31

Chapter 31: Not All is Fragile

Astoria Greengrass wasn't sure what to expect when she entered Professor Moody's Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Yes, she had Moody as her defense teacher. Yes, she had been in the defense room before. But there was something different about the third year class which had everybody talking. Rumors of the Unforgiveables being used on snakes and students, supplemented certainly by the snake which had made its way into her common room, were fairly popular around the castle. Not that she had seen any of it. And this was why she nearly fell over when the door burst open to reveal a much shaken Hasan- the boy who took in the mysterious disappearing snake.

Astoria clutched her message to her chest, taking a deep breath before peaking inside. Within the room, twenty Slytherins and Gryffindors were gaping in shock at her (well, at the door). Giving a half-hearted nervous smile, she ventured inside.

"Class dismissed!" Moody barked harshly. The room rose as one and made for the exit, but Astoria still had to give Draco the note! Spotting his blonde hair amongst the crowd, she reached for his robe sleeve and tugged.

Malfoy snapped around immediately, eyes narrowing and expression taut. When he realized it was only her, his expression softened fractionally.

"A message from Professor Dumbledore," she murmured nervously. With one scared glance back at Moody, Astoria scampered towards the exit, leaving Draco to wonder what on earth the old coot could want to talk to him about...

"Mr. Malfoy,

If you could be so kind as to come to tea at 4 I would be forever grateful.

- Professor Dumbledore

P.S. I like lemon drops"

Draco Malfoy growled in irritation. It should be illegal for a teacher to request the presence of a child! Just because he attended the headmaster's bloody school didn't very well give him the right to start summoning people on his whim. Damn him.

He needed time to cool down. There were way too many emotions inside him right now to even think about meeting the headmaster! Where was Hasan? was the one question at the forefront of his mind. What the bloody hell had happened in there anyway? And next class, Draco knew he would be going next. Anxiety rose like bile in his throat.

It was 4.

With another growl, Draco trudged to tea time.

.oOo.

Dumbledore sat thoughtfully at his desk as he waited for the Malfoy heir to come up. There were a great deal many things on his mind at the moment, including what to do about the Malfoys. Sure, Lucius had given his word that they would support Dumbledore in this war, but Draco on the other hand- well, he was a loose cannon. Severus had mentioned as much last week after he had tried and failed to get the boy to open up to him. But Dumbledore wasn't intent upon getting the Malfoy heir to open up. His job at present was to get him to understand that the Light always had a place for him. At least, he hoped that this was enough to satisfy Lucius who had adamantly insisted that Draco have his full protection...

Presently, one of his little silver instruments began to spin, signaling the arrival of somebody at his door. Albus cracked his surprisingly non-arthritic knuckles. Showtime!

.oOo.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy! Have a seat! I'm very happy that you've come to have tea with me."

Draco hovered in the door uncertainly. He wasn't sure what he was doing here and didn't want to give more away than was absolutely necessary. More of what?- he didn't know.

Albus smiled at him as he approached the desk.

"Of course, you could have anything you want from the kitchens."

"No, tea is fine," Draco responded tersely. "Thank you."

The headmaster nodded before snapping his fingers. A tea tray appeared right on his desk. Albus gestured for the boy to sit down. Draco did so.

"Now, Draco-" (Draco's ears perked up at his given name), "-I'm regretful to say that I haven't asked you about your version of events last year."

"Last...year?" Draco queried, starting to worry.

"Yes, the Chamber of Secrets, my boy," Albus said, looking very tired all of a sudden. He had meant to ask as a way of starting a friendly conversation, but perhaps Basilisks were not altogether a very starting pleasant topic.

"I can't remember much," Draco ground out.

"Very well," Albus said. "What would you like to talk about?"

Draco looked taken aback for a second. "What's this even about? Why am I here?"

Albus sighed. "You are here, Draco, because I want you to know that despite being in Slytherin House, you still have an equally important place in this school. You may be...exposed to certain influences which other students may not because of their heritage, but nevertheless, you are still a part of this school."

Certain influences, Draco snorted sardonically. Yeah, like the Dark Lord?

"You know, Draco (he twitched in irritation), I used to be just like you when I was young."

