RETURN TO SENDER
STANDARD DISCLAIMER: Don't own this, make no money from it, just playing in a wonderful, magical playground.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to all those who reviewed, favorited and added this to their alerts. And my apologies for the delay in updating ... it wasn't so much a case of writer's block as painting myself into a corner. Hagrid was never supposed to be collateral damage in the last chapter ... but anyway ... on with the show!
Chapter Thirteen. Confrontations in the Afterlife
"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!"
He didn't know what the words meant but he understood the sentiment - that sense of awe and wonder at being someplace totally out of your experience (and Hogwarts at night, seen for the first time as you approached from a small boat in the middle of a dark lake) was one such moment. He'd first heard those words when he himself was eleven years old and crossing the lake, and he heard the same thing every year that he'd taken the first years across, starting some forty-odd years ago.
Unfortunately, his travelling companion was not impressed - it was doubtful if anything around him had made an impression. He had the face of someone walking the final steps to the executioner's block - dazed, eyes blank, mind a thousand miles away, his expression alternating between shock, fear, anger and resignation. He had an idea of where they were and wasn't looking forward to the experience … least of all, having to face his dear friends and make an accounting of what he'd done.
"Whar do you think we are, Peter?"
There was no response and the first man peered worriedly at his companion.
They made for an incongruous pair. The speaker was huge - taller than the tallest, wider than the widest - with a wild, shaggy mane and beard that covered most of his face, nearly hiding beetle-black eyes. The other was a short, rotund man with mousy brown hair and small watery eyes, red from exhaustion or tears and wearing dirt-stained wizarding robes that gave him the appearance of someone who'd been on a drunken binge - or had been crawling through the sewers.
"You're in HADES - the Holding Area for Death, Eternity and Serenity."
The two stopped - the huge man looking around wildly for a second before dropping his eyes and gaping at the small slip of a girl with blonde hair and what looked like a fur top and skirt standing in their path, with a thunderous expression on her face, fists on hips, glaring with sea-green eyes that were only a shade lighter than the well-remembered (to them) eyes of Lily Evans-Potter.
The huge man blinked, shook his head and looked again. He had to revise his initial impression: this was no `girl' - this was a fully-grown woman with an aura to match that of Professor McGonagall at her sternest.
"My name is Gabrielle, Chief Executive Officer of Destiny Repair Incorporated - and I am NOT PLEASED TO SEE EITHER OF YOU! You are NOT supposed to be here yet!"
"Oy! Don't go `round blaming me for somethin' I `ad no `and in! Ifn anythin' blame Sirius Black for sendin' me here … wherever here is!"
Gabrielle's eyes blazed and Hagrid cringed - if he was where she said he was, it wouldn't surprise him if she started sending lightning bolts his way. He sighed in relief when Gabrielle visibly relaxed, the tension visibly unwinding and a wry smile breaking out on her face.
"My apologies, Mr Hagrid … it's been a hell of a day."
"Hagrid, please … and thankee kindly, ma'am and - oh! Apology accepted - it isn't as if I - we - have been havin' a fine day ourselves." Hagrid's smile turned pensive. "Wha' I would like to know, however, is what in Hades - beggin' yer pardon, ma'am - young Sirius Black was thinkin', firin' curses in the Hospital Wing and killin' Peter an' meself in the bargain!"
"If the idiot was even thinking," Gabrielle mumbled to herself.
"Ma'am?"
Gabrielle shook her head. "Sorry, Mr Hagrid … just thinking about some pricks I've met …" She sighed. "Mr Black had just learned that Mr Pettigrew here was a Death Eater -"
She didn't see Hagrid straightening up and visibly stiffening. Neither did she see the small flames igniting in his small, dark eyes. Pettigrew, on the other hand, simply slumped beside him in seeming resignation … and acceptance.
"… and suspects that he led Voldemort to the Potters."
WHAP!
