The Wall of Stone

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

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Chapter 17 Lessons with Mum and Dad

After just a week at Potter Haven, Harry realized and accepted that his mum's portrait could be a task mistress when she set her mind to it. With the help of several elves, Lily had a complete potions laboratory set up in the small breakfast dining room of Potter Haven. Harry was required to revise potions for one hour immediately following breakfast every day. Every other day, he attended class on proper potion ingredients preparation with Fleamont Potter, his grandfather. This two-hour class immediately following lunch required him to use a mortar and pestle, slicing and chopping spells, and/or using a real knife to slice or chop ingredients.

Granddad tested Harry regularly asking, "Which mosses can you chop with your wand and which ones require you to use a silver bladed knife?"

"You have to use a cold iron blade to cut all mosses," Harry replied to the trick question. "They are a potion ingredient originating in the mundane world that is used to neutralize poisons and acidic magical ingredients."

Pleased when he learn that the wards placed around Potter Haven meant Harry could use his wand without interference from the ministry, it was the portrait of Great Aunt Eliza Potter who began Heir Potter's education in politics, law, and the Wizengamot.

"You're emancipated Harry," Aunt Eliza reminded him more than once. "It will take some time to change your use of the wand outside of Hogwarts, but no one can deny you the use of your wand."

James Potter discussed flying techniques with Harry but after seeing a few photos of his son's Wronski Feints in the First Task, began to echo his wife's arguments for Harry not to fly recklessly. Since they could not fly together, James revised McGonagall's transfiguration lessons with his powerful son and Harry appreciated that Dad's lessons always included an explanation of why students began by learning to change small items such as match sticks into needles.

"Your magical core is like a muscle and 'muscle memory' speeds your actions. You can transfigure a small item into a like sized item now without a second thought. And you can transfigure a mundane chair into any item of the same size – a trunk, a brass cauldron, or a small boulder that can knock a hole in the wall of a house."

The elves made certain the portraits slept for several hours in the afternoon so that Mr Harry James Potter could do things that occupied the minds of typical teenagers.

And every third day, Dobby popped into Diagon Alley to purchase a new pair of trousers and two or three t-shirts for the boy to wear. The consumption of potions spurred a growth spurt and Harry shot up over an inch in the thirty days after arriving at Potter Haven and he spent time each day staring at his reflection in the mirror in his bathroom.

Harry was able to fly for at least one hour every afternoon though it pleased him when he spotted a half dozen elves watching him fly to ensure that he came to no harm. He had not attempted to send letters to anyone hiding at Grimmauld Place, but Harry did exchange letters with Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. He was glad to have the perspectives of other teenagers to the articles in the Daily Prophet and Quibbler – Luna provided additional insight by being the daughter of the Quibbler's publisher.

The letter that Hedwig brought from Luna during breakfast informed Harry that Hogwarts New Management had met with two formidable witches who held important positions in the Ministry for Magic. They had made many plans, and authorized offer letters to candidates for the head, deputy head, heads of house, and multiple positions for professorships. New Management would conduct all interviews for the head and deputy head positions but once they were hired, the triumvirate of New Management, Headmaster (Headmistress) and Deputy Headmistress (Headmaster) would conduct the additional interviews. The headmaster (headmistress) would make the selection of hires for the heads of house and professorships, but New Management reserved the right to veto anyone for whom it had objections.

And exciting news in Luna's letter was that three persons were to speak to Mr Albus Dumbledore at Saint Mungo's today and inform him that he would not be headmaster when the new school term began.

Thinking about articles detailing changes at the ICW, and in the leadership of the Wizengamot, Harry realized, 'Wow. Dumbles is losing every position this month. Maybe he can write his memoir while watching us get a proper education.'

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Tom Riddle's Abominations Are Dead

Ignoring the man, Amelia continued, "Mr Dumbledore, the DMLE is also searching for Mr Tom Riddle."

Despite his eyes growing wide and several twitches of the beard around his mouth, Dumbledore managed to sound convincing when he asked, "Who?"

Amelia repeated the name once again, "Tom Marvolo Riddle. He attended Hogwarts in the 1940s. According to the records in the castle you were Deputy Headmaster at the time. You were the person who visited the muggleborn boy and revealed the magical world to him."

"I don't remember every student," Albus replied.

"Hippogriff feathers!" Amelia stated with heat in her tone when she heard the wizard's attempt to continue denying knowledge of the name.

"No, no, Amelia, there have been so many students."

