Lendoren

Disclaimer : the characters belong to Jo Rowling, the story to kelokelo, the translation to septentrion, and the betaing to Tanit

Happy Christmas to you (or whatever you're celebrating), dear readers


Chapter 26. Voldemort’s Ally.


Harry, Giny and Ron watched Hermione with worry. Albane softly said to them, “I know how disagreeable Erwin had been with you for all these years.” They all turned to her, dumbfounded. “Oh, Severus didn’t tell me. He just thinks his behaviour is normal for a teacher.” She’d rolled her eyes and grimaced while saying this, so the teenagers allowed themselves to smile. “Of course, Professor Gryffin had made his own enquiries. I must say that the result didn’t surprise me in that they were unflattering for Severus. We can provide some explanations for the previous six years. However, as a Lendoren, he’s a very agreeable companion, and we can assure you that your friend will be very happy with him. I suggest now that you go to the chalets, you’ll be warmer there.”

They were still doubtful, but they followed the six Lendorens on the path. After something like two hundred meters, they saw several chalets linked by small wood-made tunnels. Malko explained to them, “The tunnels are used to go from one building to another without having to dress warmly. Those buildings are used by everyone. Here is the Hall where we meet to discuss things, a well stocked library, a common kitchen, widely appreciated by the single ones like Erich and me,” he said with a small smile, “and a big hall where we can practice several sports at once, for it’s magically enlarged inside.”

The eyes of Ron, Harry and Ginny gleamed when he said this. Erich added mischievously, “We hope you’ve brought your brooms, or we’ll need to lend some to you. If you want to play, that is.”

He was rewarded with three big smiles. Harry, Ginny and Ron began to relax. It seemed the holidays would be better than they originally thought. They’d feared they’d always have to deal with their teacher, but he’d already left them with Hermione. It was a pity to be separated from her, but then, you can’t have everything in life.

Albane then told them that Harry and Ginny would be Vera’s and Oleg’s guests, while Ron would live with the single men who still hadn’t chosen a chalet like Malko and Erich.

“You won’t be far from each other,” she said to them. “The single men’s quarters are only fifty meters away from Vera’s and Oleg’s chalet. Besides, I don’t think you’ll see your friend Hermione today. Erwin will probably take her to the Silvery Circle right away. But I do hope we’ll be able to see, the result of their efforts, if only from afar. I’ll explain to you about it after lunch.”

Harry and Ginny were surprised by the warmth emanated by Vera’s and Oleg’s chalet. The latter had explained that they had room in their chalet, now that their children had left to live in the wizarding world, and were given a comfortable bedroom with a private bathroom. They just had time to get settled and discuss with their hosts about Professor Gryffin’s lessons - “Arlin,” he corrected them gently - before it was lunch time. Knowing than Ginny couldn’t Apparate, they’d given her warmer clothes, so that she wouldn’t get cold on her way to the Hall.

"It’s our habit to take most of our meals together," they said while on the way to lunch. “Of course, young couples, like Erwin and Hermione, often forego common meals to stay together. But when time passes, we like to gather together to socialise.”

“I’d like to ask something,” Ginny said shyly. “Why do you always call Professor Snape ‘Erwin’ and not ‘Severus’?”

“Here, you can forget he’s a teacher, Ginny,” Oleg reminded her gently. “We nearly always use our Lendoren first names. We think it helps us to remember, if need be, that we belong to the same family, or so to say.”

They found Ron talking with Malko and Erich. Those three had easily broken the ice and were discussing Quidditch. Music filled the room, and they were astonished to see that the table was now covered with food as appetizing as it was at Hogwarts. Albane took notice of their faces and told them, “Hogwarts has imitated us, and not the other way around. This centre did exist well before Hogwarts was built. But we have the whole afternoon to explain this to you. For now, take advantage of the meal. Then will be the time for explanations about the past, however far behind us it is.”

At the end of her sentence, her eyes had drifted to Harry, who had cocked a questioning eyebrow, but Albane didn’t seem very keen on saying more as long as their stomachs were empty.


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After lunch, Albane led them to the library and invited them to sit down in comfortable armchairs.
“Well,” she said, “now it’s time for explanations, but I warn you, it might be long. First, I want to warn you that I’ll use a spell of Lendoren magic called the Confidencias. You’ll be able to discuss everything I’ll reveal to you here, but you won’t be able to tell only one word to another person, even if you were given Veritaserum or under the influence of the Imperius Spell.”

