Capítulo 14: Chapter 13
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The visit of the Delacour family the next morning was welcomed by all the inhabitants.
As usual, everyone waited for the new arrivals at the entrance of the fabulous place.
Fleur was very nervous, worried about how her parents would react to her new condition.
Her fears disappeared when, just two meters away from her, they both ran to hug her without stopping crying.
" Fleur, ma petite! " her mother shouted before hugging her.
" Mom! " the young woman could only say before hugging her in tears.
The rest heard how the girl's parents did not stop crying while they spoke to her in their own language.
Only the Grangers and Andromeda could understand the conversation.
Gabriel pushed her way through her parents to grab onto her sister's waist tightly.
The trio of teachers motioned to all the young people to leave the family alone.
Except for the Potters, Andromeda, Tonks, and Minerva, the rest went with the young people inside to continue with their classes or studies.
More than five minutes passed before the Delacour family noticed their companions. In their own language, Andromeda asked them to come inside to clarify the situation of young Fleur.
The young woman's parents were surprised when their daughter introduced them to a beautiful being that turned out to be their daughter's familiar. The one who reacted the best was Gabriel who barely hesitated to pet Eclipse, and smiling asked if she could also have such a beautiful familiar.
The conversation they had made them rethink many of the Delacour family's beliefs about the British Ministry of Magic and anyone else with power in the country.
{SCENE BREAK}
In a castle in Scotland, an old man was meditating on everything that had happened. He was trying to understand when his brilliant and perfect plan had gone awry.
He had no doubt that a possible beginning was when he left the Potter boy to his fate.
Why couldn't anyone understand that by being bitten his usefulness against Tom Riddle had disappeared? His decision was the best for everyone. The poor boy would be free of all the attention he didn't want, or need, and his family's riches would help the side of light in the upcoming war.
Minerva's decision was another point against his brilliant plan. He had to admit that he had been careless and that was why he had lost Filius and Pomona.
They were terrible losses for Hogwarts and his plans for the young people in his charge. It was a great setback, but he could recover, and in fact, he had already hired several more like-minded wizards and witches.
But when the boy claimed his family's seats… it took away some of his power in the Wizengamot. He also had the Black seats. If he could just convince him to let him run those seats, he could get some of his ideas signed into law. Granted, some of them would even harm the boy and the other young werewolves who remained with him. But it was all for the greater good. Sacrifices had to be made.
It never crossed his mind that the Potter family had already made more sacrifices than anyone else.
Memories of the Wizengamot meetings came flooding back to the forefront of his mind.
Andromeda Tonks turned out to be an incorruptible woman with very clear ideas.
Every time a law favored purebloods, she was the first to ask.
She was not against the law because of who proposed it! She asked for the law to be fully analyzed to find out who would benefit and how.
If she saw that an injustice was occurring at any of these steps, or that someone was benefiting at the expense of others, she would refuse and explain her reasoning and the potential problems that the proposed law would bring.
Most of the time she even managed to convince others.
He had to admit that seeing how she had ended Dolores Umbridge's aspirations was very funny and educational.
But when he, or his allies, were the ones suffering from the analytical mind of one of Cygnus Black's daughters, it was no fun at all.
But when she had surrounded herself with a group of friends who were gaining power with each passing day.
He had to win them over to his cause before they gained enough influence to no longer need him.
The question was… How to do it?
His ideas for convincing Harry Potter had run out. He couldn't get in touch with him, he couldn't locate his refuge. Not even Fawkes would agree to take him a letter or transport him there.
The only way he would even try to do so was through his proxy. And she was never alone with him. It was Minerva's idea, no doubt. In his mind, Albus didn't see anything wrong with using a few spells to make others see that his way of thinking was the most suitable for everyone.
The tournament was a good opportunity to convince the boy. But he had been defeated again. By forcing him to take an oath not to approach the boy, neither he nor his followers had immobilized him again.
The news that he was married to the Granger girl… no doubt she would give him a point of view he didn't want him to have.
No matter how he looked at it, everything seemed to prevent him from getting what he wanted.
Something came to his mind.