The Unspeakable sighed and said, "Yet another manifestation of diminished capacity."

Dumbledore's eyes flashed with a touch of his usual persona to hear the Unspeakable's statement. Albus muttered, "Once I am back as Chief Warlock the Department of Mysteries will have problems with their budget for the next ten years."

"Albus! Stop making hollow threats and attempting to deflect our conversation!" ordered Amelia Bones, her eyes also flashing with magic at the level of irritation she felt with the elderly wizard. "We know who Tom Riddle was and who he became!"

"No! Do not say more," Dumbledore attempted to order though no one in the room felt any compulsion to obey the wizard. "Don't say the name! There is a jinx on the very words!"

"There was a compulsion," said the previously silent goblin. "But with his death – Tom Riddle's true death – all of his magic will fade away."

Staring at the previously silent goblin, Albus argued, "No, Tom can't die until…well, there are things only I understand. I tell you that the Dark Lord is not truly dead."

The Unspeakable and Amelia Bones looked at the goblin who blinked twice before he replied, "Albus Percival Dumbledore, you do not know everything. Goblin magic is very different from human magic. We see things that you cannot."

"Goblins are not more powerful than wizards!"

"I agree. There are magics that humans wield that goblins cannot touch. Humans create new magic where goblins refine, combine, and stretch it."

"What does that mean?" asked Dumbledore hopeful of changing the conversation.

But the goblin ignored the question and stated, "Tom Riddle practiced terrible evil magics."

"Yes, Tom fell into the pits with Dark Magic."

"No, I said he used 'evil' magics. Dark or light Magic are not evil. It is the intent of the caster that makes a spell evil," replied the goblin.

Amelia added, "A principle that will be taught at Hogwarts again starting this September."

"Again, I tell you that Tom isn't truly dead," insisted Dumbledore.

"Oh, but he is, Albus Percival Dumbledore," the goblin assured the former headmaster. "Each of the abominations that he made are destroyed."

"How? Tom's…devices? They can't be destroyed easily!"

The goblin smirked, a truly horrible visage of sharp teeth and black lips. Worse, seven of the goblin's teeth were capped with gold. These gold caps were used by goblins to claim kills in battle – in the heat of a fight, goblins would bite their opponents, leaving at least one gold cap buried in the flesh of the human, creature, or other goblin to allow them to claim the 'kill' once the fighting ended.

"A twelve-year-old boy killed the first one in June 1993. He showed it to you."

"How do you know this?" demanded Albus, about to panic.

Sighing, the goblin replied, "Goblin magic. We know many things, such as the location of Gellert Grindelwald for the last 48 years."

"No!" shouted Albus. "I forbid you to utter another word!"

Ignoring the wizard, the ancient goblin continued, "That first abomination was a simple book before Tom Riddle turned his evil magic upon it. The boy destroyed the soul jar with the poison of the basilisk he killed underneath Hogwarts."

"You mustn't tell this to anyone!"

The Unspeakable spoke up, "Albus, you left a giant carcass of a terribly toxic class XXXXXX creature to rot in a cavern underneath a school of children."

"The Chamber of Secrets is deep and there is no harm to the children."

"Ten years after the death of the basilisk, the carcass would melt away and become a toxic cloud that will filter out into the Forbidden Forest through the passageway the creature used to hunt for food," the Unspeakable continued. "The cloud of gas will kill every creature in the forest and Hogsmeade. If Hogwarts was in session, the children will die too!"

"That is many years in the future."

"Only eight years," Amelia reminded the old man.

Waving away the problem, Dumbledore focused on the goblin and said, "Sir, you must not tell more of these strange tales! People might grow excited and anxious."

The goblin ignored the wizard and continued, "The second horcrux…"

"No! Stop! Don't say that word!"

"The second horcrux was destroyed by Tom Riddle himself. He was injured by something the protections around Harry Potter in early November and the homunculus he inhabited was destroyed. Tom Riddle's wraith joined with the portion of his soul captured in a ring that belonged to the Gaunt family. The enlarged wraith was able to fully possess another wizard and maintain the form until this past 22 June."

Smiling, Albus crowed, "I knew it! I knew it! Tom has a body again! He will start the Death Eater insurrection again."

Those words caused the other two humans to turn pale with painful memories. Albus looked almost joyful.

Ignoring the outburst, the goblin said, "There was an accidental abomination confined to the scar on the head of a child. The Dark Lord's servant who impersonated your good friend Alastor Moody for three school terms killed this horcrux when he attempted to cast the Imperious curse on Potter."

