Between Wands & Sigils - Chapter 110 : Feeling Trapped? Here's how you can get rid of that feeling.... (Patreon)

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Hogwarts

–Damian Hawthorne–

It had been three days since he sent Dumbledore that letter. Since then, the man has not been seen inside the castle at all. Prolonged absence from the Headmaster was a rare thing at Hogwarts, leading to whispers right not but he wagered that if he did not appear for the entire week, the whispers would turn into outright questions.

It was not like this had never happened before, but every time it did, a crisis was underway. Last time it happened, the troll incident happened, something that people seemed to have moved on from, which was astonishing for him. 

Someone died! A cynical part of him told him that if it had been a wizard who had died, the outrage, manufactured or otherwise, would have been far greater than it was now, leading to something happening.

Maybe the Board would have taken some drastic steps, or the Minister would have sent someone like Umbridge to torture the kids. Since only a squib died and two students were injured and were later fully healed, all the Minister could do was send in an AUror as the teacher for DADA. Even then, he had a hunch that the man would not be a hardliner.

There simply was not enough public support for the Minister to do anything overt with Hogwarts and its organisational structure. The best he could do was posture, and tell the public that he was doing something. The new teacher was due to start next week, which gave Dumbledore more than enough time to make sure that the appointed Auror was on his side.

Finding people sympathetic and reverential towards Dumbledore was not really a tough task, since most people at this point were pretty die hard fans. Only some stuff that happened in the future, where the facts were twisted against him, led to some of Britain's public turning their backs on Dumbledore.

He had not yet seen any concrete actions taken for Sirius’ trial, but then again, it was not like he had access to what happened inside the Ministry, not while he was trapped here in Hogwarts.

Trapped, huh? Yeah, lately, that’s what he was feeling. Trapped. Unfortunately, the fabled Hogwarts library did not contain anything of use. What little new knowledge he did find in the Room of Requirement was already copied and stored in his trunk. Aside from that, all that was left was the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets and any secrets that Salazar left behind that were not pilfered by Tommy boy.

The Basilisk itself was a treasure trove, both alive and dead. Which is why he had refrained from taking care of it right away. He wanted to see if there was a way he could transport it out of the castle alive. A tall ask, he was aware, but if he could get it into his trunk and leave that way, it could work.

That ran the risk of alerting Hogwarts’ wards about a dangerous magical creature on the loose, which is why he planned on doing that when he was sure there was nothing else of substance left in the school.

There was also the fact that if he left right now, and abruptly displayed his prowess to the Ministry and through them, to the Magical World at large, it would become laughably easy for the Wakandans to figure out who their target was. After that, it will become very hard for him to live a life without being chased by magical xenophobes powered by the wonder material that was Vibranium.

Sighing, he went through dinner, and went back to his dorm, ready to sleep for the hour or so before he had to leave through the metaphorical and in a way, literal backdoor of Hogwarts.

Right on time, after two hours, his eyes snapped open. He checked the time to be 12 AM, as he got up, made sure that Terry was asleep properly, and, for good measure, zapped him with a Stupefy, before leaving the dorm, the sewers, and then Hogwarts grounds.

As soon as he was outside the forest surrounding Hogwarts, he teleported, straight into his Portal room.

The wards surged forth, and the connection was established, telling him of the happenings inside the Lair. The office and the workshop were the same. 

The original clothes with the original enchantment from ROB were disintegrated at the same speed as before. His time being limited outside of Hogwarts, meant that his research had basically ground to a halt. It was such a shame. By his calculations, the clothes would probably be beyond repair by the time the year came to an end, and he gained his freedom after that.

Shaking his head, he ignored the clothes as there was no point worrying over something he had no control over, and focused on the two prisoners he had in the Lair, even if one of them was living what was basically a life of luxury compared to his previous accommodations and the other was in suspended animation, without the ability to form a single thought.

Aside from that, there was also the letters he had received. Just like the system he had built for the international as well as domestic newspapers and magazines for Sirius, he had also built a similar one for letters addressed to him, only this one was far more intricate and had enchantments that made sure that if at any part of the process, any wizard even came close to or touched any part of the letter, it would combust immediately.

Better he not get the message than the world figuring out the location of his Lair. He could always get the message later on, but he couldn’t compromise on the Lair. He had grown quite attached to it. In fact, he had a concept in his head about what to do just in case the Lair’s location was compromised.

If one couldn’t leave the Lair and couldn’t keep people from coming in, then one might as well move the Lair itself. Yes, plans for turning the entire mountain into a mobile base had crossed his mind.

Maybe not now or in the near future, but maybe in 5 years? He should easily be able to do that. Just imagining him parking his mountain right next to the Helicarrier had him grinning.

Fury’s aneurysm would be epic to witness, especially since he would have the cure for that as well.

Shaking his head, he opened the sole letter addressed to him, predictably coming from Dumbledore.

Dear Giant Killer,

First of all, I would like an alternate name to address you. The Giant Killer is quite the mouthful, as you can imagine.

I have read your letter regarding Sirius and Peter. If it is true, then a grave injustice has happened, and rest assured, I am not one to take it lightly. I have done some research on my part, and unfortunately, it would seem that you are right.

To that effect, I have enlisted the help of Madam Bones. Together, we will leave no stone unturned to make sure Sirius can be returned to society as a free man.

To that effect, I would like to meet both Sirius and Peter. Seeing them alive will be enough. I might have some questions, but those can be saved for during the trial or after it. 

I understand any concerns you might have about this being a prelude to you being ambushed, but please be assured that nothing of that sort will be happening. In fact, this meeting is being requested by me in my personal capacity. No one, not even Madam Bones, will be aware of it.

Also, as a request, I would like you to extend or if possible, forego the drastic actions you have undoubtedly planned if the results do not go your way. I give you my personal guarantee, that Sirius will receive a fair trial, and if he is truly innocent, nothing will happen to him.

Irrespective of your reply, I have been working tirelessly to make sure the trial happens by the end of the week. The Wizengammot, especially the Dark Faction, will fight this tooth and nail. For that, I can tell you that the biggest defense we will have is the presence of both Sirius and Peter.

For that purpose, we need to meet to discuss the details.

Eagerly awaiting your reply.

Signed,

Albus Dumbledore