A New Potter v2 - Chapter 12

The hard part was figuring out when in the year to handle the Dumbledore situation. It would have been too much for it to happen right now since Umbridge just died, the school had been shuttered for over a week, and there were Aurors stationed around the campus. I would have to wait a little longer, which would give me some more time to plan.

It was becoming more complicated than I had originally expected. If I killed Dumbledore now then there was a very likely chance that the Ministry would step in. I doubted I could convince Tom to make a public appearance. There was no reason for him to do it. No one wanted the Ministry to control Hogwarts.

·         Step One, kill Fudge

·         Step Two, kill Dumbledore

·         Step Three, profit

Breaking those steps down. Killing Fudge. He was already panicking with Umbridge dead and the spiders in the forest. The Aurors on campus gave Fudge the impression that the school was under his control. Unfortunately for him, Madam Bones was the one who held the power. I could see two possible outcomes with Fudge dead. Either Tom would slot in one of his people or Madam Bones would step in to take control. The difficulty of everything I wanted to do would increase with someone competent in charge. Plus, the death of Umbridge, followed by Fudge, and then suddenly losing Dumbledore would be a huge hit to public opinion. Well, not Umbridge. Swear the air felt cleaner with her gone.

Maybe I had the steps in the wrong order.

·         Step One, kill Dumbledore

·         Step Two, kill Fudge if needed

·         Step Three, profit

Killing Dumbledore would make the Ministry panic. Fudge may have thought that the old headmaster was trying to become Minister, but Dumbledore was the only thing keeping Voldemort at bay. The Ministry knew the Dark Lord was back, even if they didn't want to admit it. Killing Dumbledore would also make Hogwarts and Hogsmeade safe.

This was more annoying than I had originally expected.

I wish I could say that I calculated the amount of days that I should wait until the situation was stable. In truth, I simply lost track of time. The classes, homework, and day-to-day minutia made the weeks fly by. It wasn't until March that I came back to my senses.

My mind went into panic mode. The remaining time to take care of things was much too close for my comfort. I needed to do something now. In a lot of fan fiction I had read, Harry was able to summon the Sword of Gryffindor at will. That could be an option. Of course, if I took fan fiction as a source, then claiming the Slytherin and Gryffindor stuff would have worked.

I closed my eyes, held out my hand, and willed the sword to appear. The sudden weight in my grasp made me nearly drop it. My eyes shot open. I stared in wonder at the sword in my hand. It was lighter than I had expected. Probably due to the goblin steel, or was it silver, that was used to make it. The Sword of Gryffindor was now added to the haphazard mess of ideas that would eventually become a plan.

Originally, I was going to use the venom infused blade to kill the old man. Basilisk venom was incredibly lethal. Harry had only survived thanks to Fawkes' intervention. The same phoenix that Dumbledore had within reach. Basilisk venom could kill just about everything, except it wasn't the fastest. The fact that Harry survived showed that. What distant memories I could salvage from the experience told me that the venom spreading through his body felt like a creeping chill rather than pain. It might work for other people, but it wasn't certain to handle Dumbledore.

While I had a decent handle on spells, this was Dumbledore we were talking about. My only chance at taking him down with magic was to use subterfuge. Get close, a hug would be best, place wand at the base of his skull then a simple piercing curse to end things. I would have to do it in a secluded place to avoid the paintings, ghosts, and random people.

It could work. Every idea I came up with had holes. How would I get close enough to Dumbledore to use the sword? Could I do it without raising suspicion? How thorough would they be if I used a spell? Again, how would I get close to him? How do I get him alone?

A wicked smile crossed my face. The answer was right in front of me. If the plot was changing, then I could use that to my advantage. A Horcrux was the perfect way to isolate him.

~

I slipped into the Owlery early the next morning. Hedwig was too recognizable to use for any private messages. She was a beautiful bird, scary smart, and she had warmed up to me.

·         Professor,
I had a dream last night about the Gaunt Ring. I know where it is.
A Parselmouth is needed to open the way.
H

I used the most generic looking owl I could find. Then headed down for breakfast. The message arrived along with the rest of the mail. Dumbledore nodded as he read the paper, letting me know he understood. I excused myself to the toilet. A House Elf appeared with a pop once I was alone in the hall.

