A/N: I've been asked many times when Harry and Ginny will be back in the picture.
I think I can do it in three.
So, this one (which was split in two) the next one, and then Harry and Ginny are back.
Paris
"Do you know how I saw through your little act, Dursley?" Snape asked. His face was set like stone. He seemed bored if anything, but Dudley didn't buy it. There was a fire in his cold black eyes.
"Mind reading?" Dudley guessed with a non-comital shrug.
Snape's lips twisted into a smirk. "Despite your numerous differences, you and your cousin share that moronic assumption," he stepped further into the room with his hands holding his cloak to his chest like a bat with its wings tucked. "The term is legilimency, not mind-reading. That is not how I knew you, however,"
Snape waved his wand from within his robes and sat on his newly conjured chair. "I'm sure your mother never told you, but I was good friends with your aunt as a child,"
"My mum didn't say shit about your kind," Dudley spat. His bottom was currently magically welded to the seat of a rather uncomfortable chair. "I only knew I had an aunt because of Harry,"
Snape raised a solitary eyebrow but otherwise remained unphased. "Lily Evans and I were good friends until we were fourteen. I made… many careless choices, while she made all the right ones," his menacing black eyes softened somewhat as he reminisced. "I made attempts to correct the errors of my past but by that point, it was far too late. I am no hero, Mr. Dursley, but I protected your cousin from harm to the… well, a decent amount,"
"Why are you telling me this?" Dudley asked defiantly.
Snape let out a short chuckle. "Because I wanted to tell you how I saw through your alias. Evans is your mother's maiden name. Vernon was the name of your father. The fact that you'd forgotten that was what this discussion was about only furthers my comprehension of your less-than-satisfactory intelligence,"
Dudley frowned but remained silent. He wasn't going to take a chance at making a fool of himself again.
"Wise decision," Snape bowed his head and shuffled in his seat, taking a more comfortable position. "Who are you working for?"
"Can't you just read my mind?" Dudley asked defiantly. He chose the muggle term on purpose this time.
Snape's beady eyes twitched slightly, before he said, "Everything about your life is an open book to me… until your bite. Tell me why,"
Dudley shrugged. "I don't know much about what's wrong with me. I've had to improvise a bit,"
"You've done well for yourself then. Improvising for months on end with no help? That is… legitimately impressive," said Snape, feigning pride. He reached into his robes and produced a paperback book. With a lazy flick of his wand, the book floated from Snape's hands to hover in front of Dudley. The cover read: Werewolves: The Truth Behind the Curse, by Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin.
"This is a new copy. The old ones didn't have Lupin's name on them," Snape explained, even though Dudley couldn't tell why it was important. "It details a voice of reason that resides within your magic. It can protect your mind, and augment your power. What is your voice?"
Dudley rolled his eyes. He didn't have one, and he told Snape as such. Of course, the full truth was that anyone who fell into Greyback's pack lost their voice of reason, if they'd had one in the first place. Naturally, Dudley kept that quiet.
The man narrowed his eyes. "You don't hear dear Petunia calling from the void? No pampering whines from your pig-headed father?"
"My father was not a pig!" Dudley shouted angrily. If he could, he would've sunk his fist straight into Snape's hooked nose.
"Who are you working for?" Snape asked again.
"Myself," Dudley replied, maintaining eye contact.
Snape scoffed. "You aren't lying, which means it's a good cover,"
Dudley rolled his eyes and made the motion to sink into his chair, only he didn't move at all. "Can you let me out of this thing? I had to stay the night like this. It's incredibly uncomfortable, and I've got to use the loo,"
Snape waved his wand, and Dudley felt the pressure in his bladder leave. "Better? Now, who are you working for?"
"Ask me that one more bloody time I swear it, I'll-"
"You'll what, Dursley?" Snape interjected. "What will you do? Kill me? Bite me? Call Dumbledore to your aid?"
Dudley clenched his jaw, fighting down the retort that he wasn't working for Dumbledore.
The sound of the cellar door opening above piqued Dudley's interest. "SNAPE!" a voice cried. "DUMBLEDORE'S MEN! WE CAUGHT EM!"
Snape's smirk nearly turned into a toothy grin as he got to his feet. "Looks like your rescue brigade's run into a bit of trouble," he swept out of the room, and up the stairs, his cloak billowing behind him.
Dudley had no idea what was going on, and frankly, he didn't care. He'd been given time. Time he could use to get out of this bloody chair.
Regretfully Uncaring
Chapter 45: A Stone for the Second Brother
Hogwarts
Daphne's heart was racing. Her hair fell around her shoulders messily. She needed to know the date. That was all that was running through her head.
What day was it?
What time was it?
Where was she?
The familiar sight of her dormitory wasn't comforting. It could be fake. She might still be dreaming.
She fisted the sheets below her and slid out of bed. Her weight was normal. Her legs felt like they weren't working too hard.
She pinched herself.
Nothing happened.
Outside her window, the depths of The Black Lake seemed perfectly unremarkable. Subtle sunbeams could be seen penetrating the surface of the loch.
The watch resting on her nightstand read 10 o'clock. She turned to the magical calendar hung on the wall. It was foolproof – synchronized with the magic of the castle itself.
It wasn't there. The calendar was missing.
"Greengrass," a man's voice spoke softly from across the room. She tightened her jaw, hearing her teeth creak against each other. She recognized the man's voice.
Grindelwald stepped out from behind one of the four posters. "You're almost out," he said with a cunning smile. "You've just got to break it,"
"What have I got to break?" she asked without stalling.
Grindelwald frowned. "Oh no. Oh, no, no…" he seemed legitimately concerned, and Daphne's heart rate spiked.
I can feel my heart, she thought to herself. That's a positive sign, right?
"My dear, I thought you'd sorted this out by now!" Grindelwald chastised. "You are breaking the dream. Is it not obvious to you? After all that?"
Daphne threw her arms into the air. "Just explain it to me!"
Grindelwald held up a hand to silence her, and miraculously, it worked. She clenched her fists and tried not to fidget.
"Tonight was a fluke. You made it back here because I guided you. Next time, I won't be waiting. You need to figure out – on your own," he insisted, "How to break the dream!"
She blinked and was immediately forced back into the waking world. Her breathing was ragged and strained. Like something was caught in her throat. She swung her legs over the side and stared at her knees.
Everything was spinning. Little stars blinked across her vision. She felt ready to vomit, yet her stomach was empty. Her feet were numb, and she couldn't feel her eyelids closing every time she blinked.
She brought a hand to her throat and felt her muscles convulse as she swallowed.
Everything seemed to be working.
Slowly, as though she didn't truly want to, she looked up at where the calendar hung on the wall.
She audibly gasped in relief as she read the date, exactly where it was supposed to be.
She glanced at her clock and again saw that now, it read three in the afternoon. Pushing herself off the comfortable mattress, and to her feet, she walked towards the shared bathroom.
Thanks to Bulstrode, it was a complete mess. She muttered a cleaning charm and turned on the faucet. She splashed water on her face, trying desperately to wake herself up.
"Daphne!"
She whirled around, ready to see the face of her mother, or even Grindelwald, again.
Instead, she was met with that of her little sister, Astoria. She was leaning against the bathroom door with a curious expression. "Are you alright?"
Daphne nodded briskly. "Fine,"
"Rubbish," Astoria corrected, analyzing her older sister's appearance. "What happened?"
"Nothing," Daphne insisted, "I'm fine," she made her way to the exit but found her way blocked by Astoria's change in position.
"Did Theo do something?"
"What?" Daphne asked incredulously. Her mind was so far away from Theodore Nott at the moment.
Astoria nodded, more to herself it seemed. "Yeah. I've seen the two of you hanging around each other more – I figured there was something going on between the two of you,"
"I am Death, Daphne Greengrass," the memory of the dream kept playing in front of her eyes like a photograph in the Daily Prophet.
Astoria took Daphne's blank expression as an invitation to clarify. "You know, sparks flying and all that-"
Daphne shook her head and pushed passed her sister. She needed to move. Get her legs to push her somewhere in an attempt to dispel the cloud of dread that circled her mind.
She opened the door and strode through the corridors from the dormitories to the common room. Her walk hastened until finally, she ran. Her shoes clanged on the metal walkways.
Her eyes didn't even register her arrival into the stone common room, but rather the change in sound as metal turned to polished rock.
Most everyone had cleared out of the common room. Theo was pacing in front of the entrance. He was pale and jittery. He heard her footsteps and looked up. His expression cleared, and a broad smile formed on his face. "Daphne!"
