Chapter 23: The True Face of Albus Dumbledore

The three of us walked downstairs. Now to explain my actions to Snape and begin "curing" Lily. The behavioral correction should not have done much to her in a single night, and the revelation boded to be splendid.

We arrived to the ritual chamber number two. Casting privacy charms again caused a distinct feeling of having nails hammered into my body. I better force Snape to do the rest.

"Severus, check Elena for foreign charms. I need your opinion."

I could not read his thoughts, but his head must be swarming with doubts. How much truth did the Lord's words hold? Let's find out.

I removed Lily's defenses, and Snape vigorously waved his wand with diagnostic charms. Upon seeing magical exhaustion, he began to frown. But for all he knew, Lily trained by herself. Upon detecting compulsions, he locked eyes with me. The implied question was clear: he specifically asked me not apply any charms to his woman's mind.

"Check thoroughly. What is your conclusion?"

"My Lord, when I checked her last time, this wasn't here."

"It was. You were suffering from magical exhaustion and post-Cruciatus effects… No surprise you missed it. It took even me some time to notice. Now I am nearlt done breaking it."

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked.

"You are under foreign charms. Charms that were not cast by me and are not protective. They distort your perception and value system," I said. Except, they had no chance to take effect in less than a day.

"You put me under… Imperius?"

Snape watched the surreal scene of a mudblood accusing the Dark Lord and prepared to cover her from a Crucio with his own body. But I was not like that. Time for both of you to change your views of the world.

"And what have you discovered, Severus?" I enquired, ignoring her.

"Mental compulsions, my Lord. I cannot determine their original strength, but now it is about average. There are multiple traces of recent attempts to break them. I cannot determine the author: the signature was smudged expertly. But it is definitely not yours. I worked with you and know your magic very well."

"It's all his fault!" Lily glared at me.

Snape tensed up even more and was visibly restraining himself from jumping between us.

"I hope you thank me when you regain your rational mind. Right now you are a puppet of someone's will. You had been subjected to the Web of Deceit, a curse banned in the 17th century because of its complexity and irreversibility," I shared the "truth." I wasn't researching obscure illegal spells for nothing. "I was able to almost fully remove it. You must do the last part yourself. We'll help you. Severus will put you into a trance, I will watch over you, and you are going to find the foreign influence and remove it."

"Who could do this to me unnoticed?"

"The magical signature had been smudged. But the goal image is "loyalty to Albus Dumbledore and Gryffindor ideals."

"It's not true!"

"Then prove it. Go into your mind and don't find anything. Or find compulsions of loyalty to me."

"Albus would never do anything like that!"

"Are you saying he did not fraternize with Grindelwald?" I challenged.

"Only back when Grindelwald was not yet a criminal," Lily's tone of voice was uncompromising.

"Then Albus was truly friends with Grindelwald, my Lord?" asked Snape.

"Bathilda probably mixed everything up, she's over a hundred years old!" said Lily.

"Lily, it is a common trap. Someone spreads rumors, makes note of who believes in them, and informs their superiors. Next, the best case scenario leaves you Obliviated."

"You spoke to Bathilda Bagshot?" Snape wondered.

"Yes, a long time ago."

I saw it in Bathilda's memories. And confirmed it with legilimency on Lily.

"It is very unwise to speak to someone who spreads rumors about people who hold your life in their hands. You were lucky you did not doubt Albus's faultlessness, else you would have not survived long enough to meet me. Though, considering your compulsions, I'm surprised you didn't attack people," I told her.

"You either deliberately distort the facts or are mistaken! Let's go to Bathilda and find out the truth, I just brewed a large vat of Veritaserum yesterday!"

I wasn't sure what to think… Her stubborn disbelief was bad but temporary. On the other hand, her desire to force feed an old woman Veritaserum despite the Ministry's ban was commendable. Unfortunately, Bathilda had been replaced with an Elder Spirit of Sorrow. And feeding it Veritaserum would be stupid. It'd have no effect, and the Spirit was no professional actor- it couldn't imitate the correct signs like glassy eyes.

Fight it? Lily would never defeat it. And Snape was first and foremost a potioneer. He'd grow into a strong soldier after a decade or two, but at the moment he stood no chance against "Bathilda." My own condition could pose a problem, but since I summoned the Spirit myself, it was in my power to banish it at will.

Wandlessly, I wrote in floating letters only visible in magical sight: " This is what I must endure . You sure you need her? "

Snape frantically nodded behind Lily's back.

"Here is what we are going do. First, you remove the supposedly non-existent compulsions. Then we all go to Bathilda."

Curious, what would she see in her subconscious? It'd be a type of forced hallucination, where the images implanted by the author fight the images of the victim's own mind.

Lily lay down in the runic circle. Snape began reciting the spells, wholly concentrating on Lily- any mistake would force him to start over. I silently cast an illusion and a soundproofing charm over the room corner directly behind him.

"Tony! Gaby!" I called.