"A message for Mister Student," the elf said before popping away again.

·         H,
We will discuss it tonight.
Professor

The rest of the day dragged along. A dozen possibilities and variants ran through my mind. What if he had already gone after the ring? What if he didn't let me come along? Would he tell people that I'd be going with him? I would have preferred to do this in the summer, but I only had until the end of the school year.

Hermione poked me a few times through classes to get my attention. Thankfully, I didn't have Defense today or I'd be limping back to the Common Room covered in bruises. Professor White did not mess around when it came to her class.

"Mister Potter," Professor White called as she strode down the hall toward me.

Had I accidentally summoned her? The woman towered over the students that scurried out of her path.

"Yes, Professor?" I replied.

"Come with me," she didn't break stride as she spoke.

I had to jog to catch up with her.

"Professor, what is this about?" I asked as I tried to keep up.

"We'll speak in private," she stated, shutting down further conversation.

She led me on a winding route through the campus before we arrived at her room. I knew she had spent time familiarizing herself with the castle, so she wasn't lost. Either she just wanted to take a walk, or she was making certain that people would see us together. Finally, we stood in her classroom. She held up a hand, silencing me until the door was covered in privacy charms.

"What's this about?" I asked as I set my bag on the seat I usually used.

"A favor," Professor White motioned to the door on the far side that led to her attached office.

Dumbledore stepped out of the office as if on cue. I wouldn't be surprised if he had been waiting for the perfect moment.

"Thank you, Jadis," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Professor White nodded. She strode on by Dumbledore and into her office. They waited for the door to close before either spoke.

"You said you had a dream?" Dumbledore prompted.

"Yes," I replied. "You need me to get to it."

"It's too dangerous, Harry," Dumbledore shook his head.

"I know where it is," I said. "A phrase in Parseltongue will turn off all of the defenses. I'll stay out of the way after that."

Dumbledore studied my face for a moment. I wasn't sure if he was trying to take a look into my mind, but I couldn't avoid his eyes if I wanted him to trust me. Instead, I pushed the thought of giant stone snakes, poison traps, and noxious gas to flood my mind. I had come up with a 'white noise' defense for my thoughts. To put it simply, I had a running train of thought in the forefront cataloguing anything I saw and let my mind wander on its loudest setting.

"You will stay behind me and listen to everything I say," Dumbledore said in a serious tone that disagreed with his grandfatherly act.

I nodded.

"Do you know where it is?" He asked.

I nodded again.

"Let's go," Dumbledore held out a hand for me to take.

I did so.

"Close your eyes and picture it," he instructed as he drew the Elder Wand. "Say when you are ready."

Again, I did as he asked. The wand touched the center of my forehead.

"Now," I said.

The uncomfortable sensation of Apparation flooded my senses. It was not a gentle sensation. We arrived outside the shack from my mental image. Dumbledore stayed on his feet, while I was not so lucky. I was down on my hands and knees breathing heavily. The 'logs' of the cabin started to writhe when Dumbledore took a step closer to it. He wisely took a step back.

"Is this it?" Dumbledore asked as he studied the shack.

"Yes," I said through ragged breaths. "Give me a moment."

I was able to straighten up once the world stopped spinning.

"Open," I ordered in Parseltongue.

"Who dares?" A large snake statue hissed right back.

"Your master," I snapped. "Open for me."

The large snake statues shifted away to expose the door. I stepped out of the way and waved for Dumbledore to proceed.

"I'll stay out here," I said. "Just like I promised."

Dumbledore gave me a grateful smile as he entered the shack. It took him about a minute to find the ring. Much to my surprise, he didn't automatically put it on. Instead, he levitated it from the spot and caught it in a silk square of cloth. I was about to call the plan a bust when I saw his eyes go distant. He began to mutter to himself too low for me to make out. The temptation to resurrect his sister proved to be too much. In an instant, he slipped the ring on his finger.

The next moment was chaos. Dumbledore screamed in agony as the curse activated. He tried to pull it off with his other hand only to find it lodged in place. A moment of panic cleared as he remembered I was there with him.

"The Sword, Harry, hurry," Dumbledore held his free hand out to me.

"Of course," I said.

