, what of the current Lady Potter, my future consort?"
He could sense part of his mind breaking free, if only for a moment. Then he heard a screech from the petite woman's mother. "Albus? I thought the spells and potions had removed all of those memories."
Albus' face became more serious. "We may have to entice young Miss Granger here – to 'persuade' her for the greater good of course."
All the while, Harry's inner self was raging against the Headmaster and the situation in which he found himself. Dumbledore was indeed worse than they had imagined.
Image 4:
The tall thin man with pale skin, baldpate and red eyes resembled more a snake than a man even as he advanced with his large force behind him. "So this is the champion that caused my downfall twenty plus years ago. Dumbledore, I dealt with your first 'boy-who-lived' and I will easily deal with this young fool."
Dumbledore stood behind Harry with the members of the Order of the Phoenix, their wands all lowered, as they watched the two figures square off against one another. Both Harry and Voldemort circled one another for a few moments before Harry pointed his wand towards the ground.
"My master tells me that in order to gain victory, I must be prepared to die, Tom Riddle. The power that you know not is love and when I rise again from the killing curse as I did before, you will know that you have no more power." Harry could tell that he was speaking as the automaton once again.
Voldemort only laughed in a cold, high voice. "Well then, Mr. Potter, let me ensure that you be reunited with your family. AVADA KEDAVRA!"
With a sudden green flash, Harry felt his soul rip from his body and then blackness descend. The last words he heard were "Dumbledore, you old fool! This time Mr. Potter is truly dead and you will be next. AVADA KEDAVRA!"
For the third morning in a row, Harry woke up with a start. The details of the dream were so clear that his heart was pounding and sweat beaded his forehead when he woke up. My God, he thought to himself, the reality of the dream was so strong that he could remember every detail and the end of the dream – he must have died.
Was it just a dream? He had only two months before been trying to help calm Erin down after she had been dreaming about the Twins falling. But should he say something to anyone? If so, who should he tell?
His musings were taken out of his control when he heard a knock on the chest of drawers by his door. "Harry, are you okay? I heard some tossing and turning as I walked by and this sounds like the third time this week," his mother asked.
What was it about mothers, he wondered. "Why did you come down this tunnel, Mom? It is a bit out of your way."
"Just a little habit I developed over the years since we adopted you – you had some issues with nightmares when you were younger and I always want to know how my children are sleeping." she replied.
Even while he blushed at the reminder, he felt warm inside. His mother still cared for him. That gave him the courage to open up about the dreams.
Within the first minutes of his telling of the dreams, Diana felt a spike of worry. Harry probably did not remember his earlier guesses in regards to Joe and Jenny's daughter Cathy. Nor would he have known about Vincent's occasional premonitions that manifested themselves as dreams. But she remembered.
Oh yes, she remembered.
She remembered the dream Vincent had had when he was searching for his son – the dream of a snowstorm coming to the tunnels and of tunnel inhabitants freezing. Then Gabriel, his lover's murderer and kidnapper of his son Jacob – he had sent Snow, a hired assassin, to attempt to kill Vincent and two tunnel dwellers had died.
Yes, she had heard about Vincent's premonitions. And now her son Harry had them as well.
She listened to the entire dream and was startled at how clear the memory was. Normally dreams would begin to fade the moment the dreamer awoke – it was almost unheard of for a dreamer to remember a dream as clearly as Harry did now.
"Harry, I think it's not a dream," she began. "I think it might be a warning of some kind – and I think that we need to talk to Alex as soon as possible about it."
Her worries grew when she saw her son nod his head in agreement. This obviously had Harry worried as well.
Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts,
Iverness, Scotland
September 2, 2001
Albus Dumbledore was inwardly frustrated, but outwardly continued to play the grandfatherly host as he poured tea for his werewolf guest. Lupin had been in his office for at least ten minutes and only now was coming to the point of the summons.
He had recognized immediately when Remus had entered his office that the Order oath no longer applied to him. There was a lightness to his steps, a smile on his face and even a trace of insolence and mistrust in his features. Oh yes, while he would not try to perform Legilimency on the werewolf as they were notoriously difficult to read, he had perfected the art of observation and knew enough to recognize when a major personality change had occurred. Something over in New York City had broken the oath geas and he suspected Remus would not take out the oath again. But he still could give him answers – and he desperately needed answers.
"So, Remus my boy, did you encounter the young Mr. Wells?" he asked behind a mask of gentility.
The werewolf only smiled and then finally nodded. "Yes, I did, Albus. I also met his parents, Miss Granger-Potter and Mlle Delacour who are his two companions and consorts."
Albus barely avoided a jerk of surprise. "Consorts?"