The house elves popped in and stared at me with devotion. I never abused them, and legilimency showed they were happy to serve such a powerful master… Maybe I should create a house elf branch of the Death Eaters?

"Can you dig with magic? I need several cubic meters of dirt dug up very quickly and unnoticeably."

"Yes, Master!"

"Never tell anyone about this. This is an order. Now, here is what you must do…"

Lily Potter

Recently, Lily's life had taken a dramatic turn. Her husband was murdered. She never saw his body, but the insane laughter she heard left no room for doubt. She braced for the worst and begged from pure despair, to save Harry any way she could. To her astoundment, the Lord spared her and Harry in exchange for her service…

And now she was a Death Eater. She didn't know how to reply to her son's "Dada?" Serving James's murderer, what could be more unbelievable?

Her imagination painted horrible pictures: Crucios for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But serving the Dark Lord turned out not so much horrible, disgusting or dangerous as mind-numbingly drab. Yes, she had a new name, wand and appearance. But she spent most of her time brewing potions from the school curriculum…

You-Know-Who… He was completely different from the way everyone described him. Of course, he still deserved the kiss. But Lily saw no wanton aggression or arrogance. Why walk around under illusions? To instill even more fear and disgust?

First of all, he explicitly said he cared nothing for blood purity. And she was seeing more and more proof of it: he killed pureblood James, spared her, treated half-blood Snape well.

Second, he wanted to teach her. The Order of the Phoenix had her hide behind James's back. Here, she was getting an education despite her diligent boycotts to not, god forbid, learn any Dark magic.

Third, the Death Eater organization itself… Everything she heard about them aside from smugness and thirst for power was a lie. She saw no murders or torture…

Their ideology was by far the most shocking revelation. Lily always thought blood purity a groundless prejudice… Then she watched the Lord's duel with Rosier in the pensieve. Spells simply bounced off Rosier, he managed to somehow injure the Lord by sacrificing his own arm, his black Manticore put up a worthy fight, and he wandlessly created a huge explosion while under Cruciatus! Undoubtedly, that was some sort of highly illegal Dark magic. It was mind-blowing. If anyone asked her three months ago who was capable of that, she would've said only Albus and You-Know-Who. But it turned out England had at least twenty such people. She was especially surprised to find her classmate Snape among them…

The first Death Eater meeting… She really didn't want to cruciate Snape, but it slipped… Disgusting traitor.

At least training with Snape brought some breaks to her dull routine. Lily was delighted to see her Stupefy easily breach Snape's Protego the very first time she faced him. She'd received only an Exceeds Expectations in Defense, but a barrage of her simple spells forced her opponent back. The sheer power of her attacks awed and overwhelmed the enemy. But only for a moment.

The young potions master's momentary stumble gave way to cold focus. Her brightly glowing, overflowing with energy spells were swallowed by his shields. A furious cascade of fast hits got deflected with a couple of careless wand jerks. The best she had met a monolithic mountain. Snape sped up, she slowed down. The last thing Lily remembered before falling unconscious was many multicolored flares.

Next attempt. Everything appeared to be going well, but as soon as Snape cast some black haze around himself, all school spells became useless. Was fighting dummies the best she could ever achieve?

For the first time in her life, Lily felt suffocating disgust with herself rising from somewhere deep within her soul. Powerless… Weak… She failed again…

It was then when Lily understood the reason Dark magic was illegal. Yes, she became much stronger lately, but it changed nothing. It was as if she received a truckload of bullets for her single-shot gun, while Snape had half a truck with an automatic rifle… Her training made a stark contrast with the time she brought down the French ward with a single spell. But blood magic was banned… Lily's only consolation was that sometimes her new wand shot out things that sent chills down Snape's spine…

Today's meeting beat even Professor Binns's lectures in its sleep-inducing effect. Two hours of talk about blood purity and Salazar's commandments… Lily was extremely drowsy, but such blatant breach of discipline would lead to nothing good.

And now she received a new assignment: search for something in her own head.

Lily lay down in a runic circle and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was somewhere else. The garden by her house in Godric's Hollow… She was happy here… But then a monster came, killed her husband and enslaved her. Lily often regretted offering him "anything". Maybe she should have chosen death? She couldn't leave her son… Though, what future awaited him now?

Lily's first thought was to sit here a bit, then go back and say she did not find anything. She leaned on a tree and tried to relax but immediately felt sick.

"Lily, follow your orders! Look for compulsions or the vow will kill you!" Snape disembodied voice rang through the garden.

Fuck. She couldn't get away from him even here… Who could have known that her childhood friend would grow up to become You-Know-Who's devout follower? Good thing that if her new wand continued to act out, she will be rid of him soon. And maybe… Maybe her wand will accidentally kill the Lord too?

"I'm going, I'm going," Lily said and headed towards the house. Where else to look?

This house was the exact copy of the real one. But Harry and James were not here… James… He had no chance to defend himself… Lily only heard his murderer's insane laughter…

She walked around the house and found nothing. What now?