Gabrielle blinked. She knew Hagrid was a half-giant but hadn't expected the speed and power behind the backhand he delivered which had Peter flat on the ground as Hagrid roared, "YOU WERE THE SPY, WEREN'T YOU?! YOU BAS-"
Hagrid paused at Pettigrew's high-pitched response - "I WAS DUMBLEDORE'S MAN! HE GAVE ME THE MISSION - HE WANTED ME TO INFILTRATE THE DEATH EATERS!" - but it only fuelled the half-giant's rage. Pettigrew just barely escaped being stomped on by an enormous foot as he continued screaming, "I WAS THE ONLY ONE, DUMBLEDORE SAID - THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD DO IT!"
Something in that frightened, squeaky voice stopped Hagrid from squashing Pettigrew. It wasn't the defiant scream of a cornered animal or someone trying to justify his actions or deny them - Hagrid lowered the pile driver that was his foot, and glared at the shaking man as he boomed: "TALK!"
"There was no one else! You were faithful to Dumbledore … Sirius would never turn Death Eater - Remus may be a werewolf but everyone knows it was Dumbledore who took him in! No one would believe he'd turn on the old man, who'd allowed him to enter Hogwarts!"
Fat, salty tears flowed down Peter's sunken cheeks. "I was the perfect candidate, Dumbledore said. I was never that bright, not like Remus or Lily; never as popular as James or Sirius; I was the one always caught by Filch or the professors … Dumbledore said it would be easy to make the Dark Lord believe that I resented them - hated them … pushed aside, always hiding behind Lily, James, Sirius or Remus … the eternal sidekick, always there but never seen, always on the side lines and never the star …"
Hagrid stared at the sobbing man, his insides torn between anger at Peter's betrayal … and pity for the bawling wreck. He'd tagged Peter for a weakling, and had wondered more than once why the Sorting Hat had placed him in Gryffindor when he obviously did not display the bravery and courage of the Lions.
At best, he was a hanger-on, someone who'd gravitated to the biggest and meanest around, using them to protect him, doing odd jobs for them so they'd keep him - always a follower but never a leader (and never a really competent disciple at that) - essentially a sycophant to the big boys.
And yes - James Potter and Sirius Black were the biggest and baddest around: arrogant, cocky, conceited and proud. They'd come to Hogwarts as if they were the Founders Reincarnated, their attitudes shouting what they thought of the `little people' - from Filch and Hagrid to their fellow students, even the professors and the headmaster.
Oh, they'd changed, he knew - James more than Sirius. He wasn't sure what was behind his change of heart but had noticed it in their sixth year … it was a change obvious to everyone but the Slytherins and pushed Lily Evans to finally, finally look beyond the arrogant prat of the early years and acknowledge the young man who would win her heart …
Hagrid shook his head. `There but for the grace of Merlin go I,' he thought as he looked at Pettigrew - not as handsome or rich as Black or Potter, never as competent or skilled as Remus or Lily, always existing in their shadow as the eternal hanger-on and water boy … Least loved, always, by the mother who craved a daughter … Least loved, now, by the girl who prefers his friend … Second best, always, eternally overshadowed …
Hagrid blinked - where the hell did that come from?
But something Peter said re-ignited his anger: "WHAT D'YEH MEAN DUMBLEDORE BETRAYED US? WHAT DRIVEL ARE YEH SPOUTIN' NOW, PETTIGREW?"
A massive foot was hanging over the cringing Pettigrew; Hagrid heard someone shouting for him to stop, but couldn't see anything through the red haze over his eyes at the outrageous claim of betrayal by that great man, Dumbledore …
There was someone on his arm and he tried to shake it off - but that someone was hanging on tight, begging him to stop - he realized that the red haze was actually red hair, that he knew that voice and turned, planting his foot on the ground as he gasped, "Lily?"
He blinked at the woman with fiery red hair and emerald-green eyes and gaped at the man with unruly black hair and round, wire-rimmed glasses behind her - "James?"
Pettigrew was forgotten as his massive arms wrapped around the man and the woman as he sobbed, even as the other two hugged him, salty huge tears dripping like rain on their heads as he heard a woman's voice, saying, "Thought you needed reinforcements, love."
