Albus Dumbledore and the Everlasting Flame

Disclaimer: this work is a fan fiction based on the worlds created by JK Rowling

Author's note: Three things. 1) Grundelwald is a deliberate spelling. I know JK Rowling used the name Grindelwald in her books. I know what I am doing. 2) To those of you who do not like this second book because it is moving away from canon, I say that I am writing a story set in 1853. Hogwarts would have been a very different place; and the wizarding world too, to the one we know of in JK Rowling's books. Remember that. 3) Thank you to all reviewers. Keep on reading and providing your feedback.

"There is no greater lesson than failure."

Chapter 9 – The Orb of Duality

The days that followed the announcement of the three Triwizard Champions by the Goblet of Fire were of mixed feelings for Albus. There was the dizzying happiness he felt that Victoria had kissed him and that their mutual feelings for one another were in the open at last. But this was offset but the growing realization that Professor Rolleston had been wrong about Albus putting his name into the Goblet of Fire. He had told Albus that he was guaranteed to be the Hogwarts Champion simply by virtue of entering. Never mind that Professor Rolleston had also told Albus not to enter. The fact remained; Albus quickly grew disappointed that he had not been picked.

The topic came up one sun-soaked afternoon when Victoria and Albus were taking their now customary walk through the Hogwarts grounds, on the periphery of the Forbidden Forest. They walked a few yards inside the edge of the Forest, where they could keep sight of Hogwarts castle but have enough privacy so that they did not attract the unwanted attentions of other students. Second year couplings normally did not warrant the attention of older students, but Albus was a little bit better known than the ordinary second year. As a result, he had encountered numerous taunts while walking from class to class in the corridors. It had not helped that Aberforth had somehow managed to convince Peeves the poltergeist to float around the corridors singing 'Victoria and Albus, sitting in a tree …' For once Peeves refused to obey Albus' request that he stop doing it.

It was this topic that Victoria wanted to talk about this afternoon, while Albus mulled over his exclusion from the Triwizard Tournament.

'I think you should talk to your brother,' Victoria said, pulling a strand of her sandy yellow hair over her ear. 'He has obviously jinxed that beastly poltergeist so it does not listen to you. You must get Aberforth to stop Peeves from singing that song everywhere. It is embarrassing.'

'Hmm,' Albus said. He was in the middle of thinking that perhaps the Goblet of Fire had made a mistake. He and Thomas Jones had put their entries into the Goblet at exactly the same time. Perhaps the Goblet had only noticed Thomas' entry, and had somehow missed his. Was there a way of proving this, he wondered? And if so, would the Goblet be forced to reconsider its decision?

'Albus, are you even listening to me?' Victoria asked.

'Huh … oh, yes,' Albus said, snapping back to reality with a jolt of his head. 'Yes, I'll speak to Peeves for you.'

'You already have spoken to Peeves,' Victoria said. 'I want you to talk to Aberforth.'

'Oh, of course,' Albus said, nodding his head a little too fervently to look convincing. 'I will tell him to get Peeves off our backs.'

They walked along in silence for a period. Victoria kept casting sideways looks at Albus through the strands of hair hanging over her eyes. The afternoon light, already dappled by the trees overhead, shone gold in her hair. Albus' own hair had a copper sheen to it. He was busy staring at his feet as they walked, lost in his thoughts.

'Something is truly bothering you,' Victoria said at last. 'Do tell me, dear Albus.'

Albus lifted his head to gaze into her dark eyes. He had refrained from talking to her about his disappointment, largely because she had kissed him when he had failed to win the third Champion's spot. He had not spoken of it to any of the other Pirates either, for that matter. Nobody but Professor Rolleston knew or understood why Albus could feel so cheated by the Goblet's decision. He would sound ridiculously arrogant if he told the other Pirates that he had expected to win.

