Raylynx's POV
Parselmouth… That was what the stone that the Lady of the Lake allowed me to speak to enter the Chamber. But I knew that I couldn't do it again. I did not actually know Parseltongue whatsoever.
I saw Harry in the Great Hall that day, and I realized with great relief that his bones had all grown back. I smiled at him from the professors' table, and he gave me a timid wave.
Then, I heard Professor Vector beside me say, "A Dueling Club? What on earth for?"
I looked over at her.
Professor Sinistra, who had been speaking to Vector, saw my look of confusion and explained to me, "Professor Lockhart's gotten Dumbledore's permission to start a Dueling Club. What do you think?"
I shrugged. "I'm not too familiar with formal dueling. I thought it died out."
"Yes, we, in our noble modern age, prefer sneak attacks," Vector said snarkily.
I laughed.
"I thought it was Professor Flitwick who had a Dueling background," Sinistra said thoughtfully. "I didn't know that Gilderoy did."
"Does he?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. After having seen him try to mend Harry's arm, I had high doubts about his ability to perform magic.
"I suppose we'll see tonight," Vector said. Then, she lowered her voice and informed us, "I heard Snape has volunteered to help demonstrate the dueling. Do you think he means to finish Lockhart off?"
"Don't jest like that!" Sinistra scolded Vector, but Vector just laughed and left the table.
I had no intention of joining, but I watched the Dueling demonstration from the very back of the Great Hall. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. The ceiling was velvety black once more and most of the school seemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying their wands and looking excited.
Lockhart strode onto stage, accompanied by Snape. Lockhart gave a merry introduction. "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions - for full details, see my published works."
"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry - you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"
Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed, and then they raised their wands like swords in front of them.
"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."
"One - two - three -"
"Expelliarmus!" Snape threw a Disarming Spell, but his precision and power was such that instead of merely Disarming Lockhart's wand, he Disarmed Lockhart himself- that is, Lockhart was blasted clean off of his feet. He flew backward off the stage. I lifted my wand and murmured as Arresting Spell to soften his blow as he hit the wall and slid to the floor.
As the crowd tittered, some cheering and others gasping with worry, Lockhart got back onto his feet. "Well, there you have it!" he said, still managing to appear cheerful and in charge. "That was a Disarming Charm - as you see, I've lost my wand - ah, thank you, Miss Brown - yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy - however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see . . ."
I hid a smile as I saw Snape's angry face. Lockhart, catching Snape's expression, said hurriedly, "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me -"
They moved through the crowd, matching up partners. Snape paired up Harry and Draco Malfoy, and I watched their small figures as they completely ignored instructions and began to throw hexes at each other.
"I said disarm only!" Lockhart shouted in alarm.
I started to make my way over to them, but Snape reached Harry and Draco first and cast, "Finite Incantatem!"
The effects of their hexes were lifted.
"Dear, dear," said Lockhart, skittering through the crowd, looking at the aftermath of the duels. "I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells."
He hesitated and then he said, "Let's have a volunteer pair - Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you -"
"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape. "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox."
"How about Malfoy and Potter?" Snape suggested.
I frowned, sure that Snape meant to help Draco make a fool of Harry. Meanwhile, Lockhart dropped his wand in front of Harry. I groaned. How can a Professor be so useless? I saw Snape whispering something into Draco's ear.
Feeling as though I'd better teach Harry a proper defense spell, I began to walk quickly towards the stage, but I was so far away that by the time I'd gently pushed my way to the front of the crowd, the duel had started.
"Three - two - one - go!" Lockhart shouted.
Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed, "Serpensortia!" The end of his wand exploded, and then a long, black snake shot of it, and fell onto the floor. It raised itself, ready to strike.
I had my wand at the ready, and was watching Harry to see what he was going to do.
"Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry not knowing what to do with the snake. "I'll get rid of it."
"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. The snake was now furious and it raised itself into the air, hissing furiously.
Then, Harry took a step forward. He opened his mouth, and from where I was standing, close to the dueling podium, I could hear Harry hissing.