"Yes, Albus, it appears that our young Mr. Wells is romantically entwined with both Miss Granger-Potter and Mlle Delacour with the blessings of his parents and the parents of the two young ladies in question."
"Remus, my boy. I hate to press the issue, but I need to know. Is he Harry Potter?"
Remus could only smile inwardly. Thank Merlin, the oath geas was gone and now he would not have to lie. "No, Albus, he is not Harry Potter."
The werewolf watched as Albus appeared to sink into himself. The look of disappointment was clear on his face. But he had promised Alex and the Wells family that he would deliver the message that he had been sent to deliver.
"However, he was Harry Potter – once – until you killed him. And he sent me back to you with a very clear message – leave him alone."
It was not often that Remus could catch Dumbledore in shock, but for a brief moment, the only expression on the old headmaster's face was shock and surprise.
But only for a moment and then the twinkle had returned.
"He cannot be once a Potter and now someone else, Remus. He was born a Potter and he will remain a Potter until he dies." The tone was now that of a professor lecturing a difficult student.
"On October 31, 1994, while you were casting your Blood Summoning Ritual at Hogwarts, it impacted a young Harry in New York City – it forced him to the wall of his school, where because he was unable to respond to the magic of the ritual, magic exacted the ultimate price. His heart stopped and his lungs stopped – Harry Potter died just as the goblins announced later that year."
Dumbledore was shaking his head. After all his plans, after all his attempts to control the future, to be beaten by his own Blood Summoning Ritual – NO! Remus was overlooking something. Remus was missing something.
Remus gave the old man a few minutes to digest his statement, then added. "I even have proof from the goblins at Gringotts NY – Harry Jacob Vincent Wells undertook an inheritance test last year shortly after he discovered the magical world in the U S and it clearly showed that he died and then was reborn as Harry Black Wells, magical heir of Sirius Black and also the founder of his own new house.
"Miss Hermione Granger underwent the same magical inheritance test and she tested true as the new Potter Head of House and her younger brother as the new Heir to the Potter House. She and Mr. Wells are related eight generations back through a squib Potter relative.
"And before you doubt my word, I have certified copies signed off by both the goblins at Gringotts NY and by the US Magical FBI."
Dumbledore's face had taken on the expression of a gold fish – the flurry of news and information was temporarily overwhelming the older man. Then his face hardened and he asked the one burning question that his mind would not let go.
"How could he die and then come back to life?"
Remus gave him a genuine smile. Here was something that the old headmaster did not know. "The Muggles have developed technology that allows them to restart a heart after it has stopped beating. Harry's mother had arrived just as the magic and his heart failed and she was able to keep air moving and his heart moving until the Muggle healers could restart his heart.
"When his heart started up again, the healers noticed a black substance oozing from his scar and since that time, his scar has faded to almost nothing."
Thoughts were racing through Dumbledore's mind even as Remus was speaking. If Harry had truly died, then there was a strong possibility that the prophecy was worthless or would be considered fulfilled. In some insane way, the account that Remus had shared did make some sort of sense. If indeed Harry had died, then his house and family magic would have flowed to the next Potter in line and Dumbledore knew well enough that Miss Granger could have a potential connection to the Potter family.
But too much rested on the need for the prophecy to be fulfilled properly and he refused to believe that Fate would be so cruel as to throw away his interpretation of the prophecy. Harry had to be alive.
"So you could not convince Harry to come here and tell me this himself, Remus?" the old man said in a disappointed tone.
"Albus, Mr. Wells had a clear message – along with the Magical FBI, the goblins, his consorts and his family. He is willing to let bygones be bygones, but he is not interested in returning to Magical Britain any time soon. He is an American citizen, twice over, has a home and family in the U S and does not consider Britain home.
"And if I were you, I would honor that request."
A disquieting thought suddenly burst upon Dumbledore's consciousness. What if Harry had died, but the soul fragment from Tom Riddle had not. What if Remus had been talking to a manifestation of Riddle? Tom had been an eloquent wizard in his youth and he could easily fool someone like Remus. He, Albus Dumbledore, would be much more difficult to fool.
"I would need to verify Harry's story for myself, Remus. There is information that I have not shared with anyone else before, but of which I was aware from the day James and Lily were killed by Tom. Harry not only survived the killing curse, but he also received a fragment of the Dark Lord's soul, a fragment that was lodged in Harry's scar.
"I am afraid that if Harry and his magic died due to the unfortunate application of the Blood Summoning ritual that this would given Tom's soul fragment the chance it would have been waiting for a long time – the chance to possess Harry's body and his magic."