“Why do you want to use this spell?” Harry asked abruptly. “We don’t have any intention of speaking about it to anyone.”

“I know, Harry,” Albane answered him calmly, “but I’m worried that ‘anyone’  as you call them  try to make you speak by any mean.”

“Death Eaters,” Ron whispered.

“Among others, Ron. I’d add the Ministry for Magic to the list. But I won’t cast the spell without your permission.”

“And if we refuse, we’ll go back straight away to Hogwarts, won’t we?” Ginny said.

“Exact. And you’ll be Obliviated,» Albane replied. “I want you to understand that we need to make sure that you’re safe from such things as well as our Community, before we can think of attacking Voldemort.”

Harry felt the burden which had been placed on his shoulders for the last year and a half might be lightened somewhat thanks to the skilled practitioners of this kind of magic, and Hermione happened to belong to those practitioners. He simply said, “I accept the Confidencias.”

Ginny and Ron accepted as well. They saw Albane’s face go rigid for a short moment, then she smiled to them and began her tale, “Arlyn had told you that Hogwarts’ founders were Lendoren. Actually, they were Lendoren couples, though they’d always carefully kept that fact hidden: Godric was with Helga, and Salazar with Rowena. They wanted to build a school that would have been opened to all wizards, though Salazar would have liked a bit more selection. Anyway, they created the school, and gave it eternal magical defences completely made by Lendoren magic. This explains why Voldemort had never tried to confront Harry in the castle itself. He quickly understood that the castle’s defences were based on a magic that he didn’t understand and couldn’t master. It took him a long time to find out what kind of magic it was, which he alas did at the beginning of last summer. That day,” she said in a disenchanted tone, “held a promise of being a good day. Erwin had told us that the Lendoren magic had granted him a companion called Hermione. He had waited for that moment for so long,” she sighed. “Well, this isn’t the topic at hand. That day, Erwin went for another mission with Voldemort as he usually did, and that day, he discovered that Voldemort had found himself an ally who knew the Lendoren magic, for he is the exact contrary of it. Erwin was saved by his ability to immediately forge a very powerful shield, which saved him from the Avada Kedavra sent his way and allowed him to Apparate here at once.”

Harry, Ron and Ginny didn’t know what to say. It was clear that Albane had been scared that day. Harry particularly pondered that piece of information: Voldemort had an ally!

“This ally,” she resumed, “I won’t tell you his name, because as soon as his name is uttered, he can locate the person who did it. Only the Lendoren know his name, so to utter it is like giving him a Lendoren on a plate. To talk about him, we call him the Dictator. That Dictator now completely controls Voldemort. The latter in no more than the Dictator’s puppet as we’re speaking, to help him to reach his goal, which is to suppress the Lendoren community.

“Why?” Ron asked.

“Because we use two very opposite kind of magic. You already know that we can’t use Dark Magic, but he can’t use White Magic  if he was ever tempted to use it. You must now imagine the two Magics, the Dark and the White, like two consciousnesses. One of them, the Dark Magic, absolutely wants to dominate the White Magic. It rejoices in chaos, war, pain and death. White Magic strives for balance in everything; it detains powers of mending and love. They can’t confront each other because they aren’t material, instead they use instruments: wizards. Some of these instruments are more powerful than the others. The Dictator possesses the whole of Dark Magic’s power, Voldemort is his armed hand, nothing more. White Magic entrusted the Lendoren community with its powers. We knew we’d meet great difficulties when we’ve felt how powerful Erwin was. He’s more powerful than all the Lendoren women, which means that, as his companion, Hermione is even more powerful. The burden to stop the Dictator will be placed on their shoulders.”

“But … what about Voldemort?”

“Voldemort, as a wizard, can only be defeated by an equal-ranking wizard, and that would be you, Harry. This way, the balance between Dark and White Magic will be preserved.”

“And … if we fail,” Harry said in a strangled voice.

“An era of chaos will prevail until the White Magic finds other instruments.”

A/N:

The idea of a confrontation between White Magic and Dark Magic, of them using instruments to fight against each other, comes from David Eddings’ sagas The Belgariad and The Malloreon.

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