HP: MAGICAL LIFE CHAPTER 38 (Patreon)

Chapter 38

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

Albus Dumbledore had been slightly disturbed by his meeting with young Edward. The implications behind what the kid had told him were massive. Albus had reasoned that Edward hadn’t told him everything, yet the kid had also told him more than enough to rattle him slightly.

After that meeting, he hadn’t been able to get the memory of Gellert asking him that question out of his mind and so he had decided to come and ask him. And Gellert’s reaction made all his suspicions come true as he watched a smile blossom over his lips. Gellert smiled as he stepped out of the shade, and their eyes met as his once friend spoke up.

“It has been years since I asked you that question, Albus. We were young then. Young and lost in each other,” and Albus couldn’t speak up, still trying to process the implications behind his discovery. Gellert continued, finally coming to a stop right in front of him as their eyes were level with each other.

“So, tell me, Albus, who has asked you the same question now?” Albus seemed a bit taken aback at how Gellert seemed to have inferred young Edward and his discussion. This also was the final nail in the coffin. However, Albus sighed and decided to give his old friend a hint.

“I believe you would have seen him in one of the British Newspapers recently, after all, he was recently compared to you for his spell work,” and he saw Gellert think before his friend smiled once more as he made the connection.

“AHH! I see the Hogwarts champion for the tournament, Edward his name was, I believe?” and Albus nodded, looking straight at Gellert as he thought of what other secrets the man had hidden from him. What other things had he and everyone else missed for all this time?

“I must say, I had never thought that there would ever be another one like me. And what a coincidence that he would be inspired by someone just like himself. I must say, magic never ceases to amaze me even after all this time,” finished Gellert as he broke out into a brisk laugh.

Albus was surprised as well. He had checked Edward’s parents’ blood, and they had been as normal as any other muggle. From what he remembered he shared no blood relation to any magical bloodline, and yet there was a connection. A connection between his student and one of the most gifted wizards of the century.

He watched Gellert stand and there and decided to speak up.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” he questioned Gellert. Gellert looked at him, and Albus noticed his expression shift from hurt to grim before he finally spoke up.

“What was there to tell Albus? You left me, left me all alone, you turned your back on our vision,” and Gellert turned away from him as he walked towards the only small window in the room before he continued.

“That day, when I asked you that question I was about to do it. Yet in the last moment, I stopped, feeling that you weren’t ready yet. So, I decided that I would tell it to you one day, the day when we would fulfill our vision,” and Gellert turned to face him once more.

“And that day never came. Yet here we stand, talking about dreams long forgotten,” and Albus nodded as he thought about Gellert’s words and decided to ask the biggest question in his mind.

“What were those dreams, Gellert? What exactly did you see in them?” he questioned, and Gellert frowned at this before he asked him with a smile.

“So, he didn’t tell you everything. Smart and cautious, it seems I must meet this Edward Wright one day,” Gellert commented in an impressed tone before continuing.

“Though you must have your own suspicions. You must have an idea of what we saw in those dreams, though,” and indeed he did. Yet the whole idea was mind boggling. So mind-boggling that he didn’t want to bring it to his lips for once he had said it would be a confirmation. A confirmation that would shake his whole understanding of magic itself.

So, he nodded, “I do. But I want you to confirm it,” and Gellert nodded before he uttered the words that would tumble his worldview.

“Another life, Albus. They showed me a whole other life!”

Albus Dumbledore closed his eyes as his lover-turned-enemy uttered those words confirming his suspicion.

Change was on the horizon.

0000

ELIZABETH WHITE

The last couple of weeks had been hell for Elizabeth White. While they had all escaped relatively unscathed from their kidnapping, life after that had been a whirl of movement and change. With the return of You-know-who things in magical Britain were. Lines were being drawn everywhere.

There was a power struggle going on in the Ministry though from what the Daily Prophet was reporting, Dumbledore had managed to force an election, and now Lady Amelia Bones was on route to becoming the next Minister. Even in this very Hall, lines had been drawn. The Slytherin and other groups that sympathized with the idealogy of blood purity were on one side, and on the other side were the blood traitors and the so-called half-bloods and mud-bloods.

She looked to the side and found Edward sitting there, half his face covered by a simple black mask that covered majority of his burns, as he ate the dinner. In front of him sat Amy, gossiping away with Cedric and she knew which side she was on. Yet the same couldn’t be said of her family, and she dreaded that thought.

“So, you still planning on leaving for France after the exams?” she asked Edward. The students from Beauxbatons and Drumstrang had returned a couple of weeks ago and now their exams were just around the corner.

“Yeah, that’s the plan. I do need to get some documents cleared up, but hopefully it wouldn’t be a hassle,” Edward replied looking towards her and once more, her heart broke seeing his injuries. Below his jaw line, she saw the burns extending below to his chest. She hated herself for not being strong enough, for not being able enough to stand up with him.

“Elizabeth. Elizabeth!” and she was broken out of her trance by his voice as she shook herself.

“Yeah, I was just lost in thought there,” she spoke as she pushed away her plate. She was in no mood of eating anymore.

“Ohh! What’s going on in your mind?” questioned Edward still looking at her.

“Ohh! You know just our time at Hogwarts. How quickly the seven years went by. I think I am going to miss being here,” she replied, her voice wistful and small as she looked around the magical Hall. She had so many memories here. It was the place that had made her what she was. Given her a family she never had. Then she looked down at Edward, Amy, and Cedric. And felt saddened as she remembered the latest letter from her father, though after a second she hardened her heart.