Remus instinctively drew back at Dumbledore's words. Harry possessed – that was ridiculous. There was no dark echo in Harry nor would he have attracted the love and support of Hermione or Fleur if there had been. Dumbledore was just reaching for straws, anything to avoid dealing with the message sent by Harry and his family.
Before he could voice his opposition to Dumbledore, the old man raised his hand. "I am aware that you believe that Harry is not possessed nor a dark lord in training. However, in this case, and being the student of Tom for as long as I have been, I will for now reserve judgment on what you have said and what I think may be possible.
"I regret your breaking the oath, Remus, and unfortunately, I may have to withdraw my prior support for you as a safe lycanthrope for international travel. Without the bindings of the oath, I cannot vouch for your actions to the larger international community.
"For now, I would ask you to leave me as I must meditate on the news you have brought me today."
This was obviously a dismissal and Remus got the distinct impression that he had suddenly disappeared as far as Albus was concerned. It appeared that Alex Mackenzie had made the proper prediction as to what Albus Dumbledore would do.
As he rode the staircase down, he only hoped that Albus would not do anything stupid.
Special Liaison Room, The World Below
September 2, 2001
One advantage of having meetings underground was that one could easily lose track of what time it was up top, Sebastien Delacour thought to himself as he, Apolline and Fleur made it down the central staircase to the special room where Vincent and the goblins conferred on a monthly basis on mutual issues affecting their two communities. He and his wife were coming to appreciate their visits to the underground community because there was always a surprise around every corner and the depths of culture and knowledge in the community never ceased to amaze him.
But today was not an occasion of pleasure. Alex had issued a tersely worded message saying that Sebastien was needed in New York to help the Triad and their anchors as the parents now called themselves understand what Alex considered true seeings by Harry.
When they entered the chamber, Fleur left her parents to take her now familiar place at the Harry's right as Hermione was already doing on his left. It was obvious the bushy haired brunette was already trying to calm Harry down by holding his hand and rubbing his back. Sebastien and Apolline sat near them, taking their seats between the Grangers and Vincent and Diana. Ales was the only human who sat alone and Snagtooth occupied the place next to him.
When the Delacours had taken their seats, Alex reached up behind his chair and placed a large bowl on the table. "This, my friends, is called a pensieve and this specific model can project a common memory so that all of us in this room can see it."
He looked at each person sitting around the table and nodded to himself. Harry had a good family and great friends – he was going to need them in the coming days if Harry's dreams were true.
Everyone was looking at the pensieve and then back at him. He looked to Harry and Harry nodded his head slightly. "I asked Harry to give me a copy of the memory of the dream he had three times. When Diana contacted me and described her concerns and some of the content of Harry's dreams, I assumed that it was most likely a true seeing as seeing appears to run in the Wells family."
Hermione interrupted. "What is a true seeing?"
Sebastien replied. "A true seeing is when a person can see a series of events as they would occur if the underlying events would not change. The events covered by the seeing are not set in stone – they can be changed if one understands what is going on."
"Miss Mediwitch, I have received several 'true seeings' both before and after I met Harry and fathered Erin. My 'seeings' were warnings and I have learned to trust them – to ignore them would be to put myself and those I love in great danger." Dan and Emma couldn't help smiling at Hermione's blush at hearing Vincent's nickname for her – even though Vincent's tone was serious, he still found the time to gently tweak their daughter.
Hermione nodded her understanding and then turned to Alex. "Can we just play this now? Harry is really upset with the way the dream plays out and how it ends."
Harry then spoke in a low voice. "I wasn't strong enough, I wasn't strong enough to stop him. I tried so hard, I fought so hard to stop him, but I couldn't stop the spell. And then I had to see what he did with my body and my voice; I had to watch as he sent me to die."
Both Fleur and Hermione had embraced Harry by this time and the parents around the table held back tears. There was nothing they could say to Harry as they lacked the context to understand his words, but the warmth and acceptance of both of his companions succeeded where mere words would have failed. Harry eventually lifted his head and, pointing to the pensieve, growled to Alex, "Play it!"
Silence fell upon the people sitting in the room after the last Avada Kedavra was heard. Finally a French voice broke the stillness. Batarde. Salaud!.
"I take it you have some opinions on this, Sebastien," Alex said dryly. "Can you authenticate this memory?"
Sebastien took a few seconds to compose himself. "I have some skill in seeing true seeing, mes amis, and yes, I believe this is a true seeing. It also fits with what I know about the old fool. He works this way and he would rather destroy a person and his personality to ensure that events move as he thinks they should than take a chance that events will unfold as destiny says they should.
"But I do not think you understand what he would permit if his actions are allowed to occur as this seeing shows us. He would undercut the current Minister of Magic, suggest a policy of reconciliation with the Dark Lord, and send Harry out to die at the Dark Lord's hand. Result – victory in Britain by the Dark Lord.
