Chapter 11

Harry sat in Dumbledore's office, watching as Fawkes cleaned his feathers. He was tired. The fight with the trolls had taken a lot out of him. He worried for Hermione, but that worry was tempered by his exhaustion. It was all he could do to keep his eyes open. Instead of going to bed, or the hospital wing, here he was, in Dumbledore's office waiting for the headmaster to arrive.

Finally, the door to the office swung open and Dumbledore stepped inside. As he closed the door, he turned to Harry.

"Ms. Granger will be fine. She has a fractured skull, but Madam Pomfrey can put that right."

Harry felt his worry slide away. "That's good Headmaster. There is no brain damage?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "The club grazed her. Had it been a direct hit…" He broke off, but he didn't need to finish.

"So, why am I here? If Hermione will live, I'd like to get some sleep."

Dumbledore nodded. "I imagine you are exhausted, but I'd like to know how a first year took down twenty trolls."

Harry shrugged. "I guess I'm just lucky."

Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes stared into Harry's. "Lucky?" he said softly. "Half of those trolls are dead. The rest were badly injured."

"They wanted to harm the students."

"How many students did you harm with your violent actions? You decapitated one troll and crushed the skull of another. They're still picking bits of troll off the floor of the Great Hall. Could you not have tried to negotiate for peace?"

"The first words out of their leaders mouth was asking to eat one of the students. How do you negotiate with that?"

"Still, I worry for the well-being of the students after seeing such violence."

"If you were so worried, why didn't you leave a member of staff in the hall?"

"That was a mistake on my part. When Professor McCian said they were in the dungeon, I assumed they wouldn't make it close to the hall before we had a chance to stop them."

"Well, you know what they say about assuming?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I do. You aren't going to tell me anything, are you?"

Harry shook his head. "You haven't asked any questions."

"The transfiguration you used was not something I'd expect from someone as young as you."

"What can I say? My Mum trained me well."

"Obviously," Dumbledore said drily. "I don't suppose you'll tell me why you seem so much more mature than your fellow students?"

Harry stared at him. "I don't see how that is relevant to our discussion."

"Most eleven year olds wouldn't know how to fight a troll, let alone slaughter ten of them."

"Perhaps I'm gifted."

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Perhaps. You are tired. I think I may be able to pierce your mental shields if I tried hard enough."

"Maybe, but I am no wizard. I am fae. How do you think my people would react to a wizard attacking one of their own unprovoked?"

Dumbledore leaned forward. "I am concerned about the safety of my students. If you could do that to trolls, who are magically resistant, what could you do to a fellow student?"

"Why would I harm a fellow student? What would I have to gain?"

Dumbledore sighed. "We are going to continue to talk in circles, aren't we? You may go. Fill free to come to me if you have anything you wish to talk about."

Harry stood and left the office without looking back. He had a feeling that Dumbledore would be watching him a lot closer from now on.

**ACC**

Dumbledore watched the door swing shut behind Harry. There was something different about that boy. At times, he seemed like a regular child, but then there were times where he seemed so much older than he should.

How had he defeated those trolls? Why had Lugh lied about where the trolls were? There was no other explanation. If the trolls were in the dungeon, it would have been impossible that they'd have made it to the Great Hall without one of the staff becoming aware.

He needed to talk to Lugh, but his defense professor seemed to have vanished. Hopefully, he will return soon. Perhaps it was a good thing he was leaving this year. Hogwarts did not need a professor that would purposefully endanger the students.

He glanced up at the perch where his phoenix sat. "Fawkes, what am I going to do?"

The phoenix gave no reply. Sighing, Dumbledore stood. There would be time to worry over this in the morning. Perhaps then, he would be able to find answers to all the questions that plagued him.

**ACC**

Lugh ran his fingers along the Elder wand. Raising it to eye level, he examined the wand closely. He glanced over at Thanatos.

"Why come to me?"

"You were widely known to be a master of many things. I'd hoped that wand craft might be one of them."

"I see," Lugh muttered. "Sorry to disappoint, but Wand craft was never something I mastered. I can tell you a few things."

Thanatos leaned forward. "You can?"

Lugh nodded. "The wand has been corrupted. I do not think you designed it to pass to a new owner through the death of the old."

Thanatos shook his head. "That wand is a lot fickler than I ever intended. I meant for it to stay in my family."

Lugh looked down at the wand. "You'll need someone that knows more about the deeper mysteries of magic than I do. All I know is the wand doesn't want to be destroyed."

