AN: I'm so sorry for being late with it! September is an evil, evil month when I try to desperately finish all of my grad school duties from the last year. But it's over now, so I'll try to post often to make up for those two months of absence.
For those who forgot what happened last time, Harry spoke to Dumbledore in front of the Mirror of Erised and basically got really angry with him.
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Alduin was pacing in his study, furious – something that did not happen to him often. But who did Dumbledore think he was? He saw the plan clearly now, of course. Harry was meant to see the mirror and understand how it worked, and then be told it was being moved to a new location – clearly, to be part of that trap for Riddle. Alduin did not believe in such coincidences as there being no connection at all. So Harry was meant to go looking for it, or alternately he would be offered some other motivation to try and pass the dog, and thus he was to – what? Sweeten the trap for Riddle? Push him to make a move? Alduin swore. He would need to know what it was exactly that the mysterious prophecy – if there indeed was a prophecy – said if he wanted to understand this. But whatever Dumbledore's idea was, he was not going to allow it to happen. He had explained the headmaster's manipulation to Harry, and now the boy was on his guard and hopefully that would be enough to prevent disaster. Still, Alduin had an incredibly bad feeling about it.
It only got worse a day later, when he got the next letter from Harry. He groaned. Apparently Hagrid got himself a dragon egg. From a stranger in a pub, won in a card game. Sometimes, he wished he lived in a world composed entirely of Ravenclaws…
He mirror-called Harry immediately.
"You need to go back to Hagrid's," he said. "This is suspicious beyond belief. Hagrid might not know it, but dragon eggs are not only Class A Non-Tradable, they are also expensive. And I mean very expensive. I mean that one dragon egg successfully sold could set you up for life if you were modest. No one who gets their hands on one is going to just bet it in a card game in Hog's Head."
"Hog's Head?"
"It's a pub down in Hogsmeade, the one where various suspicious characters meet." He sighed. "Look, I have no idea how or if this ties into the Riddle business, but I'm suspicious of anything extraordinary at this point. Go to Hagrid and ask him everything about how he got the egg: ask him about the stranger and what they were talking about. Just anything at all he can remember."
"Okay," Harry said slowly, "but what should we do about the egg itself?"
Alduin exhaled. Of course. "I will try to contact someone who knows people working with dragons," he said. "Perhaps they can take the egg." He gritted his teeth. He knew perfectly well who his best hope was, of course: Aurelius Prince. His ability to contact that man, however, was doubtful.
"Ron's brother works with dragons," Harry remembered. "You know, Charlie. Maybe he could help."
So it was between Eliza's husband and the Weasleys. Alduin really could have done without choices like that. "Isn't he in Romania?" He asked.
"Yeah, but...maybe he knows some people."
"Hm. I'll try to contact him. Thank you for the tip, Harry. Now off you go to Hagrid's, we need that information."
He put down the mirror, and shaking his head in worry and wonder, he opened the day's paper – only to stare at the news that a famous collector was found dead in his house yesterday.
He knew about that collector. He knew what sorts of things he tended to collect.
Suddenly, he was very certain where Hagrid's stranger got his dragon egg.
He was not particularly surprised when, scarcely an hour later, a panicked Harry called back, announcing that Hagrid told the stranger how to get around the Cerberus. If there was some connection to the mysterious hidden object, he really should have known it would be through the dog. Hagrid and animals, after all...
Apparently, the groundskeeper also said that the whole business had something to do with Nicolas Flamel.
Alduin almost had a heart attack.
"What is it?" Harry asked, seeing his expression.
"Nicolas Flamel is the maker and only known owner of the most precious magical artifact currently in existence. Has Dumbledore lost his mind?" He took a deep breath. "All right, Harry, it means this will be over soon. Riddle will go through and the trap will spring, and we will all be able to sleep peacefully once again."
"But what if Riddle gets this artifact?" Harry asked insistently.