"Snape! What do I do now?" Lily asked the empty air. She probably should have taken up Snape's offer to teach her occlumency back at Hogwarts…

"Search for something that does not belong here," he answered.

Just great. Now she had to follow orders from another Dark wizard in her head.

Lily made another pass through the house. She saw the same beautiful trees out of the windows. The same crack in the floor was where she saw it last. It was almost like the house stilled with anticipation. The emptiness felt wrong. Lily took out her wand. Her old wand, willow and unicorn hair. She hasn't seen it in a long time…

"Point Me!" she cast.

The wand led her up to the nursery… Harry's crib… Lily broke down crying and sat on the floor.

"Lily, get yourself together! It isn't easy for me to hold you here! Keep looking!" Snape chided her.

"Shut up!" Lily screamed into nothingness. "This is all your fault!"

And suddenly, she heard another voice.

"Yes, this is all because of Dark Magic. Dark Magic is evil. It mutilates the soul. Everything is Voldemort's fault."

It made sense. Lily looked around but didn't see anyone. The voice was coming from a mirror. She approached it. The mirror stood at its proper spot but was different: much larger, in a gold frame with a strange engraving. How did she not notice it before?

She looked into the mirror, but instead of her own reflection she saw Albus.

"Professor Dumbledore, help! I am a prisoner of You-Know-Who! I couldn't get in touch with you!"

"Resist him, my girl," Albus answered from the mirror.

"But I can't do anything! I'm under vows! Harry would die!"

"I will help you. Give me you hand! Don't give up."

"Lily!" Snape's voice screamed shrilly. "This is the compulsion! Break it, don't fall for it!"

"But I joined the Order on my own, willingly…" Lily began.

"That's right, my girl. Everyone contributes to the good fight," Albus praised her.

Whom to trust? Hogwarts Headmaster and defeater of Grindelwald or a mass murderer? Maybe this was her chance?

She held out her hand and touched the mirror. The surface turned into a thin film, and Albus pulled her through to the other side. She was in Hogwarts, which looked just as majestic as she remembered. But she instantly felt sick and collapsed.

"Get sorted into Gryffindor. Would you like a lemon drop? Your sacrifice will be revered. Die for the greater good. The entire Order of the Phoenix will gather to bring flowers to your grave," Albus was now muttering.

"Lily, it's just an algorithm! Fight it!" Snape screamed. "My Lord! She is close to violating the vow!"

She lay on the floor of the Great Hall and stared at the stars on the charmed ceiling. She felt that she was dying…

Suddenly, an explosion made a hole in the ceiling, and through it fell someone in a Death Eater uniform. She saw Snape's face.

"Crucio! Avada Kedavra!" Snape attacked Albus.

Albus waved his wand, and levitated furniture shielded him from the Unforgiveables.

"Avada Kedavra! Crucio!" the Headmaster answered.

"None of this is real," Lily thought.

"It is not real, but you die here, you will die in reality," You-Know-Who's soft whisper sounded in her head. "Lily, this idiot rushed to save you, forgetting about maintaining the spell. Get up and fight, or your son will be left an orphan. I will have to find him an adoptive mother among the Death Eaters. I think Bellatrix will easily teach him cast the Cruciatus wandlessly by the time he is of age."

"No!" she rasped and pulled herself up. Pain and weakness disappeared. Amazingly, Snape and Albus fought at a standstill.

"Who are you?" she asked Albus. He just faded into thin air. Did she win?

"Lily, occlumency!" Snape screamed.

Lily felt pressure in her mind. Her hand rose on its own and tried to point the wand at her own head. Snape disappeared.

"Lily, Albus does not need a security detail," the Lord's voice continued. "Under a thin veneer of humanitarianism hides a truly mechanical organization. Understanding its true nature is punished by death. There is a battle going on in your head. The compulsions are forcing you to turn your wand on yourself. The past Lily, the blind marionette, is ready to kill herself. Show your true face, rebel against that desire."

"Fight it, Lily!" Snape's voice was again in her head.

And she fought. Fought for control over her body, for power over her own mind…

"My Lord, help her, she is not going to make it!" Snape pleaded.

"I already did everything I could. This compulsion can only be broken by the victim herself," he answered.

Lily's arm stopped and began slowly lowering. But her victory was fleeting. She got thrown into her most important memories.

Lily was playing with Petunia. Petunia was telling her how important is to have faith in Gryffindor, then turned into Albus and attacked her. Lily dodged, pulled out her wand and cast Protego. Little Snape ran out of the bushes, turned into his adult self and attacked Albus.

"She will do it on her own! Keep holding the spell!" You-Know-Who's voice snapped at Snape.

Lily saw herself on the first train ride to Hogwarts, Snape sitting beside her. James entered the compartment, turned into Albus and attacked. Snape cast an Avada at him, but the picture changed before it could reach him.

