Gossip and Drinks and Gossip
It took three days for Augustus and Serenia Prince to notice their daughter Eileen was missing. When they’d finally figured it out, they had initially tried to keep her disappearance a secret, assuming that the girl had been visiting friends or perhaps gone on a vacation- she did have access to the vaults, and it was relatively common for students to travel after their NEWTS… still, she should have told them, since this was also when they were attempting to make up for lost time and find a suitable husband for their wayward offspring. Their mild irritation jumped gears into full-blown panic after their discreet inquiries led to the discovery at Gringotts that their daughter was actually officially married.
Their private representative at Gringotts, goblin Whipclaw, explained she must have married a muggle, because the usual bonding documents that automatically generated at the completion of marital vows had not generated the name of her spouse- merely the usual blank spot that indicated a non-magical person involved. It wasn’t a common thing to observe in an old family document, and the goblin had flicked his tail, first in mild interest, and then annoyance at the nearly hysterical reaction of the parents. The Prince’s were obviously priority clients, and even goblins would know this to be a scandal in the making, but he had personally handled the Prince accounts for two full generations- he’d come to respect their professional and unemotional countenance, and these pale, stuttering people in front of him were unrecognizable and a bit embarrassing. He tapped the point of his tail against the floor, his scales creating a sound between a scratch and a tap, rolling up the parchment. Finally, Mr. Prince gathered himself and, pitching his voice low (as though afraid someone would overhear the conversation in the carefully warded private conference room) asked “If we bring her back, and she has either annulled or otherwise extricated herself from this… obscenity, will she still be eligible for a traditional wedding contract?” (And wasn’t that just typical of wizards- goblins had more sense, they didn’t do messy contracts, they simply picked a mate, and stayed as long as both were happy, then moved on… wizards, on the other hand, were constantly over-complicating things and their obsession with “old blood” had led to an overwhelmingly confusing mix of archaic laws and practices, half of which were technically now illegal, but the magic of which still held true for the old families, along with their bizarre social niceties that seemed to change every forty years or so).
It was all annoying, but Whipclaw was far too professional to roll his eyes. Instead he tapped the scroll against his left top canine (it had a tendency to hang out over his bottom lip, a remnant of a goblin fight he’d won rather spectacularly several decades ago). Mentally scrolling through everything he knew about the old magics that still held true, along with current wizarding law, he hissed out a thoughtful breath around the protruding canine, finally settling on “I believe she would. I would need to consult with an expert on the current wizarding marriage laws. Some of the magics involved in the older family bondings are considered illegal from what I understand. Of course, it’s a rather pointless law- much like a law against suicide, since the family magics are generally tightly woven with physical residence, and impossible to avoid. But the Prince family is known for having particularly… stubborn magic, and it would be nearly impossible for you to know for certain if a match will be accepted by blood. It would take a sample of your daughter’s core, along with stone from your home and the presence of the potential suitor to determine if any of the old bonding will take. My advice would be, if you are certain you will not accept the current husband, be prepared for a legal but boundless marriage. In such circumstances, you will also be likely required to provide a substantial incentive to any potential suitor.” Whipclaw grimaced at that last bit- his largest account would likely be halved should such a match be made. It was a blow, since initially he’d been looking forward to the next Prince wedding- normally, such old blood brought in a small fortune by those eager for a link to the family. He found himself hoping that the girl stayed hidden. Of course, he was the consummate professional (the Prince family had a long history with Gringotts, some of their fortune due to their rather clever backing of the Goblins in the previous rebellion a few hundred years ago) and as such, he would never express such sentiment out loud.
Mr. Prince requested that the relevant experts be contacted (quietly), and then asked “Is there any way to determine the location of the… interloper? Or, to track down Eileen’s current whereabouts-”
Whipclaw’s tail again scratched across the stone floor. “Sir, this is Gringotts. We handle inheritance and keep track of marital laws and required legal work only insofar as they impact the financial holdings. We do not keep track of any individual wizard’s location.” He gave a rather miffed frown; he’d only met Augustus a few times, but his father Gaius had been truly worthy of the title and power this family possessed- cold, calculating, and undeniably fair in every dealing. Whipclaw had savored being his representative, and in turn had rapidly risen in the ranks of Gringotts as a result of their association. Gaius would never have shown so much emotion, or the silliness that the currently panicking wizard in front of him displayed. “Would you like me to draw up a list of likely legal constructs that would hold true, should such eligibility post-marriage exist? It would also obviously involve the required changes to your daughter’s circumstances, and recommended… additional financial persuasion, should you hope to secure a new thoroughbred heir.”
