Harry Potter and the Hall of Justice

Chapter 11 Dumbledore’s Visitors


When Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall arrived back at Hogwarts, Oliver Wood was waiting outside the old professor’s office. After warmly greeting their former student, the old headmaster turned and asked McGonagall to find Harry Potter, along with a number of others. She knowingly smiled, nodded her head and left the professor alone with his visitor.

“Come, Oliver,” Professor Dumbledore spoke up. “I’m so happy you were able to make your way here so quickly. I hope you haven’t been waiting for long?”

“No, Professor,” Wood replied, following his old headmaster into his office. “I’d just arrived.”

Oliver Wood followed the old wizard to his desk where Dumbledore pointed to a chair. Both wizards took a seat. The professor then reached up and removed his glasses from his tired old face.

“Our world seems to be buzzing with excitement, Professor,” Wood said, painfully aware of how tired the old man looked.

“Yes, Oliver, and well it should be,” Dumbledore replied. “I imagine you’ve heard we’ve seated a new Lord Chief Justice just minutes ago?”

“I heard it was imminent, Professor, but I didn’t know it had already taken place,” Oliver admitted. “Were you there?”

Professor Dumbledore smiled and nodded his head. “Yes. Proud to say, I am, that I was there. I had the great honor of offering the post to the man, after his nomination. And I was also able to speak with him at great length and, thankfully, found him to be exactly the sort of candidate we’ve sought these many, many years. I’m hoping to introduce you to him, in the very near future.”

Oliver Wood grinned at his old headmaster’s statement but couldn’t for the life of him figure out why such a man would want to meet the likes of him. “It would be a great honor, Professor,” Wood graciously replied. “But then again, one would imagine he’ll be plenty busy, considering the fact we haven’t had a justice for such a long time.”

“Right you are, Oliver. The man will be very busy indeed and will need considerable help,” the professor paused, looking into Oliver Wood’s eyes. “The reason I’ve called you here today has to do with that fact. Our new Lord Chief Justice is a very enforcement minded man and has been made aware of the threats against our world.”

“The Dark Lords!” Wood exclaimed.

“Yes, the dark lords and their associates,” Dumbledore replied, tilting his head back and looking intently at the young wizard seated in front of him before continuing. “He has charged me with staffing his Department of Special Investigations, you see? You were one of the very first who came to mind when I began considering the exact sort of individuals we would need.”

Oliver was almost stupefied over what the old man said but, even more so, by what he implied. “Thank you for your confidence in me, Professor,” he said. “You know I had decided to pursue a professional career in Quidditch?”

“Yes, Oliver, and well you should, well you should,” the old man replied, nodding his head. “However, knowing your abilities like I do and tasked by His Lordship to find the most capable young wizards and witches to serve that high office, you must forgive me, I presumed you might have had an interest. I beg your forgiveness if I’ve wasted any of your time here today.”

“No, Professor!” Oliver blurted out, almost jumping out of his chair. “No, sir. I didn’t mean to imply I wasn’t interested. Actually, the opposite is true. It came as quite a shock to me; that is all I meant. In fact, I was pursuing my career in Quidditch because I hadn’t found any other challenging work. There was nothing available that I wanted. I tried to interview for a job with the investigations unit at the Ministry but they said they were no longer hiring investigators. As much as I love Quidditch, I never wanted it to be a career choice.” Wood had slid to the very edge of his seat and had looked, to the old professor, to have just about been ready to explode.

Dumbledore nodded his head and smiled. The smile was more from relief than anything else. There was no doubt about it; he needed this young man desperately to be a part of his team. Wood had a very deliberate way about him, and he had much of what others lacked, good ol’ common sense.

“I see. Then you might be interested in working for the High Court?” the professor asked, his head back and his eyebrows arched waiting for a reply.

“Yes, Professor! I’m very interested. Very much so!” Wood immediately confirmed.

“Splendid, Oliver, splendid! I’d so hoped you would be,” Dumbledore said, grinning broadly, his shoulders collapsing in relief. “Truthfully, and you must forgive me again for taking the liberties, I brought your name up to His Lordship before he was sworn in. He expressed his interest in meeting with you and the others.”

“The others, Professor?” Oliver asked.

“Yes. I’m hoping some of them will be along shortly,” the old professor related, speaking almost absent-mindedly, as if he were voicing his thoughts. “Before I return to the Hall of Justice, I needed to have some idea if we would have the right people to staff our most important positions. You see, we must act quickly, very quickly.”

