With Knowledge Came Help

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“This must stop,” Albus said as he entered his office, Snape following behind. The old man didn’t know it, but he was being watched and recorded. The mirror had been placed on the Sorting Hat, with its permission, just for this reason. “I will not be told what to do in my own castle,” he said, going around his desk and sitting in his throne like chair.

“What can you do? It has already been done,” Severus said, happy that he was no longer teaching, but upset that the one to get him out of his sentence was Black, of all people. “Black, and those behind him, has been making many changes all across the board,” he added, knowing that there were many things that the man had done outside of Hogwarts as well.

“There are many things going on that I don’t like,” Dumbledore stated, thinking of the changes that were happening in the ministry as well. Amelia Bones was smacking down on people to do their jobs correctly, and that was putting a crimp on his more lenient people. Those that didn’t have a problem looking the other way when things happened here at the school.

“I know,” Snape said, though he was thinking about the Aurors doing their jobs in getting criminals off the streets. Before it was easier to bribe your way out of prison, now there was a crackdown on putting people behind bars. He didn’t know if it was because people were disappearing, or because Bones was threatening jobs, but even Malfoy was being cautious.

“There has to be a way to put an end to these changes,” Albus said, running a hand down his impressive beard. “I know, I’ll ask Alastor. He is a good friend, and he will have insight into what is going on at the ministry,” he said as if that was a wonderful idea.

“That paranoid old man?” Snape said, not the least bit impressed. “He would more than likely blame it on the Death Eaters,” he added, knowing that was who Moody usually put the blame on if they were who he thought were the bad guys. Even if they were not guilty at the time.

“Now, Severus, Alastor is one of the best investigators there is,” Albus said, going to the floo and grabbing some powder and throwing it in the fire. He knelt down and put his head in the fire when it turned green. Snape could hear the creaking of his knees, the old man was getting on in age, too soon he would be unable to kneel at the fire. “Alastor,” he called in to the room when the floo connected.

There was a thumping noise when Moody came stomping into the room. “Albus,” the man said when he saw the old man’s face in his fireplace. He wondered when he’d be hearing from his ‘friend’. “What can I do for you?” he asked, deciding to play along for now. He wouldn’t be able to do it for long, he wasn’t that good of an actor.

“Can you step through?” Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eye. He knew Alastor would get to the bottom of why Sirius was so hell bent on these changes.

“Sure, give me a minute,” Alastor said, waving the other man away. “I have to get some things done first,” he added. He was going to let the others know where he was going.

“I will await you for five minutes. The floo will remain open for that time,” Albus said, not wanting to leave it open for longer than that. The office floo needed to remain secure.

“That’ll do,” Moody agreed. He waited until the old man was gone and then floo called Amelia. “I’m off to talk to Albus,” he said, when the floo connected, his foot in the fireplace. “I’ll keep the group informed,” he added, and then pulled his foot out. He threw some more powder in and went to Hogwarts.

“Ah, Alastor, thank you for coming,” Albus said, waving to a chair for him to sit in.

“Albus, Snape,” Moody said, sneering at the Potions Master. He really didn’t like that man, and he really disliked that Albus trusted him so much. Oh, he knew that he was on their side, that didn’t make him less of an arsehole.

“I was wondering if you knew of all the changes that have been happening here and at the ministry?” Albus asked, offering the man his candy dish. It was declined with the rise of a hand.

“Everyone is aware of them,” the other man said, looking around the room with his magical eye. There were the gizmos that were described in the books, that no one really knew what they were used for. There were many theories bandied about, but they were just that, theories. Moody, being the paranoid bastard that he was, was sure they were monitors of some sort.

“And you are okay with them?” was the next question.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” was the answering question. “I mean, bad guys off the streets. People doing their jobs. Teachers getting much needed help. The ministry getting much needed funds. What is not to like?” Alastor said, looking at Albus as if he lost his mind.

“But, how will we get things done if we cannot operate the way we were?” the headmaster inquired, his tone was genuinely concerned. “There are things that the public must not know,” he stated firmly, thinking of the award ceremony that had happened just that weekend.