" Perhaps... one of the youngsters in his group... " thought the old wizard. Then he remembered what had happened with Neville Longbottom. " No, that's not a viable path either. " He looked at his phoenix. " What would you do, Fawkes? " The bird looked at him and then tucked its head under its wing. The old man let out a defeated sigh. " I'm afraid I have no choice but to give up something, in order to win. Although... " an idea filled his mind.
He took a scroll and began to write a letter. He thought about each word before writing it.
He repeated the process four more times. Each letter had a different address and instructions on how to proceed. The old man smiled as he finished, looking at the letter addressed to the Potter Attorney. This would be sent out a day later, giving his associates time to act.
With the plan ready, he went to the owlery to send the letters.
Albus watched as the owls flew away to their destinations. In his hand remained the last letter, addressed to Andromeda Tonks.
If everything went as expected, he would soon have the long-awaited meeting with Harry Potter.
All he had to do was wait for Tonks's response.
{SCENE BREAK}
The visit of the Delacour family gave everyone much to think about. The family pledged to support in any way they could from their country.
The help of the French gave them a certain freedom of maneuver within the continent. This also brought an interesting piece of news. It seems that in France a young woman from a very rich family had been bitten by a werewolf who was trying to gain all her fortune.
The gamble backfired when the young woman used everything she had to create a place where she taught infected young people without family or resources. Despite the opposition of many in the country, young Marie Argent had managed to give many children a chance.
Fleur's father offered to speak to the young woman to arrange a meeting.
Ultimately it seemed that the acceptance of Fleur's new condition was better than expected.
When the Delacours left, only Gabriel seemed sad, for not being able to take one of the beautiful big puppies.
Unfortunately, this could not last.
This streak of success and tranquility was about to be broken.
It had been almost a week since the Delacours' visit. Everything on the island was going on as usual. The children were taking classes and the adults were checking homework or some report for later study together. Fleur and her new companion quickly adapted to the place. The young woman became the new French teacher and helped those who asked her in other subjects. She even began to teach several people what she knew about creating security barriers and how to break them. Before the Triwizard Tournament, she had thought about working at Gringotts in the security branch. This turned out to be something that would benefit future plans. It didn't take long for them to get material so that the young French girl could get more training in her favorite subject.
Andromeda Tonks' arrival on the Island was a normal thing to do. But when she asked for a meeting with her lord and all his advisors as soon as she arrived, something had happened.
Her face, more serious than usual, could only mean that the news she had was not pleasant.
She spoke with everyone in the main room.
" What's wrong, Andromeda? " asked the Scottish woman.
" I've had several requests from allies and sympathizers." the woman began somewhat dejected." It seems that Albus Dumbledore has moved heaven and earth to ask for many favors." everyone looked at her without understanding." He has put many families in serious trouble and difficulties. To all of them, he, or someone on his behalf, has promised to solve everything quickly as long as you agree to meet with him. " she looked at Harry seriously." I'm sure that damn old man will do whatever it takes to get that meeting. And many families could be in serious trouble if he doesn't get his way." Harry sighed defeated.
" Looks like we'll have to get in touch with that damn old man," Harry said annoyed.
" I have already sent him a letter to finalize details." Andromeda replied." And I received his response just two hours ago." She looked at her daughter." Nymphadora…"
" MOM!" the woman protested with her hair turning reddish.
" Shut up! " she said to her. " As I was saying, my daughter has already verified that the letter is free of any spell or potion."
The young man looked seriously at the letter.
" I don't feel like reading the old man's nonsense." said the boy tired." Could you please say what is relevant?" Andromeda nodded smiling.
" Yes." answered his representative in the Wizengamot." Apart from his usual nonsense and false apologies!.." she began in a bored tone." He says he wants to give us crucial information about... Voldemort." said the woman.
" I don't believe it." the green-eyed man replied." It must be another one of his..." he felt his wife's hand on his.
" You should at least see what new nonsense he wants," Hermione told him. He sighed and nodded.
The boy sighed and picked up the letter to read it himself. With each line, his gaze grew more furious.
When he finished he threw the note hard on the table.
" You fucking old bastard! " he said, very annoyed. Hermione took the letter and read it quickly.
