Thanks to everyone who took the time to review my story :)
AN: Finally, here it is! Epilogue III was a hard one to write, but I believe it was worth the wait as it's far better than I first imagine it would be. I hope you will agree with me :)
AN2: Many many thanks to Miette and dstone12 who once more helped me improve the story and corrected my mistakes. Speaking with you always help when I'm stuck.
AN3:Expect the next and last epilogue to be published sometimes during September.
Why heroes fall,
by Xenophilius Lovegood
What does a hero make? I have no doubt that I would get as many answers as I have readers to this apparent simple question. Still, I think we can all agree that a Wizard requires the right circumstances to become a hero.
We have forgotten many great Wizards because circumstances did not allow them to be more than remarkable. Who would remember Merlin today if he had not first proven that Wizards could defeat other powerful magic users without twisting or burning out their core to painfully die at twenty, and then been the first to harness England's magical power and bind it to King Arthur so that he could protect the kingdom against its enemies? Hood the squib would not be in our history books if he had not rebelled against Jean of Nottingham, the count Wizard who taxed and famished his people to pay the Hogwarts' fees for his two daughters. Lord Albus Dumbledore would not have been hailed a hero if he had not been the one to both vanquish Dark Lord Gerald Grindelwald and create a prison from which escape was impossible, even for one as great and powerful as the infamous Russian Dark Lord.
Heroes rise against oppression, violence and injustices. They appear when an elite few crush the rest of us. Yet so do martyrs. The difference is that heroes possess the means to win their fight while martyrs can only die and hope that their sacrifice will enable the birth of a hero. I am not saying that possessing a Bolzano number as high as Merlin's makes a hero. A Wizard whose only strength is the size of his core will more likely burn himself than become a powerful Master. No, to be a hero is to possess a strength of character which will allow you to overcome hardships and unfavourable circumstances to become greater. The question is: what does a Wizard become when the circumstances that allowed him to change into the better version of himself are no more?
Bereft of enemies requiring to be beaten by magical prowess, Merlin turned his research and experiments toward pushing the known limits of Magic. He went so far, for example being the first Wizard to create Inferi, that his wife Lady Morgana had to take measures before he became as dangerous as the enemies he had once saved the country from. She had to develop treasures of creativity and trickery to invent the Living draught that would keep Merlin in an eternal sleep until such a time he had earned back his sound mind. Hood the Squib first took the count Wizard's place at the urging of the people, but then became fearful of the magical power he did not possess and paranoid that every Wizard at court wanted to take his place. He tried to steal said magical power from the poor Muggleborns he had once fought for, using blood sacrifices he had found in his wizard parents' books until Jean of Nottingham's eldest daughter overthrew him.
Albus Dumbledore did none of this. He refused all well-meant attempts to bring him into the ministry of magic and politics, though many will say that to become Hogwarts' Headmaster is to enter the political scene. He did not retreat to explore the limits of his preferred field of Mastery. Instead, he chose to dedicate himself to helping others find their path and stand on their own two feet. I cannot count the number of Hogwarts students who are grateful for former Headmaster Dumbledore's insight and support in finding their purpose in life. Yet, most of them are either Muggleborns or members of the "light" Houses. Students who did not belong to these categories sing a different tune, of being either ignored or vilified.
We all know how it almost ended. The alliance between former Minister Birkins and former Headmaster Dumbledore against Lord Voldemort created tensions in our world of the like we had not known since Grindelwald's years. Which bears the question: was Albus Dumbledore trying to create another set of circumstances that would allow him to be a hero again? His sudden disappearance right before Lord Voldemort's death along with his vague statement about "a new mission requiring all his attention for the sake of Magic" could sustain this theory. So could his nine years long enigmatic stay in Nurmengard.
You must have noticed that this article has been a long time coming. While other newspapers pounced on Albus Dumbledore's unexplained Russian exile, promoting heated debates about past heroics versus recent sins and even debasing themselves by questioning his private life, the Quibbler has taken the time to do our research. We felt that the subject was far more complex than one man's ego but we could not bring any of our theories to you without a long and boring foray into the past. We had to check facts against numbers and present you with a solid theory (as usual, you will find the list of our sources at the end of this article if you wish to check the information we are bringing you). We also had to wait for the end of the official Auror inquiry to be able to consult some precious but confidential documents.
Remember that after Albus Dumbledore's unexpected disappearance, he remained unseen and unheard of until his congratulatory statement for newly-elected Minister Patil. Yet, we did not learn he was staying in Nurmengard until two years later. Even more intriguing, no one has spotted him outside the tower since his location became public knowledge. He also seldom receives visitors, and all of them have left frustrated with more questions than answers.
After so many years spent in the circle of power and politics, why did Albus Dumbledore decide to leave the spotlight in this manner? Most agree that it has been for the best, allowing Minister Patil to work her magic and unite us instead of creating division. Yet, most also agree that if he had been a candidate, he had fair chances of winning the election, though likely not by the margin that Minister Patil did.
Does it mean he voluntarily chose to step aside, knowing that his time had passed and that he would do more harm than good if he took the ultimate seat of power? We would love to believe the man who defeated Grindelwald and saved our world from war forty years ago capable of such an altruistic choice. However, the latest revelations in the inquiry spurred by the attempted murder of Lord Potter nine years ago bring us back to the theory that the man we have admired for many years was not being a hero in this new story line.
Few were surprised when two years after Lord Voldemort's death, thanks to the hard work of the Auror force led by Alastor Moody, the death of several prestigious Lords were revealed to have been murders ordered by either Birkins or Voldemort and dissimulated as accidents. When former Minister Birkins was convicted of embezzlement, corruption and first-degree murder through use of a contract killer one year later, most, judge and jury included, believed that he had acted behind the back of the famous former Hogwarts' Headmaster and Head of Wizengamot. This last revelation should have been the end. Finally, after so many trials, it should have been the time to turn the page and get a fresh start as Minister Patil and her enthusiastic supporters brought welcomed – if sometimes difficult – changes to our world.
And yet. Some deaths and unresolved crimes were still too muddy for famous Auror Alastor Moody to be content. The one who earned his bravery stripes as a young Auror, relentlessly chasing after Grindelwald's supporters to protect our citizens from gruesome violence, and who put a stop to the uprising in Dark Sacrifices in the 1940s, remains faithful as ever to truth and justice, even when it puts close friendships at risk. You may not have noticed at the time, but he first began distancing himself from Albus Dumbledore after the latter was put on a six months' probation for his unethical handling of Hogwarts' students and his bias against Slytherin House in 1976. Thus, five years later, Auror Moody was suspicious of former Headmaster Dumbledore's sudden exile.
So he looked. And asked questions. Tirelessly. And unexpectedly met others, non-Wizard magic users, looking for their own answers. After some hesitations, they agreed to help each other, as they uncovered clues that the deaths of Wizards, Goblins and Faes were linked together, hinting at a conspiracy that went beyond imagination.
At this point, I feel we must take some time to speak about our relations with non-Wizard magical beings before going further with our revelations, as non-Wizards seem to have been at the core of our politics for the last centuries. I know, it gave me quite the shock too.
Wizards don't care much for the other sentient magical beings except for the bit of business they can bring us. We are all too aware that they feel far more entitled to Magic than us and that at best, they tolerate us. We know that we are far better at Magic than they are, for we accomplish much in a far shorter lifespan than theirs.
Yet I must ask you: how do you know this? How many non-Wizards have you met in your life? Among those, how many have you talked to outside of Gringotts Goblins meetings?