The snake paused, and looked towards Harry.
Harry continued to hiss, his voice naturally carrying intonations that clearly showed that he knew how to speak to snakes.
My jaw dropped. On the stage, too, Snape was staring at Harry wide with utter surprise. Snape, with his eyes still on Harry, flicked his wand, and the snake disappeared.
For a moment, the entire hall was silent. Then, Justin shouted at Harry, "What do you think you're playing at?"
Harry blinked, surprised.
"Harry," I called, and Harry turned to me. He just looked like a scrawny boy with stuck-up hair, like James. And yet, what he had just been speaking must have been Parseltongue.
Pushing aside my suddenly overwhelming emotions and thoughts, I held my hand out to Harry and said, "Get down from there."
Harry took my hand, and I helped him jump down from the podium. He looked up at me, and I stared down at him uncertainly.
Hermione and Ron raced over, and they pulled him away. I watched them go.
"I told you."
I turned to see Snape, looking down at me from the podium.
The hall was clearing out, and there was no one else near the podiums. Lockhart, too, had gone off somewhere, presumably to fix his hair.
"I told you that you were naïve about the boy," Snape said.
I wanted to protest, but Dumbledore's words from last night whispered in my mind: "There are not many Parselmouths in this world, and Salazar Slytherin's emblem is a serpent because he, too, had the natural ability to speak with snakes. That is why I find it highly possible that Tom Riddle, or Voldemort, is Slytherin's heir."
It wasn't that I believed that Harry was Slytherin's heir. I didn't. I knew James and Lily, and I knew that the Potter heritage was highly unlikely to come from Slytherin's bloodlines. They were instead related to the Peverells, the Creators of the Deathly Hallows, which was why James had inherited the Cloak.
But then, why could Harry speak Parseltongue?
The connection, of course, was Voldemort, and it was this that made me deeply uneasy.
The rumors filtered into my classroom.
As I drew the first Circle on the board, I heard the students whispering behind me.
"Slytherin himself was called Serpent-tongue…"
"There's never been a decent wizard who could talk to snakes…"
"Harry was always getting trouble with Filch, then Mrs. Norris gets attached."
"You know what? I know Creevey was always annoying him, taking pictures and asking for autographs. Next thing we know, he's been attacked."
"But Potter's only a second year."
"And don't forget, he's the one who made You-Know-Who disappear."
"Yes, but no one knows how he survived that attack by You-Know-Who."
Clearing my throat, I turned to the class. "Class, let's begin by reviewing the creation of splits in a Rune, shall we?"
The class went on as normal, but at the very end, when all of the students had filtered out, I looked up to see Charlotte, a shy Ravenclaw third-year, standing before my desk.
"Charlotte?" I said. "Is something the matter?"
"I just had a question," she said, looking down at her hands.
"Yes?"
"Do you think… Do you think I'm in danger? I mean to say, I'm Muggle-born. And I heard all of the rumors about Muggle-borns being targeted and I- I don't know what to believe."
I paused. How can I tell her that it is always dangerous to be a Muggle-born? How can I tell her that she's right, that Slytherin's heir is likely using the basilisk to purge the school?
"You should always be careful," I said finally, "but you can't let being a Muggle-born stop you from becoming the witch you want to be. Learn magic so well that no one can take it away from you, not even the supposed Slytherin's heir."
She looked at me with wide eyes.
"It's all right," I said softly, and put my hand on her shoulder. "In this castle, you are not alone. All of us professors are here to protect you."
She gave me an uncertain smile.
"Off to lunch with you," I said. I watched her leave my classroom.
I remained in my classroom for lunch break, and I opened a letter I had just received this morning from Jasper.
My love,
It's wonderful to be out in the wild again. I've forgotten how I grew up this way, and I didn't realize how much I missed it. Thank you for allowing me to do this. I can't say too much about where I am and what I'm doing, not only for secrecy, but also because we're on the move so often, but my uncle and I feel like we are making good progress with our research.
