An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Gideon didn’t know how to respond. Then again, he wasn’t sure he had fully comprehended what the solemn-faced headmistress had said. She had been the one who sealed his magic?
‘I tell you this now, Gideon because I feel you deserve to know the truth,’ Professor Dandridge explained. ‘Rather selfishly, I also do so in the hope that you will be able to forgive me. It was not a proud moment for me, but I truly believed I was doing the right thing at the time.’
‘The right thing?’ Gideon questioned. ‘From everything the paper has been saying about The Weaving, it’s supposed to be dangerous, and lots of people disagree with using it at all!’
‘That’s true,’ the headmistress replied.
‘Th-then why?’ Gideon squeaked, his throat now dry. He reached for the tea and swallowed a few mouthfuls.
‘It was a strained period in our history and the incident was highly publicised. Even so, next to nothing was known about you or your background, or about the attempted kidnapper. The Minister for Magic was under pressure. He proposed the measure but ultimately left the decision to a panel.
‘Despite Mr Grimsby’s best efforts to spare you from the sentencing, the panel’s decision had been made. The spell was going ahead. As a Healer specialising in ritual magic, I was asked to perform it. Naturally, the idea turned my stomach. However, as you say, it’s a dangerous spell. It was also one that hadn’t been carried out in over a century. I believed I was the best chance at ensuring the spell was performed correctly.’
‘It wasn’t, though, was it?’ Gideon muttered.
‘Perhaps not. It was successful but there are reasons why the spell hadn’t been used in so long. The magical community deemed it to be unnatural to stop the flow of a witch or wizard’s magic. It was never outlawed but there was consensus on the matter, and we have since found better ways to deal with wrongdoers. Another reason was the chance of side effects occurring, and sadly, you developed some. First of all, evidence of the spell remained. You were marked.’
Gideon instinctively put a hand over his left eye, where his patch had been.
‘Yes, your eye became the sealing point for the spell. We had no way of knowing at the time how else you would be affected, but at St Mungo’s, I got the chance to see for myself. Your health had suffered. You had a weak constitution, several medical issues such as asthma, anaemia and the like, and your growth was stunted.’
‘Wait, the spell did those things to me?’ Gideon said indignantly. ‘It made me short?’
‘I’m afraid so,’ the headmistress responded glumly. ‘However, I wonder, when was the last time you had any kind of episode?’
‘Well,’ Gideon started, thinking back, ‘If you don’t count the fires… I don’t remember. Not since before the Dementor attack, I guess.’
‘I expect that’s right. Now that you’re free of the binding, your health is improving,’ she said with a small smile, then upon guessing what Gideon was about to ask, she added, ‘I believe that also means you’re owed a growth spurt.’
Gideon looked pleased for a moment. Then, remembering the situation, he asked, ‘And if my magic hadn’t returned?’
'It's very likely that you would have always struggled with your health. Your magic was never supposed to return, Gideon. You were to live out your life as a Squib. It's only because you experienced a highly stressful life-and-death situation that your magic broke free.
‘You were unconscious at the time, of course, but your power forcibly broke the seal in your left eye, which was why you came to St Mungo’s with that injury. What happened after was a scene very similar to what occurred when you were a baby.’
‘Yeah, I as good as killed another mother—’
'No, Gideon!' snapped Mr Grimsby suddenly. 'I've told you before about that. Without awareness, there can be no fault.'
‘Well said,’ Professor Voronov chimed in.
‘How can you still say that knowing that it’s happened twice now, that I’ve killed innocent people?’ Gideon questioned.
‘You did no such thing, Gideon!’ Mr Grimsby said sternly. ‘I’m sure Professor Dandridge was just getting to this, but your dark magic is not naturally occurring.’
Gideon frowned.
‘The rare few who possess dark magic are born with it. It flows through them as their solitary source of magic. They may not even be aware of it. However, you have two sources of magic. Your own, and a separate source of dark magic. While there is no way to safely remove it from you, we have concluded that you were not born with it.’
‘Huh?’ Gideon said, baffled.