Oliver didn’t understand. He was sure there was much more the old headmaster had to say, but he decided not to force the issue. The information would be forthcoming, he was sure. The fact was that Wood didn’t know what questions to ask the old professor to even begin with. He found himself in a situation he had never even considered before. Truthfully, what had happened these last few minutes had come as quite a shock to him.

There came a knock at Professor Dumbledore’s office door, which quickly opened and an extremely happy Harry Potter walked in, followed by Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Oliver Wood jumped to his feet at the sight of Harry and his old Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Remus Lupin. He recognized Sirius Black, too, but had never been associated with him in the past.

“Wonderful!” Professor Dumbledore exclaimed, walking around the left side of his desk to stand next to Oliver. “I’m so glad you made it here so quickly!”

“Professor!” Sirius Black said, extending his hand to the old wizard. All around the men exchanged their greetings.

“I’ve just been having a little chat with Oliver, you see?” the old headmaster said. “We’ve only been waiting a short while. And there are a few others who should be along shortly. Why don’t we go into the conference room and have some refreshments while we wait?”

Dumbledore led the men back towards the door to his office, from which they had just come, but turned to his left right before exiting the room. Before them, but never previously noticed by Harry, were two double doors. The old professor opened them inward and they locked in place. None of the men had ever entered into this secret sanctuary nor knew of its existence. The room had the delicate, sweet scent of lavender and was well lit.

There before them was a long conference table with over twenty heavy, ornately carved chairs. Along the three walls were various cabinets and long countertops, with washbasins and cupboards. In the far corners of the room were doors directly across from each other.

On one of the countertops near the largest washbasin were trays of tea, crumpets, butter, jams, cheeses and meats. There were also a large number of tall glasses and a large bucket of ice sat in the washbasin.

“Please, I must share something with you I’ve just recently experienced,” Professor Dumbledore said, walking over to the large tray of tea. He reached for a glass and scooped it full of ice before filling it from one of the pitchers. “I don’t know if you have ever tried tea this way, but, I assure you, I have found it a most pleasurable experience. Our new Lord Chief Justice drinks it this way all the time. My, my, it is wonderful.” Dumbledore lifted the drink to his lips and took a large gulp of the nut-brown liquid. He swung an arm in invitation for the others to do the same and stepped back from the countertop after again toping off his glass.

Each of the men mimicked the old professors actions and soon they were each gulping down glass after glass of the wonderful drink. All were quite taken by the experience and none claimed to have ever tried it that way before. Dumbledore then pointed to the doors at the back of the room and informed them they led to bathrooms, which, he assured them, all would be needing shortly if they continued drinking tea at the rate they currently were.

Professor McGonagall knocked at one of the doors and Professor Dumbledore turned to face her.

“Professor!” she exclaimed, tilting her head back slightly. “You have a number of visitors just outside.”

“Please, Minerva, see them in!” he commanded.

The old witch turned around and he could see her beckoning those outside to enter the conference room. First through the entrance came Bartholomew Grime, Minister of the Department of Defense Against the Dark Arts and Graciela Calderon, Bruja of the Uruguayan Consejo Magico. Sirius sucked air when he saw the beautiful Hispanic witch, which did not go unnoticed by Dumbledore and brought a small, knowing smile to the old man’s face.

An old witch followed, and her presence greatly pleased Albus Dumbledore. He nodded and smiled broadly at Drucila Priest, Headmistress of the Druidic School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, who happened to be one of the best masters of incantation that ever lived.

Harry and Oliver flinched and grinned when Fred, George and Ron Weasley entered the room with Charms Professor Flitwick of Hogwarts walking close behind. Then followed Seamus Finnegan, Lee Jordan and Dean Thomas, all having been Gryffindor classmates.

Madam Hooch, Hogwarts Flying Instructor and Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts, walked in last along with two witches dressed in dark-blue uniforms and capes.

Professor Dumbledore looked down the room to Professor McGonagall, nodded his head and asked her to seal the outer door to his office. She turned and disappeared but shortly returned, closing the two doors to the conference room.

“Please, everyone!” Dumbledore shouted out. “You will notice there are glasses, ice, tea and things to eat along the countertop there. I ask you to please help yourselves. Also,” he said, pointing to the two doors at the back of the room. “You will find doors to bathrooms there. The one on the left is wizard, witches on the right.” The old wizard watched as his visitors helped themselves to tea and crumpets. Slowly they began taking seats and talking amongst themselves.