And now Victoria's deep, charcoal eyes were urging him to share his feelings with her. He felt so safe in her presence, so comfortable, that the decision seemed easy. But a gut feeling wanted him to hold back. He fought with his instincts for several moments, but the power of a boyhood crush surpasses any emotion that a twelve year old can deal with, and Albus was soon defeated.

'It's … it's simply that I expected to be Champion,' Albus said, turning profusely red in the face at once. 'It isn't that I am terribly proud! Professor Rolleston said that if I entered I would be chosen because he said that the Goblet bases its decision on talent, and he said that I … that I'm the most talented child he has ever taught.'

The last line came out in a garble of words. Albus hoped that Victoria had not heard a word of what he was saying, because he was dreadfully ashamed to be saying such things about himself. But Victoria was highly perceptive.

'Of course you are,' she said. 'I daresay I was astonished when you didn't get chosen, but I guess it was good that you didn't …'

There was an awkward moment between them as both recalled their first kiss. They had not kissed since then, largely borne out of an individual fear that the other might reject them if they tried to initiate another one. The embarrassing silence was ended by Victoria, who took hold of Albus' hand and started talking again, albeit with a flush about her cheeks.

'Do you want to know something?' she asked. 'I knew your name long before I came to Hogwarts. My parents both spoke very highly of your parents when I was younger. My father always used to say; "That man Archaeon Dumbledore should be the Minister for Magic, and his wife Lubo the Undersecretary. That would sort the place out quicker than a jinx or two." The way my parents spoke of your parents, I knew before I arrived at Hogwarts that you would be something special. Nothing you have done has ever surprised me.'

Albus hung his head, ashamed because he could not return such a compliment to Victoria. He had only heard of the Moody family name in passing as a child, and this was not unusual because the wizarding world was so small and confined to a few thousand families in all of Britain. He chose to change the topic.

'Can you think why I didn't get picked as Champion, then?' he asked.

'I actually have not paid it any thought, Albus,' Victoria replied. She came to a stop underneath a holly tree. The sun was now at the level of the canopy. Furiously gold streaks of light penetrated the air around them, lighting up the tiniest specks of dust so that they looked like faeries. If Albus' eyes had not been hazy because of the sunlight, he would have sworn that faeries were indeed dancing around Victoria's head. Albus was mesmerized by the sight of her, but was clueless to the cue that she was giving him.

'You are pretty,' Albus said, partly under his breath.

'Then kiss me, stupid,' Victoria said.

He did, and for a happy moment he was back in the Great Hall, reliving the first kiss of his life. When it was over, the sun had disappeared behind a thick canopy of leaves on the horizon. Victoria took Albus by the hand again and started leading him back to Hogwarts castle. Their feet made slight rustling noises as they stepped on the luscious green grass, already darkening under the lengthening shadows. Everything seemed so clear to Albus, even though his eyes were playing up a little. The shadows met Hogwarts castle halfway up, so that the top half of the castle and the turrets were still bathed in glowing yellow light. The blue sky overhead was peppered with cotton-bud clouds, floating along in neat rows as though they had been laid there by the handiwork of people. Students were dotted around the Hogwarts grounds, dressed in robes of various colours. Some had scrolls and quills out and were busy with homework. A few were darting around in midair, chasing after a Golden Snitch. Others were frolicking by the lake's edge, teasing each other or casting mischievous spells on unsuspecting passersby. In that moment, with Victoria's soft hand in his, Albus saw Hogwarts as it was: complete; a school for Witchcraft and Wizardry where young boys and girls grew up. It was as though Albus had seen a capsule of time, something to preserve and recall forever. It would be an enduring memory, one that Albus would call upon many times in future years to remind him of the way he thought Hogwarts should always be.

Three days after Albus' moment of timeless clarity, something arrived for him by Owl Post at breakfast time. The Dumbledore family owl, Cleopatra, floated down bearing a small round package wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. It looked like an over-inflated purse bag.

