The Crossroads of Fate
Chapter 22: As it Stands
I am the kind of person who has no motive. That is the best kind of person you can be, Alpha Greengrass. No, Alpha Selwyn, my eventual heir. Having no motive makes people wonder what you will do next and they will more often than not fail to stop you. My motive is but simply watching the world burn. When I was five, I was tortured for information by an extreme Auror to find where my parents were hiding. They were responsible for a lot of attacks and one Auror decided to torture me and discover where they were. I broke yes, and I told them but the Auror was imprisoned before he could relay the information in time. His harsh tactics did not unnoticed and I got to my parents first. When the Ministry finally discovered where we were, my underage outbursts of magic destroyed the place. I was responsible for the deaths of three Aurors and both my parents and the villa burned, Alpha! It burned and I learned then that my role was to make the entire world burn. Underage magic is a window into your deepest desires, your truest emotions and mine was a destructive inferno. I do not need to take sides in this war. I need only to exploit both sides to destroy the world. Whoever wins gives me no care, the world will be beyond repair by the end of this war, I promise you. It won't be worth inhabiting. No… you don't want this? Then… you are as pathetic as your sister. You will die. Next we meet, Alpha Greengrass, I will kill you personally and I will break that pathetic sister of yours.
February came and Albus was shunted to the sidelines in watching the Dueling tournament. Aries was moving on through with relative ease. Albus supposed that Incommodo was paying attention to other skilled students to see how they fared. For one thing, even after his loss, Incommodo did not seem to consider expelling Albus or even ignoring him. Albus was still a student as far as anyone else was concerned and he still visited the Room of Requirement when he could. The day went by normally, even for a school where Incommodo was Headmaster.
Maria and Mark had started spending a lot of time together, especially in private. They wouldn't tell anyone what they talked about and many times, Mark's eyes narrowed or averted anyone else's, staying quiet. He even refused to attack Arsenal members or take part in the campaign against them. As far as Albus understood, Maria herself was brewing alchemical concoctions with Seth's help and she refused to say what their purpose was or what they could do. Albus could not help but feel a little suspicious.
Meanwhile, Incommodo had taken over. He kept a tight control on any dissent, no student New Roots or otherwise dared to challenge him, and he brought about the students' full potential in the Dueling Tournament where their full skills were put to the test and shown clearly for all to see. Still, he also cancelled a lot of important subjects. Only those with magical casting were of any worth to him. Cancelling so many subjects resulted in Alexander being expelled, the Scamander twins and even Rose not to mention plenty others who did not get passing grades on more than two subjects.
The Guard had gotten up to major mischief too. Now they all agreed that the Reservation was best left to the DA and the Arsenal, the Guard focused solely on the Arsenal itself, attempting to weaken it from the inside of Hogwarts so when the Reservation was beaten, if it was, then the Arsenal might be more easily taken down. Neil Nott started stealing papers from the Ministry, Sierra secretly modified their memories to forget about the papers so the thievery was never reported, and even Morpheus dared to transform himself into an Arsenal member whom Seth had dared to capture. Sierra interrogated the Arsenal member before sending him back to Hogsmeade with Seth. He was never heard from again.
None of that mattered much to the Potters anymore. Ever since Alpha's outspoken attack on Lily, the two have been quiet. Lily, for once, spent more time with Albus than anyone else, in deep silence. He knew what she was thinking too. She yelled at Alpha and somewhere, somewhere inside his possessed mind, his real self heard her and responded. It might've been her yell that gave him the urge to fight back but it was her yell that broke him. He secluded himself in his quarters completely, refusing to talk to anybody. Not even Proxima. As the days went by, he came out and left to the village, not coming back until late at night in a very dizzy state.
Neither Albus nor Lily was sure where this was leading. Proxima tried following him once but even she stayed quiet as to what he was doing, except that he was sorting his own problems out like he should have done years ago. A week later, in the evening, as Albus was preparing to head back to his own dormitory to study and sleep, he got a tap on the shoulder. The one behind him was Seth and Alpha. The two were the unlikeliest pair Albus could have imagined but there they were. Alpha was staring determinedly down but Seth looked firm, "Greengrass knows something."
Albus' heart skipped a beat. He did not really want to go to bed thinking about something as mentally weighing as this but they got him. He could not refuse to hear it either. "What is it?" he asked.
Alpha did not meet his eyes still, looking at his own sneakers, now worn and broken. "F-father knows where we are but he's not doing anything. He's letting us go. He won't tell anyone."
"Why?"
Seth and Albus looked at Alpha expectantly but Alpha still did not meet anyone's eyes. "He's evil… he wants to watch us destroy ourselves. Giving any power over one side or the other hands quick victory. He doesn't want that. He just- wants hell."
"How do you know?" Albus asked, almost demanded. He was beginning to have a feeling Alpha might have talked to him.