"This is not Albus, Lily." the Lord said. "You are fighting a part of yourself, this is a deadly illusion."

But she could not believe him. Albus was again approaching her, with a vial of poison in his hands. She darted to the side before he could throw it at her. The picture changed again.

"None of this is real, you are not at Hogwarts! Remember how you slipped through the mirror!" Snape screamed. Maybe she should trust him?

"This is not the real Hogwarts," Lily chanted to herself as Albus was walking towards her with a black half-sphere at the tip of his wand. Remembering her occlumency books, she imagined an endless ocean… Her vision rippled like a picture with static. Gathering together all her will, she charged at Albus and stabbed him in the eye with her wand. The wand entered his head and burst into flames. Albus's face began to melt like hot wax.

"Lily, leave! Now!" the Lord shouted.

She believed him. And punched the melting face reflected in the mirror. Smoldering pain blinded her, and she momentarily lost consciousness.

When she came to it, she found herself in her house at Godric's Hollow. Her entire body ached, and her hand was bleeding. The broken mirror lied in the corner.

"Good job, Lily. And now, just to be safe, destroy the shards." the Lord's voice said.

"I don't have a wand…"

"This is your mind. Take a new wand out of your pocket."

And Lily pulled out another wand, her new one. It was not in her pocket before, she was certain.

"Incendio!"

The remains of the mirror burned despite being made of glass and metal… Lily walked out to the garden. Behind her, her former home went up in flames.

"Excellent, Lily. Severus is going to pull you out now."

She felt like something else within her broke along with the mirror. Broke completely and irreversibly…

Lily woke up in the same circle of unknown runes. The Lord and Snape were standing nearby.

"Did you see everything I saw? There must be an explanation for it."

"We all know what the explanation is. Severus, cast defensive charms on her. We are heading to Bathilda. Let's all drink polyjuice," the Lord ordered.

Soon, they were at Godric's Hollow. The quiet village was covered in snow. The three figures approached it under attention-repelling charms, their tracks erased behind them. About a hundred meters from the house, the Lord stopped.

"I feel powerful defensive and concealment wards over the house. And there is a Dark creature inside," said You-Know-Who.

"I can't feel anything, my Lord," Snape replied. "Not even when casting with my wand."

"Be ready for an attack. And cover her."

"Bathilda is just a harmless old lady. She would not harm anyone," Lily soothed herself out loud.

"I doubt it…" the Lord muttered.

Snape knocked on the door and said they were American journalists who came to ask Bathilda about Albus's childhood.

Lily did not think any sane person would open her door to strangers at night… But the door opened.

"Welcome! Tea?" Bathilda smiled at them.

"Yes, thank you," Lily answered. Bathilda hasn't changed over the years, only was a bit more terse.

"Mrs. Bagshot, we are writing a book about Albus," said Snape, who looked like a tall aging muggle, "Please, tell us about his past."

But the old lady kept her eyes trained on the Lord, as if she was waiting for something.

"Don't bother, Albus will not hear you. I blocked your Call," he said.

Lily stared at the Lord. What call? Blocked how? He didn't cast anything. But most importantly, the Lord looked wary. And Snape even stepped between Bathilda and Lily, pointing his wand at the old lady. The situation was beyond ridiculous. What could a frail old woman do to the Dark Lord and a Dark wizard?

"Reveal your true face," the Lord ordered and waved his hand.

It was as if Bathilda exploded from the inside. Pieces of her body covered the room. And inside her was… a giant black splodge that shot out multiple tentacles at everyone in the room. Lily screamed.

Snape conjured some kind of semitransparent barrier and blades that burned the abomination. He spun in place, dodging black sparks and covering them both with conjured shields. He threw banishment spells at the creature- Lily recognized them from the Lord's fight against Rosier's manticore.

Lily's worst memories assaulted her mind all at once: the Lord's laughter when he killed James, the moment she made the vow, the times she cast the Cruciatus on Snape…

"Expecto Patronum!" Snape cast. The creature destroyed the doe that looked just like hers in two hits. Snape conjured another Patronus, but it met the same fate.

"Stupefy!" Lily tried to fight, but the spell flew right through the black creature. She tried to apparate, but apparition was blocked.

"My Lord, help, I won't hold it off for long! Save Lily!"

She turned her head. Still polyjuiced Lord stood in the corner, not doing anything. The creature did not attack him: the Lord was surrounded with some protective yellow and white glow. He never took out his wand. In his hands appeared a tiny ball of his blood and flew at the creature.

"Cease to be! Go back to whence you came!" You-Know-Who said.

The instant his glowing ball of blood touched the creature, it vanished… just vanished. Instantly.

"I have important matters to attend to. Notify me what you do and when- or I may not be able to save you next time. Severus, erase the magic traces. Then I will erase yours. Completely covering this up is impossible, but it will look like I was the only one here."

"What was that thing? Why could I not apparate? Where are the Aurors?" Lily asked, her heart still pounding.

