The Wizard of the Dawn

Severus had been looking at the murals inside the Halls of Lore. The four Founding Members of Hogwarts were painted there, on a scale that was larger than life.

'You have her eyes,' said Aragorn.

'My mother's eyes,' said Severus, who had been looking at the Crown on her head. 'I've been trying to read up on her in the library, but there's very little to be found. It is unknown who her parents were. Only that she was a Silvan Elf from Lothlórien, and that she could speak with the birds. And that she was a dear friend to Lady Galadriel, who still resides there today – and of course the story of her departure from Middle-earth.'

'Perhaps one day you will meet the Lady of the Woods,' said Strider. 'And when you do, you will learn all there is to learn about Rowena.'

'If the day ever comes,' said Severus, and tore his eyes away from his ancestor. 'I've heard rumours that your Sword is going to be reforged.'

'That is the plan,' said Strider. 'Narsil has not been wielded for over two-thousand years. Now with a company forming to help Frodo to the fires of Mordor, It is time for it to be reborn, and wield under a new name.'

Severus looked at the image of Soron Rá. The Sword of Gryffindor held high above his head, as though ready to strike a finishing blow in battle. He wondered if it was still there, up in the Headmaster's office. He wondered if Dumbledore knew about its true history it all.

The door flung open, and before them appeared Glorfindel. 'The Blue Wizard wishes to speak with you, Severus.'

'I wasn't aware the Wizard had arrived,' said Severus. 'What does he want from me?'

'He arrived here at the rising of the dawn,' said Glorfindel. 'He wished to speak with Lord Elrond and Gandalf first. Learn all there was to learn about the changes of Middle-earth, and then he mentioned your name. He knows who you are, Severus, for you share a history together.'

'I don't recall ever meeting him,' said Severus, sounding confused.

'You will know him once you see him,' said Glorfindel, and he looked up at the mural. His eyes, faintly betraying it, showed sadness as he gazed upon Rowena. 'He is seated at the table where the White Councils are held.'

'I shall take my leave then,' said Severus. More confused than ever, he made his way over to the place where he had learnt about the Council of the Wise, and of Galadriel's destruction of Dol Guldur. He climbed his way up the many steps, and saw, or what seemed to be, the first of the stars of Varda to appear. And yet the stars seemed to sway in the wind, and the silhouette of an old man in robes adorned by many embroidered stars stood before him.

'It is good to see you, Severus,' said Albus with an all too familiar twinkle in his eye. 'Take all the time you need. This must come as quite a shock to you.'

'Dumbledore,' was all Severus was able to mutter, and felt himself standing rooted to the ground.

'Here, I am known as Alatar,' said Alatar. 'Please, take a seat. You seem at loss for words.'

Severus did as he was told, and together they sat across from each other, both taking the moment they needed to understand just how far their journey had come. 'Since you must have an awful lot of questions,' said Alatar eventually, 'I will first tell you the story of how I came to Middle-earth, how I left it, and the events that led up to my return.'

And so Alatar told the tale of his life in Middle-earth, and of his many quarrels with Pallando that led to Aulë banishing them to the Land of the Wizards. Of his life as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and of Kémya, and how it had been biding its time at the bottom of the Great Lake, awaiting the touch of one who came from Middle-earth so it could return. Of stealing Durmstrang's ship, and of reaching the shores of the Grey Havens. His journey to Rivendell in the hope of receiving aid to find his missing students, only to learn that one was already here.

Then it was Severus' turn to speak, and he in return told the tale of how he had lost Lily at the bottom of the Great Lake, and of meeting Goldberry and Aragorn. About learning of his own ancestry, and how it all tied in to the history of Middle-earth. Of meeting Hobbits, all the events that occurred that brought him to Rivendell, and knowing of the terrible burden that Frodo was baring. 'I have reasons to believe she's in Isengard,' he said.

'Grindelwald – or Pallando, as is his name here, is making his way to Isengard as we speak,' said Alatar, and a shadow cast over his eyes. 'It is with great sorrow that I have received the news of Saruman's treachery, and I fear for miss Evans if she truly resides there.'