Albus opened it at once, and out rolled a small glass orb. Mars recognized it at once as the present Albus had received from Fawkes for his twelfth birthday.

'Albus, your father must have figured out what it does!' Mars said. 'Look, there is a note on your owl. Read it!'

Albus did not need Mars' encouragement. He had already seized the yellow roll of parchment tied to Cleopatra's leg. His eyes quickly scanned Archaeon's words.

'This day the Tenth of October, in the good year 1853,

To my dear son Albus,

Cleopatra has been instructed to see the glass orb into your possession. Send a reply with her confirming that it arrived.

The orb is a rare item known as the Orb of Duality. As far as my sources trace, this is the only one of its kind in existence. Its function is to provide the bearer with two answers to every problem they present it with. One answer is ALWAYS the absolute truth, and the other is ALWAYS the utmost untruth. But the Orb does not always provide one with both answers. Sometimes it selects to reveal only one. And it NEVER says which the truth is, and which the untruth is.

This is a rather unique item and it is quite beyond me how your phoenix obtained it. Then again, it is a remarkable creature itself. The question we should be asking, and you should be thinking about this, son, is; why did Fawkes bring this thing to you?

The Orb of Duality is a dangerous item, my boy, and it should not fall into the wrong hands. Men can easily be misled by something they perceive to be the truth when it is, in fact, the polar opposite. Equally, you must hesitate before making use of this item. When faced with questions, ask yourself whether you actually want to know the truth. The truth is not always in your best interests.

Therefore I am instructing you to take the Orb of Duality to Professor Solstice and to spend some sessions with him. He will be able to guide you in the proper use of this powerful magical artifact.

You are developing a knack for obtaining exclusively rare and unique items. I suggest you come up with some way of protecting your belongings. In the holidays I will give you lessons on magical security, but for now you must make do with your own inventions. That ridiculous book Aberforth gave you might come in handy.

Professor Rolleston informed me that you failed to be selected as Champion. My condolences to you, although I suspect you are well aware that the Triwizard Tournament is beyond you at this point in time.

Your dear father,

Archaeon'

It was the longest letter Albus had yet received from his father, and perhaps the most revealing. He was astonished that Professor Rolleston had figured out that he had gone behind his back and entered the Tournament against advice. He was really starting to wonder whether Professor Rolleston had some special abilities that set him apart from other staff members.

But in the present, Albus was thrilled to be holding something as impressive as the Orb of Duality. Much as he sensed it was an agent for the Dark Arts, the fact that Fawkes had given it to him gave him encouragement. Perhaps it belonged in the hands of a good wizard, as Albus saw himself to be, rather than the hands of a dark one. Archaeon was right; Albus needed to figure out a way to hide his possessions, and soon. There were new and strange people lurking around the halls of Hogwarts lately, particularly the likes of the Black Forest School of Magical Arts, their Headmaster Admiral Schultz, and their Champion, the permanently serious Jannes Grundelwald.

'What is that thing?' Mars demanded. He and the other Gryffindor second years were staring at the orb with passionate interest. Nothing Albus ever received by mail was uninteresting, they knew that much. The three first years that seemed to have adopted Albus as their personal hero, Gregory, Mathilda and Allan were also listening in with quivering ears.

'I cannot tell you here,' Albus said softly. He placed the orb back inside its brown packaging, and slipped it into the inside pocket of his robes. 'I have to talk to Professor Solstice about it first, and then I will show you all. It is very secret.'

Alabastor gave a very audible snap of his tongue, made a ceremonious show of clashing his spoon down in his porridge bowl and getting up to leave the table. He gave Albus a look of disgust and marched off. William followed, running a hand through his hair but not stopping to look at Albus. Albus turned to Mars, confusion running across his face. But Mars' look hardened, as if to say, 'I was there when you got it, and you won't even tell me.' Mars also threw his spoon down and left the table.

Albus turned to look at Victoria, who was sitting across him at the table. She had the temerity to look sheepish.