‘People don’t have multiple sources of magic, Gideon, not without the aid of a magical object or something else exterior to the body. We don’t know how or why, but sometime after you were born, the dark magic within you was placed there intentionally.’
‘You think someone did this to me?’ Gideon asked in disbelief.
‘The Ministry investigation never uncovered anything, so I’m afraid I don’t have any answers for you,’ Grimsby informed him. ‘However, now that things are out in the open, there’s a chance that the investigation will be reopened. Although, your dad was Head of the Investigation Department at the time and he never missed a trick, so I don’t know if we’ll ever really know the truth.’
Professor Dandridge put down her teacup, rested her chin on her hands and looked plainly at Gideon through her gold-framed spectacles. ‘Whoever or whatever did this to you is truly responsible for what happened to your mothers and the other victims, Gideon. You are not to blame. The people in this room understand that and others will in time.’
Gideon met each of their eyes. He had something new to worry about, and yet he felt a little lighter knowing that he had the support of some competent adults.
‘Now, oddly enough, with this in mind, I believe the binding spell may have helped you.'
This pronouncement, however, caused Gideon to blurt out, ‘Helped me?’ He blushed, knowing he had crossed a limit with his tone but didn’t apologise.
Professor Voronov cleared his throat as if to warn him, but the headmistress smiled briefly before replying, 'I believe that if you had grown up with this dark magic, unaware of it and unable to control it, it could have affected you in unknown ways. You would have been helpless.
‘Since it has been dormant until now, sealed away by The Weaving, you’ve had the chance to grow up, come to Hogwarts and begin to learn how to use magic. You have a chance now, to learn to control this power and make it your own.’
The words came out of Gideon’s mouth before he could stop himself, ‘Before it can control me, you mean?’
Surprised or impressed by Gideon’s quick deduction, the headmistress paused to consider her response, ‘The truth is that we simply don’t know enough. However, I believe that with the right preparations, you will be capable of responding appropriately to any issues that may arise.’
Professor Voronov interjected, ‘Indeed, you have already shown a capacity for this, Gideon. When the dark magic took advantage of your emotional state to break free on Monday, you were able to contain it and to some degree, control it, with minimal instruction.’
‘It ended up hurting me, though. And you too, Professor,’ Gideon reminded him.
'My injuries were of little consequence. They healed in no time,' he said, holding up his previously bandaged hands. 'What is important, is that you have a feel for it now. You can tell when the power is rising, you have demonstrated a degree of control, and next time I believe you will be even better equipped to respond.'
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
There was another period of silence before Gideon voiced a concern, ‘Given everything you’ve said and everything we’ve learnt this week, don’t you think I might be responsible for the fires, after all?’
Professor Voronov looked to the headmistress for her answer, ‘Other than the ones you’ve told us about? No. There’s no evidence to suggest that your magic is responsible for the fires in the Charms classroom or the Great Hall. Professor Long tells me that we even owe you a debt for preventing a fire. In addition, after speaking with Madam Longbottom, I believe your recurring dream is no longer a concern.
‘However, I’m sure you’ve realised that after your appearance in the Daily Prophet, the fires will become an issue. I’m afraid you may have a difficult time inside and outside of Hogwarts. Mr Grimsby assures me that the Ministry will be putting out a statement of support—eventually—and as long as you are a student here, you will have mine.
'The problem is our illustrious Board of Governors,' the headmistress stated with an air of disdain. 'I met with them this week and in order to satisfy them, I have some requirements that I need you to fulfil. Firstly, you will meet with Professor Voronov once a week to have your magical output measured.
‘Secondly, following this, the professor will give you a private lesson on magical theory, magical control and dark magic. You won’t be graded, of course, but I expect you to take these lessons as seriously as any other. Third, the specifics of what we have discussed here should not leave this room. This is for your own protection.
'Lastly, I ask that you stay vigilant, Gideon. Please keep Professor Voronov apprised of anything important. This includes anything concerning the Prophet articles, the fires or how you are getting on here.’
Gideon nodded in understanding.