Dumbledore turned his attention back to the ring, trying to wiggle it a bit. He never saw my stunner coming. The old Headmaster dropped to the ground. I waited a few minutes, watching as the curse traveled up along his arm in morbid fascination. His hand twisted into a clenched fist as the skin burned black and brittle. The ring pressed through his palm, causing what was left of his hand to flake away. It moved at an impressive speed.

I levitated Dumbledore out of the shack and set him on the ground outside. The curse was efficient, killing the Headmaster shortly after. A bright mote of light appeared in the air above the body. Instinctively, I knew that it was a signal for the contract with Riddle. I plucked the Elder Wand and slid it into the holster on my wrist, then I summoned the Sword of Gryffindor and pierced the ring. Another screaming specter sprang from the stone in the remains of the ring.

For a moment, it was just me, my thoughts, and the corpse of Dumbledore. I couldn't let Riddle take claim for this but being here alone with the former Headmaster complicated things. Well, well, well, if it isn't the bridge I said I'd cross when I came to it.

The first person to come to mind was McGonagall only to immediately cross her off the list, she was much too loyal to Dumbledore for this to work. Sirius wasn't an option since he was technically still an escaped fugitive. Lupin was useless. Tonks was an option, but I didn't want to drop this on her. Oddly enough, the hardest sell was my best bet.

Now, how to contact someone? I have seen, and read, people use the Patronus for messages. That could work, but I hadn't tried casting the spell yet. No better time than now. Just as Harry had been instructed, I focused on happy memories. More than that, I took hold of how it physically made me feel.

"Expecto Patronum," I commanded.

The wand in my hand kicked hard. Apparently, my magic remembered the spell. A fully corporeal Stag took form in front of me. It cocked its head to the side as it studied me. The Patronus could feel that I wasn't quite Harry.

"Take a message to Moody," I said quickly. "Dumbledore is in trouble. We need help. We're at the old Gaunt family shack. I don't know how to apparate."

The Stag nodded in understanding. It shifted back into a mist form and rocketed off. Once I was alone again I looked down at the Resurrection Stone in my hand. The stone, the wand, and the cloak. I now had all three now. The temptation to see what would happen when I activated the Hallows at the same time was gnawing at me. I would wait until this was handled.

~
Alternate Scene-
This version didn't work in the scheme of things. Still wanted to share
~

"I need to speak with Dumbledore," I told the gargoyle guarding the private stairs.

It slid aside after a moment. A dozen different ideas floated through my head only to be banished. I needed to do this now before I lost track of time again. The door opened a moment before I reached the handle.

"Ah, Harry," Dumbledore gave me a warm smile. "Is everything alright?"

I ignored the unspoken offer to take a seat and walked over to the fireplace with my back towards him.

"I needed to speak with you, Albus," I said flatly.

The Headmaster narrowed his eyes at me when I used his name. Every last bit of the 'grandfatherly sparkle' in his eyes had vanished. He stood and crossed the room to stand by me.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"I learned something," I said softly. "What would you do, Albus?"

"I don't know what you mean," Dumbledore returned.

"If your life was the cost for peace?" I asked still facing away from him.

Dumbledore let out a heavy sigh.

"Leave us," Dumbledore ordered the paintings as he moved to stand beside me.

We waited in silence until we were alone in the room. I didn't buy it, some of the nosey old bastards were certain to be close enough to hear. Probably on Dumbledore's orders.

"What do you know, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

A flick of his wand moved the chairs from in front of his desk to our position. He took a seat while I remained standing.

"A life," I said. "Your life. If it was your life that could bring peace, would you make the sacrifice?"

Dumbledore thought for a long, silent moment.

"Yes," he answered.

I put all of the speed Harry's renown speed into use. The Sword of Gryffindor appeared in my hand as I spun toward the Headmaster. Its gleaming blade sliced through flesh and bone as easily as it did the air. Dumbledore reached up to touch his neck. The motion jostled him just enough to cause his head to roll from his shoulders.

"Your sacrifice is not in vain," I said as I stared down at the head.

"What did you do?" A harsh voice called from nearby.

Turning toward the source, I found a couple of former Headmasters watching in horror.

"His life for peace. He agreed," I flicked the blade of the sword, clearing away his blood. "Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and the surrounding area are now protected."

~
End Alternate
~