“Now, please, if you will find a seat,” the old professor said, continuing to stand at the far end of the table. “You have all been summoned here today at the request of His Lordship Daniel Milton Webster. He has charged me to convene this meeting of wizards and witches who will have key roles to play in confronting the dangers which lie before us. Great threats to the welfare of our magical world do exist, as you are all aware. But they are an even greater peril to the unknowing and unsuspecting world of our non-magical brethren.”

All eyes in the room were looking up into the tired, old face of the professor as he began charging them with the mandate of the Lord Chief Justice. The old professor spoke with great energy and emotion, yet he vocalized his words slowly and clearly, as if he was talking to each one individually. He captured the absolute attention of everyone in the room and not one person tried to interrupt the old man’s introductory speech.

“Before I continue, I must ask if there are any who wish to leave,” Dumbledore stressed. “Beyond this point, I’m afraid, no one in this room will be allowed to excuse themselves without having their memories altered. Have I made myself perfectly clear?

No one moved, but a number did turn their heads, possibly expecting slackers. After a pause, Dumbledore went on to briefly introduce each member present, their unique qualifications and the role they would play.

After he made introductions all around, he came to the final two none had ever seen before. “Also, here with us today are two security officers from the Hall of Justice’s Security Force, may I introduce Captain of the Guard Deborah Stran and Security Officer Rebecca Martindale. Captain Stran has been charged not only with Hall of Justice security but will handle the physical security and communications between the Hall of Justice and the Department of Special Investigations, which will be headquartered here at Hogwarts,” Professor Dumbledore pointed out. “And finally, Rubeus Hagrid, who is our Keeper of the Keys here at Hogwarts. Hagrid has prepared one of our large, secret dungeons for the use of the our investigative unit.”

The old professor stopped long enough to pull his chair out from the table and take a seat. He gulped some more of his iced tea and noticed others at the table doing the same. Bartholomew Grime rose from his chair and refilled his glass. He then carried the pitcher to the end of the table and topped off the glass Dumbledore had just emptied and offered the same service to others at the table before again taking his seat. Dumbledore looked up, nodded and grinned at the minister in appreciation before continuing.

“The instructions I now give you are rather lengthy, so listen to me closely. The crystal ball, which serves as the portkey between my office and the Hall of Justice, will remain on my office desk. In a short while, I will place the figurine of a falcon upon this table. One simply has to utter the words ‘Falcon’s Lair’ to be transported to our secret dungeon. From the dungeon, we will initially link by portkey only to this room. In time, other designated sites will be added, as we need them. I will also place upon this table the figurine of a phoenix, which will serve as a direct link to the Hall of Justice from this room. To use that portkey, simply place your hand on it and say the words ‘Justice Hall’. And, in reverse, from the Hall of Justice you will go to the portkey within the arch bearing the Great Seal of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, on a pedestal, is a crystal ball exactly matching the one on my desk. If you wish to appear in my office, you simply place your hand upon it and say the word ‘Hogwarts’ to return there. However, attached on the pedestal directly behind the crystal ball and out of view, an emblem of a phoenix has been attached. One should approach the crystal ball and make it appear as if you are using it, however, you will place your hand over the emblem of the phoenix and utter the word ‘Gryffindor’ to be brought directly to this room. Because of security concerns, however, the incantation for the other portkeys, including the phoenix, will be changed quite often. We will initially link only through this conference room, as it always remains locked when not in use. Only our house-elves have access to it at the present time. We will meet here or at the Hall of Justice, from time to time, as suits His Lordship or as the situation demands. Is that clear to everyone?” Dumbledore asked. Everyone at the table nodded their heads but remained quiet.

“Only those of us who are known to live here at Hogwarts should ever be seen outside this conference room. As I’m sure you are all aware, the Dark Lords have eyes and ears everywhere. And, of course, it goes without saying, not one word of our activities is to ever be spoken outside the confines of this room, the dungeon or Hall of Justice. To do so would jeopardize not only the very lives of everyone in this room but very likely their families as well.”