Daphne slowed and came to a halt a few feet in front of him. "Do you ever…" she trailed off and blinked rapidly. She could hear footsteps behind her and knew it was Astoria. "Astoria stay here. I haven't got time right now,"
She wrapped her hand around Theo's wrist and pulled him through the wall and out into the dungeon corridor. "I need to talk to you,"
"Good," he replied, letting out a sigh of relief. "I've got to talk to you too,"
Daphne ignored this last bit and ran up the many flights of stairs, and into the entrance hall. With each step, she grew more certain that this was real. That the air the breathed and the people she touched were real. She was awake and alive.
"Daphne, is there any plan on where you're taking me?" Theo asked, concerned.
In truth, there hadn't been, but now was not the time to own up to that. "Yes, come on,"
She walked confidently down a short set of steps and into the courtyard. Through archways and down yet more stairs. Finally, they made their way across the viaduct, toward the central hall.
"Are you taking me on some sort of library excursion?" Theo asked nervously, as Daphne made her way through the doors. She slipped a little on the polished tile surface as she came to a stop.
"I had a dream… last night…" Daphne blurted. Theo was very close to her. He brought his hands up and pulled her arms down, pinning them to her side. It was noticeable, but not forceful. "What are you doing?"
"Do you need a… quieter place?" he whispered into her ear. "I don't think the middle of the most crowded hall in the castle is a great idea,"
Daphne nodded, her nose brushing against his collarbone. She let him guide her through the central hall, and into the Defense tower. Up dozens of stairs and into the Astronomy Tower. It took a while for Daphne to realize they were walking hand in hand. It felt… alright. She moved her fingers and intertwined them with his. Gaining comfort from him.
Suddenly, they stopped. She was standing in front of a wall opposite a tapestry with a load of dancing trolls.
"Why are we-"
Theo shushed her, and slowly took his hand out of hers. If he'd been pale before, it was nothing compared to now. He looked ill. "Something bad is going to happen tonight," he said under his breath as he began to pace in front of the smooth stone surface. "I've been given a job,"
Daphne quirked her head to the side, waiting for Theo to elaborate.
"I just don't know… I thought I had more time…"
"Theo, what's…" she trailed off as the sound of stone grinding against stone made itself known. A doorway with intricate carvings materialized in front of them. "What is this?"
Theo smiled briefly. "It's the room of lost things. Where everything is hidden."
Theo silently offered Daphne his hand, and she took it. He pushed the door open and walked her through. As the door closed behind them, Daphne was sure she'd seen a hint of silver, like a ghost.
Shrugging aside the detail, she turned to the room they'd arrived in. Her eyes went wide with wonder as the room seemed to build itself in front of her.
It was seemingly endless in size. The architecture of the ceiling was very old, and pillars occasionally came down to support it. The size of the room was not what impressed her, however. It was what filled it.
Thousands, if not millions of objects were stacked high, creating narrow pathways and crawlspaces. It was a dazzling city of forgotten items. Chairs, mirrors, brooms, toilets. Every time her eyes moved; she caught something new. It was unbelievable. She'd never seen any magic like it.
"There will be an attack on the castle tonight," Theo whispered, and Daphne's attention was suddenly focused back on him. "And I need your help,"
Daphne nodded and bit her lip, waiting for further details.
"Do you know of the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw?" he asked hesitantly.
Daphne, again, nodded. Who didn't? Well, that was a rather inconsiderate question, really. She was sure members of less fortunate houses would be a little less world-weary.
"Right, well," Theo stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked into the maze of abandoned relics. Daphne hastened to follow. "It isn't exactly lost,"
"How do you mean?"
Theo shrugged. "The Ministry says it's here. In the room no one can find,"
"The Ministry?" Daphne asked, recoiling slightly, "Since when are you working for The Ministry,"
"I'm not," Theo clarified, his tone insistent. He had this crazed look in his eye. He was desperate. "My father is. He gave me a job. That job is to find the diadem. I don't know why; I don't know what the government will do with it. I just know that bad things are going to happen tonight, and I need to get it out,"
"What sort of bad things?" Daphne asked, taking a step forward.
Theo shook his head. "Trelawney… she saw fire," his eyes unfocused over Daphne's shoulder. "Fire roars as the old man falls off the highest tower,"
Daphne swallowed and nodded. Had Theo said this a month ago, she'd have ignored it entirely. Prophecies were not equivalent to truth.
Now, however, with seers and dreams falling all around her, she found herself believing Trelawney's words.
"Dumbledore?" she asked, quietly.
Theo shook his head, unable to concentrate. "An old man will fall from the Astronomy Tower. It will happen tonight. Then…" he trailed off and sniffled. Tears accumulated in his eyes. "Then the fire will come."
Daphne reached forward and took Theo's hand, pulling him closer. "It's okay," she murmured. "There's still time. We have time."
The panic filling her stomach was like a raging storm. It tossed and turned with every thought and movement.
Theo pulled out of her grasp and turned on the spot, inspecting their surroundings. "It's on an old bust. You should… anyone should be able to see it. It's on display,"
Daphne nodded and waited for him to take charge. He seemed to be mentally crossing off options.
"What are you doing?" Daphne asked.
Theo pulled at his hair and whimpered slightly. He seemed on the verge of tears. "I've only been here a few times before but I always pick the wrong route.
Daphne's heart was racing. It was well past noon already, and everything was going to fall apart within the day. They had time, but not in spades.
"Center right!" Theo exclaimed, finally. "I haven't tried that one yet,"
He ran toward the cluttered alleyway to their right, and Daphne again followed after him. Her shoes weren't made for running, they were made for walking. Every step sent a stinging pain through her legs. She was not fit in any sense of the word; finding herself out of breath within a few seconds.
Theo kept going, however. Whether he was lasting on adrenaline or legitimate muscle, she didn't know. It drove her to pick up the pace, however.
She scanned her surroundings constantly. Scrutinizing anything that glinted in Theo's wandlight. Kicking herself mentally, she pulled out her wand and muttered, "Lumos!"
A stitch formed in her side, and just as she was going to ask for Theo to slow down, he came to a halt.
She let her legs come to a natural stop. She couldn't feel her lower body, nor her core. She hadn't gotten that much physical exercise in a long time.
"What," she let out a dry cough, "What is it?"
Theo remained silent. His eyes were fixed on something ahead of him, and Daphne stepped around him to get a better look. The slight movement brought a wince out of her. She genuinely didn't know how she was supposed to walk back.
Squinting in the dim light, she made out a large cabinet.
"It's a twin," Theo breathed. "It must be. I recognize the markings."
"What?" Daphne wheezed, still trying to figure out what the cabinet was and why Theo found it so interesting.
He cleared his throat, and turned to her briefly before pointing to the cabinet. "It's a vanishing cabinet. I'm… well, I'm guessing but – there is one in Borgin and Burkes that looks identical to this,"
"Same maker… different pair?" Daphne suggested, still not understanding the significance of a vanishing cabinet in a room no one knew about. "How did it even get in here? I thought it was in the castle."
Theo shook his head. "Until recently, yeah. The Weasley twins kept fucking with it, and, well, Umbridge had had enough,"
Daphne swallowed the bile that kept trying to make its presence known. "What exactly… why is this important?"
Theo shook his head again, still not communicating. "It's not," then, he continued through the narrow pathways carved by junk, only this time it was at a brisk walk.
Still, Daphne could hardly keep up. Her legs felt like lead, and her head was aching. The dream and the Shattered Sky, and the pit beyond all that was dreamt kept flashing before her eyes.
Her mother, only it wasn't, speaking to her so calmly. The blade that set her heart back into motion. The voice of death whispering to her.
"Daphne!" Theo's voice finally broke through the fog. She blinked up at him and felt tears form at the back of her eyes.
Theo sighed and sat down, pulling on her arm to invite her to join him. "I'm sorry, I'm such a prat," he wiped the sweat off his forehead. "You had something to talk to me about, and I completely overrode it with my own…" he spun his hand around, "Issues, I suppose,"
Daphne shook her head slowly, her eyes focused on the floor beside Theo. "It's alright. There's just a lot happening,"
Theo moved his hand to hold hers more comfortably. "What was it this morning?"
Daphne smacked her lips a few times, the entire dream playing through her head yet again. Followed by the false wake with Grindelwald.
She tried to figure out a way to word this without scaring him off.
"Do you ever dream about a place that doesn't exist?" she asked softly. "I don't mean someplace your brain invented, but… somewhere beyond all that,"
Theo furrowed his brow, and Daphne realized that he was actually thinking it over. He was considering what she was saying.
She suddenly realized she was quite warm, and her hand was horribly sweaty. She turned away from him again and stared intently at the floor.
