Accidental Magic

Accidental Magic

Chapter Two:

The Rosewood Puzzle Box

The woman in the tartan robes wiped her eyes with the handkerchief she'd removed from her pocket. Her greying hair had started falling out of the customary tight bun at the base of her head as she mounted the stairs and felt them move her around and around until she reached the door of her new office. Placing a shaking hand on the worn oak, she pushed it open and surveyed the room with a heavy heart. The instruments, spindly-legged tables and odd artefacts turned her tears into sobs, causing her to sink to her knees in the middle of the floor. She rarely showed this much emotion but the events of the last few days overwhelmed her and she let the tears come.

"Minerva." The familiar voice echoed through the room.

"Albus?" She wiped her eyes and walked toward the new portrait that contained the image of her long-time friend, mentor, and confidant. She got to her feet and walked to the picture, absently stroking the gilded frame. "What can I do for you?"

"Not me. There is something you can do for Harry, however." His voice sounded tired.

"Potter? What?" Minerva stared back at Albus' image, watching him yawn.

"The Box, Minerva." He yawned again. "The Rosewood Puzzle Box." The image of the recently-dead man fell asleep, slumped in the cushy chintz chair, his hands folded serenely in his lap.

The box? For Potter? Minerva shook her head, trying to analyze what she just heard. She knew that Albus and the boy were close, perhaps closer than they should have been, but this could only mean one thing, and Minerva McGonagall was amazed at what it meant.

However, not one to not do what Albus asked, Minerva quickly made her way to a bookcase laden with boxes she knew Albus had used to hide things. The particular box, the Rosewood Puzzle Box, was a relic rumoured to be from the time of Merlin. The ancient box sat alone on the fifth shelf. She withdrew her wand from her robes and expertly levitated the wooden vessel down onto the desk.

The box was about the size of a large jewellery box and had an intricate puzzle inlaid into the lid, forming a puzzle intended to be a lock. Minerva only saw the box on one previous occasion, another sad time in her life. It was two days after James and Lily Potter were killed, and she stood in the exact spot.

~*~

"It's real? I never knew you had it, Albus?" Dumbledore held out the box to Minerva McGonagall, gently stroking the fine carvings of the lid.

"Ah, yes. I never thought you would be one to doubt me, Minerva. I have informed you on several occasions that this particular box is a family heirloom." She watched as Albus' long, thin fingers began moving the pieces of the lid around, turning the criss-crossed hash marks into a rose. With a click, the box opened on its own, bringing forth a gasp from Minerva's lips.

"This is indeed Merlin's box and as the Guardian of Merlin, I am entrusted with it." Dumbledore sat behind his desk and motioned for Minerva to take the chair across from him. "I want to show you this because when I die, you will be the only one permitted to open it."

"Albus, surely you don't think..." She couldn't finish the sentence. So much had happened in the last few days.

"No, no, no. I intend to live many more years, Minerva. The secrets contained inside the box must be protected and I am choosing you as caretaker." He slid the box across the desk in front of the Scottish woman.

"But, surely, Aberforth would be a better caretaker." The brothers hadn't had much contact in the last few years but they were, after all, family.

"His goats take his attention away from his magical responsibilities. Do you accept the job, my dear friend?" He cocked his eyebrow as he looked across the desk.

"Of course, Albus, I will. But what is inside?" Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"Is curiosity killing the cat?" Minerva blushed at the reference to her Animagus form.

"No, no. I merely wondered what could be so important."

"Knowledge, Minerva." Dumbledore stood up and walked over to the window overlooking the courtyard of his beloved Hogwarts. "I do not believe that Voldemort has gone completely, Minerva. The box gives the new Guardian power to defeat Voldemort completely."

"What?" She joined Dumbledore at the window, looking out into the dark night. "Why can't you use it? Surely, the information will work now as well as later."

"No. It cannot." Albus turned to her, a serious look on his face. "Do you promise?"

"Yes, Albus."

"And hopefully, you will never have to open it."

~*~

Minerva McGonagall wiped another tear from her face as she allowed the memory to fade from her mind and she walked to the desk with a heavy heart. The day had come, she was sure, and the realization that Harry Potter was the one intended to receive this information calmed her nerves considerably. For all his rule breaking ways, stubbornness and temper, she could think of none more deserving of Dumbledore's trust and information. He was a remarkable boy. A true testament to his parents' memories.

She placed her hand on the tiles of the puzzle and manoeuvred them around the lid and it popped open, revealing several sealed envelopes, one with her name written in Albus' slanted hand. Taking a deep breath, she opened her letter and began to read.

Minerva,

If you are reading this, I am dead and Harry Potter has not yet turned seventeen. It is imperative that you follow the instructions I give you perfectly in order for everything to be completed.

There is a letter to be owled to Petunia Dursley. She is expecting it. Please send it a week before Harry's birthday. On midnight of July thirty-first, the Box will deliver itself to Harry.

Thank you for completing my task as Guardian. The Puzzle Box will no longer be yours after Harry turns seventeen. He is the one, Minerva. Harry will conquer Voldemort. Of that, I have no doubt.

Until you join me on the wall,

Albus

McGonagall took the letter addressed to Mrs Dursley and placed it on the desk beside the box before closing the lid, watching the pieces of the puzzle magically rearrange themselves before taking it back to the shelf. Stepping away, she quietly left the office, not ready to accept the fact that it was now hers. Albus was the epitome of the protector of Hogwarts and she was the one with the daunting task of replacing him and convincing others that this place, this ancient hub of learning and tradition, was still safe and a worthy place for families to send their children.

Minerva's thoughts continued along these lines as she made her way toward the Owlery. Without thinking, her steps led her toward the lake and the gleaming white tomb that now stood along the shore, blanketed with flowers and wreaths. She found herself standing before the marble tomb, letter in hand. She took a deep breath.

"Albus, I'm sending the letter to Mrs. Dursley. I promise that whatever it takes, I will lend my aid to Harry Potter." She smiled, thinking of all the trouble the young man got up to during his six years at this place. "He has grown into a powerful and wise wizard. I hope everything goes according to your plan." She turned around and made her way with determination toward the Owlery, determined to set into motion a plan that she didn't fully comprehend but trusted implicitly.