"No, this is very believable and we should ensure that this does not happen."
Diana was quick to link Harry's earlier comments to what they had seen in the pensieve. "Harry, you feel that you let everyone down by not being strong enough to resist Dumbledore's spell?"
Harry nodded mutely even as both young women tightened their grip on him.
"Harry, the spell Dumbledore used should have wiped out your entire memory, yet your occlumency skills were strong enough that you were able to maintain a fortress in your mind that he could not penetrate. And at the 'wedding', you even broke through the conditioning – Harry, what you demonstrated in this seeing was powerful mental magic," Alex said.
Vincent growled out his next words – the sight of a strange old man wiping out his son's memories and leading him eventually to his death awoke the protector in the heart of the leonine man. "How soon would this take place and how can we act to ensure that this does not take place?"
"I would suggest from the strategy that we have been following in regards to Harry and his preparations that it would occur next month, on the last day of the OWL testing for home schooled students," Alex replied. "And now that we have an idea of his strategy, we can take active steps to ensure he is not successful, but instead that we begin to bring him down."
"How would you do this?" Dan wanted to know.
"First of all, for Albus Dumbledore to attempt this kidnapping from an ICW sponsored event is a definite breach of the law as well as of tradition. ICW testing has always been considered sacrosanct, a neutral ground where no matter what faction someone may belong to, one has equal access to ICW resources," Alex began.
"So you are suggesting wards and an invisible presence at the OWLs during the entire week?" Sebastien asked.
"Yes, that plus warning the British Minister of Magic now and warning the head of ICW relations in this country,"
"Just be aware that the events portrayed are typical of Albus' strategy," Sebastien replied, then addressing the whole group. "Albus likes to gather information to himself and hang on to it. If he could gain control over Harry quietly, on the sly, that would be best for him – then he could program him, set him on the path he believes Harry should have been on and follow behind to make sure that Harry does not stray from it.
"We can see from the events in this seeing that his strategy is clear – first, present Harry as Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, which effectively will tip the balance between the Ministry and Dumbledore in his favor. This would allow Albus to present his message of reconciliation and undercut the strong responses that the British Ministry has been taking against the Death Eater terrorists.
"He would then ensure that he secures Harry to himself by any means possible and the use of an apprenticeship contract would be a masterful stroke. Thus he could then encourage his supporters to resist even the Minister who would be acting as a reactive force to the news of Harry's return.
"A connection to the Weasleys would be seen again as a masterful stroke. That family has long been seen as supporters of Albus and of the Light – tying Harry to them would ensure the family is loyal to Albus and opens a possible door to access to the Potter wealth to Albus and the Weasley family.
"But why he would want Harry to die at the Dark Lord's hand…of course – the soul fragment. He knows about the soul fragment and believes that only killing Harry by Voldemort's hand would ensure that the soul fragment would be dead. Of course."
Harry was shaking at the depths of the potential manipulations that Dumbledore was planning. "But would informing the Minister, setting up wards and ensuring the ICW is aware be enough to stop the old fool? I have no wish to deny my family or pretend to be someone I am not.
"As well, I have no wish to ever deny my own companions," he continued, patting the hands of both Hermione and Fleur. Their only response was to squeeze his hand in return and then look back to the other adults.
Sebastien was smiling as he saw the three – Apolline had confirmed earlier that the bonds between the three were growing ever tighter and thicker. Soon it would be too late to break the Triad bond. "I believe, Harry, that once Albus' plan is discovered and made public that a kidnapping plan will no longer work and it will force the old spider to come out into the light of day and be exposed.
"Then his plans will have to be more public and thus more easily countered."
Alex tried to reassure all of the Triad members and parents. "Now that we have a pretty clear idea of what Albus is thinking of doing, we can take appropriate steps. I will ensure that wards are set up around the OWL testing centre for all the OWL exams – so that no portkey, no apparition nor any other form of magical travel will work. I will also ensure that MFBI agents will be there at the exam centre itself.
"Lastly, I believe it is time we contact the British Minister of Magic and let her know about Harry – the main points anyway. She needs to be forewarned."
A look around the table told Alex that he had the support he needed. Preparations would be made.
Wizengamot Chambers, Ministry of Magic
September 4, 2001
"And so I rise, my esteemed colleagues, to propose a new law that will ensure that future Heads of Houses will be adequately trained in the assumption of their responsibilities and in knowledge of the basics of magic," Albus began.
