Voldemort Ascendant

Chapter thirteen: Dumbledore's Legacy

'Harry Potter, what the fuck is wrong with you?!'

The tension within the swaying coach climaxed as Parvati's shrill scream filled the compartment. The Creevey brothers both looked up in surprise, Fudge gave her a blank, stupid look. Suddenly realising she'd screamed her thoughts out rather shamefully, Parvati cringed and hunched back into her seat. 'I mean . . . that is to say . . .' she continued sheepishly. 'Are you okay? You seem a little . . . different, is all,' she finished lamely, and studiously avoided looking up.

Harry stared at Parvati, and blinked once. 'I am different,' he replied softly. 'I've spent the last two and a half years or more in a cell, surrounded by dementors and my own insanity. I would like to be able to say that I'm the same boy I used to be . . . but I'm not. How could I be?'

'Geas,' Fudge muttered from his side of the coach, shaking his head slowly. 'Geas.'

'What?' Parvati demanded, looking from Fudge to Harry. 'Gash? What's that supposed to mean? Harry?'

Harry gave Fudge a piercing look. 'Geas. It's old magical lore. Ancient, even. It was a celtic tradition.'

Justin suddenly straightened in his seat. 'What does it have to do with anything?' he demanded.

'Broken,' Fudge said softly. 'I broke my geas as minister.'

Justin gave Fudge a strange look, then sidled a glance at Parvati. 'Nuts,' he whispered. 'Lost his mind, I'd say.'

'I'm in full possession of my mind, boy!' Fudge suddenly roared, casting a wild look around the occupants of the coach. 'And greater is my woe for it.'

The muggle-borns cast wary glances at each other, and Edward shifted awkwardly, clearly nervous about the situation. His fingers clenched and unclenched around the shaft of his wand. Across from him, Fudge suddenly lurched forward and gave a rasping, dry sob. 'I broke my geas . . . the geas of all Ministers of Magic . . . this is all my fault . . .' he gasped brokenly, raising his old, wrinkled fists to his face. 'None of this would have happened . . .'

Parvati watched the old wizard, her emotions warring between pity and horror at seeing an old wizard sobbing like a heartbroken child. Turning her head slightly, she noticed that Harry seemed unaffected; he simply stared at Fudge as if he didn't have a problem in the world. In fact, it almost seemed that he looked upon Fudge's performance as if it had been expected. 'Harry?' she asked quietly. Harry raised his eyebrows and turned to her. 'Harry . . . what's a geas? What's Fudge going on about?'

Harry returned his gaze to Fudge, and when he spoke, his voice was soft and kind. 'Geasa were ancient bonds placed upon Celtic kings and heroes. A magical obligation or taboo. To break a geas was to invite tragedy. Though an ancient tradition, it was effective, and occasionally still used in our own wizarding world. The position of Minister of Magic, for example, was possessed by a geas. Irrespective of the identity of the minister, upon becoming Minister, he - or she - came under the rule of the geas.'

'So Fudge broke the geas he was under?' Edward asked.

Harry nodded. 'Yes. And the entire wizarding world has suffered for it.'

'But what was the geas he broke?' Justin asked curiously, all the while cringing away from the sob-wracked body of the former Minister of Magic.

'Cornelius? Perhaps you might best explain what it is that brought about the downfall of wizarding kind?' Harry said firmly yet gently.

Fudge sobbed once more, than slowly straightened his back, directing a sorrowful look around the carriage. 'I . . . I exhibited cowardice,' he whispered softly.

Harry's eyes hardened. 'And the rest of it, Fudge,' he said, and his voice was suddenly cold as ice. 'Tell us all what broke the geas.'

Fudge gulped loudly and issued another broken sob. 'I . . . I . . . I put my own safety and concern for my own well being before that of another . . .' he replied, so softly that Parvati found she was straining to hear him.

'Dumbledore,' Parvati whispered. 'You allowed them to kill Dumbledore in order that you might live.'

'Thus breaking the Ministerial geas, and allowing the destruction of the wizarding world as we knew it,' Harry said.

***

Fudge looked up at Harry in abstract misery. 'I'm sorry,' he sobbed. 'I'm so, so sorry . . . I wasn't thinking . . . I didn't know!'

Justin sent Fudge a furious look. 'A fat bloody load of good that does us!' he snarled. 'Look at us - look at Harry! Do you even know what they did to him?' Justin demanded.

Fudge's jaw trembled. 'You don't see it, do you?' he whispered softly, and though his eyes met Harry's, his comment was directed to the others. 'You have no idea . . .'

'What are you on about, Fudge?' Justin asked, rolling his eyes. 'Mad,' he repeated.

