Chapter 16-Strings Unwoven!

Chapter 16

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

Hogwarts was a school of great importance in the Wizarding World. It was amongst the most ancient and important educational institutes in the world, despite its struggles in the recent times, the school's history and pedigree made it a place of great respect and reverence.

And as its Headmaster Dumbledore hoped to inspire, and provide a nurturing atmosphere for the young and bright minds of the next generation of wizards, hoping that the youth and comraderie would end the divisons that had been created by his ex-student, Tom.

So, of all his duties and titles—of which there were many, much to his dismay. Dumbledore was fondest of his title of an educator, and Headmaster and gave this job the largest span of attention.

The recent disturbances, had made him a bit wary though, for he could almost feel Tom Riddle's struggles of trying to return back to his power. Two times, his attempts had been foiled infront of him.

By Harry himself in the First Year, much to his anger. And then by an unknown entity in the second year, though he had no doubt that this person was a part of this school.

Few understood the significance and the importance of the reopening of the Chamber of Secrets, and what it entailed but Dumbledore was not as oblivious as the rest.

He knew that there was only one person capable of opening, the chamber of Secrets—Tom. And his initial success had made him much wary, and yet the attacks had ceded rather suddenly, and for sometime he had feared that Tom had succeeded in his endeavors to return and yet months after months of peace and searching dissuaded him of the notion, and gave him an idea of a new possibility.

Someone else had intervened, to stop Tom. Someone from this very school.

He did not know who, not entirely though he did have an inkling that it might be the very person who had asked him to be here, at this early hour.

"It is rare for you to join us at breakfast Albus," Minerva asked with a raised brow, and his heart warmed as he saw young bright minds walk into the Great Hall, for a bright new day.

"Physically perhaps, but I am always here in spirit," he answered, as he sat there at the head of the table, as the students trotted in, sometimes alone, sometimes in groups. All of them dressed in the School Uniform.

"And what made you come physically today?" she asked, as Dumbledore answered with a smile.

"I believe I was beckoned here by a dear friend," he answered, and Minerva frowned.

"Who?" she asked, and he mulled about his words for a moment before he answered.

"I cannot say, but we have been pen-palls for sometime now," and that was the truth, not like Minerva believed it as she shook her head, and asked sharply.

"Do you wish to address the students about the incident from a day ago?" she asked, and just thinking about that made his mood a bit sour, yet he shook his head.

"There is nothing to say, I talked to Cornelius again to try and make him see sense, but the recent ordeal with the Fat Lady has made him even more stubborn than before," he answered, and much to his dismay he was unable to make the Minister remove the dementors around the school.

"Those awful creatures have no place in a school," she added with thinned lips as her eyes glanced towards the Gryffindor table, probably at the young small bespectacled boy sitting there eating his breakfast.

"They nearly killed a student, and I fear this might be the first of many incidents," she added, and that was indeed troubling.

"If it was not for that Malfoy boy, Potter could have lost his life," she whispered, and that was indeed a troubling and embarrassing thought.

"It is a troubling thought indeed," he agreed, his eyes lit up though as he looked beside the Gryffindor table and focused on the boy Minerva had just mentioned.

He sat there yawning rather sleepily as he drank cupfuls of coffee, a drink more popular in lands across the sea.

"I still cannot believe that the boy was able to produce a corporeal Patronus at his age," Minerva added, a hint of envy in her tone, probably at the boy's sorting.

"He has always been rather sharp when it came to the practicals," answered the Master of Charms, who chose to join in on the conversation as it turned towards his prized student.

"A shame that he refuses to put in as much focus on his written work or he could easily beat Miss Granger for the top spot in his year," and he raised a brow.

"Yes, I have heard you lament about this many times before," he added as the former Dueling Champion nodded and continued in his squeaky voice.

"Well, I was more surprised by the choice of magic as well," added Minerva.

"Afterall, given his family's name and history," she added, as Dumbledore's lips thinned for none at the table had any disillusion about the ideologies that Malfoy adhered to. Idealogies that made them rather averse to magics like Patronus and so forth.

"Severus, you must have known about this," he asked the Potions master sitting quietly at the edge, and the man simply raised a brow.

"The younger Malfoy has always had a unique perspective, his talent for magic was rather apparent even as a child. A shame that he was not sorted into House Slytherin like his parents," he finished rather snobbishly as Dumbledore smiled.

It was rare for Severus to praise someone, given his nature, and for him to compliment a boy in another House.

"Well, one can hardly forget that while he is a Malfoy, his mother is a Black," he added, and though he did not believe in the ideas of blood purity, there was no denying that certain talents and magical traits were often passed through blood.

And there was a shift in the table at the mention of that family's name, a name which had dwindled out of prominence over the years, but those older knew well the sheer extent of talented witches and wizards that the family had produced.

"Speaking of that..." but Minerva suddenly stopped, as the sound of flapping wings thundered across the Hall, as Dumbledore looked at the windows at the end of the Hall, and watched as a storm of owls rushed into the Hall.

"What is happening?" Minerva was on her feet as the owls began to drop parcels on ever table, often to the surprise of the students, as a dozen of them flew over his own table, as an owl dropped the parcel infront of him.

"It's the Prophet," Minerva added, and someone had bought the paper for everyone at School, and Dumbledore frowned as he recalled the ominous message he had received later in the night as he reached for the paper and unfurled.

And he found himself taken aback as he saw that this was a special edition of the paper, and on the front page was a massive picture of Sirius Black. However, the real surprise was the words written underneath.

Words that were somewhat too familiar with him.

