Harry Potter and the Old Believers

Chapter 04

Thursday, September 9, 1915

"Come in, Mister Dumbledore."

"Doctor Pwy." Albus sat before the instructor's desk, and looked at his favorite teacher with expectation.

"As I'm sure you know by now, each sixth year wizard will be interviewed this month, and then again at the end of this year and once next year, in order for us to have a good idea of what you may want to do when you leave the School. Then, we hope, we can suggest ways to help you achieve your goals." Pwy leaned back. "Normally, at least one head of House would be here, but as you no doubt also know, they and the Headmaster are still discussing what to do about Professor Binns, since his ghost insists on continuing teaching since his death on Monday. So, Mister Dumbledore, what do you want to do when you grow up?"

Dumbledore smiled at the question. "Well, Quidditch is fun, but I don't think I'm good enough to play professionally, do you?"

"I'm no judge of Quidditch," Pwy admitted, "but no -- you're a good flyer, but not good enough. Your cousin Percy may have a shot, but few Quidditch players play past the age of thirty, and fewer make enough to last more than a few years into their retirement."

"I don't really need to make much money, thank goodness. My family has enough."

"Enough for a good settlement for your older sister, I understand, but what about your brother?" Pwy pointed out.

Albus gave a sigh. "Aberforth. . . ."

"I hate to say it, but while your brother. . .has a sweet disposition. . . ."

"He barely has a brain in his head," Albus nearly snapped.

"He's not a unintelligent as you think, Mister Dumbledore" Pwy corrected. "He actually does have a very good mind. . . ." Dumbledore snorted a little at that. "He does, but he's a dreamer. He'll make it through Hogwarts with some nice O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. As for a career, however. . . ."

"He'll never have a job, and is unlikely to ever afford to marry, unless some sweet woman with money of her own loves him. Still, I have no idea what I would like to do, either. I have no interest in a Ministry position." He thought a moment. "I might enjoy research, or even some teaching."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

"Really?" That puzzled the young man for a moment.

"If you continue at your current rate of performance, would you be interested in training at the Old Believers' Sefydliad?"

"Really! The Institute!" The very idea excited young Dumbledore.

"Sefydliad," Pwy corrected. "You would need to learn at least standard Welsh, if not our particular dialect. They offer various Master of Magic programs. You should specialize in transfiguration at the least, with one minor area in charms, and perhaps a second area as well. I can arrange it, if you want to go, and if you keep working at your current level."

"I'd like that very much, sir."

"You can't tell anyone here at Hogwarts that I'm helping you. Few non-Old Believers are accepted, especially from outside North America, but if it became known I sponsored you, I would be deluged with requests. Still, I would be happy to sponsor you. You're far and away the best student I've seen at Hogwarts, and better than anyone I saw at the Ysgol, except perhaps myself."

"Thank you, sir," Albus said, blushing.

"It would be a three year program, so you'd be finished at the same time your brother is finished here."

"Yes, sir. So, I guess I'd better take Welsh as my next magical language."

"Yes, and old British, if you haven't learned that yet. You have your O.W.Ls. in Transfiguration, Charms, Defense, Runes, which is what you would need. And you have all those others, which increase your chances of being accepted. We can talk to your parents and start the paperwork. If you get your N.E.W.T. in those four subjects and any three others, you should be allowed to go."

"Thank you, sir!"

24 December, 1917

Dear Professor Pwy

Forgive me for writing in English -- the only time I get to use it is while writing letters. First of all, I apologise for not writing again sooner; it has been a very busy two months. I do thank you for bringing me to America in such an amazing way. I had no idea magic corridors could still be created. Thank you for allowing me the use of your cottage; I certainly enjoyed the two months I had to get used to the Settlement before the term started, and living in the cottage made my acceptance in the community easier than we had anticipated. I am very glad you warned me of the various taboos against 'new products' here at Weston, though. I miss potatoes a bit, but can live without the maize and tobacco. Living without sweets is the hardest.

The training is intense, as you no doubt know. As I told you in the other letter, I have decided to get three certificates, in Transfiguration, Alchemy, and Charms. They did insist I have two minor areas of study and have stuck with my decision to do Potions and Runes (or rather 'magical symbols and languages'; I was rather teased when I mis-called the subject 'runes!), since Defense is not offered as such. I have been partnered with a research fellow from back home as my Alchemy sponsor: Nicholas Flamel, a name I thought consigned to the history books! He did tell me that he met you once at a conference at the Ysgol. He is back for his third fellowship in three hundred and fifty years. I will be researching the uses of dragon's blood -- there must be more than four major types! I hope to be finished in a total of six years or less.