Thanatos nodded and took the wand back. Tucking it in his cloak, he handed Lugh the resurrection stone.

Lugh took the stone and glanced at it before shaking his head. "The stone doesn't carry the same corruption that the wand does. I think it is because it never changed hands through murder."

"The cloak was passed down through my descendants. If the cloak and stone are not corrupted, that means one third of the Hallows can't be trusted."

Lugh nodded handing Thanatos the stone. "It would seem that way. I can't tell you anymore than I already have and what I have told you is something you wouldn't have figured out given enough time."

"What would you suggest," Thanatos asked tucking the stone in the opposite side of his cloak from the wand.

"I'd suggest seeking out one of the goddesses of magic. Morrigan hasn't been seen in five hundred years, Isis is dead, and Hecate hasn't shown up since 1980."

"I met with Hecate in 1980. Where was she seen last?"

Lugh shrugged. "Dunno, we all sensed it when she traveled to this realm, but no one has seen her. She's chosen to hide herself."

"If you're right, she could be anywhere."

"She could, but I wouldn't do anything with that wand until you talk to her or the Morrigan."

Thanatos stood. "Thanks for the advice."

Before either could speak again, a sphere of water appeared floating in midair. The water formed Argante's face. Argante's voice filled the room.

"Troll attack at Hogwarts. Come quick, there's a problem."

Lugh stretched. "Care to come along?"

"Sure," Thanatos said. "Hanging around your family is never dull."

**ACC**

"What happened?" Lugh asked as he entered Dumbledore's office.

Dumbledore blinked at him. "Happened? Don't you know?"

"Obviously not or I wouldn't have asked."

"But you were the one that warned us about the trolls."

Lugh stared at the headmaster. "No, I've been gone since my last class ended."

"We have a problem then. All the students saw you come into the Great Hall and tell everyone about the troll in the Dungeons."

"Someone impersonated me? I'm impressed."

"Yes well, they made you look bloody and bruised, so I wouldn't be that impressed."

Lugh grunted. "I would be bloody and bruised if I'd went hand to hand with a bunch of trolls, so points for realism."

Argante entered the office. "No signs of fae magic in the hall. Whatever this was, it was wizardry."

"Can wizards use glamour?"

Dumbledore picked up a lemon drop. "We can use glamour charms. You've been teaching here for ten years. How do you not know this?"

"Do you expect a Herbologist to be good at astronomy?"

"Ahem," Argante cleared her throat loudly. "Can we get back to the infiltration of the school please?"

"Quite," Dumbledore turned to Argante. "Care to tell me how your son killed ten trolls?"

"That's my boy," Lugh clapped his hands together.

"Was he injured?" Argante asked glaring at Lugh.

"He's exhausted, but that's it. He was more worried about Ms. Granger."

Argante nodded. "I'll go by the hospital wing and check on her before I leave."

Lugh stood. "I'll start working on some wards to keep this from happening again."

"That reminds me," Argante said. "Harry mentioned he thought the wards looked funny."

Lugh nodded. "I'll go take a look at them." With his hand on the door, he turned back. "By the way, I have my replacement for next year. His name is Philip Stevenson. I believe you'll find him acceptable. He has a daughter named Siofra that can teach history of magic if you like."

"We don't need a history professor," Dumbledore said.

Lugh smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "You will."

As the door closed behind him, Dumbledore turned to Argante.

"What do you think he meant by that?"

**ACC**

Thanatos entered the history of magic classroom and looked around. There was no dust or cobwebs, but the room had a feeling of weariness about it, like a cloak worn long passed the time it should've been thrown out.

"Cuthbert Binns," Thanatos called, his deep voice echoing in the room.

The ghost of a frail-looking old man floated through the blackboard. His semi-transparent skin was so shriveled, he looked like the ghost of a mummy. He stared around the room, his expression vacant.

"I don't understand," he said in a cracked wheezing voice. "It's not time for class. Why am I here?"

Thanatos stepped further into the room. "I called you," he said gently.

Professor Binns turned to the voice and his faded brown eyes widened. "What does Death want with me?"

"I am not Death. I'm not even sure that Death is a person, as such. Although…" Thanatos stared up at the ceiling. "I met this lady once…" He shook his head. "Never mind that, look, you know your dead right?"