This was a role he enjoyed – the respect of his supporters, the cut and thrust of political debate, the discussion over laws. He needed this to pass – if what little information that Remus had shared with him was correct, Harry was about to complete his OWLs and that had always been a rite of passage for someone on the way to adulthood in the magical world.
While this rite of passage was more traditional than actual law, it was completion of OWLs that was the bare minimum for someone to be able to leave a magical school. That and coming of age at 17 were the two criteria official or unofficial for someone to be considered an adult in the British magical world.
He did not want Harry to be considered an adult in the British magical world. No, if what he was planning was going to work, then he had to have a law in place that would put Mr. Potter in legal limbo until he could compel Harry to sign whatever indentures or apprenticeship agreements he, Albus, felt necessary to tie the boy to his destiny.
"You have in front of you a copy of the proposed law and its implications. In my humble opinion, and of course I defer to the collected wisdom of this august body, no witch or wizard should ascend to the Headship of a Magical House without legalizing the requirement of both their OWLs and that they be of age."
Fortunately for Albus, only his supporters were in the chamber today. One elderly man, Elphius Hillcastle, raised his wand. "Why now, Chief Warlock? Our current system has worked well before."
"We live in dangerous times, my esteemed colleague and…" Let the battle begin, Albus almost smiled to himself. He would allow debate, but only until it was time to vote. Mr. Potter had to be in his hands before he completed his OWLs, but then he would be guided properly.
Minister of Magic's Office, Ministry of Magic
September 5, 2001
The sealed diplomatic envelope made through several layers of security, having been scanned for spells, portkeys, delayed curses, hexes or dark materials and now a very tired Amelia Bones slit the envelope open with her wand. Good, she thought to herself, whoever sent this had tuned it to her magical signature only.
Peering inside, she saw only one sheet of the white bond paper the Americans favored for their diplomatic correspondence. Obviously they had not gotten the memo from Supreme Mugwump Dumbledore encouraging ICW countries to return to traditional quill and parchment. Or perhaps, they had gotten the memo and simply turned their noses up at it, as they were wont to do with rules they felt were stupid.
Pulling out the page, she spread it on her desk, casting one last set of detection spells on it. There she got a surprise – an albeit pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. She recognized these two magical signatures – signatures from happier days. Alex Mackenzie and Sebastien Delacour – two people she had enjoyed working with in the past and with whom she would not mind working in the future. So what would they be doing sending her a letter. To satisfy her curiosity, she began to read.
Dear Minister or Madam Bones (or Amelia)
That is if you are not too large for the seat you so ably occupy, especially in these dark times.
We are in receipt of news that requires a face-to-face meeting – this is a game changer for you and the war and we must work together to keep a certain crooked long nose out of these affairs.
A suggestion – we are willing to meet you in Dublin tomorrow at 12:00 at the Witches Cauldron. Please come alone or bring only one other that you can trust implicitly.
Just write yes on this paper and it will magically inform us on the other end.
Yours in magical justice
Alexander Mackenzie, Magical FBI
Sebastien Delacour, Departement des affaires etrangeres de la France
Figures they would begin with their humor. This was one of the surest signs to her that this missive came from her two old friends. It brought back memories of a drunken binge at the Three Broomsticks where she had gotten sucked into a discussion as to the relative difference between witches and wizards, specifically in terms of certain body parts. Even now, it brought both embarrassment and an insane urge to laugh.
So they had news of a game changer – that could only mean in relation to the three sided war that seemed to have settled down into a stalemate although she was still wondering why Albus had suddenly called together a meeting of his rump Wizengamot to push through a law requiring putative Heads of Houses to have both reached the age of majority and obtained their OWLs as a basic minimum prior to obtaining their house headship. What was the point and why had his trained seals gone along with this, she wondered.
She trusted these two and thus it boiled down to one question – who could she invite to go with her. It came down to one name – Kingsley Shacklebolt. He had once been a strong supporter of the old man, but after the Blood Summoning ritual debacle in 1994, he had turned his back on him and when she had become Minister, had sworn not only the standard oath, but also a personal wizard's oath to the Ministry and to her personally.
She would have to call him in later today to explain the sudden change in assignment, but in the meantime, any suggestion that could end this current stalemate sounded like something worth exploring.
She wrote quickly and decisively Yes only to see the letters turn golden and then disappear.
It was now time to organize a trip to Dublin.
ICW Examination Office, Boston, MA
Same Time
"And you are certain of this? This would be the worst violation of our independent status in over a century," William Halverson, ICW Exam USA Director, said sharply. He was clearly not happy.
"Do you think I like it, Bill?" Alex replied. He had just filled Bill in on a suspected plot to capture one of their prospective students for the next month's exams, but had not given him Dumbledore's name.
"So what are you asking of us, Mr. Mackenzie?" Halverson asked.