At those words, both Princes flushed and looked offended, but finally a spark of the people he’d come to respect working with showed itself- they both got to their feet, expressions smoothing to cool, professional interest as each offered a handshake. “That would be greatly appreciated. Do not hesitate to bill our account directly, for your own time and the time of any other consultants you need to hear from. We know you will be discreet, and hope to be in touch soon.” With that, though still a bit off-color, the couple exited the conference room, not a twitch on either face to suggest their inner turmoil.
~
Two weeks after the visit to Gringotts, Eileen was still missing, and the entire pureblood community of Europe was alight with gossip. It turned out those (necessary) inquiries had been rather quickly discovered, and from there the automatically updating records at the ministry had been checked to confirm the most scandalous bit of news since Dumbledore’s refusal to condemn his former lover to death. Everyone knew of the Prince’s shame, and they all had opinions. Some had blatantly enjoyed the fall-from-grace (and potential rather final end to the Prince line).
Currently, it seemed to be impossible to find people who weren’t talking about the scandal. It was the afternoon break from the Wizengamut, one which corresponded with most of the ministry’s lunch hour, and thus the main commons where higher-ranked officials could retire to for quick lunches uninterrupted by the regular pulse of the coming and going of the rest of the Ministry of Magic was particularly filled today.Though jaded and unable to forget his own experiences with the gossip and politicking families of Europe, Albus Dumbledore was a master of deception in his own right, and was able to (mostly) disguise his distaste at the tongue-wagging as amusement.
In some wry corner of his brain, he reflected that it had happened far less quickly than Aberforth had predicted (it had been over decade ago that he’d been doing his best to drown out the world around him with firewhisky, while Abe had awkwardly patted his back and reassured his brother that it was only bad now, a new scandal would undoubtedly overtake his love affair with the Dark Wizard Grindewald within a week). He quickly smothered the wry snort the memory brought with a far politer but fake cough, deciding he needed to catch up with his brother if only to have a “You-were-very-wrong” drink with him.
Once again pleased that his facial hair helped hide most of his expressions, Albus forced himself not to interrupt as he listened to the back-and-forth between Harrison Potter and Angus Prewett. Carmella Weasley had already stated flatly that everyone knew that the Prince line had been weakening anyways, and the decentralization of their political influence could only help with pushing through politics reflecting a more enlightened era, which would hopefully cut down on the freedoms currently enjoyed by older families to practice morally reprehensible magics. Albus frowned at this- but again refrained from speaking up, wanting to get a sense of what others with influence at the ministry were thinking. Matthias Moody, the head of the Auror division charged with tracking down the most dangerous criminals had heard Ms. Weasley, and joined the group, scowling.
“That is not necessarily true. Yes, they managed to reduce their numbers at an absurd rate due to their extremism, but the actual magic that was produced by their line has always been formidable. I taught Eileen myself when I did that year as the Defense Instructor- she was powerful. I’d say probably within the upper ten percent of the students at the time. And that was just her fourth year. As far as helping our Dark Arts Prohibition Legislation, I’m afraid we may be heading for catastrophe.” He stopped speaking, taking several large gulps of saffron-infused gin. Nobody spoke while he drank, and they all waited expectantly for him to explain what he meant. Mathias was generally a man who spoke as infrequently as possible, preferring to observe those around him. When he did speak, whatever he had to say was worth hearing. “...I’m afraid that the harsher legislation that has been being pushed is only back-firing on us.” He nodded towards Albus, while also pointing his drink at him. “You asked us to keep one eye out and ear to the ground with regards to that young friend of yours. Well, I can tell you, he’s dangerous. And these restrictions, they’re not winning any of the old purists over. Riddle is offering them greater freedom, while we are telling them that the family traditions they’ve been following for longer than the ministry has existed are flawed- No, I’m not saying I think they’re right-” Moody raised his voice over the would-be indignant words starting to form from both Carmella and Angus. Several more people had joined their circle upon hearing Moody speak (it was easy to forget how charismatic the grouchy Auror could be after a few drinks- Albus resolved to invite him when he next met with Aberforth). “But when you try to force massive change upon traditional families with all sorts of knowledge that they’ve kept closely guarded, you have to understand you’re messing with a delicate ecosystem. Right now we’re enjoying a peaceful era, and I think we can confidently expect it to last a while yet, but you have to understand that there are always shadowy forces with ambition and power and enough intelligence to be truly dangerous. All that those people- people like Riddle- need are the right players supporting them to become a threat to everything we take for granted. Right now I doubt anyone wants to risk throwing support behind someone wanting to openly force themselves into our government- we’re all still recovering from the last time-” And he again nodded, this time with obvious respect, at Dumbledore, “but I can tell you we’ve been hearing some alarming things, finding alarming things. Those libraries that have been inherited have knowledge that can be used to cripple anyone following the standard Auror protocol.” He stopped and glanced meaningfully at Albus, who inclined his head slightly- perhaps they’d best have that drink sooner rather than later. In a more private setting.