‘Good. Well, I think I’ll help myself to a cauldron cake. Ooh Raspberry flavour!’ said Professor Dandridge airily, cutting through the thick tension in the air like a knife.
‘You will be returning to Slytherin House today and resuming lessons on Monday,’ Professor Voronov announced, then leaning in to whisper for a moment, ‘December’s password is Diamondback. I have met with the house briefly to inform them of your return. The headmistress also addressed the school this morning to reiterate that you are not a suspect in the fires and that the school does not consider you dangerous.’
The mental image of those talks was an embarrassing thought for Gideon, but he supposed the school needed to say something. Even so, he very much doubted it would have much impact.
‘I’m afraid this was necessary as we have had many owls on the matter already—some containing curses. Speaking of which, as a precaution, your incoming mail will be checked before delivery from now on. I asked Madam Longbottom to send your things to your dormitory, so you should head straight there. We will meet on Fridays at five PM starting next week.’
Gideon gave a nod of recognition.
‘Before you leave, I want to apologise to you again, Gideon, for my part in what happened to you,’ said Professor Dandridge.
‘Me too, Gideon.’ Mr Grimsby added. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t be more honest with you. I was under a gag order, but had I known that your aunt—that you would learn about things the way that you did—I would have found a way to tell you.’
‘Is there anything that you would like to say?’ Professor Dandridge asked.
Gideon thought for a while before settling on something, ‘So you knew about me the whole time? That’s why you knew about my name being crossed out in the Book of Admittance?’
'Yes. As unfortunate as the circumstances of your magic breaking free were, I was very pleased to learn you would be attending Hogwarts. After seeing you in St Mungo's, though, I worried about what lay ahead for you. The idea that I might be able to atone in some way was one of the things that convinced me to take the job.
‘Then, when I saw you struggling in your first weeks, it was fortuitous that I knew enough about your background to guess the book might contain evidence to make you think twice about leaving. Of course, you got your new wand shortly after that.’
‘And a most impressive wand it must be,’ Professor Voronov commented. ‘You had an immediate turnaround with your spell work. Also, I must admit that when I told you to use your wand to vent the dark magic on Monday, I expected it to break under the pressure of the incredible energy you released. Was there no damage at all?’
‘Err, no, not that I’ve noticed,’ said Gideon, feeling a note of pride in his special wand.
‘Most interesting,’ the Professor concluded with a raised eyebrow.
‘Anything else, Gideon?’ Professor Dandridge probed.
'Only that, well, if what you've said about the dark magic inside me is true, then you might have saved me by binding it. Honestly, I've got so many genuine reasons to be angry and people to be angry with, I don't have the energy to sweat the small stuff. Well, not small, but I have bigger problems to deal with. You had your reasons and it sounds like things could have been much worse, so I guess what I'm trying to say is that I forgive you, Professor, and you, Mr Grimsby.'
‘That’s very gracious of you, Gideon, thank you,’ she replied, looking genuinely touched while Jonathan Grimsby appeared to breathe a sigh of relief.
‘Thank you all for your help and for giving me the benefit of the doubt. It’s good to know that there are people I can count on,’ Gideon said. Professor Voronov nodded, the headmistress smiled, and Grimsby grinned widely.
Then, remembering the people he was angry with and couldn’t count on, Gideon added, ‘There’s one last thing. I know I was out of it in the Great Hall the other day, but I meant what I said. I would like to go by my legal name from now on—my real name—Gideon Drake.’
***
Gideon felt lighter as he walked through the castle to the Slytherin Common Room following the odd meeting in the head's office. Professor Dandridge insisted that he take the remaining cauldron cakes with him, which he carried in a paper bag. She did so after reluctantly agreeing to his request to change his name.
Legally, he was Gideon Drake. There simply wasn't any point in pretending he was a Maxwell anymore. Not now that everyone knew his real name, and not now that his family had shown their true colours. Gideon bit into a lemon-flavoured cauldron cake as he contemplated their discussion.
Dark Magic... Where had it come from, and who or what had given it to him? How did one even accomplish something like that? There was a new puzzle for Gideon to solve. One that might have just as unpleasant a solution as the last. However, for the time being, the challenge that lay directly ahead was returning to normal school life, such as it was.
