The Source of Magic

Chapter 16 ~ The Enchanted Cave

Harry pointed his broom upwards and accelerated towards the bird. It looked like an eagle or some other bird of prey. As he approached it, the bird stopped circling and sped away. Harry gave chase; it was all he could do to keep it in sight. He was beginning to wonder if it really was a bird at all. Could it be an Animagus? One of Lucius Malfoy's spies, perhaps? If it was, and he'd been seen sporting with Draco, it would be the end of him (in this reality at least) and the end of the plan to destroy Voldemort's final Horcrux. He had to catch the spy! He would force the Animagus to transform and then Obliviate him or her.

The bird flew deeper and deeper into the Forbidden Forest. Harry was slowly starting to gain on it when it suddenly went into a vertical dive with such speed that he completely lost it. Descending to just above the treetops, Harry circled around searching for it. But it was no good; the bird had vanished. He would never find it now; it could be hiding anywhere in the undergrowth. But wait, maybe there was a way! Jason had taught him how to cast a magical map of his surroundings, although so far, all he had managed was a fuzzy, shadowy blur. But now that he was connected with the Source, he was sure he could do much better. The bird had to be hiding somewhere nearby. If it was an Animagus, then the name of the witch or wizard should show on the magical map.

Harry landed in a small clearing before closing his eyes and projecting a magical mental map of the surrounding forest. This time it was brilliantly clear, and his suspicions were confirmed: It was an Animagus! But the name on the map surprised him. Regulus Black! Apparently, Voldemort hadn't killed him in this reality. Harry thought about it. Maybe Black had not been ordered to create the protective enchantments in the cave and to hide Slytherin's locket. Maybe Voldemort hadn't gone to such lengths to conceal his Horcruxes in this reality. Anyway, Regulus Black was very much alive, and almost certainly still a Death Eater ... and spying for Lucius Malfoy. He had to be Obliviated!

Harry walked cautiously in Black's direction, his keen Seeker's eyes on the lookout for the slightest movement. Black might make a dash for it and fly away. Harry knew the spell to force an Animagus to transform. He would have to use it before the bird got too far from the ground; he didn't want to kill Black -- just memory-charm him. Harry stopped to cast his magical map again. Black was still in front of him, but it was hard to tell how far. Harry found himself entering a narrow gully, which was almost completely hidden by the trees. He walked along the gully for about fifty yards before stopping to cast his magical map again. That was strange; it showed Black behind him, and on his right side. Harry retraced his steps and tried casting the map again. Black appeared to be deep within the granite wall of the gully now, a little lower than Harry. How was that possible? There must be a cave in the side of the gully. Harry searched for a concealed opening, but he found nothing. Eventually he gave up and sat on the ground, trying to work out where Black could be. He knew there had to be a cave right next to him, and that Black was hiding in it, but how could he get to him?

Of course! He could dematerialise and then re-materialise right into the cave. He knew which direction he had to go, but not how far. However, by casting a magical map from further up and then further back along the gully and noting Black's direction from both locations, he was able to figure out that Black was twenty feet in from the gully. Harry drew his wand, ready to stun Black the moment he materialised in the cave.

But it was Harry who was stunned -- metaphorically, at least. What on earth had he done? His attempt at dematerialising and re-materialising appeared to have gone seriously wrong. Bewildered, he stared about him. He was not in a cave at all, but an office. And it wasn't just any office either; it was the office of the Hogwarts Headmistress. In this dream reality he had never been in this office, but in his own reality he had visited it often. And it looked exactly as he remembered it. Suddenly his wand flew out of his hand, and he felt himself being forced down into a sturdy wooden chair, to which his wrists and ankles were magically bound.

Harry waited with dread for the smug Hem-hemming of the horrible Headmistress Umbridge. But it didn't come. Instead, a wizard appeared out of nowhere in the large chair behind the desk. "Professor Dumbledore!" gasped Harry. "What are you doing here? What have I done? Where am I? I was attempting to dematerialise and re-materialise myself into a cave, but somehow I seem to be somewhere completely different. Have I moved into another reality ... or gone back in time? Where am I?"

"If you do not mind, young man, I would prefer to ask the questions. You will notice that the role of interrogator appears to be mine," he said, placing Harry's wand on the desk. "Perhaps you could begin by telling me your name; you seem to have the advantage of me in that respect."

"Err ... Harry Potter, sir."

"Ah yes ... I knew your parents. You look remarkably like your father."

