The Minister's Tale

CHAPTER III

THE MINSTER'S OFFICE

Adrocca and Tierney descended to the third floor of the Ministry of Magic in silence. Both knew that once they reached the office, what started above them on the streets of Covent Garden would continue.

As the elevator stopped, the female voice sounded through the box. "Third floor: Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant night." The doors opened and Tierney saw before him a dark wood paneled hallway that was eerily quiet. He stepped out first and held the doors back while his father stepped into the hallway. His shoes clicked on the marble floor and he soon heard the echo farther down the hallway.

Adrocca Broadren waited until his son was alongside him before he spoke. He voice was low but firm. Tierney noticed that, like the footsteps, his father's word echoed softly. "I know all that I've told you so far is a lot to take in. What're you thinking right now?"

"Father, actually, I'm not as surprised as I think I should be"

Adrocca looked quizzically at his son, and the young man continued.

"I mean, you are a senior minister and you have great powers. That Memory charm you gave the driver, I mean no wand, just a touch and a word and voila! Memory managed!" The father nodded with a small smile on his face, he was clearly pleased to hear his son praise his talents.

"I always knew you were a great wizard. So it makes sense that you would have been in Auror training, I can see that. But dad, why did you stop your studies? Was it mom?"

The older Broadren started to say something but then he stopped in front of a large wooded door. The door was thick and impressive looking. There was a lion's head doorknocker in the very middle of it. The son noted the handle was also a lion's head. Adrocca turned to Tierney and stared at him for a moment. He let out a small sign, and began to speak softly; as if afraid there might be someone who could hear him.

"In a way son, in a way. But let's go into my office to finish, shall we?" The father took out his wand and pointed at the lock and he turned back to look at Tierney.

"You know I was just thinking it has been a long time since you have been in to see me at the Ministry. I hope you like my office." Tierney nodded. Adrocca's's wand was a sleek ebony style with a like colored handle.

Adrocca whispered "ALOHOMORA." The tumblers in the lock clicked loudly and the echo seemed to boom down the hallway. He reached for the door handle and turned it to the left. The door opened and Tierney peered into a pitch black hole. His father stepped in and spoke again. His voice was not a whisper now but was firm and decisive. He rasied his wand arm as if preparing to conduct an orchestra. "INCENDIO!" The room was lit with the light of a hundred candles. The son stepped in the doorway and stopped. Without even thinking, he gave out a low whistle that faded after a few seconds.

The Ministers office was a large oaken square, about 20 meters high, wide and tall. The wooden walls to the right hand side had portraits of men and women in a variety of dress and hairstyles. The portraits were all looking at him. Many were smiling and one gentleman in a long red waistcoat was motioning him in to enter. Tierney looked at his father who had turned to the right as he entered his office. Adrocca had taken off his overcoat and threw it at a three-legged coat rack near the fireplace. He watched as the coat rack extended a hook to catch the jacket and then returned to its original position. His father, still with his wand in his hand, pointed at the fireplace and spoke in the same voice he used to light the candles.

He used the same spell as the one that lit the candles and the fireplace crackled to life with a roaring fire. Within seconds Tierney could feel the heat of the fire from the doorway. Adrocca reached his desk and turned to see where his son might be. He saw that Tierney had not entered his office. He smiled, "Well, are you going to just stand there? Oh, let me introduce you." He looked over to the wall of portraits. He spoke to the portraits in a proud, almost boastful tone of voice. "Former head obliviators, this is my son Tierney. Please, welcome him into our office." The paintings murmured what sounded like "Pleasure to meet you."

Tierney stepped into the office and his eyes wandered over to the other side of his father's office. The left wall was covered from floor to ceiling with bookshelves, loaded with books of varying sizes that made it appear that they were ready to burst. A table in the corner was surrounded with plush chairs of deep brown leather. The table was covered with copies of Muggle newspapers. He noted that some articles were clipped out of the paper. Other articles were outlined in what appeared to be different kinds of colored inks. There were also copies of The Daily Prophet and The Quibbler scattered on the table.

Tierney entered the office. Adrocca turned and made a pushing motion with his wand. "COLLOPORTUS." The door swung shut and as it closed, it made a sticking sound as if it was closing on tar. Adrocca nodded and continued to the back of his office, watching his son.

Tierney walked slowly from bookshelf to bookshelf. Every subject was represented. There were books on astronomy, history, wizarding wars, biographies on the headmasters of Hogwarts and much, much more. Tierney also noted many Muggle books were on the shelves as well. He ran his hand over a copy of Shakespeare's sonnets when his father called his name. "Tierney, come here to the back bookshelf. There are some photos I want you to see."