Albus watched as the boy's eyes rose to meet his, checking for mockery. Draco kept his mouth firmly shut. Albus sighed and continued.

"Well, I was young for one thing. I attended Hogwarts. I was most nearly in Slytherin, and I was handsome- if you could ever believe that."

Draco was still gaping at the Slytherin part.

"Well," Dumbledore continued, "Those are all external traits. Internally, you might have guessed, I was rather a different person."

Despite himself, Draco felt his interest piqued, but not wanting to give himself away, he hastily took a sip of tea.

"Like you, I was heavily influenced by those closest to me. My best friend, and then lover, was the most prominent influence on my life. Together, we plotted world domination."

Draco spit out his tea.

"Oh yes, I remember it now," Albus mused, "I was power hungry, a bit confused, very ambitious, and very very talented. I tell you this, not to brag, but to tell you that power can be used in either direction. For good or for bad. When I was young, this was not how I thought. When I was young, I believed that there was only power accessible to those worthy. I believed myself worthy, foolishly I might add. As a half-blood I thought I had to prove myself to be respected. An idea which I believe Lord Voldemort has adopted. But luckily, I came to my senses...but the price was tall. Too tall." His ice blue eyes locked onto Draco's. "I hope you will not have to pay that price."

Draco licked his lips. That was his cue, he felt it. He got up, scraping his chair along the stone floor.

"Professor?" Draco asked, not able to help himself. "What...happened to your friend?"

The headmaster turned back around. "His name was Gellert Grindelwald."

.oOo.

Dinner that night had many people biting their lips and staring at the Slytherin table. Tales of Hasan's heroic struggle against the dark curses had spread faster than Peeves with freshly made dungbombs! Many threw an accusatory glance Moody's way, and some even dared to look at Dumbledore for hiring such a despicable man.

"What happened, Hasan?" Tracey questioned softly, being the first to speak to the silent boy. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine as ever," Hasan muttered, eyes downcast.

"Where'd you go?"

Hasan studied his hands for a moment. He had run down to the Great Lake to be honest, finding a shady tree and just resting there a while. It felt comforting to know that no one was going to come and find him. And he really wasn't ready to give up that freedom quite yet.

"I walked around," he answered tonelessly.

Tracey nodded and retreated.

"Moody really shouldn't have done that," Daphne commented reprovingly with a heavy frown. "He's supposed to be our teacher, not our torturer!"

"Do you think he found out about the snake?" Tracey interjected suddenly. "I mean, not to minimize anybody else's experience, but didn't it seem like he was being particularly harsh on Hasan?"

Daphne pursed her lips. "I want to say that none of our housemates told, but with that magical eye of his I'm not sure they needed to. It's damn creepy. Ever wonder if he can see through our clothes?"

Draco gave a loud snort from across the table, drawing their eyes to him. "Dumbledore would hire someone that creepy."

"Draco!" Tracey admonished, affronted. "I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't allow that."

"Yeah?" Draco challenged, feeling a bit reckless, "Bet you didn't think he struck down his best friend either."

Hasan turned to him. "What are you talking about?"

"Gellert Grindelwald," he said smugly.

"And?"

"They used to be best friends. Lovers." Draco made a love-struck face, lips puckered in mockery.

"Oh, do shut up, Draco!" Daphne said, rolling her eyes.

"What? It's true," Draco sneered.

Hasan shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Sometimes your best friends can become your worst enemies."

Before Draco could respond to that particular comment, Daphne swiftly stepped in. "I was only joking," she said sharply. "And anyway, I'm glad you're alright Hasan."

"Yeah," Hasan agreed evenly, watching Draco through jaded eyes. "I'm fine."

.oOo.

After his meal, Albus Dumbledore popped a lemon drop quickly into his mouth. Nervous he was not, just perhaps...a little uneasy. What would the students think when they learned that their headmaster was a little less lucid? Forget that. What would his staff think once they learned he was deficient? Maybe he was worrying over nothing. It was just a simple slip of the mind, after all.

Albus stood up.

"Your attention please!" His voice was magically magnified throughout the hall. "As the headmaster of this school, there are certain responsibilities which I must carry out. I am sorry to say I have failed you."