"Your silence for now and your permission to set up anti-Portkey, anti-Apparition, and anti-Floo wards around the exam centre during the October testing week. We will also have agents in place, but they will be disillusioned or under invisibility cloaks."
"I can't say that I like it, but you are sure of this?"
"Almost certain enough to name the person who will attempt the kidnapping. But as you know, we can do nothing until we have caught him or her in the act."
Halverson sighed. He was not happy to see security tightened in what had been a hitherto sacrosanct examination process, but he imagined the scandal that could result if someone was actually kidnapped from the exam centre. No, he had to cooperate.
Wordlessly he nodded his head and signed the recommendation three minutes later. Things were lining up nicely.
Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts
Inverness, Scotland
8:00 A.M., September 6, 2001
Albus loved when a plan was beginning to come together. He had just visited with his Potions Master Severus and had picked up the control potions he needed for the successful neutralization of Tom's soul fragment in Harry. The law had been passed as he had hoped and as far as legal justification, that was now ready.
Now he held in his hand the final exam schedule for home-schooled students for the ICW administered OWLs in Boston, USA and he had even chosen his date – the transfiguration exam on October 5.
He had two final decisions to make – which robes would he wear to meet Harry Potter after 20 years and which portkey would he use – the rubber duck or his newest sock puppet, the kangaroo from the Australian representative to the ICW. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
The Witches Cauldron, Dublin, Ireland
Noon, September 6, 2001
When Amelia entered the surprisingly modern pub with Shack, she glanced around for the familiar faces of Alex or Sebastien. She thought that she would not be staying there to discuss their 'game-changer' but they would have to establish contact with her to have her come to a new location.
Thus, when the old house elf came up to them, she almost ignored it, but then looked at the elf carefully. In place of the usual towels, this house elf was wearing a French beret with an American flag T-shirt – not common wear for Irish house elves.
The elf carefully waved his hand over the two of them before asking them to each take his hand. As soon as they did so, with a pop, they were gone.
Only to materialize in the sanctuary of a ruined church. Blinking in the sunlight after transitioning from the darker pub, Amelia saw two familiar figures approaching.
"What the bloody…."
Alex handed Sebastien a galleon. "You were right. Amelia can't start a conversation where she is not in control without swearing." Sebastien only smiled.
The two men embraced Amelia warmly – even to Shack, the vibes between the three spoke of long friendship and shared battle between them. Even when Amelia lightly struck Sebastien, it was not a vicious blow, but rather gestures exchanged between battle comrades.
"What a trick, gentlemen," she said after she had calmed down a bit. "Why all the secrecy?"
"Simple – we are trying to keep the knowledge that we know what the Chief Warlock is up to quiet for now, but we wanted you to know," Sebastien replied. Indicating Shack, his eyebrows went up in what was clearly a question.
"I trust Kingsley Shacklebolt with my life," Amelia replied. "He was with Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix, but left after that debacle with the Blood ritual. He has since sworn an oath both to the Ministry and to me."
Alex and Sebastien looked at one another and then nodded. He then turned to Kingsley. "I've heard of you, Shack, even on our side of the water. Could you set up some privacy and anti eavesdropping wards, please?"
As Kingsley was performing his task, Alex came up beside Amelia and quietly passed her a note. He then stepped back, allowing her to read.
Harry Potter died magically on October 31, 1994, but came back to life as Harry Wells the same day with new magic and a new house identity. Albus just found out and plans to kidnap Mr. Wells to transform him into his version of Harry Potter.
Amelia read the message twice not quite understanding what she was reading. "Are you serious?" she asked the two men as Kingsley returned.
"Very – seeing as my daughter is one of his 'intendeds'," Sebastien said with a serious face. "Very – seeing as my daughter is the person who reintroduced young Mr. Wells to the wizarding world a year ago in April 2000."
"I can confirm the veracity of that statement and I have proofs with me, Madame Minister," Alex added. "But we do not have a lot of time and we wanted to show you a true seeing young Mr. Wells had in regards to Mr. Dumbledore and his plans. We have a wizarding tent, a legal pensieve and supporting documents all below.
"And you can invite Shack to join us once he gives us a wizard's oath to keep everything confidential."
The oath freely given, the four went down to the wizarding tent and the viewing of the dream began.
"Merlin," was Amelia's only word as she came out of the viewing.
Kingsley's words were much stronger. "That old manipulative, lying, twisted, law breaking fool. He is so fixated on that bloody prophecy that he just handed Britain to the Dark Lord on a silver platter."
Alex focused his gaze sharply on Kingsley. "So you feel comfortable with the veracity of this seeing? Albus Dumbledore would act like that?"