Surprised by the news, Albus asked, "When did this happen?"

"During a DADA class," the goblin explained. "The false Moody thought to scare the children in your school by demonstrating the three Unforgiveable curses. The Imperious was the one he could cast on a child in front of the others. But the protections that Lily Potter and her husband placed around their infant son are still in place and the Unforgiveable invoked the magic and killed the bit of Riddle's soul in the scar."

Frowning with displeasure, Albus argued, "But…that's too simple."

The goblin snickered and continued, "The false Moody continued with his class on the Unforgiveable curses. The next day he cast the Cruciatus Curse in the DADA classroom. Once more, the magic protection around Potter killed another piece of the Dark Lord's soul."

"Then on the day before the First Task in the Triwizard Tournament, this imposter cast the third Unforgiveable spell in the DADA class and killed yet another portion of the cursed wizard's soul."

"What happened then? Are there more hor…abominations?" Dumbledore insisted on knowing.

The goblin nodded. "There were two more soul jars and almost 100 soul links that would keep Tom Riddle on the mortal plane for a time."

Turning to Amelia and the Unspeakable, Dumbledore stated, "We must make this information a state secret! No one can hear this! Do you have a list of persons who know this? We must obliviate them!"

"Calm yourself, wizard!" ordered the goblin. "The others have been destroyed as well. Tom Riddle is truly dead!"

"No. How is that possible? I wasn't there! Harry Potter is still alive…isn't he?"

"When Potter was kidnapped by portkey from the school you pretended to run, Pettigrew attempted to resurrect the Dark Lord," the goblin began to explain.

Albus interrupted and declared, "I knew it!"

"However, the ritual failed to resurrect the Dark Lord. There was an explosion that killed Pettigrew and two more parts of the Dark Lord's soul present. The protections around Potter killed both abominations in some way – probably from Pettigrew throwing Avada Kedavra at the boy a few times – and missing."

The Unspeakable stood still to not attract the goblin's attention when he realized the destruction of the final horcruxes might be tied to the explosion inside Gringotts that closed the bank for two days in June. He decided, 'The goblins know what caused the explosion. Perhaps they blame themselves for allowing a soul jar inside someone's vault. Merlin, don't let them start a rebellion over this.'

However, Amelia Bones exclaimed, "The explosion of the Dark Marks! Something during the fight in that graveyard caused the Dark Mark on the arms of the Death Eaters to blow off."

The goblin nodded though he kept his eyes on Dumbledore. "In Gringotts, the most popular theory is that Tom Riddle could suck magic from the core of every marked Death Eater to increase his power – that is how he grew so powerful in the 1950s. The more wizards he marked, the more powerful he became. In the graveyard, once the ritual was disrupted, the soul of the Dark Lord pulled the magic out of his followers. They all died painfully and when the last one died, so did the soul of Tom Riddle."

"Then the Dark Lord is truly dead!" Amelia Bones stated with relief evident in her voice.

Albus added, "I don't believe it."

"Because you didn't see it?" asked the goblin. "Remember Albus, in 1981, Gringotts never issued a statement that Tom Marvolo Riddle was dead. The bank did certify that Lord James Fleamont Potter and Lady Lily Marie Potter were truly dead."

The three humans were silent as the goblin continued, "This week, Gringotts will issue such a statement concerning Tom Marvolo Riddle being truly dead…though few people will recognize the name."

Dumbledore frowned and didn't say anything for several minutes. When he seemed to be reconciling these facts, Amelia said, "Albus, I offer this acknowledgement form for your signature. In the document, you acknowledge that you have been promoted to the position of Headmaster Emeritus for the next school year and that you will retire after the school term ends in June 1996."

The paper was levitated from Amelia's hand to the table in front of Dumbledore. Special charms on the table opened the scroll and stuck it to the surface so it wouldn't slide around. The visitors waited silently while Albus read the document and asked seven questions that the Director to the DMLE or the Unspeakable answered. Finally, with a deep and mournful sigh, Albus asked for a contract quill to sign the document. His single hand was shaky but the signature that he scratched out on the line at the bottom of the page was legible.

The Unspeakable summoned the scroll and smirked before he stated, "Remember Albus Percival Dumbledore, magic is about intent. You signed that fake name you've used since the 1920s, but magic knows that Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is you."

Snorting, Amelia added, "I'm not surprised. Let's hope the wards at Hogwarts don't fling him into the Forbidden Forest when he arrives."

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