Along the way, we've been passing interesting trees from various terrains. I remember you said that you were once a wandmaker. I've collected different types of woods for you, and my uncle is a fantastic woodcarver, and he's helped to shape them into something decorative. I hope this shows how often I'm thinking of you because the truth is that I miss you very much.
Yours,
Jasper
I opened the pouch that had been tucked inside of the envelope and sure enough, six different wooden charms fell onto the letter. They were of various grains and colors, and they had been so richly carved. I marveled at each other, and I wondered which of these could be made into wands. I held each one of them in my palm, but then I heard footsteps out in the hallways, and I knew it was time for my next class.
I was in the middle of teaching my sixth years when suddenly, I could hear garbled screaming from a few floors below.
"Attack! Attack! Another attack! No mortal or ghost is safe! Run for your lives! Attaaaack!"
"Wands out and stay here!" I shouted, and then I ran out of the classroom. Naturally, none of my students listened to me, and instead all came racing after me as I made my way down to where the main classrooms where.
All of the classroom doors had been flung open and there was a sizeable crowd in the hall.
"Excuse me!" I said, and I made my way to the front.
Then, I stopped in my tracks. Justin Finch-Fletchley was lying on the floor, rigid and cold, a look of shock frozen on his face, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. And next to him Nearly Headless Nick, no longer pearly-white and transparent, but black and smoky, floating immobile and horizontal, six inches off the floor. His head was half off and his face wore an expression of shock identical to Justin's.
Harry was standing beside them both. Clearly, he had been the first one to arrive on the scene, as everyone else surrounded him and kept their distance from him.
"Caught in the act!" someone yelled at Harry.
"That will do, Macmillan!" said Professor McGonagall sharply.
Peeves, the poltergeist, bobbed overhead, and I could tell that he had been the one to scream. As I approached Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, examining them, Peeves broke into song: "Oh, Potter, you rotter, oh, what have you done, you're killing off' students, you think it's good fun -"
"That's enough Peeves!" barked Professor McGonagall, and Peeves zoomed away.
Justin was carried up to the hospital wing by Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra, but nobody seemed to know what to do for Nearly Headless Nick. In the end, Professor McGonagall conjured a large fan out of thin air, which she gave to Ernie with instructions to waft Nearly Headless Nick up the stairs.
This left me standing in the corridor with Harry and Professor McGonagall.
I reached out and put my hand on Harry's shoulder, and McGonagall and I exchanged a glance.
We both knew that Dumbledore would be wanting to speak to Harry.
"This way, Potter," she said.
"Professor," said Harry at once, "I swear I didn't -"
"This is out of my hands, Potter," said Professor McGonagall curtly.
I let go of Harry and gently pushed him, indicating that he should follow McGonagall. He looked at me nervously as he followed McGonagall and left me in the corridor.
They turned a corner and disappeared from sight.
My heart sank. He's not a normal boy. He's my godson, but he's not just a normal child.
I thought of poor Justin, and my thoughts inadvertently went to Charlotte, and I could begin to imagine how afraid she was now.
We must do something. I must do something. Slytherin's heir cannot be allowed to attack any more students.
Winter break approached, and there was positively a stampede of students signing up to go home. Harry, however, remained at Hogwarts, and so I also decided to stay at Hogwarts.
Remus sent me a Christmas letter.
When I opened it, I found a short note, saying:
Dear Raylynx,
I hope this letter reaches you well and safe. I've heard rumors of strange things happening at Hogwarts, so I imagine you've been very busy. Don't forget to take care of yourself.
I've enclosed something that I could only ever willing part with for you. Happy Christmas.
-Remus
Curious, I opened the envelope again. I realized that I had missed what looked like a thin piece of paper. But when I pulled it out, I recognized it as a photograph. It was a photograph of Lily beating James over the head with a carrot "for calling her a ginger", as Remus had told me.
I laughed at the picture and set it on my desk alongside the small, steadily growing pile of wooden charms on my desk.
But as my smile faded, I felt my heart grow heavier.