'I wish there was a way for me to get to her,' said Severus. 'There are days where I wish I could just get up on my horse and ride my way there, but I know better than to face the unknown alone. It's why I've been thinking about joining this Fellowship that they've been trying to form, but I know they intend to cross the Misty Mountains, instead of heading South.'

A smile formed on Alatar's face. 'I believe that you may be walking your own path instead. But before we concern ourselves over such difficult matters, there is something that I would like to show you.' From underneath the table, he pulled out the Sorting Hat and handed it over to Severus.

Severus looked at the battered old Sorting Hat with curiosity. 'I'll never forget the day that I was sorted into Slytherin,' he said.

'A House you truly belong in,' said Alatar. 'You've only been here for a few months, and yet you already carved your way into this world as if you were born in it. Like water, you adapt, like how you adapted when miss Evans was sorted into Gryffindor.'

'That doesn't mean that I liked watching her walk away to the other side of the Great Hall,' said Severus stiffly. 'I still wished from time to time that she had been sorted into Slytherin – but I know she's a Gryffindor through and through. I know the Hat belonged to Godric Gryffindor. Soron Rá. That means the Sorting Hat came from here as well.'

'It did indeed,' said Alatar. 'When it crossed the Straight Route it was nothing more than an ordinary hat, but the founding members needed to preserve a way to sort their students after they were gone. And so, they poured their hearts and minds into it; preserving their values into a single object that became a sentient being through their thoughts. The Hat speaks to us through the use of Legilimency. Something that I know you are more than familiar with. And most important of all, it speaks to you in their voices.'

'I knew I was one of Ravenclaw's decendants,' said Severus without taking his eyes of the old Hat. 'It's just something I never thought much about. It was my mother who told me about The Room of Requirement, and it was Helena who had told her when she attended Hogwarts, recognising her as one of her own. I never told anyone of it, but Lily found me there during Hallowe'en last year. Now she knows about it too.'

'They each had their own secret place, though some a bit more secret than others,' said Alatar. 'Salazar created his own Chamber in the deep bowels of the castle, and its entrance had not been found until a few decades ago; hidden in a haunted girl's bathroom. Hufflepuff created the kitchens, but it took a long time before anyone found out all you needed to do was tickle the pear on the portrait. And Gryffindor, he created what later became the Headmaster's office. It is why his Sword is there. It's where he kept all his little trinkets of Middle-earth. But Ravenclaw – her Room is truly unlike any other.'

'If I were to put on the Hat,' said Severus, 'does that mean that I could speak with her? I only recall hearing the Hat's voice when it placed me in Slytherin House.'

'You will,' said Alatar with a nod, 'when you ask for her. You don't need to speak out loud. It's all happening inside your head.'

Severus felt a bit reluctant to put on the Hat. Unsure of what to ask, he put the Hat on top of head and closed his eyes. Rowena, are you there? From a distance, he could hear a voice calling out to him.

'Severus, it is you,' a lilting voice answered. 'One of my very own.'

It felt as though she was standing right next to him, softly speaking into his ear. I've learnt a lot about you, he thought. Though I'm not sure what to say to you now that we meet.

'We don't have to talk, Severus,' said Rowena. 'My heart sings knowing that a part of me has returned to Middle-earth. I knew that I had to leave, but I still yearn for Lothlórien, and the teachings of the Valar.'

You spoke with them through your Crown, didn't you? he asked.

'One of my finer pieces of magic, if I may say so myself,' said a rolling voice in his other ear. 'Sorry for sorting your friend into my own House there, Severus. She kept asking for you to be placed with her, but –'

'—you were clearly meant to be in mine,' said a cold voice that echoed in the back of his mind. 'For you are resourceful, and resilient – and quite clever too. Just like your mother was.'

'My House may not have been the right place for you,' said a jolly voice from below, 'but I still sense a lot of patience in you, and you are loyal through and through.'