"I can't say that I have," Theo replied with an apologetic smile.
Daphne licked her lips and nodded. "I see my past and my present… in a sea of memories that I do not know yet…. I am certain that I've lived them,"
Theo's expression remained concerned. He didn't pity her, he was listening.
"I see places that cannot exist. I feel as though I am awake, yet I know in my heart that I am dreaming. I am conscious of it," finally she looked back up at him, tears brimming in her eyes. Her voice wavered as she asked, "Do you think I've gone mad?"
Tears slide down her cheeks, and Theo reached up and caressed her face between his hands. "I like to think we're all a bit mad, sometimes," he whispered soothingly. "In the dark and in the unknown, we can be nothing but insane. We are outsiders there,"
The pit with thousands of dreams, and the black spire that reached up into the unknown stars glistened within her tears as she shed memories she knew she could never forget.
The pads of Theo's thumbs were warm and comfortable. She blinked as he wiped more tears away. "This room is… like a waking dream, don't you think?"
She sniffled and shook her head, not understanding.
He made a sweeping gesture with his right arm, his left still holding the side of her face. "This place can be anything it needs to be. Just have an idea in your head," he tapped the side of her temple, "And it'll materialize,"
Daphne reluctantly pulled out of his grasp and stood up. "But this is real, Theo," she used his name to emphasize her point. "I can touch it, and smell it, and breathe it, and feel it. Its magic and its… purpose,"
Theo nodded. "Yet you should not be able to do so," he got to his feet alongside her. "So maybe you're not going mad. Maybe you're just the first to have discovered it. The first to take it from unknown, to known."
Daphne pressed her lips together and nodded, wiping at her eyes and letting her hair hide her face like a curtain. The thought that everything she'd dreamt was a real, physical place, was both daunting and comforting.
Grindelwald's question returned to her, however.
How could she break a dream?
"Daphne," Theo's voice was laced with a serious tone that hadn't been there before. "Daphne, look,"
Slowly, she brought her aching body forward to stand beside Theo.
There, in front of them, was a beautiful diadem with an enormous sapphire at its heart. Intricate carvings surrounded the gemstone, creating a set of wings for the eagle. Its beauty gave it away. No wizard-made jewelry could shine like that. Engraved at the bottom was thin writing that, even at this distance, could be read clearly.
Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.
"That's it, isn't it?" he mumbled to himself.
Daphne nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "Definitely."
Theo took a step forward and halted. "It looks so…"
"Peaceful," Daphne finished for him. It was true. The diadem seemed perfectly at home. She couldn't describe how she felt, but she was sure the piece didn't want to move. That it was afraid of being disrupted.
"I wish I could be like that," Theo said wistfully. Daphne found herself agreeing. "I wish I could stay hidden up here. Lose any sense of identity and just… fade."
Daphne realized that she truly didn't know Theo well at all. She knew very little of how he felt about himself and his family. He was nothing to her, yet he made her feel safe.
Theo clenched his fists and walked to the diadem. He produced a silk pouch from his robe pocket and carefully moved the beautiful crown into it.
Daphne could see herself living in a room like this. Years could go by and she wouldn't care. It was strange, being among all these lost things. Cast aside and forgotten. She wished she could be forgotten.
Theo slipped the pouch into his pocket and turned towards her. He must have caught the longing expression on her face, and he smiled ruefully. He understood.
Of course he would. He too was a member of a well-respected pureblood family. As an only child, he'd have even more expectations to bear. There were so many troubles in the world, theirs seemed insignificant. But to them, they were a burden that could not be relieved.
He took a step in her direction, and she took one to him.
He pulled his hands out of his pockets and fidgeted with the hem of his trouser pocket.
They were close now.
Daphne was tall, her eyes found their place just under his own.
The little voice in her head kept repeating "What are you doing," over and over, but she didn't really care.
Their noses came in contact, and she could feel the tickle of the stubble on his upper lip that had begun to appear. It made her smile a little.
"I reckon…" he paused, and their eyes locked. "I reckon a lot could stay hidden up here if you like,"
She nodded fervently, her heart fluttering with false affection and nerves. She tilted her head to the side and kissed him.
It was soft and brief, but as she pulled away from him, she found she didn't regret it. "If the word is ending tonight, I might as well get that off my chest,"
Theo laughed quietly and pressed his forehead against hers. "Maybe one day, at a better time,"
Daphne swallowed and shrugged. This wasn't a right person wrong time situation. She didn't really know why she'd done it. She just felt it was right. Perhaps it was the constant subconscious struggle to find someone her father would approve of. Perhaps it was something far less complicated. It didn't really matter.
"How are you going to get the diadem to your father?" she asked, her eyes still closed as she reveled in the moment.
"Umbridge, hopefully," he replied. "I've got to bring it to her tonight, though. She won't leave for the Ministry until then,"
Daphne nodded. "Then I suppose we have some time left?"
Theo pinched her chin between his index and his thumb and met her eye line. With his other arm, he pulled her in by the waist and kissed her again.
It went on in a similar fashion for some time. Through every renewed session, she found her thoughts straying to different things. To Grindelwald, to the fire and the old man falling from the tower. To the dream, and the in-between.
To Death, and her warning.
Paris
Snape paused on the last step down to the sprawling plains around The New World's headquarters. His hair, which had been cut shorter than it had been in a long while, blew in the artificial breeze.
A line of wizards stood with their backs to the farmhouse, their wands raised at two men who stumbled out of the tree line with their hands above their heads. They were led forward by Alyssa, who held the men's wands in her hand.
Snape recognized Sirius first. His hair was disheveled, and his grey eyes were narrowed in his direction. Remus was the other man, though he'd cleaned up some since last Snape had seen him. His hair was well-groomed, and he sported a well-manicured mustache. His eyes were trained on the back of Alyssa's head, and he had an oddly satisfied smirk on his face as his focus darted to Snape as well.
"Found yourself a new cult, eh, Severus?" Sirius shouted. The line of wizards extended their wands, ready to strike.
"Stand down," Snape commanded, and the men in front of him immediately obeyed. "They are not our enemies."
Alyssa waved her hand, dismissing the troops, and brought Sirius and Remus to the steps of headquarters.
"Do you smell that?" Snape asked, throwing a glance at Alyssa before facing Sirius again. "I smell ignorance, in the air. Something that until a few moments ago, had been quite absent here,"
Remus took a step forward, seemingly attempting to stand between the two eternally quarreling men, but Alyssa brought a knife up to his throat, holding him in position.
"You don't have that right here," she said.
Remus raised an eyebrow. "The right to walk?"
Alyssa's cold stare was answer enough, and Remus nodded against the blade. She removed it and sheathed it in her belt again. "This is not a cult, Black. It is a sanctuary,"
Sirius looked around him. The cabins to his right and the training grounds that surrounded headquarters clearly held some level of his attention. "For what, exactly?"
Alyssa folded her arms across her chest. "For those who have a voice and wish to use it,"
Sirius smirked. "Oh, okay. So, Severus Snape has joined a band camp,"
Remus rolled his eyes and Alyssa chuckled mirthlessly. "I think you know exactly what I mean," she said. Her tone carried an edge to it that Sirius and Remus evidently did not appreciate.
"Yes, yes I do know," Sirius cleared his throat and stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets. "Revolution! Change! Crafting a… what is it you say at those rallies in the plaza?" he cocked his head to the side. "A New World, is that it?"
Alyssa nodded, refusing to be embarrassed by Sirius's condescending remarks.
"Ah, well, I'm sure that's progressing quite well," he continued mockingly. "Tell me, does the ICW hear the people sing?"
Alyssa's false smile vanished at once, and Snape drew his wand.
"Oh, see that is exactly why no one is taking you seriously," Sirius scoffed, pointing at the two of them. "You can't get pissy anytime someone criticizes your movement," he brought his hands out of his pockets and used them to emphasize his point. "What you should be doing right now, is taking this time to indoctrinate me."
"Oh, believe me," Alyssa said through gritted teeth. "We'll be taken seriously soon enough."
Sirius bowed with his arms outstretched. "I'm sure it will be a splendid day when your little faction rises from the ashes of this cruel, oppressive world," he straightened and smiled consolingly. "Unfortunately, we live in the real world, where all of you scrounging fuck ups are nothing more than a vocal minority in a society that has proven itself deaf to social injustice time and time again,"
Alyssa's jaw tightened, but she did not respond.