Unless you are among the lucky Houses who can boast an alliance with one of the other magical species, the answer will undoubtedly be: none. Even then, only a few Wizards within those Houses truly know more about their allies than the common Wizard. The Quibbler was lucky enough to benefit from Auror Moody's newfound relations with his fellow non-Wizard investigators, and to gain access to historical political knowledge of other magical races. We discovered that most of them underwent significant political changes during the nineteenth century, their nationalist factions coming into power roughly around the signature of the last Agreement.
To give you a quick history refresher if you happened to attend Professor Binns' classes and inevitably could not help but doze off despite valiant efforts:
The golden age of Wizards began with Merlin, its apogee coming with Hogwarts' awakening two centuries after her creation – meaning thirteen centuries ago (or eight centuries after Merlin for the most traditionalist among you). Then it began to dawn with several bloody wars, first a short and vicious one against Faes which ended in a draw, then mainly against Goblins and Vampires. We earned a brief respite between 1515 and 1815, which coincided with the signature of the various Agreements with other magical people like Vampires, Goblins and House-Elves. Then it went downhill.
Have you ever wondered why so few Wizards live past their seventies nowadays when we possess numerous earlier accounts of many living up to two hundred? Duels, accidents and magical experimentations can only explain so much. Minister Birkins and Lord Voldemort did have several of our wisest and eldest killed when they opposed their goals, but this is a trend that has been going on for longer than a mere decade. A trend which is the symptom of something more nefarious than the obvious shortening of our lifespan.
Who remembers that Gringotts' initial goal was to serve as liaison for all the different magical groups when the last goblin war ended in 1789? I have read the first Gringotts' treaty and its annotations from then Minister of Magic Porteus Knatchbull. It is clear that to Porteus Knatchbull, this treaty was a commercial agreement between all magical users, to build the first step towards harmony and lasting peace after several centuries of wars between one kind and another. Yet we have forgotten. Or have been made to forget, thus narrowing our vision and focusing on our navel instead of looking at a broader horizon.
Which leads us back to my original point: Albus Dumbledore's fall.
Only a few months ago, House Dumbledore was the only House having ever possessed an alliance with Faes – Land Junum, to be exact. Faes are alien to us but I have learnt that Land Junum are among those who consider anyone other than Faes to be beneath them. They are allied with Clan Vauraus, who were the previous Korkein's clan – Korkein is the title of the Goblins' leader – a clan focused on keeping Goblins' dealings among themselves except when they can reap riches from foreigners.
Land Junum and Clan Vauraus have long been worried about Wizards and their magical ingenuity. They have become even more concerned about Muggles, ever since they developed science and technology to compensate for their lack of magic. They hold the Muggles' rabid expansion over the world as well as their increasing power of destruction in the last century responsible for the continuous decrease of both magical flows and fantastic beast numbers.
In this last century, House Dumbledore, Clan Vauraus and Land Junum have each known very personal reasons to fear Muggles. Indeed, when he was only ten, Albus Dumbledore's young sister was the victim of ignorant Muggles who attacked her after she unwittingly scared them with her magic. Clan Vauraus was badly shaken in 1945 when a Muggle super weapon was used during a Muggle war in the Japanese area, close to their Chinese territory. Only one decade later, Land Junum began losing territories in Amazonia, with a steep increase in the number of young Faes burning out, unable to control their magic without the help of their ancestral trees.
Albus Dumbledore's heroic past during the Grindelwald war was the perfect opportunity for the three allies to implement their long awaited plan, which can be summed-up as follow:
1- Put their wizard ally in control of the Wizarding World.
2- Implement changes in the Wizarding World to make it as bland and close to the muggle world as possible.
3- Have the Wizarding World take control of the muggle world without a bloodbath thanks to the Muggleborns' support and knowledge of muggle governance, sciences, and technologies.
4- Put restrictions on the reproduction of Muggles and their expansion. Give fantastic creatures back their traditional territories currently lost to Muggles. Give back territories taken over by muggle expansions to Land Junum and Clan Vauraus.
The documents and interviews provided by Alastor Moody and his co-investigator to the Quibbler show that Land Junum and Clan Vauraus first devised their plan several decades before Albus Dumbledore's birth. The investigators also speculated that Land Junum first considered Grindelwald as their potential dictator, until he became too controversial in the Wizarding World.
They found proof that Land Junum had created a select group of expertly-trained assassins to take out their opponents as well as any other magical user deemed dangerous for their future, whom Clan Vauraus and later Albus Dumbledore were only too happy to use too. Lord Potter's attempted poisoning has officially been linked to this group by Auror Moody, though they have been offered anonymity and partial pardon due to extenuating circumstances and judiciary deals. They also have the proof that Albus Dumbledore was the one who ordered the poisoning, and that he ordered other murders that were successful.
Why did our hero choose this path? Was it only an appetite for power and hatred for those who had hurt his little sister, or was it a true desire to keep being a hero and save us from a threat he thought he was the only one with the power to overcome?
In the end, I am asking you: is the true question not what does a hero make, but what makes a hero fall?
Severus put down his Quibbler with a small, satisfied smile. Xenophilius truly had a way with words.
He had been a bit worried about the man at first. While Pandora's husband had struck an immediate friendship with Ted and enjoyed spending time in the greenhouses with Pākiki, he had been a lot more insecure about how exactly to fit in a professional capacity among people he would usually write about. Xenophilius was curious about Magic and possessed a vivid imagination but, contrary to most members of House Caspian, he lacked the discipline and focus necessary to achieve successful research and discoveries. With the entire House scrambling to strengthen House Caspian in the wake of Lord Voldemort's death, and particularly Pandora's entire working focus being on helping Jonathan, Xenophilius had found himself alone to deal with the Quibbler.
Most journalists had been full of excitement with the political changes happening, the games of alliances and negotiations taking place everyday. Xenophilius had not cared one bit about it. He only wanted to speak about the beauty and wonders of Magic. Thus, the Quibbler had slowly spiralled into a newspaper which focused on fantastic beasts, real or not, myths and legends, as well as magical theories more or less plausible.
The sales had declined steadily, and only Xenophilius' talent in telling stories had saved the Quibbler from bankruptcy, though some months, Severus had authorised Andromeda to take funds from the House to pay the two other journalists who still worked for Xenophilius. Everything had changed a month after Severus accepted Julia as his mentoree in her fourth year at Hogwarts and introduced her to his House. She loved asking questions about Magic as much as she liked writing about it, and had found a kindred spirit in Xenophilius. At times, it felt like he had been her mentor as much as Severus had, for which he was grateful as he knew he had not given the girl as much of his time as he would have preferred. In hindsight, he should not have been surprised when Julia had published her first book. Anyway, she had been the perfect person to bounce ideas off of Xenophilius and steer him away from his most eccentric focuses. Their collaboration had slowly beaten the Quibbler back up into shape to the success it was today. Its focus was on bringing forward knowledge about magic under different forms, and it was divided into three parts: news and politics, more often than not focused on the functioning of oaths or foreign magical users; updates about the current magical research in every field; and myths and legends.
For the last two years, they had been either matching or exceeding the Daily Prophet's sales numbers at least once every week, and they even were thinking about launching an international version of the Quibbler which would go out once a week. Julia and Xenophilius were also working on a series of children's books, each with a protagonist from the different magical races to showcase both their differences and their commonalities, and hopefully promote a better understanding of each other. Soraa was also involved in the project, as she possessed an uncanny talent for illustrations. Drunek was a bit grumpy because his daughter was clearly more involved in this side project than in her magical studies, unless she could see how to use them for her project, but that was not Severus' problem. He already had enough with making sure that they did not reveal too much about their allies in said books while keeping them sufficiently relevant.