Kevin and Derek, however, were looking from Harry, to Fudge, and back to Harry. 'It's Harry,' Derek said softly, his voice laced with question and supposition.

'What about him?' Edward asked, suddenly turning his attention to Harry. Harry simply continued to stare at Fudge, unblinking, a hint of contempt on his face.

'I'm not sure . . .' Derek replied.

'Dumbledore?' Kevin questioned, turning his face to Harry.

'When Harry first spoke, he said Dumbledore is watching over all of us,' Derek explained slowly. 'And Hermione once mentioned that she and Harry were the last ones to see Dumbledore alive - other than Fudge and the Death Eaters, of course . . .'

'So?' Justin asked.

Parvati watched Kevin and Derek as they bounced ideas off each other. Frankly, she was gobsmacked. She wouldn't have guessed that either of them - even combined - had it in them to come to conclusions they way they were doing now. 'What are you suggesting?'

Kevin once more gave Harry a speculative look. 'Dumbledore. Dumbledore is watching over us. Did Dumbledore bind himself to a geas in death?'

'No,' Fudge mumbled. 'I did.'

Across from him, Harry's eyes narrowed.

'I knew the moment they killed Dumbledore . . . until that moment I just hadn't thought - hadn't considered my own actions. And then they killed him, and I felt it. I felt the geas unraveling. It was like a whip snapping around me and the roar of one thousand ancient voices raised in fury and triumph. Voldemort knew it . . . he knew what I'd done. And I swore then . . . I swore . . . that I'd make it right. I swore I'd atone for what I'd done. I couldn't undo it - breaking a geas is like a muggle smashing a glass . . . they can't hope to ever return the glass to the way it once was. And a wizard can never repair a geas. But we can make a new one. Only I . . . I fumbled it,' Fudge explained, and cast a profoundly apologetic look at Harry. 'I fumbled it.'

'How?' Parvati asked, intrigued.

'I knew what Dumbledore had said to Hermione, Harry and Ron in those final moments. I was spying on him, waiting for him to come to me . . . I was so terrified he wouldn't come . . . it terrified me, what he said. The way he said it, as if he knew. Damn him, he knew!' Fudge hissed, and a pained expression ran over his face. 'He knew only his death awaited him, but he still came . . . and when he died, it was as if enlightenment swept over me . . . Dumbledore knew I'd break my geas . . . but he'd prepared, don't you see? He'd deliberately left clues, hints, plans . . . it was like he was guiding me . . . telling me to lay a new geas . . . ' Fudge continued to ramble, and Parvati found herself wondering if Fudge had lost his mind. How can any of this be true? she asked herself, then checked her thoughts and returned to listening to Fudge. 'I was to make a new geas . . . to atone, don't you see? I destroyed our world, but I could atone with this new geas . . . and Dumbledore - he's caught in the geas. By promising Harry that he'd watch over him, he became a part of the geas. And that's what it's all about . . . that's why he's here.'

The Creevey brothers suddenly looked alarmed, Justin gaped. Edward shifted uncomfortably, sending unnerved looks between Fudge and Harry. Derek and Kevin watched curiously, whilst Parvati edged slowly away from Harry.

'Fudge, what are you saying?' Parvati whispered desperately.

'I'm saying that Dumbledore is here, and will be, until atonement has come.'

'Where?' Parvati hissed, and a cold, clammy chill swept along her spine.

'Don't you see? He's right there. He's Harry, now.'

***

Parvati felt as if she might be physically sick. She was sure she could feel it; gall, acidic and foul at the back of her mouth. 'What did you say?' she hissed at Fudge, her face a mask of horror.

'Light . . . light,' Justin muttered, shaking his head in denial. Across from him, Harry sat with a stone face, staring all the while at Fudge, who twitched and blanched like a lunatic.

Edward gasped, exhaled, gasped again. 'Harry?' he finally said. 'Harry, is it true?'

An almost annoyed expression flittered over Harry's face. Watching it, Colin Creevey was struck by how odd annoyance looked on Harry's face . . . he knew Harry had shown annoyance before, rather suspected that much of Harry's annoyance would have been directed at Colin himself in the past. But to see it now, it seemed strained and unnatural, wrong. Annoyance just didn't fit Harry anymore. Could it be because Dumbledore resided behind those green eyes? Try though he might, Colin couldn't recall having ever seen Dumbledore looking annoyed.

'I . . .' Harry started to say. 'I'm . . .' he paused, then looked resolute. 'Things are not what they seem,' he finally said slowly. 'But take heart. With the help of Fudge, we're going to make things right once more.'

It wasn't enough for Parvati. How could it be? She couldn't simply accept that Harry and Dumbledore were somehow, after all this time, sharing one head, one mind. Raising her head, she looked at Harry suspiciously.