Again, the old wizard paused, looking around the table, making note of their attention. “The dungeon has been sealed and a powerful charm hides it from the outside world. You will only be able to enter it by using the portkey, again, the figurine of the falcon, in this room. There are large bedrooms, bathrooms and training facilities already prepared there, and you will have a number of house-elves permanently assigned for all housekeeping and cooking chores. Also, if at any time myself or any of the Hogwarts staff you see seated here before you are needed, you only need to speak that fact aloud in the dungeon or in this conference room, and we will be notified immediately of your need,” Dumbledore informed them. “Are there any questions so far?”

Those seated around the table remained quiet, and Dumbledore sensed each was aware there was much more information forthcoming.

“In the days and weeks to come, and I’m now speaking specifically to you young wizards here with us today, you will be taught advanced forms of magic. You will use devices most folk in our magical world know little or nothing about at all. You will be required to take extreme actions you’ve likely never considered or contemplated ever having to do during your lifetime. You will face evil, dangerous beings who will only have one thing on their mind when confronted by you, and that is how fast they can kill you,” Dumbledore’s voice became loud and strong as he went through his short list of what the young wizards would soon be going through.

All around the table the youthful wizards inhaled sharply. Not one face showed any lack of fear or apprehension.

The old professor paused again.

“Much there is to be learned. Much to learn, but there will be very little time to learn it, I’m afraid.”

Harry raised his hand and Dumbledore nodded to him.

“Professor,” Harry began. “Are you saying we’ll be taking additional classes here at school?”

“No, Harry. There is no more school. Not for those of you sitting at this table. Your school days at Hogwarts are over, for now, at any rate. Also, Fred and George Weasley!” Dumbledore said aloud, raising his eyes to find their faces. “You two, I’m afraid, will have to leave your business venture in other capable hands for the time being. Is that understood?”

The two twin Weasley brothers’ eyes doubled in size, and they looked across the table at each other clearly not attempting to hide the shock they were just given. They then turned back toward the professor. The old wizard took their gulps as the confirmation he was after.

“A few of us here in this room remember the last great conflict the non-magical folk had before the mid-point of this last century. At the core of that conflict was a terrible, dark and malignant force, which moved one man to carry out great evil. His name was Adolph Hitler. It was one time in recent history the dark lords came close to achieving a great victory. Many millions of people around the world lost their lives in that conflict, which our non-magical brethren refer to as World War II,” the old professor paused again, as if collecting his thoughts.

“We are most fortunate the dark lords are so self-centered and egotistical; they rarely ever band together or conspire to do great evil. Before World War II, on the other hand, there was much upheaval in Europe, which made it ripe for such evil to join forces. Acting separately, in the beginning, to seize greater control around their own dark empires, a number of very evil and powerful wizards realized it was to their mutual benefit to work their evil deeds as a unified malignant force. Good witches and wizards across Europe, later joined forces, too, with the same from the Americas and Asia, and began their own campaign to squash the evil alliance. They might have failed in their task if it were not for the fact a number of the dark lords became distracted by immoral and wicked crimes being committed against a large number of non-magical folk who were, at the time, being held and tortured in what became known as concentration camps. The dark lords had convinced Hitler of the need to round up these undesirables, for their own wicked pleasure. Hitler, in turn, allowed a great number of associates of the dark lords to be placed in charge of the camps or in high official positions within the SS, Hitler’s special military terror group. The great perversions carried out in the camps so distracted the evil lords they let their guard down. Most of them were soon captured or killed by the alliance of good witches and wizards. There were, however, a number who disappeared into the rugged mountainous regions of the Balkans and took with them many, many hostages so as to allow them innocent flesh upon which to continue acting out their evil perversions,” Dumbledore finally concluded his history lesson.

“Professor,” Oliver Wood spoke up, “Are you saying we are again about to face the same?”

“Yes, Oliver, much the same. However, we are fortunate, at present, not to have to deal with an alliance of evil that we know of. On the other hand, we will face one of the darkest and most evil forces any group of wizards or witches has ever had to face: Voldemort and his associates,” Dumbledore replied.

“Are we to capture him, Professor?” asked Lee Jordan. “And his associates?”

“No, Lee,” Professor Dumbledore replied, shaking his head. “The Lord Chief Justice has issued a decree. I have it with me. It is a copy of the original charging document. Please bear with me, I will read it to you in its entirety and pass it around for each of you to see.”