"I just do," Alpha responded quietly. "He was in my mind, I know his mentality. I know it all. He- Al- he- he wants to watch us go to hell. He wants the world to burn with him. He just hates everything. He wants his own power, his own fortune and his own wealth, and he wants everyone else in hell. And- and he has a plan for underage magic. An idea to take down the Reservation. An idea for the Reservation to take the Arsenal down. And an idea for us to take both of down. He means for us to help him destroy the world."
"What's that idea?" Seth asked, eyes alight with a burning curiosity.
"Underage magic," Alpha said. "It's powerful. He got it from Incommodo, how Aries' brother managed to make him disappear, and something about Nott. Something about his magic. Some kids, like him, have powerful underage magic. That magic could probably break through the Reservation's shields and bypass the Orb's power, that magic could just blast Incommodo out of existence, or it could destroy all of us. Imagine all three sides using that power. Imagine."
Seth stared interestedly. Albus did not like that stare. Long after Alpha left, indeed long after Albus lay in bed, his mind was dwelling just as he feared. Seth would try something. He would. He had no care for casualties, had no care for who might or might not die. If the world was destroyed but he himself won, his friends were safe and his sister was happy, he would be fine. Albus could not sleep. His mind kept visiting a dark scenario where Seth sent a screaming child into battle, saw the earth from above on fire, heard people begging for life and mercy and receiving none. It was not until the early hours of the morning when Albus finally got the sleep and the classes the next day forced him awake earlier than he would've liked.
His mind kept visiting Seth's possible actions that morning too. He found it difficult to concentrate on his Ancient Runes, where Sorrow was lecturing and showing them the benefits of a dual human connection between partnership and defense. Mark was also quiet but with Mark's silence, he seemed in a much better mood. He spent more time with Maria than anyone else, Aries was beginning to get annoyed that after two weeks of barely talking to her, she accused him of ignoring her completely. Mark just ignored the accusation and appeared, if anything, apathetic and unresponsive to her questions.
That evening, Albus made his way to the Room of Requirement to talk to Seth. He resolved to just persuade him off the deal completely. He couldn't do it, Albus could not let him. The possibility that Seth would use Neil or Apollo or maybe Lancet was too great.
When Albus entered, he found just the boy he wanted to see sitting in a corner with Maria and Lancet. They appeared to have just come back from the bungalow in Hogsmeade and were talking very seriously about something. A little confused as to what was going on, and a feeling of foreboding, Albus walked over. Lancet seemed a little happier about something but Seth was still in a state of apparent tension. Albus did not need to ask what was going on. Seth answered the question before it came, "We have a plan to beat the Reservation and the Arsenal."
"If- no, no you- you're using Lancet against them?" Albus exclaimed.
"No," Maria scoffed. "We're not that mean. In fact we saved Lancet. Seth and I tested the Alchemical Flavoring Concoction. It weakened his inner body to a point where it can handle magical outbursts again and he's mortal again. We're not sure what the side effects are since he still has vampirism and lycanthropy in him but we stopped the danger."
"Magic is used through your body itself in youth," Seth explained. "So, if we weaken it, the magic comes out more powerfully and forcefully. It's used as a way to power somebody up and it tastes really good but unfortunately, it reduces your natural lifespan by about forty years since your inner body parts are permanently weakened from the magical power, even if you stop drinking it. Since Goal has a vampire's venom, I'm not sure what that means to him."
"What'd you do?"
"We meant to test his underage magic," Seth said simply, as Lancet went to join Cherry in another corner. "You should've seen what he did when the Arsenal came to attack us. Underage magic has its uses."
"Seth, you're not thinking of it, are you?" Albus said seriously.
"I am, actually," Seth said impassively. "Here comes a clear way to beat him. Rojer expects us to use Nott but Nott is a weakling. Now, Kimble's brother is not. He made Incommodo disappear. The right circumstances and the Reservation's ship would lose its shields. We probably don't even need the Orb. The point is, we have ways now."
"You can't use a"-
"Al, enough," Seth said, getting up and facing him. He looked like he was drawing himself up to full height but he only made it up to Albus' chest. "You're too soft. What's your plan? Have any? Because fighting the Arsenal from this room isn't going anywhere. We're losing in case you haven't noticed. More students are getting expelled. We got the Orb but Wallader doesn't want to sacrifice a single soul, we get the underage magic idea but you don't want to sacrifice anyone. The only ways we get, they're harsh. They're the only way. I'm going with Aries' brother, he's more capable and he might not even die. It's less extreme. And if that doesn't work, we're using the Orb and Wallader can get over it. What do you suggest?"
"What have we found the Relics for?" Albus challenged calmly.
"To beat the Arsenal," Seth said readily. "The Relics can't get through these shields. You don't understand. The shields are powered by souls from the Orb. The shields can only be beaten by something that channels all the magic inside you as opposed to just a fraction of it like wands do. The Scepter might do it but the Scepter is with Incommodo and we can't ally with him. That's insane. So…"
"Destroy the Orb," Albus suggested, trying to stay calm. He was determined to stop this.