Tierney walked quickly to the back of the office. He stopped in mid stride when his eyes fell upon his father's desk. Adrocca's desk was a deep maple walnut shining as bright as a full moon in October. Around the front of the desk was a series of phoenixes in flight. The work was very detailed and extremely beautiful. But that was not the most surprising thing about the desk. There was absolutely nothing on the desk. No quills, no parchments or paperwork, no calendar, nameplate or paperweight. There was nothing on the desk to ruin its clean, deep shine. As Tierney walked to the rear of the desk, he noticed there were no drawers and no handles. In the center of his father's office was a well-crafted piece of wood. Tierney stared at the desk as if he next expected the desk to speak.

Adrocca saw the surprise on his son's face and smiled. Without saying a word, he walked to the desk, took his wand and touched the desk in each of its four corners. The desktop shimmered like moonlight off a still lake surface. Then breaking the surface of the desk, Tierney saw a quill holder. Next some paperweights appeared. An appointment book was open to today's date when it finally emerged. Adrocca touched the back of the desk with his wand. Deep lines formed where drawers would be logically found. Finally, gold handles came up from each new opening and fastened themselves to the wood with a satisfying CLICK.

Tierney whistled again and shook his head. "Father that is quite a desk. Where did you get it?"

"This is the desk of the head obilivators. It comes with the office. Each once of us sets up the desk to his or her preference. I like maple. It goes with the office." Adrocca smiled once more. "Leave your jacket on a chair. Now about those photos on my back bookshelf--" He waited for Tierney to remove his overcoat. Then he took his son by the right elbow and led him to the small bookshelf directly behind his desk.

Unlike the bookshelf that lined one wall, the bookshelf that Adrocca and Tierney were walking toward was smaller only a meter and a half high. Two double doors closed up one half of the bookshelf. The top two shelves had pictures of varying sizes. One shelf was Adrocca with famous people like previous Ministers of Magic, the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore and the Weird Sisters. The very top shelf held only three Wizarding photos. Tierney smiled at the first photo, it was him in all his glory as the official mascot of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He was wearing a lion's outfit with the mane covering his neck. His lion's head was under his right arm and in his left hand he held a megaphone. The photo showed him raising the megaphone and leading unseen fans in a cheer.

"I cannot understand why you don't use the Sonorus Charm," said Adrocca quietly.

Tierney laughed softly. "Something about tradition."

Tierney looked at the second photo and his mouth dropped opened. He had never seen his mother in her full Quidditch outfit. She was wearing the blue and bronze colors of Ravenclaw and she was smiling broadly. Her face was full of color and confidence. Her cheeks were red with exertion and her eyes were full of life. Her long black hair was untied and blowing in the breeze. Tierney could not take his eyes off his mother. Once again, Adrocca spoke in that soft tone Tierney first heard outside Paul Smith's.

"It's my favorite photo of her. She was beautiful, wasn't she?"

Tierney swallowed hard and nodded. He forced himself to take his gaze off the second photo and turned his head to the last photo. He glanced and sucked in his breath in surprise. In the third photo, his mother had gone through a dramatic transformation. She was sitting down in a chair, she looked extremely tired and worn out. Her color was gone and her hair was pasted to her face. There were deep circles under her eyes and she looked like she had not slept in a week. The eyes however were as bright and as blue as in the Quidditch picture. Tierney looked at his mothers face. She moved her head slightly down as if to draw her son's attention away from her face. Tierney looked down and saw a small shape under a bunch of blue blankets. The baby had Tierney's blue eyes and he was no bigger that a wand box. Adrocca once again took his son by the elbow and started to lead him away from the bookshelf. He for motioned him to sit in a chair alongside his desk. Once Tierney sat down, Adrocca sat behind his desk and looked at his son.

"That is the only photo I have of the two of you. I thought there would be many, many more of them..." Adrocca stopped. Tierney didn't want to look at him. He was afraid what emotion would be on his father's face. Adrocca sighed deeply. He began to talk slowly but clearly. "Six weeks after your birth, the three of us came home. You grew strong quickly and you were putting on weight. The healers were confident you would grow to manhood." Adrocca looked at his son. Tierney looked up and smiled. "Your mother however was not as quick to recover. We had to depend on neighbors and friends to help us. They were here in the afternoon while I continued my Auror training. Every night I would come home and care for you while your mother slept. In the morning I would make sure she was comfortable in front of the fireplace and someone from the neighborhood was around to watch her and you.

Tierney reached out with his hand to stop his father's talk. "Where was Grandma Stremsky? I know your parents were both dead. Where was she?"

