Dumbledore's Secret

Chapter 13

"Lumos!" Remus whispered into the blackness as he and Snape stepped up to the front door of Radu's house. Peering out into the dark street, Remus said, "I don't see anyone." Then, inhaling deeply, he added, "Nor do I smell anyone."

"The werewolf comes in handy," Snape muttered as he magicked the front door open.

Remus smiled. No matter how strange the situation - and breaking into a dead man's labs in the middle of the night was not among Remus Lupin's usual activities - Snape could always be counted on to be insulting. "It's comforting to know," Remus muttered, "that even life threatening situations don't make you any more pleasant."

Snape grunted. Pushing open the front door, he said, "You take the upstairs - his residences, if I remember correctly - I'll go down below to the labs."

Remus looked around. The front door opened into a dusty stairwell, and the windowless corridor seemed darker even than the moonless sky outside. "I don't think it's wise to separate. They could be waiting for us."

"If they're waiting for us, we're dead whether there are two of us one only one."

"That's a rather pessimistic view of our abilities," Remus said. "Besides, I don't know what I'm looking for."

Snape said nothing for a moment, then nodded curtly. "Let's go upstairs first, then. Look for any piece of writing, any vial that looks as if it might have even a drop of potion left, any sort of label or drawing."

As they entered the residence, Remus said, "Well, we're not the first people to have visited." Radu's living space, which consisted only of a small kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and study, were a complete mess. Dishes and clothing were strewn across the floor, every cabinet door was flung open, and all the drawers had been pulled from their slots and emptied onto the floor. Still, among all this clutter, they found nothing that had any possible connection to the potion.

"Could it be," Remus asked as they headed to the basement labs, "that when Radu told Koppelhagen about a key, he meant quite literally a key?"

Snape shrugged. "Possibly, but if he did, then we're in even more trouble. What does this key open?"

Remus sighed. They had entered the labs, which were even worse off than the residence. Shards of glass littered the floors, and all the shelves and cabinets were empty.

"We're too late," Snape said. Then, as if an invisible hand had punched him in the gut, he gasped and flew backwards, his wand slipping from his fingers as he tumbled onto the floor.

"Snape!" Remus cried, quickly picking up the other man's wand and throwing it to him.

Luckily still conscious, Snape caught the wand and pulled himself to his feet.

"Show yourself!" Remus cried out, his own wand at the ready. Then Remus felt it, the blow to his midsection, and he stumbled backwards, only just barely catching himself before he fell.

"Lupin! I think he's behind you ..."

Remus wheeled around, unable to see much of anything in the darkness. Then he heard a feeble voice call out, "Master Snape?"

Remus concentrated on increasing the power of his lumos spell, but even with the amplified light, he still could see nothing.

"Who is that?" Snape demanded. "Reveal yourself!"

"Please, Master Snape, forgive me!" the humble voice called, and Remus gaped when he saw a ragged house elf emerge from the shadows. "Master Nicolae speaks most highly of Master Snape, Master Nicolae says Master Snape is the best potions master in England, and Lupa never means to harm such a great man."

Snape asked, "You are Master Radu's house elf?"

The house elf, presumably a female as it was dressed in a long, torn skirt, said, "Does Master Snape remember Lupa? Lupa served Master Snape dinner, grilled fish and vegetables, but no carrots, Lupa remembers that!"

"Uh ... yes, I ..."

"Lupa has been honored!" Then she paused and stepped a little closer. Now in the full light of Remus's wand, Lupa appeared old and disheveled, her ears shriveled and skin even more wrinkly than the average house elf. Her large, milky eyes were full of tears as she said, "Does Master Snape know of Master Nicolae? Poor Master has not been home for many moons now, many moons, but Lupa will not leave, Lupa will not abandon her Master!"

Snape and Remus exchanged a glance. "Lupa," Snape said quietly. "How long has it been since anyone's been here? Has someone else come here?"