Seth opened his mouth, shut it and considered Albus. Then, he nodded, "Know what'll happen? The Reservation will find a new way to protect their ship. We won't know that new way and we'll be back where we started. As long as we have the Orb, they can't undo the shields to place new ones. We have the leverage. I'm keeping it that way. So… no."
Albus and Seth stared off with Maria looking between them. Seth did not seem to care much for the implications of what he was doing. Harry granted him amnesty for what he did before the Battle of Hogsmeade, not after. If Seth went down this road, he'd be arrested. Why did he not care?
"Maria," Albus said suddenly, having another idea. "You have the Orb. You decide what to do with it. You can destroy it, can't you. You know how!"
"It's my Relic," Maria said sadly. "It's a family heirloom. I"-
"What would your brother think?" Albus asked. "You can't watch this happen."
Maria just walked off without looking back. Albus turned back to Seth but he already retreated to talk to Sierra. Feeling dejected and betrayed, Albus left the room. What was he going to do? Seth would do anything to get rid of Incommodo, even if it meant watching everyone else burn. As Albus walked the halls, his mind was on Seth, Apollo, and Maria, his fears once more visiting the screams of innocent people.
Albus was so engrossed in his thoughts that he did not see where he was going and bumped into Aries. "Ow! Watch where you're goi"-
"Aries!" Albus exclaimed. He jumped. Aries rubbed her arm indignantly but Albus looked hopefully. "Hmm, Seth is about to use your brother," he said casually, earning himself a raise of the eyebrows. "Wants to get him to use underage magic against the Reservation and probably end up killing him. Just so you know in case you discover he was abducted or something." He pushed past her, noting her expression growing from confusion to furious. And fortunately, for once, she would take it out on Seth.
That was the last he heard of Seth's insane idea for a while. He had heard that he and Aries had fought it out big time, they had a yelling match Albus was half sorry he missed. Since then, Aries had either herself or Mark in the room. Mark was so secluded these days, however, Albus was not sure what posting him there would accomplish.
The beginning of February also saw a major battle between the expelled students of the Guard and the Arsenal in Hogsmeade. Lancet Goal had been getting bullied for selling products too late at night and Cherry led a group to rescue him. The battle got so intense, Lancet was exiled from Hogsmeade so they had to hide him in the Room of Requirement, making him the youngest member of the Guard. It had been passed off as a scuffle between students when Morpheus turned into a higher-ranking Arsenal to order it shut. The real higher-ranking member had meanwhile disappeared. The darker part was that Albus did not know what had happened to him but judging by Seth's face, he guessed the man was probably dead in an alley somewhere.
Now Seth had killed yet another person, it brought to mind his usual ventures. Seth was a criminal for all intents and purposes. He had killed Malcolm, he killed Gordon, Jared, Herald, Gerald, he killed Samantha, he even somewhat killed Orgella, and that was not counting his responsibility for having the school governors killed by Reservation members. Seth could not stay free. Regardless of Albus' fate, Seth would definitely meet one of two endpoints. He would either be dead or arrested. Albus' worry was how Simon would take it, let alone Sierra. Separated by morals they might be, Simon still seemed to miss his old friend and Sierra was fiercely loyal to Seth to the point whenever anyone in the Guard challenged him, she would not hesitate in attacking them.
Many had learned quite quickly to keep their opinions of Seth to themselves… at least until the war was over. She was still forced to tolerate Albus when he tried talking to an apathetic, almost-nonresponsive Seth. Albus tried warning Seth not to go down too drastic a path but the boy didn't care. Seth seemed to be of the opinion that he was doomed either way and so he would go down on his own terms. Albus was worried about him and he even tried expressing that worry to Sierra to which Simon listened interestedly. Sierra promised she would talk to him but even on that front, no change was visible. And Sierra made quite clear that whatever fate Seth had, Sierra would follow him regardless of all.
Meanwhile, Albus was getting news from the Scamander twins. Necram had started attacking everywhere. The fields of Wiltshire were filled with them, the Goblins had reopened Gringotts in Diagon Alley with the Reservation's approval and rumor had it that they were tapping into vaults of witches and wizards and funding the Reservation to do more than they were already doing. There were rumors that now they believed they had the British Ministry, they might try for France next and now they had Gringotts and the finances of the opposing Wizarding families were being destroyed, very few could stop them. Rumor had it the Reservation used Gringotts as a hideout so they lived underground now, hidden from the world.
Where was the world? Albus would gaze silently from the Charms classroom he and Alexis used to share, staring at the younger years playing in the grounds. He wondered what would become of Hogwarts, regardless of his fate. Twenty-six years ago saw the Battle of Hogwarts. Ultimately, with Incommodo in the school, Hogwarts would have to be attacked if they wanted to oust Incommodo. The grounds might very well become a graveyard, or else play host to another great battle at the end of which another memorial would be set up. Albus supposed they would have to wait until the summer when students went home and that was after the Reservation was finally beaten. Even with the Orb, Albus did not know how to do that and Maria was still examining it with Mark.