“I don’t know about Riddle, but I will say that if nothing else, the difference between what our laws are able to enforce, and what traditional magic binding the older families makes necessary, our Ministry hasn’t been helping anyone with the most recent batch of laws, for all that they were made with the best of intentions.” Harrison Potter put in, grimacing. “I understand that to an outsider, it perhaps seems cruel to make a legally binding marriage commitment on behalf of a child, but there are reasons these traditions developed. And that very difference in modern law versus ancient magic is the whole reason anyone even knows of the Prince situation. I was discussing it with Francis Pomphrey the other day- his daughters were both apparently friends with the Prince girl- he claims that she’d been gone for weeks before the parents even noticed. They wouldn’t have had any clue at all what had happened to her if not for the old blood marital contracts. And they’re still unable to locate the girl.” The last sentence caused a surprised murmur to ripple through the group. “So we know she planned this. We don’t know who or why or even how. But apparently she’s already beaten most of the odds… we all know that if blood magic hasn’t shown itself within the week, it’s unlikely the person will be found.”
“She wasn’t exactly the most attractive girl, and from what I recall, her personality did leave a bit to be desired.” This bit was tossed in by Prewett. “I remember when they were initially considering contracts, the Princes wouldn’t even consider most of us as suitable.” At this he looked thoroughly satisfied. “Prince pride has always been one of their biggest downfalls. Of course, most of the oldest families have the same problem- must have five generations before you’re even remotely worthy- well, I’ve always thought they were expecting a bit much, considering what they were working with.” Carmella slapped her cousin in mock indignation (she agreed fully with his assessment, though to put it so bluntly was a bit gauche). Harrison Potter was scowling though.
“Nonsense. The girl was unusual, but smart. And anyone with two brain cells to rub together could see she was deliberately trying to avoid being sold off. I remember her being quite lovely right up until Fleamont was being considered. Then suddenly every time we met, she managed to have a ghastly expression and tangled hair- it was rather entertaining.” Looking coolly at the others, he continued, “And to be honest, I’d still welcome a contract with the Princes, provided it were to be entered willingly, which from the sounds of it is unlikely. Monty liked her though, and enjoyed spending time with her right up until she realized we were in negotiations.” He chuckled at the memory. “I think the Princes almost fainted the last time we sat down with them, and she came out with matted blue hair and boils on her face, refusing to say a word.” This brought an uncomfortable chuckle out of those listening- most people had already written Eileen off as damaged goods (at least in theory- a Prince was still a Prince, and the bloodline carried enough recognition that, were any of those who cared about such things actually offered a union between houses, most would probably still accept). But as far as the girl herself, very little was actually known.
Moody grunted, nodding approval at Harrison. “Monty’s a good lad. And however odd she may have been, Eileen was smart as a whip. Would have made a hell of an Auror- I still don’t know quite how she did it, but the girl could destroy a good hex or curse before it even came close to hitting her. Would have been dead useful. Now, excuse me, I’ve got to speak with the minister about your young friend Albus.” With a final swallow, the auror vanished his glass and began to walk purposefully away. Seeing that as the invitation it was, Dumbledore decided he’d heard enough chatter, exchanged friendly goodbyes, and followed Moody out of the banquet hall of the Ministry.