" What?! What does it say?!" Minerva asked.
" It's simple! He's just repeating the same old thing. " said the boy ironically. " He's very sorry about what happened to me. He says I have to understand that there's too much at stake and that unfortunately, sacrifices have to be made! " It wasn't worth it to keep repeating the same nonsense.
" He says he has to meet with you to explain to you the reason for everything that has happened to you." said Hermione." He is willing to give you crucial information and he is sure that once you meet him you will understand why you must do what you do." The girl looked at the note with a strange face." He even assures you that after listening to him, he will give you all his support, for the common good." She looked at everyone." I think either he went crazy, or age has made him senile."
Minerva took the letter. Pomona, Filius, and the Grangers stood beside her. They all quickly read the note.
Meanwhile, Hermione approached her husband and gave him a hug.
" It's almost the same letter he's sent before, " said Filius.
" Yes. But the old man is much more interested in knowing everything he can get," added Dan Granger.
" They can't meet! " said Minerva. " After what he almost did to me, I'm sure that when he finishes talking you will surely support him. " She looked at the boy. " But I doubt that will be under your own ideas."
" That's for sure," added Pomona.
" I am very clear that I will never be alone with that... Man. " said the boy.
" Although I think it would be a good idea to hear what he wants," said Andromeda.
" I don't think..."
" I never said that you were meeting him." Andromeda cut him off, smiling.
" I'm listening to you." said the boy.
{SCENE BREAK}
Albus smiled in satisfaction. He had received the answer he had hoped for. It seemed the boy had agreed to the meeting.
Now he just had to decide what to say and what not to say. Also, he had to convince him to give him his seats as his new representative with full powers. Of course, he already knew that he would achieve all this. One way or another, at the end of this meeting he would have the boy on his side.
He was convinced that when everything was over, his plan would be back on track.
{SCENE BREAK}
The meeting was organized by hog's head. His brother's bar.
Albus smiled at the irony. That place was once again taking center stage.
As he entered he saw that the boy and his companions were already there. He smiled with satisfaction.
" Thank you for agreeing, " said the old man.
" Let's finish as soon as possible. " said the boy, without coming closer. Then he went to the back room.
Andromeda and Minerva went with him.
" I'm sorry but what I have to say can only be heard by Mr. Potter, " said the old man.
" We will not leave my lord alone with you! " said Andromeda.
" I will stay alone with him! " Harry added annoyed.
" It is crucial that only Mr. Potter knows this information, " added the old man.
" I'll tell my wife anyway," said Harry taking Hermione's hand.
" I'm sure that once you hear me and understand the importance of the information I'm going to give you, you'll know how crucial it is to keep it a secret." said the old man.
" I doubt it." the boy replied.
" We'll see." added the old man." So... What did you decide, Mr. Potter?"
The boy looked at Hermione and thought about it. A nod from the brunette convinced him. The old man smiled internally.
" I will only agree if our wands stay here. " said the boy. The old man nodded angrily. Inside he was glad that he had thought of an emergency plan if something like that happened.
" Of course."
They both left their wands in Minerva's custody. Then they entered the room.
As the young man entered, he looked at the old man.
" Okay." the boy began." Let's finish this quickly."
The old man thought for a moment. As soon as he saw the boy he knew that he would never be able to convince him. He would have to use the alternative method.
" Of course." said the old man." But first...!" Albus took out another wand and froze Harry, then he cast some spells in the room to ensure privacy and that they were alone." I'm sorry it has to come to this." he said looking at Harry." I can't allow chaos to take over our world. Believe me, I don't like to go to these extremes, but..." he cast a couple of spells at Harry." The first thing is to make sure of your cooperation." he said taking out a small bottle." With this potion everything will be easier." he took out another bottle." This one will make sure that no one detects any trace of any potion." he sighed with his usual good-natured grandfather face." In the future everyone will understand that all this is very necessary, for the common good." he looked into the boy's eyes." Do you want to say something Mr. Potter?" as he said it he cast a spell and unfroze the boy's head.
" Why? " the green-eyed man asked once he was able to do so.
" For the common good." answered the old man.