Albus did not hear someone coming in. Someone very small and very silent. He did not notice until he joined him at the window. Neil Nott was standing beside him, both very silent. Albus could almost relate to Neil now. They both had issues and both had much to do with death, however different they were.
"What're you doing here?" Albus asked calmly, not eyeing him.
"I was never expelled," Neil sighed. "The Headmaster has nothing against me, and my father is still alive. What're you doing here?"
"It's my favorite room to think," Albus sighed.
"Mine too," Neil said, placing his pale hands on a windowsill. "This is the first place James talked to me and I spilled the beans to him."
"Kidding? This is the first place I ever talked to Alexis."
"Who's Alexis?" Neil asked.
"My- sorry, she's my girlfriend," Albus admitted. "Something you should consider getting, by the way."
"I can't," Neil muttered. "How- how can someone get a girlfriend when he can't even open up to her? Aren't people supposed to trust their partners?"
"So, open up to her"-
"No," he said simply. "No way."
"Sierra is a very loyal person," Albus told him, remembering her refusing to give away the Guard. "She's not going to stay away from you just because you have a hard past."
"Look at her," he said shakily. "She's in that hidden room right now, probably laughing with Alexander and…" He stopped abruptly, as if a Silencing Jinx had stopped him. Sophie and Simon were playing outside. Sophie actually pushed him into the freezing lake, making Albus smile. Neil had what might have passed as a smile to him, but to Albus it was a very forced grimace. "Sierra plays too. She's happy not knowing. She looks like her, almost has her name, she even laughs like her. I'm not destroying her."
Albus put a hand on his shoulder a little too suddenly, so Neil jumped. "Don't tell her then. Just talk to her."
"She's fine," Neil insisted quietly.
"Are you?" Albus asked.
They stood silently, Neil perhaps pondering the question to himself before answering. Simon had dried himself off. Finally, Neil said, "I don't know."
"Hi," Alexis said from behind. She walked up and stood next to Albus. "Anything wrong?"
"Anything right?" Neil mumbled.
"Not yet," Alexis admitted, addressing Neil. "But one day."
"That sure?" Neil asked glumly.
"We managed a Global Wizarding war and two wars against the Dark Lord," Alexis said. "It just takes planning is all."
Albus smirked, "I'd love to see what sort of plan you come up with that beats the Arsenal or the Reservation with an army of Goblins, Dementors, Necram, Vampires and Werwolves."
"Whatever it is, keep me out of it," Neil said in an almost whisper. "I'm not fighting vampires."
"Scared of vampires?" Alexis asked curiously.
"I just don't like them," Neil said. "And you can't. This world is messed up."
With those final words, Neil left the room, leaving Albus and Alexis alone. Albus expected Alexis to ask what Neil's problem was but she did not. She stayed standing beside him, looking quite troubled. "You know, I'm beginning to see what my mum meant when she left us."
"The war, right?" Albus asked.
"Yes, she left the country because she didn't want to die," Alexis said simply. "And now we're here, in this situation, I can see why. Honestly, some people just aren't cut out for battle and they do prefer living. And that is their right, too. You can't force anyone into a war, especially if the Wizarding world suffers one every generation or so. Look at Melvin, he's scared to death that he's been forced against his will into something he perceives to be bigger than him."
"You sounded so positive before," Albus said sadly.
"I am positive," Alexis assured him. "But that doesn't mean I can't see where the other side is coming from. We have five powerful Relics the Reservation knows nothing about, six if you count Herpo's scepter."
"Ever got to the Quill yet?"
"Oh, yes, the Quill has the power to make the written word a reality," Alexis explained. "So long as it's a reasonable demand, you can control the actions of one person. I tested it yesterday."
"On who?"
"Melvin, wrote that he would push me," Alexis said casually. "It's gotta be reasonable though. If he actually liked me, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have worked."
"Well, good to know," Albus said as they walked out of the room.
"Did you hear what happened?" she asked him. "The Reservation attacked a small village in Wiltshire and the Goblins took over. The people are enslaved to work metals now."
"What?"
"Yes, and the Ministry, or what's left of it in Hogsmeade, passed a law to make Goblin hunting legal," Alexis explained. "And the vampires and Werewolves are competing for territory in Wales so the Welsh are hunting them and Dementors are roaming Ireland. It really does look rather hopeless so I can see why Nott is feeling so helpless."
"Well, Neil is naturally a very helpless person," Albus said.
"I can see that," Alexis agreed. "You know a lot about him seeing as how you're on a first name basis with him."
"It's a favor from James," Albus admitted quietly as they stopped on the third floor corridor, staring at the statue of a one-eyed hag.
