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Act II - The Warlock of Hogwarts
Chapter 6 - The Headmaster and the Warlock
"Goo-goo clusters!"
Harry stepped off the stone staircase past the gargoyle and stood directly in front of the Headmaster's office. He had been approached by Nigel, a third-year Gryffindor, with a note from the man, inviting him to visit his premises before retiring to the dorms. Harry had been called to this office several times in the past, but never this early.
Knowing his luck, news about Hecate and Cho had already reached his ears. The Hogwarts rumour mill was terribly efficient that way.
He rapped on the door.
"Come in, Harry."
Harry rolled his eyes. Dumbledore definitely had a proximity ward in place, tied with some kind of identification spell, probably matching the magical signature of the individual to the Hogwarts Student Registry, a tome that listed the names and information of all individuals that had attended the school at some point. Hell, maybe it kept a list of teachers for all he knew. It was a subtle way through which the wily old man maintained his dominance throughout his disarmingly casual small-talk that he was so fond of.
Opening the door, he stepped in. Not much had changed. The large, circular office was still full of silver instruments whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke, like some kind of magical laboratory. Most of the walls were adorned with portraitsโ perhaps more than he last remembered. And beyond the large, claw-footed desk sat the man himself.
"Thank you for coming, Harry. Please take a seat. I'm sorry for pulling you out right after the feast but let me assure you, this won't take long."
"Is this about what happened with Cho, Professor? I swear, Hecate wasn't going to attack her. I had her under control."
Albus Dumbledore tilted his head slightly. "I'm afraid you have me at a loss, Harry. This is the first time I'm hearing about this."
"...Oh."
He wasn't in trouble for that?
Oh well.
"But in the interests of efficacy, do tell. What happened between yourself and Miss Chang, and thisโฆ Hecate, I believe you said?"
Huh. The gears in his head ran. He had no doubt the rumours would reach the man sooner or later, and he'd be called to explain things. At least this way, he was getting the chance to explain his side of things without having to defend against others' claims. Seriously, Cho looked like she had her head full of cats. And that hysteria on her face? It was less of a reaction and more of a psychological dysfunction.
And to think that he had fantasies about her last year.
"Nothing serious, errโฆ Professor. Do you remember I asked you for permission to bring a runespoor to Hogwarts?"
"Ah," the man's bright blue eyes twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles. "Mr. Longottom's gift. And what of it?"
"Well sir, she moulted. Earlier this afternoon. On the Express."
The man peered at him in interest. He offered Harry his owl of lemon drops, and Harry refused, naturally. The Headmaster then proceeded to unwrap a sweet and put it into his mouth.
"Moulted, you say."
"...yes, sir," Harry said quickly. "She doubled in size, and began hissing loudly. That's when Cho came in and, umm, she assumed the worst. She thought I framed Cedric, and seeing a runespoor hissing at Neville made her thinkโฆ"
He trailed off.
"I see," said Dumbledore, nodding. "I cannot fault Ms. Chang for her reaction, though. Runespoors have been the preferred pets of dark wizards. And if she truly believes you to be guilty, then seeing a hissing runespoor must have exacerbated her fears. I hope it did not devolve to any spell-casting."
Harry shook his head. It could have, if not for Luna's quick thinking. He'd need to thank the girl for that later.
"Sir, about Hagridโฆ"
"Rubeus is currently away, on a mission, if you catch my drift. I'm afraid it will be some time before he returns. You will have to ask Professor Grubbly-Plank for aid in housing the runespoor. I'm sure she'll be able to provide alternate arrangements."
"Actually, sir, I was hoping I could take care of her?"
The wispiest shade of a frown touched the corners of the man's eyes.
"I've been doing some study in herpetology, and runespoors in particular,'' said Harry. "I was thinking of doing this as extra credit for my Care of Magical Creatures OWL."
"It is soothing to hear you're taking an active interest in your education, Harry. But are you sure you wish to go down this path? A runespoor is, after all, a dangerous dark creature, and after your own experience with Slytherin's basiliskโฆ" he trailed off.
