Conclusion of a difficult year

// THIS IS AN OLD CHAPTER. THE NEW CHAPTERS ARE IN VOLUME 2. YOU CAN READ THESE CHAPTERS IF YOU WANT SOME INSIGHT ON WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN LATER BUT SOME EVENTS CAN BE DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW CHAPTERS.

Dumbledore walks me into his office. I don't think I've seen the headmaster so furious before. He doesn't even wait to take a seat behind his desk.

"Tell me what happened now."

"Okay, but I want us to make a magical contract to make sure you don't divulge what I'm about to tell you to anyone."

"What can you be hiding that requires such action?"

"You'll find out soon enough. So, do you agree?"

"You don't need to make me sign anything Sean, you can trust me."

"In that case, our conversation ends here." I'm about to open the door when a hand lands on my shoulder.

"Wait. I'll sign your contract."

"Perfect." I take out a blank contract and start writing some fairly simple conditions. I promise to reveal to him all that relates to the event which occurred from the moment I entered the labyrinth and he promises to not say anything about what I am going to reveal to him and help keep it a secret. Dumbledore scans the document and signs a drop of his blood.

"So, explain everything to me now."

I sit down in an armchair in front of the fireplace. "Well, I'll start with the most important information in that case. Voldemort is back." The old man looks shocked at the news. "And Harry is technically dead even though he's not going to stay that for long. I made him drink vampire blood." I hope the shocking news isn't going to cause him to go into cardiac arrest, that would look pretty bad on my resume. "Now if you want the details, I've been hunting down the Horcruxes for four years. Don't ask me how I know about them and their position, I'll just tell you it has to do with Death. There are seven Horcruxes. The first was Tom Riddle's diary which I destroyed with basilisk venom at the start of my second year. Then, I found a magic knife that only touches souls, and I used it to purify the Gaunt's ring and Rowena Ravenclaw's tiara. Then a while ago, I destroyed two more, Voldemort's serpent and Harry Potter. But before he died, I made Harry drink a vial of vampire blood. Questions? " Dumbledore opens and closes his mouth like a goldfish throughout my story, I think I broke our Headmaster who didn't expect so much to happen behind his back.

"How did Harry die? And you said Voldemort was back?"

"Yes, Harry was killed by the Death Eaters. When I killed Nagini, Voldemort's serpent, he was very weakened and ordered the Death Eaters to kill Harry. But the funny thing is that Death Eaters work with me." Dumbledore stands up with a single gesture and pulls out his wand. "Don't bother getting mad. They helped me fight Voldemort, I managed to convince them to rebel against him. Some refused, and we had to ... clean up a bit, but Lucius Malfoy and many others who wanted nothing to do with Voldemort's methods gladly gave me their help. However, Potter's death was necessary, and I made sure he came back to life when I didn't have to. I might have done some hateful things, but I'm not a monster who kills people for no reason. And besides, in Harry's case, I had reasons to kill him. " Dumbledore doesn't let go of his wand but at least he sits down.

"Why are you telling me all this Sean? You could very well have said nothing to me and continued your fight."

"For a fairly simple reason, I can't stay in Britain any longer. I'll talk to my parents and try to convince them to move back to Virginia for our safety. At the start of the year, I tracked down Voldemort and got him to sign a magical contract so that he would give me something and promise not to hurt me or my family, which would have given me time to find the last Horcruxes and finish the job. But by coming back to life completely, he became someone else which canceled the contract I had with him. So, I became a priority target of Voldemort and I have to leave the country as quickly as possible. "

"I see. I'm so sorry you didn't trust me enough to tell me all about this earlier. I could have helped and advised you. But I guess that was your destiny." Dumbledore looks annoyed as he slumps into his seat in front of the fireplace.

"What do you mean by that?"