Albus noticed Alexis' hand clasping tightly around his own. They stood, staring at the hag, both feeling rather awkward. Then, "Al, I'm sorry about James."
"I'm sorry about your father," Albus responded. Albus almost regretted his words. Her eyes got teary as she stared now through glassy eyed. He added, "Don't," quietly, making her look at him. He refused to meet her eyes. "Remember what I told you in fourth year? Nobody deserves to make you cry. Not even Dubium."
They sat down in the corridor against the wall behind the hag. Albus was not sure, but Alexis looked very broken. He kept an arm around her and let her rest on him, staring ahead at the stone hump of the witch, now lost on what to say to her. "Al," she said again in a quiet whisper. "I love you so much."
"I- I love you too," Albus mumbled, now fearing tears prick his own eyes.
The knowledge that in the very end, the two would indeed be snapped apart by death hurt him. It hurt him so much. He loved Alexis. He had know her since he was twelve, she stuck by him for years, never once faltering except in fourth year when they were tested by the first effects of war. Knowing that Albus would likely die at the very end. He would leave her and she had no idea. Albus felt like a really terrible person now. The least he could've done was break up with her, let her down so when he did die, it wouldn't hurt as much. How would she live? Would she live her life and get married regardless of everything? Or would she focus solely on her brother?
"Al… you need to tell me what's wrong," Alexis told him seriously.
"You-you'll know," Albus muttered, knowing any outburst of tears potentially gave him away. "I promise."
"Al…" she said, taking him and looking at him very seriously. Her eyes had a sort of knowing look that suggested she could at least guess what the problem was. As their eyes met, hers widened slightly, "Al, are you- are you going to die?"
Damn it. Damn it. She was so smart. He could not tell her though. Not this, anything but this. Two souls? She'd scream. Accepting him killing Ridge was one thing, they learned about that piece of magic from Soto and she was disgusted. How could he tell her? Even Scorpius had almost argued with him and he was not done. They could not understand. Albus himself could not defeat Herpo but Voldemort could. And Albus would have to bring that about. He would die in the battle, he was sure, sure that Voldemort would take over his lifeless body and Albus would have to be killed.
"I don't know," Albus said, voice cracking.
"If we win and I happen to live," a sudden voice said, making Albus and Alexis jump up suddenly. Scorpius and Lucy were standing there, leaning against the doorway like high-class individuals. "I'm pumping and investing so much money into the new Ministry and the new Gringotts, this world won't be allowed to fail. And when it does spring back up, then boy will the Malfoys be rolling in the gold."
"Cause they aren't already," Lucy noted sarcastically.
"Where were you, Al? Talking to Alexis this whole time?" Scorpius asked.
"Need something?" Albus asked. Scorpius did not seem to notice what he walked in on.
"Well… Lucy and I might've figured something out," Scorpius said excitedly. "But…" Scorpius looked behind him nervously. Since Tyro died, no one seemed to be watching the third floor but as far as Albus was concerned, even the walls had ears, especially with Lex and Rojer strutting around. "We need to talk privately," he said, charming the corridor door shut. Albus turned to the hag and tapped the hump, "Dissendium."
Slowly, the hump opened up, revealing a passageway to what Albus knew led to Honeydukes. They clambered in there and shut the hump down, giving them absolute privacy, especially when Albus cast the Muffliato Charm. They squeezed themselves along the passageway, having just enough room to sit on either side of the passageway and talk.
"Alright, I've done some research into a little-known area of magic," Scorpius began. Lucy cleared her throat and Scorpius was flustered. He smiled guiltily and said, "And Lucy helped too. Actually found the books in the Restricted Section. Honestly, I don't think even Rosie could've found them. Anyway… I think we know a way to kill Incommodo."
Albus and Alexis stared at him. Albus in particular was quite shocked. "But… the memory I saw. Two souls regenerates the body, he can't die. It's like- automatic healing. I don't think he can even age."
"Well, there are still ways," Scorpius said mysteriously and vaguely. "However difficult they may be. Remember what Sorrow told us about Rune Spells, particularly the Rune of Partnership? The power is the same as well as their fate. They're only as strong as the weakest link. Theoretically, if we had a Partnership Rune drawn on him and- say- me, and we shot a Killing Curse at him, he wouldn't die. But if you shot it at me, I would and because our fates are connected, he would too. Both souls would be forced out. I'd die… but so would he."
"I didn't like that scenario though," Lucy said. "Specifically because Scorpius dies in it. I suggested drawing the second Rune on Melvin but that means killing someone innocent. In fact, I'm not sure who'd do it. I sort of wish we had that idea before Tyro was killed."
"But we could do it on Rojer," Scorpius suggested. "See if we can't suggest a partnership where Rojer needs more power and Incommodo needs to give it. Thing is, I'm not sure how that would work either. They both need to be willing. Anyways, that's the first idea," Scorpius finished. "Another one is to use a spell that damages the body faster than it can regenerate. Fiendfyre isn't strong enough but if we had two at once, it might be. You'd have to destroy it until it's literally nothing but ash."