"It was an Elder Spririt of Sorrow," the Lord said, casting something. "A powerful creature, much worse than a Dementor. The apparition was blocked and the magical field was expertly cut off. The Aurors will not come, but it is for the best. If they were here, they would attack us for Bathilda's brutal murder and try to kill us."

"My Lord, what was the spell you used to banish it?" Snape asked.

"You are not yet worthy of knowing it," the Lord replied.

They walked out of the house and went… to a graveyard?

"Why are we here?" Lily asked the Lord.

"You, for example, can put flowers on your grave," he mocked.

It was ok, she could ignore the jabs…

The white marble headstone softly glowed in the dark… Snape offered her conjured flowers, but she dispelled them.

James Potter. Lily Potter. Harry Potter. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Hatred flooded Lily.

"Who engraved the Death Eaters' motto here?!"

"Albus. He designed the headstone," Snape answered. "My Lord, what are we actually doing here?"

"Look at this grave, Severus," the Lord stood two rows from them.

" Kendra Dumbledore. Ariana Dumbledore. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also, " Snape read the gravestone. "So what, my Lord? 1899 is too old, we could hardly raise them as liches…"

"How can you talk about that!" Lily reproached him.

"No, I am not interested in liches… I feel these two graves are empty as well… Severus, cast the standard magic-concealing and attention-repelling charms, then dig."

Horrified, Lily watched Snape open both graves: repeated patterns of wand gestures, and the dirt slowly moved to the side.

Of course, she already knew Snape was a Death Eater. A killer. A traitor. But a grave robber, too? Could he fall any lower? All he had left was torturing children. Although… didn't he get a teaching post?

One casket was unnaturally well-preserved but empty. Or rather, it contained no body. There was only an ordinary potion vial that Snape poked with his wand.

"My Lord, this is a standard potion vial with an additional preservation charm. It contains wizarding blood and probably body pieces… Nails or hair. But who would do this and why?"

"The answer is obvious, Severus. So that any search by blood or flesh shows Ariana's body is here," the Lord answered. "Thanks to our dear Ministry, blood magic is almost completely banned. But I know Albus is a master of it. His knowledge of magic, including Dark, is immense. Take it with you. We will need it soon."

With telekinesis, the Lord lifted the vial, placed it in some box and gave it to Snape. Snape opened the second casket. It was also empty. Or not… There was a folded note.

The Lord wandlessly pulled it into his hands and began to read it, cringing.

"What is it, my Lord?" Snape asked.

"Poor Regulus. He should have informed me, not go by himself…"

"What does Regulus have to do with it?" Snape looked baffled.

"I tasked him with digging into Dumbledore's past. The poor wretch found something big and decided to play a hero. Snape, it is too early for you to read this. If Dumbledore finds out, your death will be horrific. Elena, you are not contact with Dumbledore, so read and memorize it. Never share what you learned with anyone unless I specifically order you otherwise. This is an order. Snape, return everything to the original condition and erase your traces."

" Memorize this, " now the Lord's voice sounded in her head. " And under no circumstances ask anyone about the word "horcrux." This is an order."

The note said:

"I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more.

R.A.B."

" What is this about? " Lily asked.

"It is safer for you to not know because Dumbledore stops at nothing to destroy evidence. He likes to stay behind the curtain. He is a master of appearing at the last moment and scooping up all the trophies."

"We are going back to the Lestranges by a chain of apparitions," the Lord said out loud.

And Lily began to wonder…

Finally! This one-man show wore me out. Everything again had complications.

The plan was for Snape to put Lily into a trance, where she would see Albus's true face and easily defeat him. But instead… This indescribable moron refused to fight - she sided with the compulsion! Because the mental influence matched her life philosophy, it became unexpectedly strong… Snape could not overcome it from the outside. I could have, but not in this condition… She could have died there.

Fortunately, I was able to persuade her to act properly with kind words, and she defeated the compulsions. When Albus's face melted, she would have seen Crouch Jr. underneath, but I convinced her to get out and destroy all traces just in time… Interesting, inner world as a mirror… I think she will have a new boggart.

My house elves managed to fulfill my orders to steal the bodies and plant the "evidence" in time. Many Dark potions required human blood, hair, nails… Killing was not always necessary, so I sent a house elf to sleeping muggleborns and draw a little blood… The Lestranges had a stock now.

We were in the ritual chamber number one. I cast privacy charms, feeling like I just ran a marathon with a log on my shoulders. After merely throwing my blood with an illuminating charm at Bathilda…

"Elena, you are against Dark magic, correct?" I asked.

"Yes… My Lord."

"Then go home. Sit and think. And take some of Snape's potions to ameliorate the effects of your magical exhaustion. Meanwhile, we are going to check something."

When Lily walked out, I addressed Snape:

"Severus, perform the combined ritual of search by blood and flesh. Use the entire contents of the vial."

