Chapter 61
AN: Thank you so much for the support. I hope you like this chapter.
A few days has passed since Mie told her friends who she lived with who don't know some truth, and ever since it has been clear that they are still adjusting to what Mie told them. It's early in the morning and as she woke up with nightmares, and thankfully had her spells in place this time, Mie is down in the living area reading very advance magic books in the living room, so she doesn't wake anyone.
Even though Mie is extremely focused on what she is doing she is also very paranoid and alert and because of that as soon as she hears someone on the stairs she quickly turns and points her wand to the stairs, but relaxes when she sees Marlene walking down the stairs.
"You really don't sleep, do you?" Marlene asks, seeing Mie, and not even being phased by the fact that Mie is pointing her wand at her.
"No, not really," Mie admits, lowering her wand.
"How do you function?" Marlene says, as she walks over to the couch, as considering everything she is amazed not only by what Mie manages to do, but the fact that she is able to do anything at all.
"You're no not the first person to ask me that," Mie admits as Marlene sits down next to her.
"Does that mean you're not going to answer my question?" Marlene asks curious.
"It means It's not a question I know the answer to," Mie admits. "I guess I just, kind of, keep going," Mie admits, as honestly it is something she purposely doesn't think about.
"Impressive," Marlene comments, and Mie doesn't know how to respond to that. "And so, is what you are reading," Marlene comments, noticing the name of the book, "Is this to try and help defeat Voldemort or just an interest of yours?" Marlene asks curious.
"Um, a bit of both actually, technically," Mie admits, and Marlene gives her a curious look. "I have a pet project, it won't help us, but it does have the potential to help a lot of others," Mie explains.
"And I take it you're not going to explain what that means," Merlene realises.
"Not at the moment," Mie responds, and Marlene nods.
While Mie continues to read her books, searching for something that will help with what she is planning Marlene continues to sit next to Mie as while she doesn't completely understand what Mie is doing she realises that Mie does need company so that's what she does, offers her silent comfort and company something which Mie appreciates even if she doesn't say so.
A couple of hours after Marlene joined Mie in the living room the rest of the teenagers in the house are awake and they are all in the living room eating the breakfast that Sirius has made.
"You know you don't have to cook all the time," Lily says to Sirius as he has cooked basically every meal.
"I like cooking," Sirius responds with a shrug.
"And we appreciate that, and your cooking's amazing, but if it gets too much or if you ever don't want to you just have to say so," James says to Sirius, as he doesn't wasn't his best friend to think that this is something he has to do.
"I know, thanks Prongs," Sirius responds, giving his friend a grateful look as the teenagers drift into silence.
For the next few minutes, the group continue to eat their deliciously made breakfast and engage in happy conversations until Remus spots something.
"Um, everyone, I think we've got our results," Remus says, looking at the kitchen window where there are seventeen owls flying towards the window.
"Yeah, I'd say so," Edgar says as he uses magic to cause the window to open.
Once the window is open all the Owls fly in and they fly to their respective person and each of them, all feeling very nervous, take their letter. Once she has hers Mie stands up.
"Mie?" Frank asks, noticing her action, and wondering what she is doing.
"When I decided to come back here I never thought I would get chance to finish school, but Dad made sure I could," Mie admits. "I want to open my results with him," Mie admits.
"I think he'd like that," Lily says, giving her friend a slight smile.
"I'll see you later," Mie says before heading out of the kitchen and out of the house.
After leaving the house she shares with her friend Mie heads towards the castle, and as she walks Mie feels her worry about how she did in her exam rises. Doing everything she can not to dwell on the worry she is feeling Mie heads to the castle and makes her way to the Headmaster's tower where she walks into the quarters where her father and Gellert are having breakfast.
"Annemie," Albus says as Mie walks in, looking glad to see her, as he knows what she would have received this morning.
"Morning," Mie says, as she sits down at the table.
"Are you alright?" Gellert asks curious, as Albus told him that Mie would be getting her results today.
