The Traveler's Secret

CHAPTER 23: PREPARATIONS AND ULTIMATUMS

Jean Fulver lengthened his strides as he marched down the hall, barely looking at the various teachers whom he passed. He knew they saw him as a threat, knew their nervous whispers echoed that fear. He had had to face whispers and disparaging looks all his life and was not bothered by them.

Besides he had places to go and questions that had better be answered. His nerves were stretched into thin, spindly wires that were ready to snap at the least provocation. In his anger, he barely registered where it was he was going and soon found himself lost. It had been a few days since he had been released from house arrest and he still felt the need to walk about in order to collect up all his thoughts. He had passed many people in his wanderings throughout the castle, one of which had been that boy Tom Riddle. Tom still sent shivers down his spine. Jean knew that there was something seriously wrong with him. He had seen the boy at least twice a day. He was beginning to wonder if the disturbing child was following him.

As he thought about Tom he realized that he was, once again, lost, and he didn't want to wander long because he wanted to get back to his room. He was sure that that was where he was going to find Sergei Krum and Johnny Wolfbane. Wolfbane owed him an explanation.

So Jean tried to retrace his steps back. He wandered another ten minutes, angry that he had gotten lost after having a few days to get to know his way. Finally, Jean stowed away his pride and asked the very next person he saw, which happened to be a tall, thin teacher wearing overlarge glasses. He had seen her pass his room many times before and she had always been nice to him. She gave him quick directions and in about ten minutes he found his way back to the teacher's corridor.

As he walked up to his room, he saw Sergei Krum and Johnny Wolfbane in the midst of a serious conversation. He hadn't seen either of them for awhile except for an occasional glimpse. Now as he moved closer to them, Jean could tell that Sergei was angry, his face covered in rage and Johnny looked worried. Jean cleared his throat, which quickly ended their hushed conversation. He had an idea what the topic had been about.

Sergei turned and faced Jean with a wide smile.

"Jean, my friend, it's so good to see you out and about. I knew they had the wrong man; knew that you would never have consorted with the enemy!"

Jean was touched by Sergei's vote of confidence, seeing the man as his first true friend. A true friend stood by your side when times got tough, and sadly, Fulver had not had a friend do that for him, not even Marius.

Johnny, on the other hand, looked on Jean with a look that was a mixture of mild suspicion and a large amount of humility. He said nothing to Jean as Fulver walked up and this incensed Fulver. He had at least expected some sort of apology, but knew that Wolfbane wasn't the apologetic type of person. So Jean decided to push the matter forward himself.

"Wolfbane, can you tell me why I was put under house arrest?" Jean snapped.

Sergei gasped at Fulver's audacity and a glimmer of anger broiled in Wolfbane's eyes.

"We had evidence at the time that pointed to you being the traitor," Johnny said, equally blunt.

Jean scowled. He did have to admit he begrudgingly liked Wolfbane's honesty. Wolfbane stared Jean down, as Sergei watched the two men apprehensively.

"What evidence are you talking about, Wolfbane?" Jean spat out.

"It has come to our attention that you got a letter from someone from the outside . Now, how would a letter addressed to a Muggle make it to Hogwarts? Who knows you're here?" Wolfbane responded.

Jean was shocked to hear that Wolfbane and probably Dumbledore knew about the letter. He began to pace and realized that Wolfbane was looking at him as if the pacing was an admittance of guilt. Fulver couldn't look at Sergei without seeing the hurt, doubt and shock on his friend's face. He knew that Sergei had not had a lot of people to trust in his life and that this was probably a severe blow to their friendship.

"The letter...it's complicated, Wolfbane!" Fulver answered. He suddenly wished he hadn't said that because the American was even more certain of his conviction.

"Then explain it then and be done with it, Fulver," Sergei stated.

A hush fell between the three men. Fulver and Wolfbane both turned to Sergei with surprise etched into their faces. Neither of them had expected to hear that from Krum and neither had expected to see the look of frank determination in his eyes. Sergei wanted the truth and would not have anything else.