'I had hope that all from my lineage would have been sorted in my House,' said Rowena. 'Salazar and I debated for quite some time about it. You value learning – and you have wit. I still believe you would have done well in mine.'

Alatar looked at Severus, eyeing him as to ask what as going on. 'They're arguing why I was sorted into Slytherin House,' Severus whispered, as not to disturb the voices. 'I remember I was nearly a Hatstall.'

I do want to ask about your Crown, Rowena, Severus thought eventually. Do you know what happened to it?

'My daughter stole it,' said Rowena, and her lilting voice turned bitter. 'It is lost in the forests of Albania. Nature has reclaimed it, never to be seen again.'

For a moment, Severus took off the Hat and looked up at Alatar. 'Albania,' he said. 'I remember the Dark Lord telling the tale of his journey through the forests of Albania. He never told what he was looking for – but I think I know now, and I believe he may have found it.'

'The Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw,' said Alatar. 'It confirms what I have feared for some time now. That he has been after all four of the relics of the Founding Members, though I do not know if he knows where they came from, nor what magic they truly hold. He already holds Slytherin's Locket, as well as Hufflepuff's Cup. If he truly has found the diadem – the Crown, then the Sword will be the last on the list. Now the Sword, Godric can fill you in on that.'

Severus put the Hat back on, and heard the four Founding Members still bickering over the fact whether he should have been sorted into Ravenclaw House or not. Godric, he thought, what could you tell me about your Sword?

'Glad you asked,' said Godric, sounding proud. 'The Sword grows stronger with each battle it is wielded in. Such is the great magic it holds. I never went anywhere without it. Always had it by my side!'

That seems rather inconvenient, Severus thought, to be hauling that big thing around everywhere.

'It was,' said Godric, 'until I found a way for it not to be. You know how those Muggle magicians pull rabbits out of hats? Now that was an idea worth taking!'

If I understand correctly, Severus pondered, it means the Sword can be pulled out of the Sorting Hat?

'That is correct,' said Godric. 'Though do understand, Severus, it can only be claimed by a true Gryffindor in a time of valour and need.'

So it's useless to me then, Severus thought, wondering why he bothered to be talking about the Sword in the first place.

'Remember your friend, Severus,' the jolly voice answered.

Severus took the Hat off and looked inside, but all he found was a hallow space. 'I won't be the one pulling the Sword out of the Hat,' he said as he placed the Hat on the table.

'But now you know,' said Alatar. 'Their relics have had many names over the years, especially in the Arthurian legends. The Sword was once known as Excalibur, given to King Arthur by the Lady of the Lake. The Cup was otherwise known as the Holy Grail. Even Slytherin's Locket and the Crown were frequently mentioned in the history books – but most has been lost to history, and many different versions have been written since.'

'What purpose does it serve,' Severus scoffed, 'now that we're so far away from it all.'

'I am here,' said Alatar as he leaned forward, 'to bring you – both of you – back home. I was never meant to return, but never did I ever expect that my own history would fall into the hands of two of my students. And so, here we are.'

'And what's Grindelwald's – Pallando, as you call him, story in all of this?' asked Severus.

'I told you the tale of how him and I arrived here together in Middle-earth,' said Alatar. 'As for him, our banishment brought him great sorrow. He loves his immortal life. The opportunity to dwell until the end of time. He longed for his return, and so I have given him that. As for me, living in the Land of the Wizards, being mortal, has only ever brought me the greatest joy. It means, Severus, that on the other side of the Straight Route, I have a chance to die in the way that all Men die.'

'The Gift of Men,' said Severus, remember what he had learnt about it. 'Passing through the Halls of Mandos to a place not even the Valar know. But if you were banished, then how is it possible that you can be here?'

'I shall take no staff, nor fulfil my duties as a protector of Middle-earth,' said Alatar. 'As for Pallando, I can only hope that he is wise enough to do the same – even if he chooses to stay here, and we shall have to go our separate ways forever.'