When Severus had expressed his admiration to Julia about helping Xenophilius with the Quibbler and the children's books as well as doing her own studies, she had just laughed and cheekily told him that she had learnt everything from her Mentor. Of course, Vilde had complained several times over the past three years that Julia was always working and was almost as bad as Severus when it came to having fun. To which Severus had sweetly told her that Julia was her apprentice now and her responsibility. Of course, he had warned his friend that if anything happened to Julia, he would not be happy.
Looking back at the newspaper on his desk, Severus felt a rush of pride. The article had required a lot of research from Xenophilius and Julia, especially as it was the most political one the Quibbler had ever published. It had also required subtlety not to divulge anything about Demi and Mimi's criminal past.
Both of them, as well as most of their Half-group, had belonged to House Caspian for eight years now. They had been part of his deal with Moody, the Auror's support towards obtaining a pardon for their crimes in exchange for their spying on Dumbledore and Grindelwald for as long as needed to discover what Grindelwald was planning with his nexus. To Severus' surprise, despite the group's dubious past and their frequent absence when taking turns to watch over Nurmengard, his House had accepted them readily enough.
Severus shook his head, thinking back to that meeting with Moody just after Marvolo's death. The first of many. They had spent almost six hours together, carefully prodding and exchanging information, testing each other's allegiance before finally agreeing on an alliance and a rough plan to handle the coming months and the rebuilding of their world. It was during that meeting that Severus had realised that Bellatrix' death no doubt was linked to Marvolo's sudden change of heart about trusting Severus.
When he had learnt how Bellatrix had been defeated by Alicia Longbottom, he had not believed it. Bellatrix, for all her faults, had been a great and vicious fighter. Even distracted by Evan, she should not have been surprised by Longbottom. Unless her Mark had been a bit different from the others. She had been Marvolo's favourite too after all. It did not seem so farfetched to imagine that she had been able to communicate with him through their Marks. She could have been distracted while trying to tell him that Jonathan had betrayed them. Helhest, the mission had also been a test for Jonathan, so Bellatrix and Marvolo could have set up short signals to communicate easily with each other. Marvolo first receiving her message then feeling her death through his Mark a few seconds later, plus his belief that the ring Horcrux contained the supposed madness curse cast upon the Gaunt House could have convinced their Lord that Jonathan, and thus Severus, were traitors. Such a tragic waste. And a true stroke of luck that Dumbledore had been safely occupied with Grindelwald in his tower at that time. Sometimes, Severus still had trouble fathoming how Drunek had trusted him enough to imprison such a powerful man on his say-so alone.
Of course, Severus was not so naive as to think that it had not also been a political move for his clan and their allies. After all, the Korkein elected two years after Lord Voldemort's death had been from clan Runsaus, and the current Korkein elected two years ago was from Clan Röykkiö. For the first time in one hundred fifty years, two Korkeins in a row did not belong to the coalition of Clan Vauraus and their allies. He did not really want to try to guess what his Clan's plan was, beyond creating a more unified magical World. Politics made his head hurt, something that made Andromeda laugh a lot when he said it. She always said that he should stop whining, and that one did not become a Head of House at twenty without being a good politician.
Of course, she had also said one had to be either reckless or feckless to enter an alliance with Faes. It was entirely untrue: Severus had spent eight years making sure that House Caspian's alliance with Land Utpatti would not negatively impact his previous alliances or his House members. When he had asked Tuei once more if she was all right with this alliance, her only condition had been that House Caspian would foster one of Land Utpatti's youth every year. The first one was due in a few weeks. Severus was still wondering if it had truly been a wise clause to add to the contract. At least, Muśkēlī had promised to come visit and help if necessary, and Yasha had promised Severus that he would come to play buffer between Muśkēlī and Severus if necessary. Such a promise from his friend when he was busy with his own studies in Svalbard was more precious than gold.
Severus tilted his head as he Sensed his Manor's wards opening for three new arrivals. He felt a smile form on his lips as he recognised them, and cast a quick tempus. Six o'clock. It was time.
As if reading his mind, Tuei popped into his office.
"Master Severus, your first guests are here."
"Yíngjiē Daoack!" exclaimed Hoardrock as the Goblin spotted Severus coming into the veranda.
"Good evening Severus," echoed Augustus, eyes twinkling with amusement at the Goblin's enthusiasm.
Drunek offered him a warm smile and a flick of his ears.
"Right on time as usual," answered Severus with a small smile, bowing his head in greetings.
"You know I enjoy our weekly plotting immensely," smirked his Gringotts Councillor, revealing his pointy teeth.
Augustus was too proper to roll his eyes but he did shake his head at the Goblin before addressing Severus.
"Madeline could not wait to come and speak with Pākiki about her new Peruvian flowers. I think she even roped Fhu-Si and Mia into her endeavour of making room in your greenhouse for some of those. Narcissa and little Leaena went with them, but I believe Dhaal is babysitting Luna, Draco and Hermione."
Severus was not surprised. His Familiar was spending as much time as possible with the older children before they left for Hogwarts next year – he even kept volunteering House Caspian as babysitters for the hellspawn, under the pretext he was Draco's best friend and leaving for Hogwarts next year as well. Truly, the Manor might feel a bit empty next year, especially if Luna went too. Despite Luna being a year younger than Draco and Hermione, her core had been deemed sufficiently developed for her to begin Hogwarts a year earlier if its growth continued as expected. Another improvement brought by the magical elementary schools. Some children skipped a year straight to Hogwarts while others remained a year longer in elementary school to ensure their body was ready.
"And Soraa," added Drunek with an aggrieved sigh, everyone knowing very well that his daughter often was the instigator of the children's most daring adventures. "I think Frekka disappeared with Mia and Pandora somewhere, but Felsen went with Narcissa, you know how taken he is with Draco's little sister."
Narcissa's pregnancy four years ago had been a surprise. She had been heavily monitored since the difficulties when she had been pregnant with Draco had made the Healers as well as Lucius and Severus fear for her health. To everyone's surprise, she had glowed for the whole nine months she had expected Leaena. The birth had been uncomplicated and both mother and daughter had left the hospital two days after.
Severus suspected that Lucius not bearing the Mark any longer, along with Narcissa and Lucius' regular practice of Taichi as well as a better alignment with their House's motto had played an important role in the pregnancy. Indeed, he had noticed an increase of successful pureblood pregnancies in the past years, especially among the Houses who were close to House Caspian.
Augustus smiled fondly.
"Leaena is a delight. Even her brother did not manage to be jealous of her when she was born."
Leaena was a sweet child, but she also had Augustus and Lucius wrapped around her little fingers. Severus had already heard Narcissa whisper about sweet cunning little flowers.
"What are we plotting about tonight?" asked Lucius, entering the room as if summoned by Severus' thoughts, Wirkrund and Jonathan on his heels.
Severus gracefully accepted a hug from his brother and a handshake from Jonathan and Wirkrund before answering.
"We are not plotting anything. Hoardrock has information he wants to share with the class."
"Now I'm interested," said Lucius with a nod towards the Goblin.
"I always knew Malfoys were no fools," replied Hoardrock.
"Drinks first," interrupted Maverick, coming in with a tray of bottles. "Whenever Hoardrock wants to talk, I know I will need it."
"Thank you for the compliment Master Wandmaker," answered the Gringotts Councillor.
"Aren't we waiting for Alastor and Evan?" asked Lucius.
Augustus shook his head.
"They are busy with the secret committee about the Agreements between all magical users."