"I'm not sure yet," Mie admits. "Um, I got my exam results," Mie admits, taking the letter out of her pocket, not even thinking about the fact that Albus would know that. "I can't open it," Mie admits, looking down at the letter which has 'Annemie Dumbledore' written on it. "Will you?" Mie asks her father, offering him the letter.
"Of course," Albus says, taking the letter. "But Annemie whatever your results are, it's okay," Albus assures her, knowing that because of her biological father Mie would be worrying about not being prefect.
"Even if they aren't good?" Mie asks her father, afraid of the answer.
"There's no way they aren't good," Gellert says, trying to help, but not realising that's not what Mie needs right now, at least he doesn't until he sees the look Albus is giving him.
"Even then," Albus assures his daughter, and Gellert realises he is missing something. "Annemie, whatever your results show it will not change anything, you will not be punished, I promise you, no matter what it will be okay," Albus assures his daughter and Gellert internally curses himself as he realises the issue. "Please believe me," Albus says to his daughter.
"I'm trying," Mie admits, and she takes a breath, as that's the best she can do. "I'm ready for you to open it," Mie tells Albus.
"Okay," Albus says, and he opens the envelope.
While Albus reads the paper for less than a minute for Mie it feels like it lasts a lot longer, and while Mie wants to believe her fathers words, she still feels incredibly worried about what the results are going to show and how her father is going to react as she doesn't want to let him down.
"Dad? It's bad isn't it? I failed anything, right?" Mie asks, sounding terrified of the results.
"Have a read for yourself," Albus tells Mie, keeping his face blank, as he hands the results over, and with a shaking hand Mie takes the paper from her father, feeling terrified about what the results are going to show.
"It's okay," Gellert says, trying to be reassuring, and Mie nods and looks down at the results:
Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests Results
Pass Grades:
Outstanding (O)
Exceeds Expectations (E)
Acceptable (A)
Fail Grades:
Poor (P)
Dreadful (D)
Troll (T)
Annemie Ariana Kendra Harriett Dumbledore has achieved:
Charms: O
Defense Against the Dark Arts: O
Herbology: O
Potions: O
Transfiguration: O
Ancient Runes': O
Arithmancy: O
"I got all O's," Mie says, looking between her father and the piece of paper.
"You got all O's," Albus confirms, his face breaking out into a huge grin.
"Congratulations Annemie," Gellert says, giving her a proud look.
"Congratulations, Annemie, I'm so proud of you," Albus tells his daughter and in response Mie hugs her father.
"I did it," Mie says as she hugs her father.
"You did it," Albus responds as the two of them hug and Albus kisses her head.
"They are incredible results Annemie, you should feel very proud," Gellert tells Mie as Mie and Albus break apart.
"I am," Mie responds.
"Annemie, allow yourself to be proud of your achievements, you deserve that, but also know that you are more than your grades," Albus tells his daughter as while he doesn't want to diminish what she has done he also doesn't want her to fall into old patterns.
"I'm trying to believe that," Mie admits' s. "It's just a lot of hardwiring that Dan caused that makes it hard to," Mie explains to Albus and Gellert.
"I know," Albus tells his daughter, not sure what else to say.
"It's a consent journey going against what was hardwired into us as children, but it does get easier, with time," Gellert tells Mie.
"Good to know," Mie admits, and Mie looks like she is considering something.
"Annemie? What is it?" Albus asks curious.
"I struggle to relate to most people, always, but you, and you Gellert, I don't struggle with either of you, and you both understand me in a way that I haven't really had before," Mie admits, as while Remus and Harry understood different parts of her it's not in the same way that Albus and Gellert understand.
"I have a theory about that," Albus explained and both Mie and Gellert give him curious looks. "I believe our minds work in similar ways and that's why we all understand each other," Albus explains looking between Mie and Geller, the two people who have always understood him more than anyone else.
"That makes sense," Mie admits.