Severus could feel the weight of the Ring on his finger. Gently he pulled it off, and the light that appeared illuminated the darkening sky. 'It's yours,' he said as he held it up for Alatar to take. 'You should take it back.'

Alatar shook his head. 'It has chosen a new master. Keep it secret, and keep it safe. You will follow where it leads.'

Reluctantly, Severus put the Ring back on, where it once again turned invisible around his finger. 'It is a heavy burden, for something so small,' he said. 'And yet it also feels much bigger than all we worked for when I joined the Death Eaters.'

Alatar peeked over his half-moon spectacles. 'This burden is indeed much bigger than our plans for you to join the Death Eaters ever was. But that story must go on without you, for now. For you, Severus, are about to embark on an awfully big adventure.

...o0o…

Much was left unsaid the previous day. But the moon had long risen before they decided that it was time to rest, and sleep would have to take care of all the impressions of the day. By the next day, Severus rose with the rising of the dawn and went for a run around Rivendell to clear his head. Something he hadn't done since his arrival in Middle-earth, and it brought him back to all the times he would run up to Lily's house and ask Erwin to run along with him. He hadn't thought about her parents in a while, but he felt their absence in a hollow place in his heart.

By the time Severus returned, he found Alatar sitting among a large group of people, listening intently to the stories he was telling. 'Still running I see,' said Alatar as he took notice of Severus' arrival.

'He was your Headmaster at that school you mentioned!' said Merry.

'And he's got loads of stories to tell about you and that friend you're always talking about,' Pippin added.

'And yet you claimed you didn't know him when he came here,' said Samwise sceptically.

'A Wizard has many names, young master Gamgee,' Alatar chuckled. 'We will have to forgive Severus for his ignorance. Severus, if you will follow me. There is something that I wish to discuss with you.'

Severus looked at all the people that were present. The Hobbits, Elrond's sons, and Aragorn and Boromir in particular, looked at him with a hint of concern. 'I hope all you've told is positive,' he said with a scowl.

'Do not fear the stories,' said Alatar as they walked their way to the private seclusion of the gardens. 'I remember I used to see you running around the lake from time to time from my office. You were doing that quite lot during your sixth year.'

'I wish she hadn't tried to force her way back into my life,' said Severus. 'I needed her to keep her distance, and yet –'

'—and yet she always found a way back to you,' said Alatar with a smile.

'It is no laughing matter,' said Severus darkly. 'You know as well as I do that the Dark Lord has his way of prodding inside people's minds. If he were but to catch a glimpse of her, he would do anything to prevent her from being a distraction to me. Including taking her life if it meant that he could break me.'

'You're a skilled Occlumens,' said Alatar. 'I know that you are because I've taught you well.'

'You've taught it to me to keep the Obscurus in me under control,' said Severus bitterly. 'Something that has failed me twice in the time that I've been here.'

'Aragorn told me,' said Alatar. 'During your first encounter with the Nazgûl, and again when the Orcs of Isengard attacked you. Do you mind telling me how it happened?'

'I've been letting my guard down ever since I came here,' said Severus. 'I've been too caught up dealing with living in this place, so far away from everything that ever mattered to me.'

'Do you remember the story I told you about Ariana?' Alatar asked. 'How I tried to save her from the Obscurus in her?'

'And how horribly your attempts had failed,' said Severus, sounding meaner than intended. 'The Dark Lord wants to weaponise me. Use me in his rise to power.' he pulled away his sleeve, revealing the large but faint scar that formed the Dark Mark on his arm. 'I haven't felt it burn since I came here. Either he is laying down low, or his callings cannot reach me here.'

'I believe it is the latter of which you speak,' said Alatar. 'Your disappearance – both of you – has set off a chain of events back home I fear. The disappearance of two students has not gone unnoticed. Especially since you're a Half-blood Slytherin, and miss Evans a Muggleborn Gryffindor, who share a history of friendship together. The Ministry has been involved. The Lake has been searched thoroughly countless of times, and The Daily Prophet has reported about it all in intricate detail.'