"What you're doing here is pointless. Do not misunderstand me, I believe in your cause, your… motives," Sirius continued. "But revolution is not the way to go about it. You're nothing more than a whispered annoyance in a far larger world,"
"What Sirius is trying to say," Remus interjected. "Is that it took us nearly a day to track down your location. It took us nearly a day to find a member of your… community. If your movement was legitimate, we would have found you in a few hours,"
"A revolution does not happen overnight, Lupin," Snape spoke up, finding the conversation's more civilized turn to be worth joining. "We need numbers, and we need a plan. Both of which are currently being worked on,"
Remus bowed his head. "I respect your decision to act against your past, Severus, but I ask you this," Remus paused and glanced at the training grounds. "Don't radicalize your movement. We live in a world dominated by extremes. You mustn't fall for the same trap,"
"To gain an audience, we must stand out," Snape said, his voice suddenly taking the form it had once taken while he'd taught at Hogwarts. "How do you expect us to stand out if we are not extreme? We must harness the middle ground and make it a summit,"
Remus sighed and rubbed his chin distractedly. "Listen, I understand that there is tension between our… alliances," Sirius scoffed but Remus spoke over him. "But we are not here to discuss politics or methods,"
Snape hummed - narrowing his eyes slightly. "Have you come for your little spy?"
Remus furrowed his brow and turned his head to Sirius for a moment before addressing Snape. "Yes, we have,"
Snape nodded slowly. "I thought so. Unfortunately for you, however-"
A deafening crash made them all jump. Sirius and Remus whirled on the spot to face the tree line. It sounded as though a dam had collapsed, and the river it had once contained was spilling into an icy valley.
Though the sound of rushing water was not what it seemed.
"Wards," Sirius shouted. "The wards are failing,"
Quite suddenly, the tree line shook. The forest behind it was swaying and jostling about. Something was moving through it.
Alyssa whipped out her wand at the same time as Remus. Both had sensed something.
"What is it, Alyssa?" Snape asked, keeping his focus on the forest ahead of him.
"Himulrean," Remus and Alyssa said in unison.
Snape stiffened. One of Greyback's most trusted associates, but how? How had he broken through impenetrable magical enchantments?
"He's brought cavalry," Remus added, sniffing the air. "Fenu, the fire from China,"
So, both of Greyback's little friends had come to the fray.
"Can you hold them?" Snape asked wearily.
Sirius twisted his neck, making his spine crack in the process. "Yeah, we can hold them for a few minutes. I've got my fair share of practice restricting werewolves,"
Snape sneered at that remark and backed away to get behind the house. "I've got some cargo that needs to be secured. Properly."
"I don't care where you go Sevvy," Sirius growled. "As long as you don't fuck this up,"
"Something's wrong," Alyssa muttered, interrupting whatever Snape had been about to say. "They aren't… I don't smell human sweat,"
Even from this distance, and in the afternoon sun, Snape saw Remus pale. "They've transformed,"
"That's not possible," Sirius insisted. "The full moon is another… bloody hell… two weeks away?"
"Take our word for it," Remus argued, he whipped his head around and faced Snape. "Secure your cargo. This isn't an average fight anymore,"
Snape could hear his heartbeat as he took no time to spare. He ran as fast as he could to the library building. His foot fell into a niffler hole, causing his ankle to snap. He let out a shriek of pain as he collapsed in a heap in the dirt. He held his wand to his ankle and muttered a healing charm. It sounded like a song when it fell from his lips. A spell of his own design. Through his voice he repaired the muscle and bone, setting his foot back into place. The pain was barely tolerable, but he didn't care.
It was then that he saw it. A wolf the size of a large bear slowly revealed itself from the underbrush. It licked its lips and, to his horror, stood on its hind legs.
Though he was miles away from it, he knew that the creature could reach him in a few bounds.
Alyssa and the Marauders could deal with it, he thought as he got back to his feet and ran on his swollen ankle to the library.
He could hear shouting from behind him, but his mind was entirely focused on getting to what mattered right now.
He glided his wand over the handleless door and heard all the locks come undone. As fast as possible, he entered and sealed himself in.
"Hello?" Draco greeted, irritated. He was sitting on one of the couches with a book in his hands. From this distance, Snape couldn't tell what it was, but he didn't really care.
"Don't!" Snape warned, and Draco's sneer vanished immediately. "We are under attack, and I expect you to stay where you are,"
"Right well change your bloody expectations!" Draco shouted, getting to his feet. "If my life is threatened for just a second, I am out of here faster than you can call me a coward!"
Snape leveled his wand on the boy and spoke through gritted teeth. "Greyback's wolves are here. They're transformed, when they shouldn't be," Draco's cheeks pinkened, and fear shone in his eyes. "I highly doubt they are here for you, but I command you to stay where you are. When I sound the alarm, all locks on the living quarters will be released, including yours. It's an idiotic system that I do not approve of but the raven stands by it, and therefore I must abide by it," he raked a hand through his hair and lowered his wand, which seemed to calm Draco somewhat. "When that door opens, you will stay here. Do you understand? You will stay here."
"I will stay here," Draco repeated reluctantly. "I finished your booklist, by the way."
Snape turned around and made his way back to the library.
"Not like you give a damn, though, right?" Draco whined. "Keep leaving me in the dark, just like my parents!"
Snape froze with his hand hovering over the door. "I hope you learned a thing or two from those books," then, he pushed the door open and ran back to the house.
The wolf revealed itself from the trees, and Remus had to take a step back, reeling from shock at the size of the thing.
Then, Himulrean got to his feet. His teeth bared and his eyes trained on Alyssa. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the one who evaded me," he said raggedly. His vocal cords were not made for human speech and thus created a truly horrifying sound.
Remus saw Snape scurrying off the ground after healing his ankle out of the corner of his eye.
"And if it isn't… Re-Re Remus," he cackled and licked his lips. "I've heard so… so much about you,"
Himulrean's motions were entirely animal. He shook his head and arms for flees and twitched in odd areas, but he stood and walked like a human. He was easily eleven feet tall, his fur matted and dirty.
"You know nothing about me," Remus shouted. He felt the wind pick up and narrowed his eyes against the sun. The sky was tinged yellow as sunset chose its time to make its presence known.
Humulrean's jowls quirked into a twisted sort of smile, his ears folded back, and his eyes narrowed. "I hear everything about you from your… little girlfriend locked up high, high, high in the t-t-tallest tower,"
Remus felt his stomach drop and saw Sirius's grip around his wand tighten. "You're lying,"
"A month is an awfully long time to have gone missing… looking for a boy who isn't really dead," Himulrean chided. "A boy who sits in the cellar of a terrorist's home!"
The sound of logs cracking, and trees falling met Remus's ears, and out came a red wolf, as large as Himulrean and equally as menacing. This was Fenu. Remus hadn't seen her in a long time.
She never spoke. Nor did she howl or bark. All she did was kill. Her reputation had doomed her in China, and she'd been forced to migrate. Greyback had been all too welcoming of her ideals to refuse a place at the summit of his werewolf pyramid of power.
"We are not here for you, Loopy-Loopy-Lupin," Himulrean sang, shaking his head and smacking his chops. "We're here for the girl,"
Alyssa put together whatever that meant much quicker than Remus would have. "NO!" she cried, taking multiple steps back. "You can't take her."
"S-S-Sorry… but you will find that… I can," Himulrean growled and sank back onto all fours. He made a sound similar to that of a sigh. "Oh, how good it feels to have a voice inside my head once more."
Remus narrowed his eyes and rolled his shoulders back, ready to fight. Curiosity was getting the better of him, unfortunately. He wanted to know what Himulrean was on about, and where his leader was.
"I can see the questions dancing in your eyes, Remus," Himulrean teased. "Go ahead… ask away,"
"How are you transformed?" he shouted over the wind. The sound of the wards collapsing could still be heard.
Himulrean arched his back. "Greyback made a deal with the devil, so to speak. You see… we are all… connected, don't you think?"
Remus caught something above in his peripheral vision. He didn't dare look up at it, but it must have been a black bird of some sort.
"Then there's… the voice… oh the voice of reason it is such a wonderful comfort," Himulrean closed his eyes, reveling in the pleasure of whoever was encouraging him mentally. "But to have us all connected… we need more than one child,"
"What is it you're planning?" Remus cried. Alyssa was backing into the house, her foot on the bottom step of the porch.
"Planning?" Himulrean grinned. "No… silly, silly. B-B-Building is the word. You… let him in… and now," the sky began to flicker as the enchantments of The New World's sanctuary continued to fail. "Now… you're going to have to let him stay."
"Who is him?" Sirius bellowed. The wind howled in their ears.
"GREYBACK! HE WILL TAKE YOU, THEN HE WILL TAKE YOUR FRIENDS. THEN… HE WILL TAKE EVERYONE!"
"Where is Greyback?" Remus asked, ignoring Himulrean's outburst.