Dumbledore reached into his robe and withdrew the rolled parchment. He fiddled with his glasses before unrolling it and positioning it at the right distance to read. He began:

“Albus Dumbledore, I charge you with the full oversight and control of the High Court’s Department of Special Investigations. This is to include the responsibility of assembling, training and assigning the witches and wizards of your choosing to whatever tasks you deem necessary to counter any and every threat to the magical and non-magical world from any individual or group of individuals using dark magic. You will plan and execute, at your discretion, any operational scheme you deem necessary to accomplish this mandate. You have the authority of this high office to use whatever force you deem necessary, up to and including the use of deadly force, and will do so without remorse and without hesitation. It is signed and dated by His Lordship and has been entered into the official record of the high court as his first official decree,” Professor Dumbledore ended, handing the document to Sirius Black who was seated in the first chair to his right.

All around the table chairs squeaked as they slid back on the floor or were jostled against one another. Those seated reacted with looks of shock and disbelief. There immediately arose a murmur from the guttural whisperings and spontaneous outbursts of the group.

“Can anyone really make such a mandate, Professor?” asked Harry. “To condemn to death without benefit of a trial?”

“Yes, Harry,” replied Dumbledore. “It has been done many times in the past. In fact, there were some who saw the great evil working in Adolph Hitler as early as the mid-1930’s. If they had acted then, millions and millions of lives would have been saved. Much suffering could have been averted. Over the last twenty years, we have failed to deal with Voldemort and his Death Eaters. His evil designs against humanity are just as horrendous as Hitler’s plans were over sixty years ago. It will mean death, Harry. I’m afraid that is our only option.”

Everyone seated at the table knew this was the absolute truth. The fact was, very few of them would even speak Voldemort’s name. All had experienced, firsthand, the fear on the faces of family and friends at the merest notion his name might be said aloud. And they were all fully aware how the knowledge of his evil intentions permeated and negatively affected the lives of every living being in their magical world. All also knew the cold-blooded murder of Harry Potter’s mother and father and the attempt on young Harry’s life proved beyond a shadow of a doubt: Voldemort was evil incarnate.

Sirius Black read the official decree and passed it on to Remus Lupin. Sirius looked at Dumbledore and couldn’t help but wonder if the old man had the strength to carry out such a demanding mandate. “Professor, how are we to begin?” he asked.

Professor Dumbledore rose from his chair and went to a chest sitting on the countertop directly across from his right shoulder. He lifted the chest and returned it to the table where he sat it down in front of his chair. The professor remained standing.

“Sirius has just asked how we are to begin,” he reiterated for all to hear. “First, there is something I must give to each of you. For many years, as some of you know, I labored with a dear old friend of mine named Nicolas Flamel, before beginning my teaching career. Early on, long years before my birth, he had made a large, blood red stone which most of us came to call the Sorcerer’s Stone. And as I believe you also know, Nicolas made an Elixir with it, which he and his wife, Perenelle, used to greatly extend their lives. He worked for many years, however, trying his very best to duplicate the stone created by Edward d’Mar over a thousand years ago that is set in the Lord Chief Justice’s ring. Although we were never able to create a stone to match that awesome power, he and I did produce another large stone from which a number of smaller stones were cut, which I hope now will greatly benefit everyone in this room.”

With that, Dumbledore reached down, unlocked two latches on the chest and lifted the lid. He reached in and withdrew a necklace with a small emerald-green stone set in an oval setting of white and yellow gold.

“I have for each of you a necklace. The stones are powerful amulets, which will act to shield you from most spells that can do you harm. However, they will also enhance your ability to sense the presence of evil. After you begin wearing the amulet, you will, within a matter of days, feel what it feels. It will be an odd sensation at first but you will learn to trust its power as it proves itself to you. I can tell you little more of them, you will just have to wear them and experience them for yourselves. With that said, though, you must never take them off or allow them to be taken from you. They will cause serious harm to anyone trying to separate you from it once it becomes a part of you. And although Flamel and I did not intend it to be so, you will find, that you will be able to sense the presence of another amulet at some distance and that your incantations, as you learn to focus on the stone, will be incredibly powerful,” the old wizard said. All at the table were leaning forward in their chairs scrutinizing the swinging necklace he held in his hand.

Dumbledore placed the necklace back in the chest and then raised his hand, reaching under his robe at his neck. He withdrew a necklace from underneath the robe, which appeared to everyone seated at the table to be exactly like the one he had held in his hand.

“I have worn this amulet for many, many years. It is as much a part of me now as the hand that holds it. And it has protected me also, on a number of occasions, from those who have wished to do me harm. Yours will do the same,” he said.