After Evan and Moody's revelation about what was now called the "murders conspiracy", a tentative cooperation force composed of two Auror equivalents from each magical culture had been set up, Moody and Evan being the Wizard representatives. Their goal was to exchange information about matters that had influence beyond national frontiers.
Their first mission had been to find a solution to deal with the different perpetrators in the murders conspiracy while keeping inquiries in accordance with the laws of the magical race of each of the injured parties. By the second meeting, it had devolved into a debate about the various Agreements between magical users and all their imperfections.
After one year, law specialists from all magical cultures and kinds had been invited as well. After the second year, two negotiators for each magical kind had been appointed, to represent the civilians' voice. To his surprise – though not Tuei's – Severus had been chosen as one of the House-Elves' representatives and was learning a lot about them, with an enthusiastic Hermione by his side.
The Agreements Committee was supposed to be secret, which meant everybody knew about it, to Moody's everlasting chagrin.
Evan's absence tonight was for the best in Severus' opinion. His friend had finally asked for Seren's hand a week ago and she had joyfully accepted. While Jonathan was delighted that their close friend was marrying his little sister, both of them were aware that it was probably signalling the end of House Wilkes. It explained why Evan had taken so long to make his proposal despite having successfully courted Seren for two years already. Severus, as well as most of House Wilkes, suspected that the non-official courting had begun far earlier, when Evan used to come to visit Jonathan every day in the hope of finding him awake from his coma and instead found himself speaking with Seren when she happened to be at her brother's bedside. She had managed to visit Jonathan every day despite successfully taking on the duty of Head of House Wilkes at the time. She had only relinquished the role to her brother once his magic had been strong enough to swear his oath to his House again.
Jonathan had admitted to Severus that he had not wanted to take the role from her at first, but once his core had been healed, it had been obvious to both siblings that Magic considered Jonathan more fitted to the role than Seren.
However, while Jonathan's renewed oath had made House Wilkes' magic as strong as ever, his beginning an off and on relationship with Regulus a few months later had created tension within the House. Indeed, most members of House Wilkes had looked at a potential alliance with House Rosier with a favourable eye. Both Houses were considered quite mild on the Dark Arts scale and possessed strong ties with House Malfoy, House Wilkes as their vassal while House Rosier was their ally. Their mottos were also compatible: Together, silently for House Wilkes, Ambitieux mais loyal, meaning Ambitious yet loyal for House Rosier. It was not the same with House Black. Their motto, Dans les ténèbres, notre magie reste toujours pure meaning In the Darkness, our Magic still remains pure was not so easy to accept for most members of House Wilkes who were not passionate about the Dark Arts. Yet, there was no doubt that if Jonathan one day agreed to marry Regulus, he would integrate House Black.
Indeed, he had only rejected Regulus' proposal twice before because he refused to join House Black when the current Head was not living true to their motto, not because Jonathan did not adhere to it. His refusal had led to their break off each time, but they had been together for the past eight consecutive months, their longest time officially together yet. It coincided with Regulus' father stepping down from the Head of House's role and passing on the mantle to Regulus. No one doubted that when Regulus proposed once more, the third time would be the charm.
Seren marrying Evan while Jonathan married Regulus was going to leave House Wilkes divided. Seren knew that she did not make a Head of House as strong as Jonathan, so she had decided to swear into House Rosier. Jonathan had confided to Severus that in the absence of another strong candidate to become House Wilkes' Head of House, about half of the House was considering following his sister while another quarter wanted to follow him to House Black. The last quarter was thinking about swearing their Oath directly to House Malfoy.
Severus worried about the consequences of Jonathan being the Head of House Wilkes who would make it disappear, but Augustus and Hoardrock had assured him that Magic would not care about the disappearance of a House as long as Jonathan's oath to House Black was as strong as his oath to House Wilkes had been. It did not completely fill Severus with reassurance.
Before learning about House Oaths and becoming a Head of House himself, Severus, like most Muggleborns, Halfbloods and even a few Purebloods would have only seen Lords playing political games and forming business alliances, completely missing the magical undercurrent and its crucial importance. He understood now that some Houses had grown complacent in deciding to hand over the Head of House's title to their chosen heir instead of to the one best suited to make the House stronger. While Severus had no doubt that most of the time, an heir groomed to take over their House would be the best choice, House Black was the proof that it was not always so. The craziness observed in House Black' members certainly seemed to be abating since Regulus had become Lord Black.
House Potter was another example that the best heir was not always the blood one. About seven months ago, Thạo Antei from Clan Hankō had asked for a meeting with Severus through Hoardrock. Antei was House Potter's equivalent for Hoardrock, and he had thanked Severus profusely for once more proving his worth to their Clan alliance. The Goblin had revealed to Severus that ever since Lord Potter had accepted Lily's new oath to House Potter as his official heir, the House's magic flows had undergone a resurgence in intensity and power. Antei had also given Severus a letter in Lord Potter's hand recognising an official debt between their Houses. When Severus had told Hoardrock, his councillor had congratulated Severus for successfully manipulating Lord Potter in naming an heir favourable towards Severus while strengthening Clans Röykkiö and Runsaus' allies.
Severus was still unsure how to feel about this development. His friendship with Lily was strong these days despite him being only reluctantly tolerant of her husband. Potter and Potter-bis' time in the dog house for almost a year after Lord Voldemort's death seemed to have finally pushed them into becoming somewhat responsible adults – most of the time. Lily often complained that they seemed to lose all common sense when they played with her children.
"Alright, I guess we're ready to begin then," stated Hoardrock, calling Severus' attention back from its wandering. "Unless you've finally convinced Andromeda to attend these meetings," he added, looking at Severus pointedly.
Severus smiled ruefully.
"I have once again asked Andromeda and Pandora to join us but they have declined because, and I quote, "Our girl group manages far more vital subjects than your boys' gossip."
"She doesn't hold back her punches," remarked Lucius with a wince.
Severus could only agree with his brother. He also did not want to know what the women would discuss. Andromeda and Pandora clearly were the leaders of the group, but he had the idea that the other women of the House were as much involved as them. The only time he had asked Neele and Frekka if they would share their group information with him, they had shared a fond look then told him he should not bother himself with such inconsequential matters. The glint in their eyes had convinced Severus that they would inform him of anything he needed to know in due time and that it would be the better part of valour to leave it at that.
He had to admit, while the weekly meetings had begun as a necessity to manage the mess left behind by both Voldemort and Dumbledore, they now were a time to relax while sharing information and gossip. They also were the pretext for a big family meal afterwards. More often than not, Severus' goblin family would join them too. It was nice, even when Frekka and Tuei kept making not so subtle allusions that he and Neele should finally get a kid of their own now that they were married. There really was no rush, he had only celebrated his thirtieth birthday a few months ago!
"Indeed, it's one of the reasons why your wife named Andromeda Draco's Godmother, isn't it?" remarked Wirkrund with a pointy smile.
"Cheers!" acknowledged Lucius, taking a sip from his drink.
"Alright Hoardrock, now that everyone has their drink, what did you want to talk about?" asked Severus, though he had strong suspicions about the subject the Goblin wanted to share with the group.
The Goblin nodded at Severus as everyone turned their attention towards him.
"This is not something many are aware of, but when Dumbledore was taken to Nurmengard nine years ago, his escort realised that there was something which did not feel quite right with the magic around the nexus."
Severus could feel Lucius' eyes on him. They had sworn there would be no more big secrets between them. He was grateful for Hoardrock's next words.
