Complete and boundless terror is an interesting feeling. Albus could see everything around him, was aware of it, but he wasn't a part of it. The frantic beating of his heart pounded in his ears, and he watched as the portraits flayed their arms in uproar. 'She's gone,' he thought, 'Minerva's gone.'
It all seemed surreal. They were friends for so long, and when, finally, it appeared they could be so much more, she had disappeared. He could see her face, her smile; he could hear her laughter floating through the air, overpowering his own rapid heartbeat. He vaguely heard Armando calling his name, and the order to fetch Severus.
He sat, stunned, until the fire roared and Severus uncurled himself from the hearth with inhuman grace. "Headmaster, I hope this is import..what happened?" Severus could barely keep himself from recoiling as Albus turned to face him. His face was pale, making death look animated. His eyes were flat, dead, and his entire body shook.
"Minerva's gone," he whispered, hardly believing it himself.
"What! Why? Where did she go?" Albus only shook his head wearily, gesturing toward the portrait with Elfric hopping up and down madly.
"She fell Professor! She fell down the stairs and disappeared in a blinding light. I've never seen anything like it."
"What kind of light? Was there anyone or anything else around? Was she carrying anything?" He spoke, his questions firing faster than Elfric could answer.
The tiny man had finally stopped hopping, and now stood wringing his hands together nervously. "I..I didn't see anyone sir, but she was carrying something," he added quickly when Severus took a step forward.
"Well, what was it?" Severus spat out, growing impatient. Elfric jumped.
"I don't know," he almost wailed. "It was in her hand. I couldn't see it well; it was small, on a chain. I heard a crunch when she hit the floor, like glass breaking. Maybe it was a vile."
Before Severus could blink, Albus had jumped to his feet, knocking over his chair with a resounding crash. "Are you positive you heard glass breaking? Are you certain!" His voice was strained, and his eyes wide. The ever controlled headmaster looked absolutely wild as his long hair flowed out behind him and his hands clawed at the air. It was a horrifying sight.
"Yes sir, it was a shatter." Elfric said timidly.
"Headmaster, what," but Albus was already running through the door in a flurry of purple robes.
Albus' boots pounded through the corridors, echoing off the ancient stones surrounding him. 'Dear gods don't let it be,' he thought, willing his legs to move faster. He pushed his way into her office, never taking in the cooling cup of tea that sat on the corner, or the copy of Emma that sat next to it. All of his attention was focused on the single drawer. Reaching out, he pulled it open, cringing at the squeak that followed. He stared down, taking in everything, every corner every speck of dust, before reaching out and pulling himself into her high backed chair.
This is where Severus found him five minutes later as he rounded the doorway. Albus was the very picture of defeat. His head rested in his gnarled hands, his mane of hair covering his face. As he took a step forward, Severus could just make out a small leather case that sat in his lap, so out of place in the pristine office with its tattered and stained corners. Albus looked up when he heard Severus approach. A single tear leaked from his eye, as if that was all he had the strength to muster. Severus watched as he opened the empty leather case, and his eyes fell on the fading gold lettering inside. Time Turner registry #1324. "Dear gods," Severus whispered. "She's lost."
The sound of steady footfalls was the only one to be heard as the unusual group left the office. The guards didn't dare speak out of turn, and Minerva had to many thoughts and questions on her mind to find a voice for. It all seemed impossible, irrational to her logical mind.
It seemed she was stuck in her own personal hell. Not only had she found and lost her love all in one day, but it appeared as if she would be forced to spend the rest of her days with his sadistic twin. 'Albus certainly knows himself well,' she thought wryly as their conversation that morning came, unbidden, to her mind. Would there ever be a time she could look at him and not shudder? Minerva didn't think so, but they do say time breeds familiarity. After all, when Severus first began to teach, she couldn't stand the sight of him. Now, it only made her cringe.
This Albus did genuinely seem to care for her, in his own warped way. Perhaps there was someway to bring the man he used to be back to the surface. She dug through the short amount of time they spent together, but she could only see the flashes of anger and pain. With every sneer, every jab, her heart grew just a bit harder, colder. There was only one look, one instant in it all, that gave her hope. Could that be enough, for either of them? "What's green sector?" she asked before she had even processed the question.
He looked over at her, surprised, before staring ahead once again. "That was one of my more brilliant ideas, and, if I may say, that's saying something. When I took office, some..resistance arose. A few groups decided they didn't approve of my methods, and tried to remove me. It took a rather nasty hex to the chest before I thought of it."
For a moment, his hand ghosted over his chest plate, before balling in a fist and falling to his side one more. "That's why you wear the armor," she said. They both knew it wasn't a question, but Albus nodded.
"It took almost a year of careful planning. I needed to be sure that each sector was appropriately cared for, and that every citizen fit their sector. You wouldn't want to put someone that belonged in the gold sector in the green; the system would collapse. So," he said as they came to a stop before a giant wall. He reached forward and put his hand on a worn stone, and the barrier disappeared. They stepped out onto a walkway overlooking what appeared to be housing below. "We color coded everyone," he finished the thought, gesturing out over the area. "This is green sector."
Minerva looked out over the rooftops and was instantly appalled. The ramshackle houses were covered in debris, and they looked as if even the rats wouldn't take refuge there. "You cannot be serious!" she said incredulously. "People actually live here?