He reached into the chest and again withdrew a necklace. He walked behind Sirius Black and put if over his head and then continued the action until every person sitting at the table had one around their neck. He closed the chest and latched it, which made those at the table believe there were yet more of the necklaces inside. Then Dumbledore carried the chest back to the countertop where it previously had sat.

When the necklace was placed around Harry’s neck, he felt the ring in its jewelry box heat up in his pocket. It was not a burning sensation but certainly enough of one for him to know it would have awakened him from a deep sleep. He then reached down and covered the box with his hand and could feel the pleasant heat against his palm.

“Now, once again, back to Sirius Black’s question: ‘How are we to begin?’” he said. “We will get you all situated in your cozy dungeon. Our esteemed professors, seated her amongst, us will begin sharing their knowledge of the dark arts with you. That will be our beginning. Shortly, there will be more young wizards and witches who will join your ranks. They, too, will receive training but only those of you at this table will be taught the most violent and deadly incantations. Our newest members will mostly be used to gather intelligence and locate the targets you will terminate. And that brings me to the final charges I will make this day.”

The old professor paused and again reached down for his glass of tea. It suddenly came to him why he had been so taken by the cold beverage: it was like a bolt of lightning to his nervous system. Whatever it was; he liked it. The tea so energized him. Almost instant was its effect. He lifted the glass and drank a considerable amount before he began to speak once more.

“Sirius Black,” he began again. “You will be in charge of the wizards and witches who receive the most lethal training. Remus Lupin, I put you in charge of the next group of wizards and witches who will receive specialized training, but at a lesser level, and who will go about gathering the intelligence we need. However, Remus, Sirius Black will depend upon you to join his team whenever he needs you. Professor Drucila Priest will be in charge of training as her knowledge, skills and abilities in spells and incantations will be the most important of your lessons. Minister Grime, I charge you to be Professor Priest’s deputy as your knowledge of the dark arts is the most current. And finally, Graciela Calderon, I charge you to be Sirius Black’s deputy. In time, we will make adjustments. And, if you find, when our second team members begin arriving, individuals with special talents, we will decide if they should be moved up to serve with the young masters we have here with us today.”

Dumbledore walked back to a cabinet above the countertop where the chest had been placed and removed a figurine of a phoenix and then reached for a figurine of a falcon. He brought them over to the table and sat them down. He then asked everyone to stand and join hands. He reached out a hand and placed it atop the figurine of the falcon.

“Falcon’s Lair,” he clearly stated. In a flash of emerald-green light the group was transported to the enormous underground cavern. They all saw that much work had indeed been done. Along one wall were three stories of living space and there were large rooms along the other three walls. They had appeared in a large open area with tables and benches scattered about. On top of one table there sat a figurine of a falcon exactly like the one Dumbledore had used as a portkey to bring them here.

“We will make you as comfortable as possible. Anything you need, or if there are any changes you want made, let Hagrid know and he will see to it,” Dumbledore said.

“When do we begin living here, Professor?” asked Fred Weasley.

“I would like to see everyone back here by tomorrow evening, at the latest. By then I will have spoken to our new Lord Chief Justice again and will provide further instructions, if they are needed,” he said. “To prevent anyone from being seen entering school grounds, I will provide you with an address in London where you will go with your luggage. From there you will use a portkey to take you back to our meeting room and then use the figurine of the falcon to once again come down into your new home. Is everyone clear on that?”

They nodded their heads in affirmation.

“If you like, those of you who will be living here may look around for a bit and choose your living spaces. The rest of us are going back up to the meeting room,” he said. “When you wish to return to the conference room, use the figurine of the falcon there on that table. You will use the word ‘Gryffindor’.”

Dumbledore, McGonagall, Minister Grime, Professor Priest, Professor Flitwick, Madam Hooch and the two Hall of Justice Security Officers walked over to the falcon and went immediately back to the meeting room. The eight talked for a short period and firmed up their future plans before, one by one, each went back about their business. Professor Dumbledore and the two security officers remained in the conference room after everyone else had left.

“Captain Stran, would you please inform His Lordship I will be making my way to the Hall of Justice first thing in the morning. If he is asleep when you return, please do not disturb him but have someone inform him as soon as he wakes,” Dumbledore instructed the two.

The two young witches agreed and went on to speak with the old professor about specific duties they were to perform. They then used the portkey of the phoenix to return to the Hall of Justice.