"Excellent deduction," Gellert tells him and the three of them proceed to enjoy breakfast together.
After spending the entire day with father and Gellert Mie is heading back to the house she shares with her friends. As she walks through the village Mie sees a familiar person walk out of the Three Broomsticks and unfortunately there is nowhere for her to hide.
"Ah, Miss Dumbledore!" Mr Crouch says, having spotted her. "It's good to see you," Crouch says, as he walks over to her.
"Sir," Mie greats, honestly not being able to say that it is good to see him, not after everything.
"I was very much hoping that we would get a chance to chat," Crouch says to Mie.
"I am afraid now is not possible, I am running late for dinner with my friends," Mie tells Crouch as she really, really doesn't want to talk to him.
"How about lunch tomorrow," Crouch suggests, through from his tone Mie is pretty sure that it is not just a suggestion. "I think it is very important for us to have a conversation, away from your father and Grindelwald," Crouch says to Mie.
"Tomorrow, one pm, the Hogshead," Mie says to Crouch, feeling curious about what he wants to say to her, but also knowing that it isn't a good idea to meet with him completely alone.
"I would rather the Three Broomsticks," Crouch says to Mie, and she isn't at all surprised by that.
"No, the Hogshead," Mie tells Crouch. "If you want to talk to me, you'll be at the Hogshead one pm tomorrow, now if you excuse me, I have people waiting for me," Mie tells Crouch as she steps around him and continue to walk.
As she walks away from Crouch Mie keeps her hand wrapped around her wand, as she knows she can never be sure what he is going to do. Feeling on alert Mie doesn't even react until she walks into the house she shares with her friends.
"Mie? That you?" Sirius's voice asks, coming from the living area.
"Yeah," Mie responds.
"Good, get in here, you're just in time," James's voice responds and feeling curious Mie heads into the living room where she finds her friends and roommates sitting around.
"What's going on?" Mie asks curious, as she sees all the NEWT result letters on the coffee table.
"We've come up with a little reward system," Marlene explains.
"What kind of reward system?" Mie asks, feeling apprehensive as she sits down on the armrest on one of the couches.
"Okay, for each of us, we do a shot for each O we got, get to pick a dinner for each E and get an extra ten minutes in the bathroom for each A," Alice explains. "As you can guess, not many A's were gotten," Alice explains as extra bathroom time was the most converted and so it was the reward for the pass grade that was least gotten.
"I can see that," Mie says amused.
"So, Mie, what's your winnings?" Edgar asks curious.
"That would be seven shots," Mie says as she pulls her letter out of her pocket and throws it onto the table. "Though that doesn't feel much like winnings," Mie admits.
"Tell me about it," Lily, who also has seven shots in front of her, also says.
"It is, we did it, we all passed, we deserve to celebrate it," Isaac tells the others, and that is exactly what they do, celebrate how well they have all done in their NEWTS.
Just before one pm the next day Mie, having assured the others that it was okay and they didn't have to join her, has made her way to the Hogshead. When she enters the Hogshead Mie purposely sits at a table that is far enough from the bar to make it so Crouch isn't nervous while still being close enough to make it so Aberforth can interfere if needed.
For a few minutes Mie sits and waits until the door opens and Crouch walks in. After he spots her Crouch walks over to Mie and sits down across from her.
"Miss Dumbledore," Crouch greats.
"Mr Crouch," Mie responds. "You wanted to talk to me," Mie says to him.
"Yes, I did," Mr Crouch confirms.
"Let me guess, you want to talk about my father," Mie assumes.
"And Grindelwald," Crouch adds. "From what I understand you've lived most your life in the muggle word," Crouch says, and because of that Mie suspects she knows where Crouch is going with his conversation. "And because of that I don't understand how you can be okay with Grindelwald, with what he has done," Crouch says to Mie.
"I am not okay with what he has done," Mie tells Crouch, wanting to make that clear. "What he did was horrific, disturbing and inexcusable, I will never be okay with that," Mie tells Crouch, and she can tell that he is actually surprised that she said that.