'Harry . . . Dumbledore - it's not enough. It's not enough to simply say that things aren't what they seem. We,' she said, and gestured at Edward, Justin, the Creevey brothers and finally Kevin and Derek, 'we're here with you. We're in this carriage, riding with Fudge and yourself . . . it's not enough to just leave us in the dark. We need to know who you are. What you are. I for one want to know what, by the light, I'm dealing with in you.'

The others in the carriage slowly nodded in agreement. Harry cocked his head to one side, as if considering what Parvati had just said, then finally nodded slowly. The entire gesture was so reminiscent of Dumbledore that she nearly believed it all, right there and then. 'It is not that Dumbledore is here, sharing my head,' Harry said slowly. 'But rather, the memory of him . . . more than a memory. A part of him has been left to me. The knowledge that he is somewhere else now, watching over us, and guiding us. Perhaps a little of his wisdom, and a little magic. Dumbledore has protected me from birth, in his own way, and just because he is now dead does not mean that protection has died with him. But it's more than that . . . he is actively watching over us. Not just as some random memory or feeling. He is really here, somewhere . . . and he's protecting us.'

Parvati found herself mesmerized by Harry's words, touched by the sentiment and conviction in his voice. And though she didn't understand all he said - not really - she found herself comforted by the knowledge that Harry was still Harry, not some possessed entity. It was somehow so wrong to think that Dumbledore might possess Harry.

'So Dumbledore is protecting us all?' Justin asked somewhat defensively. 'Then why did he let all this happen, huh? Why the enslavement, and your imprisonment and madness - have you forgotten about that already, Harry? And what about Hermione? Who is protecting her?' Justin demanded aggressively.

'Hush Justin!' Parvati hissed, embarrassed.

But Harry simply nodded serenely. 'He isn't a physical defense, Justin,' Harry said slowly. 'Rather, an instinct. He can no long wield a wand, or magic, or potions . . . but he can guide through instinct and muse and inspiration. He could no more prevent what happened after his death than he could prevent the rain from falling or the sun from rising. But he can influence us and lead us in the right direction,' Harry explained. Looking across the coach at Fudge, Harry's expression became almost smug. 'And Fudge can feel him. Can't you, Fudge? Fudge owes Dumbledore a rather profound debt, and that debt is going to be repaid when Fudge restores our lives to us.'

Justin continued to look sullen, though Parvati was sure his body language had opened a little. And in a small part of her being, she started to feel a little optimistic. Maybe there's hope for us yet.

***

Darkness gradually fell over the countryside, but still the carriage didn't slow. The Creevey brothers had long since fallen asleep, and Kevin and Derek were obviously drowsy. Edward was staring pensively out the carriage window, still idly running his fingers along his broken wand. Parvati lay with her head against the carriage wall, trying her best to doze, trusting in Harry's words and no longer so afraid that Fudge might somehow betray them all.

Harry say, straight backed, his eyes on Fudge. Fudge slouched across from him, occasionally sending nervous looks at Harry. Finally, he broke the silence. 'Was he always with you?' he asked.

Harry raised an eyebrow. 'Dumbledore?'

'Dumbledore. Was he with you from the moment he died? Have you always known he was there?' Fudge prompted.

Harry briefly closed his eyes, considering. 'I don't know,' he said finally. 'I knew he was going to die . . . we all did. But when I saw his . . . when I saw his head in Voldemort's fist . . . it was like a new definition of death. There was death, and then there was that death. And they're two entirely different things. I don't know if Dumbledore was with me from the moment he died . . . I wasn't aware of any inexplicable sense of loss,' he explained. Raising a hand to his head, he swept his messy crop of hair from his face and leaned his head back against the carriage seat. 'I wasn't ever aware of his presence when I was imprisoned in Hogwarts. I don't know if that's because he was elsewhere. . . or just because I was too mad to notice. All I know is that since this afternoon . . . it's like a flood of memories has come over me. I don't remember the last two and a half years . . . I don't recall any of it happening to me. But at the same time, I do . . . as if they were someone else's memories. As if I was watching it all, but it wasn't happening to me. I feel like I've only just woken up from the night Dumbledore died. Hearing your name . . . it woke me up. Maybe that's when Dumbledore came to me. I can feel him all around me, you know,' Harry said slowly, casting an assessing look at Fudge.

Fudge nodded slowly, nervously.

'Don't worry, Fudge. He's not here to avenge his death. He means you no harm. But he does mean for you to atone. You're going to get us all away from this place, Fudge,' Harry said, his voice determined and sure. 'Do you know how you're going to do that?'