"That's… vaguely possible," Alexis said uncertainly. "If you knew someone more powerful who could do such a thing. When he faced Phoenix in Hogsmeade, I really haven't seen anyone duel like that. He's a monster. And if Phoenix couldn't do that, who can? Aries?"
"No, I doubt she has the power," Scorpius sighed. "Maybe when she's older but right now… no."
"If he faced Dubium and we temporarily took Dubium's side before destroying his Orb and weakening him next, we could manage," Lucy said.
"Too many unknowns though," Scorpius sighed. "What if Incommodo got away, or the ship was destroyed first which made Dubium too weak to face him? The other way is something called Soul battle."
"Yes, Seth told me about that," Albus said as Alexis grimaced.
"Anything that has to do with the soul and the mind at once would clash and a rare effect would take place," Scorpius said. "Legilimency and the Killing Curse would merge and send the both of you into some sort of trance. Then, it really is broken down. Take at least one of his souls down and the other can be killed easily. And since it just requires a bit of the mind, the user doesn't necessarily have to be accomplished at Legilimency to do this."
"But there's something morally questionable about that too," Lucy said. "We can't take Herpo's soul down. He's too powerful. You'd need to take Mortimer's soul and taking his soul down, the soul of an innocent child… I dunno. Plus, it's really Dark Magic and no one's going to try this."
Except me, Albus thought miserably, feeling Scorpius' eyes on him. Albus could do it. Voldemort would defeat Herpo. Maybe Voldemort and Albus together would defeat him and then Albus would have to sacrifice his own soul and allow someone to kill Voldemort's new body. Now Scorpius explained this, Albus really did not know how this would come about. Even if they beat Herpo and allowed Mortimer to pass on, Albus would still be Voldemort's host.
"There's a fourth way which… I think might happen," Scorpius said quietly. "It's really Dark Magic, I mean… really Dark Magic and messes with Alchemy which is the deepest of Dark Magic but it will work. Incommodo intentionally encases his fractured soul, Herpo's soul, into a new body. Remember how the Dark Lord came back? They used an Alchemic concoction to create an artificial body which solidifies once a soul is encased into the cauldron. Incommodo would use that and regain his old body as Herpo the Foul. Mortimer Ink would be free and Herpo would be one and more powerful than ever. He'd be immortal but still able to die if we used the Killing Curse."
"I don't understand," Alexis said quietly as Albus' mind started working. "How is the artificial body immortal?"
"Because it's artificial," Scorpius explained. "Made by Alchemy. Alchemy was started to gain eternal life and eternal riches. Well, here's one of the paths to eternal life that it provided. Making an artificial body and encasing your soul in that like some sort of Horcrux. It's dark, it's grotesque, it's morally questionable"-
"Morally questionable?" Lucy repeated. "Try outright evil. Something only Incommodo would do."
"And according to father, that's his endpoint," Scorpius said happily. "Mortimer's soul merges with Herpo's and goes into a single body as a single soul more powerful than ever. Herpo returns, and we take him down like that. In other words, we wait… or we try to hurry that process up. I don't know how we do that."
"Herpo coming back like that would be way too powerful to deal with," Albus reminded them. He remembered Merlin told him that Herpo's return would make him unstoppable.
"Not with the Relics," Lucy reminded him.
"My point is, Alchemy could be a means to an end," Scorpius suggested. "Anything to do with avoiding death is Alchemy's domain. Herpo actually had an Alchemic concoction that stopped the Killing Curse from shutting down the heart and brain. Nearly stopped the effects altogether but since it expels the soul, it only delayed death. So, if Herpo took something like that, then even that body can't be taken down. We're better off with him as Incommodo and we use the Relics to destroy him the old-fashioned way. The Orb has to do with the soul so maybe we can work something out there."
"It takes some more thought," Lucy agreed.
"So, now what?" Alexis asked.
"Well, I'm getting sort of cramped so we can go," Lucy suggested.
"You girls go on," Scorpius said. "I need to talk to Al about something. Alone."
"Oh"-
"Just go, we have unfinished business," Scorpius insisted and directed Albus to follow him.
Scorpius and Albus crawled across the passageway for a while in silence, neither saying anything just yet. Albus knew Scorpius was waiting till they were really alone, in a more comfortable place. Albus knew exactly what Scorpius wanted to talk about and he was beginning to get annoyed. Why could Scorpius not leave the issue alone? Why did he not trust him? For all he knew, this was important. It did not matter to Albus. He had to destroy Incommodo that way. Having Incommodo become Herpo again would make him too powerful, destroying him beyond repair was too difficult, and Incommodo would never do a Rune Spell which needed both Wizards' consent.