The werewolf made an unknown gurgling sound at the back of his throat, like a laugh only more menacing. "He's got a job to do… unfortunately. The Ministry pays well. Especially to eliminate certain… immortal targets,"
Before Remus could say anything more, a piercing alarm sounded, causing the two wolves to whine and fold their ears back. It sounded like the caw of a raven. It blared from the very walls of the farmhouse.
The sound of dozens of doors opening and slamming shut alerted Remus to the sheer numbers Alyssa's little side project had garnered.
He looked over his shoulder and saw hundreds of witches and wizards running at full speed toward the wolves. Above the veritable army was a raven standing out ahead of the flickering sky.
Then, as Sirius stepped up next to Remus, covering his ears and eyeing the raven with a most peculiar expression, the pop of apparition was heard from right beside them.
There stood the man Remus had never thought would escape the photographs of a history book. Grindelwald's slender arms and well-groomed facial hair created an aura of imposing superiority. The raven flew down from the heavens and landed on his shoulder.
Alyssa gasped at the sight of the pair, and Remus found himself completely frozen.
The blaring alarm continued, the wards shuddered, and Remus's breaths became shallow wheezes.
"Get out of this establishment before I send your souls scampering through the void out of death's forgiving grip," Grindelwald instructed calmly.
Upon looking back on this moment, Remus could more eloquently describe the turmoil that engulfed the scene upon Grindelwald's arrival. The best way he could describe it all was,
All hell breaking loose.
The sky in the sanctuary started to fall apart, coming down in great heaps of magic. Trees started to disappear, and gaping holes in the environment formed. The world was coming apart at the seams.
Himulrean pounced in Grindelwald's direction, but the man waved his wand in an intricate circular motion and sent the lumbering creature deep into one of the gaping holes, and into the void.
Fenu roared just as countless spells sunk into her side. All originating from the charging army of Alyssa's, or perhaps Grindelwald's supporters. Remus didn't know who was working for who. Was this The Raven Alyssa had eluded to earlier? Snape led the charge, but the moment he saw Grindelwald he froze and sent a shield charm careening into the army. They all were forced to a stop.
"Alyssa, repair the wards," Grindelwald ordered. "NOW!"
Alyssa was spurred into action. Her hands worked furiously as she fumbled with her wand to reanimate the dying expansion charm placed on the building.
"You, Black," Grindelwald barked. "Help her. I know you're good with them,"
Sirius stood there momentarily, but as more pieces of the sky fell to the ground, he nodded and ran inside.
Fenu was eyeing Grindelwald with venom in her eyes that Remus had never seen shine so clearly in a werewolf's expression. She stood there for maybe a minute before diving into the same hole Himulrean had been sent into.
Slowly but surely, Remus saw the wards repair themselves, and reassemble the terrain.
He didn't like how close he was to Grindelwald and his pet raven. He didn't like it at all. Then again, he was too afraid to move.
As the world around them came back together, the creaking of floorboards brought Remus's attention to the farmhouse.
Dudley Dursley stood there, his blond hair whipping around in the settling wind. The sky had gone from yellow to a burning orange as the sun sank nearer to the horizon. He must have escaped through the weakened expansion charms.
"Dudley," Remus breathed.
The boy met his line of sight and nodded. "Lupin."
There was a long silence as the alarm finally stopped.
"You," Snape gaped at Grindelwald. "I thought… I thought you were the raven?"
Grindelwald wrinkled his nose, the raven rested on his shoulder, watching Remus with a funny expression for that of a bird.
"I am not," he sighed. "They are my… extra set of eyes."
Alyssa ran out then, seemingly unbothered by Dudley's freedom. Sirius came out soon after.
"You lied to us!" she screeched. "I've been taking orders from the raven for months. I thought it was you!"
Grindelwald held up his hand. "Understand that what they tell you… is just as well as what I'd tell you. I hope you listened to them,"
Snape straightened his shoulders. "We have,"
"And the… reset tonight?" Grindelwald asked shrewdly.
"They're already in the air," Alyssa waved him off. "It'll be done after he dies,"
Grindelwald took a deep breath and nodded. "Good. I wouldn't have wanted him to see that. While I'm at it, where is Zoë?"
Alyssa scowled. "My grandfather took her. He didn't think I was stable enough to handle her,"
"What the fuck is going on?" Sirius interrupted. His wand in hand, pointing in the general direction of Snape, Grindelwald, the raven, and Alyssa.
Grindelwald flicked his hand and had materialized ropes flying in Sirius's direction. They wrapped around him, before extending to Dudley, then stretching to encompass Remus in the capture.
"I can see the future… periodically," Grindelwald said softly. "I get it in flashes, and… occasionally I can make a prophecy," he turned to Remus, then. "Your son is safe, as is your lady friend."
Remus's mouth went dry. Son? What son?
"I see an attempt at countersight in my future," Grindelwald continued. "Newt will try, and fail yet again. But none of that matters… for the fire will still burn."
Remus didn't struggle against his bindings as he was led into the house. His mind was reeling.
Grindelwald was paranoid. He had a son. Tonks was locked at the top of a tower. Someone was going to die tonight, and an attack was on its way.
The where, why, how, and when of many of those things were lost on him, however, as he was plunged into the darkness of Alyssa Scamander's cellar.
Ron tapped his thumb repeatedly against the wooden surface of his chair's arms in the Gryffindor common room. It was nearly time for dinner, but he didn't feel up to it.
It was Sunday night, and his head hurt. The scars on the back of his left hand were practically unbearable, and they hadn't faded over the weekend. Not in the slightest. They still glowed an angry red.
Umbridge had been in a good mood all day, thankfully, but it had done nothing but set Ron on edge.
His homework was done, his body ached, and even Quidditch was proving itself difficult and unenjoyable at the best of times.
Then there had been the sight of Theodore Nott and Daphne leaving what appeared to be a broom closet together a few hours ago. He felt stupid for feeling any sort of jealousy over it. In another world, without war and expectations, he would've done something about the conflicted feelings that burrowed so deep in his mind. Now, however, he found he really didn't give a damn. He just felt like shit.
He had to get her out of his head, and a part of that started with getting rid of the stuff she'd given him.
There were only two things remaining. The letter she'd sent him after Charlie's death, and the one he'd yet to open from a few weeks ago.
The first was quite nice, actually, and he was tempted to keep it.
"I have a few Agrippa's. Care to trade me a Dumbledore?
-Greengrass,"
That card had become the pride of his collection, and he was legitimately grateful for it. That swell of butterflies in the pit of his stomach was ignited again, and he found himself staring wistfully into the flames, thinking about how terribly he wished he could hold her in his arms. Something as simple as that could bring him a world of joy, right about now.
He stared longingly at the more recent, unopened letter. It had felt like a final nail in the coffin when she'd given it to him. His ridiculous schoolyard crush had been forced to come to a crashing halt as reality settled in.
He took the letter in his hands and frowned. It would do him no good nor harm if he read it, he reasoned. After all, it can't have said more than a justification for her actions, and maybe his.
He sighed and cracked the seal on the envelope. He drew the letter from within and unfolded it.
"Dear Ron,
Following the discovery of your sister's body, you told me you heard her voice. I told you I did as well. Though you may have meant it in a longing, desperate sort of way, I was serious.
I could hear her in my dreams, I could see her in visions. I felt her breath before I fell asleep, and I heard her screams as I myself relived the horrors of my childhood.
Ginny Weasley was alive in my mind, and I needed to find her.
For months nothing more than a cry in the dark could be heard, but then I figured out how to push through my dreams. I stopped following the known and decided to stand firmly in the undefined. I let the world fall away from me and let myself get enveloped in a Shattered Sky. It's the best way I can describe it and I know for certain that it is accurate. Like a key buried in my mind, it is its name.
Today, I was in History of Magic and dozed off. This is a rare thing, but I believe that I subconsciously wanted to sleep.
The dream started again, and I don't want to discuss the details, but I got out of it rather quickly. I walked around my shattered sky; a vast expanse of distant thoughts and forgotten memories. Only this time, there was nothing. It was just dark. Complete silence.
Then, the moment I'd been waiting for for months occurred.
Ginny reached out."
Ron, who had been reading this letter with a racing heart and wide eyes, stopped at this. He felt goose pimples erupt all across his body. He took a deep, steadying breath, and continued reading.
"There was an enormous crack in the sky. A fissure that ran deep through space like a rift in time,"
Ron brought a hand to his mouth, remembering the strange dream with Harry in his wolf form, and a sword etched with runes. He could still hear the wolf shouting "YOU KNOW MY NAME!"