"Then how can you be okay with him?" Crouch asks Mie.
"Because he knows that. He accepts that what he did was inexcusable, he doesn't try to excuse it, he feels remorse for what he did, and he wants to make sure nothing like that happens again," Mie explains to Crouch.
"If he truly feels remorse for what he did he would stay in jail, he would accept his punishment and not find a way to get out of it," Crouch informs Mie.
"Are you really that naive?" Mie asks Crouch as out of everything she knows about him, in multiple timelines, naive isn't a word she would use to describe him.
"Excuse me?" Crouch asks and Mie notices that his moustache is twitching, which tells Mie that he is angry.
"Do you not comprehend how dangerous Voldemort is?" Mie asks and unsurprisingly Crouch winches at Mie calling Voldemort by his name. "He is heading down a path that can only lead to the destruction of everything, everything we hold dear, both our world and the muggle one," Mie tells Crouch, choosing her words carefully as she doesn't want to give away that she knows more than she should. "We need every advantage we can get, and Grindelwald is an advantage, he can give insight into Voldemort that no one else can, and we desperately need that," Mie tells Crouch.
"The Ministry has You-Know-Who under control," Crouch tells Mie, who can't help but snort at that.
"Voldemort has you under his thumb," Mie tells Crouch. "He has spies in your ministry, within every aspect of society, I suspect even within your family, by fighting with Dad you are playing exactly into his hands," Mie tells Crouch, knowing she is going close to saying too much, but with how Crouch can be she knows that getting him to see the whole picture would be a good thing, even though she hates him for what he did in the timeline she is from.
"What do you mean within my family?" Crouch asks, and Mie isn't surprised that he picked up on that.
"Your son, do you know who his friends are?" Mie asks, as while she wasn't sure before she now knows that Crouch is in the same year as Regulus and while he hasn't got the mark yet, he is a supporter.
"I… what are you saying?" Crouch asks Mie, clearly concerned about why she would be asking that.
"I'm saying that your son is friends with a lot of people who have connections to Voldemort, and if you don't think Voldemort wouldn't jump at the chance to use your son then you're not as intelligent as I believe you are," Mie tells Crouch.
"My son would never join him!" Crouch exclaims.
"Are you sure about that?" Mie asks him, and she isn't completely sure when Crouch doesn't answer. "Sir, we're at a tipping point, I understand why you're worried about my father, why the minster is, but he's not your enemy," Mie tells Crouch. "He is doing everything he can to make it so the path that Voldemort wants to lead the world down isn't an option, and right now you, and the ministry are doing everything to prevent that; your helping Voldemort without even realising it," Mie tells Crouch.
"And you are a child who has only been a part of our world for a few months," Crouch tells Mie.
"Maybe that's why I can see things clearly," Mie tells Crouch. "The Magical world has always been divided, Voldemort is using that, the only chance we have to defat that, to take away his power and support is to ban together, to heal the division, and fight back together," Mie tells Crouch, not being able to think about the battle of Hogwarts and the unity shown there, even though she is trying not to.
"You sound like your father," Crouch tells Mie in an accusatory tone of voice.
"There are worse people to sound like," Mie tells Crouch. "You are at a crossroads Mr Crouch, you can do the right thing, see that my father is doing everything he can to stop Voldemort, or you can do the easy thing continue to follow the Ministry, continue to fight against my father because your so consumed by power, which will continue to allow Voldemort to make further gains, cause more division and more hate," Mie tells Crouch as she stands up. "I hope that you have the courage to make the right decision," Mie tells Crouch before walking away, nodding at Aberforth before heading out of the bar.
As Mie heads out the bar she starts to walk back to the house, while she doesn't know if her words will have any effect on Crouch, any effect on changing the world, but she knows she had to try and even if Crouch doesn't change right away, then maybe it would be enough for him to make different decisions that could have a title wave effect.