Lupa's already large eyes grew even bigger. "There have been many bad men who have come here, many bad men. But Lupa keeps them from staying long. Lupa thought Master Snape was a bad man, but now Lupa sees that Master Snape is not! Lupa is so sorry, so sorry Master Snape ..."

"Then these men that came, did do all this?" Snape asked, looking around the lab. "Did they destroy these things?"

Lupa shook her head. "No, Master Nicolae did that, Master did it before he left. Master is a smart man, Master wanted to trick the bad men. Master told Lupa to hide away in a closet and not come out until Master returns." Suddenly, she threw herself on the ground and hit her head against the floor. "Oh, Master Nicolae, Lupa is so sorry for coming out, but Lupa is scared, and ..."

Grimacing at the sight of her small head crashing continually into the floor, Remus said quietly, "Please, Lupa, don't ..."

She stopped immediately and looked up at him with suspicion. "You are a changeling."

Remus's mouth fell open. He'd never known house elves could sense the werewolf in him.

"Get away!" she hissed at him.

"He's with me," Snape said.

Lupa's face softened. "Master Snape is a good man. If Master Snape is friends with changeling, then Lupa shall accept."

"Friends might be putting it a bit strongly," Snape muttered.

But Lupa paid no attention, instead asking, "Please, can Master Snape help Lupa find Master Nicolae?"

Snape and Remus exchanged glances. Then Remus said, "I'm sorry, Lupa, but your master is dead."

Remus expected another round of self mutilation, or at least some more tears, but Lupa took the news quite calmly.

"Then Lupa has no master."

"Uh ... no, Lupa has no master," Remus agreed. "You're free..."

Snape shot him an angry glance, then said, "But we need your help. We need you to tell us what you saw Master Nicolae doing."

Lupa shook her head. "Master's secrets go with Lupa to the grave." Then she began to hum. "Lupa is free! Lupa is free!"

Remus whispered to Snape, "Have you ever seen a house elf so happy? Just a second ago, she was sobbing for him ..."

"I've only seen one happy to be free," Snape said, "but Dobby's master was Lucius Malfoy, and even the most dedicated house elf would have been happy to be free of that monster." As Lupa began twirling and singing, Snape muttered, "Damn it, she was our one chance to get some information! She's seen who's been here, she's seen what Radu was up to ..."

Lupa stopped twirling and looked at them. "Lupa would like to thank Master Snape for such good news!"

"I thought," Remus said, "you liked serving Radu."

Lupa looked at her feet. "Master Nicolae was not a bad man, as men go, and it was Lupa's duty and honor to serve master Nicolae. But ... those is not the same as liking."

Snape said urgently, "Lupa, we need you to help us."

"Lupa will help honorable Master Snape, for Lupa loves to serve, but freely. Still, Lupa cannot tell Master Nicolae's secrets."

"He's not your master any longer," Snape said.

"No matter. Lupa will not ..."

"Not even," Remus interrupted, "if it would help us find who did this to your Master?"

Lupa shrugged. "Man's business is man's business. Lupa cares not."

"Then you shouldn't care about your master's secrets," Snape reasoned.

Lupa lifted her chin. "Lupa still must have honor, Sir. House elves always keep master's secrets, always. House elves may only pass secrets down the line."

"Pass them down the line?" Remus asked.

"I think she means through the ..." Snape stopped, then muttered, "Bloody hell." With a small smile, he said, "Lupa, what would happen if your master left an heir?"

"Lupa's master had no heir," she said, but her voice became weak.

"But Lupa, your master does have an heir. He left behind a great niece."

Lupa shook her head. "No, Master Nicolae never speak of such a person!"

"Did he speak of a woman named Ekaterina?"

Lupa's eyes widened. "Master Nicoale loved his sister, Master had Lupa polish her photograph everyday ... but Master's sister died long time ago."

Snape nodded. "Yes, but her granddaughter still lives. She is Master Nicolae's great niece, and she would, by law, be Lupa's mistress."