There had been a rift in the sky in his dream as well. Only it had been Harry reaching out.
He kept reading.
"Then, Ginny's voice spoke from the rift.
She asked: What is Regretfully Uncaring?
And then it was over. I tried to chase after her and run through the crack, but I couldn't. I was woken up by Theo next to me.
I have yet to dream since then, but I expect it to mean more than my imagination playing horrible games.
I think it was her, Ron. I think Ginny is trying to communicate. I don't know why she chose me, maybe it was an accident, maybe it was meant to happen, but I need to talk about it.
If we never get the chance, I'm thankful for you to have at least read this letter. I feel as though I am going mad, and I only wish I could get a better understanding of what's happening to me.
-Daphne,"
Ron stuffed the two letters in his pocket and practically leapt to his feet. It was a Sunday, so he didn't have his bag with him. He ran to the portrait hole and crashed into Neville in the process.
"Are you alright?" Neville asked, a stupid smile broadening his features.
"Fine!" Ron shouted over his shoulder, running down the winding steps as they appeared beneath his feet.
Everyone would be heading to dinner, and he'd picked up on the fact that Daphne was typically rather late to this sort of thing. He paced in the entrance hall, garnering many concerned looks from various students. The Hufflepuffs were always first, thanks to their common room's proximity to the Great Hall. Most of the staff passed him, and finally, the Slytherins showed their faces. One by one they entered. Crabbe and Goyle, Nott, Parkinson. They all sneered or jostled past him.
He didn't care.
He caught a flicker of blonde and looked over, only to be disappointed by Hannah Abbott's appearance.
He took a double take as another flash of blonde caught his eye. He didn't know whether to feel relief or dread at the sight of Daphne's pale figure. She walked to the Great Hall's doors without looking at him, but Ron forced his way into her path.
"Oh… hi," she said, greeting him as though she hadn't seen him standing there a moment earlier. Her cheeks were the only part of her face that had any ounce of colour on them.
"I read your letter," Ron said, jumping straight to the point. Daphne immediately knew what he was referring to, and made a move to get out of his reach.
Ron was quicker.
He grabbed her wrist and spoke through bared teeth. "You won't run from this. I had the same dream."
Daphne stared, wide-eyed, poised to flee. "The... the same one?"
Ron sighed impatiently. "Not the same but incredibly similar,"
Daphne's eyes darted to the Great Hall, then back to Ron. She wrenched her arm out of Ron's grip and glanced at her watch. "Follow me," she said hastily.
She set out, limping slightly, to The Grand Staircase. Up two flights of stairs and down the One-Eyed Witch passage until they found themselves at the base of Ravenclaw Tower.
"Where are we going?" Ron asked bitterly. He wanted to have this resolved now.
"Somewhere quiet," Daphne hissed.
She turned the handle on an old wooden door and made her way across one of the many bridges to the Library Annex.
As they entered the central hall, they nearly collided with Loony Lovegood on the stairs.
"Oh, hello Ronald," she said dreamily. "What's new with you?"
Ron smiled over his shoulder, then realized he ought to answer. Daphne had already continued walking towards the Defence Tower, and Ron didn't have much time. "Just.. navigating dreams," he chuckled dryly and ran after the Slytherin girl.
"Oh, I do love dreams," Luna chirped, following after the two of them. "What is it we're exploring?"
Ron was losing sight of Daphne, and he wasn't about to let her evade him. Not now. He ignored Luna and ran towards the Defence Tower.
There she was, waiting for him at the door.
"I thought you'd left," Ron gasped.
Daphne scowled at him and looked over his shoulder at Luna, who was smiling distractedly up at the orange-tinged sky. "Who's this?"
Ron turned to Luna. He hadn't realized she was going to follow him. "It's erm… my friend. She can come… if she likes," he added awkwardly, too impatient to send her off.
"Why is it snowing?" Luna asked suddenly. She brought a hand to her brow to shield her eyes from a non-existent sun.
Ron felt a cold tingle on his forehead and looked to the heavens himself. Sure enough, large, heavy snowflakes were drifting lazily from a cloudless sky.
Daphne took in a deep, shuddering breath, her focus drifting to the Astronomy Tower, rising high above them. It cast a shadow over the entire castle, and quite suddenly, Ron felt a flood of dread in his chest. He couldn't explain it, he just had a feeling something was going to go wrong.
"This isn't natural weather," Daphne remarked coldly. "This is enchanted,"
"Very interesting!" Luna commended. "I do like a good mystery,"
Ron shook his head. "Not this kind." He couldn't help but be reminded of the rituals that had led to Charlie's death. Of the impenetrable storm that had flooded the Austrian mountains. Of Greyback and his twisted magic.
"Come on," said Daphne. "I think we're running out of time."
As Ron chased after her, he couldn't help but question what she was on about. They had all the time in the world, didn't they?
Dumbledore pulled up the sleeve of his right arm and inspected the spread. His greyed hand had turned black, like obsidian. All the while, the curse had begun to spread. He knew his time was nearing its end. He'd set everything up accordingly. All save one, seemingly insignificant stone plucked from the bottom of a long-forgotten river.
He'd held onto it for stupid, inexcusable reasons. At first, he'd intended to leave it behind in a snitch. That way its safety was guaranteed. It could only be found and used by Harry.
Curiosity and desperation, however, had led him to put off that task. So, he'd held onto it. In the pocket of his robes or the deepest reaches of his drawers, he held onto it.
Now, however, it was in his hand. For the first time in his life, he held the second brother's fate.
Because tonight, he was going to die. The means of his death were unknown, of course, but he knew it would happen tonight. Gellert had warned him in passing that his time would come sooner than the curse would imply.
Remus and Sirius had been lured out to France, and he was certain that tonight would be it. The master stroke in a plan long in the making.
He climbed the many steps of the Astronomy Tower for one last look at the place he called home. His aged legs felt like those of a two-hundred-year-old man. His breathing was ragged and wavering. Through all of that pain, he persevered. He knew Minerva, Filius, and Pomona could do a good job at keeping the students in line. Dolores, through all her faults, would certainly keep the school open. His death would be nothing more than a terrible tragedy in the few minds that continued to hold him in such high regard after the many failures of the Triwizard Tournament.
Today, Albus Dumbledore would die, but he wasn't ready.
He was not ready to begin the next great adventure. There were things to see through, and journeys to complete. The stone pressed against the palm of his left hand.
They'd help him.
Daphne was pacing in front of a blank wall. Ron was sure he'd seen a broom cupboard in this very spot just hours ago. Daphne herself had exited it along with Nott.
Then, quite suddenly, the wall started to change. It contorted into strange lines that wove around like a growing flower into a beautiful door.
"In," Daphne directed, leading the way into the impossible room.
"What is this place?" Ron asked, fascinated by the small office he found himself in. There were two fireplaces on both of the longer walls. At the front of the room was a large painting of a house he didn't recognize. In the middle of the room was a large writing desk. Multiple rolls of parchment were stacked on it. There were no chairs, however.
Just as the thought entered his mind, a chair appeared. Only for him, judging by the maroon-coloured padding.
Then, two more chairs joined his. A blue one for Luna, who was inexplicably still with them, and a green one for Daphne.
"Thanks," Luna nodded to Ron and went to sit in her blue chair. "You dreamt up a fine chair, Ronald,"
"Erm… right," he replied, not fully understanding how Luna knew he'd been the one to imagine the chairs.
"It's a room that bends to your needs," Daphne explained, finally answering Ron's earlier question. "I don't know how it works, really, but this'll do."
She strode over to the desk and waited for Ron to join her. He left Luna alone, kicking her legs on her chair for the time being.
"Tell me what happened," Daphne said bluntly.
Ron went on to explain the wolf in the dark. How he'd frightened the ever-living fuck out of him and held a sword to his neck. There'd been a crack in the sky, and time had stopped.
Daphne ignored most of the details, except for one.
"The wolf, which… you think is Harry Potter," she waved aside that point and continued, "Was holding a sword, correct?"
Ron nodded.
"What did the sword look like? How did it feel when he pointed it at you?"
Ron frowned. It was an odd question, but he tried his best to look back at the moment and think on it.
"It was large… but its shape didn't seem to be all that defined. It was double-edged, not something out of Japan or whatever…" he paused and tried to remember how he'd felt. "Understand that I felt like… like I was going to die. I thought the wolf… Harry… was going to impale me,"
"But he didn't," said Daphne, quietly. "What did it feel like," her hands were fisted to her sides, and a line of sweat was forming on her brow.