“Auror Moody, perhaps I could persuade you to join me and my brother in Hogsmede for a drink? I’d like to discuss more than just my ‘Young Friend.’” Matthias Moody slowed, and looked back at Dumbledore, a cynical glint in his eye.
“You mean you want to continue gossiping about the fate of some impulsive lass and her clueless groom?”
“No, I mean I’d like to have a drink and discuss more than what we’ve had time to cover here. Particularly, I’d like to compare notes on Riddle.” This last bit he said softly, but Moody rolled his eyes as though he’d just shouted the words. “I suppose I could meet you at the Hogshead. Aberforth still serving at ten?”
“He is.”
“I’m assuming you’ll want me to bring along Francis Pomphrey?”
“I’d appreciate it. And Iris if she can get off her St. Mungos shift.” Albus kept his tone even. Moody was one of those people who was able to see the human chess pieces as clearly as Albus, but had no patience for any subtle manipulation- he preferred things to be open and straightforward statements of intent. It was both refreshing and maddening. And probably the only reason he wasn’t a candidate for Minister of Magic- the man didn’t have the patience needed for actual politics.
“I suppose I can do. How’s my brother doing?”
“Alastor continues to impress his instructors. Well, history and divination of course being the exceptions, but-”
“Yeah, useless classes those are. Good to know. I’ll see you tonight.” And with that, the powerfully built Auror moved purposefully through the bustling evening crowds, heading to another meeting with the Minister. Albus checked his pocket watch, which told him that it was time to return to Hogwarts, and hurried to obey the uppity timepiece.
~
Hogshead was empty, the tables wiped clean by 9:03, and Aberforth had initially planned to close up early until he got his brother’s Patronus, asking to buy a round of drinks and promising interesting news. Aberforth was doubtful the news would be anything he was actually interested in, but he didn’t see his brother that often and expected to see far less of him with his upcoming promotion to Headmaster, and so he had agreed to the meeting at ten. Despite this, he did lock the door and dim the lights- it was unlikely anyone would stumble in, but better safe than sorry. He preferred to close early whenever possible in the summer, appreciating the quieter days leading up to the return of students in the Fall. A flick of his wand, and the upstairs windows opened, and a cool breeze began circulating through the building. Another motion, and the usual privacy charms were reinforced. His main peeve about hired help, they never remembered (or perhaps simply didn’t care) to protect their customer’s privacy. It was something he’d have to go over with his two employees before the start of the busy season. Moving across the dimly lit wooden floor, Aberforth enjoyed the magic-induced breeze, and he got himself a pint of Sandstone Ale, grabbed a book about the history of Llamas, Muggles, and Shamans in South America, and settled into his regular spot behind the bar, out of sight from anyone who might be looking in.
At precisely 10:15 his narrow floo lit up, and Albus entered, hand on the shoulder of a young man Aberforth knew to be the most recently graduated Black. Seeing his brother’s surprise, Albus smiled. “Aberforth, this is Leo Black. Leo, this is Aberforth, my brother.” Before the slightly sullen looking “spare heir” could say anything, the floo roared to life again, this time spitting out Mathais Moody and a brown haired, brown eyed young woman in mediwitch training robes he recognized as Iris Pomphrey. They all jumped at the sound of apparition, and Abe waved a hand, unlocking the front door just as it was pushed open by a tall man with sandy-blond hair and an emergency medic badge on his robes. The man was followed closely by a blond girl who was clearly related to the man, with large round blue eyes, wearing a robe that indicated she was in mediwitch training at St. Mungos. The door locked as soon as it shut behind the two.
“Well, Matthias, I have to say you’ve once again gone above and beyond.” Albus smiled, and gestured for everyone to take a seat. “I assume you’ve met them, but just in case, this here is Poppy Pomphrey- one of the most promising interns we’ve ever had in the infirmary, if you don’t mind my saying-” Poppy blushed at the praise, but didn’t look as though she were anything other than deeply uncomfortably, her wide blue eyes shifting between her sister and Leo. “-And of course, Iris Pomphrey who is completing an accelerated course of training in the maternity ward at St. Mungos and their father Francis Pomphrey- I do hope that your wife will forgive us imposing upon your family’s time, but I’m hoping that you can help us get to the bottom of what is turning into the mystery of the year.” As Albus had been speaking, Mr. Pomphrey had pulled off his cloak, given Iris a quick hug and Leo a friendly slap on the shoulder.