They made it to Honeydukes and snuck out. Scorpius actually cast a Disillusionment Charm on them both before walking out of the passage into the basement of the sweet shop. Blending with the background and Albus wishing he had his cloak, they snuck out and towards the bungalow, past the Arsenal standing guard by the countryside. They walked inside the bungalow together before shutting the door and locking it. As they locked, they once again felt the strange feeling of disconnection. Scorpius looked around. "This place truly is banished. We're lucky we have the keys."
"I know what you want," Albus said calmly, staring out the window at the gray nothingness outside. Scorpius was indeed right. This place was in nonexistence. Nothingness.
"Of course you do," Scorpius said with an equally calm voice. "It was coming, Al. Ever since you spilled the beans to me in fifth year, it was damn well coming."
"Are you going to hear me out?" Albus asked.
"Of course," Scorpius said simply. "We're best friends. We've been best friends since- what- first year? But there's a limit to what I'm willing to tolerate from you, Al. What the bloody hell? Two souls? Two?"
Albus sighed. Scorpius was not going to accept anything but the truth and he saw through every lie Albus tried telling. He started, "Alright, remember when we visited the Reservation the first time?" Albus asked. When Scorpius nodded, Albus continued, "Mark, Lily and I were cursed with some black fire by Dubium. The fire had different effects. Mark had a timed Curse of Decay that nearly killed him, Lily had illusion attacks that pained her, and I had the essence of Voldemort. All those curses were timed but mine came earlier. That essence was growing and I had to get rid of it. It was also going to start sapping my lifespan eventually but killing Ridge delayed that. Now it's back but he's back but he's limited to my body… for now."
Scorpius listened without interruption, if anything that silence marking their friendship. Scorpius looked at Albus through half-sad eyes before finally speaking, "The first time the essence was there, it was growing stronger by sapping from you. But theoretically, if you destroyed it the first time, it was only disconnected from you, not destroyed, and you stopped it from sapping your lifespan unless you actually give it to him. Which, I assume you didn't?"
"Actually…" Albus reluctantly explained to Scorpius what had happened when he met Incommodo and got the truth out of him. He explained how Albus himself was struck with the Killing Curse and how he originally could've died. He could've chosen death but he gave up five years of his lifespan to live another day and kill Incommodo with Voldemort. He explained to a disbelieving Scorpius about even Merlin's essence and explained the connection and how he had the power to do it, he alone could defeat Herpo and why Merlin advised him to live. Because he was needed. It takes two souls to defeat two souls, especially someone like Incommodo. It had to be done and it had to be Albus.
The look on Scorpius' face was pure anger. Albus did not think he ever saw his friend so angry before. He was worried about this. Worried that Scorpius would not understand, that he would turn away and insist Albus was being stupid. But Albus was partly wrong. Scorpius' anger was at something else, "Al… you're an idiot. I mean it! Why the heck did you talk to Incommodo?"
"To hear the truth from him," Albus said simply.
"HEAR THE TRUTH!" Scorpius repeated. "You knew the truth. What the heck did you intend to get from him?"
"I wanted to silence him," Albus blurted out. "Tell him I knew his secret, and that others did, to get him to stay silent of I'd tell. That's"-
"You keep getting worse, blackmailing Incommodo?" Scorpius shook his head. "Al, you're a retard, you know that? No, I mean, even a brain dead monkey wouldn't do what you just did!"
"Quit it!' Albus argued. "Ok? I did what had to be done. It worked, didn't it? I silenced him. He's been focusing on the Reservation ever since. He was about to betray us all, about to kill my own father. What would you do? I stopped him."
"At what cost?" Scorpius yelled. "Your soul? Your life? Your…" He stopped, staring at Albus as if he never saw him before and his gray eyes, usually intense and cloudy were now sad and tearful. He gulped, "You're dead. Don't you see? You died?"
"I'm not dead," Albus said calmly. "I'm here. Or I wouldn't have had to give five years up. I'm alive. I'm not like Mortimer."
"But you will be," Scorpius said miserably. "Al, we can't save you. You're going to die, and all for some wicked errand of killing Incommodo."
"Incommodo's not doing a Rune Spell," Albus told him frankly. "He doesn't need one. And once he's Herpo, he'll be too powerful for you to even do anything to him and you know it. This is the way! I was told, Aries was told, and you were told!"
"And what do you plan on telling Alexis, huh? What about the others? That you have two souls, you're gonna die and say your goodbyes? YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND, I TRUSTED YOU!"
"WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO? IT'S DONE!"
Scorpius whipped his wand out and rested it on Albus' neck. "There you have it. Get rid of that thing, Al, or I swear I'm telling everyone. I'm telling your father, your mother, Alexis, the Guard, everyone. Hear me?"
"Blackmailing?"
"It's a family tradition, we tend to blackmail Potters," Scorpius smirked. "Out with it, or I swear I will, and you won't be happy."
"Scorpius"-
"It's a choice between killing Incommodo or my friend's life," Scorpius said, wand still out. "And the choice was honestly pretty easy."