Adrocca stared at Tierney. "Your grandmother grew to hate me. You should have heard the Howler I received from her the day you were born." Adrocca cleared his throat. When he spoke next his voice had changed. He sounded like an old and bitter woman.

"YOU HAD TO HAVE YOUR HEIR, YOUR SON. BUT MY DAUGHTER. YOU KILLED HER YOU--." Adrocca said no more and cleared his throat again. Tierney just stared at his father. Adrocca patted his son on the shoulder. "In Auror training, we learn Concealment and Disguise. I was taught how to change my voice. As you heard, I could not count on Mama Stremsky to leave Poland to help us. And for a while, we did okay." Adrocca stared away from Tierney. He swallowed hard. Tierney reached over and grabbed his father's hand. Adrocca looked down and he smiled.

"Six months after you were born, I was in Stealth class when an owl flew into the classroom. He came to me and I took the message. It was from the Ministry. They wanted me to come home as there had been an accident. I ran out of the class and was at home in minutes." Adrocca took his other hand and now covered his son's hand in his. Tierney noted that his father's hands were cold.

"Your mother had fallen at home. Ministry officials said it appeared her head struck both the top of the fireplace and the base. They thought she had tried to stand up and lost her balance. A neighbor was in our back yard hanging out the laundry when she heard your mother fall. She came right in, but Tierney; there was nothing she could do. There was too much damage to your mother. When I came home I told the neighbor to take care of you. Your mother died on the way to St. Mungo's. The official explanation was an accident. I was in shock and disbelief. Your mother was gone." Adrocca paused and swallowed. His voice was softer. Tierney strained to hear him and bent forward to listen better.

"I came home that night and picked you up from the neighbors. When I came in the living room I moved the chair where your mother was sitting. As I moved the chair, a piece of paper fell out of the cushion and landed on the floor. I picked it up and read it by the candlelight. Then I read it again. And then I read it once more. And I screamed with anger and hurt and hate. The authorities were only half right, Tierney. It WAS an accident, but not the way they thought." Adrocca stopped abruptly. He withdrew his hands from his son and reached for his wand. "I kept that note. It is time you read it. Let me show it to you."

Adrocca tapped on a drawer with his wand four times. The drawer came out of the desk with a mechanical WHOOSH and then a snap as the drawer locked in place. Adrocca reached into the drawer and pulled out a small parchment folded in two. He gave it to Tierney. Tierney looked at the piece of paper quizzically. He opened it gently. The parchment was a card written only on the very top and the very bottom. The note was handwritten in a script Tierney had never seen before.

Livia: Congratulations on the birth of your son. I would like to give him a gift. Something he will wear forever. What do you think of it?

A. Dolohov

PS. Give my regards to your husband. How is his training coming along? It won't help him, you know.

Tierney looked up at his father with a perplexed gaze. "Father, what was this gift? And who is Dolohov? You've never mentioned him--"

Adrocca cut him off. "One question at a time. First put the note right next to candlelight. Then look at it again."

The young man stood up and placed the card over a lit candle illuminating his father's desk. Immediately, the script vanished form the page. All at once, Tierney saw hundreds of little red dots on the page. The dots grew until each one was clear to the naked eye. The red dots were skulls. Each one gave out a bright, yet sickly glow. As Tierney watched in amazement, each skull opened its mouth and a large green snake emerged. The snake's eyes also gave out a reddish glow that Tierney found repulsive any yet unable to turn away from. Once the snake wrapped itself around each little skull, the figures merged, one on top of another. The skull and snake grew until it became one large red skull and one large green snake with deep red eyes at the very center of the page. The snake opened its mouth and hissed, slowing a large forked red tongue. Tierney let out a small gasp and dropped the note right onto the candle flame. The note refused to burn but slid off the flame and fell to the floor. Adrocca stood up from his chair and bent to pick up the note. Before he put it away, he motioned to Tierney to look at it again. Only the writing was shown on the page.

Adrocca folded the note and put it back in the drawer, the drawer remained open. He leaned on the corner of his desk and looked down at his son. Tierney looked up with eyes wide with surprise. His voice was at first too loud for the office and it echoed off the walls.

"What was that? Father--"

Adrocca raised his right hand with his palm facing his son. Tierney fell silent.