Ron racked his brains. "I suppose… it felt like my heart was… trying to burst out of my chest. Like… before I couldn't really notice it, but when the sword was leveled at me I… I felt alive,"
Daphne's eyes widened and she took a shocked step back. She traced her lips with her fingers idly as she took in Ron's recollection. "The blade. Did it have anything inscribed onto it? Or was it just… plain."
Ron smiled, he knew the answer to this quite clearly. "Runes. Some of them I recognized, but most of them I didn't. Granted, I didn't take the class, but my oldest brother is a curse breaker, so I know some stuff," he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
Daphne's chair vanished and reappeared under her as she made the movements to sit down. "Death had a sword like that,"
Ron's head shot up. "What?"
Daphne took a deep breath and met Ron's eyes. "I broke through the shattered sky last night. I broke out of the dream… and into a… a terminal of dreams. Like… like a portkey stop at the Ministry or something,"
Ron nodded, even though he didn't really understand. "Explain, please,"
Daphne nodded. "I don't know what made me do it. Grindelwald said It was luck,"
"Grindelwald?" Ron interrupted incredulously. "What's he got to do with all this?"
Daphne shrugged anxiously. "I don't know! He's been getting into my head randomly. Joining my dreams once or twice. I can't explain it, because I don't understand it, but he said last night was a fluke,"
Ron blinked, trying to formulate something to say, but Daphne continued.
"I was standing on the edge of a giant pit full of dreams. I- I assume it's a circle, but from what I could see, it looked like more of a semi-circle to me. Anyway, from where I was standing, there was a thin bridge that led to a giant black spire. It reached high into the sky, only that sky wasn't from here. It was… completely different. Different stars, different planets,"
Ron could see it in his mind. The vivid imagery of whatever Daphne had seen gave him a confusing sense of déjà vu.
"Then… then there was this woman. She," Daphne hesitated. Like she wanted to say it but felt like she couldn't. "My mother was there. She said she wasn't really her. She was just… who I associate with death, which, yes, that's true. I just," she brought her hands to her face and let out a shuddering breath. "She told me I was in the in-between. Where the dead and the dreaming come to meet. I thought… I thought I was making it all up and, I don't know, imagining it all,"
"Because you were dreaming, yeah," Ron connected her thoughts and she nodded.
"Oh, and something I'd forgotten to mention. I couldn't breathe or feel my heartbeat. I was essentially dead," Ron's eyebrows shot up, but he remained silent. He wanted the full story. "But… I didn't have to breathe or feel my heart. I just… I was fine being dead."
"You weren't dead, silly," Luna chided, giggling slightly. She was still sitting across the room on her chair, legs dangling aimlessly. "You were in limbo,"
"Right… anyway," Ron pressed his lips together and nodded to Daphne to continue her story.
"So, immediately after she told me this wasn't her only form, I figured she was a shapeshifter of some sort, but then it all went wrong. She told me I couldn't get back there, that Grindelwald wasn't evading her, that she let him travel from dream to dream. Soul to soul."
"Why would she...?" Ron trailed off.
Daphne threw her arms up into the air and groaned. "I don't know! She just… I don't know. Her hand turned into this dark cloud and… she drew a sword, the same one you described Harry holding, out of thin air. She leveled it at me, and I felt my heart beating again, and my muscles and my breathing. I… I was alive again,"
"So… the sword brings life, even when you're… erm," he threw an awkward glance at Luna's corner. "In limbo,"
Daphne shrugged. "Then she told me that… I can't come back because, well…" she looked up at Ron. "She's Death."
Ron brought his hand to his chin and thought for a long time. He thought of the voices he heard, Harry in his dream. He thought of Grindelwald's conversation with them at The Burrow.
He thought of Ginny.
"I think it's real," Ron said, finally. "I think you scared Death. I don't think she was expecting whatever Grindelwald planned to work," then, his piercing blue eyes shot to the marks at the back of his hand. I must not tell lies. "We need to break back in. Confront Death. I'm sure it's… it's part of the key to finding Ginny and Harry,"
"You think he's a part of this too?" Daphne asked, worriedly. Her leg was bouncing, and she kept looking down at her watch.
Ron nodded. "If I dreamt him, I'm sure he's as important as she is in all this."
"Do you think Grindelwald chose us to do this? That he brought us together to break into this… land in between?" Daphne asked.
Ron bit his lip and thought of the conversation he'd had with Grindelwald after the funeral. "I spoke to Grindelwald once," he began, "He said Death was growing impatient. That… Ginny was playing a dangerous game and her body and mind are out of reach to him but closer to others,"
"Us," Daphne breathed, and Ron nodded in hopeful agreement.
"He said Death has yet to decide on Ginny and…" he thought of Grindelwald using the term husbands so liberally. "Ginny and Harry. That their fates are uncertain."
"Did he say anything about Hallows?" Luna spoke up suddenly, startling Ron and Daphne who had once again forgotten the girl was there.
"No? Why would he mention a… what is it?" Ron said over his shoulder.
Luna got to her feet and walked towards them. "Hallows. There are three. Grindelwald was obsessed with them as a young boy, and later devoted his work to them,"
"What are you on about," Daphne spat impatiently.
Luna was wholly unoffended by Daphne's lack of patience. "The Deathly Hallows, of course. Death's gifts to the three brothers,"
Ron scowled. "Tales of Beetle the Bard? Are you mental?"
Luna nodded. "I am, in fact," she pulled a quill out from behind her ear and tore a piece off one of the rolls of parchment. She drew a vertical line. "The Elder Wand," she then drew a circle on top of the line, from its base to its middle. "The Resurrection Stone," finally, Luna wrapped the two symbols within a triangle, creating a sort of eye. "The Cloak of Invisibility. Together they make the Deathly Hallows,"
Daphne shook her head repeatedly as she stared at the triangular eye. "No, that's…" she laughed nervously, "That's just factually incorrect. That mark is the symbol for the Peverell family."
Luna peered up at Daphne incredulously. "That's the point. It's their mark because the three Peverell brothers were united by the Hallows. The first brother was murdered in his sleep, the second took his own life, and the third died of old age,"
"Just like The Tale of the Three Brothers," Ron muttered under his breath. He thought of the sword, again. Harry had held it to his chest, and Ron had a good look at the runes etched onto its blade. "I saw that symbol… on the blade,"
Daphne looked up at Ron and for one brilliant moment, he felt everything click. Like an entire puzzle had been assembled within minutes.
"Holy shit," he said quietly. "It's real,"
"What?" Daphne cried, standing to her feet in exasperation, though she wobbled somewhat.
Ron didn't even know where to start. "Say this whole thing is real. Say Death exists and is impatient with Harry and Ginny. Well, the first question would be why, right?"
Daphne nodded.
"Because they have the Hallows. The items Death reluctantly gifted to the Peverell brothers. The only problem is that Death took the lives of the brothers when they didn't have the Hallows on them. The first brother had it taken from him, the second presumably left it somewhere off his person, and the cloak was handed down from parent to child,"
"Right,"
Ron raked a hand through his hair. "Death wants her Hallows back, and I reckon Harry's already got two of them,"
"How can you possibly think that?" Daphne asked in disbelief.
"Harry's wand mysteriously broke over the summer, and all of a sudden he's a fucking magical prodigy. Yes, Harry is talented and, don't get me wrong, powerful, but such a drastic turn after only two months? I don't buy it,"
"So you think Harry Potter has the Elder Wand?" Luna asked, grinning.
Ron couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in the girl's presence, but he nodded. "Then the cloak, I mean… Harry's had that thing forever. It belonged to his dad before him, and, well, I wouldn't be surprised if it's some sort of Potter family heirloom."
Daphne cut him off. "Okay, so Harry presumably has two Hallows. Why drag Ginny into it?"
"Because she's always been a part of it," Ron said excitedly. "Back in February, I was studying the Predictions of Tyco Dodonus. There is only one prophecy that has yet to have occurred. I was hearing voices from that book and, believe me, I am no seer."
"What's your point?" Daphne asked, sounding remarkably similar to Percy evaluating Ron's essays.
"I reckon Grindelwald made me hear the voices from the book, just like he's bridging Ginny and Harry to us. He made sure I was aware of the unresolved prophecy well before anything went to shit," Ron paused and caught his breath, only to realize that his story didn't make sense. "Except Grindelwald hadn't escaped yet,"
"Yes, that's another thing," Daphne added. "I thought he was locked up. When the hell did that change?"
"About a day before Charlie died," Ron said gloomily, all excitement at his perfect puzzle vanishing in thin air. "There's no way he could have gotten into my head before he escaped. We know that for certain,"
"Who's we?" Daphne asked, but Ron ignored her.