"On the night Voldemort attacked the house of Lily and James Potter, a new prophecy was given to me concerning the Dark Lord. I don't intend to reveal it to you as it does not concern you directly and I would not want to alter the future, but now I understand a little better what It meant. "

"I see, in that case, I only have one more thing to tell you. There are two Horcruxes left in the wild to destroy before you can kill Voldemort. If you help me reach and purify the first, I'll give you the location of the second and a box containing about twenty vials of Styx venom. "

"If you really know where the last Horcruxes are, I'm ready to support you in destroying them. But you shouldn't be associating with people as dangerous as Lucius Malfoy. I have friends who could help us. People far more respectable than former Death Eaters. "

"You are free to choose who you want to destroy the last Horcrux and fight Voldemort with. The former Death Eaters will try to keep Voldemort's damage as low as possible without endangering themselves as long as you grant them full amnesty upon the death of Voldemort. But in the meantime, Salazar Slytherin's pendant is at 12 Grimmauld Place and Helga Hufflepuff's cup is in Beatrix Lestrange's vault in Gringotts. "

"I see, I'll try to explain what just happened to the crowd gathered outside, but they'll want to see their champion."

We head outside to the Quidditch stadium where tents have been set up to welcome spectators, the first to notice me are the reporters from the various wizarding journals present.

"Mr. Bones, what did you think of the last task of the tournament?" "What happened to Harry Potter?" "How do you feel to be one of the youngest winners of this competition?" The questions are coming from everywhere and they are so insistent that I cannot answer a question that a new one has already been asked by another journalist. It's finally Fudge who arrives to handle the situation.

"Calm down, calm down. A meeting with the press will take place tomorrow. Our tournament winner is already very tired, and his family is impatiently waiting for him. I invite you to enjoy the rest of the evening and not to bother them." He takes me by the shoulders to lead me towards the tent. When I turn around, Dumbledore is no longer behind us. Who knows where he's gone to? "You made a strong impression during the last ordeal. I could even see Dumbledore panicking for the first time in years. He nearly interrupted the ordeal when the labyrinth started to catch fire without extinguishing itself. What did you use that the hedges were not able to grow back? "

"I used fiendfire."

"How ingenious. I don't remember Hogwarts teaching that kind of spell."

"They don't teach it, it's a spell I learned from an old book."

"I see. Well anyway, I can feel an exceptional career for you in the ministry. Why don't you come and do an internship there during the holidays? It would be the occasion to see how our government works. To meet important people and add some names to your contact book. "

"It's very nice of you, but I already have some plans for this vacation."

"It's a shame, but my offer is still valid for the next vacation as well." He turns around and his face tightens slightly. "I'm going to have to leave you, I see that old harpy of Mrs. Bagnold. She's probably going to complain about the latest ministry measures again. She keeps rambling that things were better in her day."

The Prime Minister leaves and I start looking for my parents in the crowd. I see Rose all alone with the Weasleys, I deduce that Lilly and James are at Harry's bedside. I just wave at her, but she doesn't seem to notice me, her head is elsewhere.

"Sean, there you are!" Susan hugs me behind my back as my family closely follows her.

"Oh, my poor boy. We saw Dumbledore take you straight after the ordeal. Did you got hurt somewhere?"

"No. But we need to discuss something important. Now." My parents aren't used to seeing me that serious. But my aunt, who is used to important secrets since working in the ministry, immediately recognizes the face I am making.

"We're going to find a quiet spot." We return to the castle where we settle into an empty classroom and my aunt casts a spell that I had never seen before. "Protego secretum. Well, we can chat quietly here. No one will hear what you have to say to us."

I reveal to them the same thing I said to Dumbledore, omitting the passage on the Horcruxes except for the one in the Gringotts bank. My mother looks terrified when I announce her cousin's return as my father's face hardens. Susan panics a bit but it's nothing compared to adults, she has not experienced the era of terror in which Voldemort raged.

"Are you sure there is one of those Horcruxes in Beatrix Lestranges' vault?"

"I heard Voldemort talking about it very clearly. He said it was Helga Hufflepuff's cup."

"I need to get back to the Ministry. I need to arrange a meeting with the Goblin King to have the safe emptied." Amelia leaves the room, her magiphone in her hand.

"As for me, I have to contact the president. If this dark mage is back, we will have to think about setting up a reception service for refugees." Hephtalius also leaves the room.

"Sean, Susan, go pack your bags, we're leaving tonight." My father has gone into full Auror mode, his hand is glued to the holster of his wand.

"What?! But where are we going?" Susan starts to panic.

"We're going back to Mystic Falls, we're going home."