I will try to write more often.

your pupil
Albus Dumbledore

14 October,1922

Dear Titus:

Thank you for the preserved boiled potatoes and chocolate frogs; they were very welcome by myself and my fellow ex-patriots from the various outside communities (perhaps the potatoes earned me the invitation to visit a community of Irish wizards over the Yule holidays). I must admit with a little shame that I gave away the Every-Flavoured Beans; I somehow always manage to choose the wrong ones. I am glad that your battle to allow young Flitwick to enroll has already been proven justified to the faculty. He sounds like an amazing student.

I believe I have you to thank for my appointment as a sorcerer, rather than as a sorcerer's apprentice and my Order of Merlin (3rd Class). Yes, my paper on the twelve types of uses for dragon's blood is of great theoretical importance, but that much? I am sure you were consulted about my being offered the title of warlock, as well. I have considered the implications, and have decided to accept the title. I will fight for what's right, for the power of Light. I will always consider you my greatest mentor. I hope we can speak in person this summer.

Yes, I will be finishing my studies in June. As I entered the States in such an unusual manner, I will be leaving through Canada. What I'll do then, I'm not certain. Any suggestions?

your pupil
Albus

From the Desk of Armando Dippet
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry
Order of Merlin (Second Class), Sorcerer,
Minor Pooh-bah International Confederation of Wizards

31/01/1923

Dear Mister Dumbledore:

We at Hogwarts are very proud of your many accomplishments. It is in regards to those accomplishments that I am writing. Professor Morris Jasper, whom you no doubt remember replaced Professor Nott, has decided to leave at the end of this year due to an unfortunate encounter with a hippogriff which strayed from the Creatures class. Professor Johnson has also decided to take early retirement for the same reason; if you should know of any person eligible for Professor Johnson's Care of Magical Creatures position, please feel free to nominate him.

In regards to Professor Jasper's position, we are pleased to offer the position of Transfiguration Professor to you, starting 1 September, 1923.

yours
Armando Dippet

Albus Dumbledore rolled his eyes skyward. "Somehow, I think I got my Yule present from Titus either slightly late or extraordinarily early this year!"

Thursday, July 5, 1923

"Thank you for picking me up, Titus."

"Not a problem. And you don't have to be so tentative about using my name. You've been calling me Titus for over four years in your letters."

"True. I'm glad I could stay for another Fourth of July."

Titus smiled. "The Fourth and Christmas are the only two days the Old Believers join this millennium."

"Ah, hot dogs, potato salad, and beer -- and lots of chocolate cake!"

"That's right; no Prohibition nonsense around here. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Arch." A door appeared in the wall of the room that Albus had called home for over five years. They exited to a corridor, and then out another door into a slightly (but only slightly) more modern room.

"Here we are, from morning to afternoon."

"The Leaky Cauldron?"

"Yes; let's go down and let whichever Tom serving there know you're here. Then, into Diagon Alley."

"Why?" Albus looked confused.

"I'm ordering you three full sets of faculty robes, of course. I'm sure you're going to make some great contributions to the British community in general and Hogwarts in particular, and you should look the part."

After being measured, Titus took Albus for coffee and tea respectively at the canteen inside the Ministry, which was open until 6:00.

"Except for those few streaks of white, you've hardly changed since I saw you my first day of class."

"Yes, I age pretty well, don't I?"

Dumbledore gave his mentor a penetrating look. "Somehow, I think I'm part of a plan of yours."

"A plan, yes; mine?" Titus shrugged. "I don't think so. Still, I can't stay in Britain forever. I see some nasty trends in Europe, but I don't think I'll be the one to stop them here."

"What sort of trends?" Dumbledore hid his excitement; perhaps he would finally find out what Fate, or at least his mentor, had planned for him.

"Muggle trends haven't been moving back towards real social progress since their Great War. They're going towards chaos, from Eastern Europe, where the Soviet experiment has already dived deep into authoritarianism and fanaticism of the worst sort to Germany and Italy, where I see signs of fanatical nationalism and calls for pure blood. In our community, I see trends similar to those in Central Europe. There are a number of power-hungry wizards who may turn to the Dark Arts for power."