(Draco flashed his table a smirk. "Told you.")

Everyone's eyes were on the headmaster, standing tall in his cloudy blue hat and matching robes.

"What I mean to say is," –(Severus finally looked up from his plate)- "I have forgotten to send out the owl notifications for your Hogsmeade trips."

When the hall erupted into chatter, the headmaster hastily added that it was an opportunity available only to those in their third year and higher. "I have already sent your parents verification letters with information about the historic Wizarding town. If your parent or guardian has signed for you in previous years then please disregard this message and tell your parents to do the same. If, for whatever reason, you need another copy of the permission form, just ask your Head of House for another. Thank you."

And with that, Albus Dumbledore sat back down.

"Albus, if you had told me I would have done it!" Minerva whispered in earnest from her side of the table.

"I know," Albus said. "But I thought they should know when people in authority have slip-ups. We're not gods. It's good for them to see we can make mistakes too."

That way they can see my slow descent. So they won't be shocked if I suddenly fall...

Minerva looked at him gently. She wasn't sure if she believed his story but she was damned well sure she was going to support him. "Well...if you need anything else, Albus."

Dumbledore cleared his throat, touched at her devotion. "Thank you, Minerva."

.oOo.

Hasan wasn't sure what to make of Draco's new knowledge. Where had Draco heard that Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald were...together? Where had he even heard that Albus Dumbledore was GAY? (Okay, so maybe he acted kind of a bit like sort of...but Hasan wasn't the champion of social cues either. Plus, he had an innate resistance to categorizing people- which was ideologically good, but logically bad for navigating the social plane.)

All of this aside, where had Draco heard it? Surely the headmaster hadn't confessed to him? What good would that have done except to gain his trust? And that didn't make a whole lot of sense either.

"Hey, Draco. I know you're a baby Death Eater, but guess what? I'm GAY for Grindelwald! Want to come over to the Light now?"

Hasan wasn't sure if he should make anything out of it. Maybe it was just one of those weird things that everyone knew in England...? And if Hasan was raised in England then perhaps he would have known too. Hasan sighed. He didn't have time to waste anymore. Severus was waiting for him for his Occlumency lesson and he'd be damned if he was going to be late for that!

Hasan grabbed his invisibility cloak from his trunk and the Marauder's Map for good measure. Severus really was just right down the hall, but it was best to be cautious about such matters.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he whispered, watching as the lines on the map ran down, becoming darker. Dots blossomed slowly across the page. He scanned the environs around the dormitories; there was Draco, brooding in his room, Daphne and Tracey in the common room, Theodore Nott with Blaise Zabini in the corner. His eyes swept around the corridors closest to him, finally coming across a dot which caught his attention. Barty Crouch. He remembered the name from his visions but...wait, hadn't he seen that dot before though? Oh Salazar! What was a Death Eater doing in Hogwarts? And why was he pacing in Professor Moody's office...?

Hasan shuddered violently, suddenly. No. That wasn't right. It couldn't be.

He had to get to Professor Snape's office right now! Voldemort just could NOT be looking for him! He couldn't! He was in bloody fucking HOGWARTS for crying out loud! Albus Dumbledore wouldn't hire a Death Eater!

Calm down, Hasan...just breathe.

But the fact remained...here he was. He searched the map for Dumbledore now, wondering perhaps wistfully, if Dumbledore was even investigating the allegations against Moody's unconventional teaching methods. But lo and behold, a man named Kingsley Shacklebolt was in his office and Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen...

.oOo.

Severus Snape sat at his desk, greasy hair pouring over the tome. Mind Magick. Omnia really was a genius to have written such a nasty piece of work. Though it wasn't exactly dark magic, it sure wasn't light either, and it was dark enough to warrant guarding under several wards.

To place one's memories into another vessel was downright unnatural, not that magic was extremely natural in the first place. Now to place those memories into another living thing- a being which existed and breathed and had its own memories- now this was dangerous. To learn that Altair not only knew of this very sensitive branch of magic but had practiced it on the Wizarding World's only savior was terrifying in itself. And just to make Severus' life a lot easier, he was the only one with the ability to fix him up again.