"Harry, it's a trap," Alduin said patiently. "Trap prepared by Professor Dumbledore himself, and whatever you might think about him, he is a very powerful wizard."
"Yes, but Riddle is powerful too, isn't he? What if he is stronger? I don't like it! I want to do something!" Harry seemed to be nearing hysteria.
"If you think Professor Dumbledore's trap is not enough, what do you think we can do?" Alduin tried.
"Well, maybe the trap and us combined will be enough!" The boy said desperately.
Alduin gritted his teeth. "Fine," he said, "tell you what. I sincerely doubt Riddle will go for it in the middle of the day, when anyone could see him. So unless he managed last night already, it'll probably be tonight. So I'll come up to Hogwarts and follow him to the trap to make sure he's really caught, okay?"
Harry mused about it for a moment. "I want to go with you," he said then.
"Out of the question!"
"But what if something happens to you!" And before Alduin had time to say something, Harry continued: "Look, Dumbledore clearly wanted me there, right? Don't you want to find out why? I know I do!"
Alduin looked at Harry's stubborn expression. He wanted to murder Dumbledore right then, slowly. What was he supposed to fo? How was he supposed to get out of this, how was he supposed to ensure Harry was safe without betraying his trust? Not seeing any way out and hating himself for it, he said: "Very well. Meet me at the gates after dinner, and we will deal with it together. Acceptable?"
Harry looked very grateful. "Thank you," he said.
As soon as the connection was broken, Alduin was Floo-calling Snape. The next call was even more crucial, though. He threw the powder in and called: "Ministry of Magic, Auror office!"
Once his head stopped whirling and he was looking out over the Auror Headquarters out of the small fireplace only ever intended for calls, never for traveling, he turned to the secretary and said: "I need to speak with Auror Shacklebolt, please."
She nodded and penned a quick memo, and after a few minutes, Kingsley was facing him with an inquisitive expression. "What is it?" He asked.
"I'll need you this evening," Alduin said. "It's urgent. Can you come to my house directly after work? I'll explain."
Now Kingsley looked curious. "Okay," he said slowly, "I'll be there."
And at five, to the dot, he was. Alduin awaited him in the receiving room, and lead him to his study, explaining the matter in detail. "So, you see," he finished, "I can't override Dumbledore's authority – not without causing a scandal, which I'd rather avoid – and so I can't call in the Aurors officially, but Harry is actually right. This is Riddle we're dealing with. The trap might not work, and if that happens, I'd much rather have backup."
"But why did you agree to take him there with you in the first place?"
Alduin sighed. "Because it was clear as day that if I hadn't, he'd have gone alone. I'm still considering petrifying him when I meet him at Hogwarts, but, well...he'd never trust me again. I'll just have to rely on Dumbledore's ingenuity."
Kinglsey seemed to think about it for a moment, then nodded and asked: "Will you be taking anyone else?"
"I thought about it, but...well. The people I truly, fully trust apart from you and Nathan – and Nathan would not come, as you know - are basically Abdullah, Isobel, Mercurius and Ginevra. And Muhammad, I guess. In other words, one transcendental, two arithmancers, one healer and one charms expert. Ginevra'd be by far the most useful, but she's also married to Jonathan, and...well. I don't want to cause trouble between them, and you know he'd be furious if he found out. Besides, marching in with six people might be a little too obvious."
"I could offer the people I trust, but I know trust transference doesn't work that way. All right then. The two of us it is. We'll be at Hogwarts, so it should be safe enough. Let's do this."
And so they relocated to the school, where Severus Snape opened the gates for them. "I will not be going in with you," he muttered. "I don't need that kind of discussion with Dumbledore. But I'll stay alert."
Alduin nodded. "That's all I ask."
"You also need to know there will be five defences, apart from the Cerberus and the final trap, whatever it is. Five of us teachers worked on it. I don't know about the others', but mine is not particularly strenuous, but made according to Dumbledore's request. I am not sure what was his goal here."
