Death had just confronted Lord Voldemort and sent him to Hades, the Ruler of the Underworld. Voldemort’s immediate future was a one-way trip to an unhappy reunion with his soul fragments, followed by a never-ending bath in a lake of molten sulphur. The one person who didn’t go to that fiery fate was Tom, who was already enjoying his new life in the Elysian Fields.
Very few guests in the headmaster’s office comprehended what had happened. A few knew who this terrifying person in the black cloak was. Others simply stopped thinking and stared in terror as Lord Voldemort’s phantom appeared and was sent away as though banishing the spiritual remains of dark lords was an everyday event.
Usually, once the newly dead had departed, Death disappeared as well. On this occasion, however, Death had other business.
Albus Dumbledore knew who Death was but had never been face to face with the skeletal head in the black cloak. Albus had not deliberately killed anyone. However, many of Albus’s loyal followers had been killed or had been manipulated into situations where they had been forced to kill. Albus had so far been able to stay far enough away from the killing to avoid any meetings with Death.
Cyrus, Eric, and Amelia had chosen the guests to be witnesses. These witnesses were the ones most likely to be believed after the drama was played out. It was always intended that the phial containing Lord Voldemort would be smashed in front of witnesses who could not be ignored. Nicolas Flamel had suggested that Neville Longbottom be invited to participate as the wretched prophecy could have been interpreted to fit him. During the previous summer break, Amelia had taken Harry to the Hall of Prophecies to retrieve the prophecy. It had been analysed and dissected by all of Harry’s advisors. As she said it, you could nearly smell the sherry on Sybill Trelawney’s breath. The general opinion was that Voldemort and Dumbledore were cracked if they thought the prophecy was anything to be relied on. Nicolas would get Neville to pass the phial on to Harry, who would drop it. Harry would stand on the phial to break it if the fall onto the stone floor didn’t do the job. Breaking the phial would end the stasis charm on the elixir, and the life floating in it would quickly die when exposed. Neville had not been informed of the plan and had let go of the phial when shocked at seeing Lord Voldemort’s name.
The assembled witnesses were still silent. The aura of dread coming from Death took command, and every eye was focused on the black cloak. Only the one to be assisted in departing would generally see the cloak, the scythe, and the skeletal hands and face. A little more drama with a captive audience was required on this occasion.
Death raised his arm and gestured at Albus Dumbledore, who then found himself able to stand and speak.
“I’m afraid I must inform you that the threat from Lord Voldemort has not gone, despite what we have just seen. There is one more soul anchor which Lord Voldemort made which has not been accounted for.”
Death pointed at Dumbledore, who was forced back into his chair.
“Albus Dumbledore, do not presume to speak about my work. Lord Voldemort has gone to meet Hades, and he will not return.”
Dumbledore struggled to stand but could not fight against his invisible restraints.
Death turned and spoke to the crowd.
“There is some history concerning Master Harry Potter which I want you to hear. I first met Master Potter at his relatives' house days after Lord Voldemort murdered his parents. Master Potter had been left on the doorstep, wrapped in a thin blanket. He was freezing to death. It was not Master Potter’s time to die, so I was empowered to save him.”
Death walked around. The guests tried to lean away as the black-cloaked figure approached.
“Days later, I was called to the same place. Harry Potter was dying again. He had been mortally injured by an outburst of his own strongly bound magic. Once again, I was obliged to save him.”
Cornelius Fudge shrank back as Death towered over him. The pink-clad toad-like person beside him tried to curl up in a ball.
“For the next nine years, I was forced to regularly visit Master Potter in Azkaban as he nearly died of starvation and hypothermia. Each time, I was given special authority to delay his death. Clearly, powers greater than me are determined that Master Potter should survive and prosper.”
Albus Dumbledore tried to slide out of his seat as Death approached him.
“There is another matter which I am going to deal with. Albus Dumbledore, you have a powerful wand, a stone, and an invisibility cloak in your possession. You are aware that these objects are the Deathly Hallows. Antioch Peverell, Cadmus Peverell, and Ignotus Peverell once possessed them. I know you recognised the stone from the sign of the Deathly Hallows embedded in it.”
Dumbledore tried to react despite being stuck to his seat by Death’s power.
Death gestured at Dumbledore, and the wizard was able to speak.
Dumbledore managed to convey a dismissive tone in his reply. “Those things are ancient and may very well be fine examples of magical crafts, but the mystical tale of the Deathly Hallows is a work of fiction.”
Death moved closer to Dumbledore.