This stress may have accounted for the fact that there were great bags under the Potion Master's eyes (glamoured, naturally) but were nonetheless there. With a sigh, he pushed the tome away from him and shut his eyes, recounting what he had learned so far:

The vessel, which would be Hasan, had to be asleep or sedated in some way to place the memories inside the mind. It wouldn't be unusual for the subject to be in a comatose state for a day to upwards of a week. The memories would have to be sealed away in a separate compartment in the brain, away from the individual's personal memories. This in turn would require a lot of energy- for the memories to latch onto the host and to sustain themselves. From there, the memories would simply sit in the mind- at least theoretically, because as Hasan had experienced, traumatic events (i.e. Dementor encounters) could cause a breakage in the barrier, allowing some memories to seep through. And this was about when Severus started to panic, for mixing memories was about as safe as poking Voldemort in the eye.

To extract the memories was equally as safe, which was to say not safe at all. There was a potion to extract such memories. A potion which was made of various magical things...and something which didn't exist. Something which could not possibly exist:

Twenty drops of Merlin's tears.

A knock at the door, startled the Potions' Master to attention. He nearly jumped, an action not habitual of the man, which could only attest to the magnitude of his concentration. Quickly, Severus spelled away the book inside his desk, whipping around to stand protectively in front of it. Someone knocked again. Persistent little buggers- this had better be important. In ten swift strides, Severus had crossed the room. Putting on a blank face, he opened the door.

"Professor Snape?"

Hasan stood before him, jade green eyes wide, full of something like panic. Severus could almost imagine how the emerald would have shaken inside the socket, but all he could focus on was the slight flush of the face that told of a previous run. In the boy's hands was an all too familiar silver cloak, and in his other hand was a spare bit of parchment.

"Mr. Castell," Snape said curtly with an accompanied nod. "Come inside."

Severus had nearly forgotten the Occlumency lesson in his panic, but he was more than relieved to see Hasan at his door instead of some unnamed non compos mentis, senile old man. He stepped aside to allow Hasan to scurry in the office.

"I need to speak with you."

Severus quirked an eyebrow as he shut the door softly behind him. "As do I."

Hasan turned around quickly, lower lip trapped between his teeth.

"There's a Death Eater at the school!" Hasan blurted out suddenly, "Look!" He thrust the Marauders' Map under the beaklike nose of his professor, hands shaking a bit with worry.

Oh Merlin...Severus thought. How was he supposed to explain this to Hasan? He didn't bother glancing at the map because he already knew what he'd see.

With a breath, Severus asked, "Do you recall the vision you had about Moody and Amelia Bones?" Hasan nodded gingerly. Snape continued, "Moody was captured and replaced by Barty Crouch Jr. that night. The man teaching you now is a Death Eater, but I don't believe he knows who you are."

A look of horror came over the boy's face.

"But the Dark Lord does! How long have you known this? Didn't you think it would be important to tell me that my D.A.D.A. teacher was trying to KILL ME?"

"Hasan," Severus began, pinching the bridge of his nose, "the Dark Lord knows much but shares very little. Barty is but a pawn, one of the newly freed Death Eaters from Azkaban. The Dark Lord would not entrust him with this information."

"But he would trust him to enter the Department of Mysteries!" Hasan accused.

"He-" Snape paused, eyeing Hasan shrewdly. "How do you know of the Department of Mysteries?"

Hasan blinked. "It was in the Daily Prophet," he said, face devoid of emotion. He had the unshakable feeling that he had just struck gold without meaning to. He watched Severus carefully, rolling his bottom lip between his teeth. "Professor Trelawney says that prophecies are stored down there..."

Severus almost cursed right then. Damn that old witch! If Hasan could put two and two together then what was to stop everyone else from knowing the Dark Lord's most intimate plans?

"That is none of your concern," Severus said with finality.

"But-"

"Hasan," they locked eyes, "you do not have to handle the weight of the world. It is our job as adults to handle these things. And besides, we have more important things to talk about such as your memories."