“According to who? You? Albus, when are you going to realize that you are just one man? That you are not in control of all the information that the public needs to know?” Alastor said, for once going against what his ‘friend’ wanted to hear. His eyes being truly opened for the first time in ages, having read those books.

“But, there could be panic,” Albus said, hoping to play on the man’s paranoia.

“That is not your call,” Moody said, his eye catching someone coming up the stairs. “There’s someone coming,” he said, looking at the door.

A few seconds later there was a timid knock. Like the person on the other side wasn’t sure they should be interrupting but had been told to be there.

“Come in, Miss Granger,” Albus said, knowing who it was by means no one ever found out. Alastor was sure it was the castle that told him.

The teen came in the door, very shy like. She timidly approached the desk, making sure she skirted the two men seated before it. “You wanted to see me, Headmaster?” she said, looking like she was about to be expelled. “I got the message from Professor McGonagall. She said to come right away,” she added quickly, seeing the man was in a meeting. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.” She looked at the other men.

“Ah, yes, do not worry, we are done with our meeting and are just having a friendly chat,” the headmaster said, waving her worries away.

“Okay,” she said, warily, still eyeballing the mean looking men in the room. Both looked at her with eyes that didn’t give her happy feelings. Though the one with the magic eye was hard to read with all his scars.

“I am afraid that I will have to ask for the time-turner back,” Albus said. “It is no fault of yours,” he added quickly, seeing her about to protest. “The Board of Governors has decreed that no student may use them anymore,” he stated, giving her his kindly grandfather look. “I am afraid they think they are too taxing for someone so young,” he stated, running his hand down his beard in a learned fashion.

“But, I was very careful,” she said, looking around like the Board would pop out of the woodwork so that she could tell them off.

“I understand, I do,” he said, making placating gestures. “However, it is out of my hands.”

“Very well,” she sighed in resignation. She was not happy about it, and asked, “Which class shall I stop taking?” Though she had an inkling. She knew that Muggle Studies was a class she didn’t need, but it was said to be given a new curriculum and she had wanted to see the changes.

“I believe that Muggle Studies was the one that was not beneficial to you,” the headmaster said as if that was a given.

“Very well,” she said again, taking the time-turner off and placing it on the desk. Her eyes were filled with disappointment and sadness. So much learning that she was to be denied. She was miffed that it was being taken away from her after it had been offered. It just wasn’t fair.

Alastor took up the device off the desk and placed it in his pocket. “I have to go to the ministry anyway. I’ll drop it off at the proper place,” he said, not trusting either man with it. Albus might try to undo the changes they had wrought, and Snape might just use it for nefarious purposes. Who knew with him. He was hard to get a read on, even knowing what he knew.  

“I am responsible for that,” Albus said, protesting his friend’s action. It hadn’t even crossed his mind to use it, until Alastor picked it up.

“Are you saying I can’t be trusted?” Alastor asked, daring his ‘friend’ to protest further.

“Of course not, Alastor,” the old man said, immediately putting up a hand in a plea of innocence.

“I’ll walk you out, Miss Granger,” Alastor said, going to the door with the girl. “We’re done here, Albus,” he said, looking at the man with a bit of contempt. “Accept the changes, like everyone else. They are for the greater good,” he added with a smile, which looked twisted on his scarred face. With that he stomped out of the room with a miffed Hermione in tow.

They walked in silence for awhile and then Alastor gave Hermione a bit of advice. “You know, there are some things more important than knowledge,” he said to the child.

“I know,” she said, mulishly.

“Do you, now?” he asked in a manner that said elaborate.

“Friends,” she said with a huff.

“Best keep that in mind when you go to complain about what just happened,” he advised, looking her up and down.

“I will,” she said, mollified a bit.

They parted ways at the entrance hall, and Alastor took the long way out.

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“Do you think he’s going to cause trouble?” Amelia asked Sirius when they watched the recording that night, and the dogman had told her of Alastor’s visit.

“He’s going to try,” the man answered. “He’s going to have a hard time of it. we’ve got him by the short and curlies,” he snorted. “Skeeter has all she needs, and her story will be out soon. He will be too busy putting out fires to try and undo what we’ve done,” he added.

