Chapter 207 - No Action is Required (2/2)
A brief smile flashes across Alphard's face as he says, ”It would appear you're finally properly being a partner to Scrimgeour.”
”Never!” Alastor vehemently protested not completely able to hide the look of pride in his eyes, before leaving and shutting the door behind him.
The two men are quiet as the fire crackles until Alphard says, ”You've gotten cold, Percius.”
”And what do you expect?” Percius coldly snapped back. ”My partner is dead, would you have me smiling all the time again?”
”No, but not like this,” Alphard said as Percius glances away not meeting Alphard's gaze. ”Do you blame her for not warning us about, Vinovich?”
Percius bites his lip in reply as Alphard sighs, ”Percius, you know that farseers aren't like regular seers, who make prophecies about the future. Farseers can only accurately see one possible future nor the changes that occur afterward once the present is changed. She couldn't have known no more than you and me.”
Seeing Percius's unchanging face Alphard shakes his head tiredly. ”Percius, I believe you confuse the fact that she attends Hogwarts at the moment as some sort of weakness. She is a CHILD, Percius! She should not even be speaking with us nor much less planning on how to save the entire wizarding world. That is the responsibility of us adults, not that of a mere thirteen-year-old child!”
Percius blinks at the angry outburst from Alphard, who tiredly leans back to rest against his armchair. ”And she is not playing either, Percius,” Alphard said in exhaustion as he closed his eyes. ”Have you not yet wondered where the basilisk skin that is to be auctioned came from?”
”I have not,” Percius sheepishly confessed. ”But what does that have to do with her?”
”A basilisk was the monster hidden in the Chamber of Secrets.”
”What do you mean to tell me that the Chamber of Secrets, really exists?”
”It does.”
”But how in Merlin's name did she manage to kill a deadly creature like that?!”
”I don't know,” Alphard wearily admitted as he opened his eyes to meet the incredulous gaze of Percius. ”But what I do is that she somehow all alone managed to lure the beast out of the castle into the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night without being caught nor killed only to lead it to a nest of Acromantula's.”
”A nest of Acromantula's?” Percius said in disbelief.
”You heard correctly a nest of Acromantula's.”
”But how is she even still alive?!”
”I don't know, but would you rather she wasn't?”
”No,” Percius finally said as his eyes filled with moisture. ”I suppose I just wanted someone to blame for Vinovich being gone. And she was the easiest option-.”
Alphard gently reaches over to pat Percius on the shoulder and says, ”It happens to the best of us that we often lash out at those closest to us.” The two men are quiet for some time until Alphard glances at the time and says, ”Dawn is almost upon us, we best be going now.”
”You're right,” Percius said as climbed to his feet and offered a hand to aid Alphard to his own. Utterly exhausted, Alphard accepted his hand, before putting on his cloak. They each quickly left together, before splitting up and apparating away. Not long after the sun broke through the horizon as a new day began.