Hasan truly hated him right now, looking smugly down at him as if he had just won some battle. Hasan was torn between two equally important topics: the Department of Mysteries and Lucius' memories. But he knew what he wanted to know. The Dark Lord was after a prophecy and Severus knew about it...which most likely meant Dumbledore knew too. He filed this information away for later, intent on making Severus answer for changing the topic.

"What about my memories?" Hasan asked softly, deciding to just go along with the flow of the conversation.

"There is a potion..." Severus said, not meeting his eyes. Hasan picked this up immediately and panic began to bubble in his chest.

"What? What's wrong with it?" Hasan demanded sharply.

"It requires Merlin's tears. Hasan, there is no such thing as Merlin's tears."

...

"WHAT?"

Severus furrowed his eyebrows. Trust Altair to pick the one potion with truly mythical ingredients...Sometimes he hated the man. Sometimes. "The potion requires twenty drops of Merlin's tears, but as far as I am aware, no such thing exists."

"You mean to tell me that-that these memories are STUCK in my mind?" Hasan was near hyperventilating by the time he got to the word 'mind'.

"There must be a way. If your father could figure out how to do it, then there must be a way to reverse it. I promise you that we will." His black eyes were brooding and he looked at Hasan with determination. "I give you my word." And in that moment, the air crackled.

Hasan was silent. It felt oddly reassuring to have that promise. Still, who the hell could he even rely on? He stumbled over to the couch and sank into it without invitation. Severus didn't mind.

"Merlin's tears," Severus muttered. "It just had to be Merlin's tears..."

Hasan nodded, looking at the floor with disinterest. This was the man, sitting with him, who had met his father when he was young. The man who could cure his father's migraines even when the magic pounded on his brain. The one with the inventions and the spells and the potions. There was so much he didn't know about him. But somehow he believed him when he said he would fix this. Severus would solve this problem. And that was alright.

And for the first time in a long time, Hasan felt safe.

.oOo.

Luna Lovegood felt the soft, cool, soil squish between her bare toes. Her blond hair was gently tangled down her back as the wind swept through her legs.

The Forbidden Forest.

Why was it forbidden? Luna smiled to herself as she wove through the trees. This was not the first time she had entered the forest. Nor was it the last. She had to admit that it was a bit warmer right after summer, but it was still warm enough out to forego wearing a sweater. As she ventured deeper into the woods, the trees grew thicker and denser together. Further in, there were hoof-prints on the forest floor along with various clicks and chirps from unknown creatures. And even further in, when the shadows grew from grey to pitch black, the silver hairs on the low branches stood out like stars.

Luna stood in the clearing, where one side was covered in shadow, and the other side felt the last rays of the sun. Eyes shut, arms outstretched, her lips quirked up.

"I'm here!"

A flock of birds flew up from one tree like a cloud, not at all pleased at the sudden disturbance. And that was all that happened for a while until a soft muzzle pressed against her hair. It quivered slightly, the powerful muscles twitching to rid of any wayward hair, before nuzzling her again. Luna smiled as she cracked open her silver eyes.

"Hey Halo," she said softly, reaching out her hand and splaying her fingers gently over the snout. The unicorn huffed in response, then padded closer to her. There were other eyes too, emerging from the shadows. Or maybe none at all. "It's okay, it's just me," Luna told them, wanting to say hello to all her unicorn friends. "Oh! I nearly forgot!"

While Halo might have remembered her scent, some were less than keen to mingle with the two-legged creature. Shutting her eyes, Luna thought about the way her muscles though lean and taut, would ripple as she moved, the way her eyes saw further from side to side, the way she could whip her tail around and her mane to say hello. The shift was immediate. Where once a girl with light blonde hair stood in the middle of the forest, now stood a young chestnut mare with no humans for at least three miles.

"Luna?" Halo asked, or rather neighed, but it sounded intelligible enough.

"Halo, yeah it's me!" Luna grinned. She twirled her light brown tail around, thinking how funny it was that the bright silver unicorns welcomed such a plain horse as herself into the fold.

"Oh, Luna!" another said, emerging into the clearing. Luna turned her great head towards the noise, only to blink in surprise. It was Shadow- the thestral she so creatively named. But why was he here? This was Unicorn territory!