Harry pursed his lips. Dumbledore was partly right. Most runespoors that didn't end up moulting, died in less than a year. Only the moulted ones lived on for decades and centuries to become the XXXX creatures he was talking about.
"You're right, Professor, but a runespoor is no basilisk. I've studied them, and read about them. The three heads are always stuck fighting each other. And plus, runespoors imprint on the parselmouth that causes them to moult. Hecate will always listen to my commands."
"I never imagined there'd come a day when you'd want to expand your Parseltongue abilities. I had always thoughtโ"
"It's part of my magic, Professor. It even helped me in the cemetery. It'd be stupid to not explore a useful ability simply out of bias. This summer taught me just how much I do not know. I don't want to repeat my mistakes."
"Ah. The beginnings of wisdom," said Dumbledore. "Hecate, I believed you called it?"
"Her. Yes."
A small smile formed on the man's face. "Ancient Greek Goddess of Fate and the Crossroads. The naming is apt."
Harry grinned. "Luna Lovegood suggested it."
A spark of recognition flashed in the man's eyes. "Did she? How very interesting. Very well, Harry. I shall talk to Wilhemina over this. Perhaps if you're willing to lend her services for the NEWT students in turn?"
"Any time, Professor," he said, and then paused, wondering how to phrase it.
"Is there something you wish to tell me?"
Harry pursed his lips. He could recall every single time Dumbledore had asked him that exact question. He also recalled how he had denied him, despite the turmoil raging within his head.
Not this time. He considered what he was going to ask for a while before he said. "It's actually about runespoors, Professor. I was reading this book called Fantastic beasts and where to find them, and it turns out, the author, Newt Scamdander, was, wellโฆ part of your group in the First Wizarding War."
That brought a wide smile to the man's face. "Dear old Newt. What of him?"
"Well, sir, he claims to have had a giant runespoor which he donated to Ougadou later on. I was wondering if I could correspond with him over this subject."
"You wish for me to introduce you to him?"
"...yes."
Bright, blue eyes stared at him for a long, intense period of silence before Dumbledore breathed out something that might have been an extremely refined snort from his nose.
"You've certainly changed a lot, Harry. But to answer your question, I'm flattered you think you need me to introduce you to him. There are very few people that would not recognize the Boy-Who-Lived or refuse correspondence with him."
"Yeah, uh, I just didn't want to look like someone that uses his fame to, you knowโฆ" He shrugged, unable to find the proper words to describe the hesitancy in his mind.
Dumbledore flicked a few fingers in acknowledgement of his statement. "Very well. I will write you a letter of introduction. Newt is one of those students I've been honoured to teach. In fact, I am often surprised with how much you remind me of him."
Harry blinked. He had certainly not expected that.
"Take your own case with the runespoor for example. You're choosing to care for it, despite knowing it is regarded as the totem for dark wizards everywhere. You dismissed my concerns, not with arrogance, but calm, precise facts, proving how despite it being a XXXX creature, it wouldn't bear any dangers to the student body. As Newt would put it, there are no strange creatures, only blinkered people."
Harry grinned.
"But more than that, it is your nature, Harry. Both of you are oddly reluctant to take charge. But when forced into an unfair situation, not only do you take charge and wear the mantle fairly, you prove yourself to be incredibly brave. It's a trait I admire more than anything. But more importantly, it is that neither of you seek power. Or popularity. You just ask, is this thing right in itself. If it is, you do it, no matter the cost."
Harry looked away, feeling distinctly uncomfortable at being complimented out of nowhere like that.
"I, uhโฆ"
"Did you know that it is considered a mark of a powerful wizard to have a bond with a magical creature? Almost every famous witch and wizard in history has been associated with a magical animal. I myself have always felt an affinity with the great magical birds. There's a story in my family, that a phoenix will come to any Dumbledore in desperate need."
He caressed Fawkes's crimson feathers with his left hand. The phoenix let out a soft trill.
"Even you, Harry, are similar in that way. The ancient witch Morrigan, venerated as a veritable goddess of Death by the muggles, was associated with an owl. She, too, carried the Peverell bloodline, as I've no doubt you know."
Harry's mouth ticked up at one corner.