"What you just viewed, my son is the sign of the Death Eaters. Those that have sworn allegiance to Lord Voldemort had that emblem burned into their skin at his command. That is what he meant by 'wearing it forever'. During Voldemort's first attempt to obtain ultimate power, people would come home and that symbol would be over their house like a beacon. It meant death had come to that house. The note came from Antonin Dolohov, one of the most sadistic Death Eaters ever. Dolohov was suspected in many wizard and Muggle deaths. He used that sign for whatever sick and twisted purpose they deem necessary. Like scaring a sickly woman!" Tierney heard anger begin to creep into his father's voice for the first time that night.

Adrocca continued. "You don't know how many nights I stayed awake thinking what happened to your mother that day. I see an owl flying into our house. She takes the card. She reads it, sees who signed the note and the warning to me. Maybe she doesn't believe what the writing says. Maybe the lighting was bad. Maybe she was reaching for her wand to defend both her and you because she thought Dolohov and his allies were going to come through the door. I think, Tierney, it was she wanted a better view of the note. So she stands up and puts the card up next to candlelight. She sees the symbol and what, Tierney? Does she faint? Does she lose her balance? Did the card make her sick? I will never know. What I do know is Dolohov killed her as if he was right in that room. I don't care if he didn't intend to, he did. And when I saw the note that night, I wanted him dead. So I grabbed my wand and was going to find him when Dumbledore and Hagrid-"

Tierney interrupted his father. "Dumbledore? Hagrid? What do they have to do with my mother?"

Adrocca stopped, collected himself and sighed deeply. He looked at his son and Tierney saw a sadness he had never seen in his father's face before. Adrocca signed once more and stood up. He took a couple of steps around the open desk drawer and reached in. When his hand came up he held a rolled up piece of shiny paper. He began to unroll the paper and the two ends rolled back together. Adrocca faintly smiled.

"I am getting ahead of myself. This wizarding photo will help explain more. I went years without even thinking about it. Lately though, I have found myself looking at it more and more."

Adrocca held the photograph in his left hand. With his right he grabbed a couple of paperweights off his desk. He walked over to the side of the desk where Tierney sat and rolled out the photo. He placed a paperweight on each end and the photo stayed flat. Adrocca stepped behind his desk and stood and watched Tierney stare at the photo. The photograph was taken outdoors on a bright day. Tierney thought it was summertime as all the trees had green leaves. In the foreground were a number of people positioning themselves for the photo. In the front row were about a dozen people. On each end of the front row were a man and woman holding hands. A number of other people filled in the first row and kneeled down. The second row had some more people milling around. Then they lined up as well. The third and final row had four or five tall gentleman. They too fell into place and smiled toward Tierney.

Tierney slowly stood up from his chair and leaned down to look closer at the photo. His voice was again too loud for the office. Adrocca did not quiet him.

"Father, I know some of these people. That's Dumbledore! And Professor McGonagall! Hagrid! And there in the second row, that's Professor Lupin. He was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher a few years ago." Tierney looked up at his father. "And that one looks--"

Adrocca looked at the gentleman Tierney was pointing at. "You have a good eye, Tierney. Yes, that gentleman is Alastor Moody, another Dark Arts teacher. He looks much younger and less scarred in this photo."

Tierney returned his gaze to the photo. "Father, what is this photograph? Who are all these other people? And why--"

"This, Tierney is the original Order of The Phoenix. Headmaster Dumbledore assembled some of the greatest wizards and witches to him to fight Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Look hard at that photo, my son. Many of the people in that photo are dead. In the case of the couple on your left, they are worse that dead."

Tierney turned his head and looked at the round-faced couple sitting in the first row. "Those are the Longbottoms. The Death Eaters drove them insane. Currently they both reside at St. Mungo's. They had one child who was raised by a grandparent. Do you know him? I think he was named Neville"

Tierney nodded his head. "Yes I do a little, looks a lot like his mother. Excellent in herbology."

Adrocca nodded. "The couple at the other end is James and Lily Potter. You know what happened to them. I'm sure you know Harry, don't you?"

"Only in passing; he is a great seeker. And that scar..." Tierney went back to the photo. He started to stare hard at two or three faces in the photos. He spoke to his father without taking his eyes from the photograph. Many of the faces were looking up at Tierney.

"You know Father, this is not a very good photo. There is one face here I can hardly see. Professor Lupin and this tall gentleman are in the way. Do you know who that person is?"

Adrocca leaned over to stare at the photo. He smiled and leaned back.

"Yes I do. His name was Caradoc Dearborn. He was from Gryffindor house and was the reserve seeker behind James Potter on their Quidditch team. He was in training to be an Auror and was gifted in Concealment and Disguise. He was well liked by everyone in the Order. About six months after this photo was taken, he disappeared. The Order tried to find him but they were unable to locate his remains. He was presumed killed by the Death Eaters. Excuse me."