'What was that all about?' Albus said dumbly. Victoria did not answer. She buried her face in a large mug of steaming English tea.

'They probably think you're going to tell Victoria before you tell them,' Emily said astutely. 'Which, you probably will, won't you?'

'I … I … that's not fair!' said Albus. His face grew hot as he realized what a foolish presumption had turned his friends against him. 'I wasn't going to tell Victoria either. This is my secret!'

At that, Victoria sat up bolt upright and gave Albus a revoltingly cold look. Her lower lip trembled, and before the tears could come, she too had scattered from the table. Emily and Maggie followed at once. Annabel, Edward and Elizabeth, who were sitting a little further away, dropped their heads and started whispering in low undertones.

'I do not believe it,' Albus said, staring at the spaces where six of his friends had previously been sitting. 'I simply cannot believe the idiocy of these people.'

Allan Glastonbury, who looked fit to burst with excitement at the thought of that mysterious glass orb, waved his arms to catch Albus' attention out of the corner of his peripheral vision.

'What is it, Allan?' Albus snapped.

'So will you tell us what that thing is?' Allan gabbled.

'No I will not, you pesky little rat,' Albus snapped even louder. He wrenched himself from his seat and became the eighth Gryffindor to storm from the table that morning. The other one had been a sixth year whose porridge had been enchanted to spill into her lap by a cheeky seventh year boy. The three Gryffindor first years were left behind feeling put out by the bizarre actions of their seniors.

It was an unpleasant sort of a day for Albus. He sat separate from his Gryffindor colleagues in class, having to ingratiate himself with the Slytherins in Charms and the Ravenclaws in Defense against the Dark Arts. He tried to catch Victoria's eye all lesson, but she failed to notice him, or so he perceived it. Victoria was having the same problem, looking across at him every time he looked away, such that she thought he was ignoring her. Trouble was brewing, and merely by unfortunate coincidence.

Growing evermore frustrated, Albus felt the urge to consult the Orb of Duality before he had spoken to Professor Solstice about it, but he resisted it. He was currently resolving to obey Archaeon at all times. So, he left the Orb in his pocket until the end of Defense against the Dark Arts, when he approached Professor Solstice's desk.

'Ah, Albus,' said Professor Solstice, flashing his handsome ivory smile. 'What may I do for you? The lesson was not too simple, I am hoping?'

'No sir, I am finding the interpretation of Egyptian hieroglyphics quite challenging, actually,' Albus said. 'My father sent me something, and he wants you to help me learn how to use it.'

'Ah, the Orb of Duality,' Professor Solstice said. He leaned back in his leather chair, interlocking the fingers of his two dark hands against his white African robe. The whites of his eyes were wide against his black face. 'Archaeon dropped me a note by owl to warn that you would be seeing me about this. Come now, place the Orb on this pedestal here and we shall practice reading it together.'

There was a small wooden pedestal on the edge of Professor Solstice's crowded desk. Statues of Egyptian goddesses supported rows of ancient books, the spines of which were tattered and dust-covered. Countless scrolls of papyri were strewn all over the place, and a number of ankhs and other amulets had their place on Professor Solstice's desk. Albus brought the Orb out of his pocket and placed it on the pedestal. Professor Solstice conjured a chair out of thin air for Albus to sit in, and the two sat staring at the Orb from different angles.

'Have you used one of these before?' Albus asked uncertainly. He never doubted his father's judgement, but he had to be sure that Professor Solstice would be able to help him.

'Strangely enough, I have,' Professor Solstice said. 'While your father's Archaeowizarding exploits seek to uncover the magnitude of magical history, I seek out the finer details of that history. Your father unearths magical places, and the items within them. I unearth magical items exclusively; the sort that are not kept inside temples or tombs, but the sort that lie in places too obscure for your father to hunt. And one such a hunt led me to discover an orb like this one. So I have read an orb before, but only once.'