Professor McGonagall soon returned to Dumbledore’s office after seeing the others off. “Minister Grime and Professor Priest will link through the Hall of Justice tomorrow, Albus,” she said.

“Yes, that will be much better. We shouldn’t give prying eyes anymore to see than we can so easily prevent. We will have to take great care with our schedules, too, Minerva. Most of the training we will provide can be done in the evening or as we can fit them into our school schedule. They will have to work their training around our needs at the present. We cannot afford, early on, to have the dark lords’ spies know we are busy training a bunch of young wizards at Hogwarts. In time, though, such knowledge won’t matter as much,” he said.

“Also, Minerva, I meant to speak with Madam Hooch before she left but it seemed to have slipped my mind, you see.” He reached inside his robe and removed a small roll of parchment. “This in an order I need her to place with Nimbus, as soon as possible. It’s for an advanced broomstick made to my specifications. Nimbus already has my design and has made a number of prototypes. Tell her to place a special order for fifty of the brooms. And here below on the parchment is the purchase order number she is to use.”

As soon as McGonagall left his office, Harry appeared in the conference room. He walked out into Dumbledore’s office and found the old headmaster sitting at his desk.

“Professor, might I have a moment of your time?” Harry asked.

“Harry!” Dumbledore exclaimed. “Why yes, yes. Come here and sit down. We haven’t had a chance to chat, have we?”

“No, sir,” Harry replied.

“How are things with you, Harry?” he asked.

“Fine, sir,” Harry replied, reaching into his pocket and taking out the little green jewelry box. He opened the lid and removed the ring. “Sir, what can you tell me about this ring?”

Dumbledore gasped. “Preciosa Querida! Where did you get that, Harry?”

“I purchased it from an old jeweler in Diagon Alley a few days ago,” he related.

“Do you have any idea what you hold in your hand?” Dumbledore asked. His eyes opened wide in astonishment.

“The old jeweler told me it was made by Nicolas Flamel for his wife. I bought it as a gift,” Harry said.

“A gift?” Dumbledore asked, his voice overly loud with the shock. “Harry, you must be very careful who you present this ring to! You don’t realize its power!”

“Power?” he asked.

“Yes, Harry,” said the professor. “Not only does this ring possess the power of the amulet I’ve just given to you, it has a very powerful charm which binds the very souls of the presenter to the recipient, as it were. Harry, this ring should only be given to the one person you know for sure to be your soul mate. Nicolas made this ring for his wife before he married her. Only on the day they were married did he place it upon her finger. Again, my young friend, you should be, in your heart of hearts, absolutely certain before presenting this ring to a young witch.”

Harry closed the box and placed it back in his pocket. “When you placed the necklace over my head, Professor, the ring heated up immediately in my pant’s pocket. It wasn’t a burning heat but was a warm sensation, none the less.”

“Yes, yes,” Dumbledore replied. “They are of one family, Harry.”

“Family?” he asked.

“Yes, for lack of a better word,” the professor said. “You see, they were made from the same enchanted stone. One that was much larger than the Sorcerer’s Stone. That is odd. The last time I spoke with my old friend, Nicolas, was right after his wife died. This was after he destroyed the Sorcerer’s Stone; when he knew they were going to quickly pass on into the next adventure. I asked him about the ring then, knowing his wife never took it off her finger. Nicolas told me it was meant for another. I just assumed he gave it to some distant relative.”

Professor Dumbledore paused; his eyes were strangely glazed over as if staring into some distant past. “I see, yes, it is clear to me now. Harry, I believe Nicolas Flamel wanted this ring to come to you. He probably charmed both the ring and the purchaser for it to only be released to a specific buyer who would one day come along. Yes, my old friend Nicolas loved to complicate things. Oh, how I miss him. He was a dear, dear friend. You see, the ring sensed your presence, Harry, and willed the old jeweler to show it to you. Nicolas chose the jeweler only as an intermediary. I would bet good money you found that ring in Diagon Alley?”

“Yes, I did. But, Professor, Flamel didn’t know me,” Harry said.

“Harry, my boy, everyone knows you. From the very moment you got that scar, your name became one of the most recognizable in our whole magical world. Of course, that is it, I understand now. You were the one, Harry, who prevented Voldemort from obtaining the Sorcerer’s Stone. Flamel knew this, of course. He must have decided, after his wife passed on, to make the ring one day available to you. I wonder why he did not leave it in trust to another or myself? Well, such as it is, you are now in possession of it. It is, of course, your business what you do with it,” Dumbledore winked at Harry.