Tierney looked up at his father. Adrocca coughed once.

"But son, he did not die."

Adrocca Broadren's voice had changed. The clipped British accent was gone as if it had never existed. Tierney's dad now spoke in a nice pleasant Irish accent. His voice was softer and had a touch of warmth. His father smiled but the eyes showed little joy.

"As I said, he did not die. Please look back at the photo. Look carefully."

Tierney looked back down. His father, still in his Irish voice, lowered his head and spoke directly to the photo. "Remus and Sirius, stand aside please."

Tierney's eyes grew wide as he watched the former Hogwarts professor and a tall thin man with short black hair both act surprised. Then each smiled broadly and hugged the other in a warm embrace. As if on cue, they broke from their hug and grabbed the arm of the person directly behind them. The young man gasped in disbelief and surprise.

The third gentleman's face was a mirror image of his father. The man in the photo had blonde hair and a neatly trimmed beard. His eyes were a deep blue that were full of life and light. Tierney felt a lightheaded feeling come over him. He felt like he had fallen into a deep dark hole where nothing seemed to make any sense. Tierney noticed the eyes again. He continued to stare at the picture. He spoke aloud without glancing at his father

"Father, this person has blue eyes. Your eyes are brown. This person does look a lot like you, I'll give you that, but there is just no possible way--"

Tierney lifted his head and stopped speaking. His father's hand was directly in front of his eyes. Two fingertips held a small glass like object. Each one of them was the color of his father's eyes.

With all the effort he could find within him, the young man raised his head up to look at his father. His father's eyes were now blue. The man who was Adrocca Broadren spoke once more in his new Irish voice.

"Aye, son. I am Caradoc Dearborn. You are Tierney Dearborn, the only child of Livia Stremsky Dearborn and me. And you, like me, are a very gifted wizard. Please sit back down. There is still more you need to know. ."

CHAPTER FOUR- A SIMPLE PLAN

Tierney Dearborn fell back into the chair alongside his father's desk. Caradoc sat down in the chair behind the desk and watched his son carefully.

Tierney tried to speak but couldn't find the words. He kept opening and closing his mouth like a fish on land struggling to breathe. His hands gripped the chair as if holding on for support. He shook his head once and closed his eyes; finally he leaned back in the chair and breathed deeply. He did not move for what seemed like a minute; then Tierney opened his eyes but refused to look at his father. After a few seconds, he leaned forward to look at the photo. His eyes opened wide and a small smile crossed his face.

The people in the photo had begun to throw a party; they were jumping around and hugging each other. Hagrid was throwing a small woman in the air and catching her; James, Remus and the one called Sirius were drinking butterbeer; a man who looked like a relative of Dumbledore was handing out bottles under his long purplish robes and Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Longbottom were tightly embracing each other. Tierney could see that many of the people in the Wizarding photo were crying openly, many of them had surrounded his father and seemed to be asking him questions. Only two characters were not part of the revelry. One, strangely enough to Tierney, was Dumbledore. The headmaster was leaning against a tree and was looking out on his friends with a bemused smile across his lips. The second was a smallish roundly built man with a sharp pointy nose and very bad teeth. Tierney realized that the characters in the wizarding photo didn't know that the Senior Minister was indeed their old friend. Tierney continued to stare at the man in the photograph who claimed to be his father. The character waved and smiled broadly at him.

"Father, he smiles just like you. What about the hair?"

Caradoc was busy fiddling with a pocket. He pulled out a plastic container and placed his brown pieces of glass into it. "Muggle hair dye I bought in a beauty salon. I must have a gallon of it at home. Add the moustache, keep the hair short and no one has even a clue. I did learn a little something while I was training to be an Auror."

Tierney took his eyes off the photo and looked at his father. Without thinking said the first thing that came into his mind.

"It's the smile, I've seen it a thousand times, No one smiles at me like that, And--" Tierney stared at his father, squinting. He glanced back at the photo. "And your face looks younger now, too."

Tierney's father smiled. His face appeared to have fewer wrinkles, especially around the eyes. His smile though was just as warm as the man in the photo.

"Son, try living a double life for as long as I've done. It takes a lot out of you. Moody taught me in Concealment and Disguise that the best place to hide and yet the hardest place to hide for a long time is in plain sight. Every day those pieces of glass went in my eyes. Every day I spoke like a Muggle British Army officer. Every day I came home and kept this act up in front of you until I thought you were ready to hear how your mother died and how I reacted to her senseless death." Caradoc leaned across the desk and spoke in the direction of the photo. "Are you ready to hear the rest? Are ALL of you ready?"