"I will explain everything, just not right here. The hall isn't the best place to discuss such things," Fulver finally responded.

"Then why don't you accompany myself and Mr. Wolfbane to see Dumbledore. That was where we were heading in the first place!"

Sergei's words were cold and Fulver was hurt by them. He knew that the moment the letter had been mentioned that his friend would not understand. Jean watched as Sergei marched down the hall, making his way towards Dumbledore's room, which was the room at the very end.

Jean sighed and followed, with Wolfbane close at his side, watching his every move.

When they reached Dumbledore's room, the door opened before they could knock. Dumbledore came bustling out and ran right into Wolfbane, who grunted in disapproval. Albus was a mess, his robes wrinkled and stained, and his auburn hair streaked with gray and awry. Exhaustion riddled his face, but when he saw Fulver, Krum and Wolfbane, a smile replaced his anxiety.

"Mr. Krum, there is a lot we must do. Has Wolfbane told you all the particulars of your traveling arrangements?"

Sergei opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by Jean.

"Whoa, what traveling arrangements? Sergei is leaving?" Fulver asked. He noticed that Sergei stared ahead at the wall and wouldn't look at Fulver. He had to admit that it stung that his new friend had not told him he was leaving, but then he remembered why. Jean had not spoken or seen anyone for a few days.

"Ah, Fulver. It's so good to see you well. I'm so sorry that you were put under house arrest, but with the evidence against you we couldn't take the chance. What happened a few nights back in Hogsmeade cleared both you and Wolfbane of suspicion."

Fulver was surprised to hear that Wolfbane had been under suspicion as well and his anger abated a bit. He looked at Wolfbane to see how the American was handling the news that he had been suspected as well. To Jean's disappointment, Wolfbane looked as he normally did, stern and stoic.

"Let's get inside. There is much to discuss and some final preparations to be made," Albus said and with that he stepped back into his room. Sergei marched in, still not looking at Fulver. Jean followed suit and Wolfbane was not far behind.

The room was filled wall to wall with books and shelves of odd trinkets and gadgets. Here and there stacks of papers teetered precariously. Stripes of lazy, afternoon sunlight streamed through a tiny window, which was framed oddly with curtains that had baby ducks on them.

After the door had been shut, Jean watched as Sergei took a seat in a chair near the fireplace, his gaze fixed on the empty grate. Wolfbane stood guard by the door and Albus fluttered about the room, gathering odd bits of paper and other strange objects from the floor. He seemed to be doing a spot of cleaning. Jean didn't know what else to do, so he took a seat in the chair next to Sergei.

When he sat down, Sergei turned his stony gaze onto him, his eyes keen and analytical.

"Sergei, are you ready to leave by tomorrow?" Albus asked. "Do you have all your things, well what little you have, packed?"

Krum answered without lifting his eyes from Fulver. "Yes, everything is ready, but what I really want to know about is this letter business of Fulver's!"

Krum's words seemed to suck the warmth out of the room and all eyes landed on Fulver. Jean's heart jumped to his throat, but when he thought back to the letter, he still wasn't sure why such a fuss was being made over it.

"Yes, that is one thing we must clear up before you go," Albus replied. He then turned his attention to Jean. "Jean, please explain this letter business once and for all. We know you received a letter from an outside source. Someone knows you're here and we need to know how such information got out and how much this person knows."

Jean thought back to the letter and realized he still had it with him; he had never taken it out of his pocket. Why he had never taken it out was beyond him, but now it proved useful. He pulled it out of his pocket, much to the consternation of the others. To them, this could be a potentially dangerous object. He opened it in front of them and showed everyone the two lines scrawled over its surface. Albus and Wolfbane came forward and read the letter, then looked at Fulver with confusion on their face.