"Well, I'm destroying Incommodo," Albus told him frankly. "If you have another way, I'd love to hear it. Your stake is different than mine. You don't fight for what's right, you fight for what's yours. I have other things to worry about. I can't just get rid of one of our only chances."
Scorpius and Albus remained staring daggers at each other, intensely. Neither seemed to have backed down in the slightest. They continued staring, breathing heavily. Finally, after a minute of silent attempts to stare the other down, Scorpius said, "What I said stands. Tell them or I will."
"I can't do that," Albus breathed. "And you'd better not. It'll create mayhem."
"What do I care?"
"You'd better," Albus retorted. "We're the Hogwarts Guard. We're the only thing standing between Herpo and the school itself. Don't even think about giving me away irrationally. You'll destroy everything."
"I'm telling," Scorpius warned quietly. "If you don't."
"You're crazy," Albus told him.
"My threat stands. I want you to get a life, literally," Scorpius reminded. "If you don't tell at least one person within two weeks, I'm telling everyone in three. Got it?"
They were silent again and once more they stared at each other. Another silent minute passed, neither speaking to the other. With Scorpius' threats, he knew he could not keep it secret much longer. Who would he tell? Albus would have to tell those who might keep quiet. Alexis maybe, Mark could too, however much it might depress him. Still, Mark knew about the Dark Arts too. If anything, the two would put their heads together like they did in fourth year and try solving the dilemma. Admittedly, it would be a tougher puzzle than Soto abducting Lily but it needed to be done. If it was possible, Mark and Maria for that matter would figure it out.
As if he had read Albus' mind (though Albus knew he did not) Scorpius added, "Maria."
Albus almost dropped his wand in surprise, "Maria? Are you kidding? We don't even know her!"
"Maria knows what the Orb can do," Scorpius reminded him. "And the Black Orb has something to do with the soul. If anyone will know, that first year will. And she's Mark's sister. Morgan also had two souls, didn't she? That's what you told me. But somehow, Morgan managed and so will they. It's gotta run in the family. So, you tell them and I'll leave it. At least until the war is over cause once you're dead, it's over."
"We don't know Morgan managed," Albus told him.
"Merlin beat her, didn't he? And from what you told me, it was nothing to do with Rune spells or destruction. It was different for her. And it's different for you cause you're still alive and your mind is still here. You're not dead and it's not over, so quit acting like it, Al, or I'll tell your father."
"Are you going to keep blackmailing me?" Albus snapped angrily.
"Yes!" Scorpius exclaimed. "What would you have me do? Sit back and watch you die? You made a dumb mistake, I'm rectifying that. And then if ou wanna die so bad, throw yourself off the Astronomy tower but leave your soul out of it. Al, for the record, I want to be there too. It's a Dark Arts talk and I should be there seeing as how I'm well-read on that type of magic." His eyes rested to a less intense look as he regarded Albus, "You need to give us a chance to save you."
The third silence between them made itself known. Once more they stared at each other, gray eyes into green eyes, quietly accepting the shaky deal made between them. Albus wished he did not tell Scorpius, still. He had a feeling that if it turned out it was impossible to kill Incommodo and still live, they would all argue for Albus giving up their best chance and living, even if it meant giving Incommodo a chance at taking over. They would choose him. Well, except maybe Seth. Seth and possibly Maria would argue for the need to kill Incommodo. Albus just hoped that this would be enough.
The Astronomy Tower…
Maria Prince walked up the tower, heart beating. Her heart. It would stop one day unless she did something about it. Her, Maria Prince, Heiress to Morgan Le Fay and Heiress to the Magical Island Nation of Avalon, would do something about this. Fortunately, she had a plan. A good plan that, if it worked, would see the end of the war. She was part of the Hogwarts Guard, and they managed to get her the Black Orb. Now, provided they agreed with her methods and went ahead, the war would end and if they were lucky, it would end with few deaths. The only obstacle was their moral values. What were morals anyway? Something abstract.
But life- life was good. Life was the side she fought on, and this war had to end with no lives being lost. There was one way. It might seem drastic but if her plan worked, nobody would die. Except maybe one, obviously. Some people were just too dedicated to their side to consider compromise. She just needed one thing. Her Orb and Alchemy and for Alchemy she needed Seth.
She knocked on the door, heart pounding now she arrived. Incommodo opened the door and stared down at her. "Prince."
"Headmaster," she said lowly, kneeling on one knee, keeping her head down. Incommodo preferred pleasantries and respect. Worship. What was her pride compared to her bigger goal?
"What is it you call me for at this hour?" Incommodo demanded with his deathly voice.
Maria looked up, still on knee, "How much do you know of the Medieval Relics?" she asked.
"I acquired the Scepter years ago," Incommodo said. "The Black Orb is beyond my grasp at the present time. The rest are insignificant."
Maria grinned inside. He was ignorant to them. Perfect. "What if I told you… that I could hand you victory?"