"And if one arises, we will fight him," Dumbledore said with satisfaction.

"No, I rather think you will."

Albus Dumbledore sat back in shock.

"I cannot protect or run the entire world, any more than you can. I already had to go to America last summer and take care of a Dark Wizard who was trying to tie together Muggle organized crime to his own criminal network. Someone else needs to take over here as a guardian, and that person is you. You may be the one who fights, or you may be the one who encourages others to fight. You have the ability to do both, the former nearly as well as I, the latter to a much higher degree than I ever could. What I need to do is work to place you in a position of authority at Hogwarts; head of House, if not Deputy Headmaster. That will put you in the circles that matter, where you can encourage what needs to be done, if nothing else."

"When are you leaving?"

Titus smiled warmly. "All this will take between twelve and twenty years, Albus. It may not be 'my project' as you called it, but it seems to be my responsibility; we'll have to wait and see how it works out."

Sunday, August 28, 1938

"Somehow, Titus, I suspect you have some alternative motives for inviting me for tea this time."

"I do, and congratulations on being named head of Gryffindor."

"Thank you. Why the invitation?"

"This will be my last year at Hogwarts."

Dumbledore merely sat in shock.

"The Muggle world is heading into chaos. China is at war, both a Civil War and with Japan, Africa and India have great unrest. The European Muggles will be at war within two years, maybe in less than a month; the Nazis are definitely under the influence of Grindelwald. I don't know if Hitler is, but most of the higher officials of his SS are even more loyal to Grindelwald via a man named Heydrich than to Hitler. Grindelwald will use the Nazis to disrupt Muggle Europe, and then try and take over. The Soviets are as evil in their own way as the Nazis, and the magical communities there are in chaos, and are turning to Grindelwald for protection."

After Dumbledore nodded his understanding, Pwy went on, "In America, he has two sets of agents, really working against each other to a degree in their domestic agendas. One is trying to stir up the already bad race relations affecting the country, the other stirring up class warfare. Both are isolationist. I will go back and deal with them, allowing the United States to deal with the Nazis if Britain can't."

"And when Grindelwald attacks Britain?"

"You have nearly as much raw power as I do, Albus, perhaps as much, and that puts you a fair step about anyone else I've heard of for the last sixty years or more. And you're smart, in many ways even more than I am. It has to be this way."

"I know you're right, Titus; I just wished. . . ."

Pwy gave a wan smile. "Even if our power could mesh together, we wouldn't have enough power to make wishes come true."

"Will you be back?"

"I doubt it. I have my own agenda once we have a little peace."

"Peace for how long?"

Titus shrugged. "We both know more about history than Binns ever did. A new Dark Wizard seems to come along every twenty to fifty years. Let's just hope it's fifty."

Albus smiled and raised his tea cup. "I'll drink to that!"

Monday, July 10, 1939

Albus Dumbledore looked up at his mentor and friend. "I'll never hear from you again, will I?"

"See? No. Hear? You might, at least up until we can defeat Grindelwald, his Fire Troopers, and his Muggle minions."

"Any last words of advice?"

"You want advice?" Titus' voice seemed doubtful.

"Well, you're my mentor, aren't you?" Albus teased.

"Personal advice? No. Use the pensieve I gave you and think. You really are better at that than anyone I've ever met. Take care of Fawkes; he seems to have left me for you this past year. Professional advice? Send Moody to the Auror Academy in Texas. Defense is more important than Quidditch, and he's not likely to make a professional seeker anyway. Send young Miss McGonagall to the Sefydliad. Dippet should be finally retiring within a decade, and she'd make a good replacement for you."

"A woman teacher at Hogwarts?"

"It's going to happen sooner rather than later. Keep an eye on that Slytherin Second year, Riddle. He's clever, almost as clever as you, but I don't trust him. To bad he doesn't take after his mother."

"Anyone else?"

"That half-giant boy coming in next year."

"Hagrid, Rubeus Hagrid."

"Keep an eye on the boy. His father and uncle are sweet men."

"Anything else?" Albus asked again, now teasing.

"When you become Headmaster, try and get rid of Binns and Peeves."

"I'll try, but you might have to come back to force Binns out. Peeves, well, he's a bother, but he's good for keeping us on our toes."

Titus stuck out his hand. The two men shook, and Titus left.