"Am I?" Professor Binns asked Mildly. "That would explain why my students have different faces. I thought it was just a new…" He paused. "Well, just something new the kids do. I'm dead, am I? Blimey, I wonder when that happened."

"Yes, I'm afraid so. I'm here to help you move on. Don't you wish to see your family again?"

"I suppose," Professor Binns said. He turned to stare at the blackboard. Reaching out with one semi-transparent hand, he tried to pick up a piece of chalk, only for his fingers to slide right through it.

"Yes," he murmured. "I suppose I am dead."

He turned back to Thanatos. "Do you know what comes next?"

"What? In the afterlife?"

Professor Bins nodded.

Thanatos shook his head. "When I performed my function, my duty was to open the way. Think of me as a taxi driver."

"Taxi driver?" Professor Binns said sounding confused.

Thanatos frowned. The old ghost had been dead a long time. Perhaps he didn't know what a taxi was.

"I'm just the train conductor. I help people on their journey. It's not my job to decide where they go."

"I see," Professor Binns said. He cleared his throat. "Perhaps it is time for me to go. I believe I may have become very boring over the past few years. The students need someone that can engage their interest. They must learn from history or history will repeat itself. I don't think any of us want that."

Thanatos thought that the poor old ghost was probably always boring but thought it would be rude to say so.

Professor Binns floated forward, staring into Thanatos's eyes. "Does it hurt?"

"Passing on?" Thanatos asked as gently as he could. "No, you've already suffered the worst. It's time for you to rest."

Cuthbert Binns smiled wistfully. "I think I'd like that."

Professor Binns drew a ghostly piece of parchment from his robes. As Thanatos watched, the ghost scribbled a quick note. Once he was done, he looked around.

"Where can I leave this?"

"Here?" Thanatos took the parchment from the ghost and, taking a pen from his pocket, copied the letter before laying it on the teacher's desk.

"Thank you," Professor Binns said with a yawn.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes," Professor Binns said.

"Good-bye," Thanatos said.

There was no flash of light. No door appeared leading to fields of peace or a burning inferno. One moment, Binns was there and the next, he was gone. Thanatos nodded to himself before turning and leaving the room. It felt good to help a soul pass on after all this time.

"I hope you are at rest," he said as he closed the door. Turning and walking down the hall, he grinned to himself. He would like to see Dumbledore's face when the old man realized his history professor had passed on.

**ACC**

"You knew!" Dumbledore glared at Lugh.

It was early the following morning and Lugh had been woken at half passed six by a brownie. The brownie had a message from Dumbledore.

The headmaster was requesting to see Lugh in his office. Lugh had hurried to Dumbledore's office as fast as possible.

Currently, Dumbledore was glaring at him. Lugh suppressed a grin with difficulty.

"How did you know? I just spoke to him last night."

"Gonna have to be more specific."

"Professor Binns has decided to pass on."

"Good for him," Lugh said. "What makes you think I know anything?"

"You told me you had a history of magic professor lined up."

Lugh arched an eyebrow. "Well, I guess you'll be needing Siofra's contact information, won't you?"

Dumbledore's jaw worked before he turned back to the paperwork on his desk.

"Please arrange an interview."

"Sure thing," Lugh said standing up and leaving Dumbledore's office.

**ACC**

Voldemort looked up from his frame as his mother stepped into the hotel room she was renting.

"News?"

"The trolls failed. A Muggle-born was injured, but she'll be fine. The Emry's boy is far more capable than we thought."

"So, we will need to move up our time table."

The woman nodded. "I'd hoped to wait till the end of the year, but that will not be possible."

"So, when will you go for the stone?"

"Me? I'm not going anywhere near Hogwarts. No, I think I know someone else who can get the stone for us."

Voldemort leaned forward. "Do you think he will agree?"

The woman's cold laughter filled the room. "My dear boy, we are not giving him a choice."

**ACC**

Lugh, Argante, and Merlin met just outside of the wards at Hogwarts. Lugh nodded to the other two.

"I'm not very good at adding to wards. Why am I here?"

"To confirm what we are seeing," Merlin said narrowing his eyes at the wards.

He frowned as the tapestry of light came into view. He noticed several torn threads and entire sections of the wards appeared to be missing.

"This doesn't look like it should."

Argante shook her head. "It looks almost like a rat has been chewing on the wards, but that's not possible."

"No," Merlin said absently. "It's not." Reaching out, he ran his fingers along the wards, causing the magic to thrum like a plucked guitar string.