"This knowledge was restricted to avoid panic as well as a rallying of those still nostalgic of Grindelwald's years. Apart from the Nurmengard's guards, only a few representatives of each magical nation were apprised of the problem. In addition to Clan Röykkiö's Johtaja who is responsible for our nation's protection, Richtigk, Filius and I were those chosen on the goblin side. On the wizard side, Polkóvnik Khabarov who is responsible for the Nurmengard wizard guards, Zhìzūn mó fǎshī Yu-Ki who is the wizard Chinese Emperor's nephew, Alastor and Severus were the only ones in on the secret."
What Hoardrock did not say was that Mimi and Demi's group were considered as being part of the Nurmengard guards.
"They were all chosen for their exceptional capacity to Sense magical flows, an ability which is far rarer than it ought to be," added Hoardrock.
In Severus' experience, all magical users were sensitive to magic. However, it ranged from being uneasy in the absolute absence of magic or feeling the presence of an unshielded magical user to being able to find a particular thread of magic among another hundred flows.
To be in contact with magic under her various forms during childhood seemed to help develop the basics of Sensing, like a child hearing different languages would find it easier to learn them later. However, there were many ways to improve your Sense, like the regular practice of Taichi, though not all these ways were recommended.
"I don't understand why Sensing is not more common amongst Goblins. You all practise Taichi regularly from the moment you can walk. When I see how much Taichi improved my Sense, it just doesn't make sense," remarked Jonathan.
"You are a very specific case Jìnjshuǐk," answered Wirkrund with a gentle smile. "Taichi helps us open our Khorlos but it does not give us special abilities. That only comes from work and initial talent. Plus, Daoack and you have proven particularly diligent and perfectionist in your practice."
Jonathan certainly had had to be, thought Severus darkly. Just thinking about how Bellatrix had blasted wide Jonathan's Mudhara and Manipura with her repeated use of the Cruciatus made him numb with rage and fear. If he had not known as much about Taichi and Khorlos, managing to awaken Jonathan from his coma by itself would have been useless. No matter how many brilliant potions Severus invented, Jonathan would have either withered from loss of magic or become twisted from the use of external magic to replenish his core as it kept bleeding out his magic from his Khorlos opened too wide.
Severus was glad that Hogwarts as well as the smaller magical schools had finally introduced what they called "sensitivity classes'' this school year. Those classes for the first and second years focused on exposing the children to various forms of magic and asking them to identify them under the guise of games. While it was not teaching them about Khorlos per se, it gave the students one major tool to study and understand the workings of Magic, and potentially Khorlos in the future.
It had taken far too long to Severus' taste to make this change in the curriculum, and far too much time spent speaking with board members and school governors. Of course, it would have gone faster if a few Master Grade I's from various fields had not fought against this change because they deemed Sensing dangerous when practised too young. Severus personally thought that they were afraid of increased competition from so many potential new future Master Grade I's.
The turning point for mainstream acceptance of the need to implement Sensing lessons for students under seventeen across UK wizarding schools had seemed to come during Oxfarer's New Horizons Ball. The ball was a yearly event organised by the wife of Oxfarer's director to raise funds for the annual school trip. Severus had only accepted the boring invitation because it had been a unique occasion to heavily imply to key ministry, business and academic leaders present that he would never have been able to create the Lupacem or the Dominus potions without his acute Sensing ability.
The fact that Eileen's Apothecary now possessed an entire branch of potions for non-Wizards was certainly proof of his words. The demand for potions for non-Wizards was increasing drastically now that other magical users knew that potions could be successfully adapted or even created for them.
It truly was a shame that Potion being a Wizard Art, other magical users had dismissed it as lesser or even "false" magic – as also did some Wizards, and now that he thought about it, Severus had to wonder if they belonged to Houses who had been influenced by their non-Wizard allies' or business partners' view on potions once upon a time. Of course, non-Wizards had been vindicated in their belief when potions created for Wizards did not work as it should for them. The Lupacem and the Dominus had been all the advertising Severus and his Eileen's Apothecary had needed to launch their non-Wizard potions branch. They were under tons of apprenticeship demands coming from institutes and students as well as magical nations all over the world. Severus had also received several pleas to have his employees teach a few semesters in other magical nations' schools.
Goblins, Dwarves and Werewolves were the only non-wizard magical users who, to Severus' knowledge, dabbled in potions. Even Vampires dismissed the Potion Art despite using a potion to help control their destructive instincts. Severus had learned from the Ressurs Librarian that while each Family possessed their own control potion, those had not all come from the same source. Some had been created by Potion masters who had been changed into Vampires while others had been created by Potion masters held captive by the Vampires until they succeeded in creating a potion.
Even now that Severus had contact with most magical user nations, he had never met or heard of Potion Master Grade I who was not a Wizard – or they were not truly at the level of a Potion Master grade I. However, Severus suspected that Goblins possessed an equivalent to potions hidden under the name of cooking. The cakes Frekka had brought Severus just after Marvolo's death had been more efficient than any core replenishing potions Severus had ever tried. He was honoured she had passed down the recipe to him. With her agreement, he even was working on adapting some potions into cakes, especially for children. The cake form could make it better to the taste and easier to consume. The only downside was that contrary to potions, the cakes had to be consumed quickly. Frekka had admitted to Severus that from the day Severus had faced Dumbledore on Hogwarts' grounds, she had baked a new batch of her special cakes every week just in case. Finding ways to adapt potions into new cake recipes and improving their preservation time was another new branch of research for Eileen's Apothecary.
"Well, I did not have much choice," answered Jonathan with a wry smile to Wirkrund, though the faint red of his ears betrayed his pleasure at the compliment.
"I assure you that you're the one who chose to practise until near collapse everyday," countered Lucius dramatically. "I haven't had a choice in the matter since my own son insists on practising with me every day what he learnt with his godfather."
"I knew you had to have another teacher for you to improve as much with only a few lessons here and there!" exclaimed Wirkrund, his ears shaking with mirth. "I need to thank Helmi and have a few words with him as well. Teaching another is an important responsibility. It has also been a long time since you last brought him to Uusi," added the old Goblin with a displeased look at Lucius.
Severus' brother had the audacity to roll his eyes at the Wise, showing how close he now was to Wirkrund.
"You know we're coming next week with Severus for Felsen's birthday."
"Only for the day," replied Wirkrund with a frown.
"And I have already invited you to join us at Dryhtenhold during our vacations in three weeks," said Lucius with an exasperated but still fond look.
"I thought we were here to hear about what's wrong with the Nurmengard nexus," interrupted Maverick gruffly. "Not that this is not entertaining, but I really want to hear if this problem is going to explode in our face or not."
"My apologies, Brett," said Wirkrund with a slight nod of his head. "This is what happens when someone won't come to visit family for too long," he added with a flicker of his ears towards Lucius who just huffed at him.
His families were getting tighter and tighter everyday, to Severus' delight and, sometimes, chagrin.
They all turned towards Hoardrock who offered them a toothy grin.
"As I was saying, we realised nine years ago that the Nurmengard nexus felt off, though it was so subtle that we had no idea what was wrong, and even sometimes wondered if we were being paranoid and imagining problems where there was none. As I said, we recruited Sensing specialists from every magical nation to keep watch over the nexus in addition to the existing multinational guards. The goblin nation also made a deal with Albus Dumbledore: he agreed to spy on Gellert Grindelwald for us by living in Nurmengard with him until the problem with the nexus was solved, and in exchange, we would not prosecute him for his abuse of the Hogwarts nexus."
Most of the wizard members of Severus' family turned toward him.
"You need to stop glossing over important events," stated Lucius.