He shook that off - it had nothing to do with him or this moment. He couldn't believe he was hugging his dear friends … couldn't believe they were here with him - not after seeing their lifeless bodies and empty eyes in the ruined cottage at Godric's Hollow and he spun around, fully intending to squash the Pettigrew bug but stopped as Lily and James screamed - "NO, Hagrid, NO!"
A weeping Lily who was blocking his path: "Enough, old friend … it's over and done with - we've played our part and it's time to move on …"
James supported her - "She's right, Hagrid. We've done our part, our roles are over … time for you and the others to take over and move on …"
"But, Lily, Peter -"
"Knew nothing, Hagrid," James interrupted. "Only two people knew where we were staying - Sirius and Dumbledore. We had Sirius take a wizard's oath not to tell anyone - not Remus, not Peter, not even Minerva if she threatened to turn him into a frog. Should have asked the same of Dumbledore," he finished in a bitter voice.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute," a confused and horrified Hagrid said. "Are you tellin' me that the Perfesser -"
"Who else, Hagrid?" Lily said in the same bitter tone. "We knew there was a spy among us - they were attacking our homes, our safe houses, our hideouts. We were getting to be as bad as Mad-Eye: looking over our shoulders, not trusting anyone - except Dumbledore! He was the only one who knew where everyone lived, the names we used, our missions and plans …"
"We even hid out as Muggles, Hagrid," James added. "Mr and Mrs Hart and their little boy Harry Hart - living in a little red house in Loughton, in Essex outside London. Just another ordinary Muggle family - we didn't even tell Sirius about it because it was a muggle neighbourhood …"
"Harry was happy there," Lily put in, smiling fondly. "He had a bestist friend with whom he played every day. We were over there for dinner when Voldemort came calling … burned the house down and set off the Dark Mark …"
She broke out in tears as James hugged her tight as the memories of that night played out: the sounds of fire engines and sirens … running to the window and seeing the flames and the Dark Mark and knowing that they couldn't go back … a glance at each other, and they'd obliviated their hosts but they couldn't, they wouldn't obliviate the children … they'd disaparated away with the screams of the children ringing in their ears …
"We stayed in a small muggle inn that night," James resumed. "Fawkes found us the next day … he took us to the Dumbledore cottage in Godric's Hollow where Albus Fucking Dumbledore was waiting for us, all twinkly eyed and solicitous …"
"Was that when he cast the Fidelius on you?"
James and Lily stared blankly at the dark haired woman who was standing beside Gabrielle, silently listening. She blinked at their expressions before shaking her head and extending a hand, "My apologies. Xena - Gabrielle's partner and Destiny Repair's Operations Director."
They nodded as Lily asked, "Excuse me? A Fidelius?"
Xena frowned. "Uhm … we've been monitoring the situation and it seems that everyone down there" - gesturing vaguely at the ground - "thinks that you were under a Fidelius. There's some dispute as to who your Secret Keeper was … Remus Lupin thought it was Sirius Black, who said it was Peter Pettigrew, which was why -"
"Mr Black blasted you the moment he saw you," Gabrielle said to a wide-eyed Pettigrew. She sighed. "Unfortunately, Hagrid here was right behind you …"
"Which is why they're both here …" Xena added unnecessarily.
Lily Potter exploded! "Stupid Gryffindor! He should know better! If I told him once -"
"Now, Lily Flower," James placated only to step back from her blazing emerald eyes.
"Shut it, James! You know as well as I do that Sirius knows the Fidelius is a myth!" She didn't hear the gasps around her but James did and blinked at the gathered crowd of souls - people - awaiting passage across the Styx. He shook his head, vaguely remembering their own passage through …
Lily's rant was reaching full force: "Idiot! He should have asked first rather than fired first … but no, oh no! Shoot first and let Merlin sort the rest! If I said it once … I've always said that his brains are in his balls - too bad they're too small and not connected!"
"Which makes him perfect for a memory charm."