"This letter, I believe, came from my friend Marius because this is his handwriting. Since I saw him die, I know this to be impossible and I believe someone is impersonating him. How they know who I am and where to find me and how they got this letter to me, are not answers I have. I had planned on coming to tell all of you about it, but that was before the vision and the arrest. Then I completely forgot about it until it was mentioned again."

Everyone remained quiet for a moment, taking in what it was Fulver said.

"Are you absolutely sure Marius is dead?" Wolfbane asked.

"He died in my arms. I am absolutely..." Jean stopped. He couldn't finish what he wanted to say because the truth was, he wasn't sure if Marius was truly dead. He remembered Marius's death; his friend had tried to tell him something, but died before he could. Then he remembered the Quidditch match and how he had thought he had seen Marius amongst the crowd.

"Judging by your hesitation, I'm guessing you're not absolutely sure about his death," Albus stated. "Tell me, why are you questioning his death if you said he died in your arms?"

"I found the letter in my room on the evening after the Quidditch match. Just moments before at the game, I could have sworn that I saw Marius sitting amongst the crowd in the tower opposite the field from me. I thought it had been my imagination, but then I got the letter, the very one I just showed you. Is it...is it possible with magic that he may still be alive?" Jean asked.

Albus and Johnny shared a look, and this worried Jean.

"There are many ways your friend could have faked his death, especially if magic is involved. The question is, why he would fake his death? If magic is involved, then we may have a serious problem because it means that Grindelwald is now resorting to using Muggles in his quest for the plans. I need to be absolutely sure that you haven't had any other contact with this Marius. Right now, he is not your friend. He is with the enemy. Have you had any other contact with him?" Albus's gaze penetrated straight through the Muggle and Fulver suddenly understood the real power Albus held. He was a man best not to be toyed with.

"No, I have not had any other contact with Marius. If he has joined the enemy, then we are no longer friends. It's strange, I started my journey out to get revenge on Sergei, but now I consider him to be a true friend and I would do anything to protect a friend like that," Jean stoutly replied.

Even though he had said it aloud to everyone, he had directed his comment towards Sergei. He wanted to let his friend know that he had not betrayed him. Sergei's cold exterior seem to melt away; it seems he believed Fulver.

Wolfbane and Albus studied Jean for a moment, weighing out his possible guilt and innocence. Albus was the first to break the silence.

"I believe you, Jean. I know what it is like to be judged on unsubstantial evidence and rumor. Now, do you have any idea why Marius would be tangled up in this? I know Grindelwald and I know that he likes to dangle what one wants the most in front of their face to get them to work for him. He hardly ever actually comes through on his promises. Think, Fulver. Was there anything you could remember that Marius mentioned that was odd?"

Jean thought back to the last time he had seen and spoken with Marius. Going back over his memories he realized that Marius had been acting odd, more reckless than normal. He also remembered that Marius had been obsessed with something, some "great treasure" he had mentioned in his letters to Jean.

The lightening bolt hit.

It must have been so easy for Grindelwald to find something that Marius would want and obsess over. Marius had been given everything he had ever wanted and this had given him the idea that nothing was out of his grasp. He was hardly ever dissuaded from something once that object had been dangled in front of his eye.

"There was something. Marius mentioned once a "great treasure" he had found, something he would share with me. He never told me what that treasure had been. I know Marius and I know that when he wants something he will do anything to get it. I don't know if this makes sense to you, because it never did to me, but now you know everything I do," Jean stated.

Dumbledore's eyes were narrowed in concentration.

"Yes, I may have an idea what it was Grindelwald is holding over your friend. The patterns seem to fit for both men and their behavior. It seems..."

Albus Dumbledore never got to finish his sentence because right at that moment a loud voice reverberated throughout the castle, a voice amplified ten times its normal strength. It was harsh and heavily accented and said:

"THIS MESSAGE IS FOR ALBUS DUMBLEDORE, A PROFESSOR AT THE HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY. LORD GRINDELWALD WANTS WHAT IS HIS BACK!"