Strange things are happening at Hogwarts…
The problem was that other than the question of who was acting on behalf of Slytherin's heir, none of it was strange to me at all. Although I didn't know how the basilisk was getting through the school, I knew that the Chamber of Secrets was true and that it was the basilisk was Petrifying people. So far, people had been lucky in that nobody had looked the basilisk directly in the eyes.
But I couldn't speak about it. The magic of Pendragon, which surrounded the King's Wand, prevented me from telling Dumbledore or anyone else about what I knew. It was driving me insane. I spent all my nights thinking of ways to get around this suffocating silencing magic, but with no success.
I resolved to take more drastic action, though no solution came readily to me. Finally, in desperation, I decided to gamble my chances on one wildly unpredictable plan.
Thus, the February night before the final Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditch Match, I snuck out into the freezing winter night, and made my way down to the banks of the Great Lake. Hogwarts was still blanketed with snow at this time of year, and the winter would not lift until the middle of March.
I stared at the frozen lake. I knew I was being reckless. I had next to no chance of encountering Merlin, and even if I did find him, I would be completely at his whim.
But I had to find a way into the Chamber of Secrets and defeat the basilisk myself or else discover a method with which to break the King's Wand's Silencing Spell on me.
Both of these pathways required powerful magic far beyond what I was capable of.
I stared at the ice for a long moment.
Then, I pulled out my wand and muttered, "Diffindo."
The ice cracked and freezing cold water sloshed around the cracks, pulling the slab of ice that had detached itself under.
I tried to peer into the water, but it was pitch-black in darkness, and I couldn't see down whatsoever.
I took off my cloak and dropped it into the snow.
The, shivering violently, I closed my eyes and cast spells on myself, casting a Bubble Head Charm for air and casting a Water-Resistant Charm on my clothes, even though the freezing temperature of the water made water resistance somewhat pointless.
Then, gripping my wand tightly, I slid into the water. The instant I hit the water, I gasped, and my muscles spasmed violently. By the time I had the sense to look up to see the hole in the ice, there was nothing left to see.
I could only go forward. I tried to calm myself and to regulate my breathing. I could only take shallow breaths. It was just too cold.
Luckily, I was still holding my wand. Trying to grip onto it as hard as I could, I slowly began to swim into what I hoped was further down into the inky black waters.
All I remembered was that Merlin's cave had been far, far away- past the mermaid kingdom.
My body was fast dropping in its core temperature. I struggled to push myself and to keep swimming, hoping that the use of my muscles would be enough to generate heat and keep me conscious and moving. I swam for a long time, and everything was getting darker. It was terrifying to swim into this completely black abyss. Finally, I slowed. I was barely breathing, and I couldn't feel any part of my body. I couldn't push myself to go any further, as the water pressure kept pressing down on me and I stared to feel dizzy. Desperate and struggling to breath, I whispered aloud, "Expecto Patronum."
A lynx erupted from the end of my wand, and leapt lithely off into the water, bounding off until I could see it only as a silver light, and then, no more. I floated in the darkness, trying to keep my bearings, when suddenly, I saw movement. My Patronus shot past me, running from the creature I had sent it to enough, there was the Giant Squid reaching for me. I breathed out softly. There was little I could do now, in the face of Merlin. He wrapped a cold tentacle around me and dragged me even deeper down into the waters. The water felt like wind as he swam with incredible speed- and then he threw me unceremoniously into the underwater cavern.
I gasped for air as I rolled over. My Bubble Head Charm had broken, but the air in the cavern was clear and crisp, if not a little thin. Using the cavern wall, I unsteadily pulled myself to my feet.
"Merlin," I breathed out. "Merlin."
"Why do you seek me out, young one?"
I pushed myself off of the wall, and I looked at the tall and elderly man standing before me. His very outline shivered with a violent magical energy.
With trembling hands, I put my wand away in the back of my pocket and then spread my hands out in a silent plea. "I need your help."
"I no longer help mortals. Godric Gryffindor was enough."
"There are horrible things happening at Hogwarts. I know-" My throat began to close in on itself. I tried to speak nonetheless. "There will be a killing soon, unless you can help me to stop it."