"But, wait, what world am I in? Which reality is this?" asked Harry, feeling completely confused. "Is this the same reality I was in a moment ago, where I was chasing Regulus Black through the Forbidden Forest? Where Umbridge is Hogwarts Headmistress and Voldemort triumphed and calls himself the Dark Emperor?"

"Who are you that dare to call him by that name?" asked Dumbledore suspiciously. "You cannot be who you claim to be. No Hogwarts student would dare utter that name; the punishment is death. I think this merits closer examination," he said, pointing his wand at Harry and saying, "Legilimens."

Harry instinctively blocked his mind, using the technique Jason taught him to make it impenetrable. This was the first time he had succeeded -- and just in time, too! Was the wizard on the other side of the desk really Albus Dumbledore? Harry cast his magical map. No! Regulus Black, it insisted. Not only that, but the map showed the gully and the forest surrounding him. So, he was still in the same reality and the same place. Somehow Black had enchanted the cave to look like the Hogwarts Headmistress' office. Not only was Regulus an Animagus like his brother, Sirius, he was also a Metamorphmagus like his cousin, Tonks! Right, Harry decided: time to take control. The magical ropes binding him suddenly unravelled and flew across the room to bind Black, whose wand flew from his hand into Harry's.

"That's much better," said Harry, rising from the wooden chair, picking up his wand from the desk and replacing it with Black's.

Black stared at him, disbelievingly. "How on earth did you do that? And how did you prevent me from penetrating your mind? Who are you?"

"Well, Black, it seems the tables are turned, and the role of interrogator is mine," said Harry with a grin. "So how about you morph back to yourself, Regulus Alphard Black. I'm finding it rather confusing with you looking like Dumbledore."

"Why do you keep insisting that I am Black?" he asked.

"I don't mind telling you, Black, because in a minute, I'm going to Obliviate you. You will have no recollection of seeing me in the Forbidden Forrest today. Did your brother Sirius ever tell you about the Marauders Map he and his friends created when they were at school?"

Black remained silent.

"It was a magical map of Hogwarts, which, amongst other things, identified everyone by name. I can project something like it in my mind, and it clearly labels you as Regulus Black, so you can cut the Dumbledore pretence right now. I already guessed you were a bird Animagus when I was chasing you on my broom. No doubt you're spying for Lucius Malfoy. You saw what I did to his precious little brat, Draco, so I decided to catch you and erase the memory. It's nothing personal, simply a matter of survival."

"Who are you?" asked Black again. "Since you are going to Obliviate me anyway, you might as well satisfy my curiosity first. You cannot be who you claim to be. No Hogwarts student could be that powerful."

"I am a Hogwarts student, but not from your world, Black ... or at least not from your reality."

"I do not understand. Who are you?"

"Harry Potter, just as I said, except I'm Harry Potter from the real world. This world is not real; it's only a dream reality, a shadow reality that never eventuated because someone made a choice that led to a whole series of events, one of which was Voldemort attempting to kill me when I was a year old and almost killing himself instead. His body was destroyed, and he disappeared for fourteen years, until he managed to create a new body a few years ago. So, my reality -- the real world -- is very different from this one. Your evil Master has not triumphed there; he does not rule it, although he has been trying hard since his return ... except I'm going to stop him!"

"Just as in Lily's prophecy," said Black, staring thoughtfully into space.

"How do you know about my mother's prophecy?" demanded Harry.

"Because she related it to me, many years ago. I really am Albus Dumbledore," said Black -- or was it really Dumbledore? "And I believe you are who you claim to be and even that you are from a different world -- one that is real. I have long suspected that this world has become some kind of shadow reality. For many years now, it has seemed somehow ephemeral and insubstantial; but there was no way of knowing -- until now. I am greatly relieved to have my suspicions confirmed, because this world has sunk into great darkness."

"If you really are Albus Dumbledore, why does my magical map label you as Regulus Black?"

"A magical alias, designed to fool post owls," replied Dumbledore, smiling. "After the fall of Hogwarts, I escaped from my office in my Animagus form, a peregrine falcon. Naturally Voldemort's Death Eaters made great efforts to find me. It is a simple matter to locate a hidden wizard by sending him a message by post owl and following it; but my magical alias confounded all such attempts."

"But, don't you get Regulus Black's messages?"

"No one sends messages to Regulus Black. He died at the hand of his Master many years ago," replied Dumbledore. He sat silently for a while, looking thoughtfully at Harry. "I would be very interested to hear more about your world, Mr Potter, but I could do so in greater comfort, if you would be so good as to untie me."