Harry placed his right hand over the outside of his pocket and felt the steady, warm glow of the ring. He was also, for the first time, strangely aware of a similar heat arising from the amulet lying against his bare chest.

“Now, Harry,” Professor Dumbledore began again. “While you are here alone, I will tell you something now that must be only known to us. It must forever remain so. Professor McGonagall is aware, in small part, of what I am about to tell you but does not know any of the particulars.”

“Yes, Professor?” Harry looked again into the old professor’s eyes.

“You will take the exact training Professor Priest outlines. You must learn it extremely well. But not to be known by her, Harry, will be another more lethal form I will train you to use. A form of magic very, very few in our world has ever been capable of wielding. You are one of those few, Harry; of that I am certain. I am another. However, I did not come by my ability as yours came to you. You obtained yours the very day Voldemort gave you that scar. Mine came to me because I was born and raised in the Hall of Justice and because my mother was a very powerful witch. That combination gave me my ability,” the professor said, as he absentmindedly stroked at his beard. “I do not know this for a fact, Harry, and it should not be repeated, but I believe your dear friend Hermione Granger happens to be another who shares our ability.”

“Hermione?” Harry exclaimed. “Professor, do you know where she is? She went missing, you see? We haven’t been able to locate her all day?”

“Calm yourself, Harry, calm yourself,” Dumbledore said, raising and lowering his hands in front of him to accentuate his command. “She is fine. Hermione no longer attends Hogwarts, Harry.”

“What?” he cried out. “She quit school?”

“No, no, Harry!” Dumbledore exclaimed. “I was informed just this very evening by Captain Stran who was here with us that Hermione has indeed accepted the post of Executive Assistant to His Lordship Webster at the Hall of Justice.”

“She is working, Professor?” he asked.

“Yes, Harry, she is working. Though, the position she holds is much more than a job. It’s one of the most powerful positions in our magical world,” Dumbledore said. “Hermione has very formidable personal attributes and abilities. Quite frankly, she was the best qualified for the position. It was, how should I put it: a once in a lifetime opportunity?” The old professor smiled at his choice of words and relived the great happiness he felt when he was told she had been selected to fill the position.

“Forgive me, Professor, if I find it hard to share your happiness at the moment. It seems our world has been turned upside down all of the sudden. I feel so very sad. Our last year at Hogwarts wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Harry said sadly. His eyes were downcast and so full of emotion the old professor could easily see them tearing.

“I understand, Harry. And I, too, feel your sorrow. However, we all knew this day would come. Sooner or later it was bound to come. The timing might not be the very best for our personal plans but rarely is it best, even in the best of times,” the old professor told him. “If we were to wait, my dear young friend, it could be catastrophic. To procrastinate when we have such a great advantage could only result in more lives lost, more sadness and harder days ahead. We have at the moment, Harry, the upper hand. And we must strike our blows with an awesome and deadly force, the like of which has never before been used in all of our magical history. Only in this way can we assure ourselves and our unknowing non-magical brethren a peaceful future.”

Harry nodded his head. He realized everything his old headmaster had just told him was unquestionably true. It was simply bad timing; that was all. Harry knew he had to one day put Voldemort behind him forever or he would haunt him, his friends and future family until the day they died. “Yes,” he thought to himself. “You are right, now is not the time to think only of myself. It has to be that way.”

Harry and Professor Dumbledore spoke at length. Finally, the professor told him that he and Ron should only bring a few personal items back to the conference room with them tonight. House-elves would immediately transfer all of their other items directly to the dungeon.

“What is to be told the students, Professor, after so many of us disappear from Hogwarts?” Harry asked.

“They will simply be told you have left Hogwarts. Nothing else will be said. You see, Harry, as we cannot help it anyway, it might be to our advantage to stir the pot a little right from the start. Not a lot, just a little tickle, you see? At the present time, we, too, have a few prying eyes and ears about. What movements we detect amongst Voldemort’s associates will tell us much and will be what we use as the nexus for beginning our investigations,” the old wizard said, winking at Harry.

Harry smiled at Dumbledore’s strategizing. The old professor seemed to always be several steps ahead of the competition. Of course, that was what made Albus Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore.