All characters belong to JK Rowling I just play with them.
AN this is the first of a four part story detailing how Dumbledore sirius snape (a chapter each for those three) and a few others survived the events in the books that "killed" them. This story is a prequel to another fan fiction I am writing which required These characters to be alive.
I always like to hear what people think of my work so please review if you have the time. Thank you. :-)
Dumbledore stood at the top of the astronomy tower in front of the opening in the wall and faced Draco, the death eaters and Snape
"We've got a problem, Snape,' said the death eater named Amicus,, 'the boy doesn't seem able –'Amicus cut off mid sentence somebody else had spoken Snape's name, quite softly
'Severus …'
Snape's head snapped round
For the first time, Dumbledore was pleading.
Snape walked forwards and pushed Malfoy out of the way. He gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face. The hatred was useful, it helped him play his part well and Only he and Dumbledore knew that the hatred was not for the man in front of him but for the situation he found him self in.
'Severus … please …'
Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore."
AVADA KEDAVARA
A flash of green struck Dumbledore he blinked stumbled backwards and crumpled. But the stumble had put him close enough to the edge out of the tower that rather than landing on the floor he toppled out into the empty air and hurtled towards the ground. Cheers could be heard coming from the death eaters still standing in the tower, But what nobody knew, not even Snape with whom Dumbledore had planned this event was that under Dumbledore's robes laying protectively across his entire front was an object of his own invention. An innocent looking plate seemingly made of metal and shaped like a breastplate, it seemed feeble but it was capable of adsorbing adjusting and redirecting a killing curse. In this case the curse had been redirected carefully into Dumbledore's fatally cursed hand killing the curse and healing the hand. The One hit from Snape had burnt it out but that was all that Dumbledore Had needed the result being that now as he fell towards the ground apparently dead he was in fact very much alive.
Down below at the bottom of the tower somebody stood hidden in the shadows watching and waiting for their moment to act.
As he fell Dumbledore's mind wandered to 2 months ago
Dumbledore was sitting at his desk when there was a brisk knock on his door
"Come in"
The door opened and professor McGonagall entered
" Minerva my dear do take a seat" said Dumbledore conjuring a squishy armchair from thin air with a wave of his wand. "thank you for coming"
McGonagall remained standing stiffly by the door "it's quite alright headmaster as it happens I wanted to talk to you anyway"
"Please do Take a seat" Dumbledore insisted smiling
McGonagall sat down in the armchair but did not relax her stern expression
"Very good very good" smiled Dumbledore leaning back in his own chair "Now then
, ladies first what is it that you wish to discuss"
"It's about potter sir. I overheard him and his friends Granger and Weasley talking the other day. He says that he is helping you with something to do with you know who. That you are beginning something together but that you have told him he will have to finish it without you."
"That is right Minerva" McGonagall paused surprised. Clearly she had not expected Dumbledore to be so open so fast . she recovered herself quickly
"But he is only a child, surely something to do with you know who is a job for adults, for order members not children
"my dear Minerva, How often we make the mistake of judging people by their age. Simply being an adult means very little, Harry might be young but he is braver and more capable than many wizards twice his age. And this is a job that he must undertake himself. I have told you about the prophecy. Harry must be the one to kill Voldemort and this mission is essential to killing Voldemort. It is Harry's mission and it is utterly vital."
"But surely he should at least have help"
"He has help from his two friends, what he needs most is help that he can trust and rely on and He trusts them completely, I know the three of them are young but they will all be of age before they set out alone and they are totally capable. As You know and as I have just said I have never believed that age alone is any indicator of ability. I will not force help on him that he does not totally trust"
"Surely though it would be sensible to just send one or two older wizards with him or at least allow some of the order to know the nature of the mission you have given him."
"Three is a large enough group for traveling and the fewer people who know the details of this mission the smaller the chance of those details reaching Voldemort." He paused " I believe Harry is in regular contact with Lupin. That is Sufficient back up as far as I am concerned and that should be sufficient "adult" guidance to satisfy you." Dumbledore smiled to show that he meant the comment nicely
"Very well" said McGonagall " I have always trusted you to know what is best so I will continue to trust you now"
"Thank you Minerva. Now if you don't mind we shall move on to why I have called you here."
McGonagall nodded her assent
I have 2 great problems"
"What are they?"
"I have received information that Voldemort has begun searching for one of the deathly hallows, the wand of power to be precise. I assume you know the legend of the wand and about how it gains a new master though the defeat of the previous one
"Indeed i do but as you say it is a legend as is the story of its origin Surely you don't believe in the Hallows Albus, it is nothing more than an old story"
"It may be an old story but it is also a true story Minerva. I dedicated several years in my youth to the search for the hallows before I i was brought roughly to my senses."