Merlin stared at me with a piercing gaze. Then, in a deadly soft voice, he said, "I know you. I recognize you. You came to once, asking for the sword of Gryffindor. You carried that stone, which that devious enchantress granted to you."
"Yes."
"I let you go on the condition that you resolve the grief of those you had left behind," Merlin reminded me. "Did you fulfill your promise?"
I hesitated. Finally, I said, "I tried."
Merlin hissed. "Then you have used me," he said angrily. "You took the King's Wand and you failed to do that which you promised me. You took power that you had no right to take, and for that, you will pay the price."
"No!" I said desperately. "Please, I didn't-"
"You are just like her, gaining power for yourself and keeping your loved ones imprisoned," he snarled, and he raised his hand.
A bolt of red lightning shot from his hand and came towards me.
I fell and raised my arms over my head.
Then, a glimmering crystal shield appeared in front of me. I gasped when the lightning hit the shield, shattering it, but not harming me.
"I cannot allow you to touch her." The Queen of Sirens floated into the cave. The air around her shimmered slightly. Her eyes fell on me, and she smiled slightly.
"You!" Merlin spat. He threw another bolt of lightning at her, but she raised her hand and a shield expanded before her, absorbing his attack.
"Oh Merlin," she said softly. "You haven't changed a single bit."
"I see you have changed forms yet again," Merlin growled.
"I must. To keep alive," she replied. "You know that."
"What is this child to you?" Merlin asked, gesturing angrily towards me. "She broke her promise with me, and yet she comes to ask me for help again."
"She does what she must, Merlin," the Queen replied, and her voice had lost its gentle charm, and changed into something much colder and crueler.
Then, the Queen's voice slithered into something nearly inhuman as she whispered, "And I must do what I must."
I looked up to see her standing before me.
She reached down, and I thought it was to take my hand, but she grasped me by the throat and pulled me up.
"She has the soul of a lumeare-bearer," the Queen whispered, looking down at me with unfathomable eyes.
"You witch," Merlin snarled from behind us. "She is but a child."
"Weren't you ready to take her life just a moment again? How dare you judge me?" the Queen retorted.
"L-Lady," I choked out. "Please… I can't breathe."
"You don't need to," she crooned softly, but she didn't release her grip on my throat.
Suddenly, an enormous water serpent burst into the cavern, scattering the three of us apart. I fell onto the floor. The serpent was carrying something that glinted brightly in its mouth and dropped it at my feet. I looked down to see the Sword of Gryffindor.
"Return it to the stone," the water serpent hissed at me. "Quickly."
I raced over to the stone from which I had once pulled the Sword of Godric Gryffindor and with a great spurt of effort, I sank the blade back into the stone.
Behind me, I heard Merlin shouting in anguish and the Lady hissing.
The serpent hissed back at them, baring its jaws to show sharp silver fangs. Then, it snaked around me and pulled me out of the cavern. It was not a disguised magical wizard or witch, but a true magical animal, and it could not grant me the power to breathe. Even though it snaked through the water faster than I could truly comprehend, I was quickly running out of oxygen. Just as I felt my lungs beginning to burst, it broke surface, cracking through the ice surface itself easily before pulling me out and thrusting me onto the freezing banks. I immediately began to freeze. The wind had picked up, and I shivered uncontrollably.
The Lady appeared before me and the serpent. She sneered at the serpent. "So Pendragon sent you, did he? The fool."
"So he wishes to save her," the Lady said coldly. "He was always sentimental. That was his weakness, and it continues to be."
"Sentimental or not, you cannot challenge him," the serpent hissed, slithering in the water.
"Of course I can," she answered coldly. "I know his weakness."
She hovered over me and then pressed an icy finger against my neck. I gasped as I felt those ever familiar vampire shards started to freeze over my veins.
"Pendragon has always lost to ice," she hissed. "It claimed his last ward, too, that favorite of his- the king in the mountains."
The serpent thrashed in the water, hissing.