"To lure Riddle into a false sense of security, I assume."
They met with Harry and walked up to school, where they camped in front of the third-floor corridor door, partly disillusioned and partly hidden under Harry's cloak and with a silencing spell on the area around them. It was several hours before Quirell came. Alduin was surprised – he had expected it would be Riddle in person. This could probably complicate Dumbledore's plans, he mused as they waited a few minutes and then silently followed him inside. The Cerberus was sleeping soundly, and Kingsley began to sing to keep him so as they gave Quirell a moment beyond the trapdoor before Alduin conjured a very long ladder and they climbed down.
"All right, Harry," he whispered, "since I'm quite sure you considered doing this alone if I didn't let you come with me-" Harry muttered something behind him, and while it was not an admission, it was certainly not a denial either, so Alduin continued: "-what would you have done here?"
"I guess I would have just jumped," Harry said after a while.
"Hm. It's about seventeen feet. There is distinct chance you would have broken an ankle or two." They were approaching the ground, and Alduin shone his wand at it to notice a plant growing there. "And what would you have done about this?" He asked.
"Wait...it's Devil's Snare, isn't it? Lighted a fire, I guess, but I don't know how capable of that I would have been with possibly a broken ankle, and, you know, falling directly into it, with no time to prepare," Harry admitted sheepishly.
"Quite." As it was, the plant ran away from the light and they continued on their way. Alduin was rather confused by the setup. There was luring Riddle into a sense of security, and then there was making the defences so easy to overcome a first year could get through, with a little bit of luck.
Alduin paused. Of course. Dumbledore, you fucker.
They stopped when they heard cursing from inside. It was quite vulgar, and took quite a lot of time before they heard the next door slam. "So I gather this one will be more of a challenge..." Alduin mused. Perhaps he had been unfair to Dumbledore after all.
They entered a room full of flying keys, and unopenable door at the other side. Snidely, Alduin thought that if they had just put such unopenable door at the entrance of the Cerberus' room, everything would have been so much easier.
It also made all of his anger towards Dumbledore come back, because this task was basically tailored to Harry. The man was not even trying to be inconspicuous.
They left it to the boy, and he figured it out with some hints and certainly caught the key much quicker than Quirell had, grinning as he forced it into the lock, its keys still batting uselessly against the firm Seeker grip.
They opened the door very quietly and saw the turbaned man playing chess, himself taking the part of the black king. So they waited again, and once the coast was clear, entered.
"All right," Alduin said, "so I will be king, and I want you, Harry, to wait at the side until the game is over. This could be brutal," though he also didn't think it would be that hard, not if Dumbledore intended for Harry to get through. Chess – perhaps he meant for the Weasley boy to go with him? He remembered the Devil's Snare, and thought of Neville. Clearly, it wasn't enough to endanger Harry's life, he had to try to involve others too. He was probably right. Had Harry not been here with him and Kingsley, he might have taken his friends, or rather, his friends might have offered to go with him.
"You want to play, Kingsley?" He asked, trying to push his anger and frustration away until this situation was dealt with.
"No. Someone should stay conscious and aware in case you lose, to help Harry get out of here," the man pointed out very reasonably.
As he had expected, the game was brutal but not too hard, and Alduin played economically and quickly and it was over soon enough. "Let's go," he said, "we don't want to fall back. But you can tell me what you would have done here, Harry."
"I have no idea," Harry admitted. "I'm rubbish at chess."
"I am well aware."
The next room contained a dead troll, something that made Alduin wonder – how had Harry been supposed to deal with that one? - and prompted some admiring comments from Kingsley. "This was very well done," he muttered. "The man is certainly better at trolls than catching keys."
"Well, he is a Defence teacher," Alduin replied. "You'd hope so."