"There is no proof that the Hallows have ever existed"
"There is proof, in fact I have held all three in my hands during my long life."
McGonagall looked sceptical, "when? and how can you be sure that they are the hallows"
"Which would you like to hear about first. The cloak or the stone."
"How about the wand"
"No I shall tell you about the wand last"
"Alright the stone"
Albums reached into a draw on his desk and pulled out a golden ring with a black stone set into it he placed it in front of McGonagall
"I believe you will recognise this as I wore it for a few weeks at the begining of this year."
"Indeed it do. And I must admit close up it looks remarkably like the description of the resurrection stone but...
"I located it in the home of the last of the gaunts"
here Minerva gasped.
"You know who's mothers house?!
"The very same. As well as being the last of the Gaunt line that family was also the last of the Slytherin line and the last of one of the Peveral lines. The genealogy can be proven if you require it. Or you may feel free to test the stone.
"No thank you. I think I believe you." She paused looking scrutinisingly at Dumbledore
"Did you test the stone."
"I admit that I did. And whilst I acknowledge that speaking to a certain member of my family gave me the closure that has long eluded me it also made me very sad."
McGonagall could think of nothing to say in reply so she just sat. After a moment Dumbledore's face brightened and he spoke
"Well then the cloak. This is one that both of us have seen many a time. And had caused much mischief"
"How"
"Why as the only Hallow that was gained through sense and not prideful greed it is the only Hallow that has remained quietly within the youngest Peveral line without causing misery or death."
"I don't understand neither of us know a Peveral personally"
"No but as you know that surnames can change over centuries even in a direct line, the cloak currently belongs to young Mr potter"
"No surely not. His cloak can't be anything special"
"Nothing special. My dear Minerva. How long does the average invisibility cloak last before it weakens 5 maybe 10 years. And they are vulnerable to damage just the same as a standard cloak is. Now Think about potters cloak. His father used it at school just the same as harry does so did his grandfather so we can be sure that it is at least 50 years old. A standard cloak would have lost its invisibility charm at that age or at least be greatly weakened, and it would be covered in small scratches, dirt and stains. Harry's cloak however is still in perfect condition and Nothing save Moody's eye can see through it, that is impossible of a standard invisibility cloak, And have you ever felt it. It doesn't feel like any type of cloth in existence. In short It is like no cloak ever created."
"I concede you are right again." McGonagall took a deep breath "I can't belive this, the hallows real. It's incredible. But we have become distracted. Tell me of the wand and why you know who's search for it causes you personal problem."
Dumbledore pulled his wand from the inside of his robes and held it out. McGonagall gasped
"The wand of power. Grindlewald tracked it down as a young man shortly after we severed ties and I won it from him when I defeated him. Unlike its previous masters I have had the sense to keep quiet about having it. I have kept it and used it quietly intending that when I died undefeated the deadly power of the wand would break. However that plan is no longer possible.
"Why not."
"Because Voldemort is already on the trail of the wand and it will not take him long to trace it to me and when he does realise that I have it he will try to take it."
"But you are the one wizard he fears"
"I am old and his body is new. when we fought last year I only bested his because he became distracted by harry, He knows this. if he comes for me now he will most likely succeed in taking the wand and I cannot allow him to posses its power."
"How can I help. "
"First let me tell you my second problem as there is but one solution to both. This one is more simple. Voldemort has instructed young Draco Malfoy to kill me. And I fear that if I am still alive when this school year ends Draco will be killed as punishment. I refuse to let that happen"
"You sound as if you are planning to die" gasped McGonagall
"That is exactly what I plan" he looked at McGonagall's horrified face and added quickly
"At least I plan to appear to have died, that is where I need your help"
"How"
"You remember me telling you Severus' story so that you understood why I trust him so totally?"
"Yes but what has that to do with anything"
"Because Severus is key to my plan and after it is seen through you will be the only person who still believes he is on our side. However you must act as if you believe like the others that he is a traitor.
"Severus is going to kill you?!"
"I have convinced Severus to kill me to save Draco both from dying and from killing me himself."
"And how does all this fit with the wand"
"I intend to transfer the allegiance of this wand to Draco Malfoy while simultaneously making Voldemort believe that its allegiance has transferred to Snape."
"How" said McGonagall half disbelievingly
"Voldemort greatest flaw is that he does not take the time to learn the subtleties of magic such as that which governs this wand."
"How so"
"Well you see This wand always belongs to the person who defeats the previous owner. Voldemort belives that the wand belongs to the person who kills the previous owner"
"There is a difference?"
"There is"
"How "
"Well a person can be defeated without being dead. And they can be dead without being defeated, take my famous duel for instance I defeated grindlewald but I did not kill him,"
"Ok I see that but how does that work here"
"Voldemorts inability to recognise that subtle difference will be his downfall, you see Snape's actions against me are sanctioned by me and he knows it so for that reason although he will believe that he is killing me he won't be defeating me, therefore The wand will remain aligned to me, but if Malfoy disarms or incapacitates me before Snape takes over he will have defeated me in the view of the wand and it will take Malfoy as its master. the allegiance of the wand will become hidden within Malfoy"
"This plan is truly Ingenious Albus but how do you intend to make all this happen. Surely you can't know when or how Malfoy plans to kill you.
"ah but I do. And I can use that knowledge to manipulate the situation to suit my needs"
"How." McGonagall paused and grinned slightly
"I've been asking that question a lot this evening"
"That's quite All right Minerva. I always welcome an inquisitive mind and a willing ear."
"Thank you headmaster"
"You are most welcome. Now where were we. Ah yes what young Malloy is up to,
Well, Even now Draco endeavours to repair a vanishing cabinet that is hidden in the room of requirement. Based on his skills and the level of damage that peeves inflicted on it a few years ago I believe that he will succeed in about two months. He intends to use the cabinet and its pair in Burgin and Burke to smuggle a number of death eaters into the castle as back up and then come after me directly.
"How does knowing that help"
"Because I have set a watch on Draco and have made arrangements to be alerted when the cabinet becomes functional and I can then chose the location of the confrontation myself. I will alert you when the time comes and my plan will come into action. I trust I can count on your help?"
"Of course just tell me what you need me to do and I will do it"
"Wonderful, as I said I will alert you when it is time, and I want you to station yourself at the bottom of the astronomy tower but keep out of sight. I will be at the top and will be confronted by Malfoy. He will disarm me and incapacitate me. Severus will then arrive at just the right moment. he will attack me with a killing curse that will appear to work but before any one can get to me to check I am dead I will fall from the tower.
"How do you intend to not get hit by the curse"interrupted McGonagall
"I fully intend to get hit. But I have invented an object that should negate the effects of a single killing curse before burning out. I will hide it under my robes.
"Ok. And how do you intend to get away with not being dead?"
"Ah That is where you come in. Without being seen from the top of the tower you will slow my decent so that I land safely and will cast on me a spell that I have been working on. It's effects are similar to petrification. . Simply put it will make me appear to be a corpse. Once you have cast the spells You will apparate back to the griffindor tower
"But nobody can appaerate inside Hogwarts"
"I can. And I will extend my privilege to you for the purposes of this plan. As I was saying you will apperate back to your quarters in the Griffindor tower and will do your best to be the first on the scene when the alarm is raised. act as if you do not know what is happening. Alert the order, fight the death eaters but make sure that Draco and Snape escape intact and as unharmed as possible. You will be the only person who knows I am alive do not give anyone any reason to be suspicious
"Snape doesn't know about this plan?"
"No. The position I have asked him to put himself in puts him too close to Voldemort for him to be told the most sensitive of information and anyway the less people who know I am alive the better. Where was I. Ah yes make sure Draco and Snape escape. Then get to me. Deal with the situation that arises as best you can I suspect that there will be a crowd. Take charge and demand that I am left where I am, the hospital wing will be to busy with people injured during the fight with the death eaters, erect a tent over me that touches the wall of the tower Then demand that you are left there alone with me. Revive me and we will fetch a replica of me that I have been working on. I will stash it behind the wall of the tower, then you can have Harfird move "me". You will than see to it that "I" am buried and you will take over the running of the order, I will pass instructions for the order to you.
"Where will you go"
"I have places I can go when I wish not to be found even by owls. Now that you know the plan will you still agree to help me with this?"
"Of course sir."
"Very good I knew I could count on you"
Present
As Dumbledore neared the bottom of the tower a figure stepped from the shadows and keeping their voice as low as possible cast two spells
ARESTO MOMENTUM Dumbledores decent slowed and he landed gently on the ground his eyes closed.
APPAREAT MORTUUS Dumbledore's body began to take on the appearance of a corpse but just before his features went slack he opened his eyes winked at the person in the shadows and whispered
"Well done Minerva well done"
APPAREAT MORTUUS is Latin it translates to "appears dead."