The Lady laughed, but her eyes were sad. "Do you think Pendragon is the only one who cares about humans? Who cares for peace?"
"But what do I do?" she asked softly. "It's in my nature."
The serpent howled, and then dove back into the lake, swimming quickly.
My vision frosted over, my heart slowed, and everything went black.
Dumbledore's POV
I was sitting in my study, gazing at the Pensieve, which currently held my memories of Tom Riddle fifty years ago, and his reporting to then-Headmaster Dippet about Rubeus Hagrid and the acromantula. Beside the Pensieve, there was a capped bottle holding Bob Ogden's memory, which Minerva had been able to retrieve for me.
As I pondered what I had seen, Fawkes suddenly let out a low cry. I paused, and looked at my faithful friend. Fawkes flapped his wings and glided over to the window. The first rays of a crisp winter dawn were beginning to shine. Fawkes let out another mournful cry, this time more urgent. I frowned, and then, turning on my feet, I ran down as quickly as I could to the boat house.
When I entered, I saw two mermaid guards waiting for me. I knelt down quickly and conversed with them in Mermish.
"The serpent sent us to you. There is a girl, washed up on the shores. If you do not reach her soon, she will die."
I hastened to the shores, where I found Raylynx, her eyes shut and her body frozen. When I called to her, she gave no indication that she could her me. I used my wand to quickly conjure a stretcher and quickly made my way to the Hospital Wing. Poppy came out immediately.
She gasped. "Has she been Petrified?"
I shook my head. "This is a different type of Petrification."
I had only ever read about vampires, but I knew instantly that that was what it was.
I stared down at Raylynx for a long moment, wondering what she had encountered in Albania. I also wondered what she had deemed worthy of risking her life, as must have knowingly done when she jumped into the freezing winter waters of the Black Lake. I thought back to when she had sought me out and tried to tell me that she knew something, but she had physically had to grab her throat as a supernatural force restricted her from speaking. Such a Silencing Spell could only be placed by an extremely powerful magical sentient being. My eyes flickered to the wand in her hand, but from what I could tell, it was an ordinary wand of Ollivander's make.
Poppy assured me that she would be able to help Raylynx, and I inclined my head to her and left. As I did, I passed the Petrified figures of Colin and Justin with my head bowed in shame.
Just then, Minerva rushed into the Hospital Wing. "Albus! Albus, there you are!" she cried out.
"Minerva?"
"There's been another attack! A double attack," she said. "Severus found them. He and Filius are bringing them along."
"Who?" I asked.
"Penelope Clearwater and Hermione Granger," Minerva whispered. "Oh, Albus, if it carries on like this…"
"Hogwarts will be no more," I finished. "If we cannot seek out this killer, then I believe we must shut down the school."
But Minerva was no longer listening to me. She was staring beyond me, and her hand clutched at her heart.
I sighed. Of course, she had glimpsed Poppy attending to Raylynx. "She will be all right."
"But Albus, what happened to her? Is this also the work of Slytherin's Heir?"
"Only indirectly," I replied. "I believe she braved the waters of the Great Lake to feed the giant squid."
Minerva looked at me as though I had completely lost my marbles.
"Minerva, I must ask you to cancel the Quidditch game," I said. "Have all of the students report to their common rooms at once."
"Yes, Albus," she said. "Of course."
She left in a hurry, nearly colliding with Severus and Filius on the way out, who had hoisted the two students onto stretchers and carried them into the Hospital Wing.
"Headmaster," Severus said, stepping up to me. "The Granger girl was carrying this."
I took the glinting object from him and recognized it as a small mirror.
"What do you think it means?" Filius asked me in a hushed voice.
Before I could reply, the doors of the Hospital Wing opened yet again, and Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, strode in, followed by Filch, who was muttering about Fudge's muddy tracks.
"Minister," I greeted him. Filius and Severus respectfully left us.
Fudge looked at the Petrified students in horror, and I saw fear rise up within him and grasp him easily.
I waited for him to speak.
"Dumbledore, this has gotten out of hand…"
I continued to wait.