" What if what you do in the long run is worse for everyone? " the young man asked.
" That's not possible." said the old man.
" How are you so sure? " added the young man " Only you know what the common good is. What if, due to your trust, you have forgotten something or have not thought through what will happen with any of your decisions?"
" I don't think so." said the old man, putting on his usual grandfatherly face." I've thought everything through very well."
" Of course! Like what happened when I was bitten." the boy protested mockingly." What happened? Why was I no longer needed? Until I claimed my inheritance!" He looked at him seriously." The same one you tried to take from me."
" A slight stumble that I didn't count on! " said the old man without giving it any importance. " By the way! I thank you in advance for your contribution to the cause. " the boy smiled.
" I doubt it." he replied." I have drawn up several documents to prevent that." the old man tensed." Not one Knut of my money can be spent without the approval of my wife and my attorney. Furthermore! I cannot change attorney or give away my seats or properties without the consent of my wife and a check of my mental health and an examination guaranteeing that I am free of any type of control over my will, through Gringotts." that did not please the old man." Did you really think that we would not take precautions in case your control-at-all-costs mania became present?"
" But that... You have to understand that it's the best for everyone! " said the old man.
" Of course, the common good!" said the young man." It is a shame that you did not take into account my good. By the way, I think that this can be considered as a fact that you have not taken into account. Tell me, Mr. Dumbledore!" he said with disgust." What will happen with your great plan now?" he looked at him with an intrigued face." I do not think that this is just a small setback!" he became serious." I assure you that I will never support you." the old man looked at him with hatred.
" I admit that this is more than I expected, " said the old man. " I will have to make some adjustments, " he added thoughtfully. Then he looked at the boy. " I'm afraid that this meeting has not brought everything I had hoped. I will erase everything that happened and prepare for a new meeting that will be somewhat more profitable."
" And what will you tell my companions? " the boy smiled. " Will I leave here without saying anything?"
" I'll give you the potion and we'll say when we leave that I was right and it's better that no one knows." said the old man approaching the dark-haired man." Anyway... I want to know where your mysterious residence is. It's very annoying for me not to be able to locate you."
As he approached the young man with the potion in his hand something happened. Albus froze.
If he could turn around he would see a hand with a wand, which was the one that cast the spell on him.
Harry Potter emerged from a cupboard in the corner. It was a good idea to prepare the room before the meeting. The old man had trusted his brother, not knowing that Aberforth was already against him, thanks to his so-called common good.
The cupboard was made at the side of the room. Made non-magically, with a false floor that a detection spell would only see as the rest of the floor. The old man found nothing to suspect, trusting his spells to detect people or hidden places. Through that floor Harry entered the room, avoiding the old man's spells that only secured the window and the door.
Seeing Dumbledore where they wanted him, Harry pulled out a syringe and injected the old man. He then cast a spell on the other Harry and he was free.
Without wasting a moment, while one put the old man in a chair the other opened the door to warn everyone.
{SCENE BREAK}
As they entered they saw an unconscious Dumbledore sitting up.
" Is this okay? " asked Aberforth Dumbledore.
" Just passed out." one of the Harrys answered." We gave him the non-magical version of a sleeping potion." the boy smiled." Too bad he's not prepared to resist something so powerful."
" I'm going to get changed." said one of the Harrys." Polyjuice is about to run out."
" What do we do now? " asked the bartender.
" Veritaserum, " said Harry. " I want to know what this common good is. And I can't think of a better time."
" It's illegal! " Aberforth protested.
" The same as erasing my memory for no reason, or putting me under a loyalty potion." said the boy placing the old man's wand on the table, along with several potions." I'm sure one of these is veritaserum." No one could protest about what they had in front of them.
" This is it, " said Aberforth, pointing to one of the jars.
When Andromeda came back in, already changed into new clothes, everyone was surrounding the old wizard.
" What are we going to do? " the woman asked.
" Wake him up, veritaserum, and what this common good is," Minerva explained.
" Go ahead, " the woman replied. " But I would like some of our allies to be present."
" The anesthesia will still last twenty minutes." clarified Emma Granger.