Harry was almost certain now that this was indeed Albus Dumbledore. No one else, apart from his mother and Jason, knew about her visions. But he wanted to be certain.

"Please feel free to ask me any questions you believe the authentic Albus Dumbledore, alone, could answer," he said with a smile, sensing Harry's hesitation.

Harry thought for a moment. "Do you remember going to an orphanage to meet Tom Riddle when he was eleven and giving him his Hogwarts letter?"

"Indeed I do," replied Dumbledore, nodding as he reflected on the memory.

"He had some stuff he'd stolen from other kids at the orphanage hidden in a box in his cupboard. Can you remember any of them?" asked Harry.

"Why yes, I believe I can. Let me see now. There was a yo-yo, I think; yes, and also a silver thimble and an old mouth organ, too, if I recall correctly."

Harry smiled at Dumbledore and waved his hand, making the ropes that bound him disappear. This had to be Dumbledore; there was no doubt about it. Dumbledore picked up his wand and waved it. A silver tray appeared on his desk with a steaming pot of tea, creamer, cups, and a large plate of hot scones with jam and clotted cream. "A little refreshment, perhaps, Mr Potter?"

"Err ... please call me Harry, Professor Dumbledore. That's what you used to call me in my reality. This office looks exactly like your office at Hogwarts, sir."

"Actually, it is my office," said Dumbledore, smiling. "To start with, it was just an enchanted replica, which I painstakingly created in this cave to look like my office ... familiar surroundings are so comforting at my age. As I did not have a great deal to do, I spent my time developing a spell that exchanges two objects. One night, many years ago, I exchanged the enchanted replica of my old office in this cave with the real one at Hogwarts. You see, the replicas of my wonderful collection of magical instruments did not work, and all the books were just empty shells, and of course, the pictures of the former Hogwarts Headmasters and Headmistresses on walls did not move. I dare say Headmistress Umbridge got quite a shock the following morning when she discovered her office had been transformed into a replica of the real thing. But then again, she, herself, is merely a replica of what a Hogwarts Headmistress ought to be, so it was quite fitting, I think," he said, his blue eyes twinkling in that familiar, mischievous way.

"This cave is physically sealed. The only way to enter and leave is by Apparation, and the wards ensure that no one can Apparate in except for myself ... and you, it would seem," he said giving Harry an appraising look over the top of his half-moon spectacles.

"I remember your mother's vision of the Future of Hope, in which her son would be a very powerful wizard who would do battle with Lord Voldemort, aided, if I recall correctly, by her dear friend, Jason Trolove. But although Lily eventually chose to part with Jason in her seventh year and she married James Potter and bore a son, our world descended instead into something very much like her Future of Darkness. In the end, I concluded sadly that her visions did not mean what she thought they meant -- or at least, her choice was not instrumental in determining which of them came to pass. However, more recently, I began entertaining a rather more hopeful explanation. After I regained my extensive personal library," said Dumbledore, gesturing to a wall completely covered in ancient tomes, "I began investigating a fascinating phenomenon known as multiple realities. I presume you are acquainted with the phenomenon?"

"Yes. You see, in my reality -- the real world -- things happened exactly as my mother foresaw in the Future of Hope vision. Her choice made the Future of Darkness a dream reality, like this one."

"Yes, that is where my investigations were leading me. That and the fuzzy, inauthentic timbre of this world, which is perhaps what one might expect if it were only one of several possible realities, but not the one which ultimately came into existence. Presumably this reality diverged from yours, just as the Future of Darkness did, but at a later time. It was Lily's choice that relegated the Future of Darkness into merely a dream reality; do you know the significant event that made this reality a dream reality?"

"Yes. I suppose you know Severus Snape became a Death Eater soon after school?"

Dumbledore nodded. No doubt, he also knew the part Harry's father had played, but Harry did not want to go there.

"He was told to recruit Miranda Malfoy, and when she refused, he was ordered to kill her. He tried to persuade her to go into hiding to save herself; but in my reality, she stubbornly refused, and ultimately Snape carried out his orders. However, in this reality, she eventually changed her mind and agreed to go into hiding -- that was the crucial choice. Snape learned the Fidelius Charm and became her Secret Keeper. Afterwards he went into hiding himself to keep her safe."

"I recall Severus Snape disappearing; there was some speculation in the Order that he might have somehow fallen foul of Voldemort and paid the price. But what I do not understand is how Miranda Malfoy's choice could result in multiple realities. From my reading, this phenomenon only occurs at some pivotal point, when the outcome of a crucial event will determine two very different futures. Why was Miranda's choice so significant?"