'SIRIUS BLACK—WRITES TO RITA SKEETER! CLAIMS TO BE INNOCENT FOR THE MURDER OF HERO PETER PETTIGREW!'

'PETER PETTIGREW! ALIVE AND GUILTY?'

And much like the table of the teachers, whispers broke across the Great Hall, loud and clasping whispers as Dumbledore's eyes scanned the news article written by one Rita Skeeter, which much to his surprise contained a letter by Sirius himself.

"Merlin!" Minerva gasped beside her as Dumbledore himself could hardly believe the contents of this letter.

"Illegal Animagus! No Trial!" she read, and that was Sirius's claim.

That he was much like the rest of the Marauders was an illegal animagus, taking the form of a dog, while Peter took the form of a rat.

"Albus!" Minerva called out as she looked towards him, pale and ashen, face filled with worry as his lips thinned.

"I need to go....." and then just as he was about to stand up, another owl entered the Hall, this one was larger than regular owl, and carried with it a cage, as it slowly flew towards the table as Albus felt his heart race as the owl stopped and dropped the metallic cage, one that had a rat in it.

"What is that!" Minerva gasped, and just as he reached for the cage, suddenly a letter sprang from underneath it, as the Owl began to fly away, and it took him but a second to realise what the letter was.

"A Howler..." Minerva added and took out her wand to dispose of it, but he raised his hand, stopping her as the letter rose into the air and formed a mouth of its own.

"DON'T MESS THIS UP YOU OLD BAT! DON'T YOU DARE MESS THIS UP!" and with that, the letter tore itself up, as others around the table frowned.

"What was that?" Minerva questioned.

"Is this a prank?" but he knew better.

This was not a prank, and Severus understood rather quickly as well, as their eyes met and the Potions Master immediately rose from his chair and addressed the students.

"EVERYONE OUT OF THE HALL....!" he ordered with a sonorous charm, much to his surprise of Minerva.

"Severus..." she tried to intervene, but it was he who spoke first as his eyes remained rooted on the petrified rat, lying still in the cage.

"Minerva, look..." he added as he pointed at the rat, and it finally clicked for both her and Filus, who both paled at the realization.

"It cannot be...." she gasped, rooted to the chair as Albus steeled his heart pocketing

"...AT ONCE!" Severus shouted, and the students began to empty out of the Hall, as Minerva jumped out of her seat and began to command the students out of the Hall as Severus came up ahead of the table and began to cast a slew of spells on the rat, as their eyes met.

"Could it really be true?" he asked, and Severus's lips thinned as his wand halted as he saw a light pass over the rat.

Albus saw his hand quiver for a second. His dark eyes stared coldly at the rat, and it felt as if he would wave it once more and cast the killing curse.

"Severus," he called out softly as those blue eyes slowly shifted towards him as Minerva closed the doors of the Great Hall behind them.

"I am afraid it might be," he answered. Dumbledore rose from his seat and reached for his wand. The four of them surrounded the cage. He turned around and raised his wand, the rest lowering their own. He spoke sharply.

"Well, let's not disappoint our dear friend," and with a flick the cage broke, the metal of it was torn apart, as he found himself staring at a simple rat.

No.

It was no simple rat.

And then he flicked his wand once more, and his heart stilled as he saw the rat transform infront of his eyes, and then in a blink of an eye in place of that rat was another human being, one whose face had changed much over the years, yet it was rare for a teacher to forget about a student such as him.

"Peter..." Minerva gasped first as he shook his head.

"The Paper! Sirius's message," she added as she turned to face him.

"It was true. It was really true..." she added, and he feared as much. The plump man opened his eyes and looked around, and his eyes seemed to widen as they landed on him.

"Headmas..."

"Stupefy!" and the spell came from Severus's wand and hit the man in the hand silencing and stilling him once more as Albus looked into the eyes of his potions master.

"I believe I must head to the Ministry..." and with that he stepped forward and placed his hand on the stupefied form of one Peter Pettigrew.

"Albus..." Severus called out, just as he was about to leave.

"Remember the howler...." he said and he nodded.

"I will..."

CRACK.

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Outside the Gates of the Main Hall, students all stood around in groups, holding the Daily Prophet in their hands as they whispered and murmured to one another trying to read the story.

Hermione stood besides Harry as she read the article once more, trying to make sense of it, as the red haired boy spoke up from the side.

"It was him. I am sure of it. It was Scabbers," he continued, and he was pale as he stood there, as Hermione read the article in full.

"Could it really be true, though?" Ronald Weasley asked as he looked towards her and Harry, forgetting about their fight from a day ago as he asked weakly.

"Could Black really be innocent?" he asked, and the words stilled her as her eyes scanned the crowd and landed quickly on the black-haired boy standing there with Daphne and Tracey.

And as the rest of the student body fidgeted in excitement, nervousness or worry, she did not miss how he simply stood there leaning against one of the towers, yawning disinterestedly as Daphne and Tracey whispered together.

"I do not know," she answered back, as she stared at him intently, her very instincts screaming at her, that all this was his doing.

That this was his doing.

Or was it all really just a coincidence?

"Did they really put him into Azkaban without a trial? Can they even do that?" Ron asked, taking the Daily Prophet from her hand as the boy in question finally looked towards her and their eyes met as he gave her a small wave, which she returned on instinct.

"No. They cannot," she answered as she took back the paper, missing how the third boy beside her was still staring at Cassius Malfoy and doing so for no apparent reason.

At least for her.....

"Students! Students! Everyone is to head to the classes at once!" came the announcement from the Head-boy and Head-girl.

"I repeat! Everyone, head to your classes!"

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