Fudge sighed and he said, "You know why I've come, don't you? Something must be done. The public is going crazy about what's happening here."
"We cannot allow that expectation to shape our decisions," I said. "I urge you to rethink your decision. Hagrid is not at fault here."
"But his record stands against him. You know why he was expelled from Hogwarts- for breeding monsters."
"I do know why he was expelled, and I still stand by what I said fifty years ago: that Hagrid is not responsible," I responded firmly.
"Dumbledore, a young girl died last time. Are you willing to wait again?"
"Removing Hagrid will not save anyone, Cornelius," I said. "Do not underestimate my duty and desire to keep the students safe."
Fudge sighed. "Public sentiment has left me with no choice, Albus. I must take Hagrid away."
That evening, Cornelius and I went down to Hagrid's hut. I noticed two sets of footprints leading to Hagrid's hut, but not leaving.
I knocked on Hagrid's door. A moment later, he opened it. "Good evening, Hagrid," I said. Fudge followed me in.
As soon as I entered, I noticed the cups and the cut fruitcake.
Hagrid dropped into one of his chairs and looked at me.
"Bad business, Hagrid," said Fudge. "Very bad business. Had to come. Four attacks on Muggle-borns. Things've gone far enough. Ministry's got to act."
"I never," said Hagrid, looking imploringly at Dumbledore. "You know I never, Professor Dumbledore, sir -"
"I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence," I said again, frowning at Fudge.
"Look, Albus," said Fudge, uncomfortably. "Hagrid's record's against him. Ministry's got to do something - the school governors have been in touch -"
"Yet again, Cornelius, I tell you that taking Hagrid away will not help in the slightest," I echoed. I looked at Cornelius with a hard gaze. The man was intelligent and likeable, but he had no spine, no backbone to do what was needed, rather than what appeared to be progress for the sake of progress.
"Look at it from my point of view," said Fudge, fidgeting with his bowler. "I'm under a lot of pressure. Got to be seen to be doing something. If it turns out it wasn't Hagrid, he'll be back and no more said. But I've got to take him. Got to. Wouldn't be doing my duty -"
"Take me?" said Hagrid, who was trembling. "Take me where?"
"For a short stretch only," said Fudge, not meeting Hagrid's eyes. "Not a punishment, Hagrid, more a precaution. If someone else is caught, you'll be let out with a full apology -"
"Not Azkaban?" croaked Hagrid.
Before Fudge could answer, there was another loud rap on the door.
I strode across the room and opened the door. It was Lucius Malfoy.
He entered the hut, smirking slightly. "Already here, Fudge," he said approvingly. "Good, good. . ."
"What're you doin' here?" said Hagrid furiously. "Get outta my house!"
"My dear man, please believe me, I have no pleasure at all in being inside your - er - d'you call this a house?" said Lucius Malfoy, sneering as he looked around the small cabin. "I simply called at the school and was told that the headmaster was here."
"And what exactly did you want with me, Lucius?" I asked politely, but I did not hide the anger slowly rising within me.
"Dreadful thing, Dumbledore," said Malfoy lazily, taking out a long roll of parchment, "but the governors feel it's time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension - you'll find all twelve signatures on it. I'm afraid we feel you're losing your touch. How many attacks have there been now? Two more this afternoon, wasn't it? At this rate, there'll be no Muggle-borns left at Hogwarts, and we all know what an awful loss that would be to the school."
"Oh, now, see here, Lucius," said Fudge, looking alarmed, "Dumbledore suspended - no, no - last thing we want just now.
I blocked out the conversation before me, as my mind immediately began to spin. This was not my first encounter with the Ministry asking for my removal. It was a tactic that they used, and often, particularly under the influence of Lucius Malfoy. I could reveal that Malfoy had threatened the other school governors now, but I figured that that news would reveal itself in due time. But my removal was not necessarily disadvantageous. I knew that without my presence at the castle, the attacker would finally be drawn out. What was more, it would give me time to move in the dark. The timing was to my advantage, though neither Fudge nor Malfoy knew it. There was only one thing that I had to do- and that was to instill hope in those who were loyal to me. Minerva, I knew, would protect the school as well as anyone was able to, and Severus and Fillius were at her side. Once Raylynx woke up, she might be able to provide more information as to the attacker. That left… My eyes wandered over to the corner where I believed Harry Potter and Ron Weasley just might be.