Aberforth warded the floo, and motioned for them to take their seats around a circular table, bringing over a tray of drinks- two white wines, a glass of glacial vodka, two firewhiskeys, a butterbeer for himself, and saffron infused gin. Moody immediately grabbed the gin with a nod of thanks, Mr. Pomphrey took a firewhisky, and passed the white wines to his daughters, with a murmured reminder to drink slowly because they wouldn’t be getting more than one (at which Iris rolled her eyes and pointed out she was off work and not on-call). Mr. Pomphrey just chuckled and ruffled her hair, making her roll her eyes and swat at his hand. After a hesitant glance, Leo Black reached for the vodka, and took a slow sip, avoiding eye contact with everyone. Finally Albus and Aberforth sat down, Aberforth taking the butterbeer, Albus the remaining Firewhisky. After everyone had gotten their first sip, Albus finally began: “Well, I suppose everyone knows about Eileen Prince by now.” He paused, looking closely at the youngest three. Mr. Pomphrey grimaced in acknowledgement. “I’m afraid that as of right now, Ms. Prince is still missing-”
“Eileen. Not Ms. Prince.” Leo interrupted harshly, still not looking at anyone, and took another deep sip of his drink.
“...Eileen then. I’m sure you can imagine how frantic her parents are-” He was cut off by all of the Pomphreys rolling their eyes and making various contemptuous sounds. Leo went further, barking out a rather harsh, unkind laugh.
“They’re frantic about their name and everyone knows it. They’ve NEVER given a damn about Eileen. They didn’t even know she left for three days!”
“Leo!” The boy was interrupted by Poppy and Iris both hissing his name in warning at the same time. At this, Mr. Pomphrey abruptly sat up straight in his chair, any hint of relaxation vanished. He looked at his daughters carefully, and then narrowed his eyes at the men across from him.
“What, exactly, are you expecting of tonight? And before you ask any questions, I’m going to remind you that our family is now entirely bound by our oaths as healers. My daughters cannot do anything to betray the confidence of a patient, and I’m going to go ahead and say they’ve both considered Eileen Prince a patient at some point or another.” At this, both girls glanced at their father in surprise, but also nodded.
“In 5th year Eileen had me heal a sprained wrist, and ever since then I’ve been bound by our family’s healer oath.” Iris said softly.
“In 4th year- before we- um, well, while we were on the train Eileen had a cut on her hand- I don’t remember how she got it- but she asked me to help. I felt the oath take then.” Poppy mumbled. Mr. Pomphrey nodded as though he had expected nothing less- his daughters were fourth generation healers, and he had seen enough of Eileen to know she’d had a better understanding of the existing healer oaths than even full-practicing medi-wizards.
“Eileen was a smart girl. And an excellent Slytherin- I’m not surprised she hasn’t been found, she could run circles around her parents when she was 12.”
Albus blinked in surprise. He didn’t usually fail to register so much talent, but he’d apparently missed the hints that everyone else had caught. Moody laughed, seeing his expression and wagged a finger in his face.
“You can’t stay on top of every kid at Hogwarts. You’re going to have to get used to that, Headmaster- you’ll have even less time with the students with the new position.”
Albus batted the mans hand away, and Aberforth smirked as well- he didn’t get to see his brother out of the loop very often, it was something to savor- then he stopped, thinking of the Prince family, and finally understood why his brother had been so insistent about learning as much as they could about what had initially only seemed to him to merely be the latest “Witch Weekly”- esque scandal. The next words from Albus confirmed his emerging understanding.
“The Princes have a lot of dark family curses- ones to cause squibs to be stillborn, force wayward offspring into mindless obedience, and some nastier blood curses as well- ones that will turn a loving couple against each other, pervert their love into hatred until they kill each other. Part of why they’re about to become extinct is they have a nasty habit of killing any family member who doesn’t marry an ‘appropriate’ match.” His voice was even as he looked around the table. Once again, none of the teens made eye contact. Mr. Pomphrey shifted, about to speak, when Albus raised a hand and interrupted him. “I understand you all want to protect your friend, and that you girls have taken vows you can’t break, even if you wanted to. But you need to know, this isn’t some romantic story where Eileen lives happily-ever-after. We aren’t looking for her to drag a recalcitrant child back to her family. We need to find her before her parents do. For her sake and that of her newlywed.”