" Enough," Andromeda replied. She looked at the owner of the place." Can I use your fireplace?" The wizard nodded.
{SCENE BREAK}
Before the anesthesia wore off the room was filled with all the members of the neutral alliance closest to the group. Amelia Bones, Cyrus Greengrass, Robert Davies, and a couple more.
When the old man began to show the first images of waking up, Aberforth himself made him swallow the veritaserum.
When he fully awoke, the potion had taken effect. His powerful mental barriers were of no use as he was not yet fully awake.
" Has it worked? " Pomona asked.
" Who killed Adriana? " Aberforth asked.
" I think... that... I." Albus answered. The Hog's head owner closed his eyes to contain himself.
" Yes, it works, " the bartender said at last. The rest knew not to ask.
" If it weren't for what he was trying to do... " Amelia Bones began. " I don't like this, it's completely illegal!"
" We can erase your memory when you leave." Cyrus Greengrass offered. The powerful witch looked at him, annoyed by the joke.
" Let's begin! " said Andromeda. " I think the first question would be, what is the common good?"
{SCENE BREAK}
When the group left the room their faces reflected disbelief and fear.
What they had found out completely changed the way they viewed old Dumbledore.
No one believed what they had heard. What the old man had done and what he intended to do for what he called, "The common good." In short, a form of slavery under the control of a select group of wizards.
From there they all went to Blackrock. Aberforth woke his brother an hour later. He had previously forced him to swallow several large gulps of a potent liquor that he knew his brother liked. He hoped that the taste of the alcohol would wash away the remains of the veritaserum and fool the old wizard about what had really happened.
A bewildered Albus walked out, almost pushed by his brother.
As soon as the door closed, the owner of the Hog's Head went straight to Gringotts to get his life in order and as far away from his brother as possible. Maybe even a trip was in his future.
By the time he got to his office, his mind was clear enough to know that something had happened.
His worst fears came to the forefront of his mind. A taste, camouflaged by the liquor, confirmed that he had been given Veritaserum. He cursed himself for not agreeing to let Severus accompany him. Too confident in his abilities.
His foolproof plan to control Harry Potter had backfired.
Now he and who knows how many others knew about their plans. He couldn't possibly know everything they had found out. But when it came to the boy, they would surely know everything about him and his family.
He could only pray that his plan was not compromised.
Now he had to do damage control. It was more important than ever to close this security hole.
Harry Potter and everyone present at Hog's head had to... disappear for the common good.
He knew he wouldn't be able to find most of them, well-protected in their shelter. He would act against the rest of his allies, hoping that in this way he would eliminate part of the problem. In this way, he would also gain some of the power lost in the magical governing chamber.
{SCENE BREAK}
At Blackrock, everyone was meditating on what they had learned. Several bottles of Fire Whiskey ended up empty.
" What do we do now? " asked Robert Davies.
" First, I'll finish this bottle." said Dan Granger." I don't know about you, but... I think I need to think about this." many nodded.
" Let's rest." said Harry." We'll talk tomorrow morning. You can all stay on the island."
All present retired for a night with much to think about.
Only the apprentices managed to get any sleep that night. The Potters and all the adults were unable to sleep a wink.
In their minds, the twisted idea of Albus Dumbledore turned their stomachs and terrified them.
The old man was so sure that only he was right that he was willing to destroy the future of the magical world without thinking twice.
It was no surprise to anyone at breakfast that their faces showed the results of the night.
When the apprentices went to their first class, the rest went to the office and the talk began.
" What are we going to do?" asked Augusta Longbottom.
" I can't even think of where to start, " Amelia Bones added. " That damn old man is so involved in... everything that I can't think of how to fight him."
" People idolize him," added Cyrus Greengrass.
" And he has all kinds of contacts in our country and abroad." Robert Davies added.
" My father always says how annoying it is that his acquaintances try to influence the politics of the Magic Fragrance," Fleur added.
" He wants to strengthen his control over the government." Andromeda continued." Hence his interest in our group. He has lost a lot of influence in the government, but those who follow him are completely loyal to him."