In the room after that, they were surprised by flames in the doorway, through which they could see Quirell frowning over a row of flasks. It took him absurdly long, and Harry was yawning openly by the time he finally left through the flames at the other side. At that moment, the ones at their door disappeared and they were able to enter, only to have them light behind them. Alduin walked slowly to the table, and smiled when he saw what was written on the piece of paper, the last fake defence.
"This will be your task again," he said to Harry, pointing at the puzzle written there.
"What? No! We don't have the time!"
"Harry, there is no other way out of here than back through all of these rooms, I am certain of that. We have as much time as we want. Now get down to it."
Harry frowned, but took the paper without more arguments and began to mutter to himself. It took him a while, but in the end, he cracked the problem and figured out the right bottle to get through the flames.
"Very well," Alduin said, "now it's time for business."
As if Harry could read his mind, he immediately said: "I want to go in. I'm not letting you do this alone."
Alduin considered petrification again. Trust, he told himself. You need him to trust you if you want to catch things like this in the future.
"There's very little of that potion left," he said. "I'm not sure...Kingsley, how many people, what do you think?"
Kingsley examined both the flask and the flames. "Not all three of us, that's for sure," he said. "Perhaps two, at most, but...not two adults. Harry is much smaller, so less will be enough for him. In fact, you're smaller than me, too, so you and Harry would probably be the safest combination as far as getting through the flames goes. Or, of course, I can go in alone."
"Hardly. I didn't ask you here to just get killed by Quirrell. You saw what he did to that troll." If something happened to Kingsley, Alduin would never forgive himself.
The man gave him a sarcastic look. "It might have slipped your mind, but I am a trained Auror. Contrary to you, and more importantly, to Harry."
Alduin waved it aside, though there was some use for his professional qualification. "What strategy would you recommend?"
"Whoever goes in, the other should wait here and make sure Quirrell doesn't escape this way, while also sending a Patronus to Snape to let him know what's going on. The one who goes in should have a drop of that potion, disillusion himself and pass through the flames. With a little bit of luck, Quirrell won't notice him even if he isn't already caught, and I – or you - will be ale to observe him and interfere only if necessary, if Dumbledore's trap fails."
"See?" Harry said. "It's completely safe, he won't even see us, I can go in and help you!"
Alduin put up his hand for silence, and considered the situation. "The trap has something to do with the Mirror. It's...not going to be your typical offensive one, I'm willing to wager. I'm expecting it to be rather sublime, in fact."
"You're coming up with reasons for it to be you, not me, who goes in." Kingsley was clearly unimpressed.
"Yes. It was my idea." Well, it was Harry's, but still. "It should be me who risks his life if we get into trouble." At least Alexandra is already pregnant, he thought with a shudder. If I die, it won't be an end to everything. "But it's also completely true."
"I should have tried to convince Nathan to come with us," Kingsley said resignedly.
"It wouldn't have worked, he would have wanted to call in Aurors, and besides, I'm still better qualified at this than he is. Probably. And it's not like I can't hold my own in a fight."
"Didn't I hear you discount Muhammad Shafiq as a mere transcendental just a few hours ago?"
"He didn't take active part in the war. I did."
Kingsley sighed. "Have it your way, then."
Alduin only nodded, and turned to Harry: "So, wait here with Kingsley-"
"No! We have enough potion this way, I want to come in with you! I want to! I want to help." And there was that stubborn set of his chin again, and just the barest touch of legilimency was enough to give him the image of Harry leaping through the flames without the potion to protect him. Alduin shuddered, and considered petrification for the third time.
"All right," he said, hating himself even more. "But we will stay just by the flames, under the cloak, and at the slightest sign of trouble, we go back through, understood?"
Harry nodded solemnly, his eyes wide, and Alduin had a moment to be grateful it wasn't actually Riddle inside. He would have had no choice but to Petrify Harry, then.
"We'll go through the flames under the cloak, too," he said. "Nothing can really damage it, and it's more reliable than a disillusionment."
Harry agreed to this plan, and with a nod to Kingsley, they set out.