6 A Warning
"Hermione, you agree that Valdy will eventually comeback?" At her nod, Kaiser continued. "That means that his allies will be assembling forces, while the resistance is oblivious to their movements. Once he comes back, we'd be completely defenseless. The ministry will refuse to acknowledge his immortality. The current minister is a coward. He's also in the pockets of Lucius Malfoy. We need to inform someone who is in a position to help us, and whom we can convince."
"Dumbledore knows about him. He's probably getting ready for him as well, isn't he?" She said confidently. But Kaiser shook his head.
"You see, that's where you are wrong. You don't understand how he operates. He has a god complex. He believes that no one is privy of information except himself. I've asked around about him. Most people in power refuse to work with him for this particular reason. Besides, Dumbledore isn't stupid enough to claim a dead man is alive. Believe it or not, it will destroy his credibility, even if he convinces some, the ministry will vehemently oppose him, especially one that's backed by the very people who are supporting Valdy."
"What are we supposed to do then, we're only 12 years old. What could we possibly do, if even the greatest wizard alive can't do anything about it?" Hermione was frustrated. Even she knew this was dilemma.
"There is something we can do actually. I have a plan. But I need your help to acquire something crucial for its success." He stated calmly, watching her facial expression turn into a hopeful one, thinking how she could be of help.
"What should I do?" She asked expectantly.
Kaiser took out the memory vial he ordered. "Do you know what this is? It's a memory vial. It can store a person's memories, then they can be reviewed using a Pensieve. I need a memory of the confrontation against Valdy. You said Harry was the one who confronted him. Can you convince him to give me his memory of the event? Thanks to the training we���ve done, I can now extract memories harmlessly, as long as the person is willing."
She nodded and darted out of the train compartment, coming back with a puzzled Harry. She explained the situation to him. He agreed, as he didn't see the harm.
"I need you to think of the moment you met the Cerberus, to the moment you felt dizzy and lost consciousness. The magic will do the rest of the work. Nod when you are ready." At his nod he began.
"Legilimens." He pointed his wand at his forehead, diving to his mindscape and viewing the memory himself. Then, he slowly focused on pulling it. He retracted his wand slowly, as a bright yellow thread materialized at its tip. When the thread was disconnected from Harry's head, he guided it to the memory vial, before sealing it.
"Perfect! Now comes the more troublesome part…" Harry and Hermione waited for him to speak. He recollected himself before saying: "I need to erase your memory of this meeting."
"WHAT? WHY?" Harry was outraged at his statement, while Hermione was eying him with suspicion, wondering why he would suggest such thing.
"Your minds are still unprotected. If Snape or Dumbledore discovers what I just did, it will raise all kinds of questions I am unwilling to answer. And, if the wrong people find out, I'll be dead the next week, after being tortured and questioned. This is for security purposes. If you wish, I could tell you once you have decent Occlumency shields." Kaiser explained calmly.
Hermione agreed after giving it some thought. Harry, on the other hand, didn't. He didn't like the idea of someone messing with his memories, even more someone who could access his mind at will. Hermione explained Legilimency and the risks involved if his memory wasn't erased, promising him she'd show him how to protect his mind. After a few minutes of arguing, she convinced him. Kaiser gave her a note stating 'You willingly agreed to have your memory of this meeting erased.'.
"[Obliviate]." After Kaiser dealt with the first problem, he moved on to his next target. He was searching for a certain auburn red-haired girl.
Her husband was killed by Death Eaters. Her sister and brother in law were tortured and killed by Death Eaters. She personally fought against them as an Auror during the war. She was from a 'Light' family. She was in a position with immense power, and was known for her strict but fair treatment. Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE, was the perfect candidate.
Kaiser found his target. He knocked on the compartment and opened it. "Hello, sorry to interrupt you. Can I speak with you for a minute Susan?"
The girls started whispering, and Susan, light skin turning bright red, stood up and followed him. He took her to an empty compartment before noticing her blush. He felt a bit awkward, but this was important business. He took a deep breath, calming himself, before looking her in the eyes. She was starring at the ground.
"Um, Susan? Have you heard about what happened to Quirrell?"
Susan was caught off guard. She was disappointed this didn't turn out to be a confession, but also glad she didn't have to deal with it. While she was outgoing with her friends, once she's out of her comfort zone, she becomes a mess.
"Y-Yes. I heard he was sick and had to leave. Why do you ask?"
"Because I happen to know what truly happened to him. Do you recognize this?" He took out the memory vial.
"That's… a memory vial? Why do you have that?" She asked confused. You wouldn't have a memory vial if you didn't have a Pensieve, because they are useless otherwise. And she doubted he had one.
"Inside is a memory containing what truly happened to him. The reason I'm presenting this to you is because your aunt is directly concerned. Otherwise I would've just reported it to the aurors. Some people are apparently censuring it, because as you noticed, even the school announced he was sick, while that couldn't be further from the truth. For whatever reason, Dumbledore doesn't wish for people to know, but I know for a fact this concerns your aunt, as the head of the DMLE, directly, as I've seen the memory myself."
"Can you tell me what happened?" she frowned. But Kaiser shook his head.
"Please trust me on this one. If your aunt wishes you to know, she'll tell you. I don't think it's my place to spread the word about this." He also gave her a letter with the vial.