"To be honest, the reasons for Dumbledore's Nurmengard exile are still not entirely clear for me," answered Severus, staring at Hoardrock.
He really needed to get to the bottom of the Goblins' scheme that locked Dumbledore away at such an opportune time nine years ago.
"We will speak of this later," said Wirkrund with a dismissive flick of his hand. "Present and future are what matters today."
Hoardrock nodded.
"It took our coalition many years, but we believe we finally understand what Grindelwald's goal is."
Maverick groaned.
"How bad is it?"
"We have it under control," answered Hoardrock.
Severus raised an eyebrow at him. They had been far less confident at the last meeting he had attended.
The Goblin nodded at him.
"We have consulted several experts on the subject since I last spoke with you and we are confident that we caught it in time to stop it."
"The subject being?" asked Lucius casually, though Severus knew his brother well enough to catch signs of his impatience at being in the dark.
"The Ritual," answered Hoardrock.
"The Ritual?" echoed Jonathan. "Why could Grindelwald need a nexus' magic to take the Ritual?"
"And why would he take the risk to take the Ritual now, when he has not been able to use his wand for almost fifty years?" added Augustus.
"Excellent questions," stated Hoardrock with a satisfied smirk. "To answer your last question, it's not completely true that Grindelwald has not used his wand for fifty years. There was a time when he possessed two wands. The one he favoured was taken from him by Dumbledore during their duel. The other was hidden in Nurmengard."
"Hidden in Nurmengard?" repeated Jonathan. "How is that possible?"
"If I remember well, Nurmengard was not searched in great detail when Grindelwald was first locked up," said Augustus unexpectedly.
"Indeed, people were so scared he would escape that we were only able to search for the biggest and most likely possible threats before locking him up," confirmed Wirkrund. "While Dumbledore was the one who realised that Nurmengard would work perfectly as a high security jail, Lord Grindelwald is the one who built the Nurmengard tower back in 1921. As such, he knows every hidden backdoor, cloaked room and secret passage in the place."
"Dumbledore is the one who warned us that Grindelwald had a wand in his possession," continued Hoardrock.
"His Phoenix threatened to "tattletale" about the wand himself if Dumbledore did not tell us," added Severus.
"Really?" said Maverick. "It's highly unusual for a Familiar to betray their Tsure."
"Unless they feel it's for their own good," countered Severus. "Fawkes was the one who proposed to lock the two of them together."
Maverick nodded thoughtfully.
"So Grindelwald has been in possession of a wand for fifty years under the nose of his guards, but he has chosen to stay in his tower and try to use the nexus he's sitting on to gain a Familiar?" summed up Lucius, sceptical.
"That seems really far-fetched," agreed Jonathan.
"I don't understand why Grindelwald would think he needs a nexus' power to help him with the Ritual," concurred Drunek thoughtfully. "He knows it won't help his chance of passing it. Mjolnir knows, it has all the chance of corrupting him instead."
"Who says he intends for the nexus to help with the Ritual?" asked Hoardrock.
Severus saw Wirkrund's eyes widen.
"Of course. He wants to use the Ritual to make his Familiar more powerful."
Hoardrock nodded. Noting the others' uncomprehending looks, he explained:
"Harnessing a nexus' power has been the cause of many Dark Lords' demise in history. We know of several who burnt themselves trying to control that much power, and many others who either died on the spot or became so twisted they had to be put down. It didn't matter if they were Wizards, Goblins, Vampires, Faes... None ever managed to tame a Nexus' power for themselves. However, we theorise that Grindelwald thinks he can use the Ritual to harness the nexus' power, or part of it, into his Familiar."
Maverick whistled, impressed.
"It would require the nexus' goal to be closely aligned with Grindelwald's to have even the slimmest chance of success."
"Hence why it's taking so much time for him to get it right," stated Hoardrock. "At the rate the nexus seems to be evolving, we think he needs at least another decade if he is to ever succeed."
"It's a seductive theory, however I have trouble thinking that Grindelwald would accept to give all this power to his Familiar. After all, a Familiar is not their Tsure's slave. I don't see a Dark Lord of Grindelwald's experience taking the risk to give so much power to someone other than himself," said Augustus, his finger tapping his chin thoughtfully. His eyes met Severus'. "Unless… If his Familiar gets the nexus' power during the Ritual, then…"
He trailed off, letting his words die.
"Then what?" asked Jonathan, turning his head towards Severus.
"The bond between Familiars and their Tsure is complex. It's different for all pairs, but what we're sure of is that they feed off their respective strengths. I suspect that my Sensing ability has been extended thanks to Dhaal, both because Sensing is part of who he is, and because he can guide me and help me improve. The Ritual is an exchange. If his Familiar gets some of the nexus' power, then Grindelwald will get some of it too," explained Severus.
"Wow. That's… impressive and scary," said Jonathan slowly.
Hoardrock nodded.
"Impressive, truly. But it won't come to pass. We found a potion that Grindelwald took to test the bond with his wand and they are not completely bonded yet. We confiscated his wand, so the bond won't be able to get stronger. We were surprised by this but Dumbledore believes that it's because Grindelwald's loyalty is torn between this wand and the one he lost to Dumbledore."
"Is the other wand truly safe in Hogwarts?" asked Maverick. "I know the castle holds no loyalty to Dumbledore now, but some students or staff could."
"The wand has been destroyed," stated Severus.
They had gone to try and estimate if said wand possessed a bond with Grindelwald despite having been won over and used by Dumbledore for forty years. Dhaal had spent a long time studying it before asking for its destruction. His Familiar had made good arguments about removing a reason for either Dumbledore or Grindelwald to try to infiltrate the castle, but he had admitted to Severus through their bond that the wand was as dangerous as the stone that had once been on Marvolo's Horcrux ring.
Most of their colleagues were against breaking a wand unless it was truly necessary because of the repercussion over their Wizard's core, but in this case, Severus had successfully argued that Grindelwald was almost bonded to another wand and Dumbledore possessed a Familiar, so it was in fact better for them both to remove this second wand who seemed to act like a parasite in taking the place of their original wand.
When learning of its destruction, Fawkes had officially recognised a debt between himself and Dhaal.
The Thestral had still not come clean about why the stone and now the wand scared him, but Severus was confident that Dhaal would tell him one day.
"So, just like this, the nexus is not a danger anymore?" asked Lucius, doubtful.
Hoardrock shook his head.
"No, we still need to monitor it closely until it becomes less attuned with Grindelwald."
"I don't see how it's possible when the man lives on the top of it," said Maverick.
"He's not the only one who lives here. Don't forget that the nexus extends further than the tower. It's in contact with the guards as well as several magical creatures. We believe that without his wand to help him focus his will and magic, Grindelwald won't be able to influence the nexus as much," explained Hoardrock. "The evolution of the nexus was already slower this year. We suspect that Dumbledore is proving quite the distraction now that they've stopped throwing insults and crockery at each other."
"Dumbledore really helped then," said Maverick, nonplussed.
"He did. Thanks to his Familiar, I suspect," said Severus. There was no way the old man was not trying to benefit from the situation.
"He seemed quite glad to prevent Grindelwald from getting a Familiar, though last I saw, his Phoenix seemed ready to be shared with the Dark Lord. The three of them looked quite cosy in their tower," added Hoardrock.
"The Prophecy was really about Dumbledore and Grindelwald then," said Jonathan slowly. "I can't believe it, we were right!" he exclaimed, looking at Severus excitedly.