"My Lord, about your fight in Diagon… I could brew you a couple of helpful potions if you told me what you drank," Snape said, adding lines resembling a human skull to the ritual drawing.

"This body can not withstand my true power for very long. I need potions against pain and against body deterioration caused by potion intoxication. I drank everything Elena said at the meeting, except Raffard's."

Snape would take care of the pain relievers. Returning me the lost years of life… Unlikely. But it never hurt to try, right? Besides, Snape was my "future protege." I had to start showing him signs of trust.

The basics had already been drawn. Snape added the last runes, arranged the candles, and placed the vial in the center. Some wand waving, uttering the spell, a soft glow- and the vial was empty. The map revealed a circle about fifty kilometers in diameter. With Hogwarts in the center… It was a simple matter of choosing the blood of a muggleborm first year who stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays.

"Your opinion, Severus?"

"I am at a loss, my Lord. Albus's sister is long dead. But the ritual is showing that the rest of her body must be at Hogwarts. Dumbledore secretly re-buried his relatives? I made a mistake in the ritual? This is not her blood?"

"You could certainly arrive at the correct conclusion yourself, but we do not need to waste time and draw Albus's attention. All this once again confirmed the information I had. Ariana Dumbledore is alive, and she is at Hogwarts."

"My Lord, she would be close to a hundred years old. Where did Albus hide her all these years? And how did no one -students, professors, house elves- ever see her?"

"The answer is obvious. Magic always leaves traces, but what is the most difficult to detect?"

"An animagus? My Lord… It is very unlikely… The animal must have lived at Hogwarts for many decades. I know there is something very wrong with Filch's cat, but we are looking for something that's been alive since 1899."

"Well-reasoned. But I was not talking about an animagus. A familiar."

"The phoenix? Fawkes?! My Lord, turning into a magical creature is impossible. Moreover, how could Albus imitate the familiar bond?"

"No need to imitate anything. It is his familiar. And it is Ariana."

"My Lord, I don't know of any way to stuff a wizard into a magical creature…"

"I do. There is only one, and it is very Dark. Don't investigate it, else Albus will kill you like he did Regulus. I will share it with you in a year or two, when it is safe. For now, you are going to spend a month at the Lestranges' manor. When the winter break is over, Albus can find you a substitute or teach potions by himself. When you come back, you will tell him the Lord's student is alive and nearly healthy. Albus must personally initiate the search of Crouch's home. For now, stay inside and brew potions. You will not be participating in the assault, so you are not required to attend meetings."

"My Lord… Are you certain Albus conducted a Dark ritual using his sister and familiar?" Snape asked skeptically.

Yes, it was quite a leap from compulsions on a muggleborn Gryffindor for her own good to an unknown Dark ritual using own relatives…

"It's always the darkest under the candle's flame, Severus," I said, turning to head back to the meeting.

The Death Eaters were still discussing the operation at Crouch's manor. The memories Barty Jr. shared allowed us to reconstruct the building plans and guard posts. Dolohov and Jugson fiercely argued over the plan of attack but unanimously left neutralizing Dumbledore to me… Wonderful when you are so trusted…

"My Lord, if I may ask, how do you picture "equality" after the victory?" Yaxley suddenly veered off topic.

It was too early for anyone to be dissatisfied with my words.

"Formal "equality." For instance, all children may learn Dark magic if they have a permission from their parents who have a license to use it themselves. The licenses will be granted by, lets say, Edward Lestrange. Naturally, all of you will receive them for free. The mudbloods' parents cannot give them permission in principle. Their magical guardian will be the Hogwarts Headmaster- for example, Charles Nott. And he will deny them permission because they would kill themselves with dangerous spells. However, forbidding them from apparition or "Stupefy" is irrational. Servants must work, and to work they need magic."

The reality would not be so bad: I was going to give loyal muggleborns a chance to join me. You don't want to serve? Live an ordinary life, without powerful magic. Maybe your grandchildren would be more amiable. Everyone took a liking to this definition of equality. Excellent. This audience would always keep me on my toes…

Next, the Death Eaters put on their masks, and Hume's son was brought in. The boy looked on the verge of fainting from terror.

"Your father disappointed me. But you have a chance to set everything right. Your family's life, health and wealth are now completely in your hands. You will receive the Mark and a task. You must kill Albus Dumbledore."

The boy shuddered.

"Do not panic ahead of time. Poison him. Put someone under Imperius. Professor Snape serves me as well and may help you if he wishes. Ask politely and convince him. Additionally, you must find a way to bring an assault team into Hogwarts. You have until your graduation to finish both tasks. Keep me updated on your progress through Snape."

"I am not good with the Imperius and don't know any poison recipes, my Lord," the boy said, staring into the floor. Someone in the audience chortled.

"This is not my concern. For all I care, you can beat him to death with your bare fists," more laughter around the room. "But it is unlikely. So, practice. You are welcome to use our prisoners."