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Kaiser spent the rest of his time on the train chatting with his Ravenclaw friends, and performing his last spells before he was forbidden from using magic for two months. He wanted to stay at Hogwarts, but he found out that he'd still be unable to perform magic there. Apparently, all minors should refrain from performing magic during the summer, so that their magical core can recover. So, he didn't bother to ask. He already had enough reading materials to pass the summer. He still needed to practice drawing Runes, even if he can't make enchantments now, as he lacked the tools to do so.
Arriving at the train station, he said good bye to his friends, and went through the gate leading to the non-magical part of the station. There, he met his escort from the orphanage.
They asked all kind of question that were completely illegal to answer, as they would breach the statue of secrecy. 'What is Hogwarts? Where is it? What do they teach you there?' He tried to answer as vaguely as possible, while making his best "annoyed" expressed so they'd cease trying to get him to Azkaban. Though he wasn't sure If that was the punishment for breaking the statue. 'They would probably just snap my wand and expel me from Hogwarts.'.
He went directly to his room when he arrived. He was very tired from the sitting in a train for seven hours, lying about Hogwarts and thinking about what's going to happen this week when Amelia Bones sees the memory he had sent her.
He sat on his bed and started his regular Occlumency training. He cleared his mind. He was a bit frustrated with his Occlumency training, actually. He spent a year on it, and yet he's still on the second step: being able to detect Legilimency attacks and expelling them. Even if he was no master in it, he was skilled enough. But, the third step: Accessing your mindscape, is where he's completely lost. No book he read about the subject gave clear instructions. They only vaguely stated that the feeling differs for each person. You should try to 'feel' your mind, but god knows how you're supposed to do that. You should only meditate and try to feel it. As if that's helpful at all.
The fourth step is the most difficult of all apparently. Only the best masters of Occlumency succeeds in it. It's about creating fake thoughts, fake memories, or even in some of the most extreme cases: Isolating your mindscape, by creating a fake one covering it. Though that last part was only written in legends. No known practitioner alive has ever claimed to be successful. But then again, if you can do it, why would you tell people. It would be an extremely useful skill, but only when no one knew about it. Then you could pretend to be a completely defenseless person against the Mind Arts, while you are a true master at the art. A wolf in sheep's clothing.
'Now that I think about it, I believe Grindelwald succeeded in the last step. In the original story/timeline, Voldemort tried to get the Elder Wand's location from him. But he didn't tell him, and Voldemort couldn't get the information from him…' Creating fake thoughts and memories only work when the Legilimens doesn't get aggressive: Distant Legilimens Probes through eye contact. Once they get serious about it, it doesn't work anymore, and you can only do your best to expel them. But if you are unconscious, you'd becomes defenseless. Having a fake mindscape, however, is a different story…
He spent three hours in meditative state, trying to reach the next level, without success. He fell asleep right after, skipping dinner. He overslept the next day, but it was very much deserved. Having spent the whole year waking up early in the morning and training like hell to have some hope of staying alive had his body craving for sleep, now that he couldn't train his magic anymore. He woke up at 12:30 PM, just in time for lunch.
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The next week, he had a visitor. A woman in her forties, with close-cropped red hair, a squared jaw, and an air of seriousness. Her piercing blue eyes gave the clear warning that she should not be crossed. She was accompanied by a bushy eyebrowed man with keen yellowish eyes.
They watched him closely as he entered the visitors' room, and sat down. They didn't say a word. They only looked at him with suspicion and he did the same. Though, he only looked them in the eye for a second before diverting his eyes. He wouldn't take chances. The silence continued for a minute, before Amelia broke it: "I am Amelia Susan Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. This is Rufus Scrimgeour, head auror. A week ago, I received a memory vial, along with a letter by your name. My niece, Susan Bones, claims you were the one who gave it to her, so that she could deliver it to me. Is this correct?"
"Yes." Kaiser nodded.
"How sure are you of the authenticity of the memory?"
"Very sure. I extracted It from Harry Potter's mind myself. With his consent, of course." Kaiser stated calmly. Amelia and Rufus's eyes widened at his statement.
"Are you telling us you can perform Legilimency at your age?" Amelia asked with a raised eyebrow. It was unheard of.
"Yes."
"Where would you even learn it? I am certain no books about the subjects are accessible to students at Hogwarts." Rufus watched his reaction carefully.
Kaiser gave them a cheeky smile: "Knockturn Alley." It was a known fact that all kinds of shady dealings are done there.
"I see. May I ask what were you doing there?"
"I read about the mind arts in a book. The idea that someone might be able to access my mind at will was unpleasant. I decided to get more information about them."
"Understandable." Amelia nodded. She had enough information to decide whether to believe him or not. The letter mentioned the Gringotts' break in, and Hagrid taking a package from that same vault the previous day. Then, the headmaster's announcement at the beginning of the year, Quirrell's disappearance, and the fact that Harry's already spoken to the headmaster about it, and he confirmed he knew… While memories could be altered, it was a very tricky thing. To do so, you'd need to modify small details. To create an entire adventure… You'd need to be the one to provide the memory.
They both got up, ready to leave. Their business there was done.
"Thank you for the warning, Mr. Lunar. Magical Britain owes you one." Amelia said, as they headed for the door, only to be interrupted by Kaiser's voice.
"Madam Bones. I know it is not my place to say this, but I am still going to do so. I suggest secrecy, oaths, and a Fidelius around your safe house, with emergency portkeys for both you and your niece. They have always controlled the Floo Network, and that's not about to stop with the amount of corruption in the ministry. Only the paranoid survive."