These people were her family. And she would never betray them. Never.

“I am going to just miss being together like this,” she said, finally noticing how her vision had become hazy due to her tearing up.

“Ohh! Liz’ you are making me tear up,” interjected Amy from the side and Elizabeth immediately wiped them away as suddenly Edward wrapped his arm around her shoulder and brought her in.

“Don’t worry Elizabeth. Even after we all leave these Halls, I promise to remain in touch. All of us are wizards. We can travel thousands of miles in the blink of an eye. We will keep in touch, and meet regularly,” and Amy and Cedric nodded along, voicing their thoughts.

“Of course, where else will I get all the Wizarding World’s latest gossip,” said Cedric, teasing Amy, who simply made a face at him but nodded along.

“Yeah,” though she saw Amy turn towards Edward with a frown question.

“You still haven’t told her,” and he shook her head as he replied.

“Not yet, though I think this would be a good time for it,” and she frowned as she separated from him and looked at both of them.

“What are both of you talking about? What haven’t you told me, Edward?” she questioned her friend, and Edward sighed as he began slowly.

“Well, I believe it’s about your little Flint problem,” and she immediately looked toward Amy, who had a guilty look on her face. But before she could berate her Edward stopped her.

“And before you start shouting at Amy. She only confirmed it. I heard about it from within my house, Uquart, Marcus’s little brother was boasting about it in the common room,” and her eyes widened at that as she thought what that actually meant. This showed that things were farther along than her father made it seem.

Still, she was embarrassed a bit at involving him in her personal matter.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Elizabeth?” Edward asked her and she just shrugged after sighing.

“I just didn’t want to trouble you. You already had so much on your plate with Fleur and tournament and everything else,” she argued as Edward shook his head.

“You should have told me. However, that’s all in the past. Though I think with the situation after Voldemort’s return,” she still shivered a bit when he simply took his name like that.

“Your situation could have only gotten worse. Thankfully, I have a perfect solution,” she heard the sound of metal clacking and looked up to find him holding a set of keys. However, she didn’t understand what they meant.

“What are those?” and she noticed how Amy was about to joke, yet Edward stopped her as he continued.

“These are the keys to the house I bought. And as I will be leaving, you and Amy can move there without any issue at all,” and her eyes widened as she remembered him buying a house. And even though he was moving to France, giving away his house to her, to them was too much.

So, she shook her head, not going along with the idea.

“NO! NO! This is too much. I will manage. You don’t need to do this f….” and Edward cut her off.

“I do. The house has enough rooms for a whole family, and with the way things are Amy also needs a safe and stable place to stay. The house has the best wards money can buy. There is no reason for you to object to this,” and she tried to protest again. But he simply placed the key in her hand forcefully.

She looked up and found Amy smiling at her waving her key as her eyes landed on Edward again. She did not have the words to express her emotions so she just hugged him and wrapped her arms around him.

“Thank you. Thank you for this,” and she felt his arms going around her, and her fears about the future’s uncertainty washed off as Edward had taken care of her biggest worry.

“It was nothing a brother wouldn’t do for his sister. Tomorrow is the weekend, and we can all go and visit, and you can look at the place and see it for yourself,” and she nodded though she simply snuggled in closer as she felt his self-assuring presence calm her down.

0000

SIRIUS BLACK

Sirius Black landed shakily as he apparated near the address of the Grangers. There was another crack beside him as an immaculately dressed Remus Lupin stepped forward.

“Sirius, are you sure about this?” Remus asked him for the hundredth time making him shake his head. So, he replied as he had for the last hundred times as he straightened out his dress.

“Yes, I am sure,” he said, and Remus shrugged before he took a piece of paper out of his pocket.

“All right, let me check their address,” and then he saw Remus look up as he scanned the row of houses in front of them.

“It should be at the end of the lane…” but he noticed Remus’s voice growing quieter before he shouted.

“Sirius! LOOK!” Remus shook him, and he looked at the place his friend was pointing at, and his eyes widened as he saw the sky above a house illuminated in green. A green light that took over was shaped in the form of a skull with a serpent wrapping around it.

It was the Dark Mark.

“It’s their house. We need to contact the Order,” shouted Lupin as both of them ran straight towards the Granger house. Sirius took out his wand, as he reached the perimeter.

“There are wards around it. They might be inside,” he muttered as Remus joined him after sending out the signal for the Order. They both looked at each other and with a nod, they began working on the wards. It took over a minute, yet the wards were similar in design to those used in the last war, so they could dismantle them.

“Let’s go!” he said as he tried to rush towards the house, but he felt a powerful tug as Remus suddenly pulled him back.

BOOOM!

“Watch out!” and that was his only warning before the whole house blew up in a huge explosion. Even with Remus bringing up a shield both of them were thrown back violently. His head hit the concrete and Sirius felt his vision getting blurred. He writhed in pain on the ground as he noticed a silhouette walking out of the flames.

“If it isn’t the infamous Sirius Black and Dumbledore resident werewolf. This reminds me of old times,” said the person wearing the dark robes and Sirius knew that voice was familiar. He had heard it before.

He noticed a wand getting leveled at him. He tried to reach for his own wand lying away from him yet the Death Eater swatted it away with his leg. And just as he felt darkness descend over him, he saw the wand tip light up green.

“It is time to put you down, mut!”

0000

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