Lily's train of thought went off the tracks and she blinked at her husband. "Think, Lils … Sirius was the one who told us the Fidelius is a myth, that the Blacks tried for years to get that charm right but never succeeded so could he forget? Why would he believe that Peter was the Secret Keeper for a charm that doesn't exist …"
"Dumbledore was part of the team that worked on Memory Charms with the Department of Mysteries - not just obliviations but also the planting of false memories … that's what Bathilda told us. And he's one of the best when it comes to charms and spell casting …"
"But why the charade? Why go through all that trouble to make Sirius believe that Peter's a Secret Keeper -"
"Why not? He blew Peter away the moment he saw him … never even asked why, just drew his wand and blew him away. Galleons to bagels, Sirius would have gone after Peter rather than look after Harry …"
"He did, Lily," Hagrid interrupted and the couple stared at him in horror. "Dumbledore sent me to Godric's Hallow to check on you … found yeh on the floor, James, dead wit' wand in hand … I was climbin' the stairs when Sirius was comin' down wit' li'l Harry. I tole `im I'd take Harry wit' me - Dumbledore's orders. We argued for a bit an' then he gave me the li'l tyke …" Hagrid's tears were flowing copiously at this point. "He said he was goin' to go chasin' after a rat …"
He turned to Pettigrew who was sitting on the ground, face hidden in his hands - "Tha' was you, Peter? He thought yeh were this Secret Keeper and was trackin' yeh …"
The big man sighed as he blew his nose. "Guess it was sheer dum' luck that I ran over him wit' the motorcycle …"
"Motorcycle?"
They watched Hagrid blush a colour that would rival a hothouse tomato, completely missing the amused glances exchanged by Gabrielle and Xena who surreptitiously high-fived each other - but both jumped at Lily's enraged scream, "HE WAS GOING TO LEAVE HARRY WITH PETUNIA? IS HE NUTS?"
"It was for the Greater Good."
Heads whipped around in surprise; they - and the waiting crowd - had become so engrossed in the discussions that no one realized that the barge had arrived - the gangplank was down and they'd been joined by a dirty old man in filthy grey robes, grease-stained white mane and a beard that reached to his waist - it took the Hogwarts alumni a moment to recognize their eccentric, flamboyant and flashy Headmaster.
Their surprise didn't last - raising his hand imperiously, the old man repeated himself with all the force his considerable experience imbued him: "IT WAS FOR THE GREATER GOOD!"
They gaped as the dirty, dishevelled old man rolled his shoulders and straightened into a ramrod posture, shook off his tattered, dirt-stained robes, took off his glasses and cleaned them off before putting them back on and peering benignly at the assembled crowd.
For the moment, he wasn't the deckhand of the barge that brought souls across the River Styx - he was the one, the only, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore - the Greatest Wizard since Merlin, Order of Merlin First Class, Leader of the Light, Defeater of the Dark Lord Grindelwald, Headmaster of the premiere school of magic, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot - and it was time for him to say his piece.
"WE WERE AT WAR!" His voice thundered, and the crowd gaped - "AND WE WERE LOSING!"
He glared at the assembled crowd, lingering for a moment on his former students and the two who were the bane of his current existence. "Voldemort has had years - decades even - to build his forces and his strength, delving deep into the blackest of magic, gathering followers from the foulest creatures and feeding his evil into the hearts of men - corrupting their souls, pulling them from the Light and leading them down the road to Darkness.
"We could not hold him back - not unless we wanted to tread the same dark path that he'd blazed! He wanted us to kill as he killed, to destroy as he destroyed - he wanted the Light to feast on the same darkness that he revelled in, corrupting each and every one of us to his ways!"
His blazing blue eyes focused on individuals as he continued, "You, James! You, Lily and Hagrid. Even you - Xena, Warrior Princess and Queen Gabrielle of the Amazon Nation." He smirked at their surprised faces. "What? You thought I didn't know - that I spent all the time in that forsaken barge ignoring that drunken lout of a bargeman? He's told me tales of your exploits … how many souls he brought across the river after every one of your rampages!"