“I made each of those things: the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and my Invisibility Cloak. I gave them to the Peverells with the condition that I could reclaim them once they came together. That fact was never mentioned in any wizard’s story about the Deathly Hallows. You took the Elder Wand from Grindelwald, you took the Invisibility Cloak from James Potter, and minutes ago, you took possession of the Resurrection Stone. You don’t need to have any legal right to those things. You only need to hold them in your hands for the fate of the Deathly Hallows to be fulfilled. The descendants of the Peverell brothers knew that the Hallows must never be allowed to come together. Still, you dismissed that precaution as if it was just a children’s story.”
Dumbledore gasped. “Does that mean that the story about what happens when one person gets possession of the Deathly Hallows is true? I have possession of the three Deathly Hallows. That means I am the Master of Death. I am your master.”
Death loomed over Dumbledore. “NO! You are not! The part of the story you are referring to is wrong. You are not the Master of Death but the Master of Deaths. Somewhere in the past, the final ‘s’ was dropped from the job title.”
Dumbledore frowned, “What do you mean?”
“Your new position is the Master of Deaths. You can get a position description from the Underworld Inhuman Resources Department. Your job is to maintain the List of Deaths. You will be chained to a desk in the Underworld Administration Division. The List of Deaths is kept on that desk, and you will write the details of all deaths on that list. There will be no lunch breaks, no toilet breaks, and no time off. Any human employee trapped in a similar job can at least look forward to being released from their torturous drudgery by becoming deceased. You will never be released because you are already dead.”
“Dead! I’m not dead! What do you mean?” Dumbledore’s voice was now quivering.
“You can’t take on a job such as the Master of Death or the Master of Deaths if you are mortal. No, you must be immortal, and the only way that you will become immortal, Albus Dumbledore, is to leave your corporeal state behind and journey to the Underworld. This is your ‘Next Great Adventure’.”
“Die! I don’t want to die!” Dumbledore looked around in an apparent state of panic. “Harry! Harry! Please take your cloak. I didn’t mean to withhold it from you forever. I was afraid that you were turning dark.”
Harry moved forward. The terror of Death’s presence did not freeze him.
“Headmaster, my family have been the caretakers of Death’s Invisibility Cloak for many generations. That honour was inherited directly from Ignotus Peverell, my ancestor. I asked you to give the cloak to me, and you kicked me out of your office. That was the time that you should have been sensible. It’s too late now. Death doesn’t back down once a doom has been declared. I’m well acquainted with Death. We have had many conversations over the years. Those were the years when you had opportunities to exercise the care your role as my Magical Guardian demanded. Instead, I remained in Azkaban with the Death Eaters and Lord Black. Death was not permitted to do your job for you. Death was only allowed to do the minimum needed to keep me alive.”
Harry looked up at Death. Death nodded to Harry.
Harry looked back to Dumbledore. “Headmaster, before you take up your new job, there is an issue which I must mention. House Potter does not have a head of house or a regent. I am the heir and only member of House Potter, so the influence of my house is minimal. I have declared Miss Hermione Granger to be under the protection of House Potter. That protection is largely symbolic until I take up the headship of House Potter and can bring legal action in the Wizengamot to protect my protectee. Any protection available is purely due to respect for House Potter. I could, of course, issue challenges and fight duels in response to any hostile action which harmed Miss Granger, but the Ministry would then prosecute me. You and your Wizengamot allies have ensured that I would go straight back to Azkaban if I did anything like that.”
Death hissed. That made everyone shiver except Harry.
“Albus Dumbledore, in November 1991, you attacked Miss Hermione Granger and her parents. You obliviated them and placed permanent mind magic on them, which changed their memories, thoughts, and behaviour. You have never expressed any regret for your actions. Investigations by healers proved that you carried out those attacks. Your positions as Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump of the ICW meant that any attempt to prosecute you would have been laughed out of the Wizengamot. There is one action I can take which will express how I feel about you.
Albus Dumbledore, I declare that you are anathema. House Potter and all House Potter allies will oppose you from this time on. Your name and reputation will not be protected. The popular adulation showered on you by the wizarding population of this country will be opposed and destroyed.”
Harry turned and bowed to Death, “Your lordship, please finish your business with Mister Dumbledore.”
Death extended his hand towards the headmaster.
“Albus Dumbledore, I claim my Invisibility Cloak.”
A concealed compartment in the headmaster’s desk opened, and a silvery cloak flew out and wrapped around Death. The cloak merged into the black cloak. Death did not disappear.
“I claim the Resurrection Stone.”