Severus stifled a groan. His family and friends all possessed a fondness for prophecies. They had already spent several meetings over the years comparing the prophecies they had at their disposal thanks to his allies, meaning the prophecies given to the Goblins, the Werewolves, the Vampires, the House-Elves and the Wizards.
All five prophecies were very different in content, and in Severus' opinion, only possessed one common point. Each was tailor-made to induce action one way or another and took into account the different ways prophecies were shared depending on each magical community. Wizards kept their prophecies well hidden from the population in the Hall of Prophecies, and only the one having heard the prophecy, the keeper of the Hall and those identified as being part of one prophecy could hear it. It severely restricted the number of Wizards able to access a prophecy, especially considering that only a small percentage of the population knew of the existence of the hall. To have prophecies centring specifically on a few people made sense, especially when Wizards mostly believed that Prophecies were warnings from Magic which benefited them. How they could believe that when most prophecies designated a winner and a loser was a mystery to Severus, but not one as big as to why so many magical users even believed in prophecies.
The matter was different for House-Elves. House-Elves had long considered prophecies to be traps from Magic, whose only concern was to grow no matter the cost to magical users. Adding to that the number of House-Elves sworn to a Rede made it unwise to share prophecies with the entire population, even more considering the lost House-Elves. Thus, prophecies were only shared with the Elder Council and the Kahus.
Contrary to House-Elves, neither Vampires, Werewolves nor Goblins considered Magic to be deceitful and selfish. While Goblins considered prophecies to be neutral, the way for magic to warn that it was in danger, and thus so were magical users, Werewolves and Vampires believed that prophecies were messages from their strongest dead members who tried to warn them of big changes to come through magic. Thus, while prophecies were initially shared only with the Head of the Families and their official Servants, as well as the Heads of the various lines making up the Families, it was with the explicit intent that they could share them with whomever they needed to. In a similar way, prophecies were shared with the Korkein, the Johtajas and the Wises for the Goblins, and with the Council, the Heads of the Packs and the Elders for the Werewolves. All of them could then share the prophecies with any member of their clan.
Yes, all five prophecies seemed to have been written to induce action in their corresponding population. However, Severus had yet to hear a convincing argument about the prophecies pointing at a common danger.
The Wizard prophecy, and he still could not believe he would think such a thing, seemed to be the most straightforward.
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…
born to those who have thrice defied (defiled) him
born as the seventh month dies…
and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal,
but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…
And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies... (the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be lorn as he severs Yulmonth ties)
While the clues about the identities of the Dark Lord and his nemesis were sketchy at best in Severus' opinion, the consensus among the group was that it was about two people, though they did not have to be Wizards.
None of the other prophecies were as precise as to point toward a specific kind of danger or event.
Vampires had received their prophecy first, about fifty years before Wizards. The Librarian from Line Romanova had heard the prophecy the day he was doing the inventory.
A new moon rises, yet the sun burns.
All may crumble when weaknesses are revealed, yet the weak must protect the strong.
Growth can come from fresh new plants, yet nothing compares to sturdy old roots.
The Phoenix may rise from his ashes, and yet, what if there are no ashes left?
While the prophecy had been shared with all the Families, the way each had chosen to react to it had not. Severus only knew that Family Ressurs had deduced they needed to focus on young magical users and thus decided to always have at least one of their Servants studying in each of the world's Sanctuaries. The idea was to increase the possibility of meeting non-Vampire magical users who could be assets to the Family without taking the risks of the Servants being harmed during the meetings thanks to the Sanctuaries' rules. Which meant that to his great chagrin, since Severus had created the Dominus, Family Ressurs was convinced that Severus was their answer to the prophecy. At least, it did not change their attitude toward him and Vokjung still tried to crush him each time they duelled.
Goblins had heard their prophecy second, about ten years after the Vampires. It had been heard by three Goblins during a business lunch in Bǎo. One belonged to Clan Rén, the other to Clan Hankō, and the last to Clan Quán, meaning one belonged to the traditionalist side, one to the progressive side, and the other to the neutral side. It was as if Magic had doubted that the prophecy would be fairly shared and had wanted to ensure all the political sides of the nation would hear the prophecy.
Find your balance and stand,
Or be ready to pay the beggar's cost.
Loneliness will weaken you.
Crowds will stampede you.
Darkness will blind you.
Riches will deafen you.
Alliances will mute you.
Arrogance will kill you.
And yet, stand you must or magic will be lost.
Be the strength of the base of the pillar–stand.
Richtigk had told Severus it had been the occasion for long debate when every side tried to explain why the prophecy proved their vision for their nation was the right one. It had only reinforced the opposition between progressives and traditionalists. Severus suspected it had also played a hand in the implementation of the murder conspiracy.
Werewolves had heard their prophecy only one year later.
The lone wolf dies, the pack survives.
Yet the pack may wither when comes a change of weather.
Choices will be made, when black and white come in grey shade.
Will you eat the rabbit whole or help him deepen his hole?
You may rather follow the mice, but know that nothing comes without a price.
Contrary to Vampires and Goblins, the Packs had taken action together and in the same direction. They had decided to consolidate their presence in the Sanctuaries as well as begin to look for all the lone wolves living outside the support of the Packs.
In comparison, House-Elves and Wizards had heard their prophecies very late, the former hearing their prophecy only five years before Wizards. They usually ignored their prophecies, but this time, seven House-Elves had heard the exact same prophecy at the same time in different parts of the world.
Knock knock knocking
Hear yet another warning
The board is changing
The pawns are moving
You're not even playing
Yet again you are losing
Open the door, weakling!
Like Tuei had told Severus, the content of the prophecy had not filled them with confidence that this was not another of Magic's spiteful games. Yet, it had felt too dangerous to do nothing this time. Also, it was not like the House-Elves' overall situation had improved during the centuries they had spent ignoring Magic's whims.
According to Tuei, the Council had asked the Kahus to look for anomalies in other magical users' actions, unusual behaviours which could be suspect and bring the latter more power. He really did not understand how it had brought Tuei to care for his House one day a week during his apprenticeship, and she had remained evasive on the subject. Severus suspected that at first, it had been a way to monitor Clan Röykkiö. Goblins seldom required the services of House-Elves for themselves. This way, Tuei at least had had contact with them when she reported to them. He knew she had travelled many places the rest of the week, and suspected she had had several contracts like his own with opportunities to monitor happenings among other clans, and maybe even other Redes.
"Severus!" "Daoack!"
Severus startled, blinking in surprise at the echoing shouts.
Augustus and Jonathan were looking at him with a fond but exasperated look while Lucius, Maverick and Drunek were badly hiding their laughs.
"Seriously Daoack," said Hoardrock, his tone letting through an exasperated resignation. "You cannot block us out just because your thick skull refuses to give the fine art of prophecies the proper consideration!"
"I was not ignoring you," protested Severus, glaring when his own brother let out an honest to Merlin giggle. "I was actually thinking about the prophecies, but I really think we have studied them every way we could think of. We won't get more answers out of them now than we did the last times we analysed them."
"I don't agree. The news about Grindelwald gives us more information. I think I'm in the process of bringing back the group in favour of the Grindelwald/Dumbledore theory," countered Maverick, deadpan.
Severus caught the slightest upturn of his lips. The man knew how much Severus would rather do anything than think about those prophecies even another minute but he was playing along with Hoardrock just to annoy Severus.
Of course, Drunek had to have his revenge over Soraa's disinterest for her study at this moment.
"Brett is right. Last time, I thought that the theory of Dumbledore as the Dark Lord and yourself as his defeater was a given, but now, I have to say that the possibility of Grindelwald harnessing the power of the nexus without twisting his core changes things."