"All the wards I've seen are more like a wall or dome," Lugh said. "This looks more like a ripped curtain."

"Strong enough to keep out most threats, but not near as strong as it should be."

"Any idea what caused this?"

Merlin nodded. "I think so. Adding to wards isn't a simple task. You can't just slap wards on top of each other and hope they stick. Corresponding wards must be linked together."

"What do you mean?" Lugh asked.

"Well," Merlin said. "An anti-apparition ward can be linked with a ward that blocks travel by Floo powder. They can strengthen each other because they compliment each other. While Anti-apparition, anti-portkey, and anti-floo travel wards are here, it looks like they were just cast without any regard to the existing wards."

"Can you fix it?" Argante asked.

"We can fix it. I'm gonna need help. Ideally, we would take the entire ward scheme down and rebuild it, but these wards have existed for centuries. It would be a shame to lose all the magical power the wards have gained over time."

"But can we fix the wards as they are?" Argante asked.

Merlin turned back to the wards and sighed. "I don't know, but we'll have to try. Either way, we should know within twenty-four hours."

Lugh looked at the tapestry of wards in front of them. "You know, powerful enough magical artifacts could be used to create powerful wards."

"What are you saying?" Argante asked.

"Look, in Harry's old world, Dumbledore kept the Philosophers stone at Hogwarts, right?"

Argante nodded.

"Well, the philosophers stone is a powerful magical artifact. If we siphon the magic from the stone, we'd be able to create wards almost as powerful as the existing wards."

"But Nicholas Flamel would die."

"Maybe not," Lugh said. "I'm pretty sure I can strengthen the elixir. I can make it strong enough to restore them to their prime and prevent them from aging. They'll still be able to die by violence, but the stone doesn't protect from that anyway."

"I'd prefer we talk to them before we go that route," Merlin said. "It's their lives we'd be taking. Besides, the fae have stolen grain and even livestock, but we've never taken something that would kill someone unless we were really pissed."

"We can wait," Lugh said. "It's not like anyone's gonna try and break in to Hogwarts in the next day or so."

**ACC**

Peter Pettigrew shivered in his cell. Betraying the Potters had been the worst mistake of his life. He wasn't sure how he'd been caught, but he wished he'd never accepted Voldemort's offer to join him. All the protection wasn't worth what he'd suffered.

Voldemort had promised to return and lead his followers to glory, but somehow, his Lord had fallen, and he'd spent the past ten years in this hellhole.

Glancing into a puddle of water, he winced. He'd once been a small plump man with thick brown hair. Now, he was so thin he could count his ribs and he looked ten years older than he should. All his hair was gone, and he twitched nervously at every sound.

He whimpered as footsteps approached his cell. The guards weren't shy about showing how they felt about traitors. He'd just gotten his last beating. Couldn't they wait for him to heal before beating him again?

"Peter," a woman's voice said from the doorway to his cell.

Peter looked up and stared at the woman in front of him. He knew this woman. His lord had trusted this woman more than any other.

"Milady," Peter nearly sobbed. "Why have you come for me? I've done all you asked."

The woman nodded. "Yes, you have. You even confessed to your crimes when captured, showing loyalty that most of my sons followers lacked. If I get you out of here, will you serve your master one last time?"

All his regrets of a few moments ago fled his mind. Peter nodded eagerly. "I'll do whatever you ask."

At those words, the door to Peter's cell swung open. The woman stepped inside and laid a delicate hand on Peter's forehead.

Peter gasped as the years of abuse, exposure, and malnourishment were washed away in a moment. Strength flowed back into him, and he straightened, feeling his spine crack.

"Milady," he said reverently. "You have my eternal gratitude. I will do anything for you."

"Just this one thing," the woman said stroking his cheek. "Do this one thing and you will be rewarded above all others."

"What is it you need?"

"Come," the woman said taking his hand. "We have much to discuss. But first…" The woman pulled a dead pig from somewhere in the long white gown she wore and with a wave of her hand, it became the dead body of Peter Pettigrew.

"There," she said. "Now no one will be looking for you."

Leaving the fake Pettigrew on the floor, the woman led Peter out of the cell, closing the door gently behind them.

"How will we escape the dementors?" Peter asked fearfully.

"Don't worry," the woman said. "I got in here, didn't I?"

Tightening her grip on Peter's hand, the woman turned. Peter gasped as a swirl of wind blew through the hall. When the wind stopped, Peter and the woman were gone.