" I don't know how we didn't notice! " Minerva said more to herself than to everyone else " He's been influencing young people for years. By the time they graduate, they're already in favor of him and his ideas!"
" We have to do something, anything! " said Emma.
" Maybe I have an idea, " said Hermione. Everyone looked at her.
" We'll hear you," said Andromeda.
" I know it will sound terrible." said the brunette." But... Why not let everything continue as it is? I mean! Let him continue with his efforts to take over our group."
" What good would that do? " Tonks asked.
" He'll have to waste time and resources trying to get it, " explained the young woman. " Besides that, he has to face Voldemort and his followers. If we keep him like this, he'll be fighting on two fronts."
" That way he will have to divide his attention and weaken himself, " Cyrus understood.
" That's a great idea! " added his wife Circe Greengrass. " We can do a lot more with that. " everyone looked at her. " There are meetings between the wives of all the members. There are families from both sides. " as she said this she looked at Beatrice Davies.
" That's great! " said the Davies matriarch, understanding what her friend wanted to do. " They're always trying to convince us to do it with our husbands. " everyone looked at her. " The normal idiocy about not seeing the error of our ways!"
" But what would be the point of doing that? " asked Dan Granger.
" It's easy to let some false information slip through," Beatrice replied.
" As we are already doing." added Circe." Of course this time we can foment chaos in our favor instead of remaining neutral!"
" The ladies in attendance will tell their husbands and they will tell their leaders." Amelia understood." In this way, both the old man and Voldemort will receive the information as we want."
" It can't be that easy! " interrupted Cyrus. " Most likely they won't believe you or their husbands will distort the information to their own benefit."
" And?" they both asked at the same time.
" Because that would be… chaos." Robert Davies finally understood.
" Damn! If I had known about those meetings, you would have saved me from a lot of useless conversations," said Andromeda.
" We were surprised that you didn't know about this way of using information." Circe told her." The Black sisters had a reputation for knowing about all kinds of manipulations."
" And it is like that!" she answered." Since we were little we were taught about manipulation. Of our husbands," more than one man in the room tensed." friends… how to behave, what to say, how to act… in short, knowing how to act to get the most out of everything." she sighed." But when I decided to marry outside of my family's wishes, they kicked me out of everything related to the Blacks. Let's just say that..., I haven't developed my talents... " she smiled." until now." she waved her hands to play it down." I'm sure my sister Narcisa is a regular at these meetings."
" One of the organizers," Batrice answered. Andromeda smiled.
" Maybe I should join one of those meetings, " said Mrs. Tonks.
" You will be welcome," added Circe.
" So…" Amelia began." I think we should continue along those lines, if no one objects." everyone agreed.
" I hope we can do more in the future," added Augusta Longbottom.
The group's policy would remain the same. With what they had learned, they would try to destroy the plans of the damned old fool. And if possible, improve the situation in the country.
They had to do everything possible to prevent Albus Dumbledore from finding out what had happened and that they knew about his plans.
They didn't like the idea but... they would have to remain as neutral as possible.
Andromeda Tonks's introduction to the famous gatherings of the wizarding world's most prominent ladies proved highly successful.
At their first meeting, several witches, including her sister Narcissa, came over, happy to have a witch from such an important family back among their peers. As they had agreed, the woman acted as expected, behaving like a true Black.
At the next meeting, things changed slightly. The ladies who had been advised by their husbands changed their flattery to… business suggestions or strange approaches to make the attorney realize some of the mistakes she had made. All within the expectations of the group.
With the help of the ladies Greengrass and Davies, they took them where they wanted, without making any commitment, but with a certain interest.
When they finished, many of them were happy to tell their husbands about the success of their task or about what they thought they had discovered in small, supposedly secret conversations.
Even Andromeda couldn't believe how naive these women could be. Only her sister seemed to see part of the game they were playing. She understood what Circe and Beatrice meant.
At the next meeting of the Wizengamot, many would be in for a rude awakening.
[T/N: Hopefully no one dies, except Albus. If you enjoyed this chapter then why not drop some stones, leave a comment telling me of your favorite parts, and write a review. If you can't wait for the next chapter then check out my Patreon for more chapters, it's just $5. ]
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