At those words, Leo finally looked up, scowling furiously. “You think we don’t know? Eileen and I both grew up with those stories being fed to us at bedtime. Eileen knows the risks. She warned her husband. We were all there, we all saw. She wanted us to help her explain it to him, so he would know she wasn’t just being melodramatic. He loves her. And they’re happy. I’ve never seen any two people so well matched, and that despite him being a muggle. She’s left our world, knowing the risks, because she’s never been comfortable here- she’s always been ten times smarter than anyone else in class, she hates formality, she hates rules, and I think she might even hate her parents. She’s never been happy until now. You have to be crazy if you think any of us would jeopardize that for her. Besides,” and here he leaned back, a confident smirk running across his handsome face, brushing his black hair out of his eyes. “Even if we wanted to tell you we can’t. She planned for everything, and did it to make sure we were all safe. None of us remember what her husband looks like- she used legilimency to remove any details that would give away anything about him. Including where we all met, and where she is now.” After blurting this out, Leo stiffened in his chair, a look of surprise on his face, and shoved his drink away. “Apparently, she was careful enough that even compulsion or truth serums won’t make us give her away.”
At those words, the three healers at the table glared at the Dumbledore brothers with disapproval. Moody kept his face carefully blank- he worked regularly enough with the Senior Pomphrey medic that he preferred to stay on the man’s good side, but also was familiar enough the Dumbledores that he hadn’t actually been taking sips when he brought his drink to his lips.
Albus raised his hands in a placating gesture. “I know you care about her, and she clearly cared enough to try and protect you as well as herself. But what will happen if her parents do find her? We just want to be able to offer assistance if the worst happens.” He tried keeping his voice as earnest as possible, looking into first Iris, then Poppy’s eyes. He was surprised at the flash of surprised outrage that crossed Poppy’s face, and then felt the most basic of Occlumency wards slam down on his feather-light legilimency. Unfortunately, it appeared that despite his skepticism (removing memories using legilmency was extremely complex and difficult- it took years of training to even get close to the skillset needed to do that), the selective memories were in fact gone. He had gotten to the wedding ceremony itself- recognized the Pomphrey girls, Leo, and Eileen, but he had only seen a vague blur where her husband had stood.
“Professor- I’m sorry, Headmaster Dumbledore, did you just try to force me to betray my oath as both a healer and a friend by uninvited legilmency?!” Poppy’s voice was soft, but the 16-year-old looked furious with splotches of angry color standing out sharply against her face which had gone pale with fury. At those words, Iris immediately drew in a breath, fully prepared to go into a full-scale outrage as well (it was a gross violation, of her little sister’s mind no less), but her father beat her to it. The man had stood up so quickly his chair had fallen to the floor.
“Albus, I consider you, Matthias, and Aberforth my friends. But these are tactics I would have expected of the Prince family, and to engage in them without warning is a breach of that friendship that quite frankly appalling. They told you in clear terms why they cannot provide the information you seek. Has your new position of authority gone to your head so quickly that you already will ignore individual autonomy? I’ll not be party to you attempting to force a young woman back to an unhappy home just because you think it’ll make your politicking go more smoothly.” The man spoke quickly, anger making his voice more forceful and causing his hands to shake. “I am afraid this meeting is over. Mr. Black, get your cloak. You’ll be coming home with us tonight.” With that, the three healers and the Black boy headed to the door. As they pushed it open, Mr. Pomphrey paused looking back. “You can consider this an official notice that Poppy will be transferring to Beauxbaton to complete her education. I will be in touch, but until I am I request you refrain from contacting myself, my family, or Leo- I think we all know exactly what you are doing, and I won’t have any part of it, or allow you to drag my daughters or Leo into your madness. And if I hear that you have been harassing Eileen, I will be filing an official warning at the Wizengamut, hang the politics. The girl has been through enough, and you of all people ought to understand that!”
With that, Mr. Pomphrey swept out into the dimly lit Hogsmede street, slamming the door behind him.
“Well. Why use a key when you can bash a door with a sledgehammer?” Moody’s voice was wry, and he eyed Albus Dumbledore with something that could be sympathy, only perhaps a little less friendly. Albus sighed, one shoulder slumped as he took a deep drink of his firewhisky.