Tierney glanced back at the photo and saw many of the characters nodding their heads. Caradoc nodded as well.

"You see, I didn't even tell them. Only one person knows who I really am, and I will tell you who that person is soon. First, though, lets you and I have a glass of water." Caradoc took his wand and tapped a black spot on his desk. Instantly a tray with a water pitcher and two glasses appeared on top of the desk. Caradoc tapped the pitcher and it lifted up in the air and poured two glasses of water. He reached over and gave his son one of the glasses and Tierney took a sip while he drained his glass and returned it to the tray and once again looked at his son. He smiled and leaned back in his chair, and as he sighed he leaned forward and he began to talk once more.

"I read the note and I wanted revenge. All I could think about was how good it was going to feel to use the killing curse on Dolohov. I grabbed my wand and was just about to leave when Dumbledore and Hagrid apparated. At first, I tried to get past them. When I pulled out my wand, Dumbledore said EXPELLIARMUS and the wand flew out of my hand, so I began to hit Hagrid. Obviously, that didn't work. I kept on hitting him until I finally broke down and cried in his arms."

"Soon thereafter, the Order appeared to give their condolences. They all said something to me but two comments stood out. One was from Remus Lupin; he said I should not be selfish, that I must think of you first, last and always. The second was from Dumbledore. As everyone was leaving they said how sorry they were, Dumbledore said something different. He said, 'Good luck.'"

"In the next couple of days I arranged your mother's memorial service and began to plan my future. I swallowed my pride and wrote to your grandmother to come to England and help me raise you. I began to look for a smaller place to live. I told Moody I would be back in Auror training soon. I thought I was ready to move on with my life and take care of you as best as I knew how. That all changed the day of the memorial service."

Caradoc spun in his chair and filled his water glass. Tierney noticed he had not taken a sip from his own glass whilst his father had been speaking. He quickly took a sip and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Caradoc noticed the gesture and frowned slightly.

"Didn't I teach you manners?" Tierney glanced and saw his father was trying to stifle a laugh. Caradoc moved his head gently from side to side and leaned forward in his chair once again.

"I thought I was strong enough to get through your mother's memorial service. Lily Potter and Alice Longbottom made it a point to take care of you that day. I greeted the guests and friends woodenly, just going through the motions. All that changed when the Death Eaters came to pay their-" Caradoc's voice became lower and he spat out the next word "-respects."

Tierney placed his glass on his father's desk with a loud CLUNK! He nearly jumped out of his chair to speak to his father.

"YOU'RE KIDDING? Dolohov came? You can't be--"

Caradoc raised his hand in the familiar sign of silence and Tierney grew silent. Caradoc's voice was angry and he spoke with an air of great bitterness.

"No, he didn't come, but his friends did. Avery, the Lestranges, the Malfoys, they came. They expressed their 'sympathy'. They were so 'sad' to hear of my loss. The last Death Eater in the receiving line was Bellatrix Lestrange. She hugged me and whispered in my ear, in that slimy voice of hers, "I hope nothing happens to you, Caradoc. Who will raise your son?" Then she lowered her voice and said the one thing that would drive me crazy." He swallowed once and stared at his son.

"Father? What did she say?"

Adrocca answered in a female's voice void of warmth.

"I always wanted a little boy."

Tierney looked ashen. He could not comprehend being raised by a Death Eater.

"What did you do, father?"

Caradoc fell silent for a second. He looked over his son's shoulder as he spoke. "I pushed her away and was reaching for my wand when I felt three hands on my arm. Bellatrix laughed as the Order held me back. Then Lucius Malfoy stepped in between her and me. He patted her on the head and she left. Malfoy followed her out. As they were leaving, Avery turned to face us. He spoke." Caradoc's voice changed once more to a tone deep and low like a fog-horn.

'You may bury your dead in peace. Enjoy your last days, members of the Order.'

I wanted to go after them but again Lupin reminded me that you were my first priority. To go after them, he said, would be suicide. I reluctantly agreed and finished the service. We buried your mother. The Order left soon afterwards but before he left, Lupin made me promise not to do anything rash and to make sure I always took care of you first. I made that promise to him. But what I didn't tell him was that an idea had begun to grow in my head. It sprouted like a flower and I couldn't do anything to stop it. After listening to Bellatrix, I came to a conclusion."

"What father? What did you conclude?"

"You were not safe here. No matter what I did, no matter how many people were around you, no matter all the charms and shields I could muster, the Death Eaters would, if they wanted to, come for you. I could not allow that. And so, I began to formulate a plan. A plan to take you out of harms way."