The ring flew from Dumbledore’s pocket. The stone was detached from the ring. The ring then flew to the display table with the other artefacts. The stone dropped into a pocket in Death’s robe. Death conjured a new stone, which replaced the Resurrection Stone in the House of Gaunt signet ring.
“I claim the Elder Wand.”
Dumbledore’s wand jumped from his robes and landed in Death’s hand.
Dumbledore cried out, “My wand, give me back my wand!”
The wand burst into flames and was consumed entirely.
Dumbledore jumped up and rushed towards what should have been a door if they had been in his office. They were not in his office. The walls were gone, and the black plain of Death’s country stretched out endlessly.
“I demand that you return me to my office. You have taken the Elder Wand from me. I must have a wand. I have to find my old wand.”
Dumbledore couldn’t move any further. He then noticed the translucent blue cord which attached him to a figure slumped on his throne. That figure was the body of Albus Dumbledore.
“I shall release you, Albus Dumbledore. Your presence is required at the Underworld Administration Office.”
Death raised his scythe and swung it down. The blue cord was severed. Imps appeared and bound the headmaster.
As he was carried away, Dumbledore called out. “All I have done was for ‘The Greater Good’”.
“Which is also Gellert Grindelwald’s mantra, all he did was for ‘The Greater Good’”.
The mood seemed to lighten, which was odd. Death stood in front of the assembled witnesses. The sky above was filled with entirely unknown stars. Outside of the group, Death’s black country stretched away into the night.
Harry watched as the entire group remained focused on Death. Death slowly turned, showing his face to the witnesses, just in case they needed something to remember. Harry noticed that Death paused and then continued until the circuit was complete. Then Death was gone, and the interior of the office came back.
Pandemonium ensued. There was screaming, shouting, and a lot of running around. The school healer was summoned. Madam Pomfrey confirmed that Headmaster Dumbledore had passed away, probably from natural causes, but other opinions should be sought.
Eventually, the school professors collected the students and sent them to their common rooms. Rita Skeeter desperately tried to get hold of Harry, but he escaped with help from his Escort.
-ooOOoo-
“Harry! Did you know any of that was going to happen?”
“I knew about the presentation of Voldemort’s soul anchors. I also knew that the phial containing the Exlir of New Life would be broken. In the original plan, Neville would be asked to give it to me, and I would drop it on the floor. If it didn’t break, then I was to stand on it. Neville was surprised by the name of Lord Voldemort appearing and dropped it himself. That was a far better outcome. Neville is now Lord Voldemort’s vanquisher.”
“There was a plan! Who planned it?”
“It was Lord Greengrass, Unspeakable Davis, Director Bones, and Nicolas Flamel. Saul Croaker and Sirius were told about it. They agreed not to interfere.”
“What about Death? Did you invite him?”
“Death doesn’t take owl-mail. He had his own business to finish. The Deathly Hallows came together for the first time, and Death didn’t hesitate to take them back. Did Death respect Dumbledore? I think not. We knew we had this opportunity to stop Lord Voldemort, and we took it. Death did the rest.”
“Another thing, how many times have you died? You have met Death so many times you are now nodding acquaintances. You are practically friends. How are you still alive?”
“The best explanation that Death could give me was that someone living on Mount Olympus wants me to stay alive. The last thing that he told me was to ask Luna Lovegood. Luna will be given more revelations. Luna has never told us the whole story of her gifts. She hears from the Fae, but there might be more than that in the future.”
“We have just got back to the common room. Professor McGonagall is telling the Gryffindors that the Headmaster is dead. They’re a bit shocked.”
“Write it down in your notebook, Hermione. When you write the book, it will be a bestseller.”
-ooOOoo-
The Hogwarts Express had left for the Christmas break. The Escort and the Alliance were packed into a compartment with Harry.
“How are you, Harry? You haven’t said much,” Tracey asked.
“I don’t know, Tracey. I’ve never been in this situation before.”
“Which situation is that, Harry?” Neville asked.
“Not having crazed dark lords plotting to murder me or control me.”
Neville frowned, “You declared anathema against Dumbledore. That’s not a blood feud or a curse, but it is a big thing.”
“What does that mean?” Hermione asked.
Harry sighed, “It means that House Potter and the Potter allies must oppose anything done by Albus Dumbledore. That does not mean duels and fighting. It means that I officially intensely dislike everything connected with Dumbledore, including everything he has done in the past. If he had lived, I would support any campaign to remove him as Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, and Headmaster of Hogwarts. If my allies didn’t agree with me, then the alliance would be over.”