Lupa fell to the ground and began to sob. "But Lupa wants to be free, Master Snape, Lupa wants ..."

Remus felt pity well up in him, but he said nothing, knowing that getting Lupa back to the Order was perhaps their only chance to find out exactly what Radu had been up to.

"Lupa, what happened to your honor?" Snape asked coldly, and the house elf immediately picked herself up off the ground and smoothed out her tattered skirt.

"Master Snape is not a good man," she muttered.

"No, Master Snape is not," he agreed. "Now come on, let's get out of here."

Poor Lupa looked like she was going to faint, and Remus said kindly, "Lupa, you will like your new mistress. She is very kind."

Lupa muttered, "Mistress is friend of changeling and bad man. Mistress will be no good."

Remus turned to Snape and murmured, "Ten galleons she'll want to free the elf."

"Ten galleons says she will take the elf, whether she wants to or not," he replied, and they apparated away, Lupa crying the entire journey.

*

Albus arrived on the corner of Privet Drive and felt a chill race down his spine. It was a familiar scene, he thought as he pulled the Put-Outer from his robes and aimed it at the street lamps. Minerva, in her tabby form, sat stiffly on the front porch of No. 4, and he approached her with a smile. "Professor McGonagall," he whispered teasingly, and the cat quickly morphed into a slender old woman. Fifteen years ago, when they had first come to this place, they had been going through what Minerva had dubbed their Victorian Era. "You were alive way back then," she had said with a grin. "Tell me, how is it that married couples could call each other by their last names? It seems so cold, even for someone like me."

"Why, Professor McGonagall," he had said with chuckle, "I think it was actually quite a charming habit." And for the next year, he had persisted in calling her only by her title, to her utter frustration. She had, in protest, refused to call him Albus, which he didn't mind so much as he had never been terribly fond of his first name.

"I was just thinking," Minerva said with a gentle smile, "that this was about the time you discovered lemon drops, wasn't it?"

"Ah, another memory. I was thinking of how I went for a year without calling you by your delightful first name." Then he looked up at the one, lit window in the house. Albus could see the boy's face outlined in the window. With his elbows resting on the windowsill and his chin propped on his hands, Harry stared out into the night sky, gazing at the moon.

"But of course, there is the most important memory," Albus whispered, still looking up at the boy. Then, after a moment, he asked, "How is he?"

Minerva said softly, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"Good evening, Harry," Albus called to the open window.

Harry looked down at the porch in surprise. "Professor Dumbledore! I thought ..." He looked back up at the sky.

"No, Harry, unlike you, I have no talent with brooms. I'm better on my feet," he responded with a grin.

Harry was silent, as if trying to figure out how to respond to the headmaster's friendliness. Then he nodded and said, "Are we leaving now?"

Albus said, "In a moment. We're just waiting for one more thing." Harry gave him a questioning look, but Albus said only, "Why don't you bring your things down?"

Harry nodded and disappeared from the window. Almost immediately, the front door opened and Albus glanced at it in surprise. "Why ... hello Vernon," he said calmly to the scowling man, who, despite his great size and mean glower, did not manage to look very intimidating in his polka dot pajamas.

"We do not want a bunch of freaks hanging about our front porch!" he muttered. "I told this one ..." he said, pointing angrily at Minerva.

"Vernon! What ..." hissed a woman's voice from inside. A bony-faced woman craned her head around Vernon's shoulder and gasped. "You!" she whispered, staring at Albus.

"Good evening, Petunia." He stared at the woman and wondered, not for the first time, how this woman had ever been Lily Evans's sister.

"Now," Vernon continued, "I want you off our porch this instant! All night we've had to put up with ..."

"Tell me, Petunia," Albus interrupted serenely, "how is your son doing?"

Her eyes widened, and she pulled quickly at her husband's arm. "Come on Vernon, let's go to bed."

"But ..." he sputtered angrily.

"They'll leave soon. They're just taking Harry off to school."