"Of course," he said defensively. "It's a ramshackle group, I'll admit, but if they could be bothered to clean up after themselves instead of acting like animals, it could be quite pleasant."
"What do you expect Albus?" she asked, moving toward a set of stairs a little further down. "You corralled them like animals, so how else should they act? What I don't understand is why they don't just use the basic cleaning spells. It would at least take the edge off this mess."
"That's what makes the system so perfect Minerva," he said, pulling her away from the stairs with a shake of his head. With a glance, the praetorians formed a line along the railing, blocking her exit. "The color of their sector determines the amount of magic they're allowed. Green sector, due to their unruliness, is utterly suppressed."
Minerva's jaw dropped even as her eyes grew larger. Even mishandling another person's wand was a punishable offense, but to utterly take their magic, it should be possible. "You couldn't," she chocked, horrified. "It can't be done."
"I found a way," he said, stepping forward for every one of her's back, his eyes gleaming ominously. She didn't stop until she backed into the one the guards, and she jumped, startled by the contact. "Look at them," he said, turning her toward the homes.
People had started to emerge from their respective shacks. They were all fairly clean, but worn looking. It was as if the dead had come to life once again. What caught her eye, however, was the faint green glow coming from each walking corpse. They were wearing collars. "The device acts as a magical suppressor. It breaks the link between thought and action with each individual by degrees, depending on the color. It's possible to move up through the different sectors," he added almost as an afterthought.
"You just have to show the overseer that you have changed for the better, and he will bring your case to my attention. I just moved up three families last week."
"Do you chain them up at night as well," she asked sarcastically, "or do you make them fetch your paper in the morning instead?"
Albus' eyes flashed, and he pulled her away from the railing, his tight grip surely leaving bruises. "Perhaps you would care to join them. They're happy Minerva! I've brought order to their world, made them safe. And, they love me for it."
Minerva shook her head, and did what she swore she never would. She began to cry. They were silent tears, slipping of their own accord across her cheeks, before rolling down and landing on the stone beneath their feet. "How long?" Her voice never wavered, never cracked, but it was as if the pain of all the world flowed from her lips.
"How long what?" he asked bewildered, his own heart trying to remember what it was to reach out to another. It was a subtle tug in his chest, a feeling he had long forgotten.
"How long since you walked among them, looked these people in the eye? Can you even remember?"
"I don't need to Minerva. I have overseers to attend their needs."
"Then you are a fool Albus. Look just one of them in the eye, and then tell me they love you. Until then, let me go back. I can't take this, not today, not ever."
"You want proof," he challenged. "Alright. Stand aside," he ordered, and a small window opened within the human shield. As soon as he stepped to the rail, it was as if the very earth itself released the fury of a thousand burning suns. The ground began to shake, and a sound unlike anything ever heard filled the space, rising steadily until the din was all encompassing. Soon, the debris followed. Bottles, rotten food, old newspapers flew through the air in mass, and all was aimed at their exalted leader.
For his part, Albus stood, dumbstruck, as bit after bit of rubbish assaulted him. It wasn't until two guards grabbed him under the arms and forced him back that he was able to shake off his surprise and regained his composure.
Minerva watched as his dead eyes dropped in and out of focus, and it wasn't until they dropped to his boots that she began to understand the chant around them. In a single voice, united in their anonymity, rose the voice of his people. "Death to the tyrant! Long live Potter!"
Minerva watched, a lump forming in her throat as his eyes became alive, calculating. He brushed a banana peel off his shoulder, and pulled the lettuce from the other.
She would never understand what it was she saw next. With a single nod, the guards fled from the walkway and descended into the village below. Soon, screams and shouts filled the air with each new flash of light. It was a sound that would live in her very soul for the rest of her days.
Minerva fought as she was pulled along, struggling to remain behind, but Albus was too strong. Something inside of her finally snapped. She began to beat against him, her fists coming into contact with anything and everything they could to get away. Finally, when simply grabbing her fists failed, Albus reached down and grabbed her around the waist, and carried her back into the Ministry over his shoulder. They continued this way, she screaming while he studiously ignored her, until Minerva was unceremoniously thrown onto the bed in a lavishly decorated bedroom.
She stared at him, wishing for the earth to swallow him whole, while he simply stared back, revealing nothing. "You have your answer Minerva," he said tonelessly.
"So much for their love Albus," she spat, getting up with as much dignity as she could muster. "I knew a man once, a great man. He told me once that even the most altruistic of men can become tyrants in the name of peace. If this is your idea of peace Albus, then I say give me war."
"There is no reason to worry for them Minerva; they will survive. But, they must know that insolence will not be tolerated." He stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he looked up again, she was again surprised at just how old he looked. "You are free to move about as you wish," he began softly. "I would recommend not leaving the building without a guard. You won't have a collar, and could be mistaken for a member of the government. You will not be getting your wand back until I'm sure you can be trusted, and I wouldn't want anything to happen to you. Dinner is at seven in my chambers, join me if you wish; it's up to you."
He turned and moved back toward the door, but he stopped just as he reached for the doorknob. "You may not agree with this world Minerva, but you are now a part of it. There's only so much I can protect you from, but embarrass me like this again, and you won't even have that. You gave me your respect once, I hope that hasn't changed."
For the first time since it all started, Minerva found herself alone in the strange new world as the heavy mahogany door clicked behind him. She looked at the door. "Come into my lair, said the spider to the fly," she whispered before collapsing to her knees in tears.