“I’m not a monster Mathias. I really am concerned for the girl. But there is a bigger concern we need to take into account.”
Moody tilted his hand, “You mean your young friend, Tom Riddle.”
“I mean Tom Riddle.” Albus agreed tiredly. “Right now, from what you’ve told me and I’ve seen for myself, part of why he hasn’t been especially successful at getting people to believe in his brand of politics is his own ‘tainted’ blood. The Princes are such fanatics, they could never accept someone with a muggle father as an equal. And with them setting the tone, other families were following their lead. I’m afraid if they lose influence, Tom will have very little difficulty cutting out a strong foothold in the Ministry. From there, it would only be a matter of time.”
“He’s that powerful, hm?” There was no challenge in Moody’s voice, just a statement of fact.
“He is. And he is beyond cruel. He was a frightening boy, and became an even more disturbing young man.” At this, Aberforth looked between his brother and the auror, frowning.
“So Mr. Pomphrey was correct? Were you really trying to locate that Eileen child just to force her into accepting a match of her parents choosing, in the hope you could prevent them from completely losing their societal sway?”
“You don’t understand Abe. I really am concerned for the girl- and her husband. They will be in danger as long as the Prince’s are looking for them. And yes, I would prefer that she return to her family- but not to be married off to just anyone of their choosing. The Potter’s had been in the middle of finalizing a contract between her and Fleamont. They’re a kind family, she would be treated well.”
“And of course the benefit of allying the Potters with the Princes would be enough to outweigh any social stigma from her ill-thought marriage?” Aberforth’s words sounded understanding, but his expression was a cross between disgust and impatience. “Albus, you of all people should know you can’t force a pair of people to fall in love.”
“Abe, I of all people know that love isn’t enough to base a relationship on.”
At this, they all fell silent. Aberforth finished his drink, then put it gently on the table. “Al, I’m sorry for what happened. You didn’t deserve it. But you have to stop thinking that your experiences are true for everyone. Sometimes you have to just trust that even young and stupid kids know what they are doing. I don’t know much about her, but I remember seeing her a couple of times. Eileen didn’t strike me as a girl whose head was filled with romantic nonsense. And if nothing else, she clearly planned her escape out down to the final details, including mastering removing memories using Legilemency. That tells me she isn’t just running off with the first handsome man to show her attention. And you cannot tell me that you honestly think it’s okay to tear apart a happy couple, especially with everything she’s sacrificed, just on the hope that the Prince family remains influential and continues to refuse to accept Riddle as an acquaintance?”
At this, Albus looked at his brother closely. Aberforth wasn’t angry, or even incredulous- he looked worried. After a second Albus heaved a sigh.
“You’re right of course. Well, I would still like to offer her assistance, but I suppose the best thing I can do right now is leave her alone. I do think that her friends know more than what they have given away. But I suppose it’s useless to try and force something to happen.” Looking over at Moody, Albus hesitated, then added “I suppose this means we just continue what we’ve been doing- watching and listening?”
Moody stood up, reached over and gave Albus a quick hug. “It may not feel like enough, but don’t give up yet. We aren’t helpless babes. And there are other ways to affect change and influence at the ministry- you know that as well as I do, hell, you’ve invented half of them!” With that, Moody grinned, causing Albus to laugh weakly.
“I’m not sure I can take that much credit, but you are both right. Now, I’m heading back to the school, I have a month to prepare for my first speech as headmaster, and I’ll be needing to send a copy of Poppy’s records over to Beaubaton.”
“I’d wait a week or so- Francis just has a temper. But he’s a good man, and his daughter’s happiness matters more to him than anything else. Unless I’m much mistaken, transferring now wouldn’t help with young Poppy’s pre-med apprenticeship. Let them cool off, and then meet them at their home with the promise never to use legilmency without fair warning again. I’ll see if I can’t wear Francis down a bit for you first.” At this, Albus smiled at Mathias gratefully.
“I know I’ve said it before, but you really are a rare breed Mathias.” With an awkward shrug and comfortable slap on the back, and giving Aberforth a quick hug, ignoring the man’s instinctual stiffening- not a hugger, Aberforth- Moody waved cheerfully and meandered into the night.
~