He raised a hand to stop Gabrielle's response. "Oh, I know all about her redemption - about all the battles she fought at your side - for you and with you … all in the name of the Greater Good! There isn't that much difference between us, is there?
"EXCEPT THAT I WILL NEVER DESCEND TO YOUR LEVEL! I will not allow my people to kill for the sake of killing - to murder and slaughter those who've been led astray by the honeyed words and false beliefs of Voldemort! We are better than he is -"
"So you'd rather that we die like innocent lambs rather than fight fire with fire?"
"Are we wizards and witches or not?" he said, dismissing James' angry retort. "We have the skills, we have the power - we have the spells to STUN, to DISARM, to PETRIFY AND TIE THEM UP! WE DID NOT HAVE TO KILL - surely you knew that?
"Each murder committed - I know what you felt you had to do, Lily, James, Hagrid - each person murdered by you, no matter your justification that they were trying to kill you first - is a stain on your souls. Could you not see what it was doing to you? Each person you destroyed without choice, without giving them a chance for redemption … could you not feel the darkness seeping into your very souls?
"You say you will fight fire with fire! Send the Killing Curse at you and you will send one back! Use the Cruciatus, and you will use the same to torture information out of those captured in raids - what? We cannot use Veritaserum anymore? We have no Legilimens amongst our ranks?"
"But we were LOSING, Albus!" James Potter shouted even as his wife tried to hold him back. "Stun one and the others would revive him! Shield against a curse - and there were others waiting for your shield to break so they could send more at you! And if all else fails, there is always the Killing Curse which could not be blocked - not when they send five, ten, fifteen or more at you at the same time!"
Albus Dumbledore turned sad, pained eyes on James. "I see that I've failed you -"
"FAILED ME? YES YOU DID, YOU OLD FOOL! When Voldemort came calling, did I meet him with the Killing Curse? NO - I dodged, I transfigured, I summoned things in his path - and he LAUGHED! I had the chance to use the Killing Curse as he walked up the lawn - but NO! Avada Kedavra is too evil for the likes of him - there was no honour in striking him dead -"
"Even if you tried, it would have been useless, James."
"WHAT?"
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches … born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies …"
"What are you blathering about?"
"Prophecy, James, Lily … a prophecy conveyed to me, confirmed when I checked the Hall of Prophecies - it was there, a crystal sphere labelled with the initials of the Seer who spoke it and my initials as the recipient of the prophecy: `S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D. Dark Lord and (?)'."
"Drop the other shoe, Dumbledork." Dumbledore blinked at Xena's sarcastic words, and turned to meet Warrior Princess' blazing blue eyes. "Tell them the whole prophecy - the one which sent you down the road of darkness that you've been bleating against.
"No? Of course not - why should you tell them? They don't deserve to know, now would they? Even if they're dead because of that thing, they don't have to know anything …"
"Xena." The tall woman stopped at Gabrielle's soft voice. The latter glared at Dumbledore who turned away, stubbornness clear in his face. She turned to the Potters. "What he told you was only the first part of the prophecy - the part that was overheard by a spy in the Hog's Head where Fumbledore was meeting with Sibyll Trelawney, descendant of Seers but with no real talent of her own. She was trying to convince him that Hogwarts needed a Divination professor …"
"A spy?" The whisper came from Lily Potter's pale, bloodless lips. "Peter?"
Xena shook her head. "No … Dumbledork hadn't given Peter his mission yet. It was Severus Snape …"
"Sev? He heard the prophecy and brought it to Voldemort …"
Gabrielle interrupted Lily. "What Snape didn't hear was the second part of the prophecy." She glanced at Dumbledore who'd turned his back on them. "It continued, `… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies' …"
Lily Potter slumped as James caught her, but it was a near thing. Lily whispered, "Born as the seventh month dies … HARRY!"
"Or Neville Longbottom."
Heads turned to an expressionless Xena, "Frank and Alice's son was born the day before Harry …"
"So it could have been Harry or Neville …" James began.