"Shadow?" Luna asked uncertainly. Oh no! She did NOT just show up in the middle of a forest fight! Unicorns were known to be terribly territorial, and Thestrals- as social as they were- never much got along with the shining beauties. A fight between them could very well expand to the rest of the forest- it had before, and it spelled disaster for any defenseless passerby like herself.

Shifting uneasily, Luna looked between the two. "Is...?"

"It's alright, Luna," Halo interjected suddenly. "This is the Crossroads. A place not belonging to any one creature."

"It's a common meeting place for negotiations and for...breeding grounds as it is acknowledged to be a place of peace," Shadow added slowly.

"...oh." Luna said after a while. Well, that was good then, right? At least she wouldn't die today! "So...um. What are you two doing here? Is there a meeting today?"

Shadow shifted his wings a bit while Halo held her head up high. "No, we're just meeting here to talk. Shadow is a friend of mine." Halo said, "But because of what he is, we can't meet anywhere else, you understand."

Luna gave a smile, as much of one as a horse could give. Oh, that made perfect sense! Shadow looked at her steadily before turning his gaze to Halo. He felt vaguely uncomfortable leaving her with this knowledge because one slip of the tongue could have both herds after him...but Luna seemed safe enough, and really, for him and Halo to pull this off they were going to need an ally.

Luna watched the way Shadow considered her, watched the way Halo seemed to light up in the mere presence of the thestral and all became clear.

"You're lovers aren't you?"

Shadow choked. Halo stuck her nose in the air, "Of course, Luna. And Shadow, there really isn't any need to deny it."

Shadow continued to choke- probably on weird magical spittle, as Luna flicked her tail.

"Your secret is safe with me," she said cheerily. "But um, I just realized I have something to do something back at...my place." The awkwardness was indescribable. To see her unicorn friend and her thestral friend. Together. Together-Together. And- wait- could thestrals and unicorns even MATE? Well, less likely things had happened, Luna had to admit. Come on, centaurs?

Hastily scampering through the trees, Luna transformed back into her former self, with the sense that something significant had just happened. It was when the castle was finally within her sight that she finally grasped what that something was, and, feeling that she could analyze it more thoroughly by saying it aloud, began to sing the first few lines of a song she swore she had heard a long time ago...

"The one who knows the ways of half its kind reaches a Crossroads. Going left the half-kind discovers half-minds. Returning right, half-love can restore what pain has taken..."

.oOo.

Narcissa looked around the buzzing office with distaste. Dumbledore might be the headmaster with irreplaceable artifacts and whirring silver instruments, but he could at least be discriminating about it. Everything was lying higgly piggly on the shelves, modern texts beside ancient stones. It was a wonder the old coot could find anything at all!

Lucius nudged his wife on the elbow to pay attention. He could feel her attention slipping- no doubt from the disarray of the room- and he needed her to be on high alert. Something wasn't quite right about this whole situation and Lucius was going to find out what. For one thing, he had been invited to the headmaster's office for tea, but while the door was unlocked, the office was empty. And didn't that just reek of distrust.

Suddenly, Dumbledore stepped from behind a shelf in flowing blue robes. "Mr. Malfoy. Mrs. Malfoy. Please, have a seat." The headmaster waved his wand and two chairs appeared in front of the headmaster's desk. "I insist."

Lucius glanced at his wife through his peripheral vision. She was looking at the chairs critically, frowning with concentration. There was something definitely off here. Dumbledore hadn't even really greeted Narcissa despite never having actually spoken to her about her change in loyalties. Wasn't it a bit much to assume that she was safe to have in his office? And why sit down immediately? Sitting was a vulnerable position and to get down to business right away?- now that was very unDumbledorelike. Dumbledore, loath as he was to admit it, was always concerned about not scaring his guests and easing them into a position of vulnerability very subtlety.

"Albus," Lucius asked, watching as the man's eyes twitched at the use of his first name. "I admit to not knowing why we're here."

Lucius remained standing as he waited. Albus licked his lips.

"You sent me a letter."

"Indeed I did," Lucius lied.

"And I wish to discuss it."

"Discuss what?" Narcissa chimed in, hand caressing the back of the chair to avoid sitting in it.