Tierney noticed his father began to talk quicker. He would take one hand and strike his other hand as he mentioned each step that followed.

"I was surprised how quickly it came together. I would ask the neighbors to watch you while I went to Auror training. After the training I closed our accounts at Gringott's and left instructions for how the sale of the house was to proceed. I went to Knockturn Alley and converted my money to Muggle money. I went out into the Muggle world and in one day, completed all the necessary transactions. Clothes, transport, passports and a new name were done quickly and painlessly. I was able to get a short-term lease on a new apartment where we were going to settle. One night we left our house with the FOR SALE sign on the front lawn and never came back. You and I spent a night at the Leaky Cauldron and the next day stepped out onto Charing Cross Road as Adrocca Broadren and his son Tierney. Have you figured out the name yet, son?

Tierney thought for a second. "If I could write it down; ACCIO QUILL."

A quill on Caradoc's desk floated over to Tierney. He reached over and removed the plug from an inkbottle. He put the quill in the ink jar and wrote out;

ADROCCA BROADREN

Tierney stared at the name for a moment, and smiling he reached for the inkbottle again. "I'm guessing this is how you spell it."

CARADOC DEARBORN

Caradoc clapped his hands.

"Exactly. Well done. It's an anagram. Now back to the story. We took a taxi to Heathrow and left the country."

Tierney's mouth dropped open and his voice again echoed in the large office. "You did what? Father, where did we go?"

"America. Revere, Massachusetts, to be exact. It's a suburb of Boston and near the Salem Witches' Institute. We flew on a Muggle airliner and began a new life."

"But that's not possible. How could you get away with that? All the people who you spoke to..." Tierney stopped in mid thought. He made a motion with his right hand as if he was squeezing an imaginary arm. He then mouthed one word.

"OBLIVIATE"

Caradoc smiled. He reached out and put his hand on his arm. "Very good, son. Everyone would perform his or her particular service for me. A simple touch, a muttered word and no one would remember you or me."

"And the Order? Didn't they come looking for you?"

"Yes, I'm sure they did. But soon after I left with you Voldemort and the Death Eaters began their war. I thought we were never going back. But again I am getting ahead of myself. Let me show you a token of our time in America."

Caradoc bent down and Tierney heard a couple of loud knocks. Next he heard a CKICK and a SCREECH and Tierney guessed a door was opening. Caradoc sat back up with a poster. It was in garish neon colors and bold gold lettering. Tierney stared at the poster and read it aloud:

"FOXWOODS CASINO PRESENTS HOLLOWEN MAGIC FOR YOUNG AND OLD. TONIGHT IN OUR MAIN BALLROOM, DAVID COPPERFIELD AND DAVID BLANIE AT EIGHT AND TEN THIRTY PM.

Tierney stared at the two Muggle magicians.

MATINEE PEORMANCES BY THE AMAZING ADROCCA AT TWO AND-

Tierney stopped reading and dropped the poster. He glared at his father.

"You passed yourself off as a Muggle Magician? How could you? Father, why didn't you become a garbage picker while you were at it? I mean...Really?"

"Son you would be surprised how well they pay. Now sit back down"

Tierney shook his head and sat down in the leather chair with a loud bang. Caradoc ignored his stare.

"I had converted enough money to get us settled. I went up to the Institute to get some information about our new home. I was in the Administration building when I noticed a doorway with a strange sign over the threshold. The sign said:

MUGGLE/non-muggle JOB REGISTRY.

"I walked in and asked a few questions. In America, witches and wizards can work in muggle jobs so long as they register with the Institute. I asked what jobs were the most popular and the young lady read from her list. She noted that the most popular jobs that week were local news weatherman, casino card dealers and children's magicians. I asked about a children's magician and what they did and she told me. The job fitted all my needs and I signed up that day. The young lady must have taken pity on me and she gave me my first job."

Tierney looked at his father and began to laugh. Imagining his father entertain a group of Muggle children was almost as funny as seeing Dumbledore without a beard. The young's man's laugh was infectious and soon Caradoc began to laugh as well.

"Well Tierney, you do what you do to make ends meet. But the job was good and the pay was great. I mean I couldn't believe how much Muggle parents pay for magicians. And I could take you with me so I didn't need to hire a babysitter. It was perfect."

Tierney interrupted his father. "So what happened next, Oh Great and Powerful Adrocca?" Tierney attempted to stifle a laugh but it came out. Even his father joined in and for a moment the two men sat and laughed. Eventually the moment passed away and Caradoc continued.