“I hope you’re right,” she said, going to the fireplace to go home. “He’s not to be underestimated,” she said as she threw the floo powder in the fire.

“I don’t, I promise,” Sirius said, thinking of all the ways that the old man could make his life hell. There were things he could try with the Wizengamot, but he had some pull there that Albus didn’t and after that article came out, Albus’s pull would lessen greatly.

“Just be careful,” she said, flooing home.

“You too,” he said to the air. Then he went to bed. Everyone else had long ago retired, having already talked about the recording. Amelia had come later than them, having worked late.

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The next day, the headline broke: Headmaster Dumbledore’s Hidden Past

The story that followed was three pages long, and all about Albus’s childhood, including the story of his sister, Ariana Dumbledore, his love affair with Gellert Grindelwald, and his long-delayed defeat of said man. There were many questions asked and left unanswered. There was an interview with Aberforth Dumbledore, who was a bitter man who held some contempt at his brother’s life.  

This set the wizarding world ablaze with activity. The whole community was on fire with gossip. They were buzzing from place to place and person to person. There wasn’t a tongue that wasn’t wagging. Some in defense of the old man, but many were asking what they really knew about the man who held so much office in their government. About the man who was in charge of their children.

So many owls covered the skies that the muggle news was once again asking questions. As it had twelve years ago when Voldemort had been vanquished. It was even around the same time since it was going on Halloween. Which was a good thing for those in the know, since it would make it easier to sneak Harry out of the castle with all the confusion going on.

Rita Skeeter was in hiding. She had taken to hiding in her animagus form, because there were death threats on her person. She was at a friend’s house, though that friend didn’t know it. Sirius had offered to let her stay at his place, if she vowed not to speak, write, or otherwise communicate what she heard there. She declined.  What was the point in being in such a newsworthy place if she couldn’t write about it?

She only went to work in the dead of night, and only when she knew the Daily Prophet building was empty. She would write her article and then disappear again. She was doing an exposé on Fudge now. She had all the dirt she needed on him as well, but she was sneaking into his office, and getting more. She had implications on Malfoy to go into the article, and since she was already in hiding, she decided to print them as well.

First, she was going to drop off the evidence with Bones, as per their agreement. Then, when he was arrested, she was going to post her article. She couldn’t wait. She was going to be rich. Then she could retire to France or somewhere safe. She knew she wouldn’t be safe here if she outed Malfoy.

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Dumbledore was not having a good time of it. His deepest darkest secrets were out, and they were not well received. He had no idea how Skeeter knew what she knew, but the proof was in print now. He tried to rally the troops, but they were all wary of him. It wasn’t the fact that he was gay. It wasn’t even the fact that he had an affair with Gellert.

No, it was the fact that he might have killed his sister, and that he stayed out of the war for so many years. If he had stepped in earlier, he could have ended that war before so many had died. People looked down on him for that. They didn’t understand that he couldn’t just go and kill the man that he loved. Or any man.

It was also the fact that that man was still alive. Gellert Grindelwald was in prison, and he did visit him every now and then. People believe that he should be dead. That there was no redeeming such a man. Dumbledore didn’t believe that, and he never would.

Then there was the confusion on how his sister died. Someone threw a curse that killed her, and they didn’t know who. Aberforth knew it wasn’t him. He didn’t cast any life-threatening curses that day. However, Albus and Gellert did, so it had to be one of them.

That was why Albus no longer took lives, no matter what. Why couldn’t people understand that? If he had not tried to take his lover’s life that day, maybe his sister would still be alive today. His sweet little sister, who never hurt anyone on purpose.

However, no one understood. Judging from the mail he was getting, they never would. Hate mail. He had never received so much hate mail before. He. The great Albus Dumbledore. Receiving hate mail. He was flabbergasted. Try as he might, he could not wrap his head around it.

Where did he lose control of his life? Where had it all gone wrong? Had it been Black’s fault? That couldn’t be right, the man didn’t know anything about his life. There was no way he could know. He was too young. So, where did Skeeter get her information? Was she just that good of a reporter? That must be it.

He was going to have to do some major damage control. He just did not know how.