"Definitely," the black auror spat back. "In fact, if you note the Wizengamot scene, I was one of the first aurors to arrive and try to carry out the Minister's wishes.
"Oh, yes! Albus would do exactly that and he would use that reasoning to justify those actions."
Amelia raised her hand to break up the conversation. "Gentlemen, let's not waste time seeing whether Albus would do something like this or not. I believe we know our old fool too well not to believe that he would not do such an action. Instead, let me ask you a question – why bother to show this to us now? What is your endgame?"
"Madame Minister, we have already acted on much of this seeing. We have made arrangements, grudging ones at that, with the ICW and they will allow wards to be put up all during the OWLs exams as well as permit our agents to patrol the exam centre. We will ward Mr. Wells ourselves to ensure that he is impervious to charms or portkeys.
"Informing you now is another one of our strategies. We believe, and Mr. Wells and his two companions are in agreement with this, - we believe that in informing you, you will be forearmed. Getting the information out there about the existence of Mr. Wells was a calculated risk, but one that Mr. Wells, his family, we, and his companions felt that was needed to be made.."
With that, Alex and Sebastien laid out the reasoning behind the decision to release the photo as well as the actual reality about Mr. Wells, his magical status, the events of October 31, 1994, and his citizenship status.
The sun was low in the horizon by the time that the four stopped their discussion. Amelia felt frustrated – this was the biggest news and indeed, a potential game changer in the war, but for the moment, she and her forces could do nothing.
"Madame Minister, we believe that Albus will slit his own throat and we want to begin building a case against him on the American side. For the moment, all we want from you is your cooperation that if he does something criminal against Mr. Wells in the U S, that you will not oppose our requests for justice."
Amelia's eyes were hard, but firm. "If Albus too many names Dumbledore breaks the law on your side of the pond, his butt is yours. We will not stand in your way. If he wants to play against law, tradition and working with us, then he will deserve what he gets."
CUNY University and Columbia School of Medicine, NYC
7:30 am, September 11, 2001
For both Hermione and Harry, since the last week of August, their attention had moved away from dreams and threats of Dumbledore to studying. For Hermione, this semester marked her first formal semester as a medical student and while she was appreciating the medical training she was receiving from Dr. Jacob Wells and Dr. Peter, the start of formal studies brought home to the studious young woman that she was finally on her way to the career of her dreams. That she was also in the beginning stages of planning a January wedding with a certain raven haired green eyed business administration student only crossed her mind when her day fell on her neatly organized schedule and day planner.
Of course, there were times when both she and Harry had together time besides cuddles, talking, reading, or planning – times when Harry regretted Fleur's having volunteered Hermione to even begin the process. Hermione was a demon at forcing Harry to study for his OWLs and the fact that he had to integrate this with time with her, community time, time with Fleur, studies in his final year at CUNY, time with her, work on the new brownstone project, time with Fleur – all these commitments made him wonder if he would reach the January wedding date or not.
Then of course, there was still the unknown date as the collapse of the Twins – were they right? Was it going to happen? The warnings had come in August and Alex and said that it was close – yet to date no sign.
Today, a bright sunny day in early September would see both Hermione and Harry beginning their day in classes.
8:55 A.M.:
Harry's cell phone buzzed incessantly even as other phones in their first lecture were going off. Picking up his phone, he checked the number, surprised that he was able to pick up the signal in the lecture hall, but then remembering that this hall was on the outside of the university campus.
The number was one of his helper friends from across town and he suddenly had a bad feeling – something was going on.
"Harry," he quipped, noticing that several other phones were also being answered despite the professor's boring delivery – or perhaps because of it.
"Harry, the North Tower – a plane, a plane – just crashed into it – it's smoking. You've got to see it."
Harry could now see a growing exodus of students from the lecture hall as they were scrambling to find more sources of information.
He thanked his friend, ended the call and went out into the hallways to see if he could find some confirmation of what was going on.
Columbia University Medical School
9:05 am
It would later be determined that Hermione was such a focused person on capturing the details of her lecture on basic human anatomy that she did not register the growing buzz that began to seize her classmates. It would not be until Harry called her for the third time that she would register the persistent vibration of her phone and pick it up.
"Granger," she had spoken into the phone, briefly resenting the interruption to the lecture.
"Hermione, it's Harry," came a familiar voice.
She began to focus on the voice even as the lecturing professor now hesitated, reading a hand written note being passed to him by another student.
'Yes, Harry, I thought I had warned you never to call me during lectures."
"Hermione, MIONE – listen, it's Erin's prediction – it's the Twins. A plane just crashed into the North Tower some 15 or so minutes ago. Merlin, that's another plane into the South Tower."