"Or anyone of a thousand magical babies born around the world at the same time," Gabrielle interrupted. She smirked at the surprised look on Dumbledore's face - it was obvious that he hadn't thought of that … but then again, she reflected, neither did the megalomaniacal Dork Lord. She shook her head at the thought - `Idiots! Two fools too full of themselves to engage their brains …" and was reminded of Lily's scatological remarks - `their brains are in their balls, too bad they're too small and not connected."
She shook her head of the disturbing idea and turned to James and Lily. "Unfortunately, Voldemork only heard the first part of the prophecy …"
"… mark him as his EQUAL," Lily whispered. "He didn't know the rest - if he did, he wouldn't have gone after us!" She stopped and turned to Dumbledore, her eyes blazing even as James held on to her for dear life. "YOU KNEW HE LEARNED ABOUT IT! Severus went to you, didn't he? DIDN'T HE? Severus went to you to tell you that Voldemort knew - which was how you were able to warn us that he was hunting us and told us to hide …"
Dumbledore turned to her, his sad face confirming her thoughts - and stepped back as her shrill scream rent the air: "YOU FUCKING BASTARD! YOU SET US UP - THAT'S WHAT PETER MEANT, ISN'T IT? YOU WANTED VOLDEMORT TO FIND US SO THAT HE COULD MARK HARRY AS HIS EQUAL, SETTING THE PROPHECY INTO PLAY!"
"IT WAS FOR THE GREATER GOOD!" Dumbledore roared, buffeting Lily with spittle and the personality that made the old man the only one that Voldemort ever, truly feared. "How many lives were SPARED when he turned to you rather than his enemies? How many more muggles LIVED when he stopped hunting them because all his time, all his ENERGIES were spent looking for YOU?
"WHO ARE YOU TO CONSIDER YOURSELVES BETTER THAN THEM? WHO ARE YOU TO CONSIDER YOUR LIVES WORTH MORE THAN THE THOUSAND OR MORE WHO LIVED BECAUSE VOLDEMORT STOPPED HUNTING THEM BECAUSE HE BECAME OBSESSED WITH YOU?"
"How many died because Voldemort was looking for them - because YOU WANTED HIM TO FIND THEM?" The softly spoken words that rose to a frenzied crescendo came from Peter Pettigrew - they had forgotten that he was standing there, silent as he listened to things that he was unaware of … and realized the role he'd played in the old man's mad scheme.
"You USED me, old man … you told me to infiltrate the Dark Lord's ranks - but that wasn't the plan, was it? You wanted me to TELL THEM where to find James and Lily … but no, oh no … that was too simple, too straightforward for you …"
"Voldemort's too smart for that, Peter," Dumbledore began in a condescending tone. "Why should he expect anyone from the Order to turn traitor … even one with a pathetic sob story like you? He needed to trust you and your information …"
"AND YOU GAME ME THE INFORMATION!" Pettigrew faced James and Lily, tears streaming down his face. "He was always scribbling during Order meetings, remember? He'd doodle or scribble, then ball up the parchment and throw it over his shoulder …" James, Lily and Hagrid's eyes bulged out as they realized what Peter was saying. "I always cleaned up after the meetings … there was always something there … a name, an address … a date or time for a meeting or the meeting place for the Order or the DMLE …"
He turned to the unbending Albus Dumbledore: "How many Order members did you give up so that the Dark Lord can `trust me', Headmaster? You gave me the locations of Gideon and Fabian, Edgar Bones …" He glanced at the Potters, "the Harts, who were `a muggle family with ties to magic living in Loughton' … Dorcas Meadowes …"
His hoarse voice dropped to a whisper. "The McKinnons."
"Marlene? Oh shite, Peter …" Lily whispered. Sirius had been dating Marlene `siriusly' a few months before their deaths and was on the verge of a proposal when - she blinked at Peter's crumpled expression. "Peter?"
