Thank you to my new Patrons: crazychaza07., Failure Ninja, NDF 07, Neil Swan, hz, Cristopher Lee, AskAskNot, Griffus, Jared, Journey_ManMike, Soutmonk
-/-
In the headmaster's office at Hogwarts, a meeting that would, under normal circumstances, not arouse any suspicion occurred. Dumbledore and Slughorn stood around the large table that dominated one side of the room and were talking. Fawkes, coming out of a burning phase, was weakly chirping.
However, all of the portraits in the office were empty, which was the first indicator that this chat was more special than simply the head of Slytherin informing the headmaster that one of his students had severehomesicknesss.
The grave tone of voice used by the two hinted at the fact that this wasn't a pleasant matter.
"He's really done it," Slughorn said in a defeated voice. He looked helplessly at the golden cup and the silver diadem on the table, restrained as they both were by two circles of little black stones with runes inscribed on them. Anyone with magical sense would be able to tell that there were strong barriers surrounding the objects.
"Worse than that, if the letter is to be believed, five of them," Dumbledore said very slowly before sighing and bringing up an old gnarly hand to massage his temple. It was on days like this that he truly felt old. Being the headmaster of a school was an experience that made the person younger, but dealing with old students like this?
One could only curse.
"What have you learned, Albus?"
"I have learned that these are indeed Horcruxes, just as we initially suspected. Seeing two of them together now, it is clear that the reason why the compass we created all those years ago wasn't working was because there were several of them. We can only hope that the person who wrote the letter was wrong and that the compass will stop spinning after we destroy these two," Albus concluded worriedly. He had run all sorts of tests on the Horcruxes as safely as he could, along with the device that he had created with Slughorn to track such objects.
It had never worked, and now they knew why... A compass couldn't work if there was more than one north.
"I really hope that the compass stabilizes after we destroy these. If there were only two, maybe three," the potions professor said with the tone of voice indicating that he wasn't actually very optimistic.
The headmaster sighed, and one hand went inside a wide sleeve to recover a little vial containing a clear greenish liquid.
"To think you would wait for so long simply to not have to cast the two curses that can destroy such a thing," Slughorn complained. "You know that I would have been perfectly willing to stain my soul to end the abomination I have created."
Dumbledore nodded. "I am very well aware of your willingness to make sacrifices. However, the Dark Arts are a disease of the mind that is not easy to get rid of once one has succumbed even once. It is better not to risk it, especially so early in our journey."
"Just that much must have already cost thousands of galleons."
Dumbledore shook his head. After such a long and successful career as one of the most influential wizards alive, he truly did not lack money. What he was lacking was ability. How else could one explain why he'd only ever defeated one dark lord and not two?
He uncorked the vial cautiously and brought it forward to hover over the cup first. Hufflepuff's cup, to think that they had managed to bring it back to Hogwarts after so many years only to have to destroy it. Truly, Tom had sunk so low that even the home that he had supposedly so loved had been irreparably tainted by his greed and hatred.
The cup seemed to sense its imminent demise, and a black mist that emanated all the hatred in the world surged out of it. But the protective circle held and contained the malice. What it could not contain was the drop of basilisk venom that Albus carefully rationed over the cup. Basilisk venom had strong anti-magic properties. No ward could truly contain it for long. The drop of liquid fell into the chalice and, with a scream of agony, started biting into the metal like a particularly enthusiastic termite. Soon, the screaming stopped, and the black mist dissipated, leaving behind nothing but a tragedy. A broken artifact with no magic, good or bad. To think that the cup had had the property of replicating even potions. It could have done so much good at a hospital like St Mungos, where potions were always in short supply.
He continued the task and repeated the destruction with the diadem. Another sad sight. They had considered if the artifacts could be salvaged by letting dementors eat the piece of soul inside. However, one relatively little-known fact was that while dementors ate souls, they digested them very slowly. Considering the ephemerality of the creatures, it was dangerous to essentially create a temporary Horcrux that truly could not be killed. Considering how bound together the artifact and soul became, even the killing curse would have ended up destroying the object. There was no way to salvage these particular parts of history.
The old man and the older man, after the destruction of the Horcruxes, looked to the side, to the compass that was supposed to point out such soul sprinters. The needle adjusted for a second before quickly spinning out of control again and thus pointing to nothing.
"It was more than three then," Slughorn said in a defeated voice.
"Hufflepuff's cup, Ravenclaw's diadem. The information we received has been incredibly precise so far," Dumbledore said.
"One of them was easy to find, but the other, breaking into Gringotts…" Slughorn muttered.
Albus nodded. It indeed hadn't been easy breaking into the bank. But at his age, there were still some tricks that he could rely on.
"We've confirmed the location of the Gaunt shack in Little Hangleton and that there are powerful wards with Voldemort's magical signature protecting it. But the reason we went for the cup first was that with Lestrange in prison, Tom would find it more difficult to check up on it if he so desired."
"If he so desired, he could very well go to the Room of Requirement when he inevitably attempts to break into the school next year," Slughorn said sharply.
Albus nodded. "But he won't. He still believes that neither of us knows of the room's existence, and as long as he believes this, then he will not draw attention to it. The only student who seems to know about the room is young Harry, and I doubt Tom would consider that a threat if he managed to find out somehow."
"We are making a lot of gambles based on the psychology of a madman."