'What happened to the other orb?' Albus asked.

'It was stolen from me,' Professor Solstice replied. 'But the thief met a dreadful end when he interpreted a lie as a truth and was led to his death. The orb went with him, plummeting thousands of feet to a bloody, shattered end.'

Albus grimaced. Maybe this was not what he wanted to hear. He decided to bring the conversation back to the task at hand.

'So what should I do first?' Albus asked.

'Ask it a question,' Professor Solstice said. 'That is the easy part. There is nothing complex about the use of the Orb of Duality. You simply ask away, whatever question you wish to know the answer to. The difficulty is deciding which answer is truth, and which is untruth, if you are lucky enough to receive two answers.'

Albus had a question on the tip of his tongue, but he was held back by embarrassment. He could not ask about Victoria in front of Professor Solstice.

'Do not be afraid to ask about Miss Moody,' Professor Solstice said; with another glowing smile. When Albus looked stunned, he grinned and said, 'I am a reasonably skilled legilimens. And I know which members of my classroom have crushes. The pair of you were throwing looks at each other all lesson.'

Albus flushed with a feeling of intense satisfaction. Victoria also wanted a resolution to their conflict. He resolved to go straight to her with the story about the Orb of Duality, even if it made Mars, William and Alabastor jealous.

Albus turned his attention back to the Orb and asked the question that was now on his mind.

'Will Victoria and I be happy together forever, Orb?' he said. It was a stupid question, he knew at once, but Professor Solstice showed no sign that he disapproved of Albus' choice. Albus followed his teacher's eyes to the Orb, which was turning smoky. Hazy golden letters were appearing in the mist.

'Boundless the love shall be,' Albus read. Just as his heart skipped a beat for joy, another sentence appeared in the smoke. Albus read, 'Death shall part.' Albus paused for a second before opening his mouth in disbelief. 'What in the name of Merlin is that supposed to mean?'

'Difficult, isn't it?' said Professor Solstice with a trace of a smile. 'There are so many readings into both answers. Your love could be boundless; that is to say, timeless and never-ending. But that could also mean that you never end up together in a fixed relationship, your love could be without bounds. The second statement has dual meanings. You could end up married and death shall part you. Or, your love could be parted by death; either the death of one of you two or, someone else's death could come between you.'

Albus was flummoxed. He gaped at the Orb of Duality, barely believing it possible that something so equally honest and dishonest could be so impossible to read. He had expected that the answers would be black or white.

'That was a difficult question,' Professor Solstice said. 'Love is the one thing that any magical device finds hard to fathom. Or perhaps we simply find it too difficult to understand ourselves. Let us attempt an easier question; shall we say … Orb of Duality, tell us, will Albus die one day?'

Once again the Orb of Duality went a cloudy colour and golden letters appeared out of its murky depths. Professor Solstice read the cold answer for Albus.

'Death shall come for him,' Professor Solstice said.

'But where is the second answer?' Albus said when it failed to materialize.

'The Orb sometimes chooses to reveal only one answer,' Professor Solstice said, 'as I already told you. It does not tell you whether it is the truth, but we can safely say that this is the truth. You will die one day, like all of us.'

Albus suddenly had a desire to get out of the classroom. The whole room seemed several degrees colder than a minute beforehand, and Albus shivered with a trill of illicit excitement. The Orb made him feel unnaturally powerful, and scared him. Professor Solstice must have been reading his thoughts again, because he spoke.

'You should get down to lunch before the afternoon classes commence,' Professor Solstice said.

Albus put the Orb back in his robe pocket, shouldered his bag and headed for the door. As he departed, Professor Solstice had one last thing to say.

'Remember, boy,' he said, 'the Orb of Duality is difficult to read at the best of times. Be very cautious about using it for everyday things. Use it only when the situation demands it, is that understood?'

'Yes sir,' Albus replied, and disappeared out the door. He wanted to find Victoria.