Albus sat stunned in his chair. No one could move, shocked by the voice and its message. The words still hung in the very air around them like hot steam. Wolfbane turned to Albus and with a look they both stood and strode over to the door. Sergei remained in his chair, his terror covering the whole of his face. Jean hated to see a friend so distressed, but didn't really know what to say to alleviate that stress. Instead, he stayed by Sergei's side.

Meanwhile, Albus and Johnny walked out into the teacher's corridor to find that it was filled with teachers who had heard the exact same thing. Most were in a state of panic and every one turned and looked at Albus. It had been the Transfiguration teacher who had brought all this down on them. Albus, used to public scrutiny, ignored all the harsh stares and whispers. Instead, he waited for what he knew would surely come and within a few minutes it did.

"LORD GRINDELWALD WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A TRADE," the voice continued. "AT THIS VERY MOMENT, I, MARABELLA KRUM, HAVE UNDER MY CONTROL WITH SOME HELP FROM MY PARTNERS A LITTLE PUB NAMED THE LEAKY BUCKET IN LONDON, WHICH IS OWNED BY A MUGGLE NAMED TOM!"

Every breath caught in every throat. Everyone knew of Tom and his pub because everyone had known his sweet son. Albus flinched, his heart shattering when he heard this news. Wolfbane, on the other hand, was panic stricken. He paced up and down, an odd growl rolling out of his throat. He looked like a caged animal in a Muggle zoo.

"IF BY THE TIME THE SUN SETS THE OBJECT LORD GIRNDELWALD SEEKS IS NOT BROUGHT TO THE LEAKY BUCKET, I WILL START KILLING PEOPLE AND I WILL START WITH THE BARTENDER'S SON!"

Albus felt his stomach drop out from him. He looked at Wolfbane and knew that if something wasn't done, Wolfbane's vision would come to pass. Something must be done. He saw Sergei and Fulver edging out the door of his room, looking on the mass of teachers who looked shell shocked. Every person in the hall waited for more of the message, the intensity building in the corridor. Soon eyes were glancing over at Sergei and Krum's face became paler by the moment.

After a few moments had passed and no more of the amplified voice was heard, a portion of the tension broke. People began to discuss how the voice had gotten in. Albus, as well as many others, were sure that this Marabella could not have made it onto the school grounds and must have sent the message from just outside the periphery. Frantic words and rumors flew as no one knew what to make of this new development.

Headmaster Armando Dippet strode down the hall towards Dumbledore. His stare was hard and his mouth set in a grim, thin line. He stopped next to Albus and teachers formed a circle around them. When he spoke, he spoke to everyone.

"It is true that we have something that Grindelwald wants, but it is also true that he can never get it or else the world we know will be destroyed. These are trying times, but we will pull through it if we work together. We will not be bullied by our enemies. We will not cave into intimidation. We will fight. I don't demand that all of you come with me and Albus to the Leaky Bucket, but this is a test of what we are made of. Do we allow an aggressor like Grindelwald threaten innocent people? Do we give in to his demands? I think not. Now is the time to stand up for what is right in the world. Does anybody want to come and face this Marabella?"

A cheer rose up amongst the teachers and a wave of volunteers accepted Dippet's plea, including Professor Frederick. The majority of the staff, along with the Headmaster would be going to the Leaky Bucket. The ones who had not volunteered to go decided to stay behind and guard the castle. Homer Borden led that group.

Albus didn't feel comfortable leaving Sergei Krum under the protection of Mr. Borden. He pulled his cousin aside and made a personal request that Frederick stay behind and protect Krum. Though Frederick protested at first, he eventually agreed to Albus's plan.

Once the groups were established, plans were being formed on how they should take on the hostile force in the Leaky Bucket. As the conversation and people drifted from the corridor to the staff room, no one seemed to notice that one teacher had not been present. One teacher had not chosen a side and was not making plans with the others.

Professor Vikious was no where to be found.