Just then, Hagrid leapt to his feet, his shaggy black head grazing the ceiling. 'An' how many did yeh have ter threaten an' blackmail before they agreed, Malfoy, eh?" he roared.
"Dear, dear, you know, that temper of yours will lead you into trouble one of these days, Hagrid," said Mr. Malfoy. "I would advise you not to shout at the Azkaban guards like that. They won't like it at all."
"Yeh can' take Dumbledore!" yelled Hagrid, making Fang the boarhound cower and whimper in his basket. "Take him away, an' the Muggle-borns won' stand a chance! There'll be killin' next!"
"Calm yourself, Hagrid," I said sharply. I turned to Lucius Malfoy. "If the governors want my removal, Lucius, I shall of course step aside -"
"But -" stuttered Fudge.
"No!" growled Hagrid.
I kept my eyes on Malfoy's eyes as I left my message. "However," I said, speaking very deliberately, "you will find that I will you will find that I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."
Malfoy's eyes flickered in confusion, but he held his smirk and said, "Very touching sentiment, Dumbledore."
I left Hagrid's Hut, thinking of my preparations before I left for Albania. Raylynx's information had been very helpful, but of course, it was obvious that she was refusing to tell me what she had truly experienced in Albania. I resisted from using outright Legilimency on her, but once, I thought I had seen the outline of a burning tree in her eyes. She had looked away quickly, and deployed Occulumency, and I had wondered about this tree ever since. She had been so certain that Voldemort was in Albania. How was she so certain, particularly when these attacks were occurring at Hogwarts? I wished to know for myself what was in Albania.
Back in my office, the sun began to rise, and I was murmuring to Fawkes when I heard a quiet rapping on the door.
A moment later, Filch entered, with a visitor behind him.
I had never seen this young man before.
He bowed before me. "Headmaster," he said politely.
"You are?"
"Jasper Riley, sir," he answered promptly. My eyes fell on the ring he wore, which I recognized as the "Selwyn" Crest. The Selwyn was one of the original twenty-eight pureblood lines that remained today. He was gripping a journal in his right hand, and on the bottom of the leather, I saw the name "Marcus Riley" engraved on it. He looked quite exhausted, and there were fresh scars running down one of his hands.
So, this was the estranged Selwyn child, a werewolf who used his uncle's pseudonym as he had been raised under the care of his uncle, who was also a famed magizoologist.
"Mr. Riley," I said politely, "and to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Well, sir, I'm here to see Professor Kingsley," he answered. "I believe she teaches Ancient Runes here."
"Yes," I confirmed. "If I may inquire, what is the nature of your business with her? I'm afraid Professor Kingsley is currently ill, and she requires rest."
Jasper Riley's face flashed with deep worry. "She's ill? How? Why?"
"I'm afraid I cannot answer your questions, Mr. Riley," I replied. "You understand that I must protect the privacy of my staff."
"Yes, sir, of course," he said, but the worry did not leave his face. "Headmaster, I worked with Raylynx at the Ministry some years ago, and I reconnected with her in Albania. I think you must know this, for she sent you a letter while we were there. I've been with my uncle since then, but I always meant to come and see her. When I finally returned to London, I heard about the attacks happening at Hogwarts, and I came right away to see her."
"I see," I said softly. "You're right that she corresponded with me in Albania. Tell me, Mr. Riley, while the two of you were together in Albania, did you come across a withered black tree?"
I saw in Jasper Riley's eyes everything I needed to know.
I granted permission for him to see Raylynx and then, after seeking out Minerva to leave my last instructions and saying good-bye to Fawkes, I left, disappearing into the shadows after quietly Stunning the two Ministry workers that had been put on my tail.