The boy got his Mark and was dragged out in a catatonic state. I had zero hopes for him. Even if we put every student in the castle under Imperius, they would not be able to kill the Headmaster. He will quickly discover the boy's intentions through legilimency or analyzing his actions. But so what? He already knew we want to kill him and Snape was a Death Eater. We were going to appeal to his pity. The boy had nowhere to go while we had his family.

The meeting gradually winded down. I dismissed everyone. Jugson, Dolohov and Edward gathered all their papers and moved to a different room to continue discussing the operation. They should churn out a decent plan within a week.

After the meeting, I sat in the study. Selwyn and Burke stood in front of my desk. They were capable wizards but in no way soldiers. One was an artificer, the other an artificer and a wand crafter.

"I am in need of your expertise. Is there an artifact that could grant us access to Hogwarts?" - I asked.

"No, my Lord," they said in unison.

"Hogwarts is extremely well-protected, milord," said Selwyn. "I only see two options: a direct assault or a betrayal from the inside."

Too bad. But I did not expect anything different. Moving on to the next topic.

"Is it possible to create an artifact to spy on people within Hogwarts from here?"

"No, my Lord," they said interrupting each other. "It is entirely possible that the Headmaster gets information about everyone's movements from the castle wards, but we cannot tap into them."

I agreed… But how to explain the Marauder's Map? The Headmaster helped craft it? Then why did he allow us to take it out of the castle?

I held out my hand and with a monumental effort summoned the table with the Map and the recording artifact.

"You claimed it was impossible. Examine this and make your conclusions," I said. "Take care not to damage it."

The artificers looked at the map. Their first guess was a cheap fake. No magic emission meant the charms were simple - the dots must move in random patterns. They waved their wands and recited spells, searching for the trick: a name-generating program and movement algorithms. Unable to find any, both lost their neutral faces.

"My Lord, this is not a fake? The dots correspond with reality? Even Dumbledore?" Selwyn asked with bewilderment.

"Yes. Severus checked," I said.

"My Lord, I have friends who could assist you in receiving a mastery in artifactorics. They understand the need for discretion and respect the secrets of the craft. But you will need to prove your authorship and act under an alias."

It made sense. I wanted to ask them how the map was made. Because they could not puzzle it out, they assumed I created it myself. But I had no need of the master artificer title… Although, I should think about it…

How did the "marauders" make it? They outdid true artificers without realizing it. None of them qualified for a mastery… except for this map.

"My Lord, may we take a look at the workshop where you created such exquisite charms?" Selwyn asked.

Right… Complex, high quality artifacts required instruments and preferably a warded room to filter out foreign magical energies. Where did Potter find all that at Hogwarts? Brought his father's instruments to school? And neither Peter nor Black saw them? How could Dumbledore not notice?

"No. This map is a secret. Put your heads together and think how we can break into Hogwarts using something similar, not reeking of ritualistic sacrifice. Also, help Rookwood study the charmed car and motorcycle. The committee was supposed to issue a conclusion listing all the charms applied to the items."

On to the next important matter.

"Do either of you have children at Hogwarts?" I asked.

"Mine are homeschooled, milord" Burke happily declared.

"My Lord… My son is a third year Slytherin… He is not yet worthy of serving you…" Selwyn said, fluttering with hope.

Yes, I already saw him on the map. But I had no need of another useless boy.

"Selwyn, do you keep an eye on your son while he is at school?"

"Yes, milord. The house elf watches him. My son has no history of any unseemly behavior," Selwyn reported.

"I am interested in the house elf. Does it enter Hogwarts?"

"My Lord… What use is a house elf? They can't bring anything into the castle or harm anyone. They would accomplish nothing but set off an alarm."

"You will call your house elf here and leave me alone to speak with it," I ordered.

"Nenilla!" called Selwyn, snapping his fingers.

Nothing happened- the manor had been recently warded against unauthorized house elves.

I sent a courier sphere to Rodolphus, who soon disabled the anti-house elf ward. I wore myself out too much to do it myself and was no masochist.

"Nenilla!" Selwyn repeated.

"What does Master wish?" said a tidy elf.

"Leave me with the elf," I told them.

I was alone with the trembling creature. Well, Hokey proved just how useful they can be when she helped Hufflepuff's cup gain a new owner.

"Hello, Nenilla. I am the Dark Lord, your master serves me. I have news for you. Are you a good elf and like serving your master?"

"Yes, Sir! Master is satisfied with my service!"

"House elves are happiest when they work, and I want it to continue. But there is a big problem. A horrible problem. Mudbloods. They want to free all house elves! They want to give all of you clothes!"

"Terrible! Nenilla doesn't want it!" the creature exclaimed.

"I am going to stop them," I promised.

"Sir is a good wizard!"

"… But I will need your help."

"Nenilla follows only the orders of Master and his relatives. Nenilla is sorry, Sir."

