Chapter 174. A Conversation and the Truth.
Gloucestershire.
The following day, as agreed, Dumbledore Apparated from the school directly to Severus's house and appeared before the gates, which began opening almost at once.
"Welcome. My master is expecting you. Please follow me." Gorby appeared before him in a black tuxedo and greeted him. Dumbledore was not particularly surprised and followed silently toward the four-story white building.
At that same moment in the sitting room, Severus was sipping tea and watching the old man on the screen. A hint of tension was visible in Dumbledore's eyes, though he was doing his best to appear entirely calm.
"Maybe he wants to ask for help dealing with Voldemort?" Nagini offered another suggestion.
Severus shook his head. "He can manage that on his own. Things haven't gotten bad enough for him to ask for help."
"Then I don't understand what he wants." She gave up and rested her head on his knee, drawing a smile from him.
"I think he needs help with some kind of research." He set his cup aside and spoke with lazy certainty, tapping the top of her head with one finger. "Go up to the second floor. I'll create a second screen so one curious, lazy little serpent can watch everything."
"Fine." She raised her head, gave him a mildly displeased look, and disappeared.
She had not actually learned to use magic or Apparate. Severus had simply added her to the house's ownership registry as a bound artifact, which let her move anywhere within the manor grounds. He was already slightly regretting it; she had grown completely lazy and now simply teleported everywhere, even when she only needed to cross a few meters. What was done, and he had made his peace with it.
He took one more sip and settled a mask of indifference over his face. He did not glance toward the entrance, where Dumbledore had appeared in the doorway accompanied by the house-elf, studying Severus's black-robed form with mild curiosity. The Headmaster could not feel even a faint ripple of magic from him: it was as though the figure before him was not a powerful wizard at all, but an ordinary person. Had they crossed paths on the street, Dumbledore would likely not have paid him any particular attention.
"Did you ask for this meeting simply to look at me?" The sharp, expressionless voice filled the room, and in the same instant the temperature seemed to drop several degrees. A chill ran down Dumbledore's spine, and for a moment the memory surfaced of how effortlessly this man had dealt with wizards who were nearly his equals.
"I apologize. I was simply surprised that I can't feel any magic from you at all." He smiled somewhat awkwardly, suddenly feeling very much like one of his own students standing before a teacher.
Only an idiot advertises it. There are wizards who can read the ambient magical vibrations around a target and gauge their strength and direction from those vibrations alone. The cold, indifferent gaze swept over him. "Say what you came to say. I don't have time to waste on empty conversation."
"Yes, I apologize." As Severus made his way to an armchair, the house-elf gave a small bow and vanished. "And I'm grateful you made the time to meet with me." Dumbledore sat down across from him, noticing a slight frown, and his smile grew a little strained. It was the first time in his memory that anyone had treated him this way: not as the most powerful wizard in Britain, but as an irritating fly buzzing somewhere on the periphery.
"Get to the point."
"Yes." He drew a slow breath and regained his composure. A stone tablet appeared in his hand, and he held it out. "I discovered this several decades ago. I'd like you to take a look at it."
"Hm?" For the first time since Dumbledore had arrived, a genuine spark of interest appeared in Severus's eyes as he took the tablet and began studying the symbols.
Dumbledore noticed the change, and his expression turned slightly sour, though he kept his thoughts to himself.
After several minutes, Severus set the tablet down and stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Where did you find this?"
"You understand what it says?" Dumbledore asked, unable to keep the impatience from his voice. He and Flamel had spent a great deal of time searching for anything related to those symbols, and had found nothing.
"I do." Severus gave a calm nod and let out a tired sigh. "And I would advise you not to pursue this matter." He tossed the tablet back. "What is written on it will cause far more trouble than it's worth, and from what I can see, you already have enough to deal with."
"What do you mean?"
"The founders of your school. Tell me: do you know how they died?" The question and the abrupt change of subject puzzled Dumbledore.
"Yes. There are records in the library."
"And are you certain those records are accurate?" For the first time during their conversation, something close to a smile appeared on Severus's face. "Have you ever heard the phrase: 'History is written by the victors'?"
It was not difficult for Dumbledore to understand what was being suggested, not in the least. He had not become Headmaster, nor spent more than a decade navigating wizarding politics, by being slow to follow an implication.
"You're saying that they were..." He looked openly skeptical at the man across from him, unable to believe that the founders, whose power he had never doubted and which surpassed his own, could have simply been killed.
"However powerful a wizard may be, we are all mortal. Even me. Everyone has a weakness." The answer came without any particular emotion. Severus picked up his cup, took a sip, and continued. "What is written on that tablet will bring nothing but trouble, and if it ever comes to light, it will destroy your life as surely as the lives of everyone close to you. Are you prepared for that?"
"And yourself?"
"I can protect myself."
"And Severus?"
"And him. And it will never come to light." The smile was perfectly serene, but the icy gaze cut to the bone. An immense pressure descended on Dumbledore's shoulders. The force of it drove him into the sofa: he could not even lift his head to look at the man across from him. "And naturally, you will not leave this house without giving your oath. Have I made myself clear?"
"Y-yes." Dumbledore spoke with difficulty. It was the first time in his life he had felt genuine fear of another wizard, and he understood entirely why Moody had called Severus a true monster. The most terrifying part was that this was not telekinesis or wind magic. It was pure magical pressure: the density of the ambient magic had increased a hundredfold in a single instant.
"Good." The pressure lifted. "As a gesture of thanks for the ingredient, I can tell you in my own words what the tablet says, without going into detail. Would you like to hear it?"
"If it isn't too much trouble." Dumbledore straightened his slightly tilted glasses. A trace of pallor still lingered on his face, and he no longer dared to meet the eyes of this... monster.
"Very well. To put it simply: the tablet tells of an evil sealed within this land, and of how one day it will break the chains holding it, escape its imprisonment, and destroy this world. Nothing particularly new." Severus delivered this with something approaching boredom. Dumbledore did not share his feelings. Genuine shock was written plainly across the old man's face.
"Are you... are you certain?" Dumbledore swallowed hard. He simply couldn't believe it. The one who had written those words wasn't some unknown author; it was Rowena Ravenclaw herself, and he couldn't bring himself to doubt her.
"I swear on my magic." Severus raised a hand with casual indifference. A wave of magical energy rolled off him, visibly confirming that magic itself had verified his words. His face grew even paler.
"Then why are you so calm?"
"Why should I worry?" He closed his eyes as he took another sip. "If this is the fate that has been set for us, what is the point of doing anything about it?"
"With your power, why won't you fight back?"
"Our ancestors were a hundred times stronger than we are, and the best they could do was seal them away. What could we possibly do?" He set the cup down and continued in a more serious tone. "I will fight, of course. But we cannot win. This is a battle that is already lost before it even begins. So enjoy the life you have. Besides, I doubt it will happen in this century. The barrier is still fairly strong."
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