Fudge shook his head nervously. 'No . . . but I'll do anything. Anything. I can't bear it anymore, Harry,' Fudge whispered conspiratorially. 'It's a weight, a huge weight, bearing me down. I can feel it every day and every night . . . it never goes. Even when I sleep, it's there, weighing on me . . . I'll do anything, Harry!'

'You don't need to do that much, Fudge. Just get us away from here.'

***

Parvati woke as the coach rumbled to an exaggerated halt. Abraxan have a sense for flair, she thought to herself, straightening her spine. Yawning, she looked around the coach, and noticed that the other's were all awakening, too. Fudge didn't seem to be within the coach. Turning to Harry, whom she noticed was wide awake and apparently unwearied, she asked, 'Where are we?'

'Shh,' Harry whispered, and gestured with a nod of his head towards the far window. 'Fudge is securing our successful escape.'

Parvati nodded once, smiled politely, then suddenly took in the importance of Harry's words. 'Wh-' she started to cry out, then cringed and repeated, in a whisper this time, 'What?'

'Shhh,' Harry whispered again, then smiled serenely. 'We're at an exit port for officials and ex-officials. Fudge didn't think it'd be a good idea, but I insisted we use regular channels.'

Parvati looked stricken. 'But Harry, why? We'll surely be caught - and if they catch us, they'll take us back to the school, surely . ..'

Harry continued to smile and slowly shook his head. 'They won't be expecting this. They'll expect us to try and slip out using back-water ports and underground means. Security will be upped everywhere, but they won't look so hard for us here.'

'But Harry, what if they look in the carriage? That's all it takes - we need to hide!'

Harry seemed to consider this. 'We don't all need to hide. Fudge is telling the port-wardens that he's taking his godchildren on a tour of France, but only four. The rest of us will need to hide if they peep in. Look, I'll go sit next to the Creevey brothers and Justin. Cloak us under the invisibility cloak, okay? You, Edward, Derek and Kevin are the godchildren from now on.'

Parvati nodded uncertainly. What if they try to talk to me? What if they have our pictures and know what to look for? What if Fudge betrays us?!

Outside the coach, Fudge tittered nervously as a quill was handed to him and a parchment was stuffed beneath his nose. 'Fill it out, Cornelius . . . you'll need to fill out the bottom section for your godchildren, and then we'll need to check inside the coach to make sure you're not harbouring any fugitives nor trying to smuggle fauna and flora into foreign climates,' the port-warden said, his voice somewhat bored, his words obviously rehearsed.

Fudge spluttered a little. 'But uh . . . check the carriage, you say? Impossible . . . yes, impossible. Of course I'm not trying to uh . . . smuggle fugitives and harbour foreign fauna and flora - I'm ex-minister! I know all the rules . . .' he mumbled and muttered, his eyes wide and anxious.

The port-warden's eyes narrowed suspiciously. 'Then you'll know that it's required of us to check the carriage, Mr Fudge,' he said slowly.

Fudge's eyes flickered to the carriage, and he took a step back towards it, saying loudly, 'But you can't! You'll wake my four godchildren! They're asleep, you see . . . my four godchildren!'

The port-warden raised an eyebrow. 'Get inside the coach, Fudge,' he said, his voice low with menace and a hint of expectation.

Shaking and tittering, mumbling under his breath about his four godchildren, Fudge made his way slowly into the coach, spreading his arms wide as he passed through the doorway and momentarily blocking the port-warden's view within the compartment. Once inside, he scratched his head nervously, taking in the four children seemingly sleeping to one side of the compartment and the long, empty seat opposite them. 'Yes . . . yes, all in order, as you see. My four wonderful, wonderful godchildren . . . quietly, now, warden-sir,' Fudge suddenly whispered, and lowered himself to the 'empty' seat. Landing somewhat awkwardly, he sprung back to his feet with a shocked cry, then tittered once more. 'Oh . . . oh dear . . . tricky, naughty godchildren,' he muttered. 'Leaving all sorts of nasty surprises for their kind old godfather, yes indeed,' he continued.

The port-warden cast his eyes suspiciously around the carriage and finally looked at Fudge in disgust. 'Get out of here, Fudge,' he said darkly, stepping out of the coach and slamming the door deliberately.

Inside the coach, everyone held their breath. The coach rolled forward several metres, then suddenly seemed to lurch forward as if sucked into a giant gale. Behind them, a voice suddenly bellowed, though seemingly from a great distance, 'Stop them! Stop that coach! Fudge!'

Seconds later, the coach shuddered and jerked, then came to a rattling halt.

Wide eyed, Parvati looked fearfully at Fudge. 'Did we make it or not?' she whispered.

***