"But that isn't why I've summoned you, as I'm sure you're wondering."
Harry nodded.
"It is about the offer you received on your birthday, from Saul Croaker no less."
Harry nearly choked at that.
"The Chief Warlock holds an ex-officio position in the Department of Mysteries. It's not something I like to advertise, and most of the time, it's a nominal position at best. I might not be able to affect any major decisions taken by the Department, but I can demand information from them within reason, as long as it does not break the Department's Charter."
Harry hoped this wasn't going where he thought it was. It wouldn't end well for either of them if it did. He and Dumbledore had mended the bridges between them for the most part, and would hate to see it all go down in waste.
Either way, his mind began to run through a worst case scenario and make assumptions on what it could mean as fast as he could.
The old man exhaled and stood up, walking to the wall where the pale moonlight was slipping through the bars on the window. "The Department of Mysteries has had its eye on you ever since the unfortunate incident back in 1981. I'm sure you're already aware of that. I've received intimation that you are to beโฆ handled, for lack of a better word, by Miss Tonks for the entire scholastic term until you have passed your OWLs. This will mean you might have to skip certain classes in favour of your Unspeakable education." He paused. "I'm certain you've read about the newest legislation passed by the Ministry?"
Harry nodded. While he was glad to know his fears were unfounded, he was curious where the Headmaster was headed with that.
"I've been approached by the Hogwarts Board members over a dozen times over the past month, asking if it was possible for you to be given private education, in a moreโฆ shall we say, an isolated setting. Away from the other students. I'm afraid that statement Lucius made at the Wizengamot had a far greater effect than I possibly imagined. They are concerned and afraid, fearing for the safety of their children, which I believe, are warranted to a degree, but not at the cost of another."
A foreboding feeling was beginning to settle in Harry's stomach. Would he have to leave Hogwarts? Dumbledore wouldn't do that to him, would he?
"Unfortunately, Lucius took advantage of my indecision and preyed on it. Thus, the Clause 159. The official statement is that I, as the Headmaster, am unable and unwilling to do the necessary to keep my students protected. Thus, the Board is granting the Ministry to take decisive action to solve the problem."
"Hence Dolores Umbridge," Harry concluded. Everything was falling into place.
The Headmaster nodded his head like an old elephant. "I'm afraid Miss Umbridge's goals lie far beyond being the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Harry. She will try to isolate you, paint you as a dark wizard, at the bare minimum. She might even instigate other students to be vocal about you."
Harry clenched his hands. "And what happened with Hecate and Cho earlier isn't going to help."
"No," said Dumbledore. "It isn't. I'm afraid Madam Umbridge will use your runespoor to paint you in a negative light. I doubt she will make any direct claims about you, or raise the situation about Cedric, but she can manipulate other students to do it for her. People that knew Cedric and had strong ties with him, like Miss Chang for example, will be particularly vulnerable."
Suddenly Cho's entire reaction didn't feel so strange.
"Ideally, you shouldn't have to deal with this at all, Harry. With Lord Voldemort being back, it is crucial you get all the training and the resources you need. That you have taken such an active interest in your education is very heartening to this old man. But unfortunately, Cornelius seems to believe things differently. And I'm afraid, with this being your OWL year, Madam Umbridge is going to make things very, very difficult for you."
"What else is new?" Harry asked., only to realise he had just mouthed off the Headmaster while he was trying to help him.
Dumbledore arched an eyebrow. "At the same time, I have to be seen doing something against this 'threat' on my students. If I don't, then Madam Umbridge can take up the position of High Inquisitor and attempt to force me out of Hogwarts. I think we both understand what that entails."
Harry felt an icy feeling trickle down his spine. Dumbledore sacked? Hogwarts wouldn't last a day after that. And the only way to end the problem wasโฆ.
He swallowed.
"What do you want me to do?"
"You? Nothing. Keep doing what you are. Study. Learn. Strive for greatness. Now me on the other hand, there is something I can do. Fortunately, your newest position allows for it."
"My Lordshipโ"
"Not that, but your other position."
Harry squinted his eyes. "I don't understand."