Gideon's nerves started to get the better of him as he reached the top of the grand staircase. The other Slytherins had surely enjoyed being rid of him this past week. Considering this, he looked down towards the door to the dungeons but instead, found a large gathering of people in the Entrance Hall.
A tight huddle of people was growing in size as students casually streamed out of the Great Hall to see what the commotion was about. Gideon was intrigued but he walked down the stairs, intending to take advantage of his short stature and slip through the crowd unnoticed. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas.
‘But that’s him, isn’t it?’ Gideon heard someone say as he approached the bottom step. Instantly, the crowd started fussing and those at the front began moving in his direction. He stopped in his tracks, trying to assess the situation. ‘It is him!’ another voice confirmed.
Arms were suddenly grabbing at him from multiple directions and moving him down the stairs. Gideon panicked but couldn’t reach his wand. ‘Get off me!’ he demanded as he was pulled and pushed into position alongside a woman in a tweed suit whose bushy hair was tied up behind her and held in place by a clip that looked ready to break from the effort.
Gideon was assaulted by a sudden series of flashbulbs popping in front of him and countless remote-viewing crystals hovering all around, surely transmitting his image to Telecrystal sets across the wizarding world. The woman held him tightly in place with one arm on his back and another on his shoulder. A man to his right, wearing a black suit and sunglasses and holding a wand, gripped his other shoulder firmly.
‘As I was saying, my administration categorically denies any knowledge of the cover-up. While I consider former Minister Shacklebolt a close personal friend, I must condemn his actions regarding the 2010 incident. As such, I have come here today, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, to extend a personal apology to Mr Gideon Drake. Gideon, on behalf of the Ministry of Magic, please accept my sincere apology,' said the bushy-haired woman, turning to him.
Gideon couldn’t believe it. This was the Minister for Magic herself, Hermione Granger-Weasley. She took his hand, began shaking it vigorously and angled back to the crowd. Gideon was blinded by another series of flashbulbs.
‘Now, as for an investigation,’ the Minster continued, ‘we will, of course, be conducting one, led by an independent investigator. We don’t need little-known members of the Wizengamot trying to make a name for themselves by suggesting such obvious courses of action… The public, and indeed, Mr Drake, deserve answers and they will get them!’
‘Shall we get a few shots in the Great Hall, Minister?’ Gideon heard one of her entourage suggest as the crowd erupted into chatter and questions from reporters.
‘Minister!’ another voice interrupted sharply. ‘What on Earth is going on here?’ Jonathan Grimsby had appeared on the stairs behind Gideon. He looked livid. ‘This is not what we discussed!’
‘Ah, Grimsby, good we can get some shots with you as well,’ Minister Granger-Weasley proposed casually.
‘I told you I was coming to speak with Gideon privately, and that I would meet with you afterwards,’ Grimsby reminded her, then lowered his voice, ‘What were you thinking, ambushing him with a press crew?’
‘It just seemed logical to get everything sorted at once,’ she asserted, ‘We bumped into Gideon here on the way to meet you and he was kind enough to agree to some pictures—’
‘Take your hands off him,’ Mr Grimsby whispered menacingly and forcibly pulled Gideon free from the Minister and her armed bodyguard.
‘Grimsby!’ the Minister pleaded under her breath, looking quite affronted. ‘Err, we’ll resume in a moment,’ she assured the reporters.
‘I’m so sorry. I had no idea she would pull a stunt like this,’ Mr Grimsby said as he directed Gideon away from the reporters. He beckoned for someone from the crowd to join them, ‘Here. Come here. Take Gideon into the lounge and lock it behind you while I deal with this mess.’
A different, unseen hand now steered a bewildered Gideon by the shoulder into the Student Lounge. He heard the door close behind him and someone say the incantation to lock it, ‘Colloportus.’ Grateful for the instantaneous sense of peace and quiet, Gideon turned to thank his would-be saviour. Standing in front of the door with his arms folded, was Alex Grimsby.