Blaise huffed, “Was that ever a risk? Your allies have been opposing Dumbledore since you were let out of Azkaban.”
Susan laughed, “There is no risk at all. Aunt Amelia has not had a good thing to say about the former headmaster for as long as I can remember. In private, that is. In public, she had to hold her tongue.”
“Daddy knows that Rita Skeeter has been investigating Dumbledore for years. She is writing a book,” Daphne said. “When you are at our place for Boxing Day, you should talk to him about financing publishing it.”
Harry smiled and nodded.
However, Harry was quiet for much of the journey. He sat and read a book.
Hermione also focused on her books. She was sitting in the opposite corner of the compartment.
-ooOOoo-
“That’s enough, Harry! You can’t give me the silent treatment. I will not stand for it.”
“You didn’t ask for this. It was forced on you with no concern for your feelings. There’s nothing I can do to make you like it.”
“Why would some God from Mount Olympus do this? Why are they interfering? I have read some things about them. They have control over everything, physical and magical. Their own rules prevent them from getting involved in petty human matters.”
“It could be a soul bond.”
“Now you are being silly. A soul bond is a plot device in teenage romance fiction. That might impress Lavender Brown, but it won’t impress me.”
“I’m compensating for my fear of the future. I have, since I was fifteen months old, been struggling to survive. In Azkaban, the threats were hunger and cold. Then, I came to Hogwarts with a mission. That mission was to put an end to Voldemort and to stop Dumbledore’s plots. The mission is over, and my life is empty.”
“How can you say that? You sound like a forty-something man complaining about his midlife crisis. Harry, you are twelve. It will be six months before you are thirteen. What is wrong with you?”
“Tom is gone. I’m lonely.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere. Who is Tom?”
After a short silence, Harry answered.
“You must promise me to keep this to yourself. You can write everything else down and put it in your books. My connection with Tom can stay between us until I am gone.”
“OK! I promise to keep your friend Tom out of it.”
“When Voldemort murdered my parents, he performed a necromantic ritual to make a Horcrux to contain the fragment of his soul torn away by the act of deliberate murder. The ritual failed, probably because of ancient protections put in place by my mother. She put runic inscriptions on the floor of my nursery. They were destroyed in the backlash from the failed ritual. The torn piece of Voldemort’s soul was embedded in my head. The evidence of that was the lightning bolt scar on my forehead.
Voldemort did not intend to make me into a Horcrux. He was going to use a Hogwarts quidditch trophy belonging to my dad. Voldemort and the trophy were destroyed in the blast. The soul fragment stayed alive in me. That fragment is Tom.
Tom is Tom Marvolo Riddle. That is Voldemort’s real name. His father was Tom Riddle, a muggle from Little Hangleton. His mother was Merope Gaunt, a witch who lived near the Riddle manor with her father and brother. Marvolo was Merope’s father’s name.
The soul fragment in my head was Tom Marvolo Riddle, as he would have been if he hadn’t decided to become Lord Voldemort. Tom had all of Voldemort’s memories up until he was split away from Voldemort. Tom is an entirely different person from Voldemort.
When the ritual of making a Horcrux is complete, the full intent of the wizard is imprinted on the soul fragment in the Horcrux. The other Horcruces were little copies of Lord Voldemort. Tom was not a Horcrux. The full intent of Lord Voldemort was never imprinted on him.
He hid away in the only way he could. He made a mindscape of his favourite place, Hogwarts. Tom hid there until all the other soul fragments were removed from the artefacts.
Tom was then released by Death and sent to the Elysian Fields. That was a promise made to Tom. Tom became one of my tutors. He was more than a tutor. I could talk to him about anything. He never lied to me. Everything he said helped me to survive Azkaban and Hogwarts. He never told me this. I think that Tom did something to protect me from the dementors. I also never had nightmares. The healers thought that was very odd. One thing he never told me about was girls.”
“OK! That’s enough!”
Harry looked up from his book. Hermione had the faintest blush on her cheeks. She was still staring at her book.
“Tom had more plans about the future, but I don’t feel like carrying on. He said that he put information that I would need for the future in his library. That is the library in his mindscape. The mindscape that is now attached to you.”
“I have my own plans for my future.”
“When Tom told me, I thought his Hogwarts Castle mindscape would stay attached to my Potter Manor, but it didn’t. Some interfering God from Mount Olympus has given it to you.”
“Look! Harry! Yesterday, your part of the world was removed and put in a museum somewhere. You need a new one. It will come. Have a holiday, and take a break at Greengrass Manor. I will be there. We can talk then.”
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