"Do you remember Trelawney's prophecy -- the one she gave you at the Hog's Head?"

"Indeed I do. My subsequent research suggested that either you, or another boy, named Neville Longbottom, was the one to whom it referred -- the one who would grow up to have the power to defeat Voldemort. I found it fascinating because if it was you, it corroborated your mother's vision. However, that prophecy also failed to eventuate ... in this reality, at least. But in yours?"

"Miranda Malfoy chose not to go into hiding, and Snape eventually followed his orders and killed her. So Snape did not go into hiding himself and was at the Hog's Head the night Trelawney gave you the prophecy. He overheard the first part of it and repeated it to Voldemort, who decided it was me that the prophecy referred to. On October 31^st, 1981, when I was just a year old, Voldemort came to Godric's Hollow to kill me. First he killed my father and then he demanded that my mother hand me over to him. He said he would spare her, but she refused and was killed. In sacrificing her own life -- and that of my unborn sister -- she invoked a powerful protection that caused Voldemort's Killing Curse to rebound on him when he tried to kill me. It destroyed his body and would have been fatal were it not for his Horcruxes. I'm sure you know about them."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I know what a Horcrux is, but I was not aware that Voldemort had ever attempted to create one. Perhaps you can enlighten me on that subject a little later," he said, reflecting on what he had just heard. "So that is why Miranda Malfoy's choice was so significant. Her choice to hide, in this reality, meant that Severus Snape, too, went into hiding and so did not overhear Sybil Trelawney. Voldemort never heard her prophecy; so he never attempted to kill you and did not lose his body. Hence, he survived to triumph and turn this reality into a nightmare world, very much like the one your mother foresaw."

"Exactly."

"What happened to Jason Trolove? I remember he disappeared immediately after the NEWT exams, which would have been some time before this reality diverged from yours."

"I guess you know how upset he was about my mother leaving him?" Dumbledore nodded. "He left England. You probably know about my father being killed in this reality, but you probably don't know that Jason returned to be with my mother and to help her raise me and my sister Rosa." Dumbledore shook his head. "Miranda Malfoy hid with my parents at Godric's Hollow so that we would all be protected by Snape's Fidelius Charm. But being Muggle-born, both my mother and Jason were killed in the Great Purification that followed the war. Rosa and I were raised by Miranda Malfoy."

"I see," said Dumbledore, sighing sadly. "I know very little of events in this reality since the war. I have remained a recluse in my cave -- well, my office, I should say -- since Hogwarts fell, apart from taking my daily exercise as a peregrine falcon. However, it does not require a great deal of imagination to know what a world ruled by Voldemort must be like. I have waited, hoping against all odds, that a time would come when I could put up some meaningful resistance."

"I can't see how it is possible in this reality," said Harry, shrugging. "Voldemort and his evil regime are in total control."

"Sadly, that is so; but perhaps your visit will afford me the opportunity of making a difference in your reality -- the true reality. I have been waiting a long time," said Dumbledore, staring at the wall, his eyes unfocussed, deep in thought, before speaking again. "And what became of Jason Trolove in your reality?"

"He roamed the world for twenty years, searching for the source of magic."

"Ah, yes, I recall his fascination with that particular topic. He talked with me about it on a number of occasions. He was a remarkable student, greatly gifted, both intellectually and magically. I can think of only one other Hogwarts student who was his equal ... Tom Riddle. Tom's thirst was for power; Jason's was for knowledge. Did he find what he was searching for?"

"Yes, in a way. He says it's impossible to completely understand or define the Source, but it is possible to learn to connect with it deeply. Eventually, he learned how to do it, and became immensely powerful, magically."

"And, it would seem from your recent display, he has taught you, just as your mother foretold. I have absolutely no idea how you managed to get past my elaborate wards and Apparate into this cave. It is quite extraordinary."

"In his travels, Jason visited many obscure tribes and cultures, learning spells and magic that are unknown in the wizarding world. He has been teaching me some of it."

"Including how to visit dream realities?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes, but he didn't learn that spell in his travels, he learned it from Voldemort -- well from his mind at least -- like he learned about the two dream realities where Voldemort had concealed his Horcruxes."