'So he knows,' said Severus, and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. 'And now you're gone too, as well as Grindelwald. It's only a matter of time before all the pieces fall together.'

'I don't believe that Middle-earth will be discovered,' said Alatar. 'We may find some comfort in the idea that Voldemort does not know about Slytherin's true heritage – and I doubt he ever will, for there is much that he is too blind to see. But for now, Severus, do not dwell on it too much. For we are here, and miss Evans needs to be found.'

'Where do we go from here?' Severus asked. 'I don't know what to do.'

'We will find the answer to that during the next full moon,' said Alatar. 'That is when the White Council will come together once more, and you and I will be a part of it. Now, if you will excuse me. I've never had the fortune to meet Hobbits before, and I believe a certain Bilbo Baggins has been asking me all sorts of questions about my journeys in the East.'

Severus watched Alatar leave the gardens of Rivendell, and the conversation he just had with him started playing back in his mind. For a White Council to be held for him was of significant importance. The Ring he understood, but his part in all of it was as complex as the history of Middle-earth itself. Full moon was but a few days away, and any answers would have to wait until the moment came.

He felt like running again. The Dark Mark, however faint it was, brought him back to the day where he was marked for his sins forever. And he had hid it. Hidden it so well that not even the Death Eater's sons at Hogwarts knew he had been given it during the winter of his sixth year. Their greatest sign of honour, burnt into his skin as his greatest shame. He wondered if the day would ever come where he would have to show it to Lily, and whether she would understand that he had done it all for her.

But there was light now, too. The arrival of Alatar meant that there was a way back. And as quickly as he had grown used to the new life he had carved for himself, there was a strange longing in his heart also for England. Despite all the struggles in his house and the burdens of his life, it was also home.


A/N In the books, Narsil was reforged in about half a page shortly before the Fellowship left Rivendell. In the movies, Elrond presents the Sword to Aragorn before entering the caves of the Dead in Dunharrow.

A/N The White Council (or Council of the Wise) was a group of Elves and Wizards of Middle-earth, formed in TA 2463 to counterbalance the growing power of Dol Guldur at the request of Lady Galadriel. Its original head was Saruman, and its other members were Gandalf, Galadriel, Elrond, Círdan, Glorfindel and Radagast.
There's a scene of it in the first Hobbit movie.

A/N It [the Sorting Hat] spoke to the wearer inside of the hat with a small, quiet voice, using Legilimency to interpret their thoughts and respond to them. After a time of consideration, the hat announced its choice aloud for all to hear, and the student joined the selected house. (…) Legend had it that the Sorting Hat was sewn roughly one thousand years ago and began as a normal hat belonging to Godric Gryffindor. When Gryffindor, along with Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, wondered how they would continue to sort the students when the four were dead, Gryffindor pulled his hat from his head and, along with the other founders, enchanted it with their combined intelligence. All four founders wanted to ensure that students would be sorted into their eponymous houses, which would be selected according to each founder's particular preferences in students. -

A/N After Ron Weasley saved him from drowning, Harry believed that since it was Ron who recovered the sword it was Ron who had to use it because "Dumbledore had at least taught Harry something about certain kinds of magic, of the incalculable power of certain acts". In addition, the portrait of Dumbledore told Severus Snape that the sword must be taken under conditions of need and valour, which was why Snape put it into the frozen pond in the first place.

A/N In the books, the Dark Mark burnt a glowing red on the wearers arm, and was faint like a scar when not being summoned. It made me believe that the Death Eaters were actually branded (rather than tattooed) like cattle.

A/N "(...)The 'other two' [Blue Wizards] came much earlier, at the same time probably as Glorfindel, when matters became very dangerous in the Second Age, Glorfindel was sent to aid Elrond and was (though not yet said) preeminent in the war in Eriador. But the other two Istari were sent for a different purpose. Morinehtar and Romestamo. Darkness Slayer and East-helper. Their task was to circumvent Sauron; to bring help to the few tribes of Men that had rebelled from Melkor-worship, to stir up rebellion...(…) - The People's of Middle-earth, Last Writings