The face that turned to her was a totally devastated man with an uncommonly heavy burden on his soul. "Lucius Malfoy told me to join him … the Dark Lord was there and told me that it was time to `prove my loyalty' … I was at his side when he attacked the McKinnons …"
Pettigrew's face went blank as he continued, the tears now a river down his face, "Marlene was captured. Voldemort told me … told me …" He turned to James and Lily, a desperate plea for forgiveness in his eyes. "I had no choice … I channelled my anger at what I had to do … crucio, cutting hexes, stingers as she was petrified … and then I killed her."
He glared at the silent Dumbledore who was standing with head bowed. "I could have refused and Marlene would have been raped first, they'd have played with her for hours and they'd have made me watch before killing us both. I kept telling myself this was for the best; that this was for the greater good - better to die with dignity at my hands than be used by those animals."
"Sirius woulda killed you if'n he'd known," Hagrid said softly. Peter nodded - in his mind, Sirius had been more than justified in firing that curse at him - it was a small step in the atonement he felt he owed … too bad that Hagrid was in the line of fire from the angry, raging Gryffindor …
Pettigrew shook himself off and wiped his nose on a dirty sleeve. "We held a memorial for her and Dorcas, remember? I didn't want to attend, knowing what I had done but I had no choice … Dumbledore would have found me and compelled me to join while the Dark Lord would rage and scream and curse me for avoiding the meeting and getting information …"
He glared at the still silent Dumbledore. "I cleaned up as usual and there it was … `The Potters live at 22 Holly Road, Godric's Hollow'. I sent owls to you and Sirius before my meeting with Lucius …"
"It never arrived, Peter," James said softly. "There were owl-redirect wards at Godric's Hollow and Sirius' apartment … security," he spat. He glared at Dumbledore, "So it was all an elaborate plot …"
"A plan that WORKED!" Albus Dumbledore proclaimed as he glared around him, a small bit of satisfaction bubbling within him at the sight of the assembled crowd taking a step back. "Voldemort's been defeated, his body destroyed … it will take him years to return. In the meantime, the Prophesied Child, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One will be protected and safe … he will grow up in a safe environment protected from magic and those of magical society who will try to use him, to corrupt him to their dark ways …"
"Safe?" Lily Potter near-screamed. "You placed him with Petunia and Vernon who hate magic?"
Dumbledore didn't hear her - or chose to ignore her. "In time he will be ready to return to the Magical World … he will enter Hogwarts where he will learn to be the wizard he should be, the one prophesied to defeat the Dark Lord."
He shook himself and glared at the now-gaping Xena and Gabrielle. "Which is why I need to be there … it is my destiny to train the Chosen One, to teach him what he needs to defeat the Dark Lord - to show him the True Path of Light, to understand that nothing must stand in the way of the Greater Good …"
"You son of a bitch."
It was the first time that they'd heard Hagrid speak so articulately, enunciated so perfectly … and spoke so, so, softly. He had moved so carefully and silently that no one realized that he was now standing in front of his idol, the man who could do no wrong, who'd protected him and gave him a job after the fiasco with Aragog and Tom Riddle …
"You fuckin' son of a bitch."
An enormous foot lashed out and caught Dumbledore in the groin - but the kick was delivered with such power and intent that Dumbledore didn't crumple to the ground - he flew into the air like a Pele-kicked football and landed in the middle of the River Styx where his mane and beard could be seen as the current dragged him away …
"'EY THERE - WAT YOU DO DAT FER? WHO IN HADES D'YOU THINK WILL CLEAN THE DECKS NOW, HUH? WHO'S GONNA BE GUARDING THE BARGE WHEN I TAKE TIME OFF, HUH?"
The crowd blinked at the sight of a dirty, dishevelled Charon, the boatman of the Styx, standing toe-to-toe with a flustered, shocked Hagrid who was stuttering and sputtering in an attempt to explain the unexplainable …
No one saw a shocked, mouth-agape Xena staring at the River and the new flotsam adorning it … or saw Gabrielle, once Queen of the Amazon Nation and current CEO of Destiny Repair Incorporated, flop on the ground while trying to rub away a massive, skull-splitting headache …
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