"Perhaps this would be a good time for you to tell me about Voldemort's Horcruxes," said Dumbledore, sitting back in his chair. Harry told him how he -- or at least the Dumbledore in his reality -- discovered Voldemort's scheme to become immortal by creating Horcruxes and how he had started to track them down and destroy them. He told him how one of the Horcruxes carried a curse, which had mortally injured him and how he had sacrificed himself to get Snape into Voldemort's confidence so he could learn where the rest of the Horcruxes were hidden. He told Dumbledore about the five that had been destroyed so far, including the Horcrux Voldemort had concealed in Rowena Ravenclaw's wand in the Future of Darkness.

"And, if I am not mistaken, Voldemort visited this reality, too, and concealed one of his Horcruxes here; and you are here to find it and destroy it. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"So physically, you are the Harry Potter from this dream reality, but the Harry Potter from your own reality is somehow joined together with you. He -- or perhaps I should say, you -- are in fact dreaming this. You must find it very strange."

"Yes," said Harry, shaking his head. "It sure took some getting used to; it was very confusing at first -- like having two separate lives happening together. But the confusion actually turned out to be a good thing. You see, yesterday when I arrived in this reality, I was so overwhelmed by the confusion that I instinctively used a meditation technique I learned from Jason to connect to the Source. Only this time, it was far more intense. I connected completely and the connection remains. My magical power has increased amazingly."

"Fascinating," said Dumbledore, falling silent for some time before asking, "So where did Voldemort conceal his Horcrux in this reality?"

"I've no idea. You see, just before returning to my reality, Voldemort Obliviated all the memories of what he had done here. No one knows what object he concealed the Horcrux in or where he hid it -- including himself -- both in my reality and in this one."

"How fiendishly cunning," said Dumbledore, shaking his head in grudging admiration.

"I was hoping you might know where the final Horcrux is...."

"Alas, I do not," said Dumbledore.

"So I've come here for nothing. Voldemort is very close to taking over in my reality. Even if he's killed, he'll be able to come back; and it won't take him fourteen years next time, now he knows how to do it. And he'll keep on coming back until he wins and turns our world into one like this," said Harry dejectedly.

"Not if I can help it," said Dumbledore calmly.

"But, what can you do -- what can anyone do? Since he Obliviated himself here, the Voldemort in this reality won't know anything about it either. Even if we could get close enough to him to use Legilimency, it wouldn't help."

"The situation does look somewhat bleak," conceded Dumbledore. "However, I am a great believer in the power of the mind. You say one Horcrux was concealed in Tom Riddle's diary. Two were in relics of Salazar Slytherin: the ring and the locket. One was concealed in Helga Hufflepuff's cup, and another in Rowena Ravenclaw's wand. I think we can see a pattern emerging here. I suspect the final Horcrux is concealed in a relic of the fourth founder: Godric Gryffindor."

"What? Even though Voldemort hated him and abolished Gryffindor house when he came to power in both this reality and the other dream reality?" asked Harry.

"Even though...," said Dumbledore, nodding. "Voldemort has an obsessive mind, and he is also exceedingly superstitious. He would want his immortality protected by all four Hogwarts founders, even if he was philosophically opposed to what they stood for."

"I remember now, how you said something like that to me once, Professor Dumbledore -- in my reality, I mean. You said 'having secured objects from Hufflepuff and Slytherin, he would set out to track down objects owned by Gryffindor or Ravenclaw.' You said 'Four objects from the four founders would exert a powerful pull over his imagination.' You didn't know at the time if he had managed to find anything of Ravenclaw's -- I don't think you knew about the wand -- but you said something about the only known relic of Gryffindor being safe."

"Yes," said Dumbledore, looking towards to the Founders cabinet, "Godric Gryffindor's sword."

Harry leapt from his chair and ran to the cabinet. "It's here! You've got it!" he cried excitedly.

"Alas, not," said Dumbledore, shaking his head sombrely.

"I'd know it anywhere. I used it in the Chamber of Secrets to kill Slytherin's basilisk," said Harry, opening the cabinet, and grasping a gleaming silver sword with enormous rubies set into its handle. "This is it!" insisted Harry, waving the sword in front of Dumbledore.

"Sadly, it is merely a replica," said Dumbledore.

"What? Why?"

"I told you how I used an enchantment to create a replica of my office in this cave and then developed the spell to exchange the enchanted replica with the real one at Hogwarts. By that time, some items had been removed from my office, and hence I was left with the replicas I had created. Voldemort almost certainly removed Gryffindor's sword from my office when Hogwarts fell. What you are holding is merely my replica."

"Are you certain?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore nodded. "I think we can safely assume that he added the original to his vast collection of valuable magical objects that he has amassed at his secret palace."