Realizing by now that something major was going on, Hermione closed up her notepad, closed her book and moved to quietly exit the lecture hall. Still listening to Harry in one ear, she almost failed to register the professor suspending class to allow people to take in the news of the strikes against the World Trade Centre.
"Harry, we need to notify Down Below. Our contingency plans – they have to be activated now," she said in a rush once she was in a clearer zone for phone transmission.
"Good idea. Where can we meet? I want to make sure that you're safe and that we are working together on what we had planned."
"Columbia Med School Basement, left corner?" she suggested. "Got it – I'll stash my books and take the CUNY parking lot entrance, send an emergency code along the pipes and meet you there."
"What about Fleur? The Magical Mall needs to be notified as well as the goblins."
"Does she have her cell phone on her? Call her on it – we've been experimenting with the new design that allows the phones to work in heavily magical zones."
"Will do. Harry – stay safe. Get the areas evacuated – I think with the fires started, the towers might fall and if they do – toxic effects every where."
With that they signed off.
The Hub, The World Below
9:15 am
The emergency code on the pipes got everyone's attention and when Harry's message came in of the strike on the World Trade Centre, a rehearsed contingency plan went into effect.
First, rock walls collapsed the tunnels near the Twin Towers and the resulting cave in shut the flow of air currents from the potentially effected areas to other areas closer to the Hub and other inhabited areas.
At the same time, calls went out to Helpers city wide to first determine if any people known to the community might be working today in the Towers, then to see if any helpers were above and in the immediate vicinity of the World Trade Centre. Any that was encouraged to leave the area as Erin's prediction was now being seen as coming true.
As reports of first responders, police and firefighters now entering the burning building began to arrive, Diana found her current status as stuck down below a bit frustrating. She could empathize with her colleagues who were doing what they could to bring people to safety – but she was also very fearful. Her daughter had been traumatized by what she had seen in her dreams and she feared that New York City, and more specifically her own service would see significant tragedy today.
As the morning progressed, Hermione found herself watching snatches of news reports even as she was moving towards the basement levels of the Columbia Medical School complex. She had succeeded in getting hold of her friend Fleur who in turn had notified the goblins: now she was doing all she could to reach Harry, make sure he was safe and then go below to begin to coordinate possible first aid and assistance teams to help those who would be impacted by the ongoing tragedy.
Her heart sank as she saw the collapse of first one tower and then the second. They had been right to be concerned about the risk of exposure to their world – they also were right to have been concerned about the possible toxic effects of the dust of the two towers as it settled on people surrounding the two collapsed buildings.
At one point, the shock of seeing people falling to their deaths rather than taking their chances on staying in burning stairwells proved too much for the tender hearted young witch and it was as she was on the ground floor of the Columbia Med School building, frozen in front of a TV screen, silent tears rolling down her cheeks that Harry found her.
His only response on seeing her, once he was assured that she was alright, was to hold her and present his shoulder as she began to cry. He held her this way for several minutes before she raised her face to his, brown eyes locking on green eyes and then said, "Let's get down below and start revving up our assistance teams."
He squeezed her shoulder in understanding and they turned and walked quietly but quickly down to the basement levels of Columbia.
Aftermath
It would take two days to completely sort out the impact of the fall of the Twin Towers on the World Below. Sixteen Helpers were killed by the collapse of the Towers due to their jobs in the World Trade Centre; four more helpers perished as first responders with one police and three firefighters among that number.
The plans that the World Below had made to ensure that the tunnels surrounding or underneath the World Trade Centre would look uninhabited came off without a hitch and little toxic material penetrated the lower levels or the Hub's air supply.
For the volunteers led by Hermione and other community members, the visual images would last a lifetime as they sought to be helping hands for New York citizens hurt by the dislocation due to the shutdown of the city's transit system. Those New York City dwellers who came into contact with a frizzy brunette with brown eyes, a raven haired young man who appeared to be unable to leave her side and a young woman with blue eyes, silver blond hair and an enchanting French accent soon learned that they were in contact with people who cared.
A/N: The events of 9/11 are too massive an incident to treat lightly or ignore. I recall my own high school class as we wheeled a TV into our staff room to keep up with the events of that horrific day. The inclusion of this in a small way is a tip of the hat to those front line workers who gave their lives in trying to save others; - and is in a way to demonstrate that even in the midst of a three civil war in the British magical community that larger events can put things in context.
Plus, a very important concept coming out of this terrorist attack will come to bite our MOF in his old wrinkled rear. The U S after 9/11 was not the same kind civil rights respecting country that it was before this attack. And our friend Alex will have a whole new set of tools to use against manipulative old fools.