Severus jumped on his chance to change the subject over one of the genuine interrogations he had never had the occasion to ask.
"Speaking of twisted cores, there's something I have been wondering for a long time. Do you think that Dumbledore's core might be twisted?"
Silence followed his words, first because of his unexpected change of subject, then because the others considered his question.
"Why would you think it is?" finally asked Augustus thoughtfully. "I don't recall you or Dhaal ever saying you Sensed something wrong with Dumbledore's core."
"I never did," confirmed Severus. "But I realised that like Marvolo, he possessed a Familiar but also used a wand. In his diary, Marvolo wrote that it helped him control his magic, and that it was Nagini who suggested the idea to him. I'm wondering if something similar could have happened with Dumbledore."
Nagini had been young, but everything in Marvolo's diary had shown that she would have been a wonderful Familiar one day. She had felt that something was wrong with Marvolo's core but hadn't had enough experience to know what it meant. Yet, she had been able to suggest a solution which had worked to stabilise his core, all from observing Dumbledore.
If only their plan had worked. They had been so close…
Severus relaxed as a wave of comfort enveloped him. His Familiar had always been who Severus needed him to be without himself knowing it, but ever since the failed Horcruxes reunification, Dhaal had become an expert in knowing when Severus was beginning to get overwhelmed by sadness and regrets.
Pushing his regrets away, he focused back on the conversation.
Maverick was shaking his head and looking at Severus.
"From what you told us of your exchanges with Fawkes and what I know of the man, I think that Dumbledore using Grindelwald's wand was more about an ego trip than anything else. Did he feel any backlash when you destroyed the wand?"
"No," answered Hoardrock. "We monitored both Grindelwald and Dumbledore even more carefully when we destroyed the wand, as we were not completely certain of the effect it would have on them. We expected at least some discomfort, a day or two under the weather with a light fever or deep tiredness, but they did not show any sign of it. The core spell also did not show any fluctuation of their level of magic."
"But they both possess complete Sensing shields. It could hide the twisting of their core from us," countered Severus.
"You Sensed it with Lord Voldemort, and you told us that he possessed Sensing shields too," remarked Jonathan.
"Yes, but half his core was split then," replied Severus. "Magic was leaking from him, and even the strongest Sensing shield could not hide it."
"We should also keep in mind that Voldemort did not possess his Familiar for long, and used an additional wand for an even smaller time. He might not have had the time to benefit fully from the use of his second wand," added Maverick, his look glazed, obviously deep in thought.
"Alright, but if Dumbledore possessed a twisted core, wouldn't it have triggered some protection within Hogwarts?" asked Lucius, who seemed to be warming up to the idea. "Severus, you told us that some of the rooms in Nather Manor closed from Lord Voldemort when his core became too twisted."
"I think it's a bit more complicated than that. There were times when he seemed to be banned from the library while it opened for him in other instances. Marvolo felt that the library usually remained closed when he tried to go in after a Death Eater meeting. I think that the corruption of his core increased just after a meeting because of the way the Marks behaved together. It showed a lack of mastery of the Dark which is contrary to Slytherin's spirit," explained Severus.
"Still, Slytherin was one of the founders, he must have put a protection against this situation in Hogwarts too," argued Lucius.
"I agree with you, but remember that Hogwarts' protection had not been at full strength for a long time by the time Dumbledore became Headmaster," reminded Severus. "The curse on the Defence Professor position was just the most obvious recent example. Hogwarts' Conclave had to work hard these past years after Dumbledore was removed to build back the protection and support of both the school and the nexus."
Drunek hummed in agreement.
"I did not Sense anything wrong from Dumbledore when we came to fetch him from Hogwarts, but I remember that it was almost impossible to differentiate him from the nexus. She might have cloaked him too, in addition to his Sensing shields."
"What I don't understand is why would Fawkes want the wand destroyed if it was helping his Tsure," stated Augustus. "There is no doubt that using a wand helped Voldemort, and Nagini was the one who suggested it. Fawkes is far older than she was, he had to know that the wand was helping Dumbledore. Yet, he recognised a debt with Severus when it was destroyed."
"This is something I don't get either," added Lucius. "Why didn't Fawkes destroy the wand himself? Phoenixes are powerful, and he's not Dumbledore's slave. If he thought they did not need it, why wait for someone else to destroy it?"
Silence fell as they pondered the apparent contradiction: if Dumbledore possessed a twisted core, then the additional wand had helped him. Yet, Fawkes had been overjoyed by its destruction.
Could it be linked with the secret of the stone and the wand that Dhaal had still not told Severus? Was the wand so special that it could not be destroyed by the usual means? After it had been broken, Dhaal had volunteered to get rid of it. Had the wand's power not truly been broken by just breaking its material form in two pieces?
Wirkrund was the one who broke their contemplation.
"Fawkes was always persuaded that Dumbledore's problem was linked to Grindelwald. Remember the prophecy, neither can live while the other survives. What if their blood pact made when they were younger affected their Khorlos, and that its destruction twisted their core?"
Severus held back a snort.
"And so? Being in each other's presence is healing their core, and that's why Fawkes wanted them locked up together?"
Hoardrock nodded, not seeming to notice Severus' incredulity.
"It may not be healing their core, but at least stabilising it so it won't twist further. The use of a second wand can only be a crutch, and I doubt Fawkes was keen on this crutch, as he seemed to be jealous of it."
He paused, tapping his claws on the arm of his chair.
"The power of the nexus might be helping them too. It's plausible enough to be worth looking into."
"Especially if they might be influencing the nexus and twisting it because of their core problem," added Jonathan.
Wirkrund gave him a fond smile.
"Indeed, Jìnjshuǐk."
Hoardrock grinned with satisfaction, showing a glint of pointed teeth..
"I knew I was right to put the subject on the agenda."
From then on, the meeting devolved into discussion about Familiars and wands until it was time for dinner.
As it always was when most of Severus' family was reunited together, it was a joyous and boisterous affair. Leaena insisted on eating between Luna and Felsen, and made a general mess of all their clothes, under the fond but resigned eye of their respective mothers and the adorative looks of everyone else present. The older kids were excited about Hogwarts and to the surprise of no one, all hoped to be chosen to go to Slytherin, though Draco worried that the hellspawn would not join them there. Severus privately thought it would be the better, he could already see how the spawn's father would accuse Draco and Severus of corrupting his son and that could not end well.
Dinner was followed by digestives and hot chocolate and discussions which lasted far into the night, the kids falling asleep on the thick and plush carpet one after the other. It was close to two in the morning when Neele and Severus finally closed the door of their bedroom behind them.
"Alone at last," stated Severus dryly.
Neele laughed softly.
"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy every minute spent with our family."
Feeling his face soften in a smile, he reached out to take her in his arms.
She went willingly, her body just the right shape to fit against him, his chin relaxing on the top of her head.
He sighed.
"True. But they can be a bit much sometimes. You know I like my peace."
Severus felt her tense slightly in his arms.
"Neele? What's wrong?"
She pushed back slowly, looking up to meet his eyes.
"Nothing's wrong. Just… You should enjoy your peace while it lasts. Changes can happen sooner than you expect them."
"What do you mean?" asked Severus, suddenly feeling concerned.
Neele had such faith in him that she was the one always telling him that there was no reason for concern. She had been confident in his ability to heal Jonathan, to deal with the Faes, to be the House-Elves' representative…
She shook her head, smiling.
"It's nothing bad. I just…"
She put her hands on his cheeks, kissing his lips lightly.
"I checked with Narcissa today. I'm pregnant. With twins."