HP/LOTM: Visionary - 421

Chapter 421: Reunion at the Hog’s Head, Ethan’s Choice

"Well? Are you coming with me?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione.

"Ron…" Hermione sobbed, choking on the words. "N–no. I am staying. We promised we would help Harry. Have you forgotten…?"

"I see. You chose him," Ron said.

He slung his rucksack over his shoulder, yanked the flap aside, and walked straight out into the rain.

"Ron! Ron!" Hermione cried, running after him.

Harry felt the air outside the tent twist with the tell-tale pull of Apparition.

A moment later, Hermione stumbled back in, drenched, her face crumpled and wet with tears. "Ron Disapparated," she whispered.

Harry grabbed Ron’s blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

His mind felt hollow. He bent to pick up the Horcrux, looped the chain back around his own neck, then climbed into his bunk and lay there, staring up at the dark canvas and listening to the hammering rain.

……

Elsewhere, the new Master of Hell and his big black dog were still roaming. They finally reached Hogsmeade.

Because they always struck from hiding, almost no one had seen their faces when they ambushed the patrols. Inside the Snatcher squads, all anyone had were stories about mysterious attackers.

Ethan led Sirius up to the door of the Hog’s Head and knocked hard.

"Closed, you idiots. Can you not read the sign?" a rough voice bellowed from inside.

"Mr Aberforth, it is us," Ethan called. He had met Aberforth before and had heard Dumbledore call him by name.

After a moment, the door opened. Aberforth peered out, swept his gaze warily across the lane, then, seeing no one, stepped aside to let them in.

Ethan took Sirius up to a room on the second floor. When he pushed the door open, they saw two frail, elderly men playing wizard chess.

Sirius changed back into human form at once. He could hardly believe the man in front of him was real.

"Professor Dumbledore? How is this…?" His voice came out ragged with a half-strangled sob.

"Oh, Sirius. It has been a long time," Dumbledore said with a gentle smile. In times like these, seeing a former student alive and standing was no small blessing.

"You… you are alive… I mean, why…" Sirius stammered, shocked speechless by the sudden surge of joy.

"Why have I not stepped out to lead you all against Voldemort, is that it?" Dumbledore said mildly. Even stripped of the vast power his resentment had once given him, he was still the most skilful white wizard of the age.

Sirius fell silent. Dumbledore had gone straight to the heart of it.

"Because I am old, Sirius. My heart is not as strong as it once was. I can no longer hold my resentment down," Dumbledore said, showing him a thin, withered hand.

"But…" Sirius began.

A sharp snort from the side cut him off.

"Hmph. These young wizards are all spoiled," Grindelwald said.

“And you are?” Sirius demanded, snapping his head around to stare at him.

"Gellert Grindelwald," he said, lifting his chin a fraction.

"Never heard of you," Sirius said.

He knew very well this was the Dark wizard who had ravaged Europe sixty years ago, but he was not about to show it.

"Hmph," Grindelwald said again. Dumbledore reached over and patted his arm.

"Do you remember what I told you when the Order of the Phoenix was founded?" Dumbledore asked, glancing up at a portrait on the far wall, eyes full of old memories.

"To stand against those who use the Deep Realm for evil," Sirius said after a pause, repeating the warning the older members had given him when he joined.

"Yes. Most of the witches and wizards who joined before you are gone now. This old bag of bones should really step aside and make room. The young are where the hope lies," Dumbledore said.

He turned to look at Ethan. Over the past months of fighting Death Eaters, Ethan had adapted to Hell’s power. He could control the devil’s fire with ease.

"Mr Beckett," Dumbledore said.

Ethan stepped forward. He had always called him “Professor” before, but the word that came out now was different.

"Headmaster," Ethan said, stepping forward.

"No need to call me Headmaster. I am no longer—"

"No. To us, you will always be the Headmaster of Hogwarts," they both said at once.

"That is a great honour," Dumbledore said, colour touching his cheeks. Neither of them noticed.

"Mr Beckett, would you be willing to join the Order of the Phoenix?" he asked, eyes intent.

"Oi," Grindelwald said, affronted by Dumbledore’s blatant poaching.

"What is so great about the Order? Come to the Continent. I will summon the Saints’ forces and put them at your disposal, so long as you do not forget our agreement," he said, shooting Dumbledore a deliberately provocative look.

Dumbledore just sighed. He knew all too well that the older a wizard grew, the more childish he could become, and saw no point in arguing.

"I am sorry, Professor," Ethan said after thinking for a moment. He chose to refuse.

"Heh," Dumbledore’s old flame gave a satisfied little grunt, while Dumbledore himself looked at Ethan in curiosity.

"May I ask why?" he said.

"Because of this, Professor. I have already found the path I want to take. Not only for my agreement with Grindelwald, but for my parents as well."

Ethan reached into the pocket expanded by an Undetectable Extension Charm and drew out the manuscript he had been working on: A Brief Analysis of Conflicts Between Wizard and Muggle Society.

Dumbledore and Grindelwald each took a stack of pages. The paper laid out in detail how wizards, as an elite group who could step out of the social framework at any time, and Muggles, who depended completely on that framework to survive, inevitably came into conflict in matters of survival, culture, production, and more.

"And what solutions do you see for the clashes between us? Do not tell me you also plan to kill all the Muggles," Dumbledore said, setting the pages down, his tone more serious.

The last wizard who had coolly assessed both sides’ strengths and done dynamic evaluations of the balance was sitting right beside him.

"Two, in fact. First, create a fully separate world that belongs only to us wizards. Second, make Muggles into wizards," Ethan said with a grin.

He reached out and pulled a silver thread from the air.

"The First Project?" Dumbledore said softly, staring at it.

"What are you talking about? Making Muggles into wizards?" Grindelwald said, genuinely taken aback.

Between them, Dumbledore and Ethan sketched out what Aiden had built to address the conflict between the two worlds.

“Sweet Merlin. To think something from underground could be used like that. If only He had been born in our time… No, He can go back, cannot He? So why did He not?" Grindelwald muttered.

"For His own birth. Aiden said he cannot change the course of an age. If he did, he might undo his own existence," Ethan said with a shrug.