The critique mostly just expressed his dissatisfaction with the difficulty of the situation. What else were they supposed to do? Just leave the diadem there? Then Tom could just hide it somewhere else if he so desired.
"We do not have a great many choices in this battle, unfortunately. The only thing we can truly hope for is that by trapping Tom, we can negate the final battle of the prophecy and make the whole thing end with a whimper rather than a scream," Albus said.
"To think that he would go so far into his attempt at becoming immortal only to be immortalized by fate," Slughhorn said. As a competent brewer of felix felicis, he was more than aware of the fundamental laws of reality, such as destiny.
Tom could only die at the hands of Neville. But that did not mean that he could not be trapped until Neville was a man and not a child.
Dumbledore closed his eyes. But the boy was a Horcrux, so what sort of life could he truly live? The letter had hinted at the fact that perhaps the killing curse from the person who'd severed the soul from the body could possibly sever the Horcrux instead of the young boy, but who was willing to bet on such things without being wholly desperate and lost?
"The ring is supposed to be in the Gaunt shack. The locket has disappeared from Grimmauld Place. Sirius said that he threw everything out years ago when he inherited it. The diary at Malfoy Manor will soon be acquired legally. The next step is clear. It is Little Hangleton which we must tackle next." Dumbledore decided.
"It would be best if we somehow managed to penetrate the wards and retrieve it without leaving behind a hint that we had entered the place. Then, even if someone checks up on it, they might not necessarily go to the effort of looking at the ring. Just verify that the wards have not been broken," Slughorn said.
Another not-so-easy task, but thankfully, rather than the one of acquiring the diary, something that could be accomplished with just magical abilities. Albus would take this trade-off.
"If we could break into Gringotts, then why not Malfoy manor? It's really stupid," Slughorn said.
"Gringotts, I have confidence breaking into without being seen. Similarly, there is a big enough motive that even if I'm noticed and reported as an anonymous robber, people will simply think that I was there for the gold. However, breaking into the manor of a dying house like that. The moment Tom hears about it, he will know that the diary is the only thing worth the risk. It is easier but more risky. We will leave it for last in case the legal means don't work, and if Voldemort is trapped by the end of the year, then we can still…" the headmaster trailed off.
"Are we sure of the plan with the stone?" Slughorn asked, obviously feeling anxious. "I know we were unable to dissuade Quirrell from going to Albania and that he is the most likely infiltration point, but what if something else happens?"
"I am, as always, open to suggestions. The issue with spirits is that they are very hard to nail down unless one can lure them into a place that one has prepared long before. Greed and overconfidence will blind Tom like they have in the past. He thinks that we are foolish to hide the stone in a school, and that will be his undoing. He has always overestimated himself and, through that, underestimated others. A trap that looks like an opportunity to the megalomaniacs of the world is the one that snaps shut the hardest," Dumbledore said coldly.
"Bloody hell," Slughorn complained and brought up a handkerchief to wipe some of the sweat staining his brow. "How far have you gotten with reactivating parts of the order?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "Not very far. People are confused at my warnings that the dark lord is not truly dead because there has yet been no conclusive evidence of that being the case. They are willing to listen to me but unwilling to put forward actions. Perhaps something will happen soon that will change their minds, but until then, I do not know."
"Well, one problem remains the same. If everything goes according to plan, we will need a new defense instructor, despite removing the curse fulcrum," the potions professor joked, trying to lift the horrible mood.
Dumbledore chuckled helplessly. "A problem that will hopefully be rectified starting next year once and for all. I did receive a fascinating offer from a previous alumni this summer and the only reason I rejected it was because I wanted to give Quirrell the opportunity."
"The plans that require patience are the worst, but thankfully, we old men are very good at waiting," Slughorn concluded. "Or else the situation would have easily spiraled out of control by now."
"I agree. Perhaps this is not as horrible as we think because now we have actual knowledge with which we can do something. Before this, we were simply stumbling in the dark. I guess in the end, we must thank our informant. No matter who they might be."
"No leads?"
"It must have been someone capable of breaking into the school and delivering the letter to the table. It couldn't have been any of the students or the staff last year, and I'm truly at a loss. It's like a completely new player has appeared and started making moves. I do not know anything, nor can I predict any of their decisions."
"This might not necessarily be a good thing, but it also might not necessarily be a bad thing," Slughorn concluded. "The person at least seems to be quite adverse to Voldemort."
"Alas, being adverse to Voldemort can also very well mean that they are a competitor rather than an enemy."
-/-
AN: I think it's unreasonable to assume that after being given the information, Dumbledore wouldn't have managed to do anything useful. So, the war has started on at least one front. Will it truly end so easily? Who knows. The locket is missing and could be anywhere by now. As long as one Horcrux and Neville exist, the compass cannot give an accurate direction. Similarly, Harry now has the diary. What will he do with it?
It's all very mysterious. Hope you liked the chapter.
In case anyone forgot, due to Lily's death Slughorn underwent a character change and now seeks to end the dark lord he helped create rather than simply hiding away. What can I say, Dumbledore is good at guilt trips.
Similarly, they know Harry has been accessing the room since they obviously checked on it, but they don't make the connection between him and the information because of the way the letter was delivered and because a 12-year-old has no way of knowing these things. A blind spot in regards to children. I think it's reasonable. Curse me out in the comments if you disagree.
Btw, just like how this Dumbledore interlude was decided on a vote, so will the next Harry Evans interlude pov be decided next week on Patreon