"Maybe… maybe it's someone close to Grindelwald. After Ginny's funeral, he told us he…" again, it clicked in Ron's head, and everything continued to fall into place. "After the funeral, he told us he only has one working ally. Let's assume she planted the voices, hell, maybe she's the one helping Grindelwald bridge Ginny and Harry over. I don't know. It's beside the point,"
"Grindelwald first broke into my dreams in May. Before the third task." Daphne offered.
Ron snapped his fingers, grinning in triumph. "YES! That works. Okay… so then, Harry and Ginny are abducted. Presumably, they escape at some point in June or July, we were too busy dealing with muggleborns and the Ministry at the time to have noticed anything, to be honest,"
"Who is we?" Daphne asked again, and Ron continued to speak over her.
"So, Grindelwald and his… one friend are working together to break into various dreams and make us aware of the in-between, to somehow bring Harry and Ginny out of wherever they are,"
Daphne sighed and nodded. She seemed to agree with him, at least somewhat. Ron felt like he was moving for the first time in months. His mind wasn't bogged down by a depressive cloud. He was thinking, dreaming, and progressing through this swamp of regret.
"This place you saw… you said it was a semi-circle," Ron started again after a few moments of silence.
"Yes,"
Ron's head was abuzz with everything Grindelwald had ever said. The words he used more than others.
Time.
Clock.
"What did he tell you in that first dream, Daphne?" Ron asked, choosing to address her by name in a strange sense of pride.
"That the clock was ticking faster," she deadpanned. "He doesn't shut up about that,"
"Clock," Ron mumbled, unrolling the parchment and snapping his fingers at Luna for her inkless quill. He drew a large semi-circle with a line leading to the flat edge.
"This is what you assume the in-between looked like, right?" Ron asked, eyeing Daphne carefully.
Daphne nodded. "Yes, but as I said, there was a spire in the middle, and there could very well have been more beyond that vertical line.
Ron nodded and turned the semi-circle into a full one. Then, he drew a smaller circle in the middle. The long line from the center to the outer ring represented the bridge Daphne had described.
"This is what it would look like from above if it was a circle," Ron said, then, pointed to the bridge. "Look,"
Daphne took a step forward and tilted her head to look at the circle with a line drawn halfway through it. "Merlin's beard,"
Ron nodded. "It's a clock. The land where the dead and dreaming come to meet is a clock. Grindelwald's clock."
"The clock is ticking faster," Daphne said, looking back up at Ron. She spoke quite seriously when she said, "Ron, I think I know where your sister is."
Dumbledore watched the sun disappear over the mountains to the North. While he knew it hadn't technically set, it might as well have as the valley was doused in shadow.
He'd put it off long enough. His killer, whoever they may be, was surely on their way. The school was practically defenseless, and his allies were few and far between.
The climb to the study area of the Astronomy Tower had taken far longer than it would have mere months ago. He hoped the Order, or what would be left of it come his passing, would formulate some sort of plan. That Harry would find the Horcruxes, and end Tom Riddle once and for all.
With his decaying hand, he reached into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around the chain of the fake locket. He'd found it two weeks prior, in a cave by the sea.
R.A.B was inscribed within. Like some teasing insignia of a future now lost.
So, Regulus died working against Voldemort. Sirius ought to know, though Dumbledore felt that he'd rather not like to.
He let go of the chain and stood against the railing. His beard blew in the light breeze.
Snow was drifting down from nowhere. Enchanted weather, he was sure of it. It was coming down thick and fast. A layer nearly an inch thick had already settled over the castle. Halloween had yet to pass, and already they had more snow than they'd hold in an average November.
His left hand tightened around the resurrection stone, and finally, he worked up the nerve to roll in between his fingers.
Once.
Twice.
On the third pass, he thought he heard something. A creaking on the stairs behind him. He turned to face the sound and saw a man, no, a wolf, lumbering on its hindlegs towards him.
He didn't know if the stone had worked. He could not see the girl he so desperately needed to see.
"Dumbledore," the wolf growled in greeting. His paws were molded like giant hands, as were his feet.
"Fenrir," Dumbledore bowed his head. "It seems you've developed a closer relationship with your disability than most,"
Greyback chuckled throatily. "Yes, I'm pleased you noticed. You see, I managed it quite… unnaturally,"
"Oh?"
Greyback nodded, meandering around the Astronomy deck and inspecting the telescopes idly. "Yes. It's all about perspective, you see. Once you look at this… disability as… well, a gift," he licked his lips. "It begins to work in your favour,"
"The full moon is not for some time," Dumbledore observed. "I wonder… how is it possible for you to transform,"
Greyback batted the telescope and watched it spin around on its swivel. "Senseless questions, as always, Dumbledore. I told you," he looked over his shoulder to stare into Dumbledore's eyes. "It's about perspective,"
Dumbledore nodded, maintaining his outward appearance of nonchalance. "I take it you've come to kill me, Fenrir? On Tom Riddle's orders?"
"That old fool?" Greyback barked out a laugh. "No. A man too afraid of his own name is not one I'd ever slave away for,"
"Then whom do you align with?"
Greyback shook his massive head. "You misunderstand. To the Ministry, to Grindelwald… I am a mere mercenary," he scratched his ear with his right hand. "They'll come to realize they've done nothing but grant me power,"
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid to say I don't follow,"
"I don't align with anyone, Dumbledore. I merely appear to do so. In truth, this job is on behalf of The Ministry, which I'm sure you knew,"
Dumbledore had in fact thought of the possibility, and he had a fair idea of who had instigated it. "Dolores?" he wondered aloud.
Greyback nodded. "More or less. Umbridge, Thickness, and that bloke… Yaxley,"
Dumbledore sighed in understanding. "Of course. You-Know-Who's greatest allies,"
Greyback straightened up. "What do you mean?"
Dumbledore opened his mouth to explain but found that he no longer had to ability to do so. He repeatedly produced an odd gurgling sound, like his vocal cords had been removed, before realizing that the curse in his hand had finally reached his neck.
"Are you going to answer me?" Greyback warned, taking a step forward. "Go on… speak up,"
Dumbledore shook his head, reaching with his dying hand to feel his throat. At this moment, for the first time in many years, he felt vulnerable.
"Old man's lost his greatest tool, has he?" Greyback tormented, reaching over his shoulder to remove a long metal spear.
"This is a weapon once used to hunt werewolves," Greyback explained. "It's been coated in a sort of… charm, as you call it, and can be held by a creature such as I,"
He stepped forward, and Dumbledore found himself gripping the Resurrection Stone with renewed vigor.
"If it penetrated my skin, I would die. I think it is important for one to know his weaknesses. To wield them," Greyback continued, coming ever closer to where Dumbledore stood, his back against the railing on the tallest tower.
Greyback was right in front of him now, and Dumbledore's arm shook with the effort of squeezing the stone.
The wolf placed a hand on Dumbledore's back as if he was bracing him for something, before pushing the tip of the spear right through Dumbledore's chest.
It was indescribable pain, but he did not scream. Tears immediately sprung to his eyes, pouring down his sunken cheeks. When the spear came through the other end, he let out a pained sob. It was a feeling words could not properly describe, but he knew his body was dying.
Greyback's snout was up in his face. He took a deep breath through his nose before wrenching the spear back out of Dumbledore's body. "I do love the smell of fear,"
And then, as his muscles spasmed, and his grip on the Resurrection Stone wavered, he felt a hand fall on his shoulder.
"Let go of your burden, Albus," Arianna's voice whispered. Dumbledore's breathing shuddered as blood flooded into his lungs, and tears continued to slide down his face. "I never left,"
His knees gave out, but he held onto the stone. To hear her voice one last time. He could not see her, perhaps she was behind him, but he didn't need to.
"Take a train with me, Albus," she whispered, and as the light faded from the world, and his body folded forward, he let go of Death's second gift.
A/N: This chapter was originally one part, but then it ballooned into a 26k-word menace so I split it up. In the next chapter, "A Melody of Lies," you get to find out exactly what Theo meant.
The chapter after that, well, that's all about bringing Harry and Ginny back.
Okay, some notes:
Snape can know Harry thinks Legilimency is called mind-reading because he'd hear Harry's assumptions that Snape and Dumbledore can read his mind through years 1-3. Obviously, he learns what Legilimency is once Lily was in his head, but why would Snape give him that credit?
Daphne running out of breath so fast: Yeah, it's irritating as fuck but I'm also sick of people depicting skinny ass characters as eternal runners. Maybe if there was a dragon behind them, they'd be able to run longer. Daphne feels the adrenaline, but she still isn't in shape lmao. So yeah, "perfect body Daphne Greengrass" has the endurance of a toothpick.
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