"Do you know where the palace is?"

"I have no idea. No doubt it is unplottable and protected by unimaginable enchantments -- and evil creatures. But the sword will no longer be there. After concealing his Horcrux within Gryffindor's sword, Voldemort would have hidden it somewhere obscure and far away from his secret palace."

"So no one knows where it is," said Harry despondently.

They both remained silent for a long time. Finally Dumbledore spoke. "Perhaps you could tell me how the other Horcrux was found, the one Voldemort concealed in Rowena Ravenclaw's wand in the Future of Darkness."

Harry told Dumbledore everything he could recall from Hermione's account of how she met Miranda Malfoy, who took her to meet Tanika Goldstein, a direct descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw. He told her of Tanika's dreams and how she was able to lead Hermione to Stonehenge, where the wand was hidden.

"Wonderful!" said Dumbledore smiling. "Perhaps the same method will work for us!"

"What do you mean?" asked Harry. "Is there a descendant of Godric Gryffindor in this reality?"

"Indeed, there is," replied Dumbledore. "As you may imagine, I have had a great deal of time on my hands since Hogwarts fell -- holed up in this cave, so to speak -- to pursue some of my many and varied interests. One of them is genealogy. I have been researching the lineages of some of the great witches and wizards of yore -- including the Hogwarts founders -- and I am quite certain that Godric Gryffindor's line is unbroken to this very day."

"Really? Who is it?"

"You," said Dumbledore, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Me? Are you sure?"

"As certain as it is possible to be in such matters."

"But ... even if it's true, even if I am Godric Gryffindor's descendant, his sword wasn't handed down from generation to generation like Rowena Ravenclaw's wand. Tanika Goldstein was the wand-bearer, she had a special magical link to the wand, which enabled her to find it. But I won't have that kind of link with Gryffindor's sword."

"Probably not," mused Dumbledore. "Nevertheless, there may be some kind of magical bond."

"Actually, I think you might be right," said Harry. "In my second year, when I was down in the Chamber of Secrets, Gryffindor's sword magically appeared just when I really needed it."

"That would certainly suggest some kind of connection," confirmed Dumbledore. "While it may be much weaker than the bond between the wand-bearer and Rowena Ravenclaw's wand, the tremendous magical power you derive from your connection to the Source may enable you to sense Gryffindor's sword in much the same way."

"How can we find out? How do I go about trying to find it?"

"I suggest you sit in that chair, Harry, and take some time to examine the replica minutely. You need to be able to visualise it precisely in your mind." Harry spent several minutes in deep concentration studying every part of the sword before looking up questioningly at Dumbledore.

"I believe Jason Trolove has taught you the art of meditation. Close your eyes now, empty your mind, and then visualise the sword. Be open to any external intimations that may come to you."

After several minutes, Harry spoke, his eyes still closed. "It feels like something is sort of calling me, or pulling at me, Professor. I think it might be the sword."

"Can you sense where it is?" asked Dumbledore softly.

"Maybe," said Harry uncertainly. "Not the actual location, but I can feel the direction," he said, turning his head gently from side-to-side before raising his right arm and pointing towards the right edge of Dumbledore's desk.

"You may open your eyes now," said Dumbledore, thoughtfully. Harry looked at him expectantly. "Pretty much due south from here," said Dumbledore, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

"You don't suppose it's at Stonehenge, do you? That's where the Voldemort in the other dream reality hid Ravenclaw's wand."

"Stonehenge is south from here -- but then again, so is the rest of England. However, I think we should investigate the possibility. Stonehenge is one of the most ancient magical sites in Britain; and clearly, it exercises a fascination over Voldemort's mind."

"That's right," recalled Harry. "In my reality Voldemort just recently took over Stonehenge to turn it into a temple where his followers are supposed to worship him."

"How interesting," said Dumbledore, raising his eyebrows. "Perhaps it might be safer to Apparate to somewhere deserted, close to the henge. If memory serves me correct, there is a small rise a few miles to the west; let us begin there. Please take my arm."

"Err, if you don't mind, Professor, I'd prefer to use the dematerialising/re-materialising method Jason taught me. I find Side-Along-Apparation rather unpleasant."

"Of course," said Dumbledore, smiling. "And it will also be safer. I doubt if it can be monitored, like Apparation. But do you know where to go?"

"Err ... yes, sir, I saw the spot in your mind," said Harry, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Very good then," said Dumbledore with a grin. "Shall we away?"