"Warlock," said Dumbledore. "It is a position awarded to someone that has obtained a unique or considerably rare form of magical trait. Your ascension to Lord Potter by gaining the Peverell Family Magic gave you that distinction."
Harry regarded him seriously, frowning, thinking where the old man was going with this.
"In the olden days, the position of Warlock was given as much respect as a staff member at Hogwarts. They would be granted separate quarters, along with whatever provisions as required for study and further research on their unique magical crafts, as well as the privacy they need to achieve the same." Dumbledore met his eyes. "I believe the same must be offered to you."
Harry widened his eyes. "Professor, that's โ that's insane! The Board wants you to act against me, not award me with thisโ thisโ"
"I think it does both. Perchance you've heard of the muggle expression, 'Two birds with a stone?'"
"But they want you to keep everyone away fromโฆ" he trailed, as it hit him. "The private quarters. I'll be staying away from the others."
"That and more. As a warlock, you will have the freedom to not attend specific classes, should you wish. However, you will still need to sit for the relevant exams, so long as it is a core subject, so you will have to self-study the material."
Translation. He was getting a clean chit to sit out of Umbridge's class.
"In short, the benefits awarded to the Triwizard Champions last year."
Harry nodded.
"Difficult times are ahead, Harry. I know that Severus has offered to coach you in Defence Against the Dark Arts. I'll advise you to take full advantage of this while you can. This situation that Cornelius has forced on you, on us; I'm afraid it will only get worse. Remember, Harry, you must not do anything that gives Madam Umbridge a chance to act against you. Can you do that?"
Harry pursed his lips, and tried to cudgel his brain into working. He knew there were multiple meanings behind what Dumbledore had just told him. All he was asking was to not give into confrontation, but he had already granted him a free pass to skip her classes, so what else could he possibly be referring to? It was not like Umbridge couldโฆ.
He froze, as it clicked.
"Professor, are you asking me to stay quiet about Voldemort's return?"
"As much as I despise it, yes," said the Headmaster. "There is no proof of Tom's resurrection, and unless he decides to show himself in front of everyone, it will stay that way. Trying to force the Minister to consider otherwise will only make his belief stronger."
"This," Harry gritted his teeth, "is not fair."
"It never is," said Dumbledore. "The only thing granted equally to everyone is an unfair reality."
And Death. Harry didn't say. "So we just wait while he gets to make his moves?"
"What would you have me do, Harry?" asked Dumbledore. "Force my opinion on Cornelius? The Imperius perhaps? People are free to form their own opinions. Perhaps I should obliviate Miss Chang of her memories of Cedric Diggory? You cannot blame people for forming their own opinions."
Not anymore than I can get angry at a dog for barking, Harry thought spitefully. It's what they do.
Albus Dumbledore walked up to him and placed his hand firmly on Harry's shoulder. "I have instructed a house-elf to attend to your needs in your private room. You'll find Professor McGonagall standing outside the office. She'll show you your new quarters. Please keep this in mind, I will do what I can, but there is no alternative to facing your fears."
His fists clenched tighter. The man didn't understand. He did not wish to understand.
"It's not just about that, Professor." Harry replied. "It's when everyone looks at you, and none of them can understand you anymore, when none of them can see the path that led you there, despite what you've done for them. And no matter what you've done for or given them, they can only see you as a monster anymore."
'Is that what you think of yourself? A monster?"
"Seems fitting," Harry chuckled mirthlessly. "I'm certainly not the Golden Boy, not after what happened at the graveyard. My powers are not for the Light. They are for the Dark. The mysterious. The unknown. How long before these people accuse me of being the very thing I'm trying to fight against? You know they will."
"And the golden tendrils reveal themselves in the endโฆ" Dumbledore's mouth turned up into a faint smile. "I owe you an apology, Harry Potter. During the summer, Tom played a psychological game against me, and in hindsight, I gravely underestimated my opposition. But I see now."
"Uhm," Harry frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing, my boy, nothing," Dumbledore replied jauntily, as he began to walk towards the door. "Just call it the musings of a foolish man who ought to have known better. As for your fears, allow me to reiterate myself. Always remember, happiness can be found in even the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."
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