"Believe it or not son, Muggle parents told their friends and their friend's friend. I was doing three or four performances on Saturday and Sunday. I remember one performance in particular. We were at Fenway Park in the executive suite. A child wanted to have a magician and to see a baseball game for his birthday. So we both saw our first baseball game. Afterwards, I bought a plastic statute of a Boston Red Sox player. He was a pitcher and they called him the Rocket. I think his real name was Roger something. Anyway, you loved that statue and that statue convinced me that we had to go back to England and the Wizarding world."

Tierney looked puzzled and Caradoc noticed. He began speaking again.

"We had been in America for a year and a half. I did a show and the talent manager at the Foxwood Casino in Connecticut saw me, one of his kids was attending the party. He liked me and told me how on Halloween they did this huge magic show. I told him my three conditions and he could only agree on two of them."

"What were those conditions, father?"

"Simple. One: I could only do afternoon or early evening shows. Nothing past 9PM, which was your bedtime. Two: He could not use my photo for any publicity. Three: I brought you so I could keep an eye on you. He did not agree to the third one. Well, I decided, what could the harm be of leaving you with a muggle babysitter? I asked a young teenage girl from across the street to watch you for the afternoon and she agreed."

Caradoc once again peered at a spot over his son's shoulder. Tierney braced himself expecting to hear another family tragedy.

"I was taking the cab back from the 4PM show when I took a phone call on my portable phone. Muggles love those things, though I can't understand why. Well, it was the babysitter in hysterics. She kept telling me she could never sit for me again and she was calling her mother and what kind of mean and spiteful was I, using a baby like that? I hung up and told the cab driver there was extra 100 muggle dollars if he drove very fast." Caradoc shrugged, "I guess that is a lot of money for he did as I asked."

"I came home and the mother and the child were both waiting for me. Without a word, they took me to your room and opened the door. You were sitting in your crib holding your statute of that Red Sox pitcher. You looked perfectly fine. I breathed a huge sigh of relief and asked the two of them what the problem was. The young girl told me that she had made sure the statue was put in a safe place. She put you down for a nap in your room. After a few minutes, she would hear you talking and she peered in. You were playing with your statue. She took the statue from you and placed it on a high shelf. She watched you point at the statue and she said you said something that sounded like ACHOO. She saw the statue float over to you and she, well, she went sort of crazy. She called me and wanted to know what kind of trick I played on her, being a 'right smart smug magician' and all. So I did what any father would do. I paid her double what I promised, cast a small memory charm on both of them and thanked them. They left and I came into your room and took the statue from you and placed it on the highest spot I could find. I waited and a minute later you saw the statue. You pointed at it and said very clearly ACCIO. The statue came right to you and you grabbed it. I took it way and you summoned it again. I sat down on the floor in your room and I knew we would be leaving for home very shortly."

Tierney shook his head. "I'm not sure I understand, father. That sounds like a simple summoning charm. What could be so shocking about that?"

Caradoc replied in the same tone of voice he had used to tell Tierney about their time in the Muggle world. "A basic summoning charm is taught to FOURTH year students at Hogwarts. You were doing them at two years old, and you had no formal training. Do you know what that means? Do you have an idea how far advanced you are?" Tierney looked confused. Caradoc thought for a second and moved his chair closer to his son.

"Son, think about this. Has any assignment you have been given at Hogwarts given you any trouble? When flying, don't you feel like you know what you're doing before you do it? When doing any of your assignments, don't they feel easy? Simple even?"

Slowly Tierney's face began to comprehend what his father was saying. "Yes father, I know what you mean. Especially flying! I wish I could stay in the air all day."

Caradoc smiled and patted his son on the knee. "In the muggle world, such children are called prodigies. These are children who have a skill that most adults never master. As I watched you summoned your base-ball pitcher, I knew you were gifted. I know the Muggle world was not for you. I could adapt but you would find it difficult when magic and the ability to do it is not a conscious thought but is part of your being. It's who you are."

Caradoc moved his chair back. He smiled at his son and sighed.

"And so I grew my beard and moustache. I went to an eye doctor and bought a supply of brown contact lenses. I reconverted my money back to Wizarding currency. I produced papers claiming I was Adrocca Broadren and paid a lot of money to insure that my trail was covered and my identity established. Then we flew back to London on another Muggle airliner. I found our apartment in London and went to work at the Ministry. I caught up on what had happened in the first War. I learned that Voldemort was defeated because of the love parents have for their child. That night I cried for the Potters, all three of them. I did not know what had happened to Harry. I found that out later when I was discovered at the Ministry by an old friend."

Tierney glanced at his father. "Do I know this person?"