"Well, not a moment too ..." Vernon stopped when Harry appeared in the hallway. "Good riddance!" he muttered, pushing the boy out of his way and heading up the stairs. Harry stared angrily after his uncle. Petunia began to follow her husband when Minerva muttered, "Potter, remember, manners ..."

Harry sighed and said, "Goodbye, Aunt Petunia."

His aunt looked back at the boy in surprise.

Minerva jabbed Harry in the shoulder, and the boy added, "Have a good summer."

"Well," Petunia stuttered, "uh, yes." And then she raced up the stairs and out of sight.

As Harry dragged his trunk and owl cage out onto the porch, Albus said, "I see you've grown a great deal since we last spoke."

Harry glanced at him worriedly. "Uh, Professor, about that time ... your office..."

Albus smiled. "Why, what about my office? It is quite normal ... well, as normal as my office can be, of course."

Harry almost grinned, but he quickly straightened his mouth into a serious looking frown. "I told Professor McGonagall ... I've been having more visions."

Albus nodded gravely. "We will have to discuss this in depth." But then he resumed smiling and said, "But tonight, we have other business to attend to."

"Is this about the thing we're waiting for?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Look up there," Albus said, pointing to the moon. "And wait."

Harry gave him a skeptical look, but did as he asked. Minerva mumbled, "I hope this was a wise decision."

"You hope what was a wise decision?" Harry asked eagerly, not looking away from the moon. "Is the advance guard coming to pick us up? Do we get to fly to Grimmauld Place?"

Albus chose not to answer any of Harry's questions, instead saying, "Why, Professor McGonagall, it was your idea, and a very good one, too."

With a sigh, Harry muttered, "Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?"

"Such impertinence!" Minerva chided, but with a smile. "I don't know, Professor Dumbledore, maybe we should call it off. I'm not sure that Potter is quite mature enough for this."

Harry began to sputter, and Albus said, "Now, now, Professor McGonagall. Of course he is. Why, tomorrow he will be 16 after all. I do hope, Harry," he said, gazing at the young man, " that you don't mind a somewhat early birthday present. It is, after all, still several hours before you're officially 16."

Harry looked away from the sky and glanced between his professors. "No, I don't mind," he said, finally grinning.

"Oh, dear," Albus said, "you're about to miss it."

Harry whipped his head around and gaped. "Brilliant!" he cried, running out into the street.

Albus's chest ached as he watched Harry run toward Hagrid, who was now landing Sirius Black's motorcycle onto Privet Drive. "Well, here we are again," he murmured, "a doddering old man, an exceptional woman, a kindly half giant, a flying motorcycle, and the hope of the wizarding world."

"You've done a good job with him, Albus," Minerva said, taking his hand.

He sighed. "Any good that comes out of this has had little to do with me."

Harry had climbed on the back of the motorcycle and was holding onto Hagrid's large waist.

"Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore," Hagrid said, nodding respectfully.

"Hagrid," Albus returned. "Have a good flight?"

The half giant grinned and said, "It's a fine night for flying."

"Well, you be careful now, Hagrid. Don't let Potter ..." Minerva began.

"Oh, they'll be fine," Albus said with a smile. "Harry, we'll see you at Headquarters."

"Hedwig, my trunk ..." Harry began.

"Don't worry about that. Just enjoy the night."

Harry grinned broadly. "Thanks so much! I don't know how to thank you ..." He stopped, then said, "It'll be almost like being with him again. I can imagine him on this, flying ..."

Albus nodded and they were silent for a moment. Then Minerva said, "Well, just don't think you'll be able to fly that thing at Hogwarts, or you'll find yourself spending all your evenings in detention, Potter."

Harry laughed and said, "I promise, Professor. Come on, Hagrid, let's take it for a ride!"

Hagrid revved the engines and said, "All right, Harry?"

"All right, Hagrid."

And, after a moment of loud rumbling, the motorcycle soared into the distant sky.