"Gringott's." Albus bit out. "There was a...complication with the request."

"Then why aren't you at Gringott's right now? Trying to sort it out?" Lucius questioned boldly, taking a step closer to the man.

Albus glared. "We are trying!" Then seemed to freeze up. He had used the word We.

Narcissa had her wand pointed at him just as the man had his wand pointed at Lucius. Lucius, unlike both of them, stood nonchalantly in the crossfire. He knew that whoever this man was, he was on the side of the Light- his side, now- and that Dumbledore trusted whoever it was with his identity. The question was –who?

"Now, now, Cissa. This is clearly someone who Dumbledore trusts and is therefore an ally."

"I wouldn't assume that much, Malfoy," Fake-Albus spat.

"Hmm," Lucius tilted his head as he considered the elderly man in front of him. Stance like an auror, head held proudly. Who did he know that was absent from the Ministry lately? Umbridge- not bloody likely. Shacklebolt? "Then I'm afraid I'll have to tell Albus of your poor hosting skills. We'll come back when his lapdogs learn some manners."

"We're not scum like you Death Eaters. Tell Albus all you like. I don't need to explain myself to you." Even so, there was a lack of venom in his words and Lucius knew he had gotten to him. Yep, definitely Kingsley- the man was too contemplative for his own good.

"Well if that's how you feel," Narcissa sniffed. "Come, we're leaving."

Lucius shook his head. "I'll wait for Albus to explain this to me. Did he honestly think we'd answer to just anyone?"

The Possibly-Kingsley huffed. "Sit. We'll wait together."

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. Albus himself came through the doors in a flamboyant red robe topped with a muggle neck tie. Narcissa nearly died.

"Dumbledore," Kingsley said reverently. "The Malfoys have refused to-"

But Albus put up a hand to silence him. "Lucius, Narcissa. I expected no less from you, however, I must ask how you can expect to be accepted by the Light if you cannot even enjoy a little tea with Kingsley. He's arguably the most open-minded of the Order." He paused to let that sink in. "And Kingsley, you could have at least served the tea. It's getting cold!"

"It's a magical tea pot, Albus," Kingsley pointed out petulantly. "But now that you're here there's no reason for me to..."

"No, I would appreciate it if you would stay," Albus said firmly but pleasantly. "Lucius, Narcissa, allow me to formally introduce you to Kingsley Shacklebolt. He has graciously agreed to help me over the course of the coming years, as you never know when you need to leave to run a few errands."

Lucius nodded. A few errands- right. He glanced over at Kingsley but found he just couldn't stand to see two Dumbledores in the same room. Instead he spoke, "Kingsley had said that there were some complications...with the bank?"

"Indeed. Your request has not gone through."

Silence. Lucius had sent a request to the bank to allow Albus access to the family vaults, but that had been a week ago at least! How it could it not have gotten through? Unless...unless...?

"Why not?" Narcissa demanded sharply with a bold superior air. "There must be some mistake, I signed the document myself."

"I assure you, Narcissa, that goblins do not make mistakes."

Kingsley stroked his beard (or rather, Albus' beard) before asking, "Are we sure that the Malfoys are really the Head of the Black family?"

"Draco is too young," Narcissa said firmly.

"But what of Sirius Black?" Kingsley asked.

Albus shook his head, "I had him sign the same documents last night, but the goblins denied that request as well. The only way to access the vaults is to receive an invitation from the head of the family..."

"But that can't be!" Kingsley protested, "There must be some mistake."

"Or perhaps there is a family member whom no one knows about?" Albus suggested lightly.

Lucius and Narcissa froze at once. Oh damn. Altair.

"I assure you, there is no one," Narcissa said in earnest. "Now, if you'll excuse us, headmaster, Mr. Shacklebolt- Lucius and I must attend to our own affairs, because apparently our vaults are in disarray. I thank you for your hospitality." With a pointed glance at the unopened, steaming tea pot, Narcissa strutted out of the room with Lucius behind her. Their hearts, as one, were pounding.

Fuck it all. Altair knew. Altair knew and had shut down visitor access and now Dumbledore knew there was someone else. Fuck it all. They had to get out of here!