"I will speak to your master, and he will confirm everything. Tell me, do you meet other house elves when you watch your master's son at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, Sir. The first time I came, they stunned me and took me to their master Dumbledore. He told me to go back home. I said Master will cruciate me for failing, and then I must stick my ears in the meat grinder. He said he pitied me and let me stay if I don't hurt anyone or bring anything in or out or do anything bad."

"Keep chatting with other house elves in the castle, then. If anyone gives you trouble about it, say you are looking for a mate. Warn all other elves that the muggleborns want to give you clothes and force you to idly wander the streets or accept money for your work. Do not attack anyone or try to sabotage anything! Just keep in mind that this threat will not last forever. When worthy wizards like your master will come to Hogwarts, you can all work without fear."

They liked living as slaves? Let them. We will have the "anti-Spartacus revolt". Slavery to the slaves! Slaves fighting for their own subjugation… They were unlikely to be of much use, but at least this would keep them from getting under our feet.

The house elf stared at me with absolute awe, just like my Tony and Gaby. I should introduce them.

"Go. Your master will confirm everything I said."

The house elf disappeared, Selwyn and Burke walked back in.

"Selwyn, I have a task for your house elf. In short, spreading rumors. You must only confirm my order. Your son is in no danger. In the worst case scenario, you would lose a house elf."

Selwyn blossomed with relief. He had several house elves and could easily buy more.

"Your will shall be done, my Lord!"

"Burke, I read the notes on your wands that you gave me. You do not eschew Dark ingredients, but I need more. You must have trusted employees and distributors. They will go on a world tour. America, Africa, Japan… Buy a large variety of local wands and their ingredients, then study them."

I was satisfied with my wand, but what if there were better options? It would be best to buy them honestly - no need to start international quarrels over wands and uncertain prospects.

The artificers left to fulfill my orders, and Crouch walked in.

"My Lord, I have a feeling my family is suspecting me of something. I am having increasingly harder time disappearing to work on your orders," one of my best servants reported.

Bad news… But I had an idea.

"You need to "get busted," I said. "Let your parents think you are sleeping around."

"My Lord, I am no longer 14. Sex is not a reason to be this sneaky."

"What if they are not pureblood?"

"My Lord, I am sure my family would accept anyone I chose. Non-purebloods would be useful for political reasons."

Why couldn't his family be pureblood supremacists?

"What if you have orgies with muggle prostitutes? While your father is in the middle of a campaign? Of course you are sneaking around!" I voiced a genius idea.

"My Lord, how am I going to stage that?"

"Why stage? Pay them and let your parents catch you!"

"My Lord… but they… no magic… it is mudbloods who…" Barty stuttered.

"I trust that you can make that sacrifice. It is your Lord's will."

"Yes, Master," Barry said a bit sluggishly. "How many times must I get busted?"

Good question. I suddenly had another idea.

"Barty, I have an additional assignment for you. Ritualistics holds many secrets. Learn everything you can about sex-based rituals. Sort out the nonsense from what really works. Indians are known for their practices, so start there. England has a small Indian wizarding community… Also, ask Mulciber to tell you of his experiences. If anyone asks, you are following Albus's commandments: learning the power of love to become a great Light wizard. Come up with something," I finished my thought.

Dumbledore always talked about the power of love. What if love and sex were synonymous? Or at least somehow connected?

Barty stood stupefied. He had killed muggles. Tortured them. The Cruciatus, burning alive, everything… But now… Anyone else would probably ask me whether I was in my right mind. But if you think about it… I adapted sleep to serve my goals. Ate food that promoted mental clarity. It was only logical to extend this to sex and learn to combine business with pleasure. And what would be a loss of authority for me will not affect Crouch at all.

Crouch left. I went home and sat in my chair for another hour, trying to relax. I was sick of feeling weak…

But there was still work to be done. I called my house elves, gave them the coordinates of the Little Haggleton graveyard and ordered to bring me whatever was left of my father. The remains might prove useful as ingredients. They popped away, and I walked down to my basement.

Two bodies lay on the tables. Dumbledore's family. What else would I do with them, drag them to the Lestranges? The house elves had checked the bodies for curses with artifacts, and the Fidelius securely shielded from searches by blood and flesh. Did Albus really assume no one would dare to exume the bodies? Foolish.

So, Kendra Dumbledore. Very decayed since 1899. I analyzed the body with several staff-shaped artifacts I borrowed from the Lestranges. If their results were to be believed, Dumbledore's mother was killed by a Dark curse, something I could not recognize without further tests. Strange…

And Ariana Dumbledore… The official cause of death was an incorrectly cast spell. Her body was preserved with the Incorruption Charms: she looked alive, as if merely sleeping. Unfortunately, this did not make raising a lich any easier - I would have to gather the entire Inner Circle for the ritual. But I was more concerned with something else. The body had no wounds, no damage at all. Ariana was completely healthy, except for the fact that she was dead. And I knew exactly why: Avada